Tag: Ni’lin

Israeli forces: protester’s death likely due to unauthorized fire

Anshel Pfeffer and Avi Issacharoff | Ha’aretz

Israel Defense Forces sources said Saturday a tear gas canister that killed a Palestinian demonstrator Friday at a protest against the West Bank separation fence was likely fired in violation of orders. Bassem Abu Rahmeh, 31, was killed during a protest in the West Bank village of Bil’in, a flash point for confrontations between soldiers and anti-fence protesters.

The Bil’in shooting occurred during a protest during which around 100 demonstrators hurled stones at soldiers and tried to destroy the fence, army sources said. Abu Rahmeh sustained severe chest injuries and was transferred to a Ramallah hospital, where he died of his injuries.

IDF officials who investigated the incident found the Armored Corps soldier who fired the canister apparently aimed directly at Abu Rahmeh from a distance of a mere few dozen meters. The IDF said Saturday that troops opened fire to disperse a violent, three-hour protest that was taking place in a closed military zone.

Read the entire article here.

Israeli forces supress Prisoner’s Day demonstration in Ni’lin

April 17, 2009

Ni'lin youth show solidarity with political prisoners
Ni\’lin youth show solidarity with political prisoners

Ni’lin villagers once again held a Friday demonstration against the illegal Apartheid Wall and in commemoration of Prisoner’s Day. Around 150 villagers, supported by Israeli and international solidarity activists, gathered after the prayer at the local clinic. Several demonstrators wore shirts urging solidarity with the thousands of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails. Israeli forces stationed in the fields in the outskirts of the village started firing tear gas at the clinic even before the prayer was finished. The nonviolent demonstrators sought cover in the village from the gas, and retreated back towards the town center. However, Israeli soldiers also stationed themselves on the main street of the village. These soldiers started firing tear gas and live ammunition at the villagers gathered in the village center. Some of the village youth responded to this use of weaponry by throwing stones.

During the following hours, one male resident was hit by a fragment from a live bullet in his chest and 11 people needed medical treatment after inhaling large amounts of tear gas. Israeli forces also placed snipers on several roofs in the village, from which they shot at demonstrators near Ni’lin’s main street. Soldiers also attacked the Palestinian medical team inside the village and shot large amounts of tear gas at an ambulance.

At this Friday demonstration, the Israeli army once again shot extended range high velocity tear gas canisters. This is the same type of canister that was used to kill Basem Abu Rahme at a nonviolent demonstration in Bil’in on the same day. On the 13 March, American solidarity activist Tristan Anderson was critically injured after being shot in the head with a high velocity tear gas canister. Tristan is still listed in critical condition in a Tel Aviv hospital after undergoing three separate brain surgeries.

Israeli forces reintroduce use of high velocity tear gas projectile against demonstrators in Ni’lin

10 April 2009

The villagers of Ni’lin continued their struggle against the construction of the Apartheid Wall on their land with another weekly Friday demonstration on the 10th of April.  After the mid-day prayer, around 100 villagers carried signs against the occupation and marched towards the construction site of the Wall.  The nonviolent demonstrators  split into two groups, but both groups were stopped by the Israeli army, who had already taken up position on the outskirts of the village.  After villagers confronted the soldiers with speeches and chanting,  Israeli forces opened fire with tear gas and sound bombs from about 20 meters away.  Some of the village youth responded by throwing stones. Due to the large amount of weaponry fired by the soldiers, the demonstrators were forced to return to the village.  The army placed snipers on the roof of a Palestinian residence inside the village and one young man was shot in his leg with live ammunition (0.22 caliber). 

In addition to shooting live ammunition at the demonstrators , the army restarted firing high-velocity tear gas canisters.  This type of tear gas hasn’t been used in Ni’lin since solidarity activist Tristan Anderson was critically injured after being shot in the head with a canister on the 13th of March.  Almost a month later, Tristan Anderson is still listed in critical condition in Tel Hashomer hospital near Tel Aviv after undergoing three separate brain surgeries.  These new high-velocity tear gas canisters have  injured other Palestinians during nonviolent demonstrations in the West Bank, including a young man from Ni’lin who had his leg shattered when he was hit with this projectile in January 2009. 

At this weeks demonstration, two Palestinians were hit and injured with high-velocity tear gas canisters.  One man was hit in his back and had to be taken to the local clinic for treatment.  The other villager was hit in his jaw with the canister and also in his hand when he tried to protect his face.   He was taken to the hospital in Ramallah.  Two medics, one international and one filmmaker were also hit with tear gas canisters, and 18 people suffered from tear gas inhalation and were treated by medics.  Eight other demonstrators were also shot by Israeli forces with rubber-coated steel bullets.

Land Day demonstration in Ni’lin

30 March 2009

On March 30th, about 30 Palestinian villagers from Ni’lin, supported by international and Israeli solidarity activists, held a protest to commemorate Land Day. The nonviolent demonstration was stopped by Israeli forces on the outskirts of the village, far away from the construction site of the wall. Three military jeeps parked in the main street of the village to block the protest, shooting tear gas, sound bombs, and rubber coated steel bullets against the demonstrators.

The demonstration started at the main square of the village and continued towards the field where the Israeli army blocked their path. Several speeches were given and when the demonstrators tried to continue the army claimed that the village fields was a closed military zone. The Israeli commander also argued that villagers in Ni’lin do not have the right to demonstrate.

Demonstrators then tried to enter the field from other spots near the clinic and were subsequently attacked by soldiers with sound bombs, tear gas and rubber coated steal bullets. At the end of the demonstration some protesters managed to reach the illegal Apartheid Wall, damaging a small part of it.

This Land day demonstration remembers the six Palestinans murdered by the Israeli army for protesting against land confiscation in 1976. Ni’lin villagers know well that land confiscation is still a reality in Palestine. Since 1948, Ni´lin residents have lost more than 85% of their land to confiscation from Israeli authorities and illegal settlement building. Since the resistance against the Apartheid Wall began in Ni´lin in May 2008, four youth have been killed by Israeli forces in nonviolent demonstrations. Nineteen people have also been shot with live ammunition and over 600 have been injured by other army weaponry.