Palestinian wounded as Israeli forces fire at wall protesters
13/06/2008
Source : AFP
BILIN, West Bank (AFP) — A Palestinian suffered a severe gunshot wound on Friday when troops dispersed a protest against the Israeli separation barrier in the occupied West Bank, medics and witnesses said.
The 25-year-old man, who was among a dozen protesters at the weekly demonstration in Bilin, was taken to hospital in nearby Ramallah. Medics said he was bleeding profusely after being hit in the thigh by a live round.
Using rubber bullets, troops wounded another seven people, Palestinian emergency services said.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said the protest turned violent and that demonstrators hurled stones.
"One protester damaged the security fence. Soldiers fired at him and identified hitting him," she said.
Bilin, the site of weekly protests by Palestinian, Israeli and foreign activists, has become a symbol of opposition to the Israeli barrier. The Palestinians say some 200 hectares (495 acres) of land in Bilin were confiscated for the building of the barrier, and that thousands of olive trees were uprooted.
Israel says the 650-kilometre (405-mile) barrier is necessary to protect it from terrorist attacks. The Palestinians call it an "apartheid wall" and complain that large chunks of the West Bank are cut off as a result.
In 2004 the International Court of Justice issued a non-binding ruling declaring parts of the barrier illegal because they were built inside the occupied West Bank.
It called for their removal, something Israel has refused to do.
Video: Ibrahim Bornat shot by live rounds during June 13, 2008 Demonstration
