Soldiers Attack Nonviolent Protest Near Hebron

Israeli soldiers attacked, Saturday, a nonviolent protest held in solidarity with the secretary of the National and Popular Committee in Beit Ummar town, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, who was kidnapped by the army during the weekly nonviolent protest last week.

Yousef Abu Maria - Archive, Still From Palestine Today TV

The protesters marched from the Ath-Thaher area in Beit Ummar and headed towards Karmie Tzur illegal settlement, built on privately-owned Palestinian lands that belong to residents of Beit Ummar and the nearby town of Halhoul.

Local protesters, accompanied by Israeli and international peace activists, marched towards the illegal settlement carrying Palestinian flags and chanting slogans against Israel’s illegal settlements and the illegal Annexation wall.

As the nonviolent protesters approached the fence surrounding the settlement, soldiers attacked them with batons, an issue that led to a scuffle between some soldiers and a number of protestors.

Soldiers then fired grenades and gas bombs at the protesters; Yousef Abu Maria, spokesperson of the Popular Committee in Beit Ummar, suffered concussion in his head and several bruises in his shoulders.

On Tuesday, May 15, a Palestinian youth in Beit Ummar town was repeatedly kicked and punched by the soldiers to various parts of his body.

Local sources reported that the youth, identified as Hmeidan Ahmad Abu Maria, 17 years old, was held by the soldiers at the entrance of Beit Ummar, before they started kicking and punching him, and tossing him around.

On the same day, soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets and gas bombs at dozens of peaceful protesters who marched in commemoration of the 64th anniversary of the Nakba of 1948 when Israeli forces displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and destroyed hundreds of towns, before Israeli declared “its independence” in the historic land of Palestine.

Dozens of protests took place on Tuesday in various parts of the West Bank commemorating the Nakba, demanding an end to the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine and the release of all Palestinian political prisoners.

Soldiers used excessive force against dozens of peaceful protesters and fired rounds of live ammunition, in addition to rubber-coated metal bullets, gas bombs and concussion grenades.

File - Still From Palestine Today TV (Paltoday)