By Ali Abunimah
Electronic Intifada
This video shows Israeli occupation forces shooting Palestinian woman Manal Tamimi with a rubber-coated steel bullet at close range.
The disturbing sight of soldiers firing on unarmed civilians occurred as occupation forces assaulted participants in the weekly demonstration against land theft and colonization in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh today.
The unarmed Tamimi can be seen walking towards the soldiers, apparently ordering them to leave the village.
As she approaches, one of the soldiers fires at point-blank range.
Tamimi was hit with four rubber-coated steel bullets in her knees and legs and was later taken to a hospital in Ramallah, according to a press release from the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee.
Under no circumstances could this be described as “self-defense” by the occupation forces since Tamimi clearly posed no threat.
The occupation forces, moreover, were engaged in an offensive action: invading Palestinian homes and property in support of an ongoing and systematic program of colonization and land theft – a war crime.
Israel has stolen almost 1,000 dunums (250 acres) of the village’s land and settlers from the nearby Halamish colony have destroyed hundreds of its olive trees.
In a similar incident in 2011, an Israeli soldier shot Mustafa Tamimi in the face with a tear gas canister at close range, killing him. Lina Alsaafin, who witnessed Tamimi’s killing, wrote about it for The Electronic Intifada.
Attacks on Nabi Saleh
Wattan TV reported that three women and two journalists were injured in the Israeli attacks, which employed tear gas, sound grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets.
The Popular Struggle Coordination Committee named the two journalists as Abbas Momani and Muath Mishal, a cameraman for Turkey’s Anadolu news agency.
Israeli occupation forces also sprayed foul-smelling water at people’s homes.
This is not the first time that Israeli forces have been caught on video attacking villagers in Nabi Saleh, sometimes with lethal force.
This article was originally posted at Electronic Intifada
Special thanks to Ali Abunimah
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