Israeli forces closed down the northern section of Hebron on Saturday, declaring the entire half of the city a “closed military zone” as soldiers occupied five houses and forced shop owners, at gunpoint, to close early.

“No sooner had Israeli soldiers handed me a warrant saying that military forces planned to occupy my home did 20 soldiers storm the house,” said 42-year-old Bassam Al-Ja’abary, whose home was one of the five taken over by Israeli soldiers.

“Then they climbed up to the roof and prevented my family from leaving,” he added.

His and the other four houses are located in the Wadi An-Nasara neighborhood, close to the home of the Rajabi family home, which Jewish settlers occupied in March 2007.

Other homes belong to … Continue reading

from the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign. For the original report, click here

A massive demonstration was held in Jayyous Friday to protest the rerouting of the Wall and the permanent isolation of 5,582 dunums of village land for the expansion of Zufim settlement. Villagers destroyed sections of the Wall, sparking confrontations with the Occupation military and the invasion of the village.

Following the Friday prayer, more than 500 protesters advanced on the Wall’s gate in the south of the village. The army was not present, and villagers proceeded to destroy the gate and the surrounding Wall.

Occupation forces arrived on the scene after the Wall was destroyed, firing on the crowd with tear gas and sound bombs as well as rubber bullets. … Continue reading

Jayyous, a small village in the Qalqilya district, was the first village to incorporate international and Israeli volunteers and organize a planned, non-violent resistance to the construction of the Annexation Barrier on their land, back in 2002. Now, years after their original resistance, which did not succeed in preventing the construction of the Fence and destruction of hundreds of olive trees, residents are still committed to resisting any further destruction of their land.

When the Barrier was finished in their area, residents of Jayyous were cut off from almost 90% of their agricultural land, with access only via a gate and a set of convoluted permit restrictions imposed by the Israeli Occupation Forces. … Continue reading

Since at least the 9th of November, the Israeli Occupation Forces have prevented journalists from entering the Gaza strip, and have encouraged journalists in the region to leave. A more than week-long ban makes the current blackout unprecedented in Gaza, and has led international press organizations to condemn the Israeli government’s relatively successful attempts to prevent information on the situation in Gaza from reaching international audiences. This comes during a week when 4 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air strikes, IOF bulldozers have returned to the Southern Gaza Strip and have been razing agricultural lands and 70% of Palestinians have been left without any electricity.
Representatives of the United Nations and the European Union have said that the … Continue reading

From Maan News Agency

A Palestinian and four internationals were taken into Israeli police custody at a protest in East Jerusalem on Wednesday, according to a statement.

The five were demonstrating against the demolition of a Palestinian family’s home in Sheikh Jarrah, an East Jerusalem neighborhood, where the house was demolished by Israeli forces on 9 November. The home, which belonged to the Al-Kurd family, was built on private Palestinian property, the statement claimed.

Later on Wednesday afternoon, all five protestors were released without charges. Aside from the one Palestinian seized by Israeli police forces, two of the jailed protestors are from Denmark, one is British and another is from Sweden. All five were temporarily jailed in the Israeli “Russian Compound” prison in … Continue reading

For the original article click here

The United Nations’ highest-ranking human rights officer urged Israel to end its blockade of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

“By function of this blockade, 1.5 million Palestinian men, women and children have been forcibly deprived of their most basic human rights for months,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay in a statement.

Pillay said the blockade is illegal under international human rights and humanitarian law, and “must end now.”

According to UN officials in Gaza, Israel has allowed virtually no supplies of food, fuel or medicine into Gaza since 4 November. The siege has caused widespread blackouts and forced UNRWA, the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, to suspend a food program that serves 750,000 … Continue reading

On November 9th at approximately 10pm Israeli Occupation Forces along with members of the Israeli intelligence services (“Shabak”) invaded the home of Mohammed Abu Maria (known as Hamuda), a long-time member and coordinator of Palestine Solidarity Project. He was not at home though his wife and three small children were. The Shabak agenst informed Mohammed’s wife that they “knew” he was in Beit Ommar and that they would wait for him at his home. Fearing that they would damage the home, and also knowing that Mohammed’s wife has health problems that are greatly increased by stress, a fellow PSP member and neighbor called Mohammed and told him that Shabak was at his home. Shabak at the … Continue reading

From the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights in Gaza City

The Israeli Occupation Forces continue to blackmail the Palestinian patients who need to travel for treatment in Israeli hospitals or Palestinian hospitals in the West Bank. They seek to travel outside Gaza due to the deteriorating conditions of the Palestinian health system, which is unable to deal with their critical medical conditions. Such practices of the IOF continue on a semi-regular basis amidst the ongoing, tight siege imposed on the Gaza Strip and the continued silence of the international community.

According to Al Mezan field investigations, Khalid Abu Shammala, 38, passed away on Tuesday morning, 28 October 2008, after he was denied access to a hospital. The IOF at Erez … Continue reading

After technical difficulties for the last month, our website is (finally!) back online. Please take a moment to read the following 5 reports from the month of October and beginning of November, particularly the report dated October 11 which recounts the two-day invasion of Beit Ommar. A video of those two days will be edited and on our youtube site shortly!

Throughout the month of October the resistance in Ni’lin has continued unabated, with demonstrations often several days a week, the residents of Ni’lin, accompanied by Israeli and international supporters have continued to be successful in at least delaying the construction of the Annexation Barrier, which if completed on its planned path, would confiscate 90% of Ni’lin’s agricultural land.
Using a variety of techniques, including throwing stones symbolically at the bulldozers tearing up the olive trees of Ni’lin, blocking the path of jeeps and bulldozers with rocks, and cutting open any structure that the Israeli Occupation Forces put up to protect the construction of the illegal barrier, the Palestinians of Ni’lin have continued to demonstrate … Continue reading