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Child, Paramedic Wounded By Army Fire During Nabi Saleh Weekly Protest
IMEMC - 31 Dec 2010 - Saturday January 01, 2011 - 03:14, As dozens of residents and international peace activists held their nonviolent weekly protest against the Annexation Wall in Nabi Saleh village, near the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Israeli soldiers violently attacked them and fired rubber-coated metal bullets and gas bombs leading to several injuries.
Fayyad attends 'Last Day of the Wall' protest
12/31/2010 - RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad lent his support Friday to a mass rally in Bil'in, where villagers organized the final protest of the year calling for an end to Israel's land confiscations. Israeli forces met the protest with tear-gas canisters, hitting one teenager in the face and....
GAZA'S YOUTH MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE!
Uruknet December 30, 2010 - Fuck Hamas. Fuck Israel. Fuck Fatah. Fuck UN. Fuck UNWRA. Fuck USA! We, the youth in Gaza, are so fed up with Israel, Hamas, the occupation, the violations of human rights and the indifference of the international community! We want to scream and break this wall of silence, injustice and indifference like the Israeli F16’s...
Protesters in Bil’in Remove Parts of Israel’s Wall, Troops Critically Injuries A civilian
PNN - Ghassan Bannoura – PNN – On Friday, hundreds of protesters marched in the village of Bil’in in the central West Bank to protest the Israeli built wall on villagers' lands and in...
West Bank: 1,000 at anti-fence protest
YNet News - Some 1,000 demonstrators arrived at the Palestinian village of Bil'in Friday for the weekly protest against the West Bank security fence. The protestors hurled .......
Photostory: Volvo equipment used in house demolitions (part 2)
Uruknet December 29, 2010 - Israeli forces are using Volvo construction equipment and trucks in the destruction of Palestinian property. The Electronic Intifada has previously documented the use of Volvo equipment by the Israeli government in its destruction of Palestinian property. Volvo construction equipment and trucks were seen in action on the construction site of Israel's wall near al-Walaja village...
Israeli Settlers Aim to Repel Palestinian
Palestine Note 30 Dec 2010 - Wall Street Journal - A leading Palestinian businessman is bidding to take over an ill-fated real-estate venture in an Arab neighborhood of East Jerusalem, upsetting Israeli settlers who are trying to put together a counteroffer. Nof...
The Struggle for East Jerusalem
Palestine Chronicle: 30 Dec 2010 - By Jesse Rosenfeld Half way down a hill, sandwiched between Jerusalem's Hadassa hospital and Hebrew University, sits the compact and overcrowded occupied East Jerusalem village of Issawiya. Before crossing the makeshift police checkpoint of concrete block obstacles at the edge of the University and entering the neighbourhood – which resembles more of a besieged West Bank refugee camp than a Jerusalem municipality – there is a clearly marked 'Dead End' street sign. On the main road leaving towards the hospital on the other side of the neighbourhood there is a wall of concrete cubes blocking any traffic, leaving just a narrow space for pedestrians to cross. Although the Jewish dominated Hebrew University has expanded onto Issawiya's land, the picture of Jerusalem from both places couldn't be more different. While Israeli students attend classes oblivious to life beyond the 'dead end', Israeli security forces have orchestrated a campaign of regular night...more
Youth groups paint murals in to mark Gaza war
12/29/2010 - GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Two youth groups in Gaza marked the second anniversary of Israel's war on the Strip by painting murals on the walls of the destroyed government compound in Gaza City. The Cultural Club and Free Spectrum organized the activity, commemorating the 22-day offensive which left more than 1,400....
In photos: Wall art pops up in West Bank
12/29/2010 - MaanImages / Khaleel Reash - Spanish artists paint on the Israeli separation barrier in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem and Qalqiliya, taking time to plant an olive tree near the site of their work in the latter on December 26, 2010. The artists, members of Mujeres Artistas Por La Paz (Artist Women for Peace) were in....
Barrier separates Palestinian farmers from their land
Uruknet December 28, 2010 - Even after he dies, 63-year-old Ahmed Barghout worries that Israel's separation barrier will be a burden on him. Construction recently started on the section of the sprawling network of barbed-wire fence and concrete wall that when completed will encircle his village of Walajeh, in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. So far, the barrier is little more than...
Israelis replace parts of Jerusalem Old City walls with Jewish symbols
PIC 29 Dec 2010 - Israel in an alleged project to restore and maintain Jerusalem's city walls has replaced some of the structure's original features with stones marked with Jewish biblical symbols.
Demonstrations in Ni'lin: Routine or Resistance?
Palestine Monitor: 28 Dec 2010 - Walking through the olive groves separating the village of Ni'lin from the West Bank barrier, a group of Palestinians heading the opposite direction shake their heads at us in warning. “Trouble” is all they say. Trouble is a weekly occurrence here, signified by tear gas, rubber bullets, and arrests. Trouble is punctuated by tragedy, as the Friday demonstrations often end in tear gas, rubber-coated metal bullets, arrests, and sometimes death. The history The protests have occurred every Friday since May of 2008, when Israel began to build their 8-metre barrier wall across the village of Ni'lin, in order to “protect” the Jewish settlements of Modin Illit and Hashmonaim. Over 8,600 dunhams (34,400 acres) of Palestinian land were stolen for the construction and roads to the settlements. The placement of the barrier wall annexed another 50% of the remaining Ni'lin property to the Jewish settlers, with over 6,000 of the oldest...more
World Briefing | Middle East: Israel: Fences Unmended With Turkey
New York Times 27 Dec 2010 - Talks between Turkey and Israel aimed at mending ties have so far fallen short, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Monday.
Israeli secret service targets Israeli BDS organizers, claiming “terrorist activity”
Mondoweiss - Amira Haas reports on the Israeli Secret Service, Shin Bet, targeting a variety of Israeli activists who support Palestinian rights, including 22-year-old Matan Cohen. He has quite a resumé: co-founder of Anarchists Against the Wall , an organizer of Hampshire College's divestment measure , and one of the...
Israeli Soldiers Attack Two Protests In Hebron, Arrest Three Israeli Activists
PNN - Hebron - PNN – Israeli and international supporters joined Palestinian on Saturday to protest the Israeli wall and settlements in the southern West Bank city of Hebron and nearby Beit Omer village....
Bethlehem Prepared for Midnight Mass
IMEMC - 24 Dec 2010 - Friday December 24, 2010 - 17:33, On Friday, Jerusalem's Latin Patriarch Fuad Tawwal and the senior officials of the Catholic Church arrived in Bethlehem through the gate of the Israeli Wall to attend the midnight mass at the Nativity Church.
Weekly anti-wall rally commemorates Christmas
12/24/2010 - RAMALLAH (Ma'an) - Two Palestinians and an Israeli journalist were injured Friday as confrontations erupted after Friday prayer in Bil'in, west of Ramallah in the central West Bank. International activists suffocated tear gas as Israeli forces dispersed the weekly non-violent rallyagainst the wall and settlement expansion. The rally commemorated Christmas this week....
Weekly anti-wall rally commemorates Christmas
Uruknet December 24, 2010 - Two Palestinians and an Israeli journalist were injured Friday as confrontations erupted after Friday prayer in Bil'in, west of Ramallah in the central West Bank. International activists suffocated tear gas as Israeli forces dispersed the weekly non-violent rally against the wall and settlement expansion. The rally commemorated Christmas this week. As protestors progressed toward the...
Yitzhar settlers blamed for attack on farmers
12/23/2010 - NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Officials from the northern West Bank village of Madama accused settlers from the neighboring Israeli colony of Yitzhar of attacking a group of farmers ploughing lands near the settlement fence on Thursday morning. Hasan Zeyadeh, member of the Madma village council, said the farmers were on lands south of the village....
In Bethlehem, shepherds watching their flocks by night are a dying breed
The Guardian 23 Dec 2010 - Jewish settlements, Israeli army checkpoints, closed military zones and the separation wall make them an increasing rarity If an "angel of the Lord" were to appear in the sky over Bethlehem today, there would be scarcely...
Construction Returns to the Separation Wall in al-Walaja
Uruknet December 22, 2010 - Despite an ongoing trial in the Israeli high court over the legality of the placement of the Separation wall in al-Walaja, a small village just outside of Jerusalem, Israel doubled construction efforts this afternoon. Around 2pm bulldozers accompanied by armed guards started clearing trees, rocks, and shrubs. Three days ago, Israeli authorities marked the wall...
Israeli Troops Arrest 8 Civilians Near Bethlehem While Protesting the Wall
PNN - Ghassan Bannoura – PNN – Israeli soldiers arrested on Wednesday afternoon eight civilians as they protested the Israeli construction of the wall on lands owned by the villagers of al-Walajeh near the...
Eight arrested in al-Walaja as Israel ramps up construction on the Separation Wall
12/22/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 22 December, Popular Struggle Coordination Committee - Despite an ongoing trial in the Israeli high court over the legality of the placement of the Separation wall in al-Walaja, a small village just outside of Jerusalem, Israel doubled construction efforts this afternoon. Around 2pm bulldozers accompanied by armed guards started clearing trees, rocks, and shrubs. Three days.... Related: Photo: A Resident of al-Walaja is Attacked with Pepper Spray for confronting Israeli bulldozers
Israeli troops seriously wound Palestinian young man near Ramallah
Uruknet December 21, 2010 - A Palestinian young man was seriously wounded on Monday near Ramallah city when Israeli troops opened fire at him. Eyewitnesses said that the young man, 23, was shot by Israeli troops during his participation in a protest against the apartheid wall in Badu area. They added that the troops detained the young man before taking...
Israel demolishes Palestinian home east of Bethlehem
PIC 22 Dec 2010 - Israeli bulldozers demolished the house of a Palestinian citizen called Daoud Shawawrah in Nu'man village, east of Bethlehem, which is encircled by the apartheid wall from all directions.
Social Inequality in Israel
Stephen Lendman, Palestine Note 12/20/2010
An earlier article explained neoliberalism's impact on Israeli Jews, beginning in the 1980s. In 1985, the Knesset amended the Bank of Israel Law, prohibiting it from printing money to finance industrialization, full employment, and immigrant absorption.
It was part of a neoliberal takeover, embracing a massive power shift from various government agencies to the Finance Ministry and central bank (the Bank of Israel), similar to American financialization that empowered Wall Street, the Federal Reserve it controls, and US FIRE sector overall (finance, insurance, and real estate).
In 1985, Israeli policy included:
-- efforts to reduce budget deficits to near balance; and
-- dampen inflationary pressures by cutting wages, prices, credit, the currency's value, public benefits, pensions, and union power to establish a secondary, exploitable, temporary worker market.
The same year, the Arrangements Law established an emergency Economic Stabilization Plan. It sidestepped the normal legislative process, became a permanent budget adjunct, and kept Knesset members from debating its destructive effects on democratic values and social justice.
As a result, a race to the bottom followed, especially since the 1990s, as evidenced by mass privatizations, cutting welfare and social benefits, and, like in America, shifting wealth to the rich. The results were predictable. Israel not only flaunts democracy, it's a land of extreme and growing inequality.
The Jerusalem-based Taub Center's 2009 State of the Nation Report sees disaster ahead for Israel's economy based on three basic measures.... more.. e-mail
Bakirat: Israel taking steps to Judaize Jerusalem city wall
PIC 20 Dec 2010 - Najih Bakirat accused Israel of making deliberate changes to the historic city walls of Jerusalem when placing a stone from the alleged temple scene near the Sahira Gate.
O Little Town of Bethlehem Today
Palestine Chronicle: 20 Dec 2010 - By Ron Forthofer During Christmas time, the town of Bethlehem in the West Bank, the birthplace of Jesus, comes to mind. I wonder what Jesus would think were he to return to Bethlehem, to Jerusalem and to the rest of the West Bank today. Unfortunately, he would still see a foreign military force occupying the land. Since Jesus had experienced the Roman occupation when he was alive, he might not be too surprised about the occupation. However, Jesus would also see something he had not witnessed under the Romans. The current foreign power, Israel, has now colonized much of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and there are about 500,000 Israeli colonists living in over 200 illegal Jewish-only colonies and outposts on lands taken from the Palestinians. (The website www.ifamericansknew.org provides some additional details about what Jesus would observe in Bethlehem today.) "Towering walls and militarized fences now encircle Bethlehem,...more
In photos: `Santa` headlines Bethlehem anti-wall protest
12/19/2010 - MaanImages / Luay Sababa - A Palestinian demonstrator dressed as Santa Claus waves a Palestinian national flag in front of Israeli soldiers during a demonstration against Israel's wall in the southern West Bank village of Al-Mas`ara, near Bethlehem, on Dec. 17, 2010....
Land owners angered over new West Bank road plan
12/19/2010 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) --A plan to construct a more direct road connecting the south and central West Bank has been protested by government officials, but land owners angered by what would be a forced sale said Saturday that they intend to have the plan struck down. With Israel's separation wall cutting off....
The 'Little Town of Bethlehem' Still Waits for Its Stolen Democracy
James M. Wall, Wall Writings 12/18/2010
A new Palestinian parliament was elected in the Occupied Territories on January 25, 2006. One month from this Christmas, Palestinians should have been celebrating the fifth anniversary of that democratic, internationally-monitored, election.
There will be no celebration in January, 2011. Instead, Bethlehem, the West Bank, and Gaza still wait for the democracy that was stolen from them.
Palestinians remain trapped in a military occupation the Israeli government forced the world to accept because the “wrong” party won.
For one brief shining moment, before the 2006 results were rewritten to fit the Zionist narrative, democracy lived in the land where Christ was born.
In a story of rare candor for a major American news outlet, on January 26, 2006, the Washington Post reported the elections fairly. The Post began its coverage:
"The radical Islamic movement Hamas won a large majority in the new Palestinian parliament, according to official election results announced Thursday, trouncing the governing Fatah party in a contest that could dramatically reshape the Palestinians’ relations with Israel and the rest of the world.
"In Wednesday’s voting, Hamas claimed 76 of the 132 parliamentary seats, giving the party at war with Israel the right to form the next cabinet under the Palestinian Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Fatah...." more.. e-mail
Demonstrations across the West Bank
12/18/2010 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Dozens of demonstrators inhaled tear gas which was fired at them by Israeli forces during peaceful marches around the West Bank on Friday, onlookers said. A demonstration in Al-Ma'sara, near Bethlehem, was launched from a school in the village toward the separation wall. Israeli forces were waiting at the....
Israel's new wall
Electronic Intifada: 17 Dec 2010 - CAIRO (IPS) - After building a wall in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israel has begun construction on a new wall, this one to keep migrants from Africa out. The new wall is coming up on the Egyptian border, and with Egyptian support.more
Israel Now Builds Separation Wall With Africa
Uruknet December 16, 2010 - After the separation barrier against Palestinian territories, Israel has begun to build a new wall, this one to keep migrants from Africa out. The new wall is coming up on the Egyptian border, and with Egyptian support. The Israeli government approved plans late last month to build a detention camp near its border with Egypt...
Israel's Jerusalem Master Plan 2020 -
Uruknet December 16, 2010 - A November 10 Qatar News Agency article headlined, "Israel Plans to Rebuild Old Jerusalem - Palestinian Official," saying: Attorney Ahmed Al-Ruwaidi, "responsible for the Jerusalem unit in the Palestinian Authority (PA), said Israel plan(s) to build new settlement homes in old Jerusalem where the ancient walls of the city will be overshadowed by modern bridges,...
Bethlehem Mayor Decries Occupation, Lights Christmas Tree
PNN - Bethlehem – PNN - As Bethlehem’s Christmas tree lit up once again, officials decried the Israeli separation wall, called for sanctions, and accused Israel of cannibalizing the Bethlehem tourist industry. The celebrations...
Freedom for Ibrahim, Hassan and Zaydoon: An interview with leaders of the Ni'lin Popular Committee Against the Separation Wall
12/16/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - On December 3, 2010, three leaders of the Ni'lin Popular Committee Against the Separation Wall were released from Israeli military prison: Ibrahim Amireh, coordinator of the Popular Committee; Hassan Mousa, spokesperson; and Zaydoon Srour. Israel wrongfully imprisoned them for 11 months in apparent retaliation for their role as leaders of the nonviolent movement.... Related: Support Ibrahim and Ni’lin Popular Committee Against the Separation Wall
Freedom for Ibrahim, Hassan and Zaydoon: An interview with leaders of the Ni’lin Popular Committee Against the Separation Wall
International Solidarity Movement 12/17/2010
On December 3, 2010, three leaders of the Ni’lin Popular Committee Against the Separation Wall were released from Israeli military prison: Ibrahim Amireh, coordinator of the Popular Committee; Hassan Mousa, spokesperson; and Zaydoon Srour.
Israel wrongfully imprisoned them for 11 months in apparent retaliation for their role as leaders of the nonviolent movement. During their imprisonment, Saeed Amireh, Ibrahim’s 19 year-old son, stepped forward as a powerful leader of the efforts to free his father.
ISM interviewed the four activists on December 15.
SAEED AMIREH: I want to talk about the strategy of the Israeli occupation here in Ni’lin.
In 2004, Israel began to build the separation wall. Back then, there were no [organized] demonstrations and no organization like the popular committee we have now. We just went there, thousands of us, to stop the construction. One protester lost his eye to a rubber bullet.
We didn’t give up; we continued our protests against the annexation wall because it is just a way to steal more of our land. If we stay silent, they will continue to steal our land.
In 2008, they started to build the wall again and we surprised them with a large number of demonstrators. At our demonstration on May 27, 2008 the Israelis used a new strategy: high violence against us. There were many soldiers: if we were maybe 400 [demonstrators], they were 300 [soldiers]. We demonstrated every day and we could stop the construction for maybe 5 minutes but then they would shoot live ammo, tear gas, sound bombs and rubber bullets. They were surprised when we kept returning the next day and bringing greater numbers! -- See also: Ni’lin Popular Committee Against the Separation Wall and Support Ibrahim more.. e-mail
Israel's Jerusalem Master Plan 2020
Palestine Chronicle: 16 Dec 2010 - By Stephen Lendman A November 10 Qatar News Agency article headlined, "Israel Plans to Rebuild Old Jerusalem - Palestinian Official," stated: Attorney Ahmed Al-Ruwaidi, "responsible for the Jerusalem unit in the Palestinian Authority (PA), said Israel plan(s) to build new settlement homes in old Jerusalem where the ancient walls of the city will be overshadowed by modern bridges, synagogues and gardens spreading from the Arab neighborhoods of Sheikh Jarrah to Wdi Al Joze and Suwaneh." The scheme involves home demolitions, dispossessions, and new settlement construction to solidify "the capital and spiritual center of Israel and the Jewish people (by creating) a world city which attracts the souls of millions of believers across the globe." Projects completed so far are part of the plan, to completely transform Jerusalem's Old City, according to Al-Ruwaidi. "All the settlement projects in Jerusalem during the past three years, some of which have been practically implemented,...more
MIDEAST: Israel Now Builds Separation Wall With Africa
IPS After the separation barrier against Palestinian territories, Israel has begun to build a new wall, this one to keep migrants from Africa out. The new wall is coming up on the Egyptian border, and with Egyptian support.
The Occupation in a Nutshell (Adeeb Abu Rahma is released) with VIDEO
Noam, Promised Land Blog, Palestine Think Tank 12/14/2010
Take a few minutes to hear the story of Adeeb Abu Rahma of Bil’in. It’s not part of the big diplomatic news like the Obama-Netanyahu meeting this week, but in a sense, it’s more important. Far from being unique, this case captures most of what there is to know about the current stage of the Israeli occupation in the West Bank. It’s the kind of things you have to keep in mind when you read the morning news.
Adeeb Abu Rahma is a resident of Bil’in, the village which became the symbol of non-violent resistance to the occupation. A few years ago, Israel decided to build its security barrier on Palestinian land, and not on the Green Line, the historic border between Israel and the West Bank. The reason for this was PM Ariel Sharon’s desire to capture more land for new neighborhoods in some of the large settlements Israel was building in recent years, and to secure a reality in which most of the settlements are seen as part of Israel, and not something “across the border”.
The people of Bil’in, who had much of their land taken for the barrier project, filed a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court against the confiscation, and even had a partial victory: The court ruled that parts of the fence were not constructed on the village’s land for security reasons, and ordered it to be moved. The court failed to address the main issue – the decision to build the fence inside the West Bank rather than on the old border – but it didn’t really matter, because the army simply ignored the verdict. Three years later, the fence is still on its original location.
For five years now, a popular struggle against the fence has been taking place in Bil’in. Every week, Palestinians, Israelis and international activists are taking part in demonstrations. Most of the action consists of attempts to march to the village’s confiscated land; occasionally stones are thrown, but there was never a serious threat to the army forces there, and certainly not to Israeli civilians who live nearby. -- See also: YouTube: Adib Abu Rahma protest - Bil'in - 8-2-08 more.. e-mail
Al Wehdat and Faisali: The Tip of the Iceberg
Palestine Chronicle: 15 Dec 2010 - By Tammy Obeidallah 'Stop criticizing us—just look at how your own kind treats you.' This cliché, so often sneered by Israelis and their apologists, attempts to downplay the occupation of Palestine and to make Palestinians look like the pariahs of the Arab World. Unfortunately, this backward viewpoint is fueled by incidents such as the recent violence following a game between rival soccer clubs Al-Wehdat and Faisali in Amman, Jordan. Police took the opportunity to beat and tear gas Palestinian fans of Al-Wehdat resulting in several deaths, according to eyewitnesses, although police deny any wrongdoing. Some eyewitnesses stated that dogs were turned loose on Palestinians and at least 250 people were injured when a fence collapsed. Graphic video depicts police beating fans and firing tear gas, along with chaotic hospital scenes amid claims that many did not receive adequate medical attention. Such quantities of tear gas were used that local residents...more
Where There is No Will, There is No Way
Uruknet December 14, 2010 - When Palestinian deputy minister of information Mutwakil Taha decided to offer his two bits on the origins of the Western Wall last month, quipping that Jews had no historical claim to the site, not only Israelis were up in arms but the United States too. "We strongly condemn these comments and fully reject them as...
Israel releases non-violent protest leader
Palestine Note 13 Dec 2010 - Maan - Israeli authorities on Sunday released anti-wall activist Adeeb Abu Rahmah after detaining him for 18 months. Adeeb was convicted of "incitement" for his role in organizing non-violent weekly protests against the separation wall in...
Peace Activist Released From Israeli Prison
IMEMC - 13 Dec 2010 - Monday December 13, 2010 - 11:01, The Israeli Authorities released Adeeb Abu Rahma, 40, one of the leaders of the nonviolent movement against the Annexation Wall and settlements in Bil’in village near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Israel releases non-violent protest leader
12/13/2010 - RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities on Sunday released anti-wall activist Adeeb Abu Rahmah after detaining him for 18 months. Adeeb was convicted of "incitement" for his role in organizing non-violent weekly protests against the separation wall in Bil'in, which annexes 60 percent of the village's land. The International Court of....
In photos: Bethlehem village protests wall
12/13/2010 - MaanImages / Luay Sababa - Israeli forces fire tear gas grenades to shut down an anti-wall demonstration in the West Bank village of Al-Ma'sara near Bethlehem on Dec. 10 2010. Protesters held Palestinian, Brazilian, Argentinian and Uruguayan flags in appreciation of the South American countries' recent recognitions of Palestine....
Israel releases non-violent protest leader
Palestine Note 13 Dec 2010 - Maan - Israeli authorities on Sunday released anti-wall activist Adeeb Abu Rahmah after detaining him for 18 months. Adeeb was convicted of "incitement" for his role in organizing non-violent weekly protests against the separation wall in...
The City of Bethlehem
Khalil Shokeh, This Week in Palestine 11/29/2010
The first historical reference to the city of Bethlehem appears in Tel Amarneh manuscripts discovered in the small village of Tel Amarneh between Thebes and Memphis in Egypt. The origin of the name of the city is Aramaic, meaning House of Bread. Its Biblical name is Ephrath which means “fertile.”
Bethlehem district stands on two plateaux at the elevation of 775 metres above sea level. The first plateau runs from east to west, and the second, which intersects with the first plateau, runs from north to south. The new city of Bethlehem stands on the second plateau. The district is 10 kilometres to the south of Jerusalem, and it consists of the cities of Beit Sahour, Beit Jala, the towns of Doha and Al-Khader, and the villages of Artas, in addition to the three refugee camps of Dheisheh, Aida, and Al-Azza.
The city of Bethlehem is a major holy site in the Holy Land, and it is visited by millions of Christian tourists from around the world. It houses the birthplace of Jesus Christ known as the Nativity Church, which was constructed by Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena in 340 AD. Tourism is Bethlehem’s primary industry and it accounts for approximately 65 percent of the city’s economy.
However, the charm and lustre of the city of Bethlehem began to vanish due to Israeli policies and practices, including the blockade imposed on the city. For the past few decades, the spiritual, economic, and cultural life of Bethlehem was closely linked with the city of Jerusalem, but the Israeli military authorities have isolated both cities entirely, which has a drastic effect on the economic, social, and cultural life of Bethlehem.
Nine Jewish settlements surround Bethlehem, and it is completely encircled by the apartheid Wall.... more.. e-mail
Army: Israeli hit by 'friendly fire'
12/12/2010 - JERUSALEM (AFP) -- A soldier wounded in a firefight on the Gaza border in which two Palestinians were killed late on Saturday was hit by so-called "friendly fire," the Israeli military said Sunday." According to preliminary findings, an Israeli force operating in the area spotted Palestinians who were approaching the fence. There was an exchange of....
Two Palestinian Fighters Killed, One Israeli Soldier Injured In Gaza
Uruknet December 12, 2010 - Israeli sources reported that two Palestinians were killed and one Israeli soldier was injured on Saturday at night when a resistance group clashed with Israeli soldiers invading an area inside the Gaza Strip. The army claimed that soldiers spotted two fighters approaching the security fence separating Gaza from Israel before Israeli tanks fired shells at...
Israeli army kills 2 Palestinians on Gaza border
12 Dec 2010 - Gaza, December 12, (Pal Telegraph) – Two Palestinian militants were killed and an Israeli soldier injured Saturday night during an exchange of fire between Gaza militants and Israeli soldiers in central Gaza Strip, local sources reported. An Israeli Army spokesman said that Palestinian gunmen attacked an Israeli army force near the fence of the borders east of Al-Bureij refugee camp...
Palestinians Killed, Israeli Soldier Wounded in Gaza Clash
The Media Line 11 Dec 2010 - aching the security fence separating Israel and the Gaza Strip Saturday night killing two. A short time later, when soldiers began a search of the scene of the incident, they were targeted by automatic rifle fire...
Israeli military missile hits family house
12/12/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 10 December, ISM, Gaza - December 9th is a day that will be remembered by the Al Sirsawi family as a day in which God protected them from what could have been a catastrophe. At 11:15 in the morning, a powerful missile broke through the back wall of the family house, rocketed through one of....
Israel Says Troops Killed 2 Militants
New York Times 12 Dec 2010 - The army reported that an Israeli soldier was wounded, and two Palestinians were shot dead, at a security fence along the Gaza border.
2 Palestinians killed on Gaza border
12/12/2010 - GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Two Palestinians were killed and an Israeli soldier wounded in an exchange of fire along the Gaza Strip's border with Israel Saturday night, the country's military said. The military said in a statement that soldiers "identified two suspects near the security fence in the central Gaza....
2 terrorists killed, 1 soldier hurt in Gaza encounter
Jeruslalem Post 11 Dec 2010 - Two Palestinians seeking to infiltrate Israel from Gaza exchange fire with IDF forces after being discovered near border fence, army responds with tanks and paratroopers.
Bilin: Activists mark anniversary of leader's arrest
YNet News - Protesters against security fence at West Bank village organize procession to....
Soldiers Attack Bil’in Weekly Protest
IMEMC - 10 Dec 2010 - Saturday December 11, 2010 - 05:26, As Palestinian residents of Bil’in village, near Ramallah, accompanied by Israeli and international Peace activists, held their weekly nonviolent protest against the Annexation Wall and settlements, Israeli soldiers violently attacked them and kidnaped two activists.
A message from Israeli military prison on International Human Rights Day
Majida Abu Rahmah, The Huffington Post, International Solidarity Movement 12/10/2010
My imprisoned husband Abdullah Abu Rahmah passed the fallowing message through his lawyer:
A year ago tonight, on International Human Rights Day, our apartment in Ramallah was broken into by the Israeli military in the middle of the night and I was torn away from my wife Majida, my daughters Luma and Layan, and my son Laith, who at the time was only nine months old.
As the coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements I was convicted of “organizing illegal demonstrations” and “incitement.” The “illegal demonstrations” refer to the nonviolent resistance campaign that my village has been waging for the last six years against Israel’s Apartheid Wall that is being built on our land.
I find it strange that the military judges could call our demonstrations illegal and charge me for participating in and organizing them after the world’s highest legal body, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, has ruled that Israel’s wall within the occupied territories is illegal and must be dismantled. Even the Israeli supreme court ruled that the Wall’s route in Bil’in is illegal.
I have been accused of inciting violence: this charge is also puzzling. If the check points, closures, ongoing land theft, wall and settlements, night raids into our homes and violent oppression of our protests does not incite violence, what does?
Despite the occupations constant and intense incitement to violence in Bil’in, we have chosen another way. We have chosen to protest nonviolently together with Israeli and International supporters. We have chosen to carry a message of hope and real partnership between Palestinians and Israelis in the face of oppression and injustice.... -- See also: Source more.. e-mail
Israeli Apartheid Short Film Showing in Al Bireh
Stop The Wall - Stop the Wall and ItIsApartheid.org invite you to the screening of The Israeli Apartheid Short Film Contest
Medics: 3 injured by Israeli shelling in Gaza
12/8/2010 - GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli tank shelling injured three Palestinians Wednesday east of Gaza City, medics said. The three hurt in the incident, near the Karni crossing, were not identified. An Israeli military spokesman said that "an IDF force fired tank rounds toward a number of suspicious individuals who approached the security fence in....
Palestinian Activists from West Bank’s Ni’lin Released from Israeli Military Prison
Alternative Information Center - An organizer of the Ni’lin village’s Popular Committee against the Wall and two other village members and community activists were released from Israel’s Ofer military prison yesterday (5 December) after over ten months of incarceration on...
Turkey, Israel in bid to overcome crisis
12/5/2010 - ANKARA (AFP) - Turkish and Israeli officials met Sunday in Geneva in a bid to overcome a deep crisis over a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship in May as Turkey's premier insisted on an apology and compensation. The fence-mending talks followed Turkey's dispatch of two helicopters to help fight.... Related: Turkish PM says Israel must 'clear blood' to mend ties
Demostartors Place Flag Atop The Wall in Ni’ilin; Israeli Army Responds with Massive Amount of Tear Gas
Uruknet December 5, 2010 - The weekly demonstration against the Separation Wall in Ni’ilin took place Friday afternoon with a smaller than normal group of Palestinians and a handful of Israeli supporters. After afternoon prayers, roughly thirty people walked to the gate of the wall under the banner of "The Intifada Continues, No Peace with the Occupation. Demonstrators placed the...
Dozens hurt in Bilin weekly anti wall march
5 Dec 2010 - Ramallah, December 5, (Pal Telegraph) Tens of Palestinian citizens were treated for teargas inhalation n Bilin village, west of Ramallah city, after Israeli occupation forces (IOF) used teargas canisters to disperse the weekly anti wall march. Many foreign activists took part in the peaceful march along with the village inhabitants, local sources reported. They said that the participants hoisted Palestinian...
In photos: Islamic Jihad mourns slain operative
12/4/2010 - MaanImages / Wissam Nassar - Mourners carry the body of Islamic Jihad militant Jalal Nasser during his funeral in the northern Gaza Strip's Jabaliya refugee camp on 3 December 2010. Nasser was one of two militants killed by Israeli forces early Thursday in a clash along the Gaza-Israel border fence. Israeli military officials said the....
In photos: Islamic Jihad mourns slain operative
12/4/2010 - MaanImages / Wissam Nassar - Mourners carry the body of Islamic Jihad militant Jalal Nasser during his funeral in the northern Gaza Strip's Jabaliya refugee camp on 3 December 2010. Nasser was one of two militants killed by Israeli forces early Thursday in a clash along the Gaza-Israel border fence. Israeli military officials said the....
IDF troops kill two Palestinian militants trying to infiltrate Israel
Ha'aretz - The troops opened fire on the two militants as they were in the midst of laying explosives at the fence near Kibbutz Kfar Aza. None of the soldiers was wounded.
IOF troops kill two Palestinians in Gaza, destroy water well in Al-Khalil
Uruknet December 2, 2010 -- Two Palestinians were killed east of Gaza city on Thursday morning after Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at them, the Israeli radio said. It added that the two Palestinians approached the security fence and the IOF soldiers fired at and killed them, claiming they were planning an attack on Israeli targets...
IDF troops kill two Palestinian militants trying to infiltrate Israel
Ha'aretz 2 Dec 2010 - The troops opened fire on the two militants as they were in the midst of laying explosives at the fence near Kibbutz Kfar Aza. None of the soldiers was wounded.
Israel blocks two UN Gaza schools, citing Hamas threat
Uruknet November 30, 2010 — UN plans to address Gaza's schooling shortage have hit a wall, with Israel banning the construction of two new schools on a site it says could be targeted in strikes on Hamas. The two schools at the centre of the dispute between the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and Israeli authorities are part...
PA removes controversial Western Wall report from web site
Jeruslalem Post 1 Dec 2010 - Move comes after Israel, US condemn 'study' claiming Kotel is not holy to Jews as factually incorrect, insensitive and highly provocative."
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