Soldier wounded in anti-fence riots
Some 200 Palestinians and left-wing Israeli activists demonstrate near Palestinian village in protest of West Bank security fence construction
BILIN - An IDF soldier sustained moderate injuries Friday from a stone that was hurled at him during a violent demonstration that was held near the Palestinian village of Bilin against the continued construction of the West Bank security fence.
The soldier sustained injuries to his leg and was evacuated to Hadassah Mount Scopus University Hospital in Jerusalem.
Some 200 Palestinians and left-wing Israeli activists held a demonstration near Bilin in protest of the continued construction of the West Bank security fence, which, according to the protesters, disrupts daily life in the Palestinian village.
The IDF notified the demonstrators the area was declared a closed military zone, but according to army sources the protesters violated the order and began to cast stones at the security forces, who retaliated with gas and stun grenades.
Palestinian sources said 14 Palestinians, three Israelis, two of which are reporters, and one Italian citizen were injured during the clashes.
Not the first violent clash
Four Israelis were arrested, and an apparently mentally ill Palestinian was also detained and transferred to the Givat Zeev police station, they said.
Police sources said two Israeli left-wing activists were detained. One Palestinian was injured during the altercation and was evacuated to a nearby hospital; his condition remains unclear, they said.
The demonstrators said they had protested in the western part of Bilin, which was not declared a closed military zone.
“We demonstrated with white flags and signs that read, ‘Your fence is tearing us apart’," one Palestinian protester said.
“IDF forces arrived promptly, declared the area a closed military zone and attempted to disperse the crowd with gas and stun grenades. A Palestinian confined to a wheelchair was injured in his soldier from a sponge bullet.”
The IDF said the soldiers used the riot gear only after the protesters continued to throw stones at the security forces present.
About a month ago an IDF troop lost sight in his left eye from a stone that was thrown at him during a similar demonstration.
