31 March 2010
In honor of Land Day, an upbeat group of local residents and school children gathered on Wednesday in front of the half-occupied Al Kurd home in Sheikh Jarrah. Neighbors, friends and supporters cleaned up the garden and planted olive trees. The conspicuous and unusual absence of both settlers and police contributed greatly to the positive mood of the day, although the ongoing threat of further evictions looms over … Continue reading
14th March 2010
The Israeli military sent eight jeep loads of soldiers to Iraq Burin, near Nablus, on Saturday to prevent villagers from accessing their farmland. Violent settler attacks on previous Saturdays leave the villagers and their land threatened. The military’s solution to these attacks has not been to protect the Palestinians, but rather to deny them access to their land.
As … Continue reading
6 March 2010
Thousands attended last Saturday’s demonstration in Sheikh Jarrah, demanding an end to the home evictions which have displaced hundreds of Palestinian residents. Gathering peacefully for speeches and live music in the park opposite the neighborhood, demonstrators chanted and sang before marching in the streets and attempting to pass the police barricades which obstructed demonstrators from reaching the neighborhood itself. Settlers … Continue reading
12 March 2010
The Israeli military today continued their attempts to repress the weekly demonstration in An Nabi Saleh. Following on from their near fatal shooting of a 14 year old boy a week ago, soldiers invaded the village within minutes of the demonstration starting, driving jeeps to within approximately 50 metres of the demonstrators and firing upon them with tear gas, percussion grenades, rubber bullets and rubber-coated steel bullets.
Despite the military resorting so rapidly to violence, the villagers, accompanied by Israeli and international activists, determinedly continued their attempts to reach the … Continue reading
International Solidarity Movement
5 March 2010
Demonstrators in An Nabi Salih were met with tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and sound bombs. The IOF also fired skunk, a putrid-smelling chemical spray. One international was hit with a metal tear gas canister in the arm. Four Palestinians were injured, including a young man Ehab Fadel Beir Ghouthi, 14, from Beit Rima, who was hit with a rubber-coated steel bullet in the head. He was taken to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He is listed in critical but stable condition.
An expectant air hung … Continue reading
International Solidarity Movement
27 February 2010
Last week, two small, rural outposts were awaiting two payloads from a 4×4 that was snaking its way along the winding, West Bank roads of the South Hebron hills. The first was the material to construct some alternative energy sources for these small communities, the second was an international presence that would aid them in the fight for their legitimacy.
In the hills around Susya, sheep- and goat-herders live in small, tented communities in the wadis of Israeli-controlled “Area C” in the West Bank. These communities are … Continue reading
Bil’in Popular Committee
26 February 2010
Palestinian, Israeli, and International activists demonstrated against the apartheid wall and settlements in Bil’in village west of Ramallah. Despite rain and harsh winds demonstrators marched to the wall and were immediately met with tear gas from the Israeli military as they are each week Friday. Soldiers fired heavy aluminum tear gas canisters into the crowd, and veteran activists commented on the extra strength of the gas today. People attempted to distribute “wanted signs” with the face of … Continue reading
International Solidarity Movement
25 February 2010
One Palestinian man arrested, one woman and child pepper sprayed and two children injured as settler provocation turns into a riot.
Spirits were high in the protest camp outside the Gawi and Al-Kurd families’ houses. Each Wednesday the community gathers for a meal, bridging the gap between the Palestinian, Israeli and international activists bringing a sense of unity crucial for an effective movement. But things change quickly in the holy land.
Just after dinner and during a lively … Continue reading
International Solidarity Movement
19 February 2010
There was an odd collection of internationals rousing in our media office this morning. We were an eclectic mix of activists from the US, Denmark, France, England, Sweden and Taiwan preparing to head out to various demonstrations across the West Bank. After an early guitar session with fellow volunteers, we waved goodbye and began our journey to the Nabi Salih protest. Although we hadn’t made this journey before, we found the service in Ramallah without much trouble. We were three at this point, Valle, Sweet Prince and Lucy, fresh … Continue reading
22 February 2010
At 9:30am residents of Bil’in village, Palestinian political representatives, and International activists gathered in Bil’in to plant olive trees and almond seeds for 20 farmers who own land besides Israel’s Apartheid Wall. Approximately 200 trees were planted as part of the ongoing popular resistance to the Israeli apartheid wall and settlements. Bil’in has organized weekly and … Continue reading
