In Beit Ommar, a peaceful demonstration took place at the entrance of the town, which is located on Route 60. Before reaching the gates of the town, which were closed by the Israeli military to keep people from entering and exiting the town, about a dozen Israeli soldiers attacked the peaceful demonstration with teargas and metal bullets coated in rubber, frequently referred to as rubber bullets. The soldiers threw teargas in every direction, and many people were injured by inhaling the gas. Three activists were injured by rubber bullets.

About 150 activists joined today’s demonstration in Beit Ommar. During the demonstration, Israeli soldiers occupied two Palestinian houses and shot at activists from the rooftops. When soldiers occupy a home, it frightens the family, especially the children, and the soldiers lock the family members in one room while they occupy the house.

Soldiers shot about six teargas cans towards the Center for Freedom and Justice, where PSP activists were watching and filming from the roof, and several activists were injured. After a while, the military jeeps entered further into the town, numbering eight in total, and started shooting more rubber bullets and teargas at demonstrators and people’s homes. Demonstrators threw stones at the jeeps, and eventually forced them to return to the watchtower at the entrance of Beit Ommar. One Israeli soldier was injured during the demonstration. Israeli forces injured roughly 340 Palestinians in the West Bank and killed a 20 year old Palestinian man in Gaza during today’s demonstrations.

The weekly nonviolent protest in Beit Ommar will take place tomorrow, March 31st. It will be used to mark Land Day, and to show solidarity with the prisoners on hunger strikes.

Talat Ramia, 25, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and five others were injured, medics at the Palestine Medical Complex said. Ramia died during surgery, they said.

Israeli forces were firing tear gas and both live and rubber bullets at protesters gathering near the Qalandia checkpoint after hearing rumors of a raid on a holy site in Jerusalem.

An Israeli army spokesman said the incident was under investigation.

This week’s demonstration decried the murder of Mustafa Tamimi, a 28-year-old Palestinian activist from the village of Nabi Saleh, who was shot in the face from close range with a tear gas canister fired by Israeli Forces during an unarmed demonstration two days before. Mustafa died of his wounds early Saturday and his funeral was attacked by Israeli soldiers who fired tear gas and concussion grenades at his friends and family who has gathered to mourn his murder.

During the demonstration in Beit Ommar, more than a dozen Israeli soldiers blocked the path of the villagers, who waved Palestinian flags and chanted against the occupation. The demonstration ended after a while without any injuries or arrests.

This week has seen the killing of yet more Gazans at the hands of the Israeli military, as the brutal seige imposed on over one and a half million people continues.

While the world busily talks about the UN general assembly in September, the situation on the ground deteriorates, as Israeli escalates its attacks on towns in the West Bank and Gaza.

In the latest Israeli attack, apache helicopters fired rockets into densely populated areas of Gaza, killing 14 people, including 13 year old Mahmoud Abu Samara (pictured above).

We would like to extend solidarity to Gaza and its children, who live in constant fear of such attacks.

Protesters turned out in Ni’lin for the weekly protest against the Apartheid Wall. Around ten Palestinians, accompanied by 2 Israelis and 7 international activists, marked the 3rd anniversary of the death of 17 year old Ni’lin resident Yousef Amira. Yousef was fatally injured after he was shot twice in the head by Israeli soldiers following the funeral of a 10 year old Palestinian child who had died from similar injuries.

During the protest, a speech was delivered in Arabic and English. Afterwards, some of the protesters set fire to tires and burned them at the gate of the Apartheid Wall. Stones were also thrown at and over the fence. This was followed by a bombardment of teargas from Israeli soldiers. Two protesters were treated for teargas inhalation by the Red Crescent.

Ni’lin has seen many martyrs in the past three years during its resistance to the Occupation and construction of the Apartheid Wall. Besides Yousef, 10 year old Ahmed Ussam Yousef Mousa died from from his injuries after he was left braindead by plastic-coated steel bullets shot at him by Israeli soldiers. 20 year-old Popular Committee member Mohammed Khawaje and 22 year-old Arafat Khawaje were killed at the same protest in January of 2009. Later that year, 36 year-old Akeel Srour was killed by the Israeli military at a protest. Ni’lin is also where International Solidarity Movement activist Tristan Anderson was shot in the face by the Israeli military using a high-speed teargas canister, seriously injuring him and leaving him physically and mentally handicapped.

According to the activists, David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, was responsible for drafting policy which intentionally drove Palestinians from their homes and disallowed them from returning. The activists also gave out flyers to pedestrians explaining why they were doing the action, and information about the thousands of unarmed Palestinian civilians murdered by the Israeli occupation.

The activists in Chicago responded to an international call to action to remember murdered Palestinian youth from the Palestine Solidarity Project, a Palestinian-led organization in Beit Ommar village in the southern West Bank which organizes unarmed resistance to the Israeli occupation.

Mehdi Abu Ayyash, aged 17, from Beit Ommar, was shot in the head by Israeli Forces on March 4th, 2009 and died of his injuries several months later. A second youth from the same village, Yousef Ikhlyal, aged 17, was shot in the head by rampaging Israeli settlers on January 28th, 2011.

On Wednesday afternoon, activists in San Francisco unfurled a large banner over the highway reading, “Justice for Mehdi Abu Ayyash,” as part of the international events planned. More actions are expected to take place in the coming weeks in different locations around the world.

Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers reside in the West Bank, a fact deemed illegal by International Law. These settlements are built on land stolen from Palestinians and settlers often harass and even murder Palestinian residents with impunity. To date, none of the soldiers responsible for killing Mehdi Abu Ayyash, nor the settlers responsible for killing Yousef Ikhlyal, have been brought to justice by the State of Israel.