These pictures of Palestinian boys shot by Israeli soldiers were taken by Doug Whitmore, a Kansas City landlord who served as a volunteer for a group called Ecumenical Accompaniment in the Occupied Territories earlier this year.
Whitmore says the boys were shot in the village of Azzun in the northern West Bank. The IDF was trying to pacify Azzun, which had some occupation resistance. The army came into the
village and shot at the legs of the boys who were throwing stones, or
who were on the street at the wrong time. It was reported that an Israeli captain called Captain Joe then shot one injured boy in the other leg. Captain Joe said he did so to teach the boys a lesson.
Here is a youtube video on the incident, or one very similar, dated Feb. 2008. Horrifying, Gestapolike. The captain was eventually pulled from that duty because the stories got this publicity, Whitmore says. It was the
fact that he went over and shot them again, not that the kids were shot in the first place. That's common.
The soldiers are there
illegally. The boys are resisting, perhaps unwisely, in the only way
that they can. These incursions into Palestinian villages are regular, Whitmore reports, "at least while I was there." Notice the get-well gift to the boy in the right-hand picture, with hearts on it.
