Iyad Burnat is the co-ordinator of the Popular Committee in Bil’in, a small farming village 7 miles west of Ramallah in Palestine’s occupied West Bank. For over 10 years Iyad and the Popular Committee have organised weekly demonstrations against Israel’s illegal ‘Apartheid Wall’ that has taken their farmland, olive trees and livelihood.
Iyad will describe what life is like under Israeli occupation, his village’s ongoing struggle for justice, human rights and freedom, and what inspires him to continue non-violent resistance.
On 31st July 2014 Iyad’s 16-year-old son, Majd, was shot by an Israeli military sniper. The live round severed a nerve in Majd’s leg which still requires ongoing medical care.