American Peace Activist Shot in the Face

[djxeno]

"A specialist recommended that he be transferred immediately to a hospital in Afula but his departure was delayed because Israeli military refused to grant his ambulance safe passage .."

American Peace Activist Shot in the Face from an Israeli APC in Jenin

By Michael Shaik

JENIN (ISM) - At about 6.30 pm, yesterday, Brian Avery, 24, of New Mexico was shot in the face by a burst of machine gun fire from an Israeli Armored Personnel Carrier. The circumstances surrounding his injury are as follows:

Today the Israeli occupation army operating in the Jenin area imposed its second day of curfew on the people of the city. Groups of young men and boys continued their resistance to the curfew by venturing out onto the streets to throw stones at tanks and other military vehicles.

At about 6.30 pm Brian and another International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist were at the ISM's Jenin headquarters when they heard the sound of gunfire coming from the centre of the city, about two blocks away. They left the apartment to investigate and had traveled about a hundred meters when they arrived at a major crossroad and saw two armored personnel carriers advancing towards them at low speed. There were no Palestinians on the streets in the area, armed or otherwise.

At the sight of the armored vehicles, both activists stood still and raised their hands above their heads.

When the first armored personnel carrier was 50 meters from them it fired a burst of machine gun fire (an estimated 15 rounds) at the ground in front of them so that a shower of broken bullets and stones sprayed them. Tobias, Brian's companion, leapt aside. He had fled about three steps when he looked back to see Brian lying face down on the road in a pool of blood.

Tobias and Brian were then joined by four other ISM activists who had arrived at the scene of the shooting by a different route. All six of them rushed to help him as the two armored vehicles rolled past without stopping. He was conscious but when he raised himself from the ground they saw that his left cheek has been almost totally shot off.

The activists then performed first aid on him and phoned for an ambulance, which took him to the Martyr Doctor Khalil Suleiman Hospital in Jenin where he was treated for shrapnel wounds to his face including bone fractures below the eyes, lacerations of the tongue and lacerations of his left cheek. A specialist was called in to examine his injuries and recommended that he be transferred immediately to a hospital in Afula in Israel but his departure was delayed because the Israeli military refused to grant his ambulance safe passage for more than an hour.

From Afula Brian was transported to a hospital in Haifa by helicopter.

Under the Israeli Army's own rules of engagement soldiers are not permitted to fire warning shots with mounted weapons. They may fire warning shots with light hand held weapons and must aim away from the people they are warning.

When he was shot Brian was wearing a fluorescent red vest with a reflective white cross on its back and front.

[dnice35]

propaganda.......

[tripinchick]

No offense. But if I hear gunfire, the last thing I want to do is go and check it out.

[siceone]

Originally posted by tripinchick

No offense. But if I hear gunfire, the last thing I want to do is go and check it out.

you're the kinda girl I could take home to mom

[kramadas]

more and more cases of Israelis firing on Americans...those bastards are getting a bit too cocky - might need to teach them a lesson soon!