| Na'lin: full economic and political boycott, along with continued resistance, could end occupation |
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| Written by Jelena |
| Thursday, 26 November 2009 14:51 |
Ramallah / PNN - Hundreds of people took part in Friday prayers in the threatened village of Na’lin. Thousands of dunams have already been confiscated for the Wall and settlements in the area.Leading yesterday’s service was Sheikh Salah Al Khawaja who said that the prayer and ensuing demonstration were not only part of the continuing struggle in Na’lin, but were also being held in solidarity with Jerusalem. He called for full participation in the ongoing campaign to stop the conversion of the city and the attacks on its holy places. The Sheikh added that national Palestinian unity - a full reconciliation between parties - is necessary to combat the policies of occupation. After noon prayers the congregation was joined by solidarity activists from the Green Party and other leftists from Sweden, Norway and Spain. Despite blustery conditions and heavy rains, the demonstration moved forward toward the southern region of town where over 2,500 dunams have been confiscated, leaving 120 families entirely deprived of their land.
The marchers gathered between the olive trees in a grove near the Wall and shouted for Palestinian unity and the continuation of the struggle against occupation. Israeli forces responded by firing gas and fetid water at the level of the heads of demonstrators. Dozens of people suffered gas inhalation while Israeli soldiers continued by firing bullets. Ten people were injured. Khawaja said that the national spirit in Na’lin, as in other villages, reflects that of the first Intifada. The Sheikh called on all Palestinians to “rise up together to resist the occupier and its colonialism”, which is everyday, he said, creating a new Nakba. “Only with a full economic and political boycott, along with the continuation of the popular resistance on the ground, will it be stopped,” the Na’lin leader added from rainy western Ramallah.
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