On Monday, Israeli soldiers raided homes in Bil'in and arrested leaders of the Popular Committee. It is hard to imagine that an international like me can go and demonstrate every Friday and then during the week, soldiers spill into houses and arrest people.

Activist groups are calling for a letter drive to pressure the Israeli judge to release all Bil'in prisoners immediately. So far there have been over 20 arrests, the majority of the prisoners are under 18. This is the letter my friends and I wrote.

Re: Israeli Military Tribunal for the Prisoners of Bil’in,

It is with an unyielding conviction that we make an appeal for the release of Mohamad Khatib as well as all the other Bil’in residents currently in Israeli custody. The arrest of non-violent demonstrators is a truly appalling and grotesque act. As an established judicial institution, your court has a responsibility to apply due process to all the Bil’in prisoners and to immediately release them.

The residents of Bil’in are involved in nonviolent demonstrations against the building of a concrete barrier that penetrates, divides, and isolates their village. This wall has been deemed illegal not only by the Israeli High Court itself, but also by the International Court of Justice as well as the international community at large. Let us remind you that these nonviolent demonstrations are not criminal activities. Therefore, holding the residents of Bil’in any longer is a gross abuse of their human rights and displays a blatant disregard for universally established legal principles. In addition, it is even more unacceptable that a majority of these prisoners are children under the age of 18. Unwarranted and indiscriminate detention of minors is simply cruel and unusual.

Many of us have visited the village of Bil’in several times and each time, we have been welcomed by many families including those of the arrested villagers. In talking to them and learning about the situation of their village, it has become clear to us that the demonstrators currently in Israeli custody are unequivocally devoted to nonviolence.

As members of the international community, we do not tolerate the human rights abuses perpetrated against these civilians and we will not be silent. We demand the immediate release of all these prisoners.

Furthermore, we believe that the tactics used by the Israeli military during these demonstrations are illegal under international law. Thus, we strongly advise you to begin a thorough investigation regarding these measures.

Sincerely,

International Volunteers at the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People

You can go to International Solidarity Movement website for more info. Send letters to bilinlegal@gmail.com