This friday Israelis and internationals again joined the people of Al-Walaja in their struggle against the construction of the Annexation Fence on their land. The Israel Occupation Forces have gone to great lengths to prevent these non-violent demonstrations from occuring, including setting up roadblocks all around the village and on at least one occasion claiming that the entire village was a closed military zone. Not to be dissuaded, about 100 people gathered in the small village and marched towards the path of the Fence. Israeli army and border police blocked the march and demonstrators linked arms in a show of peaceful defiance. They then surrounded a military police jeep, … Continue reading

On Friday, August 31, international and Israeli activists joined the people of Um Salamuna in their weekly demonstration against the Annexation Fence being built on their land. This week, the march took a new path, walking up into the land of Hassan, a farmer who will lose most of his land to the illegal settlement of Efrat if the Annexation Fence is completed. This was the first time in over 3 months that Hassan has been able to access his land, which is close to the settlement and on the other side of the where the Fence is being constructed. As demonstrators began walking up into Hassan’s vineyards, the Israeli … Continue reading

The villages of Artas and Al-Walaja, both just outside of Betlehem, have been engaging in almost weekly demonstrations against the construction of the Annexation Fence on their land. Both villages have been steadfast in their resistance, and international and Israeli activists have been standing in solidarity with them. This past week the Israeli Occupation Forces demonstrated just how concerned they are by these weekly non-violent protests. On August 24 internationals and Israelis attempted to go to the weekly demonstration in Al-Walaja. However, just before the entrance to Al-Walaja, which has only one main road, the IOF set up a checkpoint and would not let any internationals or Israelis they … Continue reading

This friday international and Israeli activists joined the people in Al-Walaja, Betlehem district, as they continued their struggle against the construction of the Annexation Barrier on their land. The demonstration began in the street of Al-Walaja, where a sheikh described the current situation in Al-Walaja and the devastating impact the Annexation Barrier will have on their community. After a collective prayer, the demonstrators marched to the land that had recently been bulldozed by the Israeli Occupation Forces. A woman from the community spoke passionately about the role of the international community. In particular, she directed her comments to Christians worldwide. A nearby monastery that was built many years … Continue reading

The struggle against the Annexation Barrier continued in Al-Walaja this Friday. The residents, accompanied by international and Israeli activists and Palestinians from the surrounding area, gathered near the site of the current construction of the illegal Annexation Barrier for Friday prayer. After praying, demonstrators marched peacefully along the construction site. The residents of Al-Walaja will be some of the tens of thousands of Palestinians caught between the Annexation Barrier and the Green (armistice) Line. The case of Al-Walaja is particularly egregious since, because of their location between the Gush Etzion settlement bloc and the ‘Greater Jerusalem’ envelope, they will be completely surrounded by the Barrier which is confiscating much … Continue reading

On Tuesday, August 7, 2007 Palestinian students received their end-of-year exam marks. It was a day for celebration (for some), and consequently an occasion for fireworks. At approximately 1pm in the village of Al-Jab’a, Betlehem district, these celebrations were abruptly ended when Israeli Occupation Forces invaded the village, detained several male residents, and occupied at least 1 home.
Several jeeps and Armoured Personnel Carriers entered the small village of 800 residents where soldiers closed the road near the school and began stopping and questioning residents. They also forced one man to allow them into his home while his family waited outside. When international activists asked why they were … Continue reading

The Betlehem region was the site of two demonstrations against the construction of the Annexation Barrier this friday. International and Israeli activists first joined the residents of Artas in their now weekly demonstration against the construction of a sewage drainage area for the settlement of Efrat and the section of the Annexation Barrier that are being built on Artas’ land. Palestinian, international and Israeli demonstrators marched from the village to the site of the current construction. A small concrete structure has been built on land that less than two months ago was filled with fruit trees. Sewage from the Israeli settlement will now be piped into the valley which … Continue reading

From IMEMC

The owner of the house, Mohammed Hussain, said that soldiers surrounded his home, which is still under construction, forcing everyone away from the house. Army bulldozers then leveled it to the ground. Hussain added that the army gave him no warning of the demolition.

The house in question is located near an illegal Israeli settlement outpost that was built on land stolen from Palestinians from Al-Asakra village.

The Israeli army, as always, stated that the house was built without the necessary permits. Such permits have never been granted by the Israeli state to Palestinians since Israeli occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967. Mr. Hussain stated that this demolition is aimed at forcing him out of his land, so … Continue reading

PSP was honored to be invited to the commemoration of the newly rebuilt home of the Salem family in Al-Walaja. Activists from Holy Land Trust, Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions and others joined the Salem family to rebuild their home for the 3rd time in two years.
Al-Walaja is a village of less than 1,000 refugees near Betlehem. The residents were first displaced in 1948 when half of their village was taken over by Israel. Over the years they have been in constant danger of further displacement, especially in 1967 when another part of their village was annexed as part of ‘East Jerusalem’ … Continue reading

On Friday July 6 about one hundred protesters gathered at Um Salamuna to participate in the ongoing resistance against the Wall, including dozens of internationals and Israelis. After a prayer on amidst the trees, demonstrators marched to the path of the Annexation barrier, lead by singing and cheering. Then about twenty soldiers met the demonstrators at construction site and tried to block the march forward. The soldiers surrounded the demonstrators who continued to loudly chant and tried to push through the line of the Israeli Occupation Forces. The demonstrators then sat down together and a member of the local Popular Committee whose land is being confiscated by Israel spoke … Continue reading