Palestinian and Israeli peace activists attacked by military en route to Hebron protest

Sunday July 19, 2009 08:55 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

A group of Palestinian and Israeli peace activists traveling to the village of Beit Ummar, near Hebron, were attacked by Israeli occupation forces while en route.  Three were injured and nine were detained by the soldiers for hours, and were unable to reach the area where they had planned to protest on Saturday.

According to Mohammad Awad, with the Palestinian Solidarity Project, the organizers of Saturday’s protest. "The soldiers beat and kicked dozens of protestors, and hit them with rifle butts. 

As a result, three Israeli peace activists sustained bruises and nine others were detained."Awad told the local news agency Ma’an that illegal Israeli settlers and soldiers in the area have, over the last week, bulldozed Palestinian farmland and orchards, and Israeli soldiers continue to prevent Palestinian farmers from accessing their land.

Beit Ummar has been a flashpoint for Israeli attacks over the last several years, due to its proximity to the Israeli settlement Karmeh Tsur, and the ongoing expansion of that settlement onto the village lands of the people of Beit Ummar.

Israeli occupation soldiers use Chemical water to attack the he weekly Bil'in protest

Friday July 17, 2009 17:58 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

Dozens suffered from gas inhalation and effects of poisoning as Israeli occupation troop attacked the weekly protest in Bil'in village near the central West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday.

International and Israeli supporters joined the villagers of Bil'in and marched from the village center after Friday midday prayers.

The protesters demanded the halt of Israeli illegal settlements and construction of the wall.

As the protesters arrived at the wall, Israeli troops stationed at its gate fired a barrage of sound bombs, tear gas and rubber-coated bullets.

Troops also used a water canon to spray the demonstrators with chemical water, which caused cases of poisoning, and side effect among the protestors.

In related news, the Israeli military went on with its repeated invasions in the village of Bil'in this week, and kidnapped three young men from the village, local sources reported.

Nil'in: Scores treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation

Friday July 17, 2009 17:50 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

Israeli occupation soldiers attacked on Friday the weekly non-violent protest against the wall in Ni'lin village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

The villagers were joined by international and Israeli peace activists. Among those who took part in this Friday protest was the Palestinian Minister of agriculture, Isma'el D'eek. As the villagers marched towards the location of the Israeli wall, soldiers fired tear gas at them. Scores were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation. Later on local youth hurled stones on Israeli troops.

IOF troops disperse peaceful Bil'in march using chemicals

[ 18/07/2009 - 10:44 AM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)--

Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Friday used chemicals to break up demonstrators in Bil'in village during a weekly anti-wall march causing tens of participants to vomit.

Villagers went on their weekly peaceful march following the Friday congregation with the participation of a number of international and Israeli activists hoisting Palestinian flags and placards denouncing the Israeli occupation authority's construction of the separation wall that crosses through and confiscates the village's farmland.

The participants walked in the village streets before heading to the wall in an attempt to cross into the village's confiscated lands but the IOF soldiers sprayed the participants with chemically contaminated water that led many of them to vomit.

The IOF had used the contaminated water a year ago but stopped it following intervention of human rights groups.

The popular committee against the wall denounced in a statement the repeated IOF detention of its activists, noting that the IOF troops had arrested 16 citizens over the past three weeks including an American supporter and an Israeli activist.

IOF soldiers kidnap foreign activists, wound Palestinians

[ 19/07/2009 - 09:35 AM ]

AL-KHALIL, (PIC)--

Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Saturday kidnapped nine foreign activists and wounded five Palestinians while quelling a peaceful march against settlement activity in Beit Ummar village, Al-Khalil district.

Local sources in the village said that fistfights were reported between Palestinians and foreign activists on the one hand and IOF troops on the other, noting that the soldiers used force to break up the demonstration.

The soldiers used batons and rifle butts to assault the marchers wounding five Palestinians, they added.

Meanwhile, IOF soldiers detained a Palestinian youth in Qalqilia city late Saturday night and another from Bil'in, Ramallah district, at dawn Sunday.

Furthermore, Israeli border guards rounded up 178 Palestinian workers over the weekend on charges of entering 1948 occupied Palestine without work permits while seven other persons were arrested for transporting the workers.