Gaza: In spite of oppression, protestors continue to challenge village closures

Palestinian and international protesters joined half a dozen demonstrations across the occupied West Bank on Friday afternoon, in the first reaction to Israel's declaration of two villages as "closed military zones" last week.

A foreign national was seriously injured after being struck in the head by Israeli fire in Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah, onlookers said. It was not immediately clear exactly what type of fire caused the injury, and the female demonstrator was not identified.

She was evacuated for medical attention by the Red Crescent, an Israeli military spokesman said. He described the woman's injuries as light, and said they were caused by the use of riot-dispersal means. He said the injury came during "the violent and illegal riot near Dir Nizam, during which rocks were hurled toward security forces."

In the same village, two Palestinians and an American citizen were detained at the anti-wall demonstration, protesters said. The army spokesman confirmed that three people were being held for security questioning in the same area.

Eleven kilometers southwest in Budrus, two unidentified persons who demonstrators said were photojournalists were briefly detained. Later, protesters said negotiations with soldiers on the scene secured their release.

The army confirmed that two people were detained and released soon after, but had no comment on how their release was secured. They were originally detained for throwing rocks, the army official said, and there was no indication they were journalists.

Clashes erupted in Budrus after demonstrators said a high-ranking village leader had also been detained, but the military denied that arrest. Initial reports identified the purported Palestinian detainee as the village mayor.

In Nil'in, a further three kilometers south along the route of Israel's separation wall, protesters arrived at the site of the Israeli separation barrier despite the army's insistence that no demonstration would be permitted. Israeli forces opened fire with tear gas at the protesters, but there were no reports of injury.

The army spokesman confirmed that forces used riot-dispersal means, describing the event as a violent and illegal riot. He said Palestinians threw rocks at Border Police guards stationed behind the barrier, which is still under construction.

In Bil'in, four soldiers entered the area between the barrier and village, firing tear gas and stun grenades, protesters said. The invasion came just after Israeli forces announced that demonstrators had three minutes to depart the scene. Protesters left shortly thereafter.

In Ma'asara, near Bethlehem, an anti-wall demonstration ended peacefully, according to organizers.

The afternoon of demonstrations came days after the Israeli military declared Nil'in and Bil'in, two strongholds of the anti-wall movement, closed military zones. The designation banned entry between 8am and 8pm each Friday for a six-month period.

The announcement was made amid one of the most violent weeks recorded in the West Bank in the past few years, according to a UN report released Friday. Some 221 Palestinians and 17 members of the Israeli security forces were wounded in several demonstrations and clashes, the large majority of which took place in East Jerusalem and its vicinity.

The week's number of Palestinian injuries is the highest recorded in a week since the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs, which issued the report, began recording casualties in 2005. None of the clashes, however, resulted in fatalities.

Ma'an News Agency