Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi MP
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestinians living in areas threatened by the Israeli separation wall should be empowered to resist the theft of their land, Palestinian National Initiative Secretary-General Mustafa Barghouthi told demonstrators on Friday. Barghouthi was speaking at a protest activity in the village of Al-Ma’sara, south of Bethlehem, in which residents decorated a Christmas tree on land slated to be seized by the Israeli military. For decorations the protesters used spent stun grenades and tear gas canisters fired by the Israeli army while dispersing previous demonstrations. Dozens of locals along with international protesters clashed with Israeli soldiers at the weekly demonstration. Barghouthi praised the residents of Ma’sara, Bil’in, Ni’lin, and other villages where demonstrations against the separation wall take place each Friday after the Muslim noon prayer. Barghouthi also visited the village of Umm Salamona where Israeli authorities are threatening to annex tracts of Palestinian-owned land to expand the settlements of Efrat and Eliezer.










