Major General Moshe Kaplinsky, head of the GOC Central Command, on Friday appointed a colonel to investigate an incident earlier in the day in which Israel Defense Force soldiers shot and wounded two people during a demonstration against the West Bank separation fence.

Israeli soldiers shoot live rounds at Israeli, Palestinian and foreign peace activists during a demonstration against the security fence Israel is building along the West Bank and its limits with Israel Friday Dec. 26, 2003 near the West Bank town of Qalqiliya. (A.P Photo/Oded Balilty)

An Israeli citizen, named as Gil Na'amati from Kibbutz Nirim, sustained serious wounds, while a foreign tourist was lightly hurt.

The incident occurred close to the Palestinian village of Mahase, east of Rosh Ha'ayin, where around 100 members of the Anarchist Movement against the Wall and the International Solidarity Movement were protesting against the construction of the security fence.

Video footage of the incident broadcast on Channel Two television showed Israeli demonstrators on the Palestinian side of the fence violently shaking it, with some trying to cut the fence with wire cutters.

During the protest, troops used live ammunition. At a later stage, another foreign activist was wounded by a rubber bullet. Na'amati, whose friends said was hit by two bullets, was evacuated to Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva.

The soldiers claimed that Na'amati was wearing a mask when he was shot.

The troops involved in the incident were from a Golani company stationed in the area. According to military sources, one live shot was fired in the direction of the demonstrators, who were attempting to cut through the separation fence with wire cutters. One demonstrator was hit in the leg by the shot, the sources said. "The shot was fired in accordance with regulations," the sources insisted.

One of the demonstrators, Jonathan Faulk, told Haaretz that a group of soldiers opened fire in his direction, from a distance of several meters. Faulk said that there was no warning before the shots were fired, and that "the soldiers' lives were never in any danger."

MK Eitan Cabel (Labor) told Israel Radio that the IDF Spokesman must provide a clear explanation as to why IDF troops opened fire on Israeli protestors.

Meretz MK Avshalom Vilan said that it must be determined who gave the order to open fire.

Likud MK Ehud Yatom condemned the incident, and said that there were other means for dealing with protesters who do not endanger the lives of soldiers.

© Copyright 2003 Haaretz.

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