Palestinian man killed by tear-gas canister in Bil'in
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| Date: 17 / 04 / 2009 Time: 14:09 |   | |
 | | [Ma'anImages] | On the Web at:http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37179Bethlehem - Ma'an - A Palestinian man was killed on Friday when Israeli forces opened fire on demonstrators in the West Bank village of Bil'in, near Ramallah.Palestinian medical officials identified the man as 29-year-old Basem Ibrahim Abu Rahmeh, who had previously been listed in serious condition following a direct shot to the stomach from an Israeli fired tear-gas canister on Friday afternoon.Nasir Samara, a member of the Popular Committee Against the Wall, explained, “Ibrahim was not even close to the [w]all when he was a shot from a distance of less than 20 meters. He was carrying a Palestinian flag and shouting that this was a nonviolent demonstration. The tear gas canister hit and entered his chest, killing him.”This is the second time soldiers have fired on unarmed demonstrations from a lethal range in the past two months. On 13 March 2009, American activist Tristan Anderson was shot in the head by the same type of ammunition, putting him in a coma and nearly killing him.In a statement, Israel's military said it would investigate this latest incident.A member of the Popular Committee filmed the shooting and subsequent death of the Palestinian demonstrator.Abu Rahma is the third person to be killed in the past three months alone in the struggle against the wall. Two young men, Mohammed Khawajeh and Araft Khawajeh, were both shot dead in Ni’lin in December. 16 Palestinians, 11 in their teens, have been killed in the anti-wall struggle that began in 2004.Witnesses told Ma'an that the projectile was labeled "40 mm bullet, special/long range" in Hebrew, the same type of weapon that critically injured Anderson, who was shot in the head from a distance of 60 meters.Meanwhile on Friday in Ni’lin, another village near Ramallah, ten protesters were injured, including an American peace activist, after Israeli forces fired rubber-coated bullets at the crowds assembled there.Ma’an's correspondent reported that an undercover Israeli unit had infiltrated the village in a Palestinian-plated car and fired on demonstrators, leading to violent clashes that erupted after dozens of Israeli soldier arrived to the village where they set up camp on rooftops and fired tear gas and bullets at residents.***Updated 20:55 Bethlehem time.
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