Clare’s branch of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) is to welcome Iyad Burnat, the leader of the peaceful resistance to lsrael’s apartheid wall this Monday as he gives a presentation in Ennis.
Iyad Burnat leads the village of Bil’in’s non-violent struggle in the occupied West Bank. He is the head of the Bil’in Popular Committee against the Wall and the Friends of Freedom and Justice in Bil’in, a pro-Palestinian organisation. He came to prominence as the leader of weekly protests against Israel’s construction of a vast wall in the West Bank.
He described his choice of nonviolent protest, saying “The belief in one’s rights is more important than anything else. If I am confident about my rights, nothing will make me despair.When you resist an Israeli soldier by peaceful means, their weapons become irrelevant”.
Regional IPSC spokesperson Zoe Lawlor said of Iyad. “One of Iyad’s greatest achievements was being the recipient of the James Lawson Award for Achievement in the Practice of Nonviolent Conflict in 2015. Iyad, the community of Bil’in, Israelis and international peace activists will continue their weekly peaceful demonstrations until justice, freedom and peace has been achieved.”
Burnat’s presentation, titled “Life under Israeli occupation” will take place on Monday October 3rd at 8pm in the Old Ground Hotel.