The seamless coordination between the Israeli military and Palestinian Authority forces was on open display during a recent raid on the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem.Originally submitted by Dan Cohen to The Electronic Intifada on April 22, 2014.
On Friday, 14 March, around 7pm, the Israeli Border Police assaulted the city from the military compound at the site of Rachel’s Tomb. The police spokesperson has been unreachable for comment.
The assault took place on the final evening of the Christ at the Checkpoint conference, which was organized by Palestinian Christians to educate the global church about the reality of injustice faced by those living under occupation. The conference hosted more than 600 attendees, and was labeled a “serious long-term threat by Israeli security” by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to Israel Today.
Palestinian-based journalist Dan Cohen reports: ‘I arrived after the assault had begun. International tourists looked on from their hotel lobbies as tear gas filled the air. A curious few ventured outside during moments of calm.
Approximately fifteen Palestinian youths were on a street next to the Intercontinental Hotel, the site of the conference. They peered from behind walls and hurled stones. Israeli Border Police fired several dozen tear gas canisters, one of which landed on top of the entrance to the Saint Michael Hotel. Another bounced off of a bus. A young girl suffered from tear gas inhalation and a man carried her into the Saint Michael Hotel.
I walked up the street towards the Border Police to photograph them from the side. One policeman attempted to engage me in conversation, asking, ‘Where are you from?’ While firing tear gas, he shouted in English, ‘Peace and love’ and ‘I’m the hero of the day!’
Rubber-coated bullets were fired by the Israeli forces as well.
Though the Israeli assault was rather ordinary for demonstrations in the West Bank, the concluding events put the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority’s coordination with the Israeli military on open display.’
Continue reading at The Electronic Intifada.
