Last week the inhabitants of Bil'in Village gained media attention by painting themselves blue and emulating the exterrestrials of the tridimensional film "Avatar".
Media editors are still able to take some interest in the creatures of another planet. But just run of the mill Palestinian villagers, protesting for the thousandth time that Israel had stolen their land? Where is the news in that?
A bit late
In September 2007 the Supreme Court of the State of Israel ordered the army to change the route of the "Separation Fence" near the village of Bil'in and thus restore to the villagers part (not all) the land which was taken away from them.
The army was in no hurry to implement the court's ruling. The fence remained where it was, and the villagers continued to hold protest demonstrations every week. On April 17, 2009, soldiers shot and killed Bil'in activist Bassem Abu Rahme, who was demonstrating near the fence, together with his Israeli and Palestinian friends.
Last week, two and a half years after the court rendered its ruling, the army at last announced the beginning of preliminary work on moving the fence in Bil'in. For Bassem Abu Rahme, this is too late. . .
