BIL'IN – Demonstrators protesting Israel's construction of the illegal West Bank separation wall in the village of Bil'in mocked on Friday the Facebook photos that surfaced last week of an Israeli soldier posing next to handcuffed, blindfolded Palestinians.
 |
| Demonstrators in Bil'in reenact Eden Abergil's Facebook photos. [Photo: Hamde Abu Rahma] |
Eden Abergil's photos sparked widespread outrage and condemnation across the world. The Palestinian Authority condemned the photos, and the Israeli army also issued a statement condemning Abergil's behavior. Abergil herself maintained she did nothing wrong. 'I would gladly kill Arabs - even slaughter them', she wrote.
The photos also became something of an internet meme, inspiring numerous parodies, culminating in Friday's protest in Bil'in, in which international, Palestinian and Israeli demonstrators donned blindfolds, posing as the detainees in Abergil’s photos. The demonstrators sat along the road to the Israeli barrier, directly in front of Israeli soldiers sent to crack down on the demonstration. The soldiers responded by detaining demonstrators, carrying one female protester away by her arms and legs, and by deploying tear gas.
WATCH:
The photos also became something of an internet meme, inspiring numerous parodies, culminating in Friday's protest in Bil'in, in which international, Palestinian and Israeli demonstrators donned blindfolds, posing as the detainees in Abergil’s photos. The demonstrators sat along the road to the Israeli barrier, directly in front of Israeli soldiers sent to crack down on the demonstration. The soldiers responded by detaining demonstrators, carrying one female protester away by her arms and legs, and by deploying tear gas.
WATCH:
Despite the intense heat, on the second Friday of Ramadan, a sizable march organized by the Popular Committee commenced from the center of the village of Bil’in at midday on Friday.
As the protesters neared the separation wall and approached the soldiers with pictures of other Israeli soldiers posing and torturing prisoners, tear gas was fired heavily at the protesters and journalists. Clashes continued for hours when the Israeli military attempted to advance into the village.
A journalist was wounded and dozens suffered tear gas inhalation.
