The teacher and Popular Committee Member, Majde Mahmoud Za’aqiq is still imprisoned. Za’aqiq was arrested on August 20, 2011 as he was leaving Beit Ommar’s weekly unarmed demonstration. Israeli soldiers pulled Majde and a Spanish solidarity activist, out of their car and placed both under arrest. The accusation of throwing stones, was fabricated. No stones were thrown by any of the non-violent demonstrators.
Read Madje’s story here .

Za’aqiq has been detained for 3 month and is charged for one more month. This is part of the Israeli apartheid strategy to suppress the Palestinian non-violent peace activism. Madje was subjected to a bail of 5500 shekels … Continue reading

On November 15th, 2011, six Palestinian activists were arrested for boarding Israeli settlement buses in the West Bank district of Ramallah. The activists, calling themselves the Freedom Riders, drew inspiration from the 1961 Freedom Rides in the United States, in which young black and white civil rights activists challenged the segregated transportation system across southern states.

Settler buses run by the companies Egged and Veolia, connect Israeli settlements which are built on stolen Palestinian land in the West Bank, and deemed illegal under International Law, with cities within Israel proper. Palestinians are not allowed to ride these buses, one of many separate … Continue reading

Thaer Ahamd Abu Hashem, a 23-year-old Palestinian resident of Beit Ommar was arrested by Israeli Forces on his way back from work at around 12:30pm on November 12th. Thaer was arrested by soldiers near the entrance of the village, near the military watchtower. The main road of Beit Ommar has been closed by the military since yesterday evening, and it has remained shut for almost 36 hours, preventing Palestinian vehicles from entering or leaving the village.

Thaer’s brother, Yousef Ahmad Halil Abu Hashem, was arrested from his home on October 11, 2011. Report here Yousef … Continue reading

At 2:30am on the morning of November 12, 2011, PSP activist Iyad al-Alami was arrested from his residence in Beit Ommar by Israeli Forces.

Iyad is 23-years-old, and is an active member of the National Committee in Beit Ommar, as well as the Palestine Solidarity Project. In recent years, Iyad has been arrested two times before. Eyewitnesses saw 5 jeeps of Israeli soldiers conduct the early morning raid. Iyad was seen blindfolded and handcuffed as he was being led to an army jeep.

Iyad is studying engineering at Hebron’s Polytechnic University. A … Continue reading

Update:
After being arrested from his residence in Beit Ommar by about 100 soldiers 2am on the morning of November 5th, PSP organizer Yousef Abu Maria was released after being interrogated and held for more than 24 hours.

At 2 o’clock this morning PSP committee – and Beit Ommar Popular Committee member, Yousef Abu Maria was arrested from his home. Today the Popular Commiittee of Beit Ommar and PSP arranged their weekly demonstration against the Israeli occupation and dedicated the demonstration to Yousef Abu Maria and the attack on the flotilla.

Residents … Continue reading

Name: Majde Mahmoud Za’aqiq
Marital Status: Divorced
Father of two children
Profession: Teacher
Age: 41 years
Nationality: Palestinian
Address: Beit Ommar
Currently: Detained in Israeli occupation prisons.
Charge: peaceful resistance to the occupation and defense of human rights.

The story of detention started 25/8/2011 – the month of holy Ramadan. Madje was fasting. The day of detention was a Saturday, the day we usually go to protest -non-violent march, against the settlement and the Israeli apartheid wall. Our weapons that … Continue reading

Majde Za’aqiq, a 38-year-old school teacher from Beit Ommar and a long-time member of both the Palestine Solidarity Project and the Center for Freedom and Justice, has been imprisoned by the Israeli Authorities for nearly two months and is currently hunger striking against inhumane prison conditions. The mass hunger strike, now in its third week, has seen the participation of hundreds of Palestinian political prisoners in multiple prisons. The strikers are demanding an improvement in their conditions, including the ending the use of solitary confinement by Israeli Authorities to isolate and break the spirits of the prisoners.

Majde Za’aqiq was arrested on August 20, 2011 as he was … Continue reading

Beit Ommar 14.th October 2011. At about three o’clock in the morning three persons were arrested in a late night millitary raid in Beit Ommar; Abed Helail aged 41, Mohammad Yousef Bahar 17 years old, and Ahmad Mahmoud Sohaibe 20 years old.
No reason was given for the arrests.

Several arrests have occured in Beit Ommar the last few weeks. Report here

Two days ago the soliders arrested Yousef Ahmad Halil Abu Hashem. Report here

The army raids in Beit Ommar have … Continue reading

Beit Ommar 11th October 2011:

Yousef Ahmad Halil Abu Hashem was arrested along with his father, Ahmad Abu Hashem, at 02:30 Tuesday morning in the old city of Beit Ommar. Ahamd Abu Hashem is an active member of the popular committee in Beit Ommar.

The Israeli army came to Ahmad Abu Hashem’s house in the middle of the night with more than a hundred soldiers, seven jeeps and two buses, including three dogs. The soldiers used a ladder to climb the wall, and established a command point on the roof, after having broken open the front door of the house on the ground floor.

All family members were made to lie on the floor, while the soldiers brought in … Continue reading

Sunday 11th September: In the early hours of Sunday morning, at around 2am, Isreali military forces raided several houses in Beit Ommar, firing teargas and throwing concussion grenades.

Three houses were surrounded by dozens of soldiers, who arrested Munib Jahed, 17, university student Nadim Khalil, 21, and Fares Al-Owewy, 25.

All three are being held in Gush Etzion prison, where lawyers were able to visit them yesterday afternoon (Sunday).

All three reported that during their interrogation, they were repeatedly told to sign documents or give statements incriminating local Palestinian organisers, by claiming they encouraged children to throw stones. This is a tactic used repeatedly by the Israeli occupying forces, where children and youths are detained late at night, denied any sleep … Continue reading