International Solidarity Movement Nonviolence. Justice. Freedom.
On the 29th June another demonstration was held in Ni’lin gathering around a hundred villagers. The Israeli soldiers responded fast and violently on the march long before reaching the construction ground. The demonstration resulted in 17 injured persons of which a thirteen year old boy was hit in the leg by a rubber bullet and another one with live ammunition in his lower arm. Injures was also caused by abuse from the soldiers and tear gas. Of the injured there was one journalist and one Israeli activist with a badly bruised arm. Palestinian farmer Ahmad Rashida was beaten by Israeli troops in front of his eight-year-old daughter. While trying to assist an immobilized man a health worker from the Red Crescent was tear-gassed.
About hundred villagers, together with international and Israeli solidarity activists marched of from the village square at 11 o’clock. With flags and chants they marched to one of the olive-fields of Ni´lin where the Israel plan to dig away the olive trees to prepare for the wall. Immediately when the demonstration started to move down the olive fields the Israeli army fired several sound-bombs and tear-gas grenades. The demonstration got split up and more tear-gas, sound-bombs later on rubber bullets and live ammunition were fired from the Israeli army. Some Palestinians and other activists confronted the soldiers and several of those were physically assaulted.
The demonstration kept on intensively for two hours but some demonstrators kept on during the day and military kept on shooting until late afternoon. The military also came into the village hunting for boys throwing stones.
Twelve persons were injured, amongst others one thirteen year old boy was shot in the leg, and one boy was shot with live ammunition in his lower arm. One 19 year old boy was abused by the soldiers.
The village of Ni’leen is about to lose aproximately 2500 donums when the Apartheid wall is constructed. From having over 57 000 donums in 1948, the village has seen its land decrese to 33 000 donums in 1967 to about 10 000 donums in present time. The villagers fear that the next annexation will be the death blow to the village’s economy.
