Thousands of Settlers from Near and Far in Occupied Al-Khalil
The weekend of 25th and 26th of November 2016 in Al-Khalil, which Israel calls Hebron, brought thousands of extremist Jews and settlers from all over Israel and abroad to celebrate the week’s Torah study on Chayei Sara (Life of Sarah),…
Umm al-Hiran, a village off the maps
Umm al-Hiran is a Bedouin village in the Negev desert in southern Israel. The village is surrounded by open landscape, the only structures in sight line. About fifteen minute drive away is a small city called Hura, where the children…
Nabi Saleh Conference: Family trauma under occupation
This is the last of our reports from the Nabi Saleh Conference 11-12 November 2016. The last day saw the presentation of portraits of people who had been killed by Israeli Forces, or by settlers. They had been painted by…
A note on BDS from “Occupation: The enemy of religions and humanity”
This is another report from the two-day conference in Nabi Saleh “Occupation, the enemy of humanity and religions”. The second day began with a very good introduction to the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement by Jamal Juma from Stop…
Conference notes from “Occupation: The Enemy of Religions and Humanity”
November 11 and 12, 2016 the village of Nabi Saleh launched of a 2-day conference to discuss the resistance to the Israeli occupation. With the theme “Occupation: the Enemy of Humanity and Religions” speakers from Palestine, Europe, USA and Israel shared…
Non-violent action to resist the illegal confiscation of land in Jordan Valley
On Nov 17, IWPS joined a convoy of around 15 cars carrying about 75 people including Palestinians, local media and Israelis activists, from the village of Ein Al-Baida in the north of the Jordan Valley to the hill of Tel…
Another House Demolition in Jordan Valley
At around 09:30 on October 31, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), consisting of eight jeeps with about 40 soldiers and two bulldozers, one large and one smaller, arrived at Ad Deir village in Jordan Valley, situated in the north eastern corner…
Volunteer voices: The olive harvest
My daughter says “you are writing about the olive harvest again”. Firstly, for me that is what I am doing most days, but secondly it is a key economic, social and cultural event for Palestinian communities at this time of…
The battles of Burin
People in Burin have a very difficult life surrounded by the illegal settlements Yitzhar and Bracha. What I was not aware of until yesterday, when we again returned to help with the olive harvest, was that there is also an additional, small…
Hares boys: an update
On the 28th of January 2016, five teenage boys from Hares were officially sentenced to 15 years imprisonment following an accident in which a settler’s car was involved. The only evidence to convict these 16-year old boys was confessions written…
A prayer under an olive tree
Nsaf wakes up early this morning to get ready for her daily hour walk to her olive grove. Earlier in the week some IWPS volunteers joined her, a mother-of-nine now 61 years old, to pick olives with her husband, her…
Infamous settler causes disruption in Urif
Last Tuesday both the IWPS team and ISM team were harvesting olives in separate areas when we received a phone call telling us that there had been trouble with settlers from the illegal settlement Yitzhar and Israeli Occupation Forces…
Home Invasions in Deir Istiya
Whatever the orders were, there was no justification for a home invasion of this manner, against the quiet civilians in Deir Istiya. The Israeli military is there to remind Palestinians that they are not safe in their own homes.
West Bank Traffic Stops
Fadi was on his way home to Hares from a job interview in Jericho earlier this week, when he was pulled over by Israeli police for a minor traffic infraction – momentarily crossing the centre line of a highway shared by Palestinians and illegal settlers. While one may reasonably expect a verbal warning or small fine for such a minor violation, that wasn’t the case. Instead, Fadi was arrested and taken to a police station in Ari’el settlement, where he was detained for several hours. In addition, both his vehicle and his drivers permit were impounded, meaning that he has neither the right nor the means for transportation, until his possessions are released in a month’s time.
Two Injured with Live Ammunition during the Fifth Anniversary of Protests in Kufr Qaddom
Today, the last Friday in Ramadan, marked the fifth anniversary of Kufr Qaddom’s demonstrations. The Israeli military were present in the village and firing rubber coated bullets prior to the start of the demonstration. The soldiers continued to use full force against protestors, using high velocity barricade penetrating tear gas grenades, and live ammunition. Two young men were injured with live ammunition. One 15-year-old boy took a .22 Caliber bullet to the stomach. He entered surgery in Nablus at approximately 3 PM to remove the bullet. In addition a 19-year-old was hit in the lower leg. The injury is not serious, but still a cause for concern: the young man in question had been released from jail less than a month ago, after he was arrested for his participation in the weekly protests.
English