Israeli troops shot and wounded a man throwing rocks at an Israeli position on the Lebanese-Israeli border on Friday, witnesses told Reuters. Meanwhile, Lebanon was celebrating the first anniversary of the Israeli pullback from the zone in the south it occupied for 22 years.
Reuters said a 24-year-old Palestinian, Muhammad Al Asadi, suffered a gunshot wound to the knee after Israeli troops opened fire on a group of about 20 people throwing rocks near the Abbad border point.
The shooting comes on the anniversary of Israel's pullout from south Lebanon after a 22-year occupation, and increased security precautions for fear of Hizbollah attacks to mark the date.
The United Nations has repeatedly asked Lebanon to deploy its troops along the border, where people gather to taunt Israeli troops and throw stones at them.
Israeli troops shot two Lebanese youths throwing stones at their positions at another border point last Friday.
Gearing up for the May 25 anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from the south, natives of the liberated villages marched on Thursday from Marjayoun to the Fatima Gate, where they staged an anti-Israeli sit-in Friday.
The secretary general of Hizbollah movement, which spearheaded resistance against the Israeli occupation, was quoted by reports as telling supporters in Beirut Friday that such an anniversary should be celebrated, expressing his hope that Palestinians and residents of the disputed Shabaa farms would someday hold similar festivities.
The Daily Star reported that the crowd at Fatima Gate waved Lebanese and Hizbollah flags and burned American and Israeli flags, while chanting anti-Israeli and anti-American slogans.
The march was headed by a Shiite cleric, Imam Sheikh Hassan Taleb, from Kfour, near Nabatieh.
Ragheb Harb, son of Sheikh Ragheb Harb, who was killed by Israeli forces, addressed the crowd.
“The victory over the enemy was only possible thanks to the blood of our martyrs and their patience and steadfastness,” he said, with Israeli warplanes overhead.
Meanwhile, a conference opened on Thursday at the Beirut Commodore Hotel to express solidarity with the Palestinian Intifada in the West Bank and Gaza.
The conference was organized by the Arab Committee for Helping the Intifada, said the Star.
Hizbollah’s deputy secretary general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, addressed the audience and congratulated them on the occasion of the first anniversary celebration of Liberation Day.
“Our victory against the enemy has opened a new chapter in the Arab-Israeli conflict because we now speak from a position of strength after years of speaking from a position of weakness,” he said.
He added that “it’s our duty to support the Intifada because we are directly affected by the developments in the West Bank and Gaza, " and stressed that “it’s not strange for us to be involved in the events in Palestine. In fact, it would be strange if we weren’t involved in such events.” He accused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of wasting time by merely talking about regional peace. “Just as we were capable of defeating the enemy in Lebanon, the Palestinians too can deal a heavy blow to the Zionists,” Qassem said – Albawaba.com
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