Over 25 people were injured, one of them an Israeli protester hit in the eye, when Israeli forces fired rubber bullets at Israelis and Palestinians demonstrating on Sunday against the West Bank separation fence near the village of Dir Kadis, situated near the Israeli town of Modi'in, Israel Radio reported.
Anti-fence demonstrations in the area began some two weeks ago.
On Sunday, many of the injured were wounded in the upper body and face, the radio report said. It should be noted, however, that regulations require security forces firing rubber bullets to aim only at the legs of demonstrators.
An Israeli demonstrator who witnessed the incident, said "the soldiers were firing rubber bullets at people who were lying on the ground, who had come unarmed, who weren't doing anything, who had come to protect their land."
For their part, military commanders in the area said that the soldiers had "exercised all possible restraint," making extensive use of tear gas and percussion grenades, and only when protesters started throwing stones in great numbers after about an hour did the soldiers resort to rubber bullets.
The witness told Israel Radio that the soldiers fired indiscriminately at the upper bodies of demonstrators.
"They aimed at us. They pointed us out, even though we shouted at them with a megaphone in Hebrew. About a half an hour after our arrival, as we were lying on the ground because they were shooting rubber bullets, the fellow was wounded in the eye." (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
