Brian Avery
Encyclopedia
Brian Avery is an American who, while volunteering for the International Solidarity Movement
(ISM) in the West Bank
town of Jenin
, was shot in the face by Israeli Defense Forces on April 5, 2003. The shooting, which was unprovoked and did not occur in the context of any apparent hostilities, caused Avery to suffer permanent disfigurement.
, the youngest of three children. His father served 30 years in the United States Navy
, and his mother is a schoolteacher. He attended school in Chapel Hill
, North Carolina
, and enrolled in the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
to study music. He dropped out after a year to play in a rock band for two years, then worked on communal organic farms in North Carolina, France
, Spain
, and Portugal
.
He lived for a year in a housing cooperative in Chicago
, and later became associated with the Arab-Jewish Peace Alliance in Albuquerque, New Mexico
, where he came into contact with the ISM. Shortly thereafter, in January 2003, he traveled to the West Bank to participate in ISM protests against Israel
.
Avery was hit in the face, his cheek was torn and his eye socket and jaw bones were smashed. The bullet entered at his right tear duct, completely destroying his nasal bone, and exiting his left cheek. His lower left jaw had been sheared in half, and he lost half the teeth on the top left side of his mouth. After three months of hospitalization, Avery found that he would still hear an echo in his skull whenever he spoke. He was left without a sense of smell, or the ability to breathe through his nose. In the first year subsequent to the incident, he endured over six rounds of surgery in which bone was removed from his skull to help reconstruct his face. Because he did not have health insurance, this created an enormous financial burden for his family.
According to the Jerusalem Post (9/20/07; 11/19/08), Brian and his associates were "wearing red reflector vests with the word "doctor" in English and Arabic." The army refused to order a formal investigation of the incident, since that their probe found that no soldiers on patrol in the area that night reported such an incident as it was described by the four witnesses.
International Solidarity Movement
The International Solidarity Movement is an organization focused on assisting the Palestinian cause in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using nonviolent protests. It was founded in 2001 by Ghassan Andoni, a Palestinian activist; Neta Golan, an Israeli activist; Huwaida Arraf, a...
(ISM) in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
town of Jenin
Jenin
Jenin is the largest town in the Northern West Bank, and the third largest city overall. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,004 not including the adjacent refugee...
, was shot in the face by Israeli Defense Forces on April 5, 2003. The shooting, which was unprovoked and did not occur in the context of any apparent hostilities, caused Avery to suffer permanent disfigurement.
Early life
Avery was born in ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, the youngest of three children. His father served 30 years in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, and his mother is a schoolteacher. He attended school in Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill may refer to:*Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a town in the United States, or**the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a major university within the town*Chapel Hill, Alabama...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and enrolled in the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro , also known as UNC Greensboro, is a public university in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States and is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate, 61 master's and 26...
to study music. He dropped out after a year to play in a rock band for two years, then worked on communal organic farms in North Carolina, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
He lived for a year in a housing cooperative in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and later became associated with the Arab-Jewish Peace Alliance in Albuquerque, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, where he came into contact with the ISM. Shortly thereafter, in January 2003, he traveled to the West Bank to participate in ISM protests against Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Shooting incident
In a February 2005 interview, he said:- [W]e weren't two blocks from our apartment when an Israeli convoy of two vehicles, a tank and an armored personnel carrier, drove up the street from the direction that we were walking from. And so as we heard them coming closer, we stepped off to the side of the road to let them pass by, which was again, you know, a very, very typical situation for us to encounter the soldiers, even during the curfew, and for them just to pass on by ... And so we stood to the side of the road, we put our hands out to show we didn't have any weapons and weren't, you know, threatening them in any way. And I was wearing a fluorescent vest to, you know, try to make ourselves as visible as possible. And once they drove within about 30 meters of where we were standing, they opened fire with their machine guns and continued shooting for a very long time, probably shooting about, you know, 30 rounds of ammunition, which is quite a lot when you see them in action. And I was struck in the face with one of the bullets and, you know, was knocked to the ground immediately.
Avery was hit in the face, his cheek was torn and his eye socket and jaw bones were smashed. The bullet entered at his right tear duct, completely destroying his nasal bone, and exiting his left cheek. His lower left jaw had been sheared in half, and he lost half the teeth on the top left side of his mouth. After three months of hospitalization, Avery found that he would still hear an echo in his skull whenever he spoke. He was left without a sense of smell, or the ability to breathe through his nose. In the first year subsequent to the incident, he endured over six rounds of surgery in which bone was removed from his skull to help reconstruct his face. Because he did not have health insurance, this created an enormous financial burden for his family.
According to the Jerusalem Post (9/20/07; 11/19/08), Brian and his associates were "wearing red reflector vests with the word "doctor" in English and Arabic." The army refused to order a formal investigation of the incident, since that their probe found that no soldiers on patrol in the area that night reported such an incident as it was described by the four witnesses.
Israeli Supreme Court hearing
Avery appeared before the Israeli Supreme Court on February 28, 2005 to request a criminal investigation into his shooting. He accused Israeli troops of shooting him without provocation. The court responded by ordering the military to reopen Avery's case. Avery's attorney, Michael Sfard, said that the ruling "shows the military that even internal inquiries should be managed professionally and with care to get testimony from all sides, not just from military," and that it "coerces the military to change its stand on things. This is definitely not usual."Out-of-court settlement
In November 2008, Avery accepted a settlement for NIS 600,000 (USD $150,000) from the state of Israel in exchange for dropping the lawsuit. According to Shlomo Lecker, his Israeli lawyer, "The sum does not reflect the injuries Avery suffered... On the other hand, it's one of the very few times the state has awarded damages to anyone hurt by the IDF during the Second Intifada." Lecker said that Avery was willing to settle because of the need to defray some of the costs of the reconstructive operations he must still undergo, in addition to skepticism that the 15-month-long investigation would ever reach a satisfactory conclusion.See also
- James Miller (filmmaker)James Miller (filmmaker)James Henry Dominic Miller was a Welsh cameraman, producer, and director, and recipient of numerous awards, including five Emmy Awards. He often worked with Saira Shah with whom he founded and operated an independent production company called Frostbite Productions in 2001...
- Tom HurndallTom HurndallThomas "Tom" Hurndall was a British photography student, a volunteer for the International Solidarity Movement , and an activist against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. On 11 April 2003, he was shot in the head in the Gaza Strip by an Israel Defense Forces sniper, Taysir Hayb...
- Rachel CorrieRachel CorrieRachel Aliene Corrie was an American member of the International Solidarity Movement . She was killed in the Gaza Strip by an Israel Defence Forces bulldozer when she was standing or kneeling in front of a local Palestinian's home, thus acting as a human shield, attempting to prevent the IDF from...
- Vittorio ArrigoniVittorio ArrigoniVittorio Arrigoni was an Italian reporter, writer, pacifist and activist. Arrigoni worked with the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement in the Gaza Strip, from 2008 until his death...
Further reading
- Broili, Susan. Brian Avery's life altered after being shot in the face by Israeli soldiers in Jenin, Al-Jazeerah.info, 26 June 2003
- Schmidt, Lasse Jeppesen. The Shooting of Brian Avery, and the Israeli Cover Up, PalestineChronicle.com, 19 November 2008
- Schmidt, Lasse Jeppesen. One year after the shooting of Brian Avery, IfAmericansKnew.org, 6 April 2004
- Schmidt, Lasse Jeppesen. Westerners Killed to Suppress Palestinian Perspective?, CriticalConcern.com, 19 March 2008