CPTnet
26 February 2007

HEBRON/BIL'IN: "I'm Ok"--CPTer lightly injured by grenade at Friday
demonstration

by Abigail Ozanne

I limped home from the demonstration on my own two feet after Israeli forces
shot a grenade at me. I watched four carried away on stretchers.

On Friday 23 February, I attended the weekly demonstration against the
separation barrier in Bil'in. Along with hundreds of Palestinians,
Israelis, and internationals, I marched from the mosque in the village out
to the fence that cuts the village off from 2300 dunams of its land. We
decried the fence in Arabic and Hebrew, demonstrating nonviolently as the
villagers have done every Friday for two years.

When Palestinian youths farther away from military than the nonviolent
protesters threw stones, the Israeli forces responded by shooting teargas
and concussion grenades at everyone. A group of about twenty Palestinians,
Israelis, and internationals sat peacefully in a circle on the ground in
front of the fence. The military blasted them repeatedly with a water
cannon and shot concussion grenades and teargas near them. Israeli police
forcibly removed two people from the group. As I sat in the circle, my arms
linked to those next to me and faced the Israeli forces, I felt the power of
nonviolent resistance. The Israeli forces, armed with M-16s and a multitude
of anti-demonstrator weapons, felt threatened by us. I sat there, soaked
from the water cannon, my ears aching from the concussion grenades, my
throat sore from the teargas, and wondered what weapons the military would
use next.

When at last we finished the demonstration and prepared to return to the
village, we could see that the battle still raged in the valley.
Palestinian youth and children used slings against the Israeli forces that
advanced on them with rubber-coated bullets, teargas, and concussion
grenades. The military also shot teargas and concussion grenades at the
nonviolent protestors as we left the site. Grenades exploded around me as I
fled. When I felt a grenade strike me in the legs, ricocheting off me
before exploding at my feet. My ears rang, my legs hurt, and I choked and
gagged on the teargas all around. I was terrified. I could not tell how
badly the grenade had hurt me.

I looked down at the valley between Bil'in and me. Grenades continued to
boom and release clouds of teargas. I could see soldiers aiming their guns
at the youth and children and the flash as the soldiers shot. Then I saw a
stone-thrower in the road hit. He fell down screaming, and his friends
tried to get him to safety and medical treatment.

I limped slowly back up the hill. I could see no blood on my pants and
could still walk, although painfully. A medic checked me out and determined
I was only badly bruised. After resting, I eventually made it safely back to
the village.

Looking at my three bruises--each at least the diameter of a coffee cup--I
know that I am lucky to be ok. Others left the demonstration in ambulances.