Bil'in residents set up 'outpost' west of separation fence

The Great Escape (but not for 'E')

Well, we've had another fine day in Bil'in!

The music this morning (see below) was great and it was nice not to have the village invaded before the demo for once.

The demo

At about 1pm, after prayers, the whole village plus about 14 Internationals and scores of Israelis marched towards the site where this annexation wall is being constructed. It's great marching with a mixed group, we had the usual whistles and horns but also chants and singing in at least three languages.

The demo reached the usual barrier of soldiers and razor-wire about halfway between the village and the construction site. We had another concert here with a touring guitarist singing a song written about the wall itself. Political songs can be pretty crass but this one was quite moving and a one Israeli was in tears the whole way through.

We all kept whistling and chanting as the Israeli commander tried to read out the 'Closed Military Zone' (go home) order and after a bit of arguing between demonstrators and soldiers, we surged past their left flank and towards the site.

Getting detained (again)

'M', one of the villagers who has been organizing these protests, led the move and soon a group of about eight soldiers made to arrest him. 'E' and I had already apointed ourselves his bodyguards for the day and ran interference whilst he struggled and escaped.

Ammar Awad: Reuters

Our action pissed off the soldiers more than somewhat and we soon had five/six each wrestling on the floor trying to detain us.

Ammar Awad: Reuters

At one point, having been dragged away from E, I pretended to give in and was allowed to stand, only to dive back on top of him and we continued to struggle for almost ten minutes until they finally managed to tie our wrists and carry us away.

This whole time they had been kicking, choking arm twisting, punching and using their batons. The journalists had been swarming around us this whole time and pictures of the IOF attacking unarmed civillians will be all over the Israeli news tonight and the papers tomorrow morning.

Ammar Awad: Reuters

I've seen the tape of our assault and the way E in particular was treated was brutal. One of the soldiers was stabbing him in the ribs with his baton whilst another knelt on his face. It's worth pointing out that not once during any of this did he hit back or even shout abuse at the soldiers. He just refused to be cuffed or carried away and kept repeating that he wasnt harming anyone, just walking in a village which the soldies had no right to be in.

Escape!

I was carried, with wrists bound, to a hut near the demo with guards and a camera crew in tow. The camera crew helped straighten me up (my trousers had come down!) and interviewed me, much to the soldier's disapproval. He just looked around for his officer and made vain attempts to stop it.

Looking around proved to be his downfall however as I took the chance to run and got out of the door into the olive grove. After that, it was easy. An overweight squaddie with full body armour, helmet, assault rifle, grenade launcher and god only knows how much other kit was never really going to catch me and I was back in the village in minutes. The demo cheered as I ran passed and someone took me into a house to have my hands cut free.

Not so lucky...

E however fared differently. He was some way behind me, having put up quite a fight as they tried to get him over a wall, and I think he may have been loaded straight into a jeep. I've spoken to him since and he's being held in a settlement of all places.

"Being in a controlled military zone; illegal demonstartion; assaulting a soldier" goes the list of charges. We've sent down a lawyer with video evidnce proving that the latter is ridiculous and the consulate have gotten involved. Hopefully, he'll be out in the morning.