Israeli Forces Raid a West Bank Village Involved in Non-Violent Protest

At around 3 AM in the the West Bank village of Bil'in on Monday morning Israeli soldiers stormed the village and raided the homes of many. 2 children were arrested and 5 adults including Mahammad Khatib, a member of the popular committee against the wall and settlements. The villagers were involved in non violent protest and their village has been raided by Israeli forces several times since June 29, 2009. There are currently 19 villagers in detention. The Israeli forces have tried to get the youth they have detained to make statements against the leaders of the Bil'in community through various interrogation techniques.

Abdullah Abu Rahme, coordinator of the popular committee commented, “ Mahammad Khatib and Adib Abu Rahme along with other leaders of the Palestinian popular struggle are being targeted because they mobilize Palestinians to resist non-violently. The fact is that the apartheid wall and the settlements built on Palestinian land are illegal under international law, in the case of our village even the biased Israeli court declared the route Illegal. Yet Israel is prosecuting us as criminals because we struggle non-violently for our freedom.”