On Tuesday July 28th, PSP international and Palestinian activists documented the bulldozing of a new road by the Israeli military between the original Karmei Tsur settlement fence and the newly-constructed “security” fence. When this newer fence was constructed in 2006, residents of Beit Ommar, while attempting to prevent the construction at all, were at least able to guarantee with a decision by the Israeli Supreme Court that the agricultural land that would be trapped between the new “security” fence and the old boundary of Karmei Tsur, which was proven to be private Palestinian land, whould remain the property of the residents of Beit Ommar. … Continue reading

On Sunday at 12:30pm, three internationals, one Israeli and two Palestinians, including the former Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, were arrested in an attempt to block settlers from entering a Palestinian home of the Hijazi family in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. As they were arrested settlers entered the home and began to destroy the house from the inside. At 3:30pm three internationals tried to enter the Palestinian home to stop the destruction and were also put under arrest. A protest in solidarity with the arrestees and against the actions of the settlers was called for at 4pm on Monday…. Continue reading

On Tuesday July 21, 2009, the Beit Ommar Municipality held a meeting with the Palestinian Authority (PA) Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Ismail Da’iq, to present updated information on the recent and ongoing of farmland in the Saffa area of Beit Ommar village, and discuss possible remedies that the PA can provide or assist with. The meeting was one in a series of meetings to assess the impact on farmland and farmers in land in and around the Bethlehem area.

In attendance was Beit Ommar Mayor Nasri Sabarneh, Beit Ommar municipality council members, along with representatives of the Soleiby family whom own affected land in the Saffa area and members of Palestine Solidarity Project. Minister Da’iq, said he … Continue reading

Late Saturday morning, Beit Ommar village residents, along with activists from Israeli organizations Ta’ayush and Anarchists Against the Wall (AATW) and a large group of international activists, including several from Palestine Solidarity Project, entered farmland in the Saffa area in order to challenge the continued illegal use of temporary closed military zone orders in the area. These orders put a financial strain on the farmers whom are often unable to harvest their land, and provide no protection against settler attacks on the land (which the military claims is their reasoning for establishing a permanent presence in the area). … Continue reading

Monday, July 13, 2009, PSP received reports that farmland in Saffa area of Beit Ommar had been set on fire by settlers from neighboring Bat ‘Ayn. Initially, a PSP committee member and the mayor of Beit Ommar went into the valley, owned by Abu Jabber Soleiby, to assess the damage. In the afternoon, when the fire had still not be put out, international activists arrived with a large group of Beit Ommar residents along with media representatives. Fire trucks from Hebron initially could not reach the fire from the Beit Ommar/Saffa side and there were only two tools available to fight the fire, … Continue reading

On Saturday, July 11, 2009, Members of Ta’ayush Movement, along with international supporters, continued their creative protest against a newly-constructed one-room outpost outside the illegal Israeli settlement of Susiya, which is built just above the Palestinian community of Susiya. This week, activists held a picnic next to the outpost, bringing a blanket, watermelon, and other summer foods, informing the Israeli military when they arrived that it was not a demonstration, but merely an outing.
Along with the construction of a “Palestinian outpost” on the land last month, the activists are attempting to bring light to the outrageous bias in Israeli policy; while the picnic was interrupted within … Continue reading

As a close to a week of demonstrations, informational sessions, and visits to various communities in the Betlehem District, the “House of Abraham” group, sponsored by the Lutheran Church of Beit Jala, along with the Beit Jala Prisoners Society and leading muftis throughout Palestine, including the high Mufti of Jerusalem, marched arm in arm through the streets of Beit Jala signifying both their opposition to Israeli Occupation and the need for unity within Palestinian communities. They were followed by drumming scout troops, representatives of the Prisoners Society with banners reading “imprisoning youth is against international law”, and hundreds of youth from summer camps sponsored by the House of Abraham from Hussan, Deheishe Refugee camp, Beit Jala and Beit Ommar. … Continue reading

On Friday, July 10, more than 200 people from the village of Ni’lin and their Israeli and international supporters marched towards the Annexation Barrier, which cuts through the agricultural land of Ni’lin. This week, participants managed to reach the fence itself, and quickly began dismantling it, 5 years after the International Court of Justice declared it illegal under international law. Tear gas was fired at the group but the dismantling continued for some minutes.
Suddenly, from the group of youth throwing stones, 10 undercover Israeli military personnel, dressed as stone-throwers, began arresting people. Two residents … Continue reading

On Tuesday July 7th, Palestinians, Israelis and internationals met at 5pm from both sides of the Annexation fence near Beit Jala and the illegal Israeli settlement of Gilo. The Barrier in this location cuts off residents of Beit Jala from significant portions of their agricultural land. They met with a message of peace, justice and inter-religious tolerance against the occupation. As a gesture of solidarity, each of the religious groups brought symbolic items to exchange with one another through the Barrier. On the Palestinian side of the Annexation Barrier, all participants, including a large German solidarity delegation of approximately 100 members, reached the meeting point next to the fence without any delays or obstacles; the situation on the other … Continue reading

Mohammed “Hamude” Abu Maria, long-time committee member of the Palestine Solidarity Project, was released from Qetziot prison after 8 months of Administrative Detention, where he was held without charge or trial. Hamude was welcomed home Wednesday afternoon by fireworks and dozens of friends and community members, as well as by his three children, 8 year-old Thikra, 5 year-old Qais and 3 year-old Shahed, as well as by his wife, Feryal.

Hamude was the last of three PSP committee members to be arrested and held in Administrative Detention, a tactic used to intimidate and attempt to quell PSP’s anti-occupation work. While PSP continued its struggle throughout the imprisonment of three of its key organizers in the last year, we are … Continue reading