Beit Ommar Protest Against Karmei Tsur Settlement, West Bank, Palestine, 12/18/10: video

Beit Ommar is a village located in the West Bank about half way between Bethlehem and Hebron. It is currently surrounded by six Israeli settlements. Since 2006 there have been demonstrations organized by the Palestine Solidarity Project against the settlements to protest the the ongoing physical abuse and harassment of Palestinian residents of the village and the loss of their farm land and orchards as a result of the expanding settlements. About two months ago, residents and allies such as Anarchists Against the Wall began demonstrating specifically against the Karmei Tsur settlement. The first attempted march to Karmei Tsur -- to protest against the settlement's security fence that cut off Beit Ommar farmers from their land -- nearly reached the fence before Israeli Defense Force soldiers scrambled and repelled the peaceful march by force. Now, the weekly demonstrations are met by IDF soldiers just on the outskirts of Beit Ommar. On December 18th, 2010, one such march was met with the release of numerous tear gas canisters. Three demonstrators were arrested. Contrary to Israel's own military codes and law, tear gas canisters were fired horizontally at protesters rather than high into the air. It was this type of use of projected high-velocity tear gas canisters that caused Tristan Anderson's critical head injury in the village of Ni'lin in March of 2009 after a protest against the Israeli apartheid wall.