Protestor shot during demonstration

by: Jess Orlik

Israel-Palestine: On December 26th 2003, Gil Na’amati, a 22 year old kibbutznik from Southern Israel was shot and wounded at a protest outside the village of Mah’sa just 2 weeks after finishing his three years military service. Gil was shot in the leg and was rushed to hospital after losing consciousness due to heavy bleeding. His father said that the scenes of violence and suffering he had witnessed whilst serving at checkpoints on the West Bank had led him to join the peace protest. Another protestor was wounded with a rubber bullet.

In spite of this show of violence by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) the protestors at Mah’sa managed to break down a section of the fence that surrounds the village. The fence separates the village from its land upon which 3 Israeli settlements have been built. One protestor, Yonatan, who organised the protest, was arrested.

The consequences of the use of extreme force by the IDF during demonstrations can be dire. Tom Hurndall, a 22 year old British activist, died on Wednesday 14 January 2004 after being shot in the head by an IDF soldier in the Gaza nine months ago.

CO’s sentenced by military court

On Sunday 4 January 2004 Haggai Matar, Amir Kaminer, Shomri Zamaret, Adam Maor and Noam Bahat, the 5 CO’s detained for over a year for refusing to serve in an “army of occupation” were sentenced to a further year in prison by the Jaffa Military Court. The prosecutors argued that the CO’s actions were political, and that they were attempting to undermine the "state of Israel" and to effect policy change.

Source: Gush Shalom
http://www.gush-shalom.org

Source: BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk

Source: yesh-gvul