Scores injured at the weekly Bil'in nonviolent protest

Friday August 07, 2009 18:28 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

As the villagers of the Bil'in village near Ramallah in central West Bank started their weekly nonviolent protest against    the Illegal Israeli Land-Grab, Apartheid Wall, troops fired tear gas at them inflecting dozens of injuries.

The villagers were joined by International and Israeli supporters. As is the case each week, the march left the village after midday prayers and headed towatds the wall built on village land.

The protesters demanded the release of Muhammad al-Khatib and Adib Abu Rahma, both from the local committee against the wall and settlements and all detainees from the village. All were kidnapped by the Israeli military this week.

As soon as the protestors reached the gate of the wall, troops began spraying them with green - colored water contaminated with animal manure and chemicals, cases of vomiting were reported among the protesters.

Several residents suffocated after inhaling gas heavily fired by the army, and received medical treatment.

Dozens injured in nonviolent anti-wall protest in Ni'lin

Friday August 07, 2009 17:56 by IMEMC News

At least three hundred Palestinians and international supporters marched in the West Bank village of N'ilin near Ramallah, against the Illegal Land-Grab, Apartheid Wall Israel is building on the lands of the village.

The March started after the Friday Prayer and moved to reach the construction site of the wall. Troops showered the crowd with a number of tear-gas canisters and rubber-coated steel bullets, which caused dozens to choke. They were treated for gas inhalation afterwards, while some protesters suffered bruises.

As the tear gas and the steel bullets did not manage to disperse the crowd, Israeli soldiers showered the protesters with a dirty water cannon. Meanwhile, a group of Palestinian youth spotted seven undercover soldiers attempting to infiltrate among the protesters.

Youth hurled stones at the undercover soldiers forcing them out of the village.

The village of N'ilin has been organizing nonviolent anti-wall protests for more than a year, and the villagers are determined to continue their struggle to end the Israeli occupation, said Salah Al-Khawaja coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Apartheid Wall. Al-Khawaja called upon Fatah who is holding its sixth conference to adopt the nonviolent popular resistance as a strategy to end the Israeli military occupation of Palestine.

Bil'in protesters gassed, sprayed as they request release of prisoners

August 8, 2009

 Bethlehem - Ma’an -

Tens choked on teargas fired by Israeli soldiers as protesters from Bil’in made their weekly attempt to cross the separation wall blocking families from their lands.

Israeli and International peace activists demonstrated after the Friday prayers, waving Palestinian flags and banners with slogans calling for the release of the local anti-wall activists Muhammad Al-Khatib and Adib Abu Rahma. The men were detained by Israeli forces during raids into the village following anti-wall protests. Raids often begin as soon as international activists leave the area.

Once the demonstrators arrived at the wall gate, waiting soldiers fired three types of gas bombs at protesters. According to the Bil’in popular committee there were canisters thrown by hand, others by small lautomated hand-held launchers and a third sort from military vehicles. The gas covered nearly a square kilometer with stink. According to one participant, one of the canister launchers was capable of launching 50 at once.

Soldiers sprayed demonstrators with green-water, which locals believe is contaminated with chemicals and animal waste. The water causes people to vomit, often violently. Demonstrators dressed in plastic dresses, hats, gloves, and masks to avoid the effects of the chemical water and its noxious smell, which has been used several times before.

Palestinian killed in a tunnel accident in Rafah

Saturday August 08, 2009 02:36 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

Palestinian medical sources reported on Friday at night that a resident was killed in a tunnel collapse accident along the Gaza-Egypt border in Rafah district, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The sources told the Palestine News and Information Center, WAFA, that the body of resident was identified as Ahmad Al Dabary, 25, was located under the rubble and was moved to Abu Yousef Al Najjar Hospital in Rafah.

The number of residents killed in tunnel accidents in Gaza arrived to 113.