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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | ||
| Israel quashes protest at West Bank's Qalandiya checkpoint | ||
| 2011-06-05 | ||
"To Jerusalem we go," read signs held by protesters, who marched to the checkpoint separating the central West Bank from Jerusalem, located on the route of the separation wall, built some 5 kilometers on the Palestinian side of the 1967 border. "Freedom is a human right," another sign said, held by one of the few men who were able to bypass a heavy Israeli military cordon outside the checkpoint, which severed the crowed in two. Men trickled into the area in front of the soldiers slowly, and when ten had amassed and tried to form a human chain in front of the checkpoint, soldiers began firing tear gas, sound bombs and rubber-coated bullets on the group. When soldiers in riot gear carrying plastic shields attempted to push the men back, they resisted by sitting on the ground and refusing to move until they were evacuated by force. Following the initial confrontation, Palestinian youth at the back of the crowed threw stones at soldiers. At least two protesters were seriously injured, and at least 37 were treated in ambulances for tear-gas inhalation, medics said. A medic with the Palestinian Red Crescent told Ma'an that 10 had been evacuated by ambulance, saying several had been hit by rubber-coated bullets. Organizers confirmed the use of stink spray, a noxious water-based chemical spray, used on a crowd near the rear of the protest, while others reported being sprayed by pepper spray in the face by soldiers attempting to remove them from the area. In the northern Gaza Strip, demonstrators marched from Beit Hanoun toward the Erez crossing, but Hamas police erected checkpoints to stop protesters reaching Israel's border. Tens of demonstrators who tried to break away and march north clashed with Hamas police, who detained at least a dozen. Jamal Abu Nahl, of the Palestinian Democratic Union politburo member Jamal Abu Nahl delivered a speech, and told protesters that Palestinians should maintain unity, encourage resistance and oppose compromises with Israel's occupation. The rallies marked Naksa Day, the anniversary of the Six-Day War of 1967 when Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. | ||
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #5 Organizers confirmed the use of stink spray, a noxious water-based chemical spray, used on a crowd near the rear of the protest, LOL A way to get those at the back of a mob, rather than the front. Those Juice are darstadly(sp?). |
| Posted by: phil_b 2011-06-05 21:31 |
| #4 Photo op. Jealous, Rambler. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2011-06-05 14:18 |
| #3 Looks like I picked a good time to visit Israel - two months ago, rather than now. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2011-06-05 13:54 |
| #2 rubber coated bullets When anybody else uses them it's "rubber bullets" |
| Posted by: gr(o)mgoru 2011-06-05 12:58 |
| #1 "Naksa" aka "We sure got our asses whupped" day? What an odd thing to celebrate. |
| Posted by: john frum 2011-06-05 12:25 |