Youth protest against construction of illegal Israeli outpost; settlers throw burning rags at internationals

Date: 08 / 05 / 2009  Time:  14:12
Hebron – Ma’an –

Israeli occupation soldiers detained five Israeli citizens working as peace activists protesting the establishment of an  illegal settlement east of Hebron in the West Bank.

The Israeli activists, along with a dozen international activists and Palestinians were demonstrating near the land of Issa Jaber in the Al-Buwaira area of Hebron.

Protesters built small booth, mirroring a hut constructed on the land last month by Israeli settlers on Palestinian-owned land. According to the group Youth Against Settlements, the settlers are trying to impose a “de facto” situation on the land and create an illegal settler outpost on the area and effectively annex the land.

According to the youth, Israeli occupation soldiers arrived shortly after 10am, when the hut was built. The soldiers took positions around the settlers, who were pelting the protest hut with stones, heavy tools and gas-soaked rags set aflame. The whole incident, said the youth group was “under the leadership of their fundamentalist leader Baroukh Marzel.”

Israeli occupation soldiers told activists they were no longer permitted to use the land and launched sound bombs at the tent. Troops arrested the Israeli activists, under a legal dictate that prohibits Israeli citizens from entering areas of the West Bank under Palestinian Authority control.

In addition to the five Israelis, and three international activists, local resident Wa-el Al-Za'atra, was also arrested. The rest of the protesters were forcibly removed from the area.

***Updated 16:49 Bethlehem time

Bil’in: Eight injured as "Occupation Flu spreads"

Date: 08 / 05 / 2009  Time:  16:39
Bethlehem - Ma’an -

“Stop the Occupation flu,” chanted protesters wearing surgical masks as they marched through the streets of Bil’in towards the illegal Israeli Land-Grab, Apartheid Wall that cuts the village off from its land.

“The Occupation flu first infected Palestinians sixty-one years ago. It has caused the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, injured hundreds of thousands and has put millions in prisons, including Israeli prisons but also the prisons created by the wall in the West Bank and the siege on Gaza,” protesters shouted from beside the wall.

The Occupation flu, said organizers, has already killed 100 times more than the most recent flu outbreak of H1N1 or swine flu. “It is an epidemic here,” one protester said.

Demonstrators called on international health and human rights institutions to intervene in order to save the Palestinian people from the “dangerous disease which is spreading in the region and is threatening the rest of the world.”

The Israeli occupation terrorist army responded to the demonstration by firing teargas and rubber-coated steal bullets into the crowd, causing eight injuries. Those taken to hospital were:

Abdullah Aburahma,
Fadhel Al-Khatib,
Adib Aburahma,
Abdullah Yassin,
Ibraheem Burnat,
Mohammed Abu Rahma,
Mustafa Al-Khatib,
Hytham Al-Khatib

Gaza boats under attack; three attacks in two days

Date: 08 / 05 / 2009  Time:  09:17
Gaza – Ma’an –

Israeli terrorist war boats opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats near the coast of Tel As-Sultan in the southern Gaza Strip Friday afternoon, six hours after an attack on a boat off the northern coast.

An early morning attack on a Gazan shipping boat was reported off the Al-Sudaniyah coast north of Gaza City. No injuries were reported from that attack but damage was done to the boat.

The attacks mark the third in two days after four men were seized from their fishing boat which came under attack at noon Thursday. The men remain in Israeli custody.

Israeli terrorist forces kidnap two at flying checkpoint near Jenin

Date: 08 / 05 / 2009  Time:  15:42
Jenin – Ma’an –

Israeli terrorist soldiers kidnapped two from the town of Jaba south of Jenin as they passed through a military checkpoint.

The men, identified as 33-year-old Farhat Al-Awnah and 35-year-old Rabi’a Fashafsheh were detained late Thursday night as they travelled towards their homes in Nablus after work in the Jenin area.

According to the parents of the men they were stopped by troops, forced to leave their car on the roadside and taken to an unknown location.

Israeli terrorist soldiers kidnap three Palestinians from Bethlehem

Date: 08 / 05 / 2009  Time:  09:21
Bethlehem - Ma'an -

Three Palestinians were kidnapped from their Bethlehem-area homes by invading Israeli terrorist soldiers before dawn Friday.

Israeli sources said the three were listed as “wanted” by Israeli intelligence and noted they were taken to investigation centers for questioning. They have not been identified.

Four injured, two kidnapped as Israeli terrorist troops attack nonviolent protest near Bethlehem

Friday May 08, 2009 17:18 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

Palestinian, Israeli, and international protesters conducted a nonviolent protest on Friday at Al Ma’ssara village near the southern west Bank city of Bethlehem. 

Israeli occupation terrorist soldiers stopped the protest inside the village before reaching to the location of the wall. Four residents were lightly wounded when Israeli soldiers used batons to stop the people for reaching their lands.   Local sources said that two international supporters were kidnapped by the Israeli military during the protest.  

Five injured in the weekly Ni'lin protest

Friday May 08, 2009 17:14 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

Israeli soldiers on Friday attacked Palestinian and international peace activists holding the weekly non-violent protest against the Wall in Ni’lin village, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah. Five protestors were injured and dozens were treated for the effects gas inhalation.

The protesters marched in three groups. The first group was stop by the soldiers at the village center, while the second groups was attack by soldiers at the end of the village . Soldiers took positions on roof-tops of local homes, witnesses said.  

The third group however managed to reach the Israeli wall and tried to dismantle it when protesters were attacked by troops. Local youth clashed with the soldiers at the three locations after the protest ended.

Bil'in Demonstrators Call on International Health Institutions to “Stop the Occupation Flu?

Friday May 08, 2009 17:08 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

Palestinian, Israeli, and international protesters walked through the streets of Bil’in on Friday wearing surgical masks to protect themselves from the “Occupation Flu” which first infected Palestinians sixty-one years ago.  

It has caused the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, injured hundreds of thousands and has put millions in prisons, including Israeli prisons but also the prisons created by the wall in the West Bank and the siege on Gaza.   

Protesters carried banners that read, “Stop the Occupation Flu” and called on international health and human rights institutions to intervene in order to save the Palestinian people from this dangerous disease which is spreading in the region and is threatening the rest of the world.   

The Israeli terrorist army responded to the demonstration by firing teargas and rubber-coated steal bullets into the crowd, causing eight injuries and dozens of cases of teargas inhalation. The injuries: Abdullah Aburahma, Fadel Alkhatib, Adeeb Aburahma, Abdullah Yassen, Ibraheem Burnat, Mohammed Aburahma, Mustafa Alkhatib,and Hytham Alkhatib.

Army says soldier killed near Ramallah was shot when he gun discharged during scuffle

Friday May 08, 2009 11:22 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli army sources reported that the Israeli Canadian-born soldier, who was shot and killed on Thursday morning in an invasion to a town near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, was killed when his weapon discharged when he scuffled with Palestinian residents.

File - Image by Maan News Agency

The incident took place as the army invaded Bir Zeit city, near Ramallah, and broke into a number of homes.

The soldier was identified as Noam Adin Rechter-Levi, 20. He was born in Canada and his family immigrated to Israel when he was 8, Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported.

The army stated that Levi and another soldier tried to flank the residents and were faced by more Palestinians and scuffled with them.

Later on, some shots were fired and the soldier was seriously injured, and died of his wounds.

The Israeli army kidnapped three Palestinians under suspicion that they participated in the scuffle, and the soldiers also claimed they located a 9-milimeter casing at the scene of the clash.

Yet, Haaretz said that forensic examination revealed that the soldier was killed by a 5.56-millimeter bullet, and that such ammo is used by the army.

The army still needs to determine whether the residents who scuffled with the soldier, pointed his own rifle at him while it was strapped to his body.