Tag: Tear-Gas Canister - Page 13 - 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.

Excessive use of force and collective punishment at demonstrations in remembrance of Palestinian political prisoners

17th April 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Kafr Qaddum, Nabi Saleh & Ofer, occupied Palestine

On 15^th April, weekly demonstrations against the Israeli occupation were held throughout the occupied West Bank commemorating ‘Prisoner’s Day’.

Kafr Qaddum village has been separated from their main access road to the Palestinian city of Nablus for 13 years. They hold weekly demonstrations against the closure of this road, which was initially closed in order to allow free movement for settlers from the nearby illegal Qedumim settlement. This Friday Israeli forces inundated the demonstrators and part of the village with tear gas, resulting in dozens of people receiving emergency medical treatment for excessive tear gas inhalation. In an all too common act of collective punishment, Israeli forces did not only target the demonstrators with tear gas and rubber coated metal bullets, but also sprayed civilian homes in the village with foul smelling ‘skunk water’. Early in the morning, before the start of the demonstration, Israeli forces closed the village entrance, arbitrarily (and illegally) declaring it a ‘closed military zone’ in order to prevent international and Israeli activists from participating in the demonstration.

Israeli forces ready to shoot at demonstration in Kafr Qaddum

In the village of Nabi Saleh, villagers, international solidarity activists and journalists demonstrating the Israeli occupation and theft of land, were attacked not only by the Israeli forces, but additionally by settlers from the illegal settlement of Halamish. Israeli forces inundated the protest with tear gas, causing several cases of excessive tear gas inhalation.

Israeli forces equipped with tear gas grenades and foam bullets in Nabi Saleh

Israeli forces at the Ofer military prison complex fired stun grenades, tear gas, rubber coated metal bullets as well as live fire at unarmed protestors. They arrested four protestors and, in an act of collective punishment, entered the village of Beitunia arbitrarily shooting tear gas into the streets causing civilians to suffer from excessive tear gas inhalation.

Streets filled with tear gas in the village of Beitunia

Palestinians and supporters world-wide commemorate Prisoner Day on 17th April each year, in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails. There are at least 7000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, 750 of whom are held under ‘administrative detention’ without charge or trial. This includes 1400 minors under the age of 18 since October 2015. Under Israeli military law – which is effect throughout the West Bank – Palestinian children as young as 12 years old can be arrested by Israeli forces. In many of these cases the children are denied access to family, lawyers and their most basic human rights. They are often interrogated, intimidated and physically and psychologically threatened without a family member or lawyer present. As a result these children can be forced to sign confessions in Hebrew, a language they do not understand.

Most Palestinian prisoners are transferred to prisons within the Israeli territories. This act is illegal under international law that prohibits the transfer of prisoners from the occupied Palestinian territories into an area where they can only receive family visits after applying and receiving permission from the Israeli government. This is a permission, of course, that is very rarely granted.

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 protesters keep fighting after more than a decade of friday demoes

9th April 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil Team | Bil’in, occupied Palestine

The weekly protest took place in Bil’in on Friday April 8th, as it has done every Friday for over a decade. Around 35 protesters, a mix of multi nationals and Palestinians, took part. Very soon after the peaceful march started, the protesters were met with a hail of teargas delivered by approximately 10 Israeli Occupation Force soldiers and border guards who had arrived in five jeeps and were parked about 500 meters away. They continued to shoot teargas for about 20 minutes. One protester was overcome by teargas and had to be treated in an ambulance by medics.

Teargas being shot by Israeli Forces towards peaceful protesters

Bil’in is a village with a population of 1,800 residents and is situated 12 km west of Ramallah in the central West Bank of Palestine. It is internationally renowned for its weekly demonstration against the occupation and the building of the annexation wall. Frequent injuries, and even deaths, have occurred at this protest, and the Oscar nominated movie 5 Broken Cameras has documented the violence that the protesters continuously face.

Peaceful protesters being attacked by Israeli Forces. One person needed medical treatment.

Despite the death and destruction wrought upon the beleaguered villagers, they remain unbowed and continue to march every single week in an attempt to make their voices heard, and to bring international attention to their plight.

Nabi Saleh Protest Ends With Tear Gas

8th of April 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | West Bank, occupied Palestine

As on every Friday a group of Palestinians, supported by Israeli Peace Activists, Internationals and with an international media presence, came together in Nabi Saleh after midday prayers to protest the continued illegal occupation of Palestinian land by Israel.

In Nabi Saleh, Israel have taken and continue to deny Palestinian access to a well that lies between the village and the illegal settlement of Halamish. The weekly demonstration is a family-orientated affair involving many women, men and children whose farms and day-to-day lives have been severely affected by the lack of access to the water from the well. The protestors continue to demand an end to this gross abuse of the most basic of human rights.

There are two routes the protest can take but after excessive force and violence used by the Israeli Occupying Force at the previous demonstration, it was agreed by all present to take a potentially less dangerous route heading towards the top of the hill that faces the settlement and to proceed toward the well below it.

Led by the women and young girls the procession reached the top of the hill where the first sighting of the soldiers caused a brief pause. The protest moved carefully and slowly down the hill towards the road that intersects between the village and the settlement, still led by women and children, chanting, clapping and waving flags.

At this point the army fired three rounds of the deadly and extremely dangerous, long range, large, rubber-tipped bullets that separate in flight to release tear gas. This caused the protestors to pause their descent of the hill, however they did not disperse. As a result the army fired three more of the long range bullets, designed to pierce houses, directly at the protestors, although thankfully not hitting anyone. This did send them back to the top of the hill where they stayed back from the tear gas.

Leah, an Israeli activist attending the demonstration, looking down the hill to the soldiers said “I am ashamed of my country.” Having served in the army as a teenager she had seen the daily human rights abuses up close and now attended protests every week against the occupation and the conduct of the occupying forces.

Mohammed, a villager of Nabi Saleh, looking out over the gas stated “this isn’t about Palestine and Israel. Israel is just the face of the colonial and capitalist powers.” He hugged internationals, thanking them for coming and shook Leah’s hand as the protestors finally walked back to the village.

The Israeli Army continue to use the long range tear gas bullets, impossible to see when fired and potentially deadly if making contact with anyone and they continue to use them from inside the legal distance for firing.

For more information on the deadly long range weapons being deployed by the army at protestors see: http://bit.ly/1YiNt6X

And for a detailed report into previous human rights abuses at Nabi Saleh see: http://bit.ly/23oJxVJ