ISRAELI FORCES SUPPRESS WEST BANK MARCHES

Ramallah, 3 Rabi’ul Akhir 1436/24 January 2015 (MINA)– Israeli military forces suppressed nonviolent marches in the occupied West Bank on Friday, witnesses said

In Bilin, Israeli soldiers used live fire, rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas canisters to suppress protesters.

Activist Muhammad Adbi Abu Rahmeh was shot in the head with a rubber-coated bullet and taken to the Palestine Medical Center for treatment, Ma’an News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Rahmen and Iyad Burnat, prominent activists from Bilin, were hit by tear gas canisters.

The march began after Friday prayers and commemorated the anniversary of the Egyptian revolution against authoritarianism.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces suppressed a protest organized by the Palestinian National Initiative in the Hebron village of Susiya.

Soldiers reportedly assaulted the secretary-general of the party, Mustafa Barghouthi, and other activists.

Dozens suffered tear gas inhalation and four were detained.

The coordinator of the Palestinian National Initiative in Hebron, Youssef Tmeizi, said the demonstration was part of a series of activities under the banner “If they chop down a tree, we will plant a hundred.”

Israel’s military routinely uses what is deemed by rights groups as “excessive force” to suppress nonviolent protests in West Bank villages.

The demonstrations are attended by Palestinian villagers of all ages, together with international activists. (T/P010/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)