Today 5 internationals and 6 Israelis joined Palestinians to stop the bulldozing on the land of Um Salamuna near the village of Wadi an-Nis. The internationals and Israelis along with 2 Palestinians from PSP climbed on top of a Caterpillar bulldozer when it was stopped for a break. For over 2 hours Israeli and International activists prevented that bulldozer from working. Another bulldozer was stopped when Palestinian, international and Israeli activists stood in front of it for some time.

After 2 hours, 10 soldiers from the Israeli Occupation Forces along with Israeli Military Police and the private security for the bulldozers pulled the international … Continue reading

Over 40 Palestinians from Um Salamuna and Wadi An Nis, joined by PSP Palestinian and international activists, gathered yesterday to resist the bulldozing of their land by the Israeli Occupation Forces in preparation for the Annexation Wall. A group made up of mostly older men and women non-violently blocked three bulldozers from uprooting their olive groves. The IOF used extreme force, beating men and women with rifle butts and wooden and metal batons to move them away from the bulldozers.

The head of the city council, Mahmoud Takatka and his son, Rashid Mahmoud Takatka, were arrested for attempting to stop the bulldozers from destroying their family’s grove. Rashid was badly beaten … Continue reading

Today, Israeli Ocupation Forces erected a roadblock on one of the main roads to the cemetery in Beit Ommar, cutting off a section of the village from entering it. When the people of Beit Ommar approached the soldiers to ask for an explanation for the roadblock, they were told it was for “security”. This road ends at the cemetery and has no outlet onto the nearby settler road; it is an internal roadblock, only cutting off one section of the village from the other. When people of Beit Ommar continued to ask for an explanation, the soldiers used tear gas, rubber and plastic bullets and sound grenades to force the … Continue reading

This morning when residents of Um Salamuna went out to work their land, they were greeted by soldiers from the Israeli Occupation Forces who informed them that they would not be allowed on their land today because Israeli engineers had to survey it and mark the path for the pending construction of the Wall. Two engineers, accompanied by six soldiers and two private security guards tramped through the family’s grape orchard marking the Wall’s proposed path with blue spray-paint.

The residents of Um Salamuna had a pending court case in the Israeli Supreme Court contesting the path of The Wall. The IOF was ordered not to commence any work on … Continue reading

Today around 1pm the Israeli Occupation Forces, including at least four jeeps and 20 soldiers, once again invaded Beit Ommar. As was the case on Wednesday, soldiers approached people as they were leaving the cemetery. For about three hours, the IOF shot tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at the crowd, mainly youth. Wael Al Ja’ar, age 25, was shot in the shoulder with a rubber-coated steel bullet and taken by ambulance to the hospital in Hebron. Ambulance drivers had to negotiate with the IOF to get through, as two army jeeps were blocking the village’s exit. This is the third time in the past week that the … Continue reading

Yesterday, at approximately 2:30pm the Israel Occupation Forces came to the Um Al-Kher, near Carmiel settlement, and demolished 4 homes, as part of a string of home demolitions in the wider Yatta region. The residents of Um Al-Kher have lived on the land in permanent and semi-permanent homes for centuries. Recently, the Carmiel settlement was built on their land and a program of displacement of the Palestinian residents began. Yesterday, two bulldozers were accompanied by over 50 soldiers and additional private security. International activists from PSP and Israeli activists from Ta’ayush joined the Palestinian residents as they resisted the bulldozing. First, they blockaded themselves into the homes with the residents. Then, after … Continue reading

Today, internationals and Palestinians from PSP and Israelis from Rabbis for Human Rights joined Abu Jabber Soleiby in planting nearly 150 olive trees on his land in Beit Ommar. The Soleiby family owns hundreds of dunums of agricultural land near the Beit ‘Ain settlement and have been the victims of some of the most extreme settler violence in the area. Approximately six weeks ago settlers from the Beit ‘Ain settlement cracked open the skull of Abu Jabber’s brother as he sat in his fields on a break from pruning his olive trees. Today was the first day since the assault that he returned to his land.

The Soleiby family has lost … Continue reading

Yesterday, for the second time this week the Israeli Occupation Forces invaded Beit Ommar after a funeral of two men who passed away the night before. After the funeral procession to the cemetary, which is near the entrance to Beit Ommar, the Israeli Army followed the people into Beit Ommar and attacked them by firing tear gas and shooting live ammunition.

Another child, Kamil Mohamed Awad, age 11, was shot with a dumdum bullet in his upper arm. Because dumdum bullets are designed to break apart upon impact to inflict … Continue reading

After prayer today at approximately 11:30, residents of Beit Ommar held a non-violent demonstration against the Israeli construction work that is threatening the structure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. There were similar demonstrations across the West Bank today in what has become a growing movement protesting Israeli excavation of the holy site. At least three Humvees and four jeeps of the Israeli Occupation Forces invaded the village and attacked the demonstrators without provocation. For six hours, the IOF shot large amounts of teargas, Rubber-coated steel bullets, and live ammunition at youth.

They stopped Palestinians in their cars in the street and used the cars, with … Continue reading

Demonstrations continued today in Gaza City, including a teachers’ organization and youth demanding an end to the clashes between Fateh and Hamas. Demonstrators carried signs telling the fighters to put their weapons aside and look to the Israeli Occupation as the true cause of people’s suffering. Young people called for the end to Palestinian-on-Palestinian violence. Both the Fateh and Hamas political factions and other worker unions and organizations were represented in the demonstration. Civil workers, including teachers, have not been paid in over a year, since Hamas was democratically elected and Europe and America cut off aide to the Palestinian Authority, yet they still support a unity government including Hamas.