A 21-year old American student at Cooper Union lost an eye after getting hit in the face with a tear gas projectile fired by an Israeli soldier during a demonstration at a crowded checkpoint between Israel and the West Bank yesterday. Emily Henochowicz (here's her blog) was part of a group protesting the deaths of at least nine pro-Palestinian activists aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. According to her fellow activists, Henochowicz is undergoing surgery to remove her left eye, and one protester, Sören Johanssen, says Israeli soldiers intentionally fired at her face:
"They clearly saw us," says Johanssen. "They clearly saw that we were internationals and it really looked as though they were trying to hit us. They fired many canisters at us in rapid succession. One landed on either side of Emily, then the third one hit her in the face." Israeli soldiers have previously killed and injured demonstrators with tear gas canisters.
There were demonstrations in Times Square yesterday, where protesters decried what they call the murder of human rights activists by Israel. The Free Gaza activists aboard the largest ship in the flotilla say they were unarmed and did not fight back during Israel's nighttime raid in international waters, but Israel says that when commandos landed on the ship via helicopter, they were attacked with steel poles, knives and pepper spray. One video shows at least one commando being lifted up and dumped from the ship's upper deck to the lower deck. Free Gaza says at least 30 people were injured on their ships, and at least 9 killed; the Israeli military says at least 10 were injured on its side.
The raid complicates U.S. ties with Israel and hopes for Middle East peace talks. An American official told Politico, "The situation is that [Israel is] so isolated right now that it’s not only that we’re the only ones who will stick up for them. We’re the only ones who believe them - and what they’re saying [about the raid] is true." Below, video of yesterday's Times Square protest:
