1992: “Some of the people went into Al-Aqsa to get away from the shooting, and some fled towards the Dome of the Rock. Police from the special forces unit shot at the upper part of the bodies.”

1993: “An examination of IDF Spokesperson announcements shows that during the Intifada at least 141 Palestinians have been shot to death while the security forces were implementing the “Procedure for Apprehending a Suspect” and not in a life-threatening situation. Of these, 52 were children, of whom 18 were below the age of 14. Nearly all of them were shot in the upper part of the body.”

1998: “Scores of those wounded were struck in the upper part of the body, even though the Regulations only permit firing at the legs of the rioters.”

2000: “within fifteen minutes from the start of firing, some fifty people, most wounded in the upper part of their bodies, reached the clinic. The data provided to B’Tselem by al-Mokassad Hospital and testimonies obtained by B’Tselem describe injuries to the upper part of the body. … B’Tselem has testimonies indicating that bullets were fired at the upper portion of the body, in violation of the Regulations, which allow firing only at the lower portion of a person’s body. … Many people were wounded in the upper part of their bodies, and the bullets were fired, at least in some instances, at people who had fled the scene or were involved in evacuating the wounded.”

2009: “in recent years, many Palestinians have been killed or wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets … The illegal use includes, for example, firing from very close range, firing at children, and firing at the upper part of the body – all violations of the Open Fire Regulations.”

Just to make it extra clear, the same B’tselem carries this from October 2000: “Major General Giora Eiland, head of the IDF’s Operations Branch, wrote “A large portion of those injured by live bullets (the majority!) were those that we indeed wanted not only to wound but to kill. They are the ones who fire live ammunition at us. The fact that most of the persons injured were struck in the upper part of the body or the head is a positive thing.”

Now then, are you really going to try and deny that Israel treats all Palestinians as fair-target to kill and habitually use their weapons for this purpose? Shame on you!

It had been at least 20 years since I was in New York for a Salute to Israel Parade [afterwards] there was going to be an Israel-themed concert in Central Park so we decided to attend.

…. a band launched into a rousing rendition of Am Yisrael Chai. … A group of young men in their 20′s with kippot and tziztzit were right in front of me dancing in a frenzy. But they alternated the verse that meant “the people of Israel lives” with “all the Arabs must die.” It rhymed with the Hebrew. Given the way all joined in, it was clear that this was not the first time it was sung.

I leaned over to a young man who was next to me, also wearing a kippah and tzitzit. I nodded at the dancers and asked: “Does this song bother you?” He looked at me with a suspicious look and replied: “This is Zionism.”

There were a dozen or so sponsors of the rally including the Zionist Organization of America, Americans for a Safe Israel and the National Council of Young Israel. Rally sponsors cannot control every statement of every speaker and they certainly can not control the actions of those in the audience. Yet the messages from the stage were all in ideological alignment and the MC was generously doling out yasher koachs after each presentation. http://www.rhr-na.org/opinion/this-is-zionism

So, Noah, put on your preaching cap and tell us more about modern Zionism. You might choose to use comparisons with the most important event in history and speculate on the size of the next mass-murder on religious/racial lines. Or will you ignore even the most damning evidence from unimpeachable sources, as those concerned about severe oppression have come to expect?

The IDF soldiers who police the Bilin protests have a long history of brutality. They regularly & consistently use the high velocity tear gas canister as a weapon, rather than crowd disperal tool. The IDF is known for doing this, not just in Bilin. It is contrary to the manufacturer’s instructions about how the weapon & munition is to be used. But Israel uses it in this way anyway, which is callous & malign.

No Israeli ambulance arrived to take the victim away. Instead brave Palestinian medics braved multiple additional rounds of tear gas shot at them to evacuate the wounded person. A Palestinian ambulance took him to a gate in the fence where Israeli forces prevented it from entering Israel, despite the fact that the victim was near death. An Israeli ambulance was summoned. And even after it arrived IDF soldiers deliberately delayed a transfer of the patient. Eventually he was taken to an Israeli hospital. I don’t know who’s paying for his care. Assuming that it is Israel is not necessarily correct & you should do more research about this claim.

If you could post sources that shooting at protesters heads is IDF custom i’d be obliged.

You’ll have to trust that I, who have been reading about this subject & incident for months, have read this in a credible source. I’m not about to ferret it out right now for you since I have other things to do. But any Israeli peace activist working in the W. Bank can tell you that this is the case. You can also write to B’Tselem, Machsom Watch, Taayush & other organizations doing similar work who can confirm the fact for you.

I am sorry that you had such negative interactions with Zionist Jews. I am a Jew, and believe very strongly in Zionism without pretending that the policies of the Israeli government are justified in all or most cases. I too have had to deal with the obstinacy of members of “my camp.” I urge you to look up organizations like Rabbis for Human Rights, which see criticizing the government and improving the conditions of Palestinians and Bedouins as natural implications of their Zionism. If you drop me an email address, I can send you their newsletter. Feel free to reach me at noahmosk@uchicago.edu.

There is also always a handy explanation for why the separation barrier was erected and why it was necessary to snake it into Palestinian land. Although Shin Bet says the wall does not keep out terrorists (improved security is actually the reason for the end to suicide attacks), the prevailing attitude is, whatever indignities Israel inflicts and whatever it steals, it is justified because the Palestinians cannot be trusted.

By the same token, the grievious injuries suffered by activists are perceived by them to be the fault of the victims, who shouldn’t have been where they were, doing what they were doing. Occasionally I will read an activist’s blog where it seems that it is all a lark, and the college kid will go back to his or her cozy little life and enjoy telling their friends how they stood up to the IDF. Actually, I think the wall protests are useless and that anyone seriously concerned with this issue would be helping more by pushing the Obama Administration to get going on the peace talks and bring all economic leverage to bear on the Israelis.

- “B’Tselem admonished the IDF and insisted it direct its forces NOT to fire high velocity tear gas canisters at demonstrators’ bodies”

- “Yes, some demonstrators at Bilin do throw rocks at heavily armed IDF soldiers”

- “But Tristan Anderson was not one of these and there was absolutely no violence in the area when he was attacked.”

A protest occurs at an Arab village near the Wall, one of many similar demonstrations. Israeli soldiers arrive and having dealt with violence here before, attempt, after an undetermined amount of time, to break up the protest. Words and warnings may have been used, but failed, (it hardly seems likely that the unit would opt for tear gas when this kind of outcome is possible). Tear gas, a common tool used to break up riots and protests, is put in the hands of an inexperienced and unskilled soldier who accidentally shoots one of the protesters. An Israeli ambulance arrives and brings him to a hospital where he is treated. The Israeli health system pays for his care.

I do not deny that what happened to this protester is tragic and that the situation that brought him to Bilin is equally so. I do however, find the value judgements drawn about Israeli as a whole from this incident to unwarranted.

P.S If you could post sources that shooting at protesters heads is IDF custom i’d be obliged.