Bil'in

Located a short distance to the west of Ramallah, perched amongst the hills, surrounded by olive trees, connected by winding dirt roads, Bil’in has the same tranquility and friendliness that you find in villages all across Palestine.  Yet as you follow one of these roads west through the village, and out into their farmland, you don’t get far before you hit the Separation Wall, and just behind it you see the expansive settlements gradually engulfing the land.  Friendly, welcoming, and peaceful, Bil’in is also a village facing a daily struggle for survival. 

Writing on the Separation Wall at Bil'in

Bili’in’s main income is provided through agriculture; predominantly the produce of poultry, cattle, bees and olive trees.  Bil’in’s population owns approximately 4000 dunums of land in the area, and since the 1980s, 2300 of these dunums have been taken from them to make way for settlements.  The injustice caused by the removal of this land is coupled by the increase in raids and arrests on members of the village by Israeli soldiers, in an attempt to discourage resistance.  However, these tactics have not worked on the residents of Bil’in, and the village continues to be home to one of the most well-known non-violent resistance movements in the West Bank.  The residents of the village organise weekly Friday protests, in order to voice their stance that the construction of the wall and settlements violate international law. 

The resistance movement of Bil’in has attracted international attention, and protesters now come from all over the world to protest in solidarity with the residents of the village.  A centre named ‘The Bil'in Friends of Freedom and Justice’ has been set up, as a base for the protesters, and through which they can publish information about the movement as well as advocate for the cause.  Even more people became aware of the movement after the release of the film ‘5 Broken Cameras’, which documented the Bil’in movement.  Despite the oppression which Bil’in continues to face, the resistance will continue until the injustice ends, and the movement represents a wider struggle for peace and freedom across Palestine.