Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad attended the Eid prayer on Sunday in a mosque in the West Bank village of Bil’in, which is known for its lively nonviolent demonstrations against the Israeli separation wall.
Khaled Al-Qawasmi, the minister of Local Government, and Jamal Zakout, the Prime Minister’s media advisor, also attended the prayer session. The three also laid a wreath at the tomb of Yasser Arafat at the presidential compound in Ramallah.
In Bil’in, Fayyad and his entourage visited the family of Bassem Abu Rahma, a demonstrator who was shot dead by Israeli forces in Junem and laid a wreath on his grave. They also visited the families of local nonviolent activists who have been jailed by Israel.
In response to a journalist’s question, Fayyad said he visited Bil’in specifically because the people there are resisting the wall and Israeli settlements.
The local Popular Committee Against the Wall thanked Fayyad for visiting and wished that one day they will all hold the Eid prayer in the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
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