'One killed, dozens wounded in Gaza Land Day protests'
LAST UPDATED: 03/30/2012 18:54
By Marc Israel Sellem One Palestinian was killed and dozens wounded when protests marking Land Day turned violent in the Gaza Strip on Friday, according to medical sources in Gaza.
Adham Abu Salmiya, a spokesperson for the emergency medical services in Gaza, said that the 20-year-old Mahmoud Muhammad Zaqout was shot dead by IDF forces stationed near the border with Gaza.
The IDF confirmed that dozens of Palestinians in Gaza were injured after confronting soldiers near the border with Israel, but did not comment on Zaqout's death.
IDF fire also wounded at least 37 people in protests that broke our in Beit Hanoun (Erez) and Khan Yunis, Salmiya said. Three of the wounded were in serious condition, he added, and were receiving medical attention.
Amnesty International issued a condemnation of what it termed Israel's "excessive use of force" on Land Day protesters.
The organization's deputy director of Middle East and North Africa program said in a press statement that the the human-rights group was "extremely worried" by reports that the IDF was using live ammunition on protesters, "particularly in the light of frequent and persistent use of excessive force against Palestinian protesters."
Amnesty also condemned the PA for preventing protests and Hamas for beating up protesters, calling on them both to respect freedom of assembly
.
Protesters clash with security forces in West Bank
Meanwhile, Israeli police and border patrol units arrested 34 activists on Friday in clashes that took place in the West Bank and east Jerusalem to commemorate the 36th annual Land Day. Palestinian activists and supporters held demonstrations in east Jerusalem and Bethlehem, while a demonstration at the Kalandiya checkpoint resulted in the injury of several of the activists.
Thousands of protesters assembled at Kalandiya near Jerusalem, with Palestinian youths hurling stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli security forces, who responded by firing tear gas, stun grenades, sound weapons and foul-smelling water to disperse the protesters.
A large number of protesters arrived at the checkpoint from Ramallah. A number of protesters were injured and taken to local hospitals for treatment. Israel Radio reported that those taken to hospital were lightly injured. Among the injured was Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti.
Lana Hamadeh, a Palestinian-Canadian from Ottawa, listed demands being made as part of the protest. One of nine delegates in the Canadian Global March to Jerusalem mission, Hamadeh said she and other protesters were demanding "the right of return for Palestinians and the protection of Jerusalem."
"Non-Jewish holy sites are at risk and the city itself is being ethnically cleansed," she told The Jerusalem Post. "We are asking for our right to re-enter Jerusalem and reclaim it for everyone, not just for Jews."
In Bethlehem, dozens of protesters threw stones at an IDF checkpoint after breaking through a line of Palestinian police. IDF troops responded to stone throwers at the Rachel Checkpoint outside Bethlehem with large quantities of tear gas.
Earlier, PA security forces had blocked the protesters from approaching the checkpoint. The protesters stopped in front of the Palestinian police and sat in the road, chanting: "To Jerusalem, we will march."
Aharonovitch: Kalandia demonstration is "a show"
Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch visited the Kalandiya checkpoint on Friday, calling a rowdy Palestinian demonstration taking place there a "show."
"They are throwing stones, and we are responding," Aharonovitch said.
Police Commissioner Insp.-Gen. Yochanan Danino arrived in the North Friday afternoon to inspect the deployment of officers. Police said no unusual incidents took place in the North.
Israel Police deployed large numbers of police and border police forces in and around Moshav Avivim near the Lebanese border Friday morning, ahead of the expected demonstrations. Security forces set up checkpoints to prevent protesters from encroaching on the Lebanese border, where at least 10 people were killed in clashes that erupted during last years Nakba Day commemorations.
Nida Tuma, Ben Hartman and Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report.
Adham Abu Salmiya, a spokesperson for the emergency medical services in Gaza, said that the 20-year-old Mahmoud Muhammad Zaqout was shot dead by IDF forces stationed near the border with Gaza.
The IDF confirmed that dozens of Palestinians in Gaza were injured after confronting soldiers near the border with Israel, but did not comment on Zaqout's death.
IDF fire also wounded at least 37 people in protests that broke our in Beit Hanoun (Erez) and Khan Yunis, Salmiya said. Three of the wounded were in serious condition, he added, and were receiving medical attention.
Amnesty International issued a condemnation of what it termed Israel's "excessive use of force" on Land Day protesters.
The organization's deputy director of Middle East and North Africa program said in a press statement that the the human-rights group was "extremely worried" by reports that the IDF was using live ammunition on protesters, "particularly in the light of frequent and persistent use of excessive force against Palestinian protesters."
Amnesty also condemned the PA for preventing protests and Hamas for beating up protesters, calling on them both to respect freedom of assembly
.
Protesters clash with security forces in West Bank
Meanwhile, Israeli police and border patrol units arrested 34 activists on Friday in clashes that took place in the West Bank and east Jerusalem to commemorate the 36th annual Land Day. Palestinian activists and supporters held demonstrations in east Jerusalem and Bethlehem, while a demonstration at the Kalandiya checkpoint resulted in the injury of several of the activists.
Thousands of protesters assembled at Kalandiya near Jerusalem, with Palestinian youths hurling stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli security forces, who responded by firing tear gas, stun grenades, sound weapons and foul-smelling water to disperse the protesters.
A large number of protesters arrived at the checkpoint from Ramallah. A number of protesters were injured and taken to local hospitals for treatment. Israel Radio reported that those taken to hospital were lightly injured. Among the injured was Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti.
Lana Hamadeh, a Palestinian-Canadian from Ottawa, listed demands being made as part of the protest. One of nine delegates in the Canadian Global March to Jerusalem mission, Hamadeh said she and other protesters were demanding "the right of return for Palestinians and the protection of Jerusalem."
"Non-Jewish holy sites are at risk and the city itself is being ethnically cleansed," she told The Jerusalem Post. "We are asking for our right to re-enter Jerusalem and reclaim it for everyone, not just for Jews."
In Bethlehem, dozens of protesters threw stones at an IDF checkpoint after breaking through a line of Palestinian police. IDF troops responded to stone throwers at the Rachel Checkpoint outside Bethlehem with large quantities of tear gas.
Marc Israel Sellem / Israeli security forces in Kalandia
/ Israeli security forces in Kalandia Land Day protests at Kalandia with Palestinian graffiti in the background.
Aharonovitch: Kalandia demonstration is "a show"
Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch visited the Kalandiya checkpoint on Friday, calling a rowdy Palestinian demonstration taking place there a "show."
"They are throwing stones, and we are responding," Aharonovitch said.
Police Commissioner Insp.-Gen. Yochanan Danino arrived in the North Friday afternoon to inspect the deployment of officers. Police said no unusual incidents took place in the North.
Israel Police deployed large numbers of police and border police forces in and around Moshav Avivim near the Lebanese border Friday morning, ahead of the expected demonstrations. Security forces set up checkpoints to prevent protesters from encroaching on the Lebanese border, where at least 10 people were killed in clashes that erupted during last years Nakba Day commemorations.
Nida Tuma, Ben Hartman and Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report.
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