DOZENS INJURED IN ISRAELI OCCUPATION ATTACK TO MAKE WAY FOR ILLEGAL SETTLERS

On Friday February 28th Israel’s occupation forces injured up to 134 Palestinians in an effort to gain illegal Israeli settlers’ control of a strategic mountain and its springs.

After public calls by illegal Israeli settlers to establish an illegal colony outpost on the Jabal al-‘Arma mountain, near the village of Beita south of the city of Nablus, hundreds of villagers from Beita and the neighbouring areas gathered on the mountain late on Thursday and stayed there over the night.

On Friday Israeli occupation forces attacked the demonstrators to make way for the illegal settlers, injuring up to 134 people. The occupation troops removed a flagpole and a large flag of Palestine raised there, and forced the demonstrators to leave the mountain.

A 16-year-old child was shot in the back with a live bullet, one person was wounded in the head by a tear-gas grenade and another in thigh, while two people were shot in head with rubber-coated steel bullets.

Altogether at least 53 people were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets and at least 76 others suffered from ill effects of inhaling tear-gas. Among those wounded by the rubber-coated steel bullets was a one photojournalist.

One person suffered fractures and bruises when he fell while trying to avoid Israeli occupation forces’ fire. There is also a report about a person being beaten by Israeli occupation troops and suffering similar injuries, but these might refer to the same person.

Israeli occupation forces declared the mountain ‘a closed military zone’ afterwards for 24 hours so that Palestinians could not defend it from the illegal settlers, who have tried to take over the mountain and its springs before.

SOURCES:

Israeli forces attack Palestinians defending mountain against settlers’ takeover

Israeli Soldiers Injure 70 Palestinians Near Nablus

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صابة 30 فلسطينياً أثناء تصديهم لاقتحام قوات الاحتلال جبل العرمة