2 moderately injured in anti-fence rally
Some 400 Palestinians, left-wing activists take part in weekly demonstration against separation fence's route in West Bank village of Naalin, say IDF violated law by dispersing crowd with sniper fire. Army says protestors were hurling stones
Some 400 protestors, including Palestinians and left-wing Israel and foreign activists took part in the demonstrations. According to the protestors, the IDF violated the law by using live ammunition in the form of "tutu bullets" while attempting to disperse the crowd. The claim has not been confirmed by Israeli sources.
Earlier, the IDF conveyed a message to the protestors that the demonstrations would be handled in an aggressive manner.
The weekly protests, which often end with injuries and sometimes even fatal casualties, have become a routine event every Friday. The rallies usually take place in the villages of Naalin and Bilin, although last Saturday six protestors were detained during an anti-fence demonstration in a village near Tulkarem. At the same time, two protestors and one Border Guard officer were injured in Naalin.
In last week's incident, protestors also claimed that the security forces reinstated the use of Ruger rifles, which have been deemed live fire by the military prosecution. The IDF confirmed the use of the rifles, which can be used to fire live ammunition with relatively low force.
In June a Palestinian was killed during an anti-fence protest in Naalin, assumedly from ammunition fired from a Ruger rifle. Four additional Palestinians were injured in the incident.
