RAMALLAH, November 6, 2009 (WAFA)- The 20^th  anniversary to the fall of the Berlin Wall marked in mass demonstrations across the West Bank calling for an immediate dismantling of Israel's wall and settlements, International Solidarity Movement (ISM) said in a press release.

Exactly twenty years ago, November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall came crumbling down in two days that inspired hope for a world in which walls could no longer keep people apart. Today, a wall twice as high and five times as long is being built by Israel in the West Bank, in blunt contempt of international law, to separate Palestinians from their lands.

Despite the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion from 2004, which had pronounced Israel's wall illegal, and called for its removal, no significant changes on the ground were made.

The anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall has been declared an international day of action against Israel's Apartheid Wall. Today the  protesters called for its removal, and attempt to implement the ICJ's  decision.

Several demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation from canisters thrown at them by the Israeli occupation soldiers in their attempt to suppress the weekly protest of West Bank village of Bil’in citizens and solidarity groups.

The demonstration was called by the Popular Committee Against the Wall and started directly after the Friday prayers. Bil’in citizens were joined by a group of international and Israeli peace activists and together they raised Palestinian flags and banners condemning the occupation, racist policy of building the Wall and settlements, land seizure, road closures and detention and killing of innocent people.

In Ni’lin, more than 200 protesters attended the weekly demonstration against the Apartheid Wall. The demonstrators gathered this week in front of the Ni’lin’s health clinic and from there marched to the wall carrying Palestinian flags. When the demonstration reached the Wall, protestors burned car tires, which damaged the lower part of the concrete. Israeli forces in the area immediately responded by shooting large amounts of tear gas canisters into the demonstration, which caused several people to experience breathing problems.

One protestor managed to climb on to the Wall and he raised the Palestinian flag, hereby sending a message to Israel that the Palestinian flag will always go up on Ni’lin’s land. Even if the land is cut off from the village now, the people of Ni’lin will never give up the right to their own land. Simultaneously, a group of youth threw bottles with red paint at the Israeli soldiers, the red paint representing the blood of the martyrs in Ni’lin that were killed by these soldiers.  

A small group of participants brought a jack that they placed under one of the concrete segments of the Wall. After two hours, the concrete started coming off the ground, partially falling down.  This was a strong message from Ni’lin, one protestor stated: “last Monday the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall was celebrated all over the world, now it’s time for the Apartheid Wall to fall and this will start in Ni’lin. We in Ni’lin are most determined to get our land back, and we will break down this ugly Wall.”

When the Israeli forces noticed that a part of the Wall was coming down, they didn’t wait long to enter through the gate and attack the protestors. Israeli soldiers chased down protestors to the village, shooting large quantities of teargas, sewage water, rubber coated steel bullets and even live ammunition.

The medical team didn’t report any serious injuries, only participants experiencing breathing problems.