Friday September 30. : Residents of Beit Ommar demonstrated against recent received land confiscation orders. 800 dumums of Beit Ommar and Shwoukh land will be taken by the Israelies for a 8km bypass road, starting from Gush Etzion. The settlers have already built a watch tower on a hill top in the area – the first step to establish a new settlement. The road to the planned settlement on Halhoul land will go through Beit Ommar and Shwoukh land and join in on the route 60 by Halhoul.

The demonstrators in Beit Ommar marched from … Continue reading

Lessons in English are now given at the Center for Freedom and Justice in Beit Ommar four days a week, Monday – Thursday.

At the moment there are classes on three different levels -beginners, intermediate and more advanced.

Center for Freedom and Justice aims to give lessons according to the students needs and wishes. Some of the students like to practice conversation, while others want to improve their grammar. International volunteers serve students in a broad specter of ages. At the moment our students range from teenagers to adults in their … Continue reading

RAMALLAH, West Bank—The Palestinian bid for United Nations statehood, whatever its outcome, is already helping reshape Palestinian attitudes to expect less of negotiations—which most feel have failed to deliver after nearly two decades—and embrace a more confrontational stance toward Israel.

That could mean challenging Israel using boycotts, demonstrations and international diplomatic forums more aggressively—ideas that are gaining currency among young Palestinians. In a year when peaceful demonstrations have radically altered the political landscape of the Arab world, they increasingly embrace notions of nonviolent resistance.

Still, many observers say that tensions are building in the Palestinian areas—especially in the West Bank, where Jewish settlements continue to grow and chafe against Palestinian communities. Even peaceful confrontations, they worry, could escalate and set off another … Continue reading

Berlin, Germany, 22nd September 2011: Palestinian residents of Berlin, alongside German solidarity activists and Members of Parliament, demonstrated in the center of the German capital in support of the Palestinian struggle.

Demonstrators gathered outside the German parliament to hear speeches in support of the Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN. Speakers also called for a campaign of boycott, disinvestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, for an end to the occupation and the seige on Gaza, and in support of the Palestinian popular struggle.

Among the participents at the demonstration was member of the Beit Ommar popular committee and PSP co-founder Mousa … Continue reading

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1) WHY ARE YOU INSISTING ON GOING TO THE UN IN SEPTEMBER?
Palestinians want to go to the UN in order to get international recognition for their future – a Palestinian State – and to legitimize Palestinian claims for freedom, independence and statehood.

2) WILL THE UN HELP IN MATERIALIZING THOSE GOALS?
The majority of countries in the world support Palestinian statehood. The goal is to abolish the four and half decades of Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territories. Gaining staehood would open open up several new avenues for Palestine to pursue and end to the occupation and denial of human rights, such as the ICJ.

3) CAN YOU IDENTIFY THOSE … Continue reading

On 6th September, at 11:00 am, a group of Israeli soldiers and police attacked a group of fifteen local farmers who were selling local fruits at the entrance to Beit Ommar village, on the Route 60 highway. The soldiers then proceeded to confiscate and destroy 15 large stalls of the locals’ produce (consisting of tomatoes, plums, grapes and peaches) without citing any reason or justification. Farmers estimated the cost of the damage at around $10,000. More worrying for the vendors is the possibility that Israel intends to permanently prevent them from selling their fruit on Route 60, the main highway connecting Jerusalem … Continue reading

More evidence has emerged this week that Israel and its settlers are preparing to use extreme violence in response to peaceful Palestinian protests this Septemeber.

The International Middle East Media Center reports that extreme right-wing settler groups have prepared plans to attack peaceful Palestinian protests following the UN vote on statehood in Septemeber (original article here). In a chilling echo of the Israeli rhetoric used before the Cast Lead attacks on Gaza in 2008, an eight-page document urges settlers to “transform September from a threat to a historic opportunity to change the rules of the game”.

In this document, the settlers themselves acknowledge that the demonstrations are likely … Continue reading

On Friday, June 10, about 40 people gathered for the first of what will become regular, weekly demonstrations in At-Twani, a small Palestinian community south of Hebron. Protesters marched through town towards the nearby settlement of Ma’on, often a source of settler violence and harassment. Before they could get there, they were stopped by a group of about twenty Israeli soldiers. The army refused to let the demonstration pass. Protesters and soldiers argued for about ten minutes. Then the military grabbed a member of At-Twani’s Popular committee and an Israeli activist and pushing the rest of the activists back. One soldier threw a sound … Continue reading

Thursday, March 10th, 2011, 7am: Responding to an international call to action, Palestinian solidarity activists in Chicago renamed street signs on downtown street corners commemorating a Palestinian youth killed two years ago by the Israeli military. The activists used ladders just as morning rush hour commuters were starting to arrive in Chicago’s loop, and replaced street signs that read “Honorary Ben Gurion Way” with “Honorary Mehdi Abu Ayyash Way.”

According to the activists, David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, was responsible for drafting policy which intentionally drove Palestinians from their homes and disallowed them from returning. The activists also gave out … Continue reading

Throughout the week supporters around the world honored Yousef Ikhlayl, shot and killed on January 28 by settlers from the Bat Ayn settlement. Demonstrators in Jaffa and San Francisco carried signs with pictures of Yousef and handed out fliers explaining what had happened to him. Protesters in Chicago dropped a banner in his honor, and The Palestine Solidarity Campaing in Scottland honored Yousef at their annual conference. In Santa Fe, a presentation on Yousef drew over 150 participants.

Yousef Ikhlayl was shot and killed Friday, January 28, when 100 settlers from the … Continue reading