Tag: Tear-Gas Canister - Page 14 - International Solidarity Movement

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.

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

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.

Targeting playgrounds in Ni’lin

14th March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Friday, 11th March 2016, Israeli forces again attacked the non-violent protest in Ni’lin in the occupied West Bank, showering the village, including a public park and playground, in tear gas.

Tear gas cloud in the fields of Ni'lin — Tear gas cloud in the fields of Ni’lin

For years the villagers of Ni’lin have been protesting the illegal theft of land and the apartheid wall that separates the village from the majority of their land. This stolen land has been used to erect the illegal settlement of Modi’in Illit.

Israeli forces violently attacked the peaceful demonstration that started after the noon prayer, shooting endless rounds of tear gas, not only towards the demonstrators, but also directly at a public park and playground. Last week, several children in the park suffered from tear gas inhalation during an attack on civilians who were completely uninvolved in the demonstration. Because of this, fortunately this week no children were on the playground. But this is also gross violation of a child’s right to play – leaving children restricted to their homes where they are still at risk of being tear-gassed by Israeli forces.

Children's playground showered in tear gas — Children’s playground showered in tear gas

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.