Bil’in, Second anniversary demonstration. 23rd February 2007

This isn’t by any means a documentary, nor is it an account of the valiant efforts of those who protest the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and the bad tempered wall that is being built.
Rather it is a narrative of the day, and an attempt to represent what I felt as a both a protester and witness to the demonstration.
Bil’in is a phenomenon of a sort, in that it is the only anti-wall demo that has built up any kind of momentum. It has built a reputation as a success story of the non-violent resistance movement in Palestine, despite controversy regarding the motives of some of the activists that attend the weekly protest (so-called “violence tourists”), the regular stone-throwing of local kids and even the extent to which local villagers would like to see these protests continue.
This was the second time I’d attended the protest, and both times I have been overwhelmed, not only by the ridiculously heavy-handed methods of the Israeli military (which is self-evident in the video), but also by the intangible atmosphere amongst the protesters.
Bil’in is unique in that it is no longer simply an anti-wall demonstration; it has become something of a public relations animal. A symbol of non-violent resistance to show to the world, regardless of the ground-level intentions and goals of the local people who essentially want to get rid of the illegal wall (or, if you will, security fence, blah blah blah), so that they can access their farmland.
I have a friend who is convinced (and I am persuaded) that Israel only permits “Bil’in” to continue, firstly as an excellent training arena for their vast amounts of inexperienced young soldier-boys, and secondly to give sheen to the illusion of permissive Israeli democracy. Although it is slightly self defeating to be smug about allowing non-violent protest when you violently dismantle it.
It is a weird event, made all the more weird by the hundreds of people that attended the second anniversary. I would guess that there was at least three cameras to every person.

A thank you to James by the way…

Dignity

Click to enlarge the image. There are three pages. Sorry I'm not bright enough to put it in a swankier format.

Have a listen.

Extracted Audio 01.aiff

Cheesey Video

Hallo. I haven't done this for a while...

Yesterday afternoon I had many things to do, so instead if doing them I made this cheesey offering. The truth tastes like cheese.



Soon (maybe even later this afternoon) I will get round to writing about what I've been up to, including a bonkers day in Hebron nearly two weeks ago...

A whimsical stencil I did

Hello. Strange week for me, it began with the Olive Planting day with the JAI, which I really should have posted a report on, but I didn't.

So here's a link to an excellent account of what happened.
http://bethlehemghetto.blogspot.com/

The fields we were planting are very near to the path of the wall, as shown in one of my you-tube videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxZEOKzUixQ

So, from a most excellent day of action, baffling soldiers by planting trees - what I think is a fantastic form of non-violent resistance, because nothing looks sillier than when a big chap with a massive gun is trying to stop a small lady planting a tree, from there my week got me in a conflicting pickle.

The pickle was this... I went to see a Bonnie 'Prince' Billy gig in West Jerusalem on Tuesday.
hmmm... I really wanted to, and I have wanted to see him (the enigmatic Will Oldham) for a very long time. The music is outstanding (see recommendations)!! You can Imagine my dismay when I realised he was about to tour Britain, as I left the country.

But what about my die-hard principles of doing my best not to support the very very wrongness of the Israeli State, by boycotting Israel in general (including arts events etc.) whenever I can??
http://www.bds-palestine.net/

It is a tricky one, and really I shouldn't have gone. I should have written Mr Oldham a letter explaining why he really shouldn't play Israel, and then invited him to Bethlehem for a gig. But I went and it was brilliant, I'd convinced myself that I would take some kind of bull by it's horns and corner the well-bearded musician, inviting him back to the West Bank for a legendary performance. That was never really going to happen.

One of these days I'll get round to putting into words why I feel so uncomfortable in Israel. I think there's a lot of guilt involved, because it really is Westernised, and I can't help but feel in some way more relaxed in an environment so similar to the one I'm from.

On the other, very big, hand, last Friday when I was drinking in a very excellent bar and feeling these vague notions of discomfort, knowing that I was on a bit of a jolly in Jerusalem and forgetting all the heinous shite that carries on only twenty minutes away, and also discovering that Bonnie 'Prince' Billy was in town. Here I am living like I would back home while my Palestinian friends have a boot pressing their face into the mud. There I was. Then off I went, to return some DVD's to a very well stocked, very cool place, which features high on my list of reasons to feel gulty about going in to Israel. On the way back to the bar, and for no apparent reason, I was stopped and searched by the Police. OH MY GOODNESS. I fear that as well as the guilty pleasures of swanky West Jerusalem, the overbearing and entirely fascistic police presence has some kind of allure for me...

No No. Had I been stopped in Britain, and more certain of my rights, I would have quite happily told the policeman to go and sit in a puddle. As it was, the weirdly tangible sense of fear that permeates Israel manifested in a stop and search episode which made me realise why I never intend to be apart of a society (like Britain is becoming) that sacrifices personal liberty for the sake of coffee shops with chrome facades.

Quite hilariously, right now this minute, a great deal of celebratory gunfire just broke out about twenty feet from my desk. Apparently someone has been released from jail. Hooray! This is one reason why I love Palestine. People value freedom, and will not give up the struggle for it.

Hello.

I wrote a very long and rambling post this week, about the state of the State of Israel, in which I spent a great deal of time analysing the mental condition of Israelis; living, as so many of them do, in a bubble. Floating on an atmosphere of stage-managed fear-from-the-smoke-machine, right next to belligerent occupation.

It sprawled off into what may one day be refined into intelligent comment, but i scrapped it for now...

So, here instead is another video, which i will try and embed, rather than simply include a link to...




It is a bit ropey, but you get the idea.