Injured anti-fence 'anarchist' speaks out

[Scurrilous]

Matah Cohen has sustained eye injuries while protesting the security fence near Ramallah; Says: 'I feel like the blood of Left-wing activists is cheap'

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3220888,00.html

<snip>

"Matan Cohen, 17, from Tel Aviv, and a member of the "Anarchists Against the Fence" organization, was injured while demonstrating against the security fence near Ramallah.

"My feeling is that the blood of Left-wing activists and the Palestinians is cheap," he said.

Cohen was shot by Border Police and injured in his eye, and has been hospitalized in the Tel Hashomer Medical Center since Friday.

If bleeding does not stop within 24 hours, Cohen will undergo surgery. In either case, doctors believe his eye has sustained damage. In the best case, his visual range will be affected, and in the worst case, he would lose complete vision in the eye. "Up until now I can't see out of the eye, and they'll be able to see if there's damage only in a few days. I'm worried about damage in my eye and I really hope the bleeding stops," said Cohen.

Members of the organization have begun documenting their demonstrations due to past experiences with violence. "We have recordings of an army commander who said that he doesn't want the situation to turn violent, and who tried to calm things down, saying not to shoot. But a Border Police is also heard saying 'shoot everyone one of them with a rubber bullet.' When I was shot I was standing with three people, within around a 20 meter range from a Border Police force. We said: 'Don't shoot, we are not threatening you and we are not endangering you,' but they opened fire, and also directed it to the head, violating all of their rules of engagement. I felt the impact in the eye, and with the remainder of my strength, I managed to run from them. My entire hand and head were filled with blood," said Cohen."

[Englander]

1. Youth, 17, says shot in the eye by Border Police officers

By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent

Matan Cohen, an Israeli demonstrator against the separation fence, told Haaretz on Saturday that doctors are not sure if he will be able to see out of his eye again after he was reportedly shot the day before by a Border Police officer during a protest.

Cohen said he was shot Friday in his eye with a rubber bullet during clashes between anti-fence demonstrators and Israeli security forces in the West Bank village of Beit Sira, southwest of Ramallah. He was taken to Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer.

"We went to a nonviolent demonstration against the separation fence on portions of the village land. We reached an agreement with the military representative that the demonstration would remain nonviolent. We told them we wanted no confrontations. The request was honored until a Border Police force arrived," Cohen said.

"At that point, the clashes began and the Border Police officers fired live fire into the air and rubber bullets from point blank range. Ten officers then began running toward the demonstrators that had already begun dispersing. Me and three other international activists were standing far from the demonstrators. A Border Police officer stood 20 meters from me, and I heard him cock his weapon. I yelled to him, 'Don't shoot, nobody is endangering you,' but he shot. I felt a sharp pain in my eye, lost my vision and fainted."

"He simply shot me in the head. The bullet hit half a centimeter above my eye. It's utter contempt for human life, when in the name of the defense of something or other the army has a right to hurt demonstrators," Cohen continued.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/687066.html

[barb162]

2. Maybe injured by a stone throwing demonstrator

"IDF sources said a preliminary examination revealed Cohen was injured by a stone thrown by an unruly demonstrator"

[Englander]

3. Yeah, I thought that bit of nonsense would be used.

They're lying, the anonymous IDF sources are just following the usual mo
when they're caught shooting protestors/children/cameramen/&tc;

"He was wearing a camouflage jacket/carrying a pistol"

"The apc was caught in rpg crossfire"

"The individual was acting suspiculously"

"The due-to-be-demolished house was built on tunnels"

"The ruck-sack might have contained explosives"

________________

Both of the listed articles state clearly that;

'>snip

Cohen was shot by Border Police and injured in his eye, and has been hospitalized in the Tel Hashomer Medical Center since Friday.'

[pelsar]

4. rubber bullets...

they dont fly straight...if the guard was aiming for the eye...he would have hit the body or missed completely.....pesky fact gets in the way of the "evil israeli soldier"

[Scurrilous]

5. Maybe...

...he was aiming at the other eye.

[pelsar]

7. maybe...

some people should either learn a bit about ballistics are inquire from those who might know....

or even the simplistic google search finds some info

http://www.mindfully.org/Health/2002/Rubber-Bullets-Israeli-Arab25may02.htm
__________


so simple to find some factual info...but then that only gets in the way....

[Scurrilous]

8. More:

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/02/24/israeli-activist-shot-in-the-eye-by-israeli-soldiers-at-beit-sira/

<snip>

"17- year- old Israeli Matan Cohen and American Sara were both shot with rubber bullets in the legs and were retreating when Matan was shot again this time in the eye. Maria from Sweden who was standing next to them said later: “We were at least 200 meters away from any stone throwers. It was very obvious that we were Israeli and Internationals that we were completely peaceful and that we had separated from the demonstration.” Matan is currently in Tel Hashomer hospital. Doctors say that his eye is in danger but it is too early to assess the damage."

<snip>

"The demonstrators walked in the direction of the site until they reached the line of Israeli soldiers waiting to block them. A stand off ensued with both the soldiers and the demonstrators behaved in a restrained manner. Everything was peaceful but for some mutual pushing, until a group of border policemen arrived on the scene.

The border policemen began to beat the crowd with batons and when people dispersed as a result they shot at them with large amounts of rubber bullets and tear gas. When people tried to take cover between the olive trees the border police ran and shot between the trees. Some people including Israeli and International activists tried to walk away from the place the border police followed them and continued to shoot.

14 people were injured by rubber bullets during the demonstration. Including thirty-year-old Hussni Rayan who has a metal-coated rubber bullet lodged near his kidney and will be operated on tomorrow in Sheik Zaid hospital in Ramallah."


Fourteen injured. Hits in the legs, kidneys, and eye with rubber bullets. Seems like indiscriminate shooting to me.

[pelsar]

9. thats the "definition" of rubber bullets....

they are not accurate..they are designed to disperse crowds....as in tear gas (which is also indescriminate....)

but that was not what i was commenting on....just a general observation that rubber bullets cant be aimed properly

[Violet_Crumble]

11. Then why use them as crowd dispersal?

The only way they could disperse a crowd is if they hit someone, and as you said they're not accurate, so it's incredibly irresponsible to use them anywhere near people who could end up with one in their face...

Violet...

[pelsar]

14. lack of other means...

got any ideas?

various type of projectiles have been used, including a pebble throwing machine....the larger and less deadly the projectile the less accurate it is......and since a force is needed to project it, the larger it is, the larger the force is needed for it to cause non deadly pain...simple physics.

so far rubber bullets of various types seem to have the best balance....but as in all violent means, there will be injuries, intentional or not.

[Violet_Crumble]

17. Yeah, here's an idea...

How about the same means get used on protesters that are used on the settlers when they protest? Are rubber bullets ever used against settlers?

Another idea would be not to deliberately escalate things the way the Border Police did in this case. It appears as though there was no attempt made at all to handle this without resorting immediately to violent means...

Violet...

[pelsar]

18. settler protests...

your mixing up two different groups with differernt means...its foolish to believe the same means should be used for different environements


btw which settler protest are you referring to?

(i believe at the last settler protest some heads were cracked..)


as far as the border police acting excessivly....they do that a lot, sometimes it has it uses other times not.....

[idontwantaname]

19. having experienced this activity...

4 key items the IDF uses as crowd dispersal/control are rubber coated steel bullets, tear gas, sound bombs(grenades) and the baton. these are used quite liberally and almost always with intention to inflict injury...

with rubber bullets being fired at head level AND within closer ranges than recommended. true these cannot be aimed however they are designed to be fired at torso level.

tear gas canisters at times are fired directly at nonviolent protesters. they didnt work as well as some claim so i think a different harsher mixture of chemicals have been adopted.

sound bombs... these are orange plastic canisters which explode with a loud BANG after being thrown. not uncommon to be thrown at head level. made in the USA i think.

some may be tired of hearing my story of a group of nonviolent internationals being rounded up and assaulted by the IDF after a protest. it happens without provocation. beatings by the IDF and settlers are something to be expected and no govt body seems to care this takes place. it truly shows the malicious hatred some soldiers have toward palestinians and their sympathizers.

please not this all takes place on west bank soil.

[pelsar]

22. its not news.....

In general the israeli population doesnt trust the palestenains as a whole nor the internationals (with good reason)....and the israelis which join them are considered a "fringe group"....anarchists?.....(The theory or doctrine that all forms of government are oppressive and undesirable and should be abolished) hardly a philosophy that can be taken seriously. Hence what is done by the above groups has very little interest with most israelis be they left/right or center.

Its not to say that their protests dont have some justification....but there is a lack credibility with many of the participants.

[idontwantaname]

24. true.

although i dont know that it is lack of credibility. i know there are a number of israelis that sympathize with what is going on but theres something which keeps them at a "non-active" level.
same with the USA.
many are not interested in anything beyond their front door unless their lives are directly affected. oh well.

[pelsar]

25. theres a lot of sympathy....

but theres a big gap between being sympathetic and then doing something about it....as you very well know.....but theres also a third reason which is being part of the mixed bag out there protesting the fence. Israel is also a very nationalistic society, which can easily be translated into narrow mindedness. Whereas it has an open mind to gays, religions of various colors, etc.....there is much suspicion over the internationals and those involved with them....

[Englander]

12. Says who?

How is it relevant? I can't see how the accuracy of "rubber" bullets is at all
relevant. Cohen was hit by a "rubber" bullet, regardless of where the Border Policeman,
who shot him in the face, was aiming. Also, try actually reading what I wrote, all
the mind-reading stuff about any idea of "evil" being suggested, or implied, is purely
an invention of yours; I've been here long enough to know that such a tactic is likely
to be used, but it really doesn't do your argument any favours, you might want to
consider that.

[pelsar]

15. just informing....

I had assumed (wrongly) that it was implied that it was intentionally aimed at the head or eye.

[barb162]

6. 3 soldiers and police officers were injured by rocks.

From the OP linked article, it seems like a pretty violent demonstration:

"Three soldiers and Border Police officers were injured by rocks thrown at them. One police officer was taken to hospital. One police officer was taken to hospital."

It is not nonsense at all that this person could have been hit by a rock; seems like a lot of rocks were flying around

[Violet_Crumble]

10. I guess if there's a need to blame Palestinians for everything...

...then fanciful and unproven stories of flying rocks would really hit the spot. It's not like the Border Police do crap things to demonstrators and Palestinians, or that they've lied in the past when it comes to wiggling out of responsibility for their acts of violence...

Violet...

[Scurrilous]

13. I would think...

...that the medical personnel treating Mr. Cohen for his eye injury would be able to tell the difference between a wound caused by a rubber bullet and a wound caused by a flying rock.

I've yet to read anything where they have backed up the IDF's story.

[Englander]

16. Well, there you go again, barbie.

The nonsense part related to the idf fabrication that Cohen, who was shot in the
face by a Border Policeman, was really injured by a stone. That claim is nonsense,
it is not nonsense to to raise the possibility that Cohen could have been hit by
a rock. He could have been, he wasn't, it's not nonsense to suggest that. However,
it is nonsense to suggest that the fact that he was shot in the face by a "rubber"
bullet fired by a Border Policeman isn't what really happened.

[Tom Joad]

20. Maybe it was dick cheney? Does anyone know his whereabouts at that time?

[Violet_Crumble]

23. Ha ha!

That was good :)

[Tom Joad]

21. We are now approaching the 3rd anniversary of Rachel Corrie's death

the shooting of Tom Hurndall & Brian Avery and journalist James Miller. These 4 people all became victims within the same 2 month period. Of these 4, only Brian is still with us. He was shot in the face while standing outside. He has under gone numerous operations to repair his face, most of the original was blown away in Jenin.

In each of these cases, (with a partial exception in Tom Hurndall's case, where a soldier was actually prosecuted, though his surperiors who gave orders for a free-fire zone never were), there has not been an adequate investigation done. It is absolutely ludicrous. The US expects the Israeli military to investigate itself, and then report their findings. Then it is accepted. There was some push in Congress to get an independent investigation of Corrie's death, and it the resolution got some 50 plus sponsors, but it went down without even a vote.

These people, who either stood in solidarity with Palestinians or, in the case of James Miller, reported from their vantage point rather than just typing copy handed out by the IDF in Jerusalem, also had, like Palestinians, "relative humanity" in the eyes of the occupier(and in the eyes of the US State Dept, in the case of US citizens whose cases go uninvestigated).

So it is not surprising that so many of the courageous Israelis are also experiencing what so many Palestinians have experienced before.

What we must do is do away with this whole concept of colonialism and displacement of people's. Obviously, it is not like Israel invented this. The US has long been a colonial power. It too needs to rid itself of this ideology from hell.

"Conquest may be fraught with evil or with good for mankind, according to the comparative worth of the conquering and conquered peoples." Theodore Roosevelt --As you can see, this concept has a long history.

Getting rid of it will not be easy, it is deeply rooted in prevailing ideologies in many nations. We will need many like Matan, Rachel, Tom, Brian, and the thousands and thousands of Palestinians, Iraqis and others who stand for their full humanity.