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Budrus, a Powerful Documentary about Successful
Palestinian Nonviolent Resistance to the Annexation Wall
in the West Bank
By mickielynn on 2011-05-26 18:53:58
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WHAM, BAM, ZOWIE! This past Sunday, May 22nd, I had the INTENSE multisensory, multicultural experience of
watching a documentary about the nonviolent, community wide struggle of the villagers of Budrus against the Israeli
“separation wall”. Much appreciation to the local chapter of J Street, The Linda, where the film was screened, and the
organization Just Vision, “supporting Israeli and Palestinian non-violent civic peace builders through media and education,”
the makers and distributors of this film.
Since this resistance to the encroachment of the wall on Budrus’s land [moving from the established Green Line to
potentially annex their lands and destroy their ancestral olive trees] happened in 2003 and 2004 I already knew the outcome.
Ultimately, after 10 months of grueling struggle, bolstered by the support of Israeli peacemakers and International witnesses
towards the end, the location of the wall was moved back to the Green Line and 90 percent of Budrus’s olive trees were
saved.
The other five nearby villages destined for the same treatment were also spared and a precedent for such non-violent non-
cooperation was established in relationship to the [“separation”, “security”, “annexation”, “apartheid”] wall. A similar type
of resistance, but waged jointly by Palestinians and Israelis has been ongoing in Bil’in since March of 2005.
Some of the important triumphs of this struggle included the united efforts of all villagers including members of Fatah and
Hamas, youth, elders, and a women’s contingent in the efforts to reclaim their land. At the same time the support of non-
military Israelis expanded the villagers’ understanding of the many different kinds of Israelis that existed, since previously
they had only met Israeli soldiers and settlers.
My biggest surprise was how powerfully watching and listening to the voices and actions of the villagers created a deeply
visceral picture of life and courage in this Palestinian village. The images, body language, voices, chants, and the unfolding
story of daily involvement and participation by all members of the village taught me important lessons that I had read about
but hadn’t experienced so directly. The voices of members of the Israeli army and the Israeli Border Police were also
included. We also heard from some of the Israeli and international activists.
Being immersed in the daily life of the villagers of Budrus (democratically organized by Eyad Morrar, a long time civil
servant and much respected member of the village) helped to break through the propaganda about Palestinians that we are
constantly subjected to. I experienced a culture that was loving and tender towards their children, valued education and
learning, respected their elders, and had a strong connection to the land and to community. One other thing that struck me
was how similar their lives were to other indigenous peoples. Their land and their trees had a central and life giving
influence on their lives and well being.
Once Budrus collectively decided to resist the destruction of their precious olive trees everyone got involved. They went out
to the location of the planned construction and tried in many ways to block and discourage the work of the bulldozers and
construction barriers. They were at a stand off until Iltezam Morrar, Eyad’s daughter who was 15 years old at the time found
herself in a position to actually block a bulldozer so that it could go no further. This galvanized the girls and women of the
village to move to the front lines of the resistance and much of the story is told through Iltezam’s eyes.
When journalist Rula Salameh interviewed her, in December of 2009 while she was a medical student in Croatia here’s how
she looked back on their struggle:
"T believe in nonviolence and peaceful resistance even more because it helped us achieve something... Large amounts of
land were supposed to be confiscated from the people of Budrus but because of these demonstrations they were only able to
take a small portion of the lands that they planned to take, and they moved the Wall to the Green Line... Any theory needs to
be tested and if it succeeds that means it is effective."
This DVD is now available here in the US with English subtitles. Since the visuals and audio convey so much more than
words I hope that readers will view it. If you want to watch a 2 minute and 40 second trailer of the film you can find it on
the website of Just Vision http://www.justvision.org . If you want to see still photos from the documentary or of the many
award ceremonies you can go to http://www. justvision.org/budrus/press/press-materials and there are interviews with
Iltezam at this link as well http://www. justvision.org/portrait/iltezam-morrar
[caption id="attachment_2502" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Iltezam Morror with Israeli Bulldozer"]
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