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Father of photographer critically wounded at West Bank protest: ‘This is life under occupation’

Mohammad working as a volunteer photographer for B'tselem, wearing his gas mask and press jacket and carrying his camera.
Mohammad Basman Yasin working as a volunteer photographer for B’tselem, wearing his gas mask and press jacket and carrying his camera. (Photo: Hamde Abu Rahma)

21 year old Mohammad Basman Yasin was critically wounded by Israeli forces while working as a volunteer photographer with B’tselem, documenting the demonstration in Bitunya on Friday 4 April.

The demonstration took place near Ofer prison, protesting against the Israeli governments failure to release the latest round of prisoners, whose release was one of the conditions for the now evaporating peace talks.

Protesters attempting to pray when soldiers began to shoot tear gas at them and clashes erupted.  Mohammad was over 100 meters away from the demonstrators, preparing to leave, when he was shot twice from the right side.  One bullet sliced across his nose, the other hit him in the waist. He was holding his camera and was wearing a gas mask and bright yellow shirt with PRESS emblazoned on it.

Yasin displaying his wounds, the bandaged bullet wound on his ribs, the scar from surgery done to extract dum dum bullet fragments, and a deep gash on his nose from a .22 caliber sniper bullet.
Yasin displaying his wounds, the bandaged bullet wound on his ribs, the scar from surgery done to extract dum dum bullet fragments, and a deep gash on his nose from a .22 caliber sniper bullet. (Photo: Hamde Abu Rahma)

The bullet that grazed his face was a .22 caliber bullet.  It left a deep gash in his nose, and in an interview his father pointed out that the shooter was likely aiming at Mohammad’s head.  He noted that every time Mohammad looks in the mirror, he will have to see the scar across his nose, a reminder that “They were aiming for his head.  They were trying to kill him.”

.22 caliber bullets are technically banned by the Israeli military as a crowd dispersal method, and according Human Rights Organization B’tselem, should only be used in life threatening situations.  However, B’tselem has documented evidence that .22 bullets are still widely used during non-life threatening clashes.

According to the International Solidarity Movement, at the protest where Mohammad was shot, at least 13 others were seriously wounded.  Of the 13, six were wounded by .22 caliber bullets. (An Israeli army spokeswoman told Ma’an News that the result of the clashes was Israeli forces “lightly injuring” five people.)

Yasin's clothes after he was shot, covered in blood from his wounds. (Photo: Hamde Abu Rahma)
Yasin’s clothes after he was shot, covered in blood from his wounds. (Photo: Hamde Abu Rahma)

More troublesome is that the bullet that hit Mohammad hit him in the side.  This bullet was a “dum dum” or expanding bullet, which flattens upon impact to create a larger wound and inflict greater damage.  The bullet fragmented into his abdomen, breaking several ribs.  Doctors retrieved one piece of the bullet from his right kidney, but there are still fragments lodged throughout his abdomen.

The use of “dum dum” bullets is considered a war crime by the Statute of the International Criminal Court (Article 8(2)(b)(xix)).  Mohammad was the only one at the protest shot by a “dum dum” bullet.  “Why my son? Why is he the one they chose to shoot a dum dum at? Why do they want to kill him?” asks Mohammad’s father.

Fragment of the dum dum bullet removed from Yasin's kidney. (Photo: Hamde Abu Rahma)
Fragment of the dum dum bullet removed from Yasin’s kidney. (Photo: Hamde Abu Rahma)

Mohammad spent 9 days in the hospital as a result of his wounds, 6 of the days were spent in the ICU in critical condition.  In three months doctors will assess whether or not to attempt to retrieve more bullet fragments.  There is one fragment in his liver that doctors will not attempt to retrieve, due to medical risks.  His family stated that he will probably suffer from organ damage and lingering pain for the rest of his life.

His father is especially troubled by the fact that the shooting was unprovoked, “he wasn’t throwing stones or anything, but he was posing a danger with his photos by showing the world the truth.”  He is horrified, but not surprised, “There is no way to run from the occupation.  This is life under occupation.”

Mohammad is home now, in his village Bil’in, sitting in the front yard of his father’s house surrounded by family and friends. When asked about what he will do now, he smiles shyly, his face still handsome despite the gash across his nose.  He explains that he won’t let his injuries hold him back, “I will take this to court.  I will continue to fight, I will persist, I will not stop until the end.”

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This is life under the boot of the only Jewish state in the world.
This is not the revelation of scripture. It’s far too inept and grubbily human for that.

What goes around will eventually come around, and it seems Israel is going to self destruct, and face the consequences of their brutal actions.

This was sent today by JCALL the European equivalent to JSTREET.

“Those who pretend to go forth from Egypt must leave the territories.
While we are celebrating Pessah, Moshe Yaalon, Defense Minister, just allowed the creation of a new Jewish settlement in the heart of Hebron. It is hard to believe that such a decision has been taken without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahou’s support. It comes on top of previous announcements made during the last few months of new housing projects in East Jerusalem. Following the failure to release, two weeks ago, the fourth—and last— group of Palestinian prisoners that was supposed to take place within the framework of agreements concluded through the Americans, this new decision won’t favor the resumption of negotiations currently going through a crisis. At the same time, the attack perpetrated on Seder eve near Hebron which claimed the life of a father, injuring his wife and one of his children, will undoubtedly strengthen the position of all those opposed, in Israel, to the release of prisoners and to further negotiations.

John Kerry, Secretary of State of the United States, implied recently that the Israelis are more responsible for the current standoffs than the Palestinians. The Palestinian decision to ask for their accession to fifteen international agreements appears as a reaction to the Israelis’ non-compliance with their commitments. The nine months deadline set for the Israeli-Palestinian talks will be met in a few days. So far, in accordance with decisions taken at the start of this process, no official information on their content has filtered through. Therefore, we have no way of assessing their impact. If the first months have been devoted to the task of defining a frame of reference, it seems that since December, the negotiators have set to work on the main issues. The current crisis attests to the gap existing between the positions of both parties.

In spite of the scepticism surrounding these negotiations from the start, we must once again state clearly that there is no alternative to the end of the occupation and to the creation of a Palestinian State if we wish to maintain Israel as a democratic State with a Jewish majority. It is the aim and the reason of existence of JCall. It will become harder and harder for Israelis and for diaspora Jews as well to evoke yearly Pessah as the celebration of freedom if Israel keeps the Palestinian people under its occupation. According to Pessah Haggaddah, each generation in turn must go forth from Egypt. Present generations won’t be able to claim they did before the very last day of this occupation.”

More Pallywood… with the typical Irony that it comes from a ‘photographer’ who was there to “show the world the truth with his photos”

Check out this video posted from his fellow protesters:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGRJ_6Ch57o#t=343

(Curious how they chopped it up and edited it and he’s covering the ‘wound’ to his torso, of course.)

He’s neither trying to leave nor standing over ‘100 meters’ from the protesters nor is there more that one shot.

What do you expect when the ISM is cited as a source for a story.

If this isn’t BS, why not show the unredacted footage from when he was supposedly shot to when he was put in the ambulance by the other actors… I mean paramedics?

Yes, but shouldn’t Palestinians be doing more for their own rights?

http://youtu.be/73Pbs8hKCEc