BEING shot at with live ammunition while stopping Israeli bulldozers from entering Palestinian refugee camps is a daily routine for one Abergavenny peace protester.

Elaine Westblade, 26, is committed to staying in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, Palestine, believing her presence there prevents refugees from being killed.

Speaking exclusively to the Argus from Nablus, Miss Westblade - who was brought up by her uncle and aunt in Abergavenny after being orphaned at 15 - said: "Every day we watch Israeli tanks and armoured personnel carriers enter the camp and destroy homes.

"When the Israelis see members of the International Solidarity Movement with video cameras they tend to fire their guns into the air instead of at women and children.

"Unfortunately, children have been shot at and killed when we have been in other parts of the camp."

Miss Westblade says she has been shot at, faced tear gas, and has been arrested by Israeli forces, and she is scared but determined to stay.

She said: "My heart is often in my mouth because of the human abuse we see out here, but for as long as we are successful in stopping the tanks and bulldozers going into the camps on a regular basis, then we are doing our job."

Miss Westblade, who is at the camp with her friend, Dafydd Viney, from Bargoed, said: "We evaluate almost daily whether we're making a difference here - we see what goes on and we believe we are stopping children from being killed."

Miss Westblade was recently arrested by the Israeli Defence Force for being in an area without the required permission.

She said: "I was in Tulkarn, buying a bag of bananas, when eight armed soldiers drove up in a Jeep and dragged me and some friends away.

"We were detained from 5pm until 1am, when we were dumped on a motorway near Netanya, in Israel. During that time we were not interrogated, we were simply moved to a police station, and from there to an army base before they released us.

"This is all new to me so it was pretty terrifying."

* PEACE activist and Caerphilly councillor Ray Davies, who was shot in Palestine last week, was expected to return home today.

Councillor Davies, who is 73 and vice-chairman of CND Cymru, was grazed on the head by a bullet while he was trying to help ambulances get into Balata refugee camp on the West Bank.

His wife, Wendy Lewis, told the Argus her husband blacked out for a few seconds after the shooting.

Councillor Davies, who is from Bedwas, was attended by medics at the scene and taken to hospital. He was released after treatment

Mrs Lewis, who has two young sons with Councillor Davies, said that he was back demonstrating at the refugee camp the day after he was hit.

She added that she had been shocked to hear the news, but that he was an experienced campaigner.

"He has a lifetime of experience in thinking on his feet," she said.

Councillor Davies, who has made regular visits to Palestine, is planning to complain to the UN Human Rights Commission.