2 Japanese hurt by Israeli troops

Two Japanese nationals were injured, one seriously, Jan. 25 after being hit with rubber bullets fired by Zionist regime's troops while participating in a demonstration against construction of separation barrier in the West Bank, the Japanese Foreign Ministry and a local nongovernmental organization said Thursday.

One of the two, who has been hospitalized in Beit Ul Moqaddas, suffered eye injuries and could become blind, while the other was slightly hurt, they said.

The protest was organized by International Solidarity Movement, a Palestinian-led NGO, in Bilin near Ramallah.

The NGO and other concerns identified the hospitalized Japanese as Kaoru Kishida, 43, from Hiroshima Prefecture, who works as a translator.

An official of the NGO who met with Kishida at the hospital said he was hospitalized for an operation that was conducted Tuesday. Kishida was on a trip around the world before arriving in the West Bank, the official said.

Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said in Tokyo that a consul from the Japanese Embassy in Tel Aviv will interview the injured Japanese national later Thursday to ask about his health and about the shooting incident.

Bilin is located some 20 kilometers northwest of Ramallah where the Palestinian Authority is headquartered. The ministry officials said Israeli troops may have fired rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrators.

In Bilin, Zionist regime is building a barrier composed of concrete walls and electric fences to separate Israel and the West Bank.

Many activists from across the world have gathered in Bilin to support Palestinians who oppose the construction of the barrier.