Ni'lin's Resistance Against Occupation

This week I traveled to Ni'lin, a very dangerous village where residents are fighting for their freedom from occupation. Anyone who protests here faces more than just rubber bullets*, concussion grenades, skunk**, and military vehicles that lob tear gas into crowds in giant waves. The Israeli Defense Force shoots metal tear gas canisters directly at the heads of protesters. The canisters, which are meant only to be shot in the air, have killed and wounded many and continue to harm more each year. Using the tear gas canisters as they do gives protesters little time to dodge their path, but is still not as bad as when they use live ammunition to disperse crowds of demonstrators.

When a real bullet is fired directly at you there is no time to react, you will be hit before you even hear the shot's echo through the air. If you are lucky enough to hear the sharp whistle of a bullet flying past your head or the loud snap on a rock as the bullet impacts it a few feet away instead of feeling the bullet hit you, all you can do is run for cover and hope that their aim is off. You cannot fight bullets with your skin & bones. This fight goes on for hours as resistance fighters and photographers duck and dive behind rocks, olive trees or ditches in the ground to find cover. The IDF shoots at anyone with the Palestinians, sending a message to others who may want to join the resistance; their lives will not be of any more value than the Palestinians.

Towards the end of the struggle I found myself trapped in an olive grove with a few fighters. The rest of the demonstrators had been badly tear gassed and pulled back up the hill, leaving us in between the clouds of gas and the military. As we pulled back, ducking from tree to tree the military opened fire. I could hear the bullets zooming past as I looked for places to hide, I was fortunate enough to make it out uninjured, but the man next to me wasn't as lucky. Red Crescent medics showed up quickly to take him out on a stretcher, the military continued to fire upon the medics. It took a minute or two of making our way through bullets, gas and rocks before the injured fighter got to further help. To the freedom fighter, I wish I could have done more and I am sorry that I was only able to document your suffering with my camera.

* Rubber bullets are actually metal bullets covered in rubber

**Skunk is a liquid mace that smells worse than a burst septic tank


The resistance continues to pushes forward through the tear gas.

Resistance fighter takes cover from fire behind an olive tree.

Portrait of child fighter struggling for freedom.

Waves of tear gas engulf the field.

Palestinians use stones as their weapon against the Israeli military.

Red Crescent medics carry away a resistance fighter after being shot.