Non-violent demonstration in Um Salamone
Um Salamone’s villagers decided long ago to oppose the wall in a non violent way. The planned wall will separate the people from their own land.
The Bethlehem Ecumenical Accompanier Team took part in the weekly Friday Demonstration in Um Salamone.
We met at Holy Land Trust, and together with other internationals, a bus took us to Um Salamone. People from the village met us, and we joined them for their prayer at their land. Previous they had planted Olive trees in the valley, now the bulldozers had destroyed everything and instead of trees, there was the basement foundation for the Separation Wall.
Walking down the hill, I had the surreal feeling of being caste in a film. The landscape is amazing and just when we started to climb down, the soldiers on the opposite hill started walking towards us; like combatants in ancient time.
The villagers started the prayer, surrounded by soldiers. From another side there came more soldiers, about 40 soldiers and about 10 police in total. After the prayer the demonstrators tried to reach the wall’s foundations and made speeches, while the soldiers gathered, trying to stop them.
Even when the soldiers tried to make a quarrel by pushing people, the answer was “non violence!” again and again. At the end of the demonstration the people sat down on the ground and the soldiers stood around astonished, seeming not to know what to do.
