The approximately 150 protesters–who included Europeans and Americans–were in the area in anticipation of an expected Israeli incursion into the city this evening. The activists, believing that Israeli forces would be wary of injuring foreigners, were protesting against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s weekend statements that Israel was in a war for its survival and would crush Palestinian militants. Gathering near the Lutheran church in the heart of Beit Jala’s old city, they walked in silent protest toward an Israeli armored personnel carrier perched atop the hill.
As they neared the vehicle, Israeli troops ordered them to disperse. When the crowd continued to move forward, one or more Israeli soldiers fired at least 10 shots. Screaming in terror, the group dispersed through the winding alleys of the old town. It is unclear at this stage whether the Israelis intended to fire directly into the crowd or were firing warning shots at the ground, as they have done previously in Ramallah. If their shots were aimed at the ground, the injuries could have been caused by shrapnel and bullets that ricocheted upward.
NEWSWEEK witnessed a Palestinian cameraman from The Associated Press and several foreigners from the International Solidarity Movement and from another group called Basta bleeding profusely and being helped into Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances. The ambulances raced through the streets to the nearby Beit Jala hospital, where the victims were wheeled into the emergency room. An Australian woman in her 20s grimaced in pain from the bullet wound in the center of her stomach. She was immediately taken to surgery, where she is reported to be in critical condition. Several others were covered in blood and displayed shrapnel wounds in their arms and legs. Hospital sources told NEWSWEEK that the Australian woman had been hit directly by a bullet, but the others who were injured appeared to have been hurt by ricocheting fragments. One woman marching near the front said she saw the soldiers firing at the ground and a wall nearby rather than into the heart of the crowd.
“We were trying to negotiate with the driver of the tank,” said Zaid Khalil, a Palestinian-American from New York who took part in the march. “Everyone was silent. And they opened fire.” Khalil said the group had spent the last two days in the Palestinian refugee camp of Duheishe to protect the local refugees. A group of activists also managed to infiltrate the besieged Ramallah compound of Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat yesterday, saying they hoped to act as human shields to prevent an attack on the building. “None of this is increasing the security of the people in Israel,” said Khalil. “And the U.S. taxpayers are paying for it.”
An Israeli Defense Force spokesman, Olivier Rafowicz, did not dispute that the troops had used live ammunition on the protesters. “Listen to me,” he said. “These protesters are causing provocation to our soldiers on duty in Beit Jala.”
As evening fell here, scores of tanks could be seen gathering at all the major entry points to Bethlehem in preparation for what is expected to be a massive Israeli assault tonight. Tanzim militia gunmen milled about Manger Square saying they were ready for a major siege. “We’re going to fight to the death,” said one.
