Tristan Anderson, who once lived illegally in trees to protest their being cut down, is suing Israel for wounding him in a violent protest.
Anderson is an activist for the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a radical left-wing group that includes anarchists. It campaigns against Israel on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and the Foreign Ministry has charged it with allowing suicide terrorists to form links with it.
Anderson, from Oakland, California, was taking pictures at a violent rock-throwing demonstration at the separation barrier at the village of Ni’ilin in March 2009 when he was struck by a tear gas canister, causing severe head injuries.
The IDF has repeatedly warned that protesters are risking their lives when they participate in violent protests that require soldiers to respond with crowd-dispersing measures as a matter of self-defense.
"ISM members take an active part in illegal and violent actions against IDF soldiers,” the Foreign Minister has stated. “At times, their activity in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip is under the auspices of Palestinian terrorist organizations, and…sometimes, "ISM members, who seek entry into Israel, do so under false pretenses, via cover stories - entry for matrimonial, tourist, religious and other purposes - which they coordinate prior to arriving in Israel.
Anderson’s Israeli lawyer said a hearing will be held in a Jerusalem court next week to hear his lawsuit for an unspecified amount of money,
Anderson has a history of illegal acts. The year before he joined the violent protests against Israel, he was arrested in California for his “tree-sitting” protest against the University of California at Berkeley, which was preparing to cut down trees for an athletic center.