Tag: Ni’lin - Page 3 - International Solidarity Movement

Non violent protest in Ni’lin once again met with violence

15th April 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

On Friday, the 15th of April 2016 – and as part of a West-Bank wide protest for Prisoner’s Day – the villagers of Ni’lin held their weekly non-violent demonstration. They were protesting against Israeli apartheid politics, the theft of the villagers land through the building of the apartheid wall and illegal settlements. The protestors were also showing their opposition to the continued collective punishment that the village of Ni’lin suffers at the hands of Israeli forces.

Prayers take place before the protest in Ni'lin — Prayers take place before the protest in Ni’lin

After the midday prayers some of the Palestinian demonstrators walked up towards the road to the gate in the apartheid wall. Whilst another group of began walking down to a different part of the wall to start a fire with rubber tires in an attempt to draw the Occupation Forces away from the main demonstration. At the main clash the demonstrators were met with tear gas near the entrance to the village, but thankfully no rubber-coated metal bullets or live-ammunition were used by the Israeli forces this week. A main concern for the villagers was the shooting of tear gas in the outskirts of the city where two houses were hit. This show of collective punishment meant that the the villagers in those two houses, not taking part in the protest, were extremely badly effected by tear gas. The demonstrators, supported as ever by Israelis and Internationals showing their solidarity, were quickly forced back by the sheer volume of tear gas and the demonstration began to wind down.

Fire at the Apartheid wall away from the main protest

The excess use of force in denying Palestinians their right to peaceful protest and the use, once again, of long-range, potentially deadly teargas canisters, ended with 5 Palestinians injured as well as the damage suffered by the two houses hit by the tear gas canisters. On this occasion there were no fatalities and the medical team of the 101 Palestine Red Crescent Society were there to help the injured protesters.

If the Israeli Occupying Force continues to use the long-range, wall-piercing tear gas canisters, which cannot be seen as they are fired, it can only be a matter of time before there are further serious injuries to protestors or worse.

Non-violent protest in Ni’lin again met with collective punishment against whole village

12th April 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

On Friday, the 8th of April 2016, the villagers of Ni’lin nonviolently demonstrated against Israeli apartheid politics, the theft of the villagers land through the building of the apartheid wall and illegal settlements, and the increasing collective punishment of the village of Ni’lin by Israeli forces’ use of excessive force.

Israeli forces, yet again, were gathering near the apartheid wall that is stealing a majority of village land, long before the start of the midday prayer. After the prayer, the demonstrators walked up towards the soldiers in order to engage them in a dialogue about their actions in the village of Ni’lin and their excessive use of force against the civilian population in Ni’lin. They also questioned the soldiers about why they have been stopping the farmers – vast areas of the villages’ farming land have been illegally confiscated – even on the stretches of land that the villagers theoretically can still reach. A main concern for the villagers though was the shooting of tear gas inside the village center, where civilians not involved in the protest are affected by the tear gas. In the last few weeks, Israeli forces have thus targeted a public park including a playground and various family homes, shooting the potentially lethal long range tear gas cannisters right inside the homes.

Shortly after this non-violent questioning of the soldiers and their intentions, the soldiers ordered the Palestinians to leave the area, declaring it a ‘closed military zone’. Immediately after, they started using excessive force, inundating the fields and village of Ni’lin with tear gas. Again, soldiers were shooting endless rounds of tear gas towards the houses in an act of collective punishment that has become a weekly reality for the villagers. Additionally, they shot rubber-coated metal bullets directly at the protestors, injuring one young man in the stomach. Five persons required medical treatment after suffering from excessive tear gas inhalation.

Stomach injury caused by Israeli forces' shooting of rubber-coated metal bullets straight at protestors — Stomach injury caused by Israeli forces’ shooting of rubber-coated metal bullets straight at protestors

Targeting of civilians with excessive force in Ni’lin

1st April 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

On 1st April, the weekly non-violent protest in Ni’lin village commemorated the Palestinian Land Day – and was, as every week, attacked by Israeli forces with endless rounds of tear gas, including long-range tear gas canisters that mainly targeted civilians.

The demonstrators, as every week, set off to march towards the illegal apartheid wall that separates them from the majority of the villages land, after noon-prayer. Behind the apartheid-wall, on land that belongs to the village of Ni’lin, where one of the many illegal Israeli settlements is located. In protest against this land-theft through the apartheid wall and the Israeli forces weekly excessive force and targeting of innocent civilians, the villagers protest every Friday.

Israeli forces, that were ready and waiting for demonstrators before the prayer had finished, were located very close towards the villages centre, thus preventing them from even approaching anywhere near the illegal apartheid wall. In a clear example of excessive force, Israeli forces inundated not only the protestors, but the whole village with endless rounds of tear gas. Five persons required medical care due to excessive tear gas inhalation. Both a bakery and the mosque were targeted with tear gas this week.

This use of excessive force in Ni’lin is not directed against the protestors, but targets innocent and completely uninvolved civilians. In the recent weeks, Israeli forces’ use of excessive force when targeting civilians in Ni’lin became obvious with private homes and a public park with playground repeatedly the main target of Israeli forces attack on the villagers of Ni’lin.

Additionally, Israeli forces have re-introduced the use of the dangerous and potentially deadly long-range tear gas canisters that can cover an area of more than 500 meters and due to the extremely hard black-tip not only break through windows and walls, but also severely injure and kill any civilian hit.

Long-range tear gas canister that has been shot at Palestinians in demonstrations all over the occupied West Bank

Peaceful Ni’lin demonstrators attacked with deadly tear gas canisters

25th March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Ni’lin, occupied West Bank

On Friday 25th March, Palestinians, Israeli activists and foreign activists alike took part in the weekly demonstration to oppose the apartheid wall that surrounds the town of Ni’lin and has taken much of the villages land. The demonstration which started peacefully was cut short by large amounts of tear gas being fired upon the demonstrators, along with sponge bullets and rubber coated metal bullets; the standard excessive force that is always used by the Israeli army.

The demonstration began after noon prayer, with the crowd walking along the local roads, chanting songs of defiance. Within minutes the first rounds of tear gas were fired by the Israeli army who had made their way deep into the Palestinian territory. The first shots were fired high into the sky, landing in front and around the demonstrators, this caused slight pandemonium and the demonstrators were forced to fall back. As the protestors were running, seeking clear air to breath amidst the heavy plumes of tear gas, the army began firing their frequently used and at times deadly high velocity tear gas canisters. These canisters were not fired in the arching fashion in which they should be, instead being fired directly at disbursing activists from all sides. The canister being used are the same type as the ones responsible for the serious wounding of fellow ISM activist Tristan Anderson in Ni’lin who suffered cognitive disfunction and physical injuries after he was shot by the Israeli forces from close range.

The Israeli forces and peaceful protesters

An activist and a medic amidst heavy clouds of tear gas

As demonstrators continued to pull back the Israeli forces continued to fire directly at the crowds rather than upwards, choosing to ignore the correct protocol for use of this deadly weapon. From this point on, some of the local Palestinian youths began to throw stones which prompted Israeli army to begin using sponge and rubber coated steel bullets.

A red crescent medic shows the lethal tear gas canisters that are being used

As the activists were driven back, the only remaining resistance was the stone throwing children. While soldiers on the front line fired upon them a different section of the army began systematically firing high velocity tear gas canisters into the surrounding homes of the area.

https://youtu.be/SDs7yZ0aATE

Two ISM activists at the demonstration were driven into one of the nearby homes amidst the aggression and counted seven tear gas canisters land inside the families property. The Red Crescent ambulance service was also required to evacuate and treat another two Palestinian families due to heavy tear gas inhalation inside their families residencies.

The move by the Israeli army to fire on the houses of the local towns people is a strategy to create decent amidst activists and the locals, hoping that they will end the demonstrations via a certain style of collective punishment.

One Palestinian was treated for injuries sustained from being shot with a rubber coated steel bullet while seven people, including women and children were treated for severe tear gas inhalation whilst inside their family homes.

Targeting of children and civilians in Ni’lin

19th March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

On 18^th March 2016, Palestinian villagers of Ni’lin protested against the Israeli land-theft and illegal settlements and the continuous violence Israeli forces use to stifle the weekly non-violent protests. Villagers commemorated Rachel Corrie, an American activist killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, and Tristan Anderson, an American activist left with severe permanent physical and cognitive impairments after being shot in the head with a high-velocity tear gas canister in Ni’lin.

Children holding banners commemorating Rachel Corrie

Israeli forces again used excessive force, inundating not only the protestors, but the whole village in tear gas. Whereas the last two weeks Israeli forces showered a public park with a playground in tear gas, causing several cases of excessive tear gas inhalation of small children playing there; this Friday they deliberately targeted civilian homes inside the village with tear gas, as well covering the public park in tear gas. The heavy iron tear gas canisters broke windows of 7 houses and the shops in the center of the village, causing civilians to suffer from the effects of tear gas inhalation. As family homes were targeted with tear gas, dozens of children and elderly had to be treated for tear gas inhalation. 8 people, including an 87-year old man had to be treated for excessive tear-gas inhalation. Throughout the West Bank, Israeli forces have increased the use of long-range tear gas canisters, that can reach up to 1000m and are silent when shot. These kind of tear gas canisters increase the risk of serious and / or deadly injuries as they can’t be heard and are iron-clad and thus extremely hard. Furthermore 2 people were treated after being hit and injured with rubber-coated steel bullets during the protest.

Tear gas clouds inside the village Photo credit: Saeed Amireh — Tear gas clouds inside the village

Medics treating an elderly man suffering from excessive tear gas inhalation

Luckily, no one was directly hit with one of the tear-gas canisters shot into Palestinian family homes. On the 12^th of March, a 17-year old boy was shot in the neck with one of these heavy tear-gas canisters, causing a skull fracture. He had to undergo surgery and only after a week in intensive care his condition is now stable.

Banner commemorating Rachel Corrie next to a Palestinian flag in the fields of Ni'lin — Banner commemorating Rachel Corrie next to a Palestinian flag in the fields of Ni’lin

The continuous targeting of civilians, families and children by the Israeli forces is not only common in the village of Ni’lin, but also throughout the occupied West Bank.