U.S. Man Shot in West Bank

An American activist volunteering as a human shield in the West Bank was seriously wounded Saturday when Israeli troops allegedly shot him in the face.

Brian Avery, 24, of Albuquerque, N.M., heard shots and left his apartment building in Jenin to investigate just as an armored personnel carrier rounded a corner, said Tobias Karlsson, a fellow activist from Sweden.

Avery and Karlsson are members of the International Solidarity Movement, which uses nonviolent methods to protest the Israeli occupation. Members of the group often insert themselves between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers to try to stop Israeli military operations.

“We had our hands up and we were wearing vests that clearly identified us as international workers when they began firing,” Karlsson said. “Brian was shot in the face.”

Avery was taken to a Jenin hospital but will be transferred to an Israeli hospital. Karlsson said he was semiconscious when taken in the ambulance.

The army said homemade firebombs were reportedly being thrown at troops and they returned fire at gunmen in the area, although it was not aware that the soldiers hit anyone. An officer said that Palestinians also were shooting, and it was unclear whose bullet hit Avery.

The U.S. State Department in Washington said it was looking into the report.

Karlsson said he, Avery and a Palestinian medical worker unaffiliated with the group were approached slowly by the troops and stood with their hands up for about 10 minutes. There was no communication with the soldiers, who Karlsson says fired unprovoked.

Karlsson did not see gunmen in the area and said few Palestinians were on the streets Saturday because of a curfew.

Rachel Corrie, another American member of the group, was killed March 16 while trying to stop an Israeli military bulldozer in the Gaza Strip. She fell in front of the machine, which ran over her, witnesses said.

Israeli officials say that incident was an accident and that the driver didn’t see her. The driver is back on the job, the army said Saturday.