Canadian Shot by Israeli Defence Force Talks 

by VOP

Voice of Palestine, Canada will be interviewing Victor MacDiarmid today Tuesday evening July 8, 2008 between 8:00 and 9:00pm PDT. Victor is a Canadian activist with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) who was shot in the leg yesterday by the Israeli army with a rubber-coated steel bullet while trying to bring food and supplies to the besieged town of Ni'lin.

We will talk with him about the situation in Ni'lin and about his experiences in Palestine.

Voice of Palestine broadcasts weekly on Vancouver Cooperative Radio (CFRO) 102.7 FM, Vancouver, Canada. The show broadcasts for one hour every Tuesday night from 8 to 9 pm PST (Wednesday morning 6:00 am - 7:00 am Palestine time). It first went on the air in September, 1987, and has hit the airwaves every week for the past twenty years. People outside of Vancouver can listen to the show live on the internet http://www.coopradio.org/listen/

 
A Canadian citizen, has been shot in the leg by a rubber-coated steel bullet while attempting to take in food and other supplies to the West Bank village of Ni'lin, which has been holding constant non-violent demonstrations against the Israeli annexation barrier for the last two months.

Victor Macdiarmid, from Kingston, Ontario, was part of a group of Palestinian and international solidarity activists attempting to take in supplies into Ni'lin as the Israeli blockade of the village enters its 4th day. 8 internationals maintain a presence inside the besieged village, despite a raid on the international house by Israeli border police. More Palestinian and international activists are working outside the village in attempts to get supplies in to the people who have been under curfew for 4 days.

The village has had complete curfew imposed and its entrances blockaded since Friday 4th July as the Israeli army attempts to prevent the non-violent protests that have severely disrupted construction of the separation/annexation wall. Witnesses have reported that the Israeli army is distributing leaflets informing residents that the curfew will end when the demonstrations cease.

The village of Ni'lin is about to lose approximately 2500 donums when the construction of the apartheid wall is finished. From having over 57 000 donums in 1948, the village has seen its land decrease to 33 000 donums in 1967 to about 10 000 donums at the present time. The villagers fear that the next annexation will be the death blow to the village's economy. Organisers of the demonstrations are therefore adamant that the village will continue the demonstrations.

 
Contact:

Victor (English) - 05-49752682
Adam (English) - 05-98503948 or 02-2971824

or email at

palreports@gmail.com for more information