US woman loses eye after being hit by tear gas canister in anti-Israeli protest

American hit in anti-Israeli protest loses eye

JERUSALEM — An American woman has lost her eye during a demonstration in Jerusalem against Israel’s naval raid on a Gaza aid flotilla, a hospital official said Tuesday.

Emily Henochowicz, 21, of Maryland, underwent surgery after suffering the injury, said hospital spokeswoman Yael Bossem-Levy.

Henochowicz was hit in the face by a tear gas canister shot by an Israeli border policeman, said witness Jonathan Pollak.

He said Palestinian youths were hurling rocks, but Henochowicz didn’t participate in any violence and was standing at a distance.

Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, said, “We can confirm that a U.S. citizen, Emily Henochowicz, suffered a serious injury when a gas canister hit her in the face, as she was standing among other protesters in the West Bank at the Qalandiya checkpoint between the West Bank and Israel.”

There was no immediate military comment.

In a Facebook message to The Associated Press, Sarah Henochowicz said the family would have no comment about her sister, calling it “a private matter.”

On her Facebook page, Emily Henochowicz’s current city is listed as Ramallah, West Bank, and her latest posting on Monday read: “Gaza on my Mind.” Her page says she is a student at Cooper Union, a college in New York, and Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.

On another page, a posting said: “A message from Emily’s sister Sarah Henochowicz: This is to notify everyone concerned about my sister Emily. The surgery was successful and she is currently recuperating in Hadassah Hospital. Thank you for your kind words and support, my family and I greatly appreciate it. Her father is by her side and will bring her … home as soon as she is able to travel.’”

Associated Press writer Nafeesa Syeed in Washington contributed to this report.