This morning, ten Palestinians were injured when soldiers opened fire
in Liban Al-Gharbi, near Rantis – 15 km south of Qalqilya. The
conflict began six days ago, when a group of 25 settlers and soldiers
brought heavy machinery onto a piece of land that belongs to the
village. They began digging and excavating the land, claiming to be in search of archeological ruins.
On several occasions in the last week, the settlers have also come into the village to harass and threaten the Palestinians. Each day, the Palestinians have gone down to the occupied land to talk to the settlers – insisting that the land belongs to the village and that the settlers do not have the right the work there.
This morning, when the Palestinians confronted the settlers, the situation escalated into a fight, with settlers and villagers throwing rocks at one another. Israeli soldiers then opened fire on the villagers with rubber coated metal bullets – injuring ten Palestinians. Seven of the injured have been transferred to Ramallah Hospital; two are in serious condition. Bajis, 33, was shot twice in his left leg from a distance of less than 5 meters. Munthir, 40, was shot in the forehead and in the left shoulder. The other villagers were treated and released.
The soldiers, settlers were ordered by the Israeli military to vacate the area this morning, however, the order is only one week and villagers fear that they will return. It was not stated exactly what the intent of the archeological work was or what ruins settlers were supposedly in search of.