Manal Tamimi being carried to safety after being shot by IOF
Dear friends,
last Friday (27 December 2013), my friend Manal Tamimi from village of Nabi Saleh was shot at close range by a soldier from the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). Since 2009, Manal, her family and the rest of her village have been protesting the stealing of village land by the nearby illegal Israeli colony of Halamish.
Manal's village, An Nabi Saleh, consists of approximateley 550 people and is located approximately 20 kilometres northwest of Ramallah in the Occupied West Bank. The Israeli colony of Halamish (aka as Neveh Tzuf ) was established on lands belonging to the villages of An Nabi Saleh and Deir Nidham in 1976. In response, the residents of An Nabi Saleh and Deir Nidham began holding demonstrations in opposition to the stealing of their land and the establishment of the colony, which violates international law. The residents of An Nabi Saleh and Deir Nidham lodged a court case against the colony in Israel’s high court, but were unable to stop the construction the illegal settlement.
Since 1977, Halamish has continued to expand and steal more Palestinian land. In 2008, the residents of An Nabi Saleh challenged the building of a fence by the colony on private Palestinian land, preventing them from accessing their land. The Israeli courts ruled that the fence was to be dismantled Despite the Israeli court ruling, the colony continued to illegally annex more Palestinian land. In the summer of 2008, the Israeli colonists from Halamish seized control of a number springs, all of which were located on private Palestinian land belonging to residents of An Nabi Saleh.
In December 2009, the village began weekly non-violent demonstrations in opposition to the illegal Israeli colony of Halamish annexing of the fresh water springs and stealing of more of the village’s land. Since An Nabi Saleh began its demonstrations, the Israeli military has brutally sought to repress the non-violent protests, arresting men, women and children. Israel's occupation forces regularly invade Nabi Saleh, fire teargas, rubber coated bullets an live ammunition.
This is not the first time Isael's occupation have shot someone at close range and has resulted in both death and numerous injuries:
In 2011, Israel's Occupation Forces (IOF) fired a teargas canister from the less than 1 metre away at the head of 28 year old Mustafa Tamimi. Mustafa died the next day (see my blog posts from the time, including eyewitness accounts here and here and here).
The following year in November 2012, the IOF also opened fire from a close distance and shot Rushdi Tamimi who died two days later. Rushdi was Manal's brother and had been protesting, along with the rest of the village, Israel's most recent bombing of Gaza (see my blog posts about what happened here)
In July this year, Israel's occupation forces open fire on Sarit Michaeli from the Israeli Human Right's Organisation, B'Tselem as she was filming the Friday demonstration in Nabi Saleh. She was shot in the leg with a rubber coated steel bullet (see the archived articles on the Nabi Saleh Solidarity website about Sarit's shooting here )
Manal being evacuated after being shot.
I have included below video taken by Manal's husband, Bilal Tamimi of Manal being shot. Bilal is a videographer who regularly documents life in Nabi Saleh and Israel's repressive violence against the village. I have also the press release from the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee on what happened.
In addition, I have also posted a note from Manal, which she has given permission for me to share, which she posted to her friends, family and supporters to let them know what happened and that she was okay.
You can support the people of Nabi Saleh and keep up to date with their struggle against Israel's occupation and apartheid practices by joining the Nabi Saleh Solidarity page on Facebook and/or following the Nabi Saleh Solidarity webpage/blog.
Click here: Nabi Saleh Solidarity (Facebook page)
Click here: Nabi Saleh Solidarity (webpage/blog)
in solidarity, Kim
NOTE FROM MANAL TAMIMI ON HER SHOOTING
Dear friends,
many if you asked me about what's happened yesterday and here is the story:
As every Friday we made our protest, soldiers were every where in the village ( in the hill, near the spring and at the entrance) they began to use a lot of year gas when the skunk car entered and directly went to my cousin Sae'ed house, Sae'ed is in jail since 21 years and enshalah gonna be released in two days, they began to skunk the house when my cousin and my friend went out and stand in front of the car trying to prevent it from skunking the house, that's when I reached and began to shout at them, the car came closer to me then two jeeps were after it, suddenly I saw one of the soldiers opening the jeep door and have a gas canister and want to shot it at the house when I remembered that my paralyzed aunt is inside the house with other old woman and children, at that minute I lost my mind because I was pretty sure that my aunt won't make it if she inhale gas.
I went towered [toward] the soldiers shouting and screaming at them to leave the village and not the shoot the canister because there are sick woman and children in the house.
When I was 1.5 or 2 meters the soldier without any warning shot the bullets at my legs , they were 15 bullet 4 of them hit me in my two legs , two in my left knee and two in my right foot ,
Luckily my injuries wasn't so serious , I still have pain when I try to walk.
These Zionist tried to terrifying us because they think this way we will be afraid and stop our protest , they don't know that after Rushdy's and Mustafa's martyrdom now nothing can stop or terrifying us.
We are here, we will still here , we will keep resisting till freedom doesn't matter what price we have to pay."
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE POPULAR STRUGGLE COORDINATION COMMITTEE ON THE SHOOTING OF MANAL TAMIMI
Nabi Saleh: Occupied Palestine 27 December 2013
Israeli forces shot a local female activist from Nabi Saleh Manal Tamimi today with rubber coated steel bullets from a close range. In addition to Manal, two more Palestinians and two journalists Abbas Momani and Maath Mash'al were lightly injured.
Manal was hit with 4 rubber coated steel bullets in her knees and legs and was later taken to a hospital in Ramallah. Another girl from Nabi Saleh was also taken to hospital after being hit with skunk water. Dozens protestors have also suffocated from tear gas shot at them during the protest.
Israeli forces attacked the protestors in the village who protest weekly against the settlements with tear gas canisters, sound grenades, rubber bullets, rubber coated steel bullets and skunk water.
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