Greetings from Occupied Palestine.

As many know, Israel was forced to agree to a ceasefire with the resistance in Gaza on Friday. Reports from Palestinian and international human rights organizations say that in the 8 day offensive, 173 Palestinians were killed, at least 67% of which were civilians. Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers, 1 in Nabi saleh, Ramallah District and 1 in Hebron City, at unarmed demonstrations in the West Bank in support of Gaza. A baby also died as a result of the Israeli invasion of his village in Ramallah District.

Palestine Solidarity Project tried to keep people updated on Gaza news as it came out via twitter. We will be compiling those tweets into a … Continue reading

Residents of Beit Ommar have held ongoing spontaneous protests against Israel’s attack on Gaza, which many are calling a massacre. Yesterday, one man, Khaled Abu Ayyesh, 20, was arrested yesterday by Israeli forces. Another, Moyasir Abu Maria, was shot from less than 3 meters away with a tear gas canister in his torso. He is in serious condition in a hospital in Hebron. Overnight, Israeli forces invaded Beit Ommar, entering homes and arresting young men. Three men, Yousef Abu Maria, 19, son of Popular Committee member Ahmed Abu Maria, Mohammed Awad, and Yousef Alami were arrested from their homes.

When the Israeli military invaded the home of brothers Mohammed Awad and Hamada Awad, they … Continue reading

Today, a coalition of activists in Beit Ommar including the Center for Freedom and Justice, Palestine Solidarity Project, members of the Popular Committee and a new youth group Youth Power of Palestine (find them on facebook) organized an emergency demonstration in Beit Ommar in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Over 100 people, all Palestinian, marched from the center of town to the Israeli military watch tower at the entrance to the town. They were met by a large Israeli military force which shot tear gas, sound grenades, and rubber-coated steel bullets at the demonstration. For over 2 hours, the group stayed near the entrance to the village, protesting Israeli aggression and occupation. Israeli soldiers … Continue reading

Israel has been bombing Gaza from the air, sea, and ground since yesterday. This is an escalation from it’s usual sporadic attack on the fenced-in enclave. Since reports are being updated by the minute, we suggest you follow several people covering the issue from Gaza and outside on twitter for the most up-to-date information (see suggested people to follow below).

Pictures of several different areas, including from Gaza, are available at: flickr.com/photos/activestills

A timeline of the last week is available here:

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/how-israel-shattered-gaza-truce-leading-escalating-death-and-tragedy-timeline

People tweeting from Gaza are:
@shahdabusalama
@annepaq
@gazanism
@myfreepal
@harryfear
@ranagaza

For information on solidarity actions in the West Bank and ’48, follow:
@linahalsaafin
@beesanram
@angrywhitekid
@abirkopty
@maathmusleh

For Israelis organizing protests, follow:
@leehee_r

Please note PSP does not necessarily endorse all of the tweets produced by these individuals.

Palestine Solidarity Project’s Co-Founder is … Continue reading

An Israeli court rejected on Tuesday, the 28th of August, accusations of negligence over the 2003 killing of American activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer in the Gaza Strip.

Corrie’s family filed the lawsuit in the northern Israeli city of Haifa in 2005, accusing Israel of intentionally and unlawfully killing their 23-year-old daughter and failing to conduct a full and credible investigation.

In a lengthy ruling read out to the court, the judge said the state was not responsible for any “damages caused” as they had occurred during what he termed war-time actions. He called Corrie’s death a “regrettable accident”.

“I reject the suit,” the … 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

Activists in the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh in the West Bank and the city of Chicago in the United States commemorated the third anniversary of the three week Israeli massacre of Palestinians in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead.

On Friday, December 30th, 2011, several dozen Palestinians in Nabli Saleh, supported by Israeli and international solidarity activists, demonstrated during the villages’ weekly protest. This week the activists released hundreds of black balloons with the names of Palestinian children killed in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. Several Palestinian and international activists were arrested by Israeli Forces, and soldiers shot tear gas into the crowd … Continue reading

20th August – Residents of Beit Ommar, supported by Israeli and international activists, gathered for a peaceful demonstration in solidarity with Gaza, following the recent Israeli airstrikes there which killed 14 people, including 13 year old Mahmoud Abu Samara.

As the demonstration attempted to march through Beit Ommar fields towards the illegal settlement of Karmei Tsur, the Israeli military responded with extreme violence. Live ammunition was fired at protestors, and concussion grenades were thrown, setting fire to the surrounding grass.

Soldiers arrested a total of five demonstrators, including Yousef Abu Maria, a member … Continue reading

This week has seen the killing of yet more Gazans at the hands of the Israeli military, as the brutal seige imposed on over one and a half million people continues.

While the world busily talks about the UN general assembly in September, the situation on the ground deteriorates, as Israeli escalates its attacks on towns in the West Bank and Gaza.

In the latest Israeli attack, apache helicopters fired rockets into densely populated areas of Gaza, killing 14 people, including 13 year old Mahmoud Abu Samara (pictured above).

We would like to extend solidarity to Gaza and its children, who live in constant fear of such attacks.

… Continue reading

Earlier this evening the U.S. Boat to Gaza, The Audacity of Hope, was prevented from sailing into the Mediterranean Sea by the Greek Coast Guard.

PSP activist from Chicago Max “Jeff” Suchan sent the following message at 9:30pm Palestine time:

As we tried to leave the port of Athens on the Audacity of Hope, we were blocked by the Greek coast guard and after a standoff, we have been ordered to dock in what has been called a military area of the port. No one is allowed off the boat and it is unclear whether we are currently being detained.

The U.S. Boat to Gaza is calling on supporters to contact their local Greek Embassies and demand that the Audacity of … Continue reading