Two persons have been injured, and scores suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation after Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly nonviolent protest against the Wall and Settlements, in Bil’in village near Ramallah. The protest also marked the Palestinian Prisoners Day, and commemorated the death of Bassem Abu Rahma.The Popular Resistance Committee in Bil’in has reported that Anas Mohammad Mansour, 17, was shot by a live round in the chest, and was instantly moved to the Palestine Medical Center.
It added that Monther ‘Amira, the head of the Coordination Committee in Bil’in, was shot by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the thigh, and received treatment by local medics.
Palestinian Minister, head of the Anti-Wall and Settlements Committee, Walid ‘Assaf, head of the Palestinian Detainees Committee, ‘Issa Qaraqe’, and Al-Quds TV reporter Linda Shallash, along with dozens of supporters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
The protest started right after the Friday noon prayers in the center of the village, before the residents, their Israeli and international supporters marched carrying Palestinian flags, and chanted for the liberation of Palestine and the release of all political prisoners.
Many officials, including legislators Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Qais Abu Laila, Moheeb ‘Awwad, in addition to the head of the Palestinian Prisoners Society Qaddoura Fares, and various figures, participated in the protest.
In addition, members of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Dr. Wasel Abu Yousef, head of the Palestinian Detainees Committee Issa Qaraqe’, and Ramallah Deputy Governor Hamdan Barghouthi, also participated in the protest.
The soldiers declared the area a “closed military zone,’ a procedure the army frequently uses to completely isolate certain areas to prevent people from entering.
The Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Bil’in said the soldiers fired gas bombs, rubber-coated metal bullets and live rounds, and prevented the protesters from approaching the area of the new section of the apartheid wall.
Protests were also held in Ni’lin and Nabi Saleh nearby villages, in addition to Kufur Qaddoum near the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, the al-Ma’sara village near Bethlehem, and Beit Ummar near Hebron.
One Palestinian was injured in Kufur Qaddoum, and was kidnapped by the soldiers, and two were injured by army life fire in Beit Ummar.
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Bassem Abu Rahma was 30 years of age when he was killed on April 17, 2009 after a soldier shot him in the chest by an extended-range gas bomb.
Abu Rahma is one of many Palestinians killed by the soldiers in Bil’in due to excessive use of force by the army against nonviolent protesters.
More on the case of Bassem Abu Rahma – Yesh Din
http://www.yesh-din.org/infoitem.asp?infocatid=284
Tribute Video to Bassem Abu Rahma – A Friend To Us All (English Subtitles)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf6_QUV8E5U
