(Photo: Aria Daghighi/Alternative Information Center)
On Saturday, 7 July 2012 at approximately 3:00PM (GMT+2) Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Itamar approached three Palestinian farmers in Yanoun who were harvesting their wheat and grazing their sheep. The settlers were armed with knives and killed three of the farmers' sheep.
A clash then ensued, in which the settlers and farmers began throwing stones at one another. When Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) arrived to the scene, three fires were ablaze in the fields, but it was unknown whether the flames were intentionally lit by the settlers or were started by teargas canisters that the Israeli military fired at the farmers.
(Photo: Aria Daghighi/Alternative Information Center)
Nonetheless, two wheat fields and one olive grove were burnt, and when other Palestinian farmers arrived at the scene to turn out the flames, Israeli soldiers and police prevented them from reaching the fields by firing more teargas at them.
In total six Palestinians were injured, and five were hospitalized:
Jawdat Bani Jaber (Hospitalized): was beaten and stabbed multiple times by settlers, then shot in the face and foot by Israeli soldiers. He was then handcuffed by Israeli soldiers and attacked again by the settlers while the soldiers pursued other Palestinian farmers. After being attacked, the military did not allow a present ambulance to take him to a hospital or care for him for approximately 3hours
Ibrahim Bani Jaber (Hospitalized): was beaten by a soldier on his head with the butt-stock of an M16 rifle, causing damage to his eye, and was later beaten by settlers while handcuffed.
Hakimun Bani Jaber (Hospitalized): was shot in the arm at close range by a soldier.
Adwan Bani Jaber (Hospitalized): was beaten by settlers with clubs.
Ashraf Bani Jaber: was beaten by a soldier with a club.
Jawdat Ibrahim (Hospitalized): was handcuffed, beaten by Israeli soldiers and then released for the settlers to attack as they watched. He was then tied up by the settlers and left on his land; he was found the next morning (Sunday, 8 July 2012).
Rashid, Mayor of Yanoun and long-time EAPPI local contact, expressed fear that settlers initiated the clash to enforce new invisible boundaries, which would defacto confiscate much of the area's wheat fields to the Itamar Settlement.
No comments:
Post a Comment