The ruins of Deir Sam’an Castle and the spread of settlements
On 14 November 2019, the IWPS team picked olives in an amazing place under the magnificent and ancient Deir Sam’an Castle, which was a Roman Fortress and a Byzantine Monastery, with the owner of the land Fares al-Dik and his…
Widespread destruction of olive trees in Yasuf village and beyond
When the farmers of Palestinian villages Yasuf and As Sawiya came on Sunday 10th November 2019 to their beautiful olive fields covering the rolling hills of the West Bank’s Salfit region, they walked into their worst nightmare. Parts of more…
Issues with IWPS email
To all applicants- we are having some issues with our application email account. if you have applied to volunteer with us in the last few weeks, please contact us on facebook as we have likley not seen your application. thanks…
Volunteers Needed
Volunteers needed for Palestine olive harvest! Join International Women’s Peace Service (IWPS) in Palestine this autumn! The months of October/November mark the harvest season for olives in Palestine. Whole families take to the fields to bring in the fruit that is…
How Israel Has Destroyed the Olive Harvest
In 2018, as always, IWPS spent September – December supporting Palestinians in Salfit, Northern West Bank, during the olive harvest. As we spent our days picking olives with numerous families across the region, I began to understand that the olive…
Visit historic Deir Istiya!
IWPS met with Saed Zaiden, the Mayor of the town in occupied Palestine where we are based, Deir Istiya. We were shown around the recently renovated hotel in the old city, called the Palace of Abu Hijleh. Construction on the…
Women Fight On Two Fronts
When you first come as an activist to this country it can be hard to find the women among the very active, very welcoming Palestinian activist men. As you come more often, and as you dig a little, women appear,…
Martyr Elias Saleh: Bring Him Home
Yesterday in Salfit, the family and friends of the martyr, Elias Saleh, held a vigil. They demanded that the Israeli Occupation Forces return his body, which they have held for over a month. Israeli actions constitute a direct violation…
Harvesting Olives, Resisting Violence
The olive harvest this year is poor. Maybe because it is one year good, next year not so good-like apples; maybe because there is not enough rain. But olives remain the core of the economy here around Salfit and Nablus. Around Al…
This is Not Extraordinary
UPDATE: THERE HAVE BEEN 3 MORE ATTACKS ON THE VILLAGE OF URIF IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS Today, November 8, we were interrupted on a quiet day of writing and researching by a call from our coordinator. A village near…
Agricultural Resistance: Hakoritna Organic Farm
On Tuesday 13th November 2018, IWPS had the pleasure of visiting the Hakoritna organic farm in Tulkarem, Occupied Palestine. We met with the owner Fayez Taneeb. Hakoritna is trapped between several illegal Israeli industrial settlements and the Israeli apartheid wall. The illegal…
Settlers Invade, Leave Death Threats, in Salfit Village
‘‘Arabs Must Be Deported or Killed”: Settlers Sneak into Town at Night, Vandalise Property in Kufr al-Dik Death threats At around 3.30am on 10th November 2018, a group of 20-25 settlers armed with guns entered the town of Kufr al-Dik, in…
Wadi Qana: the ‘Natural Reserve Zone’ that can only be built on by Zionists.
This morning IWPS joined Riziq – a poet, activist, and farmer from Deir Istiya known by most local Palestinians and internationals in this area – for a walk. We went to a place close to Riziq’s heart, Wadi Qana….
This Close!
This close? Yes, the Bruchin settlement next to our most recent pick was this close. A fence, a tarmac road (constructed by Palestinians) and then settler houses, smart cars in the drives, playgrounds, shutters down. The farmer had…
Resistance at Khan Al-Ahmar
21 October 2018 Resistance at Khan Al-Ahmar is a gloriously organised thing: one hundred or so people are given food, water, coffee, tea, bed and shelter in what was the school playground and buildings. We lie shoulder to shoulder at…
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