Also see: What Getting Shot With a Rubber Bullet Does
"Japanese shot in eye by Israeli troops may lose sight"
"BILIN, Occupied West Bank: A Japanese translator who was shot in the eye last month during a demonstration against Israel's construction of a West Bank separation barrier said on Friday he may permanently lose his sight.
Kaoru Kishida, 43, said he was watching the demonstration on January 25 when he was struck by three rubber-coated bullets, with one hitting him in the eye.
"I was operated on several days ago and I have still not recovered the sight in my left eye," Kishida told AFP. "I should be operated on again in two or three months, and it will only be after that surgery that a definitive diagnosis will be made."
Kishida was speaking just days before Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is due to travel to Japan, amid press speculation that the incident might sour his visit.
Army Radio said on Friday that the army had denied firing any rubber-coated bullets on that day.
Bilin has long been the site of weekly demonstrations against the barrier Israel is building to separate itself from the West Bank. Again on Friday, several hundred people gathered in protest.
Israel says the massive barrier of electric fencing, barbed wire and concrete walls is needed to stop attackers from infiltrating the country and attacking Jewish settlements. The Palestinians say the project is aimed at grabbing their land and undermining the viability of their promised state."
