PHOTOS: West Bank village of Bil’in stands with Ferguson protesters

Protesters in the West Bank village of Bil’in carried signs at last Friday’s weekly demonstration with messages of solidarity and support for the ongoing struggle against deadly police violence in the United States.

The signs carried slogans used during protests following the police killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

A girl from the West Bank village of Bil’in carries a sign expressing solidarity with protests against the police killing of Eric Garner, December 5, 2014. (Photo by Hamdi Abu-Rahme)
A girl from the West Bank village of Bil’in carries a sign expressing solidarity with protests against the police killing of Eric Garner, December 5, 2014. (Photo by Hamdi Abu-Rahme)

Bil’in has seen a number of its residents killed by the Israeli military in protests against the occupation and theft of its land. Bassem Abu Rahme was killed by a tear gas canister fired by Israeli troops and his cousin, Jawaher Abu Rahme, died from excessive tear gas inhalation.

“We decided to send this message out of solidarity, and because these crimes against humanity need to stop both there and here,” said Hamdi Abu-Rahme, a village resident who helped prepare the signs. “We are all human beings, and we deserve to live in peace.”

Youth from the West Bank village of Bil’in carry a sign expressing solidarity with protests against the police killing of Eric Garner, December 5, 2014. (Photo by Hamdi Abu-Rahme)
Youth from the West Bank village of Bil’in carry a sign expressing solidarity with protests against the police killing of Eric Garner, December 5, 2014. (Photo by Hamdi Abu-Rahme)

This article was first published on +972′s Hebrew-language sister site, Local Call. Read it in Hebrew here.

Related:
PHOTOS: Tear gas not the only thing connecting Ferguson and Palestine
Kafr Kanna isn’t Ferguson, it’s much worse
The difference between Israel’s violent, racist cops and America’s

Newsletter banner 6 -540

End of article module for Members

TEST TEST GAL Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war. The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza, inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians, as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence.    We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians. The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent, using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies.   This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, entrenched occupation and apartheid, and a normalized siege on Gaza.   We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives.   Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.

Make a Donation