Update, 6:30 pm



Earlier today we reported:

Mustafa Barghouti was among 150 Palestinians injured at a Land Day demonstration at Qalandiya checkpoint in occupied Palestine this morning. A leader of the nonviolent movement and former candidate for president, Barghouti said that he was struck in the head by a teargas canister fired by Israeli forces. He spoke from a bed in Ramallah Hospital. He said he was not seriously injured but he is under observation for contusions to his head and back. “Today is a great day because no one thought we would be able to mobilize thousand of people for nonviolent protest,” said Barghouti, a physician. “This is the peak of the Palestinian nonviolent movement, and it reflects Palestinian unity too.” An Israeli government claim that Palestinians attacked Barghouti is the “most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Why would any Palestinian attack me? I’m a leader of the Palestinians.”

Since we first published this eyewitnesses at Qalandiya have reported that Barghouti was in fact attacked by fellow Palestinian protesters. Jalal Abukhater described what he saw to the New York Times‘s Robert Mackey over twitter, and sent us the following account:

As I arrived to Qalandia, first thing I saw was a large crowd of protesters with most carrying Red PFLP flags and orange PNI [Palestinian National Initiative] flags. As I walked down, I saw Mustafa Barghouti being evacuated into an ambulance at the Qalandia field hospital and Fateh guys were attacking PNI people. As Mustafa entered the ambulance, angry crowds continued to attack Mustafa and his group, a fight broke out between both sides. Mustafa was also beaten inside the ambulance. Weapon used in fighting was sticks which held flags. The ambulance which carried Mustafa had its rear glass broken and it rushed away. A while later I saw PNI organizers calling on all PNI people to leave the demo, clashes continued and hundreds remained present at the demo. Reason behind all this, according to eye witnesses who were there before I was, is that PNI group acted separately and didn’t follow the general plan agreed upon by all groups, and they marched towards the checkpoint rushing during the prayer to beat all other groups and be first there. Also, non of them carried Palestinian flags..all carried PNI flags. Only flags present were PFLP and PNI in large masses, Palestinian flags were held by individuals and Fateh flags weren’t present in mass.

Tear gas, Metal bullet projectiles, something called “exact impact”, Skunk truck, and the LARD screamer were used intensively by the army to crush the protesters, many were injured.

The New York Times story includes both Barghouti’s version and the counter claims:

At the Qalandiya checkpoint between the West Bank and Jerusalem, masked youths threw stones at Israeli troops and set tires alight. The troops responded with rubber bullets and tear gas. Mustafa Barghouti, a doctor and Palestinian politician, said one of the teargas canisters hit him, sending him to the hospital. “I was hit with a teargas bomb on the side of my head and my back,” Dr. Barghouti said in a telephone interview from his hospital bed. “My scalp is injured, my right ear has problems, and they are checking to see if I have any spinal injury.” The Israeli military spokesman’s office, in a set of Twitter messages and later over the telephone, said Dr. Barghouti had not been hit by an Israeli canister but had been attacked by other Palestinians. A few Palestinian witnesses offered a similar account.

A source with access to Barghouti says Barghouti stands by his version of events. We will continue to follow up on the story.

Original Post

Mustafa Barghouti was among 150 Palestinians injured at a Land Day demonstration at Qalandiya checkpoint in occupied Palestine this morning. A leader of the nonviolent movement and former candidate for president, Barghouti said that he was struck in the head by a teargas canister fired by Israeli forces. He spoke from a bed in Ramallah Hospital. He said he was not seriously injured but he is under observation for contusions to his head and back.

“Today is a great day because no one thought we would be able to mobilize thousand of people for nonviolent protest,” said Barghouti, a physician. “This is the peak of the Palestinian nonviolent movement, and it reflects Palestinian unity too.”

An Israeli government claim that Palestinians attacked Barghouti is the “most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Why would any Palestinian attack me? I’m a leader of the Palestinians.”

From IDF spokesperson Avital Leibovich— a stupendous effort to misrepresent the truth:

The info I have regarding Mousteffa Bargoutti injured,is that he was hurt by a Pales,as he was trying to convince youth in #Kalandya to riot

I remind you: Barghouti was at the center of the J Street conference last weekend, soberly, eloquently urging American Jews to do all they can to publicize the nonviolent Palestinian movement.

Hugh Naylor responded to IDF:

I was there. He was attacked by plainclothes pple. His colleagues had no idea who they were. He was not calling for riot

Israelis smashed three ambulances and injured eight Palestinian aid workers, Barghouti said.