Outrage at video of settlers shooting at Palestinians 'as Israeli soldiers watch'

Sonntag, 27. Mai 2012

Outrage at video of settlers shooting at Palestinians 'as Israeli soldiers watch'

Israeli settlers are seen opening fire on Palestinian villagers in a video posted online as soldiers stand aside, doing nothing to stop the shooting

The footage, filmed by local Palestinian women hiding in their homes on the outskirts of Asira village, captures the moment a group of Israeli settlers, some masked and armed with guns, descend from their hilltop settlement on Saturday.

The army has launched an investigation. "During the confrontation, live fire was used; the incident is currently being investigated by the division commander," a statement said.

"That said, it appears that the video in question does not reflect the incident in its entirety."

The amateur footage appears to show the settlers gathered on the outskirts of the village throwing rocks, quickly met with a shower of stones from Palestinian youths who rushed from their homes to confront the mob.

A few minutes later, Israeli soldiers are seen arriving at the fray.

In the scenes that follow, several of the Jewish settlers armed with M4 rifles – one wearing what appears to be a police cap – are seen to point their guns at the group of Palestinian men and open fire.

The Israeli soldiers at the scene appear to do nothing to stop them from shooting.

Fathi Asayira, 24, was shot in the head. The urgent yells of Mr Asayira's neighbours rushing to help him are captured in the footage, which has been collected and posted online by Israeli human rights group B'Tselem.

Mr Asayira is currently in a stable condition in a hospital in Nablus. Five other Palestinians were injured by stones thrown during the incident.

"The soldiers come to protect the settlers not stop them. On Saturday, there were around forty looking on from their barracks on the hill," says Bassam Saleh, 49, who lives just 300 metres from the notoriously hardline Mitzpe Yitzhar settlement.

"Three settlers were pointing guns at us. One of them, who was wearing an Israeli police cap, told the soldier in front of him to step aside and started to shoot. The soldier stood aside. He did nothing," he says.

According to Mr Saleh, the violence continued off camera. Another local man had his nose and cheekbone broken by a rock thrown by the settlers. One suffered a broken leg.

Yitzhar spokesman Avraham Binyamin said the incident began when the settlement’s emergency response team, which had gone to put out fires “lit by Asira residents,” was attacked by “hundreds of rioters who threw stones at them”.

He said the footage accurately showed the “barrage of stones at the emergency response team, while they were shielding the firefighters, two of whom were wounded by stones earlier in the event”.

He said it was “obvious” that the team had only used weapons as the result of “a life-endangering situation”.

The Asira residents claim the settlers set fire to their land.

Kassim Saleh, 40, lives next to his brother Bassam. He points out the patches of scorched earth next to his house. "If you had planted this land, would you set fire to it?" he asks.

His wife Lubna was among several local women who filmed the violence from her home. "I'm afraid to film because I'm afraid they will see me taking their picture and target me," she admits. "But at the same time, I want to document what's going on here."

Mrs Saleh has filmed more than 60 attacks on the village since B'Tselem gave her the camera in 2007. In December last year, she filmed a gang of at least 200 Jewish religious nationalists dressed in a black uniform, their faces covered with masks, brandishing weapons, storming into the village shortly after midnight.

The almost weekly clashes have taken their toll on her five children, all of whom are too afraid to use the lavatory by themselves, particularly at night.

"They are afraid they are going to see a settler at the window because once, one of them did. They are 11 and 14 years old," she says.

According to the United Nations, the number of settler attacks on Palestinians and their properties has increased 144 per cent since 2009. More than 90 per cent of complaints filed by Palestinians about settler violence have been closed by the Israeli police in recent years without indictment.

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Sonntag, 27. Mai 2012