Following Friday's disastrous anti-partition fence protest in which one of the protestors was shot and seriously injured by IDF soldiers, another wild and illegal demonstration was held this morning with the joint participation of extreme left-wing Israelis, PA Arabs, and foreigners. The violence was such that 17 rioters were lightly injured, even though the army was equipped with proper riot-dispersal gear this time. Five of the more raucous demonstrators were arrested. The incident occurred near the village of Budrus, near Ben Gurion International Airport.
In the meantime, the violent attempt to sabotage the fence near Elkanah on Friday and the subsequent shooting of protestor Gil Naamati remains in the headlines. In a Knesset debate on the topic yesterday, Deputy Defense Minister Ze'ev Boim of the Likud said again yesterday that Naamati should be put on trial once he is healed from his wounds. MK Sha'ul Yahalom (NRP) said that the protestors had goaded the IDF soldiers into opening fire, and were willing to sacrifice one of their own for their provocative purposes. MKs Colette Avital (Labor) and Avshalom Vilan (Meretz) condemned the army's shooting at the fence saboteurs.
An army investigation of Friday's incident shows that the soldiers operated in keeping with the guidelines - but it is expected that these guidelines will now be changed. At the same time, Chief Army Prosecutor Gen. Menachem Finkelstein has decided to open a military police investigation into the shooting. Senior officers are up in arms at the idea, with one of them saying, "The army is reacting hysterically to the public criticism, and regular soldiers are liable to pay the price."
In the meantime, the violent attempt to sabotage the fence near Elkanah on Friday and the subsequent shooting of protestor Gil Naamati remains in the headlines. In a Knesset debate on the topic yesterday, Deputy Defense Minister Ze'ev Boim of the Likud said again yesterday that Naamati should be put on trial once he is healed from his wounds. MK Sha'ul Yahalom (NRP) said that the protestors had goaded the IDF soldiers into opening fire, and were willing to sacrifice one of their own for their provocative purposes. MKs Colette Avital (Labor) and Avshalom Vilan (Meretz) condemned the army's shooting at the fence saboteurs.
An army investigation of Friday's incident shows that the soldiers operated in keeping with the guidelines - but it is expected that these guidelines will now be changed. At the same time, Chief Army Prosecutor Gen. Menachem Finkelstein has decided to open a military police investigation into the shooting. Senior officers are up in arms at the idea, with one of them saying, "The army is reacting hysterically to the public criticism, and regular soldiers are liable to pay the price."