International Solidarity Movement Nonviolence. Justice. Freedom.
by Arno
On Monday, September 28th, at about 10PM, two ISM activists were walking back to the ISM apartment in Ramallah after having bought falafels.
They were on one of the main roads leading to Al-Manara square, which was behind them. They left this road to walk on a smaller street. Suddenly, they witnessed a man running, crouched over as far as possible, in our direction but on the opposite sidewalk.
After a few seconds, armed men dressed as civilians appeared down the street. They were simultaneously running towards the man and shooting at him.
The two ISM activists flattened theirselves against the wall of a house, with their hands raised in caution, to avoid being caught in the line of fire.
The man being chased disappeared at the top of the street. The armed men, numbered five or six, went on running after him. There was a minivan parked at the corner of the street from which the men came.
I saw a soldier next to the minivan and realized that the armed men were undercover units.
Behind the van, a man was lying on the pavement and a soldier had put his foot on the man’s head.
Some of the armed men arrived at the top of the street and went on shooting on both sides, left and right.
A second group of armed men stayed behind them, to protect those in front, and they used hand signs to signal us to get down.
The activists had not moved since the first second, in order to stay out of the line of fire.
The men then returned to the van from the top of the street. The van started and some young Palestinians started throwing bottles at it.
Several minutes after the undercover units had left, we went up the street to see what was happening on the main road. There was a great deal of confusion; an ambulance had arrived, and a large crowd of people had gathered.
We then returned to the apartment.
I learned the next morning that a man had been killed as he was shopping with his wife.
