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

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

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

At least 2 were injured and hundreds suffered tear gas inhalation following the conclusion of the Palestine Popular Resistance Conference in the village of Budrus, in the northern West Bank. The conference brought together over a thousand Palestinians along with international and Israeli supporters over three days to discuss the state of the popular resistance in Palestine, concluding with a large protest against the Annexation Barrier in Budrus.

Large crowds listened to speakers and attended workshops in the villages of Beit Ommar, Ni’lin, and Budrus. Palestinians debated the merits of the resistance and asked questions of political leaders in open forums. Workshops were given on topics ranging from the growing … 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

By Max Suchan

In the past few months, my family and friends keep asking me why I am participating in the Freedom Flotilla as a passenger on the US boat, the Audacity of Hope. As part of this initiative, 40 of us have gathered in Athens in the hope of sailing towards Gaza in the coming days to challenge the Israeli naval blockade. We will join ten boats in international waters consisting of hundreds of passengers from 22 countries around the world. This second Freedom Flotilla comes a little over a year after Israeli commandos killed eight Turkish and one Turkish-American activist as they were attempting to deliver humanitarian aid on-board the Mavi Marmara when the ship … Continue reading

Article from Ma’an News Agency
Picture from The Jerusalem Post

Rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah reached an “understanding” in Cairo on Wednesday to set up a transitional unity government and hold elections, Hamas and Fatah sources said.

Hamas leader Izzat Ar-Rishiq confirmed the initial agreement. Ar-Rishiq said Cairo will call all factions to sign the final reconciliation within the week with the presence of Mahmoud Abbas and Khalid Mash’al.

Egypt’s official MENA news agency said the factions “reached a complete understanding after talks on all the points, including the formation of a transitional government with a specific mandate and setting a date for elections.”

Egypt will now call a meeting of all … Continue reading

The Palestine Solidarity Project strongly condemns the murder of international solidarity activist Vittorio Arrigoni. Arrigoni was an inspiring activist, and his murder is a crime against humanity and against the Palestinian people. It is the position of the Palestine Solidarity Project that his murder, and the murder of the Juliano Mer-Khamis 11 days earlier, serve the interests of the Israeli occupation. Those that executed these murders have allied themselves with the occupation, and against freedom and justice for all people.

Article from Ma’an News Agency
Picture from International Solidarity Movement

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Ministry of Interior in Gaza said early Friday that an abducted Italian solidarity activist was found dead hours after being kidnapped by radical Islamists.

The government in Gaza “condemns the heinous crime that does not reflect our values, our religion or our customs and traditions,” a statement from the ministry said vowing to hunt down those responsible.

Local sources told Ma’an that Vittorio Arrigoni’s body was found in an empty home northwest of Gaza City in the Mashrou Amer area.

In a statement, the Hamas government press office said Arrigoni “was found by security hanging in an abandoned house … Continue reading