Tag: Live Ammunition - Page 61 - International Solidarity Movement

Israeli army use live ammunition during invasion of Iraq Burin

7 November 2009

On Saturday 7 November the residents of Iraq Burin, a small village outside Nablus, once again had their weekend disrupted by settlers and the Israeli army. During the day settlers from the nearby illegal settlement came down close to the village in a provocative act. The scenario that followed was the same as the previous two Saturdays – settler attack followed by an army invasion. During the invasion that lasted about one hour, the army shot teargas and live ammunition inside the village.

Because of similar events of settler and army violence in the last two weekends, the Palestinians have called for international activists to be present in the village on Saturday morning. At around 2.30pm, five settlers from the illegal settlement Bracha appeared close to the village, scaring and provoking the villagers. Three young men from the village approached the settlers in an attempt to make them leave the land. After the settlers refused to leave, the two groups started throwing stones at each other. At this point, nine Israeli soldiers who were posted nearby intervened. While the Palestinians returned to the village as soon as the army appeared, instead of making the settlers leave or just keeping watch from a distance, which would have lead to less violence, the army chose to invade the village. Young men from the village responded with stones, after which the army started shooting teargas canisters and live ammunition, moving further and further inside the village.

At one point some of the soldiers went up to a house inside the village and violently smashed a window when the owners did not open the door. The frightened family, including three young children, then opened and were forced to evacuate from the house and stand on the street while the soldiers stayed in the house.

Israeli forces attack Ni’lin

3rd February 2009 | Ni’lin

On the 3rd of February the Israeli Occupation Forces attacked Ni’lin, shooting teargas and entering the outskirts of the village. The incursion disrupted life as people were going to the medical clinic, working or attending their land and as the army withdrew they shot live ammunition at the people who went to protest their presence.

At noon the army came through the olive field approaching the village of Ni’lin. Soldiers started firing teargas at the medical clinic where people were going about their daily business. People were forced to run to the clinic or turn back during the attack. Construction workers building the new school near the clinic were targeted making the situation dangerous as they were on scaffolding or on the roof if the gas affected them. The military action prompted people in the village who heard the attack to organize a protest to their presence and gathered at the medical clinic. The army shot more gas, then occupied the medical centre, chasing and shooting the demonstrators as they escaped down the hill through the cemetery. From the medical clinic the army continued to shoot teargas into the village before they withdrew.

A woman had been in the olive field with her goats and became trapped behind the army during the attack on the village. Three women, including an international activist, went to make sure she would be able to return to the village safely. After finding the woman they started walking back. The group was stopped by the army with soldiers were waving with sound bomb,s threatening to use them if the women continued the path back to the village.

The army entered the village again on the outskirts, shooting teargas and throwing sound bombs in the streets closest to the olive field. At around 5pm the army moved back and demonstrators succeeded in reaching the construction site of the illegal Apartheid Wall before the army dispersed them with teargas and fired live ammunition in the air. The demonstrators were moving back to the town and were on a large hill in the olive field where they were joined by two Israeli activists. The army continued shooting teargas as they pursued the demonstrators and then started shooting live ammunition as it was becoming dark. Demonstrators and international activists lay flat on the ground in fear of being hit before they managed to make it back to the village at 5.45pm.

The village of Ni’lin has been resisting the construction of the illegal Apartheid Wall since May 2008. The Wall will annex much farmland and make Ni’lin accessible only by road through a tunnel. Ni’lin has suffered greatly from the construction and the occupation as four youths were killed during demonstrations. The continual use of live ammunition against demonstrators shows Israel’s contempt for non-violent resistance to the occupation.

Young Palestinian man and Swedish activist shot with live ammunition during Ni’lin demonstration

5pm, 30th January 2009, Ramallah: On Friday, January 30th, two people were shot by Israeli forces with live ammunition in the West Bank village of Ni’lin.

Ulrika Andersson, 31, was shot in the leg with live ammunition during the weekly demonstration against the construction of the annexation wall in the village of Ni’lin, occupied West Bank.

Ms Andersson, from the Swedish town of Gothemburg, was taking part in the non-violent demonstration when an Israeli soldier shot her from approximately 50 metres with a new 0.22 bullet. The bullet entered and exited through her lower right leg.

Witnesses have reported that the demonstration was in fact finished when the two people were shot, with Israeli forces opening fire as demonstrators were returning home.

A nineteen year old male demonstrator was also shot by a 0.22 bullet in the foot. Fragments of the bullet are still lodged within his foot. He is currently being operated on.

Both demonstrators shot has been taken to Sheikh Zaid hospital in Ramallah for emergency treatment.

Ulrika Andersson said when in Sheikh Zaid hospital;

“I am lucky, I was hit in the calf. Many residents in Ni’lin have not been so lucky resulting in many injuries from the Israeli aggression against the demonstrations in Ni’lin, including four deaths. The soldiers were aware of an international presence within the demonstration and clearly saw me.”

Since the start of the massacre on Gaza (27 December 2009), the Israeli army has been testing new types of weapons in several villages around West Bank. One of these new weapons is the 0.22 caliber bullet.

The small bullet, known by its caliber size as “0.22″, does not make a sound when fired. The low caliber allows the bullet to easily enter the body and causes internal bleeding.

Since the introduction of this new weapon, eight people have now been shot with the “0.22″ in the villages of Bi’lin, Ni’lin, and Budrus. Several people from Bi’lin and Ni’lin have this bullet lodged in their knees, one bullet went through a demonstrator’s leg and another demonstrator was shot in the stomach (causing internal bleeding).

International activists have joined the demonstrations against the construction of the annexation wall in Ni’lin since the village started it’s regular protests in May of 2008. According to the Israeli daily Maariv, in March 2008 the Israeli authorities issued a new directive enabling Israeli forces to open fire directly on Palestinians who try to demonstrate near the wall, unless internationals or Israelis are amongst demonstrators.

The construction of the annexation wall and Israeli only roads around Ni’lin will separate the village from 40% of it’s land and see a total loss of 85% of the village’s land since 1948.