Tag: Rubber-coated steel bullets - Page 10 - International Solidarity Movement

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

Bil’in Land Day demonstration met with violence, long-range tear gas

2nd April 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Bi’lin, occupied Palestine

On 1st April 2016, the village of Bi’lin marked the 40th anniversary of Palestine’s Land Day during their weekly nonviolent Friday demonstration. Israeli forces attacked the peaceful demonstrators with a wide range of weaponry.

The protesters marched towards the illegal apartheid wall separating the village from over a thousand dunams of its agricultural land, where now one of the many illegal Israeli settlements, Modi’in Illit, is located. In their weekly nonviolent demonstrations, the villagers, together with international activists, protest against the illegal Israeli land theft and occupation.

373615C — April 1 demonstration in Bil’in

Israeli forces attacked the peaceful protestors with rubber-coated steel bullets, different tear gas canisters and stun grenades. Many trees in the village’s fields caught fire due to the falling tear gas. Recently, Israeli forces have returned to the use of dangerous, hard-tipped, potentially deadly long-range tear gas canisters against demonstrators throughout the occupied West Bank. It was one of this type of tear gas canisters that in April 2009 caused the death of Bassam Abu Rahme in Bi’lin, when Israeli forces shot him directly in the chest from close range.

934133_1682392575364446_138838265318482530_n — New weapons being used by occupation forces against nonviolent demonstrators in the West Bank

Children and residents in houses inside the village suffered the effects of excessive tear gas inhalation due the use of these long-range tear gas canisters, which automatically target innocent civilians not even participating in the protest.

New stun grenades used at Ofer military prison demonstration

26th March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Ofer, occupied West Bank

On 25^th March 2016, Israeli forces at Ofer military prison injured 8 Palestinians with various kinds of weapons, and later on attacked the nearby village of Beitunia, injuring even more.

A demonstration against the Israeli military occupation and for the freedom of the prisoners held in Ofer military prison – often in so called ‘administrative detention’ where the accused can not even expect to be charged or have a trial – was violently attacked by Israeli forces. They shot endless rounds of tear gas at protestors, as well as rubber coated metal bullets which injured 8 Palestinians. Additionally, Israeli forces used a new kind of stun grenade and fired live ammunition, including 0.22 caliber bullets, directly at protestors. 5 Palestinian protestors were arrested by the army and taken to an unknown destination.

Later the same day, Israeli forces attacked the nearby village of Beitunia, where the army again used an excessive amount of stun grenades, rubber-coated metal bullets, live ammunition and showered the village in tear gas. During this assault, 5 more people sustained injuries from rubber-coated metal bullets. In total 13 Palestinians were injured, including one in the head and one in the chest with rubber-coated metal bullets.
Israeli forces regularly use excessive force and injure protestors in demonstrations against the illegal settlements and Israeli occupation throughout the West Bank.

Israeli forces attack peaceful demonstration and suffocate civilian population

5th March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Ni’lin, occupied Palestine

On 4^th March 2016, the village of Ni’lin held their weekly protest against the illegal Israeli occupation, the illegal settlements and the theft of the village’s land.

Israeli forces ready to shoot at unarmed protestors

Israeli forces attacked the peaceful demonstration inundating the whole area with massive amounts of tear gas. As they came into the village with their jeeps, they directly targeted houses and a public park and thus the civilian population not even involved in the demonstration. Many suffered excessive tear-gas inhalation, ten needed treatment by medical personnel, including a 3-year old boy that was playing with his friends in the public park. Israeli forces targeted the ambulance assisting the injured by firing tear-gas straight at it. Additionally to the large amounts of tear-gas, Israeli forces fired rubber-coated metal bullets at protestors, injuring one person in the leg.

Young boy that was playing in park receiving treatment

Israeli forces also flew a remote-controlled drone over the protest, filming.

Drone seen in the sky over the Ni'lin protest — Drone seen in the sky over the Ni’lin protest

Peaceful painting-activity met with violence by Israeli army

21st February 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Sunday the 21st of February, the people of Hebron along with fellow activists gathered for part of a week long campaign against occupying Israel to show solidarity and oppose the closure of Shuhada Street to the Palestinian people.

Shuhada Street has been closed to Palestinians since 1994 after Baruch Goldstein, a zionist extremist, entered Ibrahimi Mosque and opened fire with a machine gun, killing 29 people and leaving 125 wounded. During this time the street has fallen into the occupiers hands and has later been renamed King David Street. The Palestinian people are no longer allowed to enter the street while illegal settlers inhabit the area. The closure of this once thriving Palestinian market is the reason Palestinians protest to this day.

At 11am the people of Hebron gathered around the entrance to Shuhada checkpoint. The campaign activities of the day started by erecting a solidarity tent and displaying pictures of the occupying forces brutal show of force towards the Palestinian people. Palestinians of the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood and the tiny strip of Shuhada Street that is still accessible for (some) Palestinians, have been protesting the closure of their neighbourhood since it was first declared a ‘closed military zone’ on 1st November.

Palestinians creating murals on military blockade Photo credit: Youth Against Settlements — Palestinians creating murals on military blockade
Photo credit: Youth Against Settlements

Within a few minutes of the pictures being erected an aggressive group of soldiers from the occupying Israeli forces made their way into the Palestinian area of H1. They began by forcefully pushing participants of the campaign back towards what they deemed a suitable distance and then further when they felt like displaying more military might. From here they barred anyone from getting any closer while they began to tear down the pictures that had been erected in solidarity with those that have suffered under the illegal occupation.

This did not stop the people of Hebron as they continued with peaceful activities. Painting large canvas murals to show their solidarity and objection to the closure of Shuhada Street.

Palestinians drawing murals Photo credit: Youth Against Settlements — Palestinians drawing murals
Photo credit: Youth Against Settlements

At around 2pm, young Palestinian children threw some pebbles at the soldiers who were behind the armoured checkpoint. Almost instantly the waiting occupying forces emerged, hurling stun grenades at children and innocent bystanders. After a while they began to shoot steel coated rubber bullets also. Using excessive force as is a classic trademark of the illegal occupying forces.

Israeli forces emerging from the checkpoint into supposedly Palestinian controlled H1

Tomorrow the people of Hebron will unite again to campaign against the occupation with more activities and more shows of defiance and opposition towards Israel, their illegal settlements and the closure of Shuhada Street.