After a long day in the Israeli Supreme Court, 3 judges decided that Mousa Abu Maria, co-founder of Palestine Solidarity Project, would remain in administrative detention and that no review of the secret evidence against him was required. The court refused to hear a major part of advocate Gaby Lasky’s argument, namely, that the procedures for appeal of administrative detention in place now by the Israeli Occupation Forces are not in line with the Fourth Geneva Conventions and international law. After less than 15 minutes of presentation of Mousa’s case the court was emptied while the prosecution, aided by secret ‘evidence’ and members of Israeli intelligence service (Shabak) presented to the … Continue reading

At approximately 3:30pm Saturday, July 26, dozens of soldiers entered Beit Ommar on foot, followed by several jeeps and large Armored Personnel Carriers (APC’s). They took up several positions around the main mosque and began shooting at residents and homes indiscriminately. They almost immediately began using live ammunition, though they also shot tear gas, percussion grenades, and rubber-coated steel bullets. They were also found using plastic-coated steel bullets which are round steel balls covered in plastic a millimeter thick and shot in a spray which have been outlawed internationally. At approximately 5pm a young man, age 20, was shot through both of his arms with live ammunition. He … Continue reading

Two men, Mohammed Awwad, 21, and Mahmoud Awwad, 18 were both treated in al-Ahli hospital in Al-Khalil (Hebron) after being shot during an invasion on Wednesday, July 23. Mohammed was originally reported as having been shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet at close range but after treatment in the hospital it was determined that in fact he had been shot with a dum dum bullet, the use of which against civilians has been outlawed internationally because of the severe damage they cause. Dum Dum bullets are designed to break apart after impact, pieces of which travel through the body, lodging themselves in various places … Continue reading

On Friday at approximately 6pm soldiers from the Israeli Occupation Forces began another of their “training” sessions in Beit Ommar, with units of soldiers coming from three sides and surrounding the village. Once again, there was no clear purpose to the exercise, apart from antagonizing the residents and terrifying children. An international volunteer, along with a Palestinian committee member of PSP both walked into the entrance to the village and began taking pictures of soldiers at the entrance, near the military watchtower. A soldier came out of the watchtower and began shouting at the international that it was forbidden for him to take pictures. The two activists continued walking … Continue reading

Soldiers with the Israeli Occupation Forces first arrived in Beit Ommar on Wednesday, July 23, in the morning, creating a checkpoint at the entrance to the village and checking every Palestinian’s ID as they went in or out. They did not seem to be looking for anyone in particular, but rather continuing on their increasingly invasive campaign of harassment which took another turn earlier this week when a curfew was announced in the middle of the afternoon, only to be lifted a few hours later after homes were invaded and copious amounts of tear gas shot. On Wednesday, events turned even worse. After a few hours when the soldiers seemed … Continue reading

For three of the past four nights soldiers have entered Beit Ommar en masse, entering many homes and shooting live ammunition. It began at 2 am Thursday morning when five jeeps entered the village and fired volleys of live ammunition into the air. Over bullhorns, they declared a curfew, forbidding anyone from leaving their homes. They then spent over an hour driving through the village, seemingly just taunting the residents. No arrests were made and there was not even the premise of looking for “wanted” individuals; soldiers did not enter any homes but seemed content to impose their control over the village arbitrarily. The next evening was even more intrusive.

Beginning at approximately 10 pm Thursday … Continue reading

The Israeli military has been slowly escalating its intimidation tactics in Beit Ommar in the last three days, often patrolling the streets at sundown, provoking youth by parking outside of the mosque and waiting for young boys to come and throw stones before shooting tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. The increasing terrorization of the village culminated last night at approximately 9:30 pm when a 17 year old boy, Mohammed Anwar Al-Alami, was shot in the heart and killed.

Soldiers first entered Beit Ommar yesterday at 4pm and began slowly circling the village, often stopping in the center of town, shooting a few tear gas canisters, but otherwise staying in their … Continue reading

At about midnight on Thursday, June 19th, Israeli soldiers invaded a Red Crescent Society building in Beit Ommar. The building is used as a temporary clinic and ambulance dispatch center on the main road between Hebron and Betlehem. When community members and PSP volunteers arrived at the site the following afternoon, they found the building had been trashed.
The Soldiers had broken the front door handle and shot bullets through the front door window. The metal grate was torn off the back window, the windows were ripped from their frames, and the glass panes were shattered. Inside, shards of glass were strewn across the floor of the back room. … Continue reading

On April 11 Mousa Abu Maria, a dedicated peace with justice activist and co-founder of the Palestine Solidarity Project, an organization committed to challenging the Occupation using non-violent direct action and promoting Palestinian self-sufficiency, was arrested by Israeli forces. Like nearly 1000 other Palestinians in Administrative Detention, Mousa is being held without charge or trial in Israeli prison. His case has garnered support from around the world including hundreds of letters written on his behalf, generous donations to his legal defense fund and solidarity actions.

On May 29th Mousa’s lawyer Adv. Gaby Lasky appealed for his release to the military court but the appeal was rejected. In his decision the military … Continue reading