Weekly demonstration report

FRIDAY October 15, 2010

Report on An Nabi Saleh
by May

Yesterday the village of An Nabi Saleh was transformed into a war zone, with Palestinian villagers and about fifteen International Peace activists trapped within the village behind a checkpoint for five-and-a-half hours. Soldiers shot at these non-violent activists with live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas cannons, and sound bombs. One Palestinian man was shot twice in the leg, and several children needed medical treatment from exposure to teargas inside their homes.

Noon yesterday 15 internationals and 40 villagers marched through the town toward the village spring which borders land confiscated by Israeli Settlers. Soldiers were waiting at the bottom of the hill and immediately shot teargas and sound bombs at the unarmed protesters. Demonstrators dispersed to recover from large amounts of teargas.

Soldiers moved up the side of the village, and responded to stone-throwing with more teargas. Villagers fought to keep the soldiers out of the village, but were forced to retreat to the far-end of the village. At 1:30 pm teargas was shot directly into a house with residents still inside. The Palestinian Medical Relief Society rushed into the house and carried out children who were then treated by paramedics.

For a short time the battle was quiet as soldiers retreated and set up a checkpoint at the village entrance. Demonstrators sat on the hillside and watched the soldiers peacefully.

At 3:30pm, in response to symbolic stone throwing, soldiers shot at villagers and demonstrators with live ammunition and tear gas. A scuffle between Palestinians emerged in response to frustration over road blocks, and soldiers disguised as civilians emerged. Villagers surrounded them and the civilian cops shot live ammunition from inside the crowd. People quickly dispersed and internationals rushed to the scene to see if anyone was injured. They where forced to retreat when soldiers shot rubber covered steel bullets at them. Three Palestinians and one Israeli activist where arrested by civilian cops. According to one report, the soldiers used tazers to subdue the Palestinians while arresting them.

Soldiers chased people far back up in the village and shot teargas cannons and sound bombs. At 5:00 soldiers shot more live ammunition and then left the area. A Palestinian man was hit twice in the leg. When paramedics reached him, he had no feeling in his hands. One report stated that two children were also hit.

At 5:30 the international peace activists were able to leave the village again. Several of the them suffered minor injuries.

Report on Al Ma’asara
by London

Friday at noon ten Palestinian villagers from the town of Al Ma’asara and twenty internationals recognized the first day of the olive harvest by marching through the village
to protest the annexation of 860 acres from their land by the Apartheid Wall in 2006. Within minutes of reaching the soldiers, these unarmed demonstrators were shot with tear gas and sound bombs. Demonstrators remained in the area chanting and giving speeches for 45 minutes. One international was hit with a teargas canister which exploded on him, but he was not seriously injured.