NABLUS: Amado Sison, an American citizen, was shot today by the Israeli occupation forces after the dispersal of a demonstration that occurred following Friday prayers in Beita village, south of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, according to the Palestine Solidarity Movement (PSM).
The PSM said in a news release that ‘the incident, which marks the sixth consecutive week of persistent violence and repression by the Israeli occupation forces in Beita, saw Sison struck in the back of his right thigh, with a significant exit wound indicating he was walking away from the soldiers.’
‘Beitans once again showed immense courage in their ongoing struggle against theft of their land by the settler colony. They aided international and anti-Zionist Israeli volunteers in carrying Sison over 500 meters to safety because Israeli occupation forces continued their attack, preventing an ambulance from reaching Sison. Sison was driven on the back of a Palestinian truck to an emergency medical clinic. Despite his grave inj
ury, he was seen smiling with his thumbs up while being transferred into an ambulance.’
‘En route to Rafidia Surgical Hospital in Nablus, the army blocked the route of the ambulance, forcing it through two checkpoints where soldiers insisted on seeing Sison each time, significantly delaying further care,’ it added.
‘The violence in Beita and neighboring villages is part of a broader pattern of aggressive tactics employed by Israeli forces and illegal colonists against the town’s residents. Since June, when the Israeli cabinet approved the “legalization” of the Evyatar outpost on Sabih Mountain, Beita has been the epicenter of weekly demonstrations. These protests aim to resist the further appropriation of their land by Israeli colonists. The Israeli response to these peaceful demonstrations has been marked by increasing brutality, including the use of tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, and live ammunition.’
‘Residents of Beita have a long history of resisting colonization attempts and remain steadfast.
Despite repeated efforts by colonists to seize land-first in 2013, then in 2018, and most recently in 2021-Beita’s steadfast resistance has guarded its people. The current establishment of the Evyatar outpost and the ensuing violence represent a significant escalation in the ongoing violence by Israel, the occupation state,’ it elaborated.
It recalled that to date, Beita has mourned 17 people since 2020 alone, and thousands more have suffered injuries. The strategic location of Jabel Sabih, the site of the current clashes, is crucial for maintaining a contiguous path between Israeli colonies, thus aiding apartheid and severely impacting native Palestinian villages’ ability to thrive.
The PSM said that it stands in unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian resistance and the popular resistance in Beita and called on the international community to condemn this brute violence and to support the rights of indigenous Palestinians to resist land theft by illegal colonists backed by the settler colonial state of
Israel.
‘The shooting of Amado Sison and the broader repression of Beita’s residents reflect a grave violation of international law that demands urgent attention and action,’ it concluded.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA