Land Day Protest in Bethlehem Turns Violent

Ella David reporting for PNN

Around 300 protesters in Bethlehem joined the Global March to Jerusalem on Friday to commemorate Palestine Land Day.

Protesters gathered near Bethlehem's main checkpoint, Gilo 300, from 11am with the aim of marching to Jerusalem. They waved flags, chanted and listened to a few short speeches.

The Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) had closed the checkpoint between Bethlehem and Jerusalem preventing the march and Palestinian Authority (PA) police in riot uniform initially blocked demonstrators from reaching the checkpoint. After Friday prayers around 12 noon, protesters broke through the PA police line and ran towards the checkpoint and Israeli built Separation wall.

Many demonstrators hurled rocks and a small number of Molotov cocktails at the wall and the military towers for about an hour before the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) retaliated. The soldiers were not on the ground but fired rubber bullets, sound grenades and tear gas from holes in the wall.

One Palestinian man from Bethlehem scaled the Separation wall by using a rope. He attached a Palestinian flag on top of the wall to cheers from the crowd. He was later shot by the IOF with a rubber bullet to his head. He was taken to a hospital in Hebron and is in an extremely critical condition.

At least 6 others were also injured by the IOF and taken to hospital. Many demonstrators were treated for tear gas inhalation at the scene; some had to be given oxygen for asphyxiation.

The IOF also targeted houses with tear gas. The canisters landed very close to protesters who were taking cover near the houses on the sides of the road. One of the many tour buses that attempted to make their way through ambulances and protesters was also hit with tear gas.

Protesters set an Israeli flag on fire and took the sign 'Welcome to Jerusalem' down from the checkpoint entrance.

The protesters were a mix of local Palestinians, Palestinians from Hebron and Southern West Bank villages and international solidarity activists.

There were also demonstrations in other parts of the West Bank and in Gaza: at Qalandiya checkpoint that separates Ramallah from Jerusalem, the villages of Nabi Saleh, Safa, Budrus, Kfar Kadum and Nilin and in Jerusalem itself; in the East at Damascus Gate.

At Qalandiya checkpoint, 121 people were reported injured, mostly from tear gas inhalation. In Nabi Saleh, an eight year old was shot in the face with a tear gas canister. In Gaza and Budrus the IOF used live ammunition.

There were also marches in neighboring countries including Lebanon and Jordan towards the Israeli border. There were solidarity demonstrations all around the world, including at Israeli embassies.

The Global March to Jerusalem was organized to highlight the theft of Palestinian land and dispossession in East Jerusalem.

Palestine Land Day has been marked annually since the killing of six Israeli Arabs in 1976 in Galilee who were protesting against Israeli government land policies.

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