This past Saturday, Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists peacefully demonstrated in Al Walaja protesting the Israeli High Court’s decision to allow the construction of the separation barrier that would annex half of Al Walaja’s land to Israel.

Al Walaja is an agricultural village and most of the families there depend on these fields for their income. The annexation of Al Walaja land will therefore be devastating to its residents.

The demonstrators marched peacefully holding signs condemning the occupation and the apartheid system. Israeli soldiers presented a closed military zone order to the activists, but the order was outdated. They then presented a closed military zone order for August … Continue reading

Demonstrators were assaulted in Beit Ommar today, as Israeli military forces attacked the village’s demonstration against the recent rapid expansion of building work in the illegal Karmei Tsur settlement.

Fifty demonstrators, consisting of local Palestinians, Israelis, and international solidarity activists marched from the village and attempted to protest at the nearby settlement fence. The protest was met by dozens of Israeli soldiers who prevented the Palestinians from marching across their own land. The soldiers proceeded to push numerous demonstrators to the ground. One Israeli had his ID taken by the soldiers and was later arrested, while another Israeli activist was detained. The soldiers then declared the area a Closed Military Zone, … Continue reading

A PSP activist who was arrested during a demonstration organized by the July 8th Welcome to Palestine initiative was released on bail Tuesday, after spending a week in immigrant detention refusing to be deported. While his deportation case may be re-opened, for now Chuck has been released on a $1,300 bond.

Two internationals and three Israelis were arrested and beaten in Beit Ommar today, when fifty demonstrators from the Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP), the Welcome to Palestine campaign, and residents of Beit Ommar convened at the secondary fence around Karmei Tsur settlement to protest the annexation of Beit Ommar land.

Thirty of these international solidarity activists were part of hundreds of internationals who attempted to enter Ben Gurion airport on July 8, declaring that they wished to visit Palestine. Only this small group succeeded in entering Palestine.

As the demonstrators walked towards the fence, Israeli soldiers lined the field and declared the area a closed military zone. After ten minutes, they began … Continue reading

Around 2 pm on 27 June 2011, Yousef Abu Hashem was arrested from the Container checkpoint between Bethlehem and Abu Dis. As of 12 pm on June 28, PSP has no further information about when he will be released or charged. Yousef is the son of Beit Ommar National Committee member Ahmed Abu Maria.

Yousef has been arrested from the same area before. In May 2010, the military invaded Yousef Abu Hashem, 17, suffered complications from severe tear gas inhalation and was taken to the hospital after losing consciousness.

On Nakba Day, 15 May 2011, the Israeli military occupied six houses in Beit Ommar, and Yousef was shot in the leg with … Continue reading

On Saturday June 25, about 50 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists gathered in Beit Ommar to demonstrate against the Israeli Karmei Tsur settlement, which has annexed hundreds of dunams of Palestinian land. As demonstrators attempted to enter land belonging to Beit Ommar farmers, Israeli soldiers announced that the area was a closed military zone and said they would not allow anyone to pass. Several Palestinians and internationals then attempted to circumvent the military blockade. At this point, at least 6 soldiers assaulted Mohammed G., a 22 year old Palestinian man from Surif. During attempts to rescue him from the attacks, two international activists were also arrested. … Continue reading

On Saturday, 18th June 2011, around 50 Palestinian, Israeli, and international demonstrators staged a protest at the Israeli Karmei Tsur settlement. The purpose of the demonstration was to highlight the confiscation and restriction of access to land owned by Palestinian farmers in the village of Beit Ommar. The main contingent of the demonstration was stopped by the Israeli military, preventing access to the Palestinian farmland. A few demonstrators who approached separately were able to place several Palestinian flags atop the fence surrounding the settlement. These demonstrators were detained and escorted back to the area where the rest had been stopped by the military.

… Continue reading

Demonstrations began again this week in Deir Qaddis, a small town in the Ramallah district, against the expansion of the Nili settlement onto village land. Residents, joined by Palestinian activists from nearby Ni’lin and Budrus, as well as Israeli and international solidarity activists, have successfully stopped the bulldozers destroying village lands in successive demonstrations. On Wednesday, June 15, two residents, aged 22 and 24 were shot with live ammunition by Israeli forces who invaded the village following protesters retreating after having stopped the bulldozers for nearly an hour. While a small group of residents and activists sat in front of a bulldozer, Mohammed Amireh, member of … Continue reading

On Saturday, June 11th, roughly 30 activists gathered for a demonstration against Karmei Tsur. The group, comprised of Palestinians, as well as Israeli and international solidarity activists, marched towards the settlement chanting against the occupation. The protesters held posters saying, “Awakening of Consciousness,” and, “No Sound Louder than People’s Sound,” as well as flags from countries around the world that have recognized Palestine’s right to statehood.

As the protest climbed up the hill, a line of soldiers blocked off the road. … 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