JERUSALEM (AP) -- An American peace activist volunteering as a human shield in the West Bank was seriously wounded on Saturday when Israeli troops allegedly opened fire on him.
Brian Avery, 24, from Albuquerque, N.M., heard shots fired and came out of 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 Palestinian-backed group International Solidarity Movement. 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, and it looks like he was hit by a heavy caliber bullet because of the extent of the wound."
Being a human shield doesn't mean that the bullets will bounce off. When you put yourself in the middle of a conflict bad things can happen. These human shields aren't going to prevent bloodshed, but they can certainly provide more targets for either side. It may seem romantic to travel halfway around the world for "peace", but two peoples who have been fighting for the same land since Richard the Lion Hearted aren't going to mind picking off the occasional neo-hippie do-gooder. Palestinian suicide bombers are killing women and children, why should Israelis give a flip for any outsider who tries to prevent them from securing their country? If the Palestinians think the Israelis will get bad publicity for dead American protesters, who's to say they won't off a human shield themselves? What kind of idealism or egoism would make a person think they can change that?
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