New tear gas projectile, called sarukh, reaches around 500 meters.
Israeli armed forces and border police used the cover of the war against Hamas in Gaza to reintroduce the firing of .22 rifle bullets – as well as the extensive use of a new model of tear-gas canister – against unarmed demonstrators in the Occupied West Bank protesting at the building of Israel’s “separation wall”.
The tactics were highlighted on Friday, when a US protester, Tristan Anderson, 38, was hit in the head by one of the new extended-range gas canisters in the village of Ni’lin, suffering an open wound in his skull and substantial brain damage. Anderson’s friend, Gabrielle Silverman, claims he was struck by a canister fired from a high-velocity rifle. The Israeli military says stone-throwing “poses a threat to troops”, and several officers have been injured by rocks.
It said troops used the permitted means of riot dispersal in Friday’s incident, including tear gas, rubber-coated steel pellets and stun grenades.
The extended-range canisters have been brought into service at the same time that the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) and border police have again been using live rounds fired from Ruger sniper rifles, banned in 2001 by Israel’s then military advocate general, Menahem Finkelstein.
The new gas canister that injured Anderson – the fourth member of the International Solidarity Movement to be killed or seriously injured by Israeli troops since the beginning of the Second Intifada – is fired at a much higher speed than the gas canisters and grenades deployed before.
According to witnesses, soldiers have been firing the canisters directly at protesters, sometimes from a few dozen metres, using the hard plastic-coated metal tubes as a weapon.
“They have introduced new weapons,” said Sasha Solana, a colleague of Anderson from the International Solidarity Movement. “They are shooting directly into people.”
B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation, complained to the Israeli judge advocate general two weeks ago about the new tactics.
Friday, 13 March 2009, Ni’lin Village: An American citizen has been critically injured in the village of Ni’lin after Israeli forces shot him in the head with a tear-gas canister.
Tristan Anderson from California USA, 37 years old, has been taken to Israeli hospital Tel Hashomer, near Tel Aviv. Anderson was unconscious and bleeding heavily from the nose and mouth. He sustained a large hole in the right part of his forehead where he was struck by a tear gas canister. The heavy impact from the tear gas canister being shot directly at him, from about 60 meters, also caused severe damage to his right eye, which he may lose. Tristan underwent brain surgery in which part of his right frontal lobe and shattered bone fragments were removed.
Tristan was shot by the new tear-gas canisters that can be shot up to 500m. I ran over as I saw someone had been shot, while the Israeli forces continued to fire tear-gas at us. When an ambulance came, the Israeli soldiers refused to allow the ambulance through the checkpoint just outside the village. After 5 minutes of arguing with the soldiers, the ambulance passed.
– Teah Lunqvist (Sweden) – International Solidarity Movement
The Israeli army began to use the Ruger rifle and a high velocity tear gas canister in December 2008. The black canister, labeled in Hebrew as “40mm bullet special/long range,” can shoot over 400 meters and weighs 130 grams without the propeller. The gas canister does not make a noise when fired or emit a smoke tail and has a propeller to accelerate the weapon mid-air. A combination of the canister’s high velocity and silence is extremely dangerous and has caused numerous injuries, including a Palestinian male whose leg was broken in January 2009.
Tristan Anderson
Tristan Anderson was shot as Israeli forces attacked unarmed demonstrators, gathered against construction of the annexation wall through the village of Ni’lin’s land. Another resident from Ni’lin was shot in the leg with live ammunition.
Four Ni’lin residents have been killed during demonstrations against the confiscation of their land.
Ahmed Mousa (10) was shot in the forehead with live ammunition on 29th July 2008. The following day, Yousef Amira (17) was shot twice with rubber-coated steel bullets, leaving him brain dead. He died a week later on 4 August 2008. Arafat Rateb Khawaje (22), was the third Ni’lin resident to be killed by Israeli forces. He was shot in the back with live ammunition on 28 December 2008. That same day, Mohammed Khawaje (20), was shot in the head with live ammunition, leaving him brain dead. He died three days in a Ramallah hospital.
31 March: “At this point Tristan has been in the Intensive Care Unit for 18 days. He has had multiple life-saving surgeries, and is in Critical Condition although becoming more stable daily. We remain highly concerned about Tristan considering his brain injuries, yet we know he is resilient and we hope he will recover.” – Gabrielle Silverman
He’s making small incremental improvements day by day but it’s still a very scary situation here. And it’s still unclear to what extent there will be permanent damage to his brain. …
We are here with him and we support him and love him. We spend a lot of time with him, his mother holding one hand, I hold his other hand and we talk to him. People are in the hospital gathering here all the time, bringing food and best wishes and we’re making it through day by day.
16 March: Tristan has been taken to the neurological department and is in intensive care. He is currently listed in stable condition, though this may continue to change due to the seriousness of his injuries.
We are deeply grateful for the love and support pouring in from Tristan’s friends and fellow activists around the world. It is moving to see how many people care for Tristan and are moved by his work championing social justice issues. We are proud of Tristan’s fierce courage, adventurous spirit, and his many travels to all corners of the globe.
Tristan’s girlfriend, Gaby, who has been tirelessly by his side, reports that he is doing much better. When the doctor asked him to put up two fingers he did so. Tristan recognizes Gaby and can squeeze her fingers in answer to different questions. He’s started his moving toes and his torso around a bit. This is welcome and wonderful news! We understand things can go up and down, however we are deeply hopeful that Tristan will recover. We are looking forward to when he is stable enough that he can return home to the care and comfort of his family and community.
In the meantime, we are deeply appreciative of the excellent care he’s receiving, the amazing support that Gaby and his friends are providing, and the thoughts and prayers of those around the world who are holding him in their hearts and minds. It matters tremendously as we all hold faith for Tristan to recover and return home.
Again, we are so very grateful for the outpouring of love and support for Tristan and our family.
As of Saturday he was on full life support and heavily medicated at Tel Hashomer hospital in Tel Aviv, his girlfriend Gabrielle Silverman said today in a telephone interview.
“My understanding is that they are trying to let his brain rest as much as possible and do as little work as possible,” Silverman said. …
Palestinian medics immediately came to their rescue and attempted to place Anderson onto a stretcher. But even then, Silverman said, “The army began firing tear gas directly at us … again and again and again.”
“Tear gas was falling at our feet as were loading him onto the stretcher,” Silverman said.
When the medics had successfully situated Anderson, an Israeli soldier stood in front of the ambulance and would not allow it to move, Silverman said.
Silverman detailed with clear agitation in her voice the circumstances that followed, as Anderson was “getting worse, vanishing further.”
She said they underwent another 15-minute holdup at the checkpoint, the reason being, she said, that “Palestinian ambulances are not allowed to enter into the state of Israel from the West Bank.”
“Tristan’s life was in serious danger. He was bleeding terribly everywhere from the head,” Silverman recounted. “We had to just sit and wait until eventually an Israeli ambulance from God knows where showed up and we had to change to another ambulance.”
Once they had arrived at the hospital, Anderson immediately underwent surgery, Silverman said. Surgeons removed a portion of the right frontal lobe of his brain and used a tendon from his leg to seal up the area to help prevent leakage. They also “tried to put his face back together,” Silverman said.
13 March: Anarchists Against the Wall reports on Tristan’s condition(volunteers with AWALLS were present when Tristan was injured and have been at the hospital to oversee his treatment):
The impact of the projectile caused numerous condensed fractures to Anderson’s forehead and right eye socket. During the operation part of his right frontal lobe had to be removed, as it was penetrated by bone fragments. A brain fluid leakage was sealed using a tendon from his thigh, and both his right eye and skin suffered extensive damage. The long term scope of all of Tristan’s injuries is yet unknown.
Orly Levi, a spokeswoman at the Tel Hashomer hospital, tells Ha’aretz:
He’s in critical condition, anesthetized and on a ventilator and undergoing imaging tests,” She described Anderson’s condition as life-threatening.
… the firing incident took place inside the village and not next to the fence. There were clashes in the earlier hours, but he wasn’t part of them. He didn’t throw stones and wasn’t standing next to the stone throwers.
There was really no reason to fire at them. The Dutch girl standing next to him was not hurt. It only injured him, like a bullet.
On the 6th March Israeli forces attacked the weekly protest against the construction of the Apartheid Wall in the village of Ni’lin, shooting four protesters with live ammunition. Three other people were injured after being hit by tear-gas canisters.
Over one hundred people gathered for an open air prayer in one of the village’s olive groves. After prayer, the crowd marched to the construction site of the Wall which runs through village land.
Villagers began breaking down the razor wire barrier along the construction zone. Israeli soldiers arrived in a jeep and began firing tear gas into the crowd, forcing the demonstrators to retreat. As they retreated, other soldiers positioned in the olive groves attacked them with more tear gas.
One international activist from Sweden was hit in the stomach with an extended range tear gas grenade.
In addition to tear gas, concussion grenades and rubber coated steel bullets; Israeli forces opened fire throughout the day with live ammunition. The Israeli army uses a special low calibre bullet known as the ‘0.22’. The bullets are commonly used by snipers at demonstrations in Ni’ilin.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, four young men were taken to the hospital after being shot with the new live ammunition. The first was shot in the left thigh as the crowd ran from approaching soldiers. The second was shot in the right calf and was taken to hospital in the same ambulance as the first. The third was shot across the lower back and had to be taken away in a private car. The fourth was shot just above the right knee.
Additionally, a young boy was hit with an extended range tear gas canister. The child was hit in the lower leg.
The last injury of the day was a Red Crescent Medic, also hit with a tear gas canister in the lower-back.
The protest continued until dusk, when the soldiers withdrew from the area of the village.
The Palestinian village of Ni’iln faces losing over half it’s land due to Israel’s Apartheid Wall. Every Friday, Ni’ilin villagers are joined by Israeli and international activists to protest against the Wall’s construction.
On Friday, around 100 residents of Ni’lin along with 20 international and Israeli solidarity activists gathered for a demonstration against construction of the Apartheid Wall. The Israeli army fired on people gathered around the medical clinic before the start of the demonstration. The army entered the town of Ni’lin during the demonstration and shot at demonstrators and homes. Hamada Abed Erazik was shot in the thigh with 0.22 calibre live ammunition. Additionally, the Army shot tear gas at the medical team as they were trying to treat and retrieve the injured.
At 11.40am, the Israeli army started shooting teargas at demonstrators gathered at the medical clinic for the weekly demonstration before the prayer. Residents had to run towards the centre of town before they could start the prayer at the medical centre. Shortly after the prayer the army began shooting again and tried to occupy the clinic but the doors were locked. The army then took position on the roof of the construction site of the new school to fire towards the town. Another group of soldiers came from the olive field into the outskirts of the town, firing teargas and sound bombs in the side streets, before moving into the centre of the village.
The Israeli army continued to shoot teargas canisters as they entered town. When international activists tried to persuade them to stop, reminding them that children where inside their homes, the army threw a sound bombs and and gas grenade at the activists. The continual onslaught of teargas fired into the town caused a ten-year-old boy to faint from inhilation. The army set up snipers in the side streets, firing 0.22 calibre live ammunition at the demonstrators.
At around 4.00pm the demonstration moved to the olive fields when the army began snipering with the 0.22 live ammunition again. Individuals took cover behind olive trees but one demonstrator was shot in the thigh. When the medical team ran over with a stretcher to treat the injured man and take him to safety, the army fired teargas, putting the medical team in danger and disrupting their work. The 0.22 ammunition snipers also targeted a Palestinian demonstrator and an Israeli activist. They were both hit with the 0.22 calibre ammunition but were extremely fortunate to be unharmed as it only pierced their clothes. According to the Red Crescent, there were 23 injuries in all that required medical attention, 3 with rubber coated steel bullets, 1 with 0.22 live ammunition and 17 people with serious teargas inhalation.
Ni’lin has been demonstrating against the construction of the Apartheid Wall since May 2008. Upon completion, despite the International Court declaring such construction illegal by international law standards, the Wall will annex a large amount of Ni’lin’s land. The occupation has been using means of collective punishment against the resistance in the town. The Israeli Occupation Forces have also murdered four youths within the last 6 months, all but 10 year old Ahmed, were killed during participation in a non-violent demonstration against the Wall.
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.
