Israeli troops attacked the weekly Friday protests held in six Palestinian towns and villages. In addition to dozens of demonstrators suffering the effects of tear gas inhalation, three protesters were moderately wounded by steel-coated rubber bullets and tear gas canisters.The focus of this week’s protests was to show solidarity with Palestinian political detainees on hunger strike, protesting ill-treatment by their Israeli captors.
One child was injured and many others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation at the village of Nabi Saleh, in central west Bank. Villagers of al Nabi Saleh along with international and Israeli supporters tried to march toward local farmers land taken by Israel to build a settlement on. Soldiers stopped them at the village entrance and forced them back using tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets.
Troops then invaded the village and fired tear gas into residents’ homes, one gas bomb hit Bilal al Tamimi, 16, in his head while he was in his home. Soldiers also detained the ambulance car that took al Tamimi before it was allowed to leave the village to get to the nearby hospital in Ramallah.
Meanwhile, two were slightly injured and many others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation in the nearby villages of Bil’in and Nil’in.
In Nil’in villagers along with international and Israeli supporters managed to reach the gate of the wall separating local farmers from their lands before soldiers fired tear gas at them. In Bil’in troops fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at the villagers and their supporters before reaching the wall. Two locals were taken to the hospital after being hit with rubber-coated steel bullets.
In the northern West Bank, soldiers used tear gas and sound bombs to attack the villagers of Kufer Kadom protesting the Israeli wall.
In southern West bank, also on Friday, the villagers of Al Ma’ssara and residents of Beit Jala town near Bethlehem marched against the wall. Soldiers used tear gas in al Ma’ssara village; many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Beit Jala residents marched on Good Friday to their land that Israel has taken over to build the wall. The protest was led by local priests and ended after a short mass near the confiscated lands.
