On Saturday, March 31, 2012, Palestinian, Israeli and international activists held the weekly demonstration in Beit Ommar, by the fence separating the town from the illegal Karmei Tsur settlement. Karmei Tsur is built on stolen Palestinian land and makes it impossible for the farmers of Beit Ommar to access parts of their land. The settlement is highly secured by military forces and fences. Today’s demonstration was in honor of Land Day, which was yesterday, March 30, and in solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners on hunger strikes.

Israeli soldiers started throwing sound bombs at the demonstrators within the first five minutes of … Continue reading

Today, March 30th, 2012, demonstrations took place all over Palestine commemorating Land Day. On March 30, 1976, thousands of Palestinians gathered to protest Israeli government plans to confiscate 60,000 dunams of Arab-owned land in the Galilee. Israeli forces killed six Palestinians that day, and wounded and jailed hundreds. Palestinians continue to mark this day to protest the ongoing expropriation of Palestinian land.

In Beit Ommar, a peaceful demonstration took place at the entrance of the town, which is located on Route 60. Before reaching the gates of the town, which were closed by the Israeli military to keep people from … Continue reading

On Tuesday, March 27, 2012, PSP activists went to Om Al Kheir in the southern West Bank to meet with the Bedouin living there. They are surrounded by the Karmel settlement, and face daily attacks and injustices from the settlers and the court systems. At night, settlers throw molotov cocktails and stones at the Bedouin’s homes, or shoot into their village, trying to scare them off the land. One man explained that their small tents are their homes, and they have nowhere else to go. Settlers also throw chemicals onto the Palestinian land, which their sheep and goats eat, causing them to die and destroying another source of livelihood. Settlers … Continue reading

On Sunday, March 25, 2012, four international activists from PSP went to Ofer military court to follow up on the eight Beit Ommar youths who were arrested recently. They were warned ahead of time by Israeli activists that the security at Ofer military court tend to do their utmost to keep others from entering. Thus, despite being registered to attend the hearing, the PSP activists were made to wait outside for nearly an hour, missing the entire session.

Going through security, the Israeli security guards asked each person if they spoke Hebrew, then if they spoke Arabic. The first of the internationals to go through was an American woman. She answered the questions, admitting that she spoke no Hebrew, but she … Continue reading

More than 300 Palestinians are now in administrative detention. Administrative detention is arrest and detention of individuals by the state without trial. Within the West Bank any local Commander can issue an administrative detention order, it is valid for six months and can be renewed by the appropriate authority. There is no limit to how many times the administrative detention can be renewed.

Five boys from the popular committee in Beit Ommar are now under administrative detention. Here is a list of the boys in administrative detention and how many times this has been renewed.

Ayman Hussein Za’Qeeq – Administrative detention renewed 3 times.
Iyad Jameel Almy – Administrative detention renewed 3 times.
… Continue reading

“Freedom is more important than our lives.”

The words come from Hana Shalabi, on hunger strike for 38 days.

On Monday, March 19, 2012, there was a demonstration in Hebron in support of her and others in administrative detention.

18th of October 2009 Hana was released after more than two years in administrative detention, connected to the prison exchange (1027 Palestinians for Gilad Shalit).

16th of February this year, 50 soldiers with dogs showed up at her door, arresting her once again, without charge or further explanation.

She went on hunger strike immediately, in protest against the violent and chargeless arrest. After one week her lawyers received a court order … Continue reading

On Saturday, March 24, 2012, Palestinian, Israeli and international activists held a demonstration in Beit Ommar against the Karmei Tsur settlement. Karmei Tsur is built on stolen Palestinian land and makes it impossible for the farmers of Beit Ommar to access parts of their land. The settlement is highly secured by military forces and fences. Today’s demonstration was against the settlement, and against any further encroachments on Palestinian land. It also marked the 38th day of Hana Shalabi’s hunger strike in protest of her administrative detention. Additionally, demonstrators protested the recent arrests of 8 minors from Beit Ommar, to be followed up in Ofer … Continue reading

On Thursday, March 22, 2012, PSP activists joined the families and supporters of the children who were killed in a school bus accident last month, on February 16, 2012, outside of Ramallah. Leila Ghannam, the governor of Ramallah, was also in attendance to show her support. Six children, between the ages of four and six, were killed in the crash, along with a schoolteacher, after a truck collided with the school bus in poor weather conditions. At the time of the accident, the bus caught fire and Palestinians who had been driving by stopped to try to put out the fire with small fire extinguishers. According to witnesses, Israeli soldiers … Continue reading

On March 17th, 2012, about 30 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists marched towards the fence surrounding the Karmei Tsur settlement near Beit Ommar, as part of the Beit Ommar Popular Committee’s weekly peaceful demonstration. Karmei Tsur settlement was built on land stolen from Palestinian farmers. Many of the residents of Beit Ommar can no longer access their land due to the fence and the settlement, which is illegal under the 4th Geneva Convention. We, the demonstrators, were met by more than sixty armed Israeli soldiers, who pushed us on rocky terrain to force us back.

The march was also in solidarity with Hana Shalabi, on the 31st day of her … Continue reading

On Wednesday, March 14th, 2012, activists from Palestine Solidarity Project planted 50 olive and almond trees in Jabal Al-Sandab, in the south Hebron hills. The land belongs to Yusri Al-Jamal, and the planting of olive and almond trees allows him to protect his land from settlers and soldiers by laying claim to it. When land is not being cultivated, it is easier for Israeli occupation forces to confiscate it.

Jabal Al-Sandab is near the Hagai settlement. Some of the people who live in this settlement moved directly there from Gaza when the settlements there were dismantled in 2005. We fully expected our farming activity to be … Continue reading