ISM Update

by ISM media team, November 3rd

ISM Update

For the second week in a row the Israeli military have shot a protester with live ammunition at Bil'in. This week was the turn of Frenchman Jose, a volunteer in the olive harvest as part of a delegation from a French solidarity group, who was shot in the wrist and received treatment in Sheikh Zaid hospital in Ramallah. Jose was shot after the demonstration ended by Israeli forces that were still in the village.

On their way back to the village the protesters encountered soldiers facing resistance from the village youth. As the soldiers were withdrawing they started firing rubber bullets and live ammunition at the youth. In addition to Jose's injury, 8 other people were shot with rubber bullets and one woman broke her leg running away from the soldiers.

As the village youth were trying to repel a military jeep that invaded the village with stones, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition at them and drove up a driveway where onlookers were gathered. The soldiers then got out of their jeep and fired at the youth. The onlookers were standing around a corner and Jose, who was filming the incursion, was standing at least 50m from the village youth when he was hit in the wrist.

Earlier on Bil'in villagers were joined by international and Israeli supporters as they marched to the annexation barrier, which has annexed over 50% of the village land. The marchers managed to cross one of the fences and marched to the gate where they demanded to be let through to reach the olive groves. Many of the internationals present, including Jose, are accompanying farmers to their olive groves in areas where they face violence and intimidation from Israeli settlers and the military. The protest passed off peacefully despite the military's excessive use of tear gas and sound bombs against the protesters. When this violence failed to intimidate the marchers the soldiers started violently pushing and shoving them. Towards the end of the demonstration some border policemen violently pushed protesters returning to the village who were in their view not doing so quickly enough.

Injuries: Amjad Abu Rahme, 11 - shot with a rubber bullet in the shoulder Amer Nasser, 22 - shot with a rubber bullet in the shoulder Ibrahim Burnat, 25 - shot with a rubber bullet in the hand Ashraf Khatib, 24 - shot with a rubber bullet in the leg Bader Khatib, 35 - shot with a rubber bullet in the leg Sharar Mansour, 22 - shot with a rubber bullet in the leg Wael Nasser, 31 - shot with a rubber bullet in the neck Leila Zoada, 32 - leg broken while running away from soldiers

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