Bil’in
Filmed in 2010, Bil’in captures a blinding and choking tear gas attack on demonstrators in the Palestinian village of Bil’in near Ramallah. Rehab Nazzal documents the event in an unbroken four-minute sequence, conveying the intensity of the assault.
Since 2007, every Friday in Bil’in and surrounding villages, Palestinians and international activists have held non-violent protests against the Israeli occupation and settlement building on their land. Under the illegal Israeli occupation, Palestinian territory has shrunk by 90 percent.
Bil’in has become the symbol of Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation. The Israeli army attacks protesters with tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades. This video from 2010 is just a snapshot of a protracted, recurring and increasingly desperate struggle. As of 2025, protests in Bil’in continue.
The video is confined to a small, enclosed space, intensifying its suffocating atmosphere and heightening its message. From behind the gas mask, the blurred scene closes in as light flickers across the walls. Through the headphones, the audible struggle for breath feels uncomfortably close.