Israel won't pay medical bills of American protester Emily Henochowicz whose eye they destroyed

IMEMC - The Israeli government has refused to pay the medical costs of Emily Henochowicz, who lost her eye to an Israeli tear gas canister.

Emily Henochowicz lost her eye at a protest against the wall and the occupation when the Israeli military fired a high-velocity tear gas canister at her.

Ms. Henochowicz is an American- Israeli citizen and had been studying at Bezalel Academy of Art in Jerusalem at the time.

The protest occurred near Qalandia checkpoint south of Ramallah. In addition to causing her to lose her eye, the canister shattered her jaw.

The Israeli military has claimed that the canister was not aimed at her and that it bounced off a wall to hit her.

After receiving medical treatment the hospital handed her father a bill for NIS 14,000.

They are refusing to pay it and suing the state of Israel.

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Tear gas canisters are commonly used by Israeli forces against demonstrators in the West Bank. In May 2009, the Israeli State Attorney’s Office ordered Israeli Police to review its guidelines for dispersing demonstrators, following the death of a demonstrator, Bassem Abu Rahmah from Bil’in village, caused by a high velocity tear-gas projectile.

Tear-gas canisters are meant to be used as a means of crowd dispersal, to be shot indirectly at demonstrators and from a distance. However, Israeli forces frequently shoot canisters directly at protesters and are not bound by a particular distance from which they can shoot....

Another American shot by such a canister, Tristan Anderson, had a portion of his brain removed. The shooting caused severe traumatic brain injury and blindness in his right eye. Tristan, 39 years old, has not yet regained the use of the left side of his body and faces a long period of cognitive and physical rehabilitation and remains in a wheelchair...