Qadoum

Before Friday prayers are over, the soldiers fired teargas volleys at the youngsters. Three were hit, one of them by a canister to his head.

About 200 villagers took part in the demonstration, as well as international activists and the Anarchists Against the Wall. The demo opened with the mention of the catastrophe unfolding in the Al Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria.

Untypically, no stones were hurled in the first part of the demonstration.

The demonstrators waited to see how the army would respond, and for about 15 minutes there was no shooting of any kind. The quiet was charged, clearly this pause would end with a violent reaction, which came soon enough in response to laying tires in front.

An automatic volley of teargas was fired from a jeep, showering us with a huge quantity of the stuff. Demonstrators choked, three others were wounded. Subsequently 22 bullets were fired and one of the demonstrators was wounded in his leg, treated, and returned to the demonstration. Things took their usual course, including the use of the “Skunk”, sniper fire into buildings, and more teargas.

We metthe older women who stay behind and worry about their sons’ wellbeing. They told us again about the ways in which the army harasses them, and the vital necessity of opening the road.

Not everyone can make the long, tedious way to Nablus, which involves steep expenses (gasoline, taxis) which they cannot afford, not to mention emergencies in which they are delayed because of the huge detour they must make.

But since when are Palestinian lives worth anything…?