Israel Wall Resistance Met with Immediate Violence

Budrus Villagers Non-Violent Resistance to the Wall is Met with Immediate Israeli Violence, Once Again

Today the villagers of Budrus turn-outed once again to continue their non-violent resistance to the construction of the Wall on their lands. They had planned to stop the bulldozers that are uprooting olive trees and destroying the land to make way for the Israeli Wall.

Villagers, accompanied by Israelis and other internationals, left the center of Budrus at 8:30AM, marched to the Masgoofah area to protest the return of the bulldozers. Before they had even reached the site they were met with rounds of tear gas, concussion grenades, and random shots from the Israeli Army using rubber bullets.

In the first fifteen minutes, five Palestinians were injured including a nine year-old child who was hit in the head.

Protestors could not retreat nor move forward since every time they attempted to regroup they were attacked by Israeli soldiers. Any group of protestors, however small, was immediately dispersed.

After the protestors had returned to Budrus the soldiers occupied several homes and the school on the outskirts of the village and began firing at residents. They also fired tear gas into homes, including a home with an infant.

Several journalists, who had also reached one of the roofs the Israeli army had occupied, were promptly hit in the face and pushed back down the stairs by Israeli soldiers.

At 11:30AM a group of women attempted to near the site of the bulldozers. Israeli soldiers responded by firing vertically into the women with teargas canisters and rubber bullets.

Close to 1:00PM, residents of Budrus, accompanied by internationals, attempted to march toward the area where the land is being destroyed from another direction. The Israeli Army were able to cut them off and continued firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Eye-witness reports claim that internationals were specifically targeted and over 20 Palestinians were injured by Israeli soldiers firing rubber bullets.

The immediate and excessive violence used by the Israeli Army has been a pattern in the last couple days, as is their targeting of internationals.

Residents of Budrus have successfully resisted the construction of the Wall on their land for the past ten months. However, in the past three days, bulldozers have begun to prepare the land for the Wall's foundation.

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