• God Bless Our Home

    A Calm Day in Gaza by Ed Mast We sit on the floor of a pleasantly-colored cinderblock apartment, one of a row of buildings painted in bright Santa Fe colors, in Rafah near the south end of the Gaza Strip. There are rugs on the floor and the ubiquitous pads that serve as beds by…

  • Letter from Mawasi

    from Carla Mawasi is a village on the coast side of Rafah (in the Gaza Strip) that is surrounded by settlements and guarded by a checkpoint that has not allowed a Palestinian through in 2 years. The villagers survive on whatever they themselves grow. No food or medicine has been allowed though for these 2…

  • Palestinian Bingo

    by Linda Bevis On Dec. 23, several ISM members visited the area where the Israeli forces (IDF) had blocked the road joining the city of Nablus with three outlying villages: Azmut, Salem, and Deir al-Khatab. Besides blocking at least two access roads to Nablus, the army has dug a large, steep moat to keep people…

  • Cracking Bullets, Whizzing Bullets

    by Ed Mast When bullets are fired from two hundred yards away, they make several different sounds. There is always the reverberating report of the weapon being fired. Sometimes there is a buzzing whizz if the bullet passes close enough. If the bullet hits the ground nearby, there is a sharp splat of exploding dirt.…

  • Lutfiyeh, Hurriyeh

    by Ed Mast We spent last night with Lutfiyeh and family in Ramallah. Linda and Lutfiyeh are sisters of the heart, and it’s a deep pleasure to watch the joy that Linda’s simple presence brings to Lutfiyeh’s grim weary life. Husband Mahmoud is gracious and gentle as ever, limping slightly on a wounded toe. Soldiers,…