Updates!

Friday: I was in Bil'in on Friday for the normal demonstration against the wall. Once again the Israeli Army saw fit to spray us with a massive amount of chemical "skunk" from one of their trucks while delivering the normal amount of tear gas. Members of the Bil'in Popular Committee wore yellow ponchos with yellow hats and masks. It was both funny and functional!


Saturday: Maria and I went with around 30 Israeli and international activists to the village of Saffa (she wrote the above post about it so I wont go into that many details)

Sunday: Sunday at noon was the court deadline for two houses in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah to vacate to the settlers. A large number of international activists, community members, and Israeli activists converged on the houses in a show of defiance against the eviction. Lots of press showed up (including the BBC) and at least two diplomatic missions sent representatives (Sweden: who is now the rotating president of the European Union, and the Czech Republic). Over the course of the day, a number of police vans drove by and honked their horns at us as a way of intimidating the people out front. At night, a large number of people did home stays at the houses. These will continue indefinitely until the eviction order is rescinded or until the police try to force the families out. Maria has chosen to remain with the families for a while.

Monday: I took part in a large meeting in Bil'in with the Popular Committee, Israeli activists (including several folks from Anarchists Against the Wall), and a big group of international activists (including ISM). We addressed the large number of army raids and arrests that have occurred over the last three weeks in Bil'in and discussed strategies to resist and stop them.