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Today we worked in the olive groves of the village of Hares.
It was a revelation to find out what well-tended olive groves look like. All the
groves I had seen before today belonged to the farmers of Mas-Ha and were beyond
the Annexation Fence (a "Security Fence" if you're Israeli!). They were
overgrown with thistles and weeds, and the terrace walls and boundary walls were
in a poor state of repair. It made the work of picking the olives much more arduous
and dangerous.
In my ignorance I had just assumed that Palestinians don't pay
a great deal of attention to these things, after all it's not unusual for farmers
anywhere in the world to allow groves and orchards to grow quite wild. It seemed
a little strange though, since at some point in the past they had obviously taken
the trouble of building the walls, but having no way to find out more I was left
with my assumptions.
The olive groves of Hares revealed not only my ignorance of
how much the farmers care for their land, but also my lack of understanding of
the impact of the Annexation Boundary Fence on the farmers of Mas-Ha. The groves
of Hares are those classically beautiful terraced groves, rambling down the hillside,
with lovely sandstone terrace and boundary walls, and ploughed and weeded dry
earth. They look so tidy in a very organic and ancient way. They have been here,
looking like this since antiquity. Omar, the man we were working with today, said
that his fields had been in his family for generations, and the trees we were
picking were at least one hundred years old.
The farmers
of Hares do not have to contend with the Annexation Fence, so they can access
and tend their land more often than the farmers of Mas-Ha, who before this week
hadn't been allowed to get to their land for nine months. The farmers of Hares
who have land near the settlement of Revava still cannot get to it as often as
they would like. Omar, the farmer we worked with today, said that he had only
been on his land twice this year, once to plough and repair walls, and the second
time was now - to harvest. His land abuts the settlement boundary fence. Well,
actually the settlement has been built on his land and the land of other farmers
of Hares - stolen from them by the settlers with the complicity and assistance
of the Israeli government. more..
Products: Embroidered placemats, cushion covers
and bags. Beneficiaries: 150 women from villages and refugee camps in Bethlehem
area.
The Bethlehem Arab Women's Union (BAWU) has a long history
of community service, dating back to 1947 when it was founded as a first aid center
to care for refugees from the first Arab-Israeli war. Located in the Old City
of Bethlehem, the Union strives to meet the needs of the Bethlehemites of all
ages, organizing luncheons for senior citizens, activities for youth, and income-generation
projects for women through food and craft production. It also runs the Bethlehem
Museum, where one can learn about local cultural heritage.
The Union’s embroidery project aims for the preservation
and revival of Bethlehem heritage and for meeting the economic needs of women
in the area. When the embroidery project was established in 1968 to respond to
worsening life conditions with the beginning of the Israeli occupation, the women
began by collecting old dresses and studying the local embroidery tradition.
According to Elen Eloussie, who runs the embroidery project,
the Christian and Muslim women in Bethlehem historically shared the common heritage
of embroidery. Women identified themselves by their village of origin rather than
the religion, by wearing an embroidered dress with the distinct patterns and colors
of each village. more..
PA official: Settlers vandalize cars after Hebron shooting 9/1/2010 - NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israeli settlers broke car windows Tuesday evening and cut down olive trees hours after four Israelis were killed in a shooting near a West Bank settlement in Hebron, an official said. Ghassan Doughlas, who heads the Palestinian Authority file on northern West Bank settlement activity, told Ma'an that several.... Hundreds gather to mourn 4 victims of Kiryat Arba attack Jeruslalem Post 1 Sep 2010 - Yitzhak Ames, 47, and his wife Tali Ames, 45, will be buried at the Mount of Olives cemetery in Jerusalem, Kochava Even-Haim, 37, in Ashdod, and Avishai Schindler, 24, in Petah Tikva. Obama says time ripe for Mideast peace accord LA Times 1 Sep 2010 - Meeting separately with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, on the eve of Israeli-Palestinian talks, he calls on them to seize the moment to craft a two-state plan. President Obama began a new effort Wednesday to coax Israelis and Palestinians toward peace, telling Middle East leaders on the eve of renewed negotiations that with sustained American help, a comprehensive deal can be sealed within a year. Settlers fire at teenage Palestinian farmers Uruknet August 31, 2010 - Ten Zionist settlers fired at and chased three Palestinian farmers in Deir Istiya village, Nablus, on Tuesday morning while tending to their lands. The village's mayor said that the three farmers, all in their teens, were fertilizing olive trees in one of the fields north of the village when the settlers mounting horses attacked them.... Join the 2010 Olive Harvest Campaign 8/29/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - At a time of increasing settler violence in the West Bank, the International Solidarity Movement is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to participate in the 2010 Olive Harvest Campaign at the invitation of Palestinian communities. The olive tree is a national symbol for Palestinians. As thousands of olive trees have been bulldozed, uprooted and.... Abbas' Position Isn't as Weak as It May Appear Palestine Chronicle: 25 Aug 2010 - By George S. Hishmeh – Washington, D.C. Palestinians will begin heading home a year from now to reclaim property in their homeland, which they have not seen for 62 years since the state of Israel was established there. They will be welcomed at the border by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and thousands of cheering Israelis. Much to their joy, the Palestinians will discover that Lieberman has relinquished his house in a colony on the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. But they will have to wait and see whether their own homes, in Haifa or Nazareth for example, will still be standing, along with their traditional lemon, olive and fig trees and grape vines, which their parents have longed to see since the beginning of their tortuous exile in neighbouring Arab countries and elsewhere. More importantly, they will not...more Iran unveils 'unmanned bomber' AlJazeera 22 Aug 2010 - Ahmadinejad calls domestically built craft "ambassador of death" to country's enemies. Awarta land reclamation attacked by armed settlers and military Stop The Wall - On Thursday morning, Palestinian farmers and international supporters were barred from irrigating the olive trees they had planted on Land Day (March 30) in the valley east of Awarta. For a month now, on every Thursday, people gather to reclaim the threatened lands. [ Official: Settlers uproot 200 olive trees south of Nablus Uruknet August 16, 2010 - Israeli residents living on an illegal West Bank outpost uprooted over 200 olive trees near the Qusra village in the Nablus district Monday, a Palestinian Authority official said. PA settlement affairs officer in the northern West Bank Ghassan Doughlas said residents of the nearby Svhut Rachel outpost ascended upon the village, uprooting the olive grove... Zionist settlers uproot 200 Palestinian olive trees PIC 17 Aug 2010 - Zionist settlers uprooted more than 200 Palestinian olive trees near the Qasra village, south of Nablus, on Monday, eyewitnesses reported. Settlers Uproot 250 Olive Trees Near Nablus IMEMC - 16 Aug 2010 - Monday August 16, 2010 - 17:18, A number of armed Jewish settlers uprooted on Monday morning more than 200 olive trees near the village of Qasra, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Official: Settlers uproot 200 olive trees south of Nablus 8/16/2010 - NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israeli residents living on an illegal West Bank outpost uprooted over 200 olive trees near the Qusra village in the Nablus district Monday, a Palestinian Authority official said. PA settlement affairs officer in the northern West Bank Ghassan Doughlas said residents of the nearby Svhut Rachel outpost ascended upon the village.... Civil defense control fires in the north 8/16/2010 - RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Palestinian civil defense crews controlled a house fire and a blaze in two olive fields in the northern Tulkarem and Qalqiliya districts on Monday morning. A civil defense report said a fire broke out in the living room of a residential home in the Wadi Shahin area in Qalqiliya. In Tulkarem.... In The Shade Of The Olive Trees PNN - ANERA – PNN - Abed Abdelm’uti Abu Sneinih couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the truck pull up to the school in mid-July with more than a dozen 30-year-old olive trees.... Why I support the Olympia Co-op boycott Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Mondowiess, Israeli Occupation Archive 8/4/2010 Dear friends, The Olympia Food Co-op boycott of Israeli products (except for fair trade olive oil) has generated much controversy and emotion. I do pray for healing and understanding among those who support and those who oppose such a boycott in the community of Olympia, Washington and around the world. All of us must stand together and mourn the loss of life generated by this conflict. May their memories be a blessing. The Food Co-op and many concerned citizens around the world have asked the question: How do we transform the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the use of nonviolence? What is meaningful action? While negotiations, lobbying and dialogue occur, those who have been directly impacted by occupation, the Palestinians, have called upon the world to engage in meaningful nonviolent action to apply pressure upon Israel so that Israel cannot conduct the business of occupation as usual. Have we all not seen and read about life in Palestine under occupation? The Goldstone report, B’tselem, Gisha and many other organizations and individuals have documented the systematic violation of Palestinian human rights in the past several years. How do we both construct peace and engage in non-cooperation with policies that systematically violate human rights on a daily basis? Boycott is a time honored method which was the catalyst that ended legal segregation in the United States. Boycott is the primary tool of those engaged in nonviolent resistance to systematic injustice. Boycott targets unjust policies. It is not about ‘the right to exist’; Everyone has the right to ‘exist’.... -- See also: Sourcemore..e-mail Jewish settlers set fire to olive groves in Beit Fourik PIC 6 Aug 2010 - Extremist Jewish settlers on Friday afternoon set fire to olive groves in the village of Beit Fourik to the east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Why I support the Olympia Co-op boycott Mondoweiss - Dear friends, The Olympia Food Co-op boycott of Israeli products (except for fair trade olive oil) has generated much controversy and emotion. I do pray for healing and understanding among those who support and those who oppose such a boycott in the community of Olympia, Washington... Wadi Qana farmland being polluted by settlement sewage Uruknet August 1, 2010 - Wadi Qana is a valley south west of Nablus where numerous springs supply water to the surrounding Palestinian villages. Approximately 60 people live in the valley itself, and many more own land in the area in which they farm animals and cultivate both citrus and olive trees. The valley and its springs have been suffering... Wadi Qana farmland being polluted by settlement sewage Uruknet August 1, 2010 - Wadi Qana is a valley south west of Nablus where numerous springs supply water to the surrounding Palestinian villages. Approximately 60 people live in the valley itself, and many more own land in the area in which they farm animals and cultivate both citrus and olive trees. The valley and its springs have been suffering... Aqraba plants olive trees to ward off settlers 8/1/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Residents of the village of Aqraba, near Nablus, planted forty young olive trees on their land on Thursday (29 July 2010) to send a message to settlers who have been plowing the area in an attempted land-grab. The Palestinian villagers were accompanied by many international volunteers – around thirty people from an American group called.... Wadi Qana farmland being polluted by settlement sewage 7/31/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM and IWPS (International Women's Peace Service) - Wadi Qana is a valley south west of Nablus where numerous springs supply water to the surrounding Palestinian villages. Approximately 60 people live in the valley itself, and many more own land in the area in which they farm animals and cultivate both citrus and olive trees. The.... In photos: Settlers riot in Burin 7/28/2010 - MaanImages / Rami Swidan - Israeli settlers hurl stones toward Palestinians, not seen, during clashes near the West Bank city of Nablus on 26 July 2010. Two settlers and three Palestinians were hurt during the violence that began when settlers, protesting the razing of illegal structures in the nearby Yitzhar settlement, set fire to Palestinian olive trees.... Settlers riot in Burin, shooting and setting fire to olive trees Uruknet July 27, 2010 - At 11:30 yesterday, 26th July 2010, settlers from the Berakha Shomronim settlement began shooting at Palestinians in the village of Burin and setting fire to crops on their land. Trouble flared when Israeli authorities ordered the demolition of a structure in an illegal settler outpost because of the freeze on settlement construction. Israeli police failed... Experts hail ever-versatile olive oil at J’lem conference Jeruslalem Post 28 Jul 2010 - Israel can become prominent in the industry by developing food, health products, Mediterranean forum participants say. Ethnic cleansing in the Israeli Negev Neve Gordon, Redress 7/29/2010 Neve Gordon recounts his experience of visiting the Israeli Arab village of Al-Arakib moments after it had been razed to the ground by the Israeli authorities, in the latest example of ethnic cleansing in the Negev desert. A menacing convoy of bulldozers was heading back to Be’er Sheva as I drove towards al-Arakib, a Bedouin village located not more than 10 minutes from the city. Once I entered the dirt road leading to the village I saw scores of vans with heavily armed policemen getting ready to leave. Their mission, it seems, had been accomplished. The signs of destruction were immediately evident. I first noticed the chickens and geese running loose near a bulldozed house, and then saw another house and then another one, all of them in rubble. A few children were trying to find a shaded spot to hide from the scorching desert sun, while behind them a stream of black smoke rose from the burning hay. The sheep, goats and the cattle were nowhere to be seen – perhaps because the police had confiscated them. “A whole village comprising between 40 and 45 houses had been completely razed in less than three hours.” Scores of Bedouin men were standing on a yellow hill, sharing their experiences from the early morning hours, while all around them uprooted olive trees lay on the ground. A whole village comprising between 40 and 45 houses had been completely razed in less than three hours. I suddenly experienced deja vu: an image of myself walking in the rubbles of a destroyed village somewhere on the outskirts of the Lebanese city of Sidon emerged. It was over 25 years ago, during my service in the Israeli paratroopers. But in Lebanon the residents had all fled long before my platoon came, and we simply walked in the debris.... -- See also: VIDEO - Israel police raze ‘illegal’ Bedouin village in Negev and YouTube: Live Video of Ethnic cleansing in the Israeli?? Negevmore..e-mail VIDEO - Israel police raze ‘illegal’ Bedouin village in Negev Israeli Occupation Archive 7/27/2010 Around 300 Bedouins living in Israel’s Negev desert have been made homeless after police raided their village and razed their homes. Israeli activists said 1,500 police arrived in Al-Arakib village at dawn. They destroyed 30 to 40 makeshift homes and uprooted hundreds of olive trees belonging to the villagers, they said. Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said the homes had been “illegally built” and were destroyed in line with a court ruling issued 11 years ago. “Several hundred people were taken back to the Rahat area where they originally came from,” he told the AFP news agency, referring to a nearby Bedouin town in Israel’s arid south. More than 150,000 Bedouin live in Israel, mostly in and around the Negev desert. Around half live in villages that are not recognised by the state, and have no access to municipal services like water and electricity. Many live in extreme poverty. At dawn on Tuesday, women and children in Al-Arakib watched as Land Administration bulldozers demolished their houses, Israeli press reports said. -- See also: YouTube: Live Video of Ethnic cleansing in the Israeli?? Negev and Ethnic cleansing in the Israeli Negevmore..e-mail Fires reported across West Bank 7/27/2010 - Qalqiliya - Ma'an - Palestinian Authority civil defense crews controlled several fires across the West Bank on Tuesday, a report read. Firefighters were deployed at the site of a fire on a 15-dunum olive grove in the Jayyous village near Qalqiliya as well as fires on farmland in Rafat in Salfit and in Beit Fajjar in.... Settlers riot in Burin, shooting and setting fire to olive trees 7/27/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - At 11:30 yesterday, 26th July 2010, settlers from the Berakha Shomronim settlement began shooting at Palestinians in the village of Burin and setting fire to crops on their land. Trouble flared when Israeli authorities ordered the demolition of a structure in an illegal settler outpost because of the freeze on settlement construction. Israeli police.... Settlers launch new attack 7/27/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - On Monday evening, settlers launched their second attack of the day on a northern West Bank village, setting fire to land and olive trees and throwing rocks. Ambulances and firefighters rushed to Burin village to control the flames apparently started by residents of the illegal Yizhar settlement, Palestinian Authority settlement affairs officer Ghassan.... Yasur helicopter: A history of splendid service - and deadly collisions Ha'aretz - Alongside its many successes, the American-made craft also has a long list of accidents that claimed dozens of soldiers' lives. Israel slams Oliver Stone’s interview Jeruslalem Post 26 Jul 2010 - Director: US holocaust focus is product of ‘Jewish media domination.’ Yasur helicopter: A history of splendid service - and deadly collisions Ha'aretz 26 Jul 2010 - Alongside its many successes, the American-made craft also has a long list of accidents that claimed dozens of soldiers' lives. Oliver Stone: Jewish Lobby has distorted United States foreign policy for years MyCatBirdSeat.com: 26 Jul 2010 - Stone said that Israel had distorted “United States foreign policy for years,” adding he felt U.S. policy toward Iran was “horrible.” Oliver Stone - Film director and screenwriter America-hijacked.com O utspoken Hollywood director says new film aims to put Adolf Hitler, who he has called an ‘easy scapegoat’ in the past, in his due historical context. Jewish control of the media is preventing an open discussion of the Holocaust, prominent Hollywood director Oliver Stone told the Sunday Times, adding that the U.S. Jewish lobby was controlling Washington’s foreign policy for years. In the Sunday interview, Stone reportedly said U.S. public opinion was focused on the Holocaust as a result of the “Jewish domination of the media,” adding that an upcoming film of him aims to put Adolf Hitler and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin “in context.” “There’s a major lobby in the United States,” Stone said, adding that “they are hard...more Ramallah: Settlers burn olive trees under military guard 7/23/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Soldiers protected Israeli settlers as they set fire to olive trees in Saffa village near the West Bank city Ramallah on Thursday, witnesses reported. Residents and firefighters rushed to the scene, eyewitnesses said, but Israeli soldiers would not allow them to access the land. Yousef Karajah, member of the popular committee against the.... Report: Soldiers guard settlers as they torch olive grove Palestine Note 23 Jul 2010 - Washington - Witnesses reported to Ma'an News Agency Friday that Israeli soldiers guarded settlers as they set fire to a grove of olive trees in the Saffa village near Ramallah Thursday. Olive tree [Hoyas meg -... Jewish settlers burn and uproot trees belonging to Palestinians in the West Bank PIC 23 Jul 2010 - A number of Jewish settlers on Thursday uprooted more than 50 olive trees near the village of Burin to the south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Rivlin visits Mount of Olives project Jeruslalem Post 22 Jul 2010 - Grave of Rabbi who led Rivlin's family to Israel recently found. U.S. filmmakers craft documentary on genocide survivors LA Times 23 Jul 2010 - 'The Last Survivor' chronicles how four people — survivors of the Holocaust, Rwanda, Darfur or Congo — rebound from atrocities and find new meaning in their lives. It was recently shown in Israel. Imagine a movie about genocide that's, well, sort of uplifting. That was the goal of two former University of Pennsylvania classmates who set out to make a documentary marrying their Jewish heritage with their modern-day social activism. Israel's Separation Wall: A Health Hazard Palestine Chronicle: 20 Jul 2010 - By Stephen Lendman In July 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled Israel's 'Separation Wall' illegal, saying its route inside the West Bank, and associated gate and permit system, violated Israel's obligations under international law, ordering the completed sections dismantled, and "all legislative and regulatory acts relating thereto" repealed or rendered "ineffective forthwith." The ICJ also mandated reparations for the "requisition and destruction of homes, businesses, and agricultural holdings (and) to return the land, orchards, olive groves, and other immovable property seized," obligating member states to reject the illegal construction and demand Israel comply with international law. Most nations ignored the ruling. Israel defied it and continued building, now 61% finished, another 8% under construction, and the remaining 31% planned but not begun. When completed, its expected to be over 800 km, twice the length of the Green Line, four times as long as the Berlin Wall, and in...more Israel imprisoned my father for nonviolently resisting the occupation Uruknet July 16, 2010 - On 12 January 2010 my father Ibrahim was arrested by the Israeli army and sentenced to two years in prison for organizing and participating in nonviolent protests against the Israel's wall in the occupied West Bank. The wall cuts us off from our land and our olive groves, robbing our family of its livelihood. To... Turkey: Our new drone better than Israel's YNet News - Engineers say new surveillance craft, capable of 24-hour excursions, is better.... 'Beware of Small States': journalist David Hirst interviewed Robin Yassin-Kassab, Electronic Intifada 7/9/2010 Veteran Middle East correspondent David Hirst, author of the seminal work on the Palestinian plight The Gun and the Olive Branch, has a new release: Beware of Small States, an equally important book on Lebanon’s complex tragedy. The Electronic Intifada contributor Robin Yassin-Kassab interviewed Hirst on his work and views. Robin Yassin-Kassab: You did your national service in Cyprus and Egypt just before the 1956 Suez War. What effect did your first experience of the Middle East have on you? Why did you end up spending your life in the Middle East, particularly in its more violent corners? Have kidnappings and bannings discouraged you? David Hirst: Yes, I was one of the last generation of British 18-year-olds obliged to do two years of military service. Politically speaking, it had virtually no effect on me; I was an immature youth from a thoroughly apolitical middle class background, and knew next to nothing about international affairs, and hardly knew, for example, the difference between Arabs and Israelis. But -- unusually for a mere private soldier -- I sought and secured permission to use a fortnight’s leave to travel round Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. I enjoyed the experience. After three years at Oxford, I could not think of a career to embark on. Remembering the American University of Beirut, I wrote and asked them if there were any kind of introductory course about the Middle East that I could follow there. There was. With a vague idea of staying there for a couple of years or so, I found myself drifting into journalism, and, taking to it, I ended up staying fifty. I grew deeply interested in the politics of the region; I also like to think that -- having come to the area entirely devoid of preconceptions, or anything more than the most rudimentary knowledge, tabula rasa as it were -- the opinions and interpretations I developed about the Arab-Israeli conflict were always as near as possible spontaneously personal and first-hand ones....more..e-mail Israel imprisoned my father for nonviolently resisting the occupation Electronic Intifada: 16 Jul 2010 - On 12 January 2010 my father Ibrahim was arrested by the Israeli army and sentenced to two years in prison for organizing and participating in nonviolent protests against the Israel's wall in the occupied West Bank. The wall cuts us off from our land and our olive groves, robbing our family of its livelihood. Saeed Amireh writes from Nilin, occupied West Bank. Civil defense crews put out fires across West Bank 7/13/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinian Civil Defense forces said they extinguished three fires in agricultural areas of the northern and eastern West Bank on Tuesday. The first blaze hit an an olive tree grove in the northern West Bank district of Tubas, after which forces put out a fire in a citrus grove near the Far'un village.... In photos: Bethlehem souvenirs 7/12/2010 - MaanImages / Luay Sabab - A Palestinian man works at a mother-of-pearl factory south of Bethlehem on 10 July 2010. Nativity scenes, miniatures of the Dome of the Rock, and religious scriptures are crafted out of the iridescent material and sold in souvenir shops.... Palestinian activist in Jordan uses social media for social justice Palestine Note 12 Jul 2010 - By Sarah Harlan Washington - Activist Ali Dahmash , who describes himself as "originally Palestinian, Jordanian by nationality," through his blog Under My Olive Tree , has taken on Jordan's ills, using social media to raise awareness and... "Beware of Small States": journalist David Hirst interviewed Electronic Intifada: 9 Jul 2010 - Veteran Middle East correspondent David Hirst, author of the seminal work on the Palestinian plight The Gun and the Olive Branch , has a new release: Beware of Small States , an equally important book on Lebanon's complex tragedy. The Electronic Intifada contributor Robin Yassin-Kassab interviews Hirst on his work and views. The black kites of Palestine Lynn Jones, Ma’an News Agency 7/8/2010 Most kids love kites. There’s just something about those colorful swooping colors, long, trailing ribbons, and the sensation of controlling a thing that can soar high above it all. The kids here in the West Bank love their kites too, just as much as any other child in the world. I watch them sometimes, holding the string, eyes trained aloft, an open-mouthed smile plastered on their sun-darkened faces. Like all kids, their imaginations take them up with those kites, and I know that while they fly them they, too, are up there—free. Still, I must tell you that the kites are different here in a way that is quite striking to the outsider, a difference that sets them apart from the ones kids fly back home in America. You see, here the kites are black. Most people don’t know that the Holy Land is a windy place. That the wind courses in from the shores of the Mediterranean and over the low hills, scrubbing the stones white, rustling through the olive trees, and whistling through the cracks in the windows—begging to lift aloft the dreams of the blessed, cursed souls who must live here. Without a doubt, the wind in Gaza is stronger than the West Bank; maybe because it must work so much harder to keep dreams in the sky. But the kids in the West Bank need a certain strength too. Sure, there is no official siege on Bethlehem, Hebron or Ramallah, and for the most part, West Bank kids sleep without the images of carnage burnt into the memories, and in some cases, the bodies of Gaza’s children. But West Bank kids have their own bitter reminders of occupation: raids and curfews, tear gas grenades that come crashing through bedroom windows, and soldiers—sometimes not much older than kids, themselves—who stop them from reaching their schools, hospitals, family members and friends....more..e-mail The Battle For Al-Walaja Uruknet July 1, 2010 - Hidden between the ancient cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, lies the village of Al-Walaja. Home to around 2,000 people, mainly agricultural workers, the land is rich in olive trees, summer crops and other natural resources. But the village is at a crossroads. This year has witnessed a surge in Israeli military crackdowns, as Al-Walaja joins... The Battle For Al-Walaja Palestine Monitor - Hidden between the ancient cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, lies the village of Al-Walaja. Home to around 2,000 people, mainly agricultural workers, the land is rich in olive trees, summer crops and other natural resources. But the village is at a crossroads. Reporting from Aaron Dearborn.... Fires in Jenin controlled, authorities say 7/1/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Palestinian firefighters have controlled two fires in Jenin, civil defense reported Thursday. No one was reported injured in the fires that authorities said broke out at a house and in an olive grove. Forces also controlled a fire that broke out in the Atil village in the Tulkarem district, civil defense reported.... The Battle For Al-Walaja Palestine Monitor - Hidden between the ancient cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, lies the village of Al-Walaja. Home to around 2,000 people, mainly agricultural workers, the land is rich in olive trees, summer crops and other natural resources. But the village is at a crossroads. Reporting from Aaron Dearborn.... The Battle For Al-Walaja Palestine Monitor: 1 Jul 2010 - Hidden between the ancient cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, lies the village of Al-Walaja. Home to around 2,000 people, mainly agricultural workers, the land is rich in olive trees, summer crops and other natural resources. But the village is at a crossroads. Reporting from Aaron Dearborn. This year has witnessed a surge in Israeli military crackdowns, as Al-Walaja joins Bili'n, Ni'lin and Beit Jala, as the scene of heated weekly anti-wall demonstrations and popular resistance. Since the first construction workers and soldiers arrived to begin clearing land for the Wall almost four years ago, locals say they have received an increasing number of eviction orders, arrests, threats and intimidation from IDF soldiers. The current plan for Al-Walaja will see the town surrounded on all sides by the wall. Only one entry and exit point, under complete military control, will remain. The position of nearby settlements mean the Wall will encroach... IOF burns large areas of olive trees to suppress Ni'lin protest Stop The Wall - the Occupation Forces, who were stationed behind the Wall’s cement blocks, fired tear gas at the demonstrators and opened the gate of the Wall to chase the protesters after have been inhaling gas in unsuccessful efforts to arrest them. After the World Cup, a big flotilla to set out for the land of burning olive trees Mondoweiss - And other news from Today in Palestine: Land theft and destruction/Ethnic cleansing IOF burns large areas of olive trees to suppress Ni'lin protest June 26th, 2010-- the Occupation Forces, who were stationed behind the Wall’s cement blocks, fired tear gas at the demonstrators and opened the... Farmer says Israeli forces confiscate tractor 6/27/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli soldiers prevented a farmer from working his land by confiscating his bulldozer and driving it away, the farmer reported Sunday. Bassam Hammdan, from Wadi Al-Jalmoun in Beit Ula, north of the West Bank city of Hebron, was trying to plant olive and almond trees with a group of volunteers when the incident.... IOF burns large areas of olive trees to suppress Ni'lin protest Stop The Wall - the Occupation Forces, who were stationed behind the Wall’s cement blocks, fired tear gas at the demonstrators and opened the gate of the Wall to chase the protesters after have been inhaling gas in unsuccessful efforts to arrest them. Heatwave causes Qalqiliya crop fires 6/21/2010 - Qalqiliya - Ma'an - The current heatwave has led to several crop fires across the Qalqiliya district on Monday, Palestinian civil defense forces report read. Citrus groves have been the most affected by the outbreak of natural fires, the report read. The unseasonably hot weather led to a fire erupting on 50 dunums of planted olive trees.... We Are Everywhere: Sew Far Sew Good Palestine Monitor: 19 Jun 2010 - The old city market in Hebron has turned into a ghost town. Israeli settlers occupying the homes above the market, use the walkways below as their personal trash can and the constant harassment from Israeli soldiers has forced shopkeepers to move. But, there is a light of life in the old city market. It is here where you can find the Palestinian Women's Embroidery Co-operative. Most shops are closed in the old city. A net has been placed above the walkway to collect the garbage thrown down by Israeli settlers. The PWEC was created by Nawal Slemiah just over 6 years ago. Nawal started her embroidery business in the small village of Idna but struggled due to a lack of customers. One day, she heard on television that internationals frequently visited the Ibrahimi Mosque. With a mind for business, she left Idna to seek out the promising, new, international market.... IOF violently suppresses weakly peaceful protest at Nil’in 19 Jun 2010 - Ni’lin, June 19, (Pal Telegraph – By Olathe Litonya) Yesterday afternoon in Ni’lin, in an act of vandalism and repression, ‘The world’s most moral army’ opened fire with tear gas and set olive trees ablaze as a response to the weekly non-violent demonstration by residents and international activists. According to eyewitness reports, IDF soldiers violently beat, up to 6 Palestinian... We are Everywhere! Palestine Monitor: 19 Jun 2010 - The old city market in Hebron has turned into a ghost town. Israeli settlers occupying the homes above the market, use the walkways below as their personal trash can and the constant harassment from Israeli soldiers has forced shopkeepers to move. But, there is a light of life in the old city market. It is here where you can find the Palestinian Women's Embroidery Co-operative. Most shops are closed in the old city. A net has been placed above the walkway to collect the garbage thrown down by Israeli settlers. The PWEC was created by Nawal Slemiah just over 6 years ago. Nawal started her embroidery business in the small village of Idna but struggled due to a lack of customers. One day, she heard on television that internationals frequently visited the Ibrahimi Mosque. With a mind for business, she left Idna to seek out the promising, new, international market.... Israel's 'Final Solution' Palestine Chronicle: 18 Jun 2010 - By George Polley You live in a home your family has lived in for generations. On the edge of the village you own a plot of land on which you raise olives and grow vegetables to feed your family. You remember your grandfather working that land, and smile. He was a good man who loved his family and you miss him. One day you return from your olive grove carrying a sack filled with olives that your wife will press. You have saved out a couple dozen of the best for your wife and children to eat in the evening, before retiring for the night. As you turn the corner and start toward your home you notice the family gathered in front of it with all of their belongings surrounding them. They are weeping. Nearby is a contingent of soldiers holding guns. “What is going on?” you shout. One of...more First Bullets, Now Bulldozers: Nabi Saleh Pays The Price For Protests Palestine Monitor: 16 Jun 2010 - The village has been targeted with demolition orders in an attempt to repress the popular struggle. Nine homes are due to be demolished next month. Reporting and photography from Nicky Elliott. The Ayoub family in their home which is slated for demolition next month. My arrival in Nabi Saleh tells me a lot about the village nestled deep in the West Bank, north of Ramallah. As the servees enters village land we pass a synagogue and a forest villagers are forbidden from reaching. We get out of the sunshine-yellow minibus to a view of scorched land, burnt when tear-gas canisters ignited the dry grass below the olive trees. Standing outside my hosts house, one of the nine slated for demolition, Bassem Tamimi must knock on his own door which his mother always keeps locked for fear of the soldiers. Bassem Tamimi with his threatened house, built in in 1964. When... Bil'in: IOF Kidnap, Imprison and Terrorize "Confession" Out of 13 Year Old Boy Uruknet June 11, 2010 - Last Friday (4th June) in the West Bank village of Bil'in, Israeli Occupation Forces kidnapped thirteen years old Fadi Al-Khatib in full view of his distraught parents whilst working with his father on the families olive grove adjacent to the Apartheid Wall Prior to being carted off to a detention centre, the lightly clad youth... What an Israeli Official admits to when his guard is down Palestine Note 10 Jun 2010 - In a stark departure from finely crafted talking points, Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren spoke with rare clarity about Israel's intentions in imposing and maintaining the blockade on Gaza's 1.5 million people. Appearing... White House works to ease Iran proposal in Congress LA Times 11 Jun 2010 - The Obama administration fears tough U.S. sanctions against companies doing business in Iran would anger foreign allies. The Obama administration, which labored for months to impose tough new United Nations sanctions against Iran, now is pushing in the opposite direction against Congress as it crafts U.S. sanctions that the White House fears may go too far. 80 olive trees uprooted in Walaja 6/8/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli bulldozers began overturning agricultural land and uprooting trees in the Al-Walaja, a village south of Jerusalem inside the 1967 Green Line, Palestinian landowners said. The latest diggings are in preparation for the further construction of Israel's separation wall, as Israel attempts to enlarge its Jerusalem municipal borders into the West Bank. One.... Israel uproots 100 trees in WB 8 Jun 2010 - West Bank, June 8, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces uprooted today tens of olive trees in Al-Loja town, in west of the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The president of Al-Loja town, Saleh Khalifa, said the Israeli vehicles uprooted 100 olive and cypress trees which were planted for more than 100 years. He added that the Israeli occupation... Israeli settler opens fire on schoolboys, wounding two 16-year-olds Mondoweiss - And other news from Today in Palestine: Land Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing 80 olive trees uprooted in Walaja Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israeli bulldozers began overturning agricultural land and uprooting trees in the Al-Walaja, a village south of Jerusalem inside the 1967 Green Line, Palestinian landowners... Jewish flotilla to break Gaza siege Uruknet June 6, 2010 - The German-Jewish organization Jewish Voice for Peace in the Middle East is preparing a Jewish flotilla to the Gaza Strip. "We intend to leave around July," a member of the organization, Kate Leitrer said. "We have one small craft so far, in which there will be between 12 and 16 people, mostly Jews." Leitrer, herself... Free Gaza The Editors, The Nation 6/4/2010 June 21 edition The Israeli commando raid on what has become known as the Freedom Flotilla is shocking on a number of levels. What could have driven Israel to order its navy to attack, in international waters, a flotilla of ships full of human rights activists, MPs from governments around the world, a Nobel Prize winner and two former US diplomats? What was there to gain from killing civilians—at least nine are dead, along with several dozen injured—attempting to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid for the 1.5 million people of Gaza suffering under an Israeli blockade? Ha’aretz, Israel’s leading daily, said, "The decision makers’ negligence is threatening the security of Israelis, and Israel’s global status." Condemnation of the raid was immediate and overwhelming, with the shameful exception of the US government, whose UN representative merely expressed "regrets" at the loss of life. Demonstrations broke out in cities worldwide, including New York. Many countries condemned the attack—notably Turkey, until recently a key Israeli ally and regional power broker with whom relations may now be irreparably damaged because so many of its nationals were in the flotilla. The UN Security Council demanded an end to the Gaza blockade, although Washington successfully watered down the official statement and forestalled calls for an independent investigation. Without such an inquiry, it’s unlikely that those responsible for this assault will be held accountable. The attack on the Freedom Flotilla is the culmination of more than four years of failed policy, in which a siege has been imposed on the entire population of Gaza in an attempt to weaken and isolate Hamas after its victory in the 2006 parliamentary elections. Israel does not bear sole responsibility for an unjust blockade that also undermines its own long-term security; indeed, the policy was jointly crafted and executed with the United States and has enjoyed the collusion of the European Union, Egypt and even the Fatah wing of the Palestinian Authority.more..e-mail Settlers torch hundreds of Nablus olive trees Uruknet June 2, 2010 - Residents of the illegal Yitzhar settlement set fire to more than 100 dunums of Palestinian lands near Urif village, southwest of Nablus on Wednesday afternoon, Palestinian officials said. Local official in charge of the settlements file in the northern West Bank Ghasan Daghlas said the fire was set in the Jabal Marwes area, the hill... Norway supports Palestinian economy Lars-Kare Legernes, Ma’an News Agency 6/3/2010 Some weeks ago [I vistied] the West Bank. During that visit I saw with my own eyes the fact that Israel does not want peace with Palestine. I visited Hebron, Jericho, Ramallah and Bethlehem after the Oslo Chamber of Commerce was approached by a Palestinian company that hopes to do business with Norway. During my visit I saw shoe factories and olive oil presses, I met Palestinian businessmen who, just like me, want to have a decent life for themselves and their families. I discovered that life under military occupation does not offer many opportunities for a decent life, however. From permission to import, export, travel, move and order goods, excessive inspections, increased tariffs for passage and documentation for official to even a hard time getting paid for products because the money was coming to Palestinians. I met a farmer who had an order for tomatoes from Germany. He tried to ship out his tomatoes through Jordan after getting all the necessary permits from Israel, but when the cargo came to the border, it took the Israelis 3 days to check the container for explosives. The tomatoes spoiled and the man lost both his customer and his cargo. The difficulties I observed did not just stem from the reality of a military occupation, but of a planned and calculated policy to make life in the West Bank difficult - too difficult - for Palestinians in what I believe to be an effort leaning toward expulsion. I met the Mayor of Hebron and he told me 6 million Palestinians live abroad, he said those Palestinians were prohibiting from sending more than 2,000 US dollars a year home to their families and Palestinian charities. Israel fears that the money can be used for terrorism.more..e-mail Settlers torch hundreds of Nablus olive trees Uruknet June 2, 2010 - Residents of the illegal Yitzhar settlement set fire to more than 100 dunums of Palestinian lands near Urif village, southwest of Nablus on Wednesday afternoon, Palestinian officials said. Local official in charge of the settlements file in the northern West Bank Ghasan Daghlas said the fire was set in the Jabal Marwes area, the hill... Settlers torch hundreds of Nablus olive trees 6/2/2010 - Nablus "“ Ma'an "“ Residents of the illegal Yitzhar settlement set fire to more than 100 dunums of Palestinian lands near Urif village, southwest of Nablus on Wednesday afternoon, Palestinian officials said. Local official in charge of the settlements file in the northern West Bank Ghasan Daghlas said the fire was set in the Jabal Marwes area.... Following Navy warning, Gaza flotilla takes 'alternate route' YNet News - VIDEO - Three Israeli naval craft left a Haifa naval base just after 9 pm and approached the "Freedom Flotilla" after dark on Sunday, according to the Twitter page of ....... Standing up to the Bulldozers in Palestine Palestine Note 29 May 2010 - Earlier this month, as Israeli bulldozers sought to raze olive groves in the forgotten Palestinian village of Al-Walaja, many thoughts raced through my mind. At one point, the best I could muster to a young soldier... Video - Bil'in, A Day in the Life: Live Fire, Tear Gas, Sound Bombs, Detentions, Torched Olive Tree.wmv Uruknet May 25, 2010 - This morning, as is their wont, Israeli Occupation Forces intruded into the village of Bilin, this time there were only three to the forefront with backup behind them, when challenged they beat a retreat. Yesterday afternoon, villagers rushed to quench a fire in an olive tree sited close to the Apartheid-Annexation Wall which had to... Israeli Army Raids Bil'in and Burns Olive Tree Uruknet May 26, 2010 - Early Tuesday morning Israeli soldiers raided the town of Bil'in in the central West Bank. Soldiers fired tear gas, sound bombs, and live ammunition at villagers, detained three journalists attempting to document the raid, and set fire to an ancient olive tree. Bil'in has been at the forefront of the non-violent resistance movement against the... Humanitarian Flotilla Versus Zionist Navy Gilad Atzmon, Dissident Voice 5/27/2010 Haaretz reports that Israel will attempt to block the humanitarian Freedom Flotilla heading toward Gaza. However, according to the Israeli paper, the humanitarian cargo would then be unloaded, inspected and sent to Gaza overland via the United Nations. Typical for Israel, it tries to win a lost battle. On the one hand, by stopping the flotilla Israel attempts to maintain its regional status as an omnipotent super power that controls the land, the air and the sea. On the other hand, the Jewish state pathetically also wants to evoke sympathy for being ‘sensitive’ to humanitarian issues and the Palestinian plight. The Israeli government fails to gather that the tide has changed. We see through them. We all know what the Jewish state stands for. We all know about the devastation in Gaza, we know about the siege, the destruction and the crimes against humanity. We all watch the Israeli separation wall cutting through Palestinian family’s houses and olive orchards. We also follow the racist ethnic cleansing in East Jerusalem. The Israelis better save us from their spins and manipulations. In case the Israelis still fail to see it, they are dealing this time with an international flotilla that is sailing under Turkish and Greek flags, a fleet that carries 800 enthusiast activists from all over the world. The Israelis are dealing with peace lovers who are determined to break through the siege and deliver medical aid, cement, paper and food. On the deck we have 35 European parliamentarians who must have decided to say NO to Zionist fund raisers. This flotilla is a clear signal to Israel that the game is over. Israel is now all but officially isolated. All that is left for Israel is to come to terms with its true nature: a shameless racist, murderous and terrorist state. Militarily and politically Israel locked itself into a limbo. For the Israelis it is a “no win situation....more..e-mail Israeli Army Raids Bil'in and Burns Olive Tree IMEMC - 26 May 2010 - Early Tuesday morning Israeli soldiers raided the town of Bil'in in the central West Bank. Soldiers fired tear gas, sound bombs, and live ammunition at villagers, detained three journalists attempting to document the raid, and set fire to an ancient olive tree. Bil'in has been at the forefront of the non-violent resistance movement against the Israeli occupation. Fire crews control orange grove fire 5/25/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Palestinian firefighters said they were able to gain control over a number of blazes across the northern West Bank on Tuesday, a statement read. Among the fires controlled include a blaze in a Jenin orange grove, which consumed 15 trees, and spread to a nearby olive tree crop near the Jalzon refugee camp.... Israel plows 15 donums in east of Bethlehem 25 May 2010 - West Bank, May 25, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli bulldozers plowed Palestinian lands in Nahlen village in the west of Bethlehem city. Military vehicles and bulldozers were present in the site where they plew 15 donums and uprooted number of olive trees. “The aim of plowing is to confiscate the land of Abu Al-Qoron close to Jba’out and Bytar Alit... Palestinian and Israeli security forces in Beit Jala and ACTION:Bethlehem/Haifa etc Palestine Note 25 May 2010 - (occupation forces uprooting olive trees in Nahhalin this Monday morning; call me or email me for details) We had a demonstration in Al-Walaja on Sunday morning (23 May 2010) which went smoothly. At 11:30 we went... Israel overturns land in Bethlehem-area village 5/24/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel's Civil Administration, reportedly accompanied by border guards, bulldozed land in the Nahalin village in Bethlehem and uprooted a number of olive trees on Monday, a village council official told Ma'an. The official, Yousef Shakarneh, said approximately 10 Israeli military vehicles were present during the incident, adding that the digging was largely undertaken.... Zionist setters burn 150 olive trees in Al-Khalil Uruknet May 23, 2010 - Dozens of Zionist settlers raided the village of Sa'ir east of Al-Khalil district on Saturday and burned tens of fruitful olive trees, local sources reported. They said that the settlers set fire to the trees in lands owned by two families near to the settlement of Asfar then ran away, destroying 150 trees in the... Mamilla Cemetery – What to do with the graves? Nir Hasson, Haaertz, Israeli Occupation Archive 5/20/2010 Skeletons should not be sanctified – but replacing Muslim graves with an ostentatious building dedicated to tolerance will only serve as a provocation Haaretz’s investigative reporting on the eve of Shavuot about the removal of skeletons from the Mamilla Muslim cemetery so the Museum of Tolerance can be built there rightly prompted questions from the people at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which had initiated the museum project. The questions went something like this: “So what now? Let’s assume we drop the project. Will we reestablish the cemetery on a site that served as a parking lot for 40 years? After all, if we start putting back cemeteries that have disappeared, the country will quickly fill up with gravestones and there will be no space for the living. So it’s patently absurd.” It’s no small wonder, however, that a similar case exists not far from Mamilla. Just as the large, important, ancient Muslim cemetery in Mamilla is in the heart of Jewish-Israeli Jerusalem, the large, important, ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives is in the heart of the Muslim-Palestinian city. The two cemeteries can be seen as mirror images of each other. Each of them passed into the hands of opposing sides during the War of Independence. In the 1960s, Israel destroyed part of the Mamilla cemetery and built a parking lot on it. During those same years, the Jordanians destroyed part of the Jewish cemetery to build a gas station. Over the past decade, workmen have returned to both sites. On the Mount of Olives, a major project is underway to restore the part of the cemetery that was destroyed. At Mamilla, excavations have been undertaken to remove skeletons to make room for the Museum of Tolerance. Both moves are a mistake. The gravestones on the Mount of Olives are a fiction. They are actually a theater set of a cemetery because no one really knows where the people are buried; fragments of their headstones lay in piles left by the Jordanian bulldozers..... -- See also: Sourcemore..e-mail Jerusalem Police arrest two Arab youths suspected of vandalizing Jewish cemetery Ha'aretz - East Jerusalem residents allegedly smashed Mount of Olives gravestones in order to steal bronze casings of memorial candles. A life-saving surgery for Palestinian children Palestine Note 18 May 2010 - On May 7, a six member team of doctors and nurses from Messa, Italy finished a week of pediatric cardiac surgery at Makassed Hospital on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem. This is the third... Settler Torch Olive Orchard In Silwan IMEMC - 13 May 2010 - A group of fundamentalist Israeli settlers torched, Wednesday night, an 11-Dunam olive orchard in al-Rababa valley, in Silwan, south of the Old City of Jerusalem. Silwan residents say settler arson behind olive grove fire 5/13/2010 - Jerusalem "“ Ma'an "“ Eleven dunums of olive trees were reported destroyed by the Awad family, who blamed nearby settlers for setting the Wednesday night blaze. The fire, in Silwan's Wadi Ar-Rababa, is located south of Jerusalem's Old City, and behind the Green Line. The zone was illegallyannexed to Israel following the 1967 war, and now faces.... Settlers Torch Olive Orchard In Silwan Uruknet May 13, 2010 - A group of fundamentalist Israeli settlers torched, Wednesday night, an 11-Dunam olive orchard in al-Rababa valley, in Silwan, south of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Maan news Agency reported that three olive trees, over 300 years old, were burnt down while dozens of trees were partially burnt. The attack took place while thousands of Jewish... Join Us at the Launch to Gaza Uruknet May 11, 2010 - When: Wednesday, May 12 - Where: Dundalk Docks, 40 Quay Street, Dundalk, Ireland - 10:00-11:00 come to the ship and be introduced to the MV Rachel Corrie and the organizers, donors and high profile passengers. 11:00-12:00 We will rename her with a bottle of Palestinian olive oil as a celebration of Palestinian land rights, and international... Fayyad goes green Palestine Note 11 May 2010 - Washington - Palestinian Authority PM Salam Fayyad vows to plant 10 million saplings at "Green Qalqilya Week," Ynet News reported Tuesday. Olive trees, like the one above, can be hundreds of years old and are a... Weekly Protest - VIDEO ROUND UP Palestine Monitor: 10 May 2010 - Up and down the West Bank non-violent protests took place during the last weekend. Here's a video round-up of what happened. Bil'in / Demonstration in Bi'lin - 7 May 2010 Courtesy: Oren Ziv - Activestills Six people were arrested in Bil'in on Friday during a demonstration to commemorate the 62nd anniversary of Al-Nakba. One resident was injured by a teargas canister and dozens suffered tear gas inhalation. Demonstrators, made up of Palestinian, Israeli and international activists, proceeded from Bil'in mosque to the fence. A number of demonstrators dressed in black and carried a coffin with a man inside. Tear gas fired at protesters by an Israeli army unit caused fire in nearby olive groves. Haitham, the injured man, was transferred to hospital in Ramallah. Six others were arrested. Nabi Saleh An eleven-year-old child was arrested at a protest in Nabi Saleh on Friday. He was then taken to the Halamish police... UN: Nine violent settler incidents this week Palestine Note 7 May 2010 - New York - Israeli settlers were involved in nine separate attacks that injured Palestinians or damaged their property, a United Nations agency said on Thursday. Olive trees like the one above were damaged in a settler... A ‘historic opportunity at hand’ tonight as UC San Diego votes on divestment Mondoweiss - Anfal Awwad, Benjamin Balthaser, Oliver Burchill, Amal Dalmar and Aaron Dimsdale write in the UCSD newspaper The Guardian about the UCSD divestment resolution that will be voted on tonight: We have a historic opportunity to stop our university from contributing to the violation of human rights.... Zionist settlers burn olive trees in Hawara Uruknet May 4, 2010-- Zionist settlers from the notorious Yitzhar settlement on Tuesday set on fire tens of Palestinian dunums cultivated with fruitful olive trees in Hawara village, south of Nablus, eyewitnesses reported. They said that tens of settlers descended from hills overlooking the village and burnt the trees over almost ten dunums of land. The villagers tried to put off... May Day in Gaza: An olive oil producer is turning production waste into an energy source Palestine Note 4 May 2010 - By Mariam Hamed in Gaza - Special to Palestine Note Saturday was May Day (International Labor Day), and cities across the world celebrated their workers with parades, but in Gaza, being able to produce something valuable... Zionist settlers burn olive trees in Hawara PIC 4 May 2010 - Zionist settlers from the notorious Yitzhar settlement on Tuesday set on fire tens of Palestinian dunums cultivated with fruitful olive trees in Hawara village, south of Nablus, eyewitnesses reported. Salfit farmers report crop damage by wild pigs 5/3/2010 - Salfit - Ma'an - A sounder of wild boars destroyed several dunums of Palestinian farm land in the Salfit district on Sunday, local farmers said, prompting accusations of settler involvement. Adjacent to the largest Israeli settlement in the West Bank, Ari'el, Salfit farmers are enclosed on all sides by urban centers that specialists say disrupt grazing patterns for the large animals. What are termed "pig attacks" by farmers are often blamed on settlers, with rumors of malicious intentions based on repeated settler attacks on the area, with olive groves ruined and sewage pumped continuously into a local spring. Considerable damage was done in the Al-Matwi, Ash-Shala and An-Nejarah areas, farmers said, with Othman Balasmah reporting that "the fields in Al-Matwi were totally destroyed." MAY DAY IN GAZA: CELEBRATING WORKERS AND INGENUITY Palestine Note 2 May 2010 - OLIVE OIL PRODUCER NASR OUDA IS TURNING PRODUCTION WASTE INTO AN ENERGY SOURCE By Mariam Hamed in Gaza - Special to Palestine Note Saturday was May Day (International Labor Day), and cities across the world celebrated... Settlers Uproot 30 Olive Trees Near Qalqilia IMEMC - 1 May 2010 - Israeli settlers uprooted on Friday at least 30 Olive trees that belong to residents of Kefir Qaddoum town, near the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia. Palestinian Popular Struggle against Home Demolitions, Olive Tree Destruction in Bethlehem Area Alternative Information Center - Tuesday, 27 April 2010, One of the fronts of the popular struggle in the West Bank is now Beit Jala, Bethlehem district. The whole of the Bethlehem district has been surrounded by the Separation Wall and... A Cloud over Jerusalem Uri Avnery, Dissident Voice 5/1/2010 Everyone has the right to change his or her mind. Even Danny Tirzeh. Colonel Tirzeh was responsible for planning the wall that “envelopes” Jerusalem – the one that cuts the city off from the West Bank in order to turn it into the United Capital Of Israel For All Eternity. And now, suddenly, Tirzeh pops up as the main opponent of the wall he himself planned. He wants to move it, so as to leave the lands of al-Walaja village on the “Israeli” side. The Colonel has ceased acting on behalf of the Israeli army and now represents private entrepreneurs who want to build 14 thousand housing units for 45 thousand Jewish souls. All this, of course, for the greater good of Zionism, the Jewish people, Israel’s Eternal Capital, and many tens of millions of shekels. Colonel Tirzeh is not just anybody. He is a symbol. For years I kept meeting him in the halls of the Supreme Court. He had become almost a fixture: the star witness, the expert and the moving spirit in scores of hearings dealing with the Separation and Annexation Wall. He knows everything. Every kilometer of the Wall and the Fence. Every hill, every stone. He always carries with him a large bundle of maps which he lays before the judges, earnestly explaining why the Wall must pass here and not there, why the security of the state demands that the Palestinian villages be separated from their land, why leaving an olive grove in the hands of its owner would expose Israeli soldiers to mortal danger.more..e-mail Outpost settlers uproot 30 olive trees east of Qalqiliya 4/30/2010 - Qalqiliya - Ma'an -Kafr Qaddum village residents said they woke up to settlers from the Hifat Gilad outpost of the illegal Qedumin settlement bloc tearing up some 30 olive trees on private lands. The trees, part of the agricultural land belonging to Saleh Shtewi and his brothers, were torn up at the south-eastern end of the village, abutting the settlement. Fields in the area had previously been declared a closed military zone, locals said, keeping farmers from planting or harvesting their crops. Some were able to secure special permits during harvest seasons from Israeli authorities, however this did not always guarantee access to groves and orchards if settlers were present in the area. Price tag: Who's to blame for settler violence? YNet News - Torching fields, vehicles and houses, uprooting olive trees, vandalizing kindergartens – these are part of a long list of almost routine violent acts of settlers against ....... Settlers Attack A Palestinian Town In Northern West Bank And Destroy Property And Trees IMEMC - Thursday April 29, 2010 - 18:38, A group of Israeli settlers attacked on Thursday the town of Huwara, in northern West Bank, and destroyed olive trees and property. Israel raids Jenin, no reported detentions 28 Apr 2010 - Jenin, April 28, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces raided Jenin today, no detentions were reported. Israeli occupation forces raided Al-Zbabda, Mithlon, Sanour and other neighborhoods in south of Jenin, while travelled in the city streets, local sources said. Also, Israeli forces raided Qbatia village and erected number of ambuscades in the olive fields, but no detentions were reported.... Palestinian Popular Struggle against Home Demolitions, Olive Tree Destruction in Bethlehem Area Alternative Information Center - Tuesday, 27 April 2010, One of the fronts of the popular struggle in the West Bank is now Beit Jala, Bethlehem district. The whole of the Bethlehem district has been surrounded by the Separation Wall and... Al-Walaja: Defending Palestinian Land From Bulldozers Palestine Monitor - A sit-in protest was organised in the West Bank village of Al-Walaja (south of Bethlehem) on Sunday against the ongoing construction of the Wall, which was resumed last Thursday. Approximately 200 Palestinian, Israel and international demonstrators tried to block bulldozers uprooting an olive grove, sitting in... Palestinian Popular Struggle against Home Demolitions, Olive Tree Destruction in Bethlehem Area Alternative Information Center - Tuesday, 27 April 2010, One of the fronts of the popular struggle in the West Bank is now Beit Jala, Bethlehem district. The whole of the Bethlehem district has been surrounded by the Separation Wall and ever-expanding settlements for years. Now, Beit Jala is being hit... Al-Walaja: Defending Palestinian Land From Bulldozers Uruknet April 26, 2010 - A sit-in protest was organised in the West Bank village of Al-Walaja (south of Bethlehem) on Sunday against the ongoing construction of the Wall, which was resumed last Thursday. Approximately 200 Palestinian, Israel and international demonstrators tried to block bulldozers uprooting an olive grove, sitting in the place where the bulldozers staged. Israeli soldiers attacked demonstrators:... Al-Walaja: Defending Palestinian Land From Bulldozers Palestine Monitor - A sit-in protest was organised in the West Bank village of Al-Walaja (south of Bethlehem) on Sunday against the ongoing construction of the Wall, which was resumed last Thursday. Approximately 200 Palestinian, Israel and international demonstrators tried to block bulldozers uprooting an olive grove, sitting in... Al-Walaja: Defending Palestinian Land From Bulldozers Palestine Monitor: 26 Apr 2010 - A sit-in protest was organised in the West Bank village of Al-Walaja (south of Bethlehem) on Sunday against the ongoing construction of the Wall, which was resumed last Thursday. Approximately 200 Palestinian, Israel and international demonstrators tried to block bulldozers uprooting an olive grove, sitting in the place where the bulldozers staged. Israeli soldiers attacked demonstrators: among them, Dr Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative who declared that “despite the attempt of Israeli authorities to weaken and interrupt the protest, the non-violent struggle will continue weekly rallies to stop the construction of the Apartheid Wall”. Here what's happened. / Photo: Palestine Monitor Photo: Palestine Monitor Photo: Palestine Monitor Photo: Palestine Monitor Photo: Palestine Monitor Photo: Palestine Monitor Photo: Palestine Monitor Photo: palestine Monitor Photo: Palestine Monitor Photo: Palestine Monitor Photo: palestine Monitor Photo: Palestine Monitor Photo: palestine Monitor Photo: Palestine Monitor Photo: Palestine Monitor Photo: Palestine Monitor Photo:... Border police beat protesters demanding halt to wall 4/25/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Demonstrators participating in a sit-in protest against the continued construction of Israel's separation wall in Beit Jala and Al-Walaja were beaten with sticks and batons by Israeli border police, witnesses said. Approximately 200 Palestinian, international and Israeli protesters sat in the path of Israeli bulldozers scheduled to tear up olive groves on Sunday, and faced Israeli border police who detained four, including an Israeli man. One of the protesters was identified as Haitam Al-Atrash, and four were reported injured. Organizers said border police dislocated the shoulder of an Israeli man "during the violent arrest," and say the man is being denied access to medical treatment as he is kept in a police station. Officials said three others, an AP photographer and two demonstrators, were also injured and evacuated to a hospital. Protesters declared the event a victory, after reportedly stalling construction for three hours in Al-Walaja. An Israeli border police spokesman said he was unavailable for comment. Bulldozers return to destroy children’s playground in Beit Jala. Six activists arrested. Uruknet April 22, 2010 - Israeli bulldozers today destroyed a garden and children’s playground in Beit Jala, and 100 fruit and olive trees in Al Walaja, both in the Bethlehem district, to make way for the continued construction of their illegal apartheid wall. Soldiers present used violent force to remove Palestinian, Israeli and international activists who attempted to prevent the destruction.... Bulldozers return to destroy children’s playground in Beit Jala. Six activists arrested. 4/22/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Israeli bulldozers today destroyed a garden and children's playground in Beit Jala, and 100 fruit and olive trees in Al Walaja, both in the Bethlehem district, to make way for the continued construction of their illegal apartheid wall. Soldiers present used violent force to remove Palestinian, Israeli and international activists who attempted to prevent the destruction. Two Israelis were arrested immediately, and six internationals were later arrested. In Beit Jala, this is the second time that this particular garden and playground has been bulldozed. A legal injunction preventing further destruction expired this week. Following the previous demolition, in early March, local Palestinian residents and international supporters rebuilt the playground and planted new olive trees in the garden. All these were today destroyed. Twelve people, representing six different nationalities, sat in front of the Caterpillar bulldozer as it moved up to the garden. Israeli Settlers Uproot Olive Trees In Northern West Bank IMEMC - Tuesday April 20, 2010 - 19:31, Israeli settlers uprooted on Tuesday dozens of olive trees owned by Palestinian farmers form the village of Qarwit near Nablus city, northern West Bank. Nablus official: Settlers uproot 250 olive seedlings 4/20/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - A number of Israeli settlers uprooted 250 olive tree seedlings on Tuesday at dawn, after Palestinian farmers spent several days planting the crop in the Qaryut village south of Nablus, an official said. Ghassan Doughlas, Palestinian Authority head of the settler portfolio in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that settlers from the illegal Hayovel outpost east of the village uprooted the olive crop, which Palestinian farmers planted for Earth Day. Abdul Nasser Al-Qaryuti, head of the village council, called on human rights organizations to intervene and halt settler assaults on Palestinian lands. No complaint was submitted to Israel's Civil Administration, a spokesman said. EU project trains Palestinian olive farmers 4/20/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an -An EU project has helped small-scale Palestinian olive farmers in the West Bank produce international standard organic olive oil for global sale and develop their trade. Some 800 olive farmers attended a series of courses on administration, trimming olive trees, harvesting, olive oil extraction and laboratory work, undertaken by the European Commission, OXFAM, the Union of Palestinian Farmers, and Bethlehem University's Fair Trade Development Center. The number of indirect beneficiaries exceeds 2,900 farmers from more than 30 West Bank villages."We learned several new things about olive trees and plant diseases and how to deal with them. We learned new picking and storage methods and much more through the project," says Um Yazan, a Palestinian woman who benefited from the training. The Ma'an Network produced a documentary on the project, cataloging the success of Palestinian. . . Israeli settlers uproot 250 olive nurslings 20 Apr 2010 - Nablus, April 20, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli settlers uprooted today 250 olive nurslings in Qarout village south of Nablus. The official of West Bank settlements file, Ghassan Douglas, said that number of Israeli settlers uprooted today 250 olive nurslings which the Palestinians citizens plant in the Palestinian Land day. The president of Qarout village council, Abed Al-Naser Al-Qaruoti, confirmed... Settlers Uproot Olive Trees in Qaryut WAFA 20 Apr 2010 - NABLUS, April 20, 2010 (WAFA) – Jewish Settlers uprooted at night tens of Olive trees in West Bank village of Qaryut south of Nablus. Citizens shocked this morning when they saw their trees Jewish settlers uproot olive trees in Nablus, IOF soldiers terrorize Al-Khalil PIC 20 Apr 2010 - Tens of Jewish settlers stormed Palestinian cultivated land lots in Qaryut village, south of Nablus city, last night and uprooted olive trees and caused vast damage. PCBS: Olive pressing output down in 2009 4/18/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics report revealed that olive pressing in the occupied Palestinian territories was considerably lower in 2009, compared with previous years. Almost 19,860 tons of olives were pressed in 2009, extracting 4,771 tons of olive oil -- a decline in olive press output, which in 2008 saw 17,584 tons of oil extracted from 76,388 tons of pressed olives in 2008, the PCBS statistics indicated, revealing a poor olive harvest in 2009. The highest quantity of extracted oil in 2009 was 1,585 tons from 6,304 of olive pressed in Jenin and Tubas governorates, while the lowest quantity of extracted oil was 103 tons from 389 tons of pressed olive in Jerusalem. The PCBS noted that results showed that the extraction rate increased, reaching 24. 0% in 2009, compared with 23. 0% in 2008. It reached the highest level with 26. 9% in Qalqiliya governorate while the lowest level was in Gaza and Deir Al-Balah governorates at 16. 6%. Diliani warns of ’rapidly escalating’ aggression 4/15/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Fatah Revolutionary Council member Dimitri Diliani warned Thursday that Israel's "continuous and rapidly escalating aggression" against villages surrounding occupied Jerusalem was in cooperation with settler groups. Diliani added that such "aggression" occurs in parallel with the decision of Israel's Jerusalem municipality to resume house demolitions in the occupied city, in addition to settlement building, the separation wall, seizing residents' houses for the benefit of settlers, imposing high taxes, restricting movement, confining the process of education, and systematically disrupting social and cultural development. He pointed out those settlers uprooted 300 centuries-old olive trees in the village of Mikhmas, north of Jerusalem, on Tuesday at the same time that the military ruling authority in the West Bank announced the confiscation of hundreds of acres in Anata. . . PCBS: 280 Olive Presses in Palestine WAFA 15 Apr 2010 - RAMALLAH, April 15, 2010 (WAFA)- The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said that olive presses in the Palestinian Territory for the year 2009, are 280, of which 235 were operating, No-one saw, no-one heard: 300 Palestinian olive trees uprooted Ha'aretz 15 Apr 2010 - Some 300 olive trees belonging to Palestinians were uprooted on the night between Monday and Tuesday in groves near the village of Mihmas, close to the illegal outpost of Migron. Mihmas residents blamed settlers for the attack and said this was the third time the settlers had uprooted trees in the area. ... Jewish settlers uproot 300 olive trees in WB PIC 15 Apr 2010 - Jewish settlers rooted out 300 olive trees in the Palestinian West Bank village of Muhmus in one night, a Hebrew daily reported on Thursday. Settlers vandalize mosque, burn cars in Huwwara 4/14/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli citizens living in an illegal West Bank settlement vandalized a mosque in Huwwara, after storming the Nablus village early Wednesday morning. Settlers from the nearby Yitzhar settlement ascended upon the village at 2am and sprayed graffiti, including a Star of David and racist slogans across the the Bilal Ben Rab Mosque in the Qoza area of the village, said Ghassan Doughlas, Palestinian Authority official in charge of the settlement portfolio in the northern West Bank. Two cars were further set on fire in the village, belonging to Ziad Abdullah Theeb and Sameer Ibrhaim Zahar respectively. The official added that settlers crashed into another vehicle belonging to Zaher's brother. According to Israeli media, more than 300 olive trees were uprooted and the racist graffiti was sprayed across the village. No one saw, no one heard: 300 Palestinian olive trees uprooted Ha'aretz 14 Apr 2010 - Some 300 olive trees belonging to Palestinians were uprooted on the night between Monday and Tuesday in groves near the village of Mihmas, close to the illegal outpost of Migron. Mihmas residents blamed settlers for the attack and said this was the third time the settlers had uprooted trees in the area. ... PA ministry seizes fake olive oil 4/12/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - The Ramallah-based Ministry of Agriculture confiscated considerable quantities of sub-par olive oil on Monday in occupied East Jerusalem and Hebron. The tainted olive oil, sold at 110 shekels per bottle, was a mixture of low-grade olive and cooking oils and likely originated from Israel, the ministry's undersecretary Azzam Tubeleh said. Tubeleh said the confiscation was undertaken in coordination with PA security forces, after he was informed by a colleague that a Nablus shop was selling the counterfeit olive oil, which was labeled as originating from the Palestinian Al-Mansha town. Following an investigation, the ministry and forces seized the goods in two warehouses in Ezzariya, East Jerusalem, and Hebron. The ministry is currently testing the produce to verify the olive oil's source and will release its findings once the investigation is complete, Tubeleh added, further. . . Protesters say army used live fire against Nil’in demonstration 4/10/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinians were joined by 15 Israeli and international activists in the West Bank village of Nil'in on Friday, where Israeli forces were said to have used live fire to disperse a weekly demonstration. Protesting Israel's wall and settlements, which have claimed over 40 percent of the village's lands, demonstrators marched toward the barrier armed with flags. According to participants, Israeli forces responded by firing tear gas, rubber-coated bullets and live ammunition. Soldiers invaded the village's olive groves, where they continued opening fire, but there were no injuries, a statement from the International Solidarity Movement said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said riot-dispersal means were used to disperse a violent riot. Settlers Uproot 15 Olive Trees near Dir Estia Uruknet April 8, 2010 - A group of extremist Jewish settlers uprooted on Thursday 15 Olive trees in Wadi Qana area, north east of Dir Estia, near the central West Bank district of Salfit. Head of the Dir Estia city council, Nathmi Salman, told the Palestine News and Information Center, WAFA, that the Olive trees belong to resident Nasser Mansour, and... Live Ammunition Fired at Nonviolent Demonstrators in Ni’lin 4/9/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Facing tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition, roughly sixty Palestinians gathered outside of Ni'lin today. Joined by 15 Israeli and International activists, the demonstrators protested the Israeli occupation which has claimed over 40% of the village's land. After congregating in nearby olive groves for midday prayers, demonstrators marched towards the illegal annexation wall with flags and chants led by village youth. Upon reaching the wall, demonstrators were met with a violent military response. Claiming nearly 30% of remaining village land, the wall annexes Ni'lin farmland for use by the nearby illegal settlement Modi'in Ilit. Soldiers fired tear gas and percussion grenades over the wall at nonviolent demonstrators, who were not deterred and continued a spirited protest. Visiting the Galilee and north Palestine Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD, Axis of Logic 4/7/2010 A short description and a 7 minute video on a two-day trip to the Galilee, North Palestine. It was strangely uplifting to spend two nights and three days in the Galilee, North Palestine. We visited good friends, made new friends, saw 3000 year old olive trees, walked in the ruins depopulated villages, and shopped and ate in Palestinian towns which survived 62 years of colonial apartheid. We crossed from Bethlehem to occupied East Jerusalem with a wave of an Israeli soldier’s hand (who did not bother to check papers of an Israeli car. A few minutes later we crossed the Green line (borders before 1967) that is neither marked or guarded. The imaginary green line had long disappeared since Israeli colonies go deep into the occupied West Bank. But in the areas of West Jerusalem, we could still see many signs of the three dozen Palestinian villages depopulated since 1948. Then taking "route 6" north. This highway was built on newly confiscated Palestinian village lands. Over 530 Palestinian towns and villages were depopulated. The remaining 130 villages and towns had most of their land taken and now the remaining Palestinians who comprise 20% of the Israeli population live on about 2% of the land while the Jewish population controls the rest (which is mostly Palestinian property). When we take the whole of Palestine (West Bank and Gaza included), we see that Palestinians who remained (some 50% of the population is restricted to less than 10% of historic Palestine. Thus access to land is nearly 9 folds more to the Jewish population (most of it not native) even without the return of refugees. We visited devastated Palestinian villages like Iqrit (a catholic christian community of which only the church remains), Al-Zeeb (a fishing muslim community where the mosque and the few remaining buildings are converted for recreation of Israelis), and Al_Bassa (that used to be a thriving mixed town of Christians and Muslims and was filled with Jewish immigrants initially from Bulgaria and is now called Shlomi).more..e-mail Settlers Uproot 15 Olive Trees near Dir Estia IMEMC - Friday April 09, 2010 - 01:09, A group of extremist Jewish settlers uprooted on Thursday 15 Olive trees in Wadi Qana area, north east of Dir Estia, near the central West Bank district of Salfit. Settlers Uproot 15 Olive Trees near Dir Estia Uruknet April 8, 2010 - A group of extremist Jewish settlers uprooted on Thursday 15 Olive trees in Wadi Qana area, north east of Dir Estia, near the central West Bank district of Salfit. Head of the Dir Estia city council, Nathmi Salman, told the Palestine News and Information Center, WAFA, that the Olive trees belong to resident Nasser Mansour, and... What settlements look like Mondoweiss - 7 Apr 2010 - Anyone who wants to understand Israeli settlements should understand how they look to Palestinians. Here are three pictures from Hamde Abu Rahmah’s facebook page . An olive tree has been dismembered to make way for more land confiscation for a settlement in the first shot, in the... Israeli merchant sells peat oil as 'olive' oil 7 Apr 2010 - West Bank, April 7, (Pal Telegraph) A Palestinian agriculture expert warned from filling the Palestinian market with "peat" refined oil through an Israeli merchant from the Galilee, and mediated by local traders, to be sold on the basis that its extra virgin olive oil but with fair prices cheating the consumers. Agricultural engineer, Khalid Junaidi, said “I have informed several... Palestinian envoy plants olive seedlings in Dubai 4/5/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Commemorating Earth Day in a unique way, the Palestinian consul general to the United Arab Emirates has planted two olive seedlings in Dubai, naming them "Jerusalem" and "Church of the Holy Sepulcher" respectively. The Emirates News Agency, quoting a statement from the consul general, reported that on this occasion, "Earth Day comes at a time when our people in Jerusalem are threatened by a vicious plan by Israel to swallow the holy land." It said that serious work can only save Jerusalem from "Judaisation," according to the news agency. Earth Day was celebrated jointly by the Palestinian Consulate General in Dubai and the Social and Cultural Committee of the Northern Emirates. Consul General Hussain Abdul Khaliq, members of the Palestinian community and others reportedly attended the event. Speaking at the event,Socio-Cultural Committee chairman Basim Eissa hailed. . . Jewish extremists take over Al-Aqsa gates 2 Apr 2010 - Jerusalem, April 2 nd , (Pal Telegraph) The active Jewish settlement societies active Doubled their efforts in the acquisition of Jerusalemites real estates in the old town and Silwan, and the districts of Sheikh Jarrah, Ras al-Amud, Mount of Olives and have done in the past two days media and advertising propaganda campaigns in support of Jewish settlement in the heart... Ramallah is not Palestine Sandy Toalan, Le Monde Diplomatique, Israeli Occupation Archive 4/1/2010 Despite condemnation over Jerusalem and Gaza, Israel has boasted of improved conditions in parts of the West Bank. Yet Ramallah, with its coffee bars and restaurants, is far away from Area C, with its refugee camps, roadblocks, military patrols and harassment, where nothing much has changed In Ramallah, on a sliver of land inside the occupied West Bank, it’s possible to imagine what Palestinian freedom might feel like. Major Israeli roadblocks and checkpoints are down or unmanned, allowing drivers who used to be stalled, fuming, to travel nearly unimpeded from Jericho, up the ancient hills to Ramallah, and on to Nablus in northern Palestine. Inside this fragment of a fragment of land, the economy is picking up, as shipments of soap, olive oil, vegetables, soft drinks and even local beer move smoothly to their West Bank destinations. Bloomberg has noticed that the area shows an annual growth rate of 7%. Here, in the political and commercial centre of the West Bank, a relative sense of ease and prosperity has emerged as new shops and bars serve well-educated and discerning customers. “World-class vibrant beats in the evenings and fine-dining at all times,” reads the Facebook page for Orjuwan, a popular Ramallah lounge. “Preserving essential ingredients of traditional Mediterranean cuisine from Palestine and Italy, our classic dishes are reinvented to gourmet standard in a fine dining experience…” Welcome to Liberty Enclave, where residents experience a taste of prosperity and rising quality of life in this small but significant part of Palestinian West Bank society. Unencumbered by scores of roadblocks, or by delays caused by the arbitrary decisions of teenaged soldiers, these Palestinians can now enjoy a modicum of freedom to move about and do business....more..e-mail Budrus marks Land Day with olive tree planting and nonviolent resistance 4/1/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 31 March - Nearly 100 residents of Budrus, Israli activist and internationals comemorated Land Day with a nonviolent march and tree planting action. The IOF used tear gas, sound bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets to violently repress the commemoration. Less than ten villagers were hit with rubber-coated steel bullets resulting in no serious injuries. About fifteen demonstrators were treated on-site for severe tear gas inhalation. There were no arrests made. As the IOF soldiers made their hasty retreat, the demonstrators happened upon the remnants of Israel's vain attempt to suppress the nonviolent popular resistance. Three barrels of tear gas canisters had been left during the soldiers haphazard exit from the village. Each once housed 400 tear gas canisters and the evidence they had been filled to the brim was scatted about the farmfield. EU officials to attend Palm Sunday detainees’ court appearance 3/31/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Representatives of the European Union, French and Spanish offices in Jerusalem will attend the court appearance of a PLO Executive Committee member detained on Palm Sunday during Bethlehem protests, the official's aides said. The court appearance was set for Wednesday, when Abbas Zaki will stand on as yet unannounced charges for his role in a non-violent protest against the Israeli decision to refuse entry of West Bank Christian worshipers to Jerusalem for the Palm Sunday march from the Mount of Olives into the Old City. A representative of the French Foreign Ministry told reporters Tuesday that the ongoing detention of Zaki and 11 other Palestinians who participated in the non-violent protest was illegal, and their release was demanded. According to a statement from Zaki's office, non-violent popular rallies will continue across Palestine demanding his release. My Beautiful Palestine Uruknet March 30, 2010 - This is to all of the Palestinian parents in exile and the long trail of olive trees they've planted around the globe. A few days ago, my father emailed me a photo of my mom and him standing proudly next to my newest sibling; a young olive tree they've planted in their garden in Queensland Australia.... Sheikh Jarrah garden reclaimed in Land Day celebration 3/31/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - In honor of Land Day, an upbeat group of local residents and school children gathered on Wednesday in front of the half-occupied Al Kurd home in Sheikh Jarrah. Neighbors, friends and supporters cleaned up the garden and planted olive trees. The conspicuous and unusual absence of both settlers and police contributed greatly to the positive mood of the day, although the ongoing threat of further evictions looms over the whole neighborhood. The al-Kurd family live in the back half of their home, but were evicted from the newly built front partition in December 2009. The day's actions were seen by many present as a sign of defiance against the illegal presence of Israeli settlers in the front part of the house, and against the imminent court proceedings which may be used to force them from the back half. The day concluded with the usual Wednesday night community dinner, in which international. . . . Israel prevents Christian pilgrims from visiting Bethlehem Palestine Note 3/31/2010 In a response to a totally nonviolent protest by Palestinian Christians and Muslims demanding their freedom of movement the Israeli army has effectively banned entry of Christian pilgrims and tourists from visiting the birth place of Christ. The protest on March 28th focused on the Israeli restrictions to Palestinians from Bethlehem from participating in the Palm Sunday events in the holy city of Jerusalem, a mere 8 miles away. For centuries Christians from around the world have reenacted the triumphant entry of Jesus to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives one week before his crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Protesters marched from the Nativity Church in Bethlehem towards the checkpoint near Rachel’s Tomb. In addition to Palestinians, the protest included members of international solidarity groups as well as a number of Israeli peace activists. Additionally, and in keeping with the biblical story of the entry of Jesus to Jerusalem, the marchers waving palms and olive branches were led by a man riding a donkey. When the protesters arrived at the checkpoint they appear to have caught the Israelis totally off guard even though the march that was sponsored by the Palestinian NGO Holy Land Trust was publicized using local media for the past week. The private security company hired to man the checkpoint escaped leaving the protesters the ability to pass through the checkpoint without restrictions. No soldiers appeared to stop them, no one declared the area a military zone and so the protesters which included a senior member of the Fatah movement continued their march.... -- See also: Flickr: Freedom march from Bethlehem to Jerusalem 3/28/2010more..e-mail Gazans plant trees on land day 30 Mar 2010 - Gaza, March 30, (Pal Telegraph) Gazan children along side with security men and government officials planted olive trees on the ruins of an emptied Israeli military position in the Martyrs Square south of Gaza City, in commemoration of the thirty-fourth Land day anniversary. The event was organized by the (resigned) Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza, the participants held olive branches,... My Beautiful Palestine Palestine Chronicle: 30 Mar 2010 - By Samah Sabawi This is to all of the Palestinian parents in exile and the long trail of olive trees they've planted around the globe. A few days ago, my father emailed me a photo of my mom and him standing proudly next to my newest sibling; a young olive tree they've planted in their garden in Queensland Australia. I was moved beyond belief looking at that photo and thinking of my beautiful Palestine. To many Palestinians my generation, raised in the Diaspora, Palestine is more than the landscape, old stones and holy places that so many have written about yet most of us on the outside have never seen. As hard as we try to imagine the magnificence of our ancestors' orange groves, or the enchantment of the scent of jasmine flowers as it lingers at night, we know that we are severed from that world. We know that...more Israel's blood diamonds Electronic Intifada: 29 Mar 2010 - Every year, consumers the world over unwittingly spend billions of dollars on diamonds crafted in Israel, thereby helping to fund one of the world's most protracted and contentious conflicts. Most people are unaware that Israel is one of the world's leading producers of cut and polished diamonds. As diamonds are normally not hallmarked, consumers cannot distinguish an Israeli diamond from one crafted in India, Belgium, South Africa or elsewhere. The global diamond industry and aligned governments, including the EU, have hoodwinked consumers into believing the diamond trade has been cleansed of diamonds that fund human rights abuses, but the facts are startlingly different. Seán Clinton analyzes for The Electronic Intifada. CPJ: Journalists assaulted south of Nablus 3/28/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A group of Palestinian journalists was assaulted on 28 January 2010, while reporting on olive tree planting in Burin village, south of Nablus in the West Bank, the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists reported Saturday. According to the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), Israeli forces assaulted Rami Swidan, a photographer for Ma'an News Agency; Ashraf Abu Shawish, a cameraman for Palmedia, and Reuters photographers Abdel Rahim al-Qusini and Hassan Titi. According to Swidan, Israeli soldiers told the journalists they were not allowed to take pictures because the area was a closed military zone. When the journalists refused to stop, soldiers hit them and attempted to take their cameras before throwing tear-gas canisters and stun grenades, Swidan said. In a statement, Nablus Deputy Governor Anan Al-Atira, who had been at the tree planting, called the violence "brutal and baseless. Breaking Gaza: 2 martyrs and many critically injured in Khan Younis 26 Mar 2010 - Gaza, March 26, (Pal Telegraph) The IOF carried an invasion in khan younis opening random fire on civilians causing many injuries among them. All kinds of Israeli air crafts were over seeing and protecting the ground IOF while the invasion, then they missiled a playground in khan younis targeting a bunch of children playing football. 3 children were critically injured,... Binyamin Netanyahu holds out olive branch to Palestinians ahead of US trip The Guardian 20 Mar 2010 - Israeli prime minister bows to US demands and suspends construction of settler homes in east Jerusalem The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has bowed to American demands to suspend the construction of settlement homes in east... Report: Israeli settlers uproot 25 olive trees near Nablus 3/19/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Settlers from Israel's Eli area uprooted 25 olive trees from the Al-Batshisha neighborhood of Qaryut village in the northern West Bank, an official said Friday. Residents discovered the destruction Thursday morning, when they arrived at the agricultural lands approximately 600 meters away from the Eli settlement. Ghassan Daghlas, who holds the settlement file for the northern West Bank, reported the incident, which followed on the heels of the destruction of at least 40 fruit trees just north of the area the week before. Qaryut village council head Abed An-Naser Al-Qaryuti said "this is the second time the settlers had uprooted and chopped olive trees of the village only within a week. " Al-Qaryuti said the trees were on land belonging to Mohammad Jaber,Ahmad Jaber, Abed Al-Aziz Al-Mardawi and Yaser Hasen. Bil’in and Ni’lin demonstrate in the face of closed military zone orders 3/19/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - The smell of tear gas hung over the villages of Ni'lin and Bil'in today. The shouts demanded an end to apartheid and access to farmlands. The odd and surreal status quo was maintained this Friday. The attempts to squash the nonviolent popular resistance have been in vain. Like the rocky, Palestinian landscape, dotted with olive trees, this resistance is fertile. As these olive trees have been uprooted or burned, the state of Israel has attempted to sow these popular demonstrations with salt. It has been to no avail.
Last week's orders posted in Bil'in and Ni'lin declaring the villages closed military zones for all of Friday had no effect on the demonstrators or village-life in general. Butchers displayed their wares, children laughed and kicked their footballs about and the cries for freedom echoed off the walls. The midnight raids did nothing to deter the groundswell of the popular struggle. Israeli military unsuccessfully attempt to invade Iraq Burin: repeat tomorrow? 3/15/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 14th March - The Israeli military sent eight jeep loads of soldiers to Iraq Burin, near Nablus, on Saturday to prevent villagers from accessing their farmland. Violent settler attacks on previous Saturdays leave the villagers and their land threatened. The military's solution to these attacks has not been to protect the Palestinians, but rather to deny them access to their land. As the men of Iraq Burin sat peacefully at the edge of their village, watching soldiers and settlers on their terraces and in their olive groves on the opposite hillside, another group of soldiers approached from the hill immediately above the village. With no apparent provocation or reason, soldiers fired volleys of tear gas and percussion grenades at the assembled villagers, then seized houses at the edge of the village to fire rubber bullets and more tear gas into the street. Despite this barrage of weaponry, villagers refused to run and hide, and the soldiers ultimately retreated at dusk. Women’s handcraft union shows off tradition 3/18/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Women hovered expectantly over tables of handcrafted silver pendants next to booths of rich embroidered shawls and olivewood carvings, waiting for the tens of thousands of tourists that visit Bethlehem in the spring to wander in. On display was the art and heritage of Palestine, and renewed efforts at integrating women into the business economy. Neither was getting much attention, but craftmakers and officials were justifiably proud of the event. Supported by caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the Democracy and Workers Rights Center (DWRC) and the Handicrafts Union of Bethlehem, the opening ceremony - with Minister of Tourism Khoulud Da'iebes in attendance - celebrated the achievements of the women in putting together the event, and working to strengthen the handicrafts union. "Two thirds of Palestinian businesses are small and medium sized," Bethlehem Chamber of. . . Olive Oil And Tears Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD, Desert Peace 3/15/2010 "If the olive tree knew the suffering of its owner, its oil would turn into tears" -- Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish The olive young leaves and flower sprouts are denser than ever before. It promises a great season not only of bountiful agricultural harvest but of bountiful harvest on the activism front. It is true that, as the Palestinian poet stated, if the olive tree knew the suffering of its owner, its oil would turn into tears. The Israeli apartheid forces have been uprooting olive trees in Beit Jala the last few days. They have also intensified their repression and attempts at intimidation of activists (with help from Palestinian collaborators). But it is also true that the apartheid system is facing grassroots activists everywhere despite all these tactics. Today we joined the demonstration in Beit Jala as we did not have a competing event at Ush Ghrab. The lack of an event here in Beit Sahour happened because the popular committee decided collectively (over 15 people) to put the actions before the local forces to decide on how (and if?) to support the popular resistance. Yet, we did go to Ush Ghrab in the morning and an Ashkenazi white man wearing a blue shirt entered as we were meeting and drinking coffee, fiddled with his backpack, for a few minutes, then left. Later, as we were leaving, we notice the Israeli army on the hill and the same man with the blue shirt “briefing” them. Soldiers uprooting olive trees were confronted in Beit Jala and later landowners with help of other locals and internationals went back and replanted these trees and rebuilt a bulldozed children’s playground in Beit Jala....more..e-mail Israeli settlers tear up olive grove, uprooting 40 trees near Nablus IMEMC - Saturday March 13, 2010 - 10:21, Local municipal officials in the Palestinian Authority reported Friday morning that overnight, a group of Israeli settlers had ambushed a Palestinian olive grove in the town of Qaryut, uprooting and completely destroying 40 trees. Settlement guards threaten farmers near Nablus 3/13/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Guards protecting Israeli settlers assaulted a Palestinian farmer in the Wadi Qana area of the Salfit governorate on Friday, mayor of the nearby town of Deir Istya reported. The guards approached a group of farmers and threatened them with bodily harm, assaulting one man Mayor Nathmi Salman said. They told farmers that settlers would be in the area between 7am and 2pm, and they could not harvest or tend crops during the visiting hours. The settlers arrived at the Wadi Qana spring, as dozens of farmers, who had not been notified of the visit, were irrigating orange groves, Salman reported. Wadi Qana is surrounded by five Israeli settlements and four outposts, strategically located around the spring at the base of the Qana valley. In recent weeks, residents have reported the assault of 75-year-old Khadr Ahmad Mansour by settlers in the area, as well as the destruction of olive trees, agricultural fences and structures. Settlers Torch Olive Orchard In Hebron Uruknet March 13, 2010 - A group of fundamentalist Jewish settlers burnt on Thursday at night an olive orchard in Safa village, north west of Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank. Dozens of settlers torched the grove while the Israeli army did not attempt to intervene or stop them. The residents called the local civil defense and firefighters... Mayor: Israeli settlers uprooted 40 olive trees Uruknet March 12, 2010 – Israeli settlers uprooted dozens of olive trees in Qaryut, south of Nablus, at dawn on Friday, officials said. The settlers uprooted 40 olive trees in the Al-Batashiyah area of Qaryut, the village's mayor Abdel Nasser Al-Qaryuti told Ma'an. The apparent vandalism was discovered as residents of the village woke up on Friday morning, Al-Qaryuti said... Settlers Torch Olive Orchard In Hebron IMEMC - Friday March 12, 2010 - 10:22, A group of fundamentalist Jewish settlers burnt on Thursday at night an olive orchard in Safa village, north west of Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank. Mayor: Israeli settlers uprooted 40 olive trees 3/12/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli settlers uprooted dozens of olive trees in Qaryut, south of Nablus, at dawn on Friday, officials said. The settlers uprooted 40 olive trees in the Al-Batashiyah area of Qaryut, the village's mayor Abdel Nasser Al-Qaryuti told Ma'an. The apparent vandalism was discovered as residents of the village woke up on Friday morning, Al-Qaryuti said. He said the trees were planted on land belonging to village residents Muhammad Jaber Abdullah, Ahmad Jaber Abdullah and Yasser Hassan. Calls to Israel's Civil Administration, a branch of the country's Defense Ministry that handles civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, were not immediately returned. Calls to an Israeli police spokesman based in the West Bank went unanswered. Latest in a series of similar allegationsIsraeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian car in the northern West Bank on Wednesday,. . . America to the rescue, (not) again Sam Bahour, Ma’an News Agency 3/12/2010 We are told that US President Barack Obama has taken a leap of political faith in trying to bridge a final peace settlement between Palestinians and Israelis. America’s weapon of choice is "proximity talks," with the threat that if either side fails to meet American expectations, the US will squarely and publicly lay blame. If this was a sitcom it would be the opportune time to crack up laughing; regretfully this is not the case. Real people - whole generations - of Palestinians are on the verge of being locked into another decade of protracted and violent military occupation. Many Israeli lives and hopes are at stake as well. It has been reported in the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz, that President Obama submitted a letter of commitment to the Palestinian side to get these indirect "proximity talks" off the ground. The letter notes, "Our core remains a viable, independent and sovereign Palestinian State with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967." This is not the first time a US administration has used its creativity in crafting new terminology to deal with the conflict instead of relying on the time-tested body of international law that provides the keys to real progress. In the past, in place of "independent state" the US has attached such adjectives to the word "state" as "contiguous," "viable," "economically viable," "territorial continuity," and the like. In his use of words, President Obama has just picked up where the failures of past administrations left off. International law clearly defines what an independent state is and any attempt to redefine it is an act of bad faith. Israeli failed state The timing of the US move toward new talks is rather conspicuous as well. Israel is proving itself to be a ‘failed state;’ a ‘rogue state’ which has become a liability to its allies. How are its leaders greeting this latest move?more..e-mail Homes and livelihoods gone in an instant In Gaza: 11 Mar 2010 - Israeli bulldozers destroyed three homes and 17 dunams of agricultural land in eastern Khan Younis on 18 February. Electronic Intifada Radia Abu Sbaih, 47, lives with her sister and one niece on family land roughly 700 meters from the “green line” boundary between Israel and Gaza. Until 18 February 2010, they had nearly 600 olive, fruit, date and nut trees, an agricultural cistern, a water well, various vegetables and a house. Theirs was one of three homes demolished by Israeli military bulldozers that day in al-Mossadar, eastern Gaza. Around 8am that morning, approximately five Israeli military bulldozers and upwards of 10 Israeli tanks, accompanied by more than 50 foot soldiers, invaded the farming region, according to locals. “We were in our home when we heard the Israeli tanks and bulldozers approaching. We ran off immediately,” says Sbaih. She walks over felled trees, past the bulldozed cistern, and to the ruins... Work day to rebuilt bulldozed playground in Beit Jalla, Bethlehem successful 3/11/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Palestinians, Israelis and Internationals met in Beit Jallah today to rebuild a playground that bulldozers destroyed last week while clearing the path to complete the wall near Bethlehem. 12 people armed only with pick axes and hoes, flattened out the bulldozer tracks and deep holes left from uprooted trees, reset two swing sets, and brought in sand by the bucket for the new playground. Young olive trees were replanted in place of the mature trees that were destroyed during the first days of uprooting last week. The playground is used by many of the neighborhood children, and the family who owns the land welcomes people to enjoy the shade next to their home in the heat of the summer. As people worked in the sun today, army jeeps made rounds on the road above the home, and stood watch from the road on the opposing side of the highway. One jeep came down to the playground, but people continued their work as soldiers took pictures and asked for the Palestinian participants identification cards. Homes and livelihoods gone in an instant Electronic Intifada: 11 Mar 2010 - Radia Abu Sbaih, 47, lives with her sister and one niece on family land roughly 700 meters from the "green line" boundary between Israel and Gaza. Until 18 February 2010, they had nearly 600 olive, fruit, date and nut trees, an agricultural cistern, a water well, various vegetables and a house. Theirs was one of three homes demolished by Israeli military bulldozers that day in al-Mossadar, eastern Gaza. Eva Bartlett reports for The Electronic Intifada. Homes and livelihoods gone in an instant In Gaza: 11 Mar 2010 - Israeli bulldozers destroyed three homes and 17 dunams of agricultural land in eastern Khan Younis on 18 February. Electronic Intifada Radia Abu Sbaih, 47, lives with her sister and one niece on family land roughly 700 meters from the “green line” boundary between Israel and Gaza. Until 18 February 2010, they had nearly 600 olive, fruit, date and nut trees, an agricultural cistern, a water well, various vegetables and a house. Theirs was one of three homes demolished by Israeli military bulldozers that day in al-Mossadar, eastern Gaza. Around 8am that morning, approximately five Israeli military bulldozers and upwards of 10 Israeli tanks, accompanied by more than 50 foot soldiers, invaded the farming region, according to locals. “We were in our home when we heard the Israeli tanks and bulldozers approaching. We ran off immediately,” says Sbaih. She walks over felled trees, past the bulldozed cistern, and to the ruins... Spate of road accidents across Israel kills 5, including 2 children Ha'aretz 10 Mar 2010 - Five people died in car accidents throughout Israel on Wednesday, including an eight-year-old boy who was hit by a car in Jisr az-Zarqa. Around the same time, a tractor overturned in an olive grove in Jadeidi-Makr, killing the driver. ... Israel sets up trial program to expedite PA export process Jeruslalem Post 9 Mar 2010 - Palestinians in the West Bank mostly export agricultural goods such as olives, tomatoes and peppers, valued currently at around $50,000 a year. random violence In Gaza: 7 Mar 2010 - * the destruction begins as far as 700 metres from the border It was senseless, random, gratuitous violence against the farmers and their hopes. Bulldozer treads dug through bean and onion crops, in zigs and zags, seemingly without direction. Swaths of land were eaten by the military bulldozers’ blades, also seemingly randomly: the wheat crop which might mature to waist high if not bulldozed was left to grow, but the calf-high beans and onions were mowed, not fully but insultingly so. The 100 or so olive trees that had escaped the winter 2008-2009 Israeli massacre of Gaza and prior and later military invasions this time went with the 4 towering military bulldozers and 3 tanks. Tracks spat out earth in unwieldy clumps, not to be worked again this year, difficult to calm and smooth next year, in an area (near, but still outside of the Israeli-imposed 300 metre no-go zone,... random violence In Gaza: 7 Mar 2010 - * the destruction begins as far as 700 metres from the border It was senseless, random, gratuitous violence against the farmers and their hopes. Bulldozer treads dug through bean and onion crops, in zigs and zags, seemingly without direction. Swaths of land were eaten by the military bulldozers’ blades, also seemingly randomly: the wheat crop which might mature to waist high if not bulldozed was left to grow, but the calf-high beans and onions were mowed, not fully but insultingly so. The 100 or so olive trees that had escaped the winter 2008-2009 Israeli massacre of Gaza and prior and later military invasions this time went with the 4 towering military bulldozers and 3 tanks. Tracks spat out earth in unwieldy clumps, not to be worked again this year, difficult to calm and smooth next year, in an area (near, but still outside of the Israeli-imposed 300 metre no-go zone,... Journalists, residents hurt in Beit Jala anti-wall rally 3/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Three journalists and several demonstrators were injured by Israeli forces at a protest against Israel's construction of the separation wall in the town of Beit Jala, north of Bethlehem, on Sunday. Some 200 local protestors attended the rally, with residents attempting to plant 30 olive tree seedlings on land overturned by Israeli bulldozers. They were prevented by Israeli soldiers and border guards deployed in the area. Clashes ensued when young Palestinian men began hurling stones toward Israeli forces, who responded by firing rubber-coated bullets and tear-gas canisters. The march began from the city center on the road toward the Cremisan monestary, where Israeli bulldozers began overturning land to make way for the separation wall. Palestinian Legislative Council members Mustafa Barghouthi and Fayez As-Saqa joined the protest, as well as members of the Beit Jala. . . French heart team completes week of surgeries in Jerusalem 3/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A French surgery team left Jerusalem at the end of February having completed a number of pediatric cardiac surgeries in occupied East Jerusalem, supported by the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. Professor Dominique Metras, chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at the Hopital d'Enfants de la Timone in Marseille, France, completed a week of providing life-saving open heart surgery on over a dozen babies from the West Bank and Gaza Strip at Makassed Hospital on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem, a statement read. Metras has led several past missions to Makassed with the PCRF, in cooperation with the French consulate in East Jerusalem. Also on the mission again was Patrick Siclis, a perfusionist who has been on past missions to Palestine. This was the fourth cardiac mission to Palestine in 2010 and dozens of sick babies with congenital heart disease have already had life-saving surgery through these teams. Fayyad : Olive trees more deep-rooted than settlements 3/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - "The newest olive tree in our country is more deep-rooted than the fragile walls and settlements," said caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad Saturday, as he met with members of the popular committee against the wall in Beit Jala, Bethlehem. Fayyad spoke with international activists and Palestinian committee members at the site of wall's latest construction in Beit Jala, condemning the Israeli annexation of land and uprooting of olive trees to build the separation wall. "Deep in the roots of these olive trees, there is something that reminds us that our people lived here from the beginning and will continue to the end," he told the gathered crowds of protestors. " We will continue to work and build in all Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, paying no attention to the unjust classifications and the so-called C zones. " PA holds olive branch in one hand, stone in the other Ha'aretz 7 Mar 2010 - Discussing a final-status agreement while allowing a mini-intifada to unfold gives the PA leverage. random violence In Gaza: 7 Mar 2010 - * the destruction begins as far as 700 metres from the border It was senseless, random, gratuitous violence against the farmers and their hopes. Bulldozer treads dug through bean and onion crops, in zigs and zags, seemingly without direction. Swaths of land were eaten by the military bulldozers’ blades, also seemingly randomly: the wheat crop which might mature to waist high if not bulldozed was left to grow, but the calf-high beans and onions were mowed, not fully but insultingly so. The 100 or so olive trees that had escaped the winter 2008-2009 Israeli massacre of Gaza and prior and later military invasions this time went with the 4 towering military bulldozers and 3 tanks. Tracks spat out earth in unwieldy clumps, not to be worked again this year, difficult to calm and smooth next year, in an area (near, but still outside of the Israeli-imposed 300 metre no-go zone,... PA wields olive branch in one hand, stone in the other Ha'aretz 6 Mar 2010 - Discussing a final-status agreement while allowing a mini-intifada to unfold gives the PA leverage. My grandmother’s trees changed the face of Palestine Mondoweiss - 6 Mar 2010 - Peter Belmont writes: Here’s an interesting (if a bit long-winded) PDF file law-professor article on the Israeli government and Israeli settlers’ attacks on Palestinian olive-trees, including a discussion of the cultural meaning of olive-trees to Palestinians. A note: the millions of "trees" planted by Zionists, including... Activists work to stop wall construction and uprooting of olive trees in Beit Jala 3/5/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Beit Jala Popular Committee, 4 March - In the early morning on March 2, 2010, Israeli bulldozers started uprooting ancient olive trees in the garden of a Palestinian family in the town of Beit Jala, North-West of Bethlehem, in order to make room for the construction of yet another section of the Apartheid Wall. Wednesday morning, the family, which had already lost a significant portion of its lands when Israel seized them to build the "by-pass road" 60 that connects the equally illegal settlements, found the little playground for the children in the garden destroyed and three olive trees directly in front of the house chopped off. A red cross was painted two meters away from the front door to signal where the Wall is designed to pass. The remaining olive trees had been marked with yellow-tags, to be uprooted another day. Anti Wall Protest Continue At Beit Jala Town, Southern West Bank. IMEMC - Thursday March 04, 2010 - 13:07, Residents of Beit Jala town, southern West Bank, along with Israeli and international supporters chained themselves to olive tree in protest of the Israeli built wall on their land. In photos: Protests continue in Beit Jala 3/4/2010 - MaanImages / Luay Sababa - 1-6: Palestinians and foreign activists replant uprooted olive trees during a protest against Israel's separation wall in the West Bank village of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, on 4 March 2010. Israeli forces were uprooting the trees to extend Israel's contentious West Bank separation wall. 7-17: A day earlier, Israeli border police clashed with Palestinian protesters as bulldozers continued work near Route 60 on the edge of town. The area includes over 2,000 olive trees, all owned by Palestinians in the predominantly Christian town between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. [end] Israeli bulldozers return to Beit Jala 3/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Dozens of Palestinians and foreign solidarity activists rallied near Bethlehem on Wednesday, in protest of the bulldozing of olive trees near a section of Israel's wall, which weaves through the occupied West Bank. Witnesses said Israeli forces used limited force against protesters who attempted to prevent the bulldozers from approaching the trees, planted in Beit Jala. Several demonstrators were dragged on the ground as they refused to leave, but no serious injuries were reported. Marwan Sha'ban of the local Popular Committee Against Settlements in Bethlehem said "we came here with our solidarity friends to say: stop attacking the land, uprooting trees, and forcing people out of their houses. "Sha'ban termed any construction on privately owned land as illegal, but said the Beit Jala construction flaunted the law, noting previous remarks by Fayyad Nasser, a lawyer who represents the Beit Jala municipality. Israeli bulldozers enter Beit Jala for wall construction 3/3/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli forces enforced a closed military zone in Beit Jala, Bethlehem, on Tuesday, to assist bulldozers in overturning land in the area to make way for further construction of the separation wall, witnesses said. The bulldozers began operating on lands near the Cremisan Monastery road, said Leila Awad, whose home is the only one in the area. Awad told Ma'an she was surprised to see Israeli bulldozers, accompanied by police, enter her land and begin uprooting olive, walnut and lemontrees. Israeli forces previously confiscated one and half dunums of her land, Awad said, to build a tunnel connecting Jerusalem settlement blocs with the Kfar Etzion settlement in Bethlehem. The remainder of her land was confiscated to build the rest of the separation wall, only five meters from her home, she added. Awad said her family of nine is threatened with eviction. Journalists and cameramen were prohibited from accessing the area, as Israeli forces enforced a closed military zone. . . . . In photos: Confrontation in Beit Jala 3/3/2010 - MaanImages / Luay Sababa - Israeli border police clash with Palestinian protesters at a demonstration against the separation wall in the West Bank city of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, on 3 March 2010. Bulldozers continued work on Wednesday near Route 60 on the edge of town. Israeli authorities were operating in an area that includes over 2,000 olive trees, all owned by Palestinians in the predominantly Christian city between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The operation threatens 35 family homes, municipality officials said. On Tuesday, Israeli forces enforced a closed military zone order to assist the ongoing operation. Journalists and photographers were prohibited from accessing the area, as the frequently employed designation also applies to press coverage. In photos: Fayyad replants uprooted olive trees 2/28/2010 - MaanImages / Rami Swidan - Salam Fayyad, caretaker prime minister of the Ramallah-based Palestinian government, plants an olive tree in the northern West Bank village of Burin on 25 February 2010, two days after 45 trees were destroyed by Israeli settlers from the nearby Yitzhar settlement. An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an that the Civil Administration, a branch of the country's Defense Ministry in the occupied territories, received a complaint about the incident, and that Civil Administration officials were dispatched to the crime scene to investigate. Last Sunday, settlers smashed windshields of cars driving along the Nablus-Jenin road and assaulted a Palestinian doctor. "Attacks by settlers on Palestinians in the Nablus district continue, almost every day," said Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official. Moshe Dayan's widow: Israel doesn't know how to make peace Ha'aretz 28 Feb 2010 - She turned 93 last Friday, according to the Hebrew calendar. On Thursday, Herzliya awarded her honorary citizenship. Ruth Dayan doesn't rest for a moment. In the Bedouin town of Segev Shalom and in the Palestinian village of Kharbata, she founded an arts and crafts workshop for women. Once every week or two she drives to these places by herself. She's also busy with countless humanitarian issues in the territories. A few months ago she flew to Malta to meet the daughter of Yasser Arafat, the granddaughter of her soulmate, Raymonda Tawil. ... Four decades of occupation in Hebron Uruknet February 25, 2010 - I have been to Hebron three times, but each visit was like entering a different city. In May of 1967, the entire West Bank including Hebron was under Jordanian rule. A Palestinian family living in Jerusalem had invited me to visit their village south of Hebron, where they owned acres of land with olive trees they'd... King Solomon Undermines Silwan Refugees Palestine Monitor: 24 Feb 2010 - A recent flurry of demolition orders in Silwan have raised fresh tensions between Palestinian residents and the ever-growing settler community. The settlers' claim to the land derives from the alleged presence of King Solomon's treasures, buried deep beneath Wadi Hulwah, a densely populated suburb of Silwan. Today an archaeological site, the ‘City of David', threatens to drive yet more Palestinians from their homes. We went to find out more. Written and photographed by Valentine Van Vyve. The City of David is located in the very centre of Silwan, East Jerusalem. It uncomfortably co-habits with 5,500 Arab refugees in the neighbourhood of Wadi Hulwah, based on the slope of a hill running from the Mount of Olives. It was here that the old Jerusalem centre, circa 1000 BC, was discovered, making it a holy site for Judaism as well as a justification for deepening occupation of this area. Now that the... Settlers Uproot Olive Trees In Northern West Bank IMEMC - Tuesday February 23, 2010 - 17:18, A group of Israeli settlers uprooted, on Tuesday at dawn, olive trees that belongs to Palestinian farmers from the village of Burin, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. PA official: 45 olive trees chopped down near Nablus 2/23/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli settlers cut down dozens of olive trees in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, a Palestinian Authority official said. Ghassan Daghlas, who holds the PA's northern settlements portfolio, said residents of the illegal Yitzhar settlement chopped down 45 olive trees on land belonging to Burin, a Palestinian village near Nablus. The trees were planted on property owned by cousins Suhail Najjar, Murad Ma'roof Najjar, and Issa Mahmoud Najjar, the official said. Daghlas denounced what he termed the continuous aggression, particularly in villages near settlements. He urged human rights organizations to immediately intervene on behalf of affected farmers. An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an that the Civil Administration, a branch of the country's Defense Ministry in the occupied territories, received a complaint about the incident. Settlers cut down 45 olive trees in Nablus 23 Feb 2010 - West Bank, February 23, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- A Jewish group from Yitzhar settlement near Nablus, in north West Bank, cut down 45 olive trees belonging to residents of Bourin village on Tuesday morning. Ghassan Douglas, an official at the Nablus office of the Palestinian Authority, said some settlers of Yizhar settlement truncated 45 olive trees belonging to the Najjar family:... Bil’in village plants 200 trees next to apartheid wall: existence as resistance! 2/23/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Bil'in Popular Committee, 22 February - Palestinian and internationals help plant olive trees in Bilin to replace those destroyed by Israeli troops and settlers. At 9:30am residents of Bil'in village, Palestinian political representatives, and International activists gathered in Bil'in to plant olive trees and almond seeds for 20 farmers who own land besides Israel's Apartheid Wall. Approximately 200 trees were planted as part of the ongoing popular resistance to the Israeli apartheid wall and settlements. Bil'in has organized weekly and sometimes daily actions against the wall for the past five years, gaining international attention for the struggle and becoming a symbol for nonviolent, creative, popular struggle around the West Bank of Palestine. An hour into the planting, an Israeli soldier appeared on the other side of the wall and gave a warning shot. Jerusalem's Old City an unexpected haven for rare animal and plant life Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - The millions of visitors to Jerusalem's Old City every year are usually seeking the sacred - a prayer at the Western Wall, the Temple Mount or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - or more earthly pursuits, like a good price on a rug or an olive wood camel. Few imagine that between these ancient walls they can also enjoy the beauty of nature. ... Jewish settlers cut off 45 olive trees PIC 24 Feb 2010 - Jewish armed settlers cut off 45 olive trees in the village of Burin, south of Nablus city, on Tuesday, local sources reported. Footnotes in Gaza – Book Review Palestine Chronicle: 23 Feb 2010 - By Robin Yassin-Kassab Footnotes in Gaza: A Graphic Novel. Joe Sacco. Metropolitan Books, 2009. This is not what you expect: an accomplished and self-reflective work of history enclosed within a layer of war reportage – in comic book form. But Joe Sacco's "Footnotes in Gaza" is just that, an unusually effective treatment of Palestinian history which may appeal to people who would never read a ‘normal book’ on the subject. The writing, however, is at least as good as you’d expect from a high quality prose work. Here, for instance, is page nine: “History can do without its footnotes. Footnotes are inessential at best; at worst they trip up the greater narrative. From time to time, as bolder, more streamlined editions appear, history shakes off some footnotes altogether. And you can see why… History has its hands full. It can’t help producing pages by the hour, by the minute. History chokes on fresh episodes and swallows whatever old ones it can.” The pictures – aerial shots, action shots, urban still lifes, crafted but realist character studies – work as hard as the words. Sacco depicts fear, humiliation and anger very well indeed, and often achieves far more with one picture than he could in an entire newspaper column. The cranes at work on a Jerusalem skyline are worth a paragraph or two of background. So is the fact that almost every Palestinian male has a cigarette in his mouth. And when dealing with historical process – the changing shape of... Israeli forces cross into Gaza Strip 2/19/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli forces entered the Gaza Strip on Thursday after a soldier was injured by a bomb planted at the border, the military said, confirming reports of an incursion following a blast hours earlier. "This morning, an IDF soldier was lightly injured when an explosive device was detonated against a force patrolling the Israeli side of the central Gaza Strip's security fence," a military spokesman told Ma'an. "While searching the area, IDF soldiers discovered a second explosive device, which was detonated in a controlled manner by IDF sappers," the spokesman added. "The IDF holds Hamas responsible for maintaining the peace and quiet in the Gaza Strip. " Bulldozers demolished two homes belonging to Ali and Salem Suleiman Ibn Said northeast of Deir Al-Balah, both on the outskirts of Al-Masaddar, and large swaths of olive groves, relatives said by phone. PA customs agents continue to enforce settlement goods ban 2/18/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Approximately one and a half tonnes of cardboard two tons of processed pastry dough produced in settlements built on Palestinian lands in the West Bank were seized by Palestinian police said customs officers on Thursday. The public relations and information office said it was waiting for the go-ahead from the Internal Market Organizing Committee for the destruction of the goods. During the raids, officers also found 28 gallons of oils marketed as olive oil but not meeting minimum health or quality standards, officers said. [end] Planting trees, building bases in Bethlehem Stop The Wall - February 16th, 2010-- Last week, Occupation forces act on their intentions to re-establish a military base in Beit Sahour. Despite the protests of residents, soldiers declared the area a closed military zone, bringing in heavy machinery to begin work. Also around Bethlehem last week, activists planted olive trees near the Wall in a symbolic display of steadfastness and a refusal to be uprooted from their land. [ Gaza: Life in the "Buffer Zone" Uruknet February 13, 2010 - The Israelis call it the "buffer zone." Gazan NGOs often call it the "hot zone." But to the Palestinians who live near this wide swath of land alongside the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, it is fertile land where their children played and they made a decent living by raising wheat and olives. That... 250 Olive Trees Planted By Volunteers Near Osh Grab 2/12/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - International Middle East Media Center, 12 February - Following the beginning of construction of a new watchtower at the site of the former military base, this week, residents of Beit Sahour and international volunteers gathered at the surrounding farmlands, on Friday, to cultivate the land, planting 250 olive trees. The former military base at Osh Grab was abandoned by the Israeli military in April 2006, and part of the site was transformed into a public park and centre for the residents of Beit Sahour by the town's municipality. The land private land reverted to its original owners, including the sites worked on today. Part of the site has remained abandoned, though, as it falls inside of zone C, as designated by Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, also referred to as Oslo 2, signed in 1995. Part of the accords divided the land in the West Bank into 3 sections; areas A, B and C. Collective Wall-Building Effort Baffles IOF in An-Nabi Salih 2/13/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM, 12 February - Israeli army and border police used tear gas, stungrenades, rubber- and plastic-coated bullets, live ammunition and "stinky water"to disperse close to 150 Palestinians who tried to reach their village wellin An-Nabi Salih. The villagers were accompanied by over 20 Israeli and international solidarity activists. Following mid-day prayers, protesters marched towards thewell and their agricultural lands but were immediately confronted with tear-gasand rubber-coated bullets. A group of 50 settlers from the neighboring settlement of Halamish watched as theIsraeli Occupation Forces attacked the Palestinians. In total, 14 protesters were injured, including one hit in the face with a tear gas canister. The march began in its usual fashion. Villagers, Israelis and internationals descended the hillside to attempt to plant olive trees in the settler-occupied land. Life in the "Buffer Zone" Palestine Monitor: 13 Feb 2010 - The Israelis call it the “buffer zone.” Gazan NGOs often call it the “hot zone.” But to the Palestinians who live near this wide swath of land alongside the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, it is fertile land where their children played and they made a decent living by raising wheat and olives. That is, until Israel declared it off limits. The so-called ‘buffer zone' is a military no-go area that extends along the entire northern and eastern Gazan border with Israel, as well as its southern border with Egypt (known as the Philadelphi Corridor).) The creation of a 50-meter-wide buffer zone was agreed to as part of the security arrangements included in an interim Palestinian-Israeli agreement signed in 1995. Following the start of the second Intifada in September 2000, the area of the buffer zone was increased to 150 meters wide. In May 2009, the Israeli military... 250 Olive Trees Planted By Volunteers Near Osh Grab IMEMC 12 Feb 2010 - Friday February 12, 2010 - 17:10, Following the beginning of construction of a new watchtower at the site of the former military base, this week, residents of Beit Sahour and international volunteers gathered at the surrounding farmlands, on Friday, to cultivate the land, planting 250 olive trees. Palestinians rally against settlers at Mount of Olives 2/12/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an -Jerusalem residents and Fatah official Hatem Abdul Qader interfered with a group of Israeli settlers as they attempted to claim lands on the Mount of Olives on Thursday morning. The leaders of Beit Orot, an illegal Israeli settlement on the hill north of the Old City of Jerusalem, are aggressively expansionist. According to their website, "Beit Orot is at once defending the sacred traditions of our nation, the physical security of Eretz Yisrael and the integrity of Yerushalayim as the undivided capital of Israel and the Jewish people. " According to Abdul Qader, the group of Jerusalemites went to the location where Beit Orot settlers were working. He said the lands were registered to Palestinian families living in the city, and that he went to warn the settlers against continued colonization of the lands. Tree planters say soldiers used riot dispersal methods on volunteers 2/10/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - International and Palestinian tree planters were dispersed with tear gas and sound bombs as they attempted to work land belonging to local farmers on Wednesday, the Palestinian solidarity project said. Media spokesman for the project Mohammad Awad said the volunteers, participating in the "voluntary day to protect lands under threat of confiscation" brought 500 olive tree seedlings to lands registered to Hasan Awad, Husam Ahmad Bahar and Ibrahim Abed Al-Hamid Abu Maria. Shortly after the group started planting, Israeli soldiers descended on the area from near the Karmi Zur settlement, 19% of which is built on Palestinian owned land, according to Peace Now, and residents say much of the rest of the land belonged to the village of Beit Ummar. Awad said soldiers attacked the group and fired teargas as well as sound bombs at them until they retreated from the area. Abu Taima’s land In Gaza: 9 Feb 2010 - It’s like spring and we’re visiting the Abu Taima region. The different Abu Taima brothers and cousins speak of their land, all in or near the Israeli-imposed “buffer zone” (officially 300m in which Palestinians cannot enter without fear of being shot, killed; but in reality a land-annexation which extends even up to nearly 2 km, driving farmers off their land and rendering land un-used…a waste of space in a Strip that has no space to waste). Mohammed, the 14 year old son of one of the discouraged me, knows the land and its history. He tours us around, points out vacant plots where almond, fruit and olive trees once stood,... Israel to adjust wall’s route in Bil’in 2/5/2010 - Ma’an News Agency - Ramallah – Ma’an – Attorney of Bil’in local council, Michael Sfard, said on Saturday that Israeli authorities informed him of the new route of the separation wall, adjusted according to a decision by the Israeli Supreme Court of Justice in 2007. “We were not convinced that it was vital for security reasons to maintain the existing route that passes through a topographically low area of Bil’in land and that there was no fitting security substitute to the construction of the barrier in order to protect the residents of Modi’in Illit,” Justice Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch wrote in her decision. Once the adjusted route is implemented, residents of Bil’in are expected to restore almost half of their 2,300 donums confiscated during the construction of the wall’s original route. However, as the portion of the wall already built will be removed, farmers will expect significant damage to their olive groves located in the area. Israel to adjust wall’s route in Bil’in 2/6/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Attorney of Bil'in local council, Michael Sfard, said on Saturday that Israeli authorities informed him of the new route of the separation wall, adjusted according to a decision by the Israeli Supreme Court of Justice in 2007. "We were not convinced that it was vital for security reasons to maintain the existing route that passes through a topographically low area of Bil'in land and that there was no fitting security substitute to the construction of the barrier in order to protect the residents of Modi'in Illit," Justice Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch wrote in her decision. Once the adjusted route is implemented, residents of Bil'in are expected to restore almost half of their 2,300 donums confiscated during the construction of the wall's original route. However, as the portion of the wall already built will be removed, farmers will expect significant damage to their olive groves located in the area. Popular resistance expands in An Nabi Salih 2/5/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 10 people were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas cannisters in today's demonstration in An-Nabi Salih village, in the north Ramallah region, against the expansion of the illegal Halamish settlement on to village lands. The storm clouds and cold temperatures did not deter demonstrators, as some 100 locals (approximately a fourth of the village), both male and female, were joined by 20 Israeli and international activists in the village square following the midday prayer. Protesters then marched towards the lands south of the village where stands Halamish settlement, built on the stolen lands of An-Nabi Salih, and where Israeli occupation forces awaited their arrival. Demonstrators chanted songs of protest and carried baby olive trees in the hopes of planting them on the seized land as a peaceful assertion of their rights to be there. Lasting Agriculture Versus Lasting Occupation Palestine Monitor: 1 Feb 2010 - The village of Battir, North West of Bethlehem, was once a haven for farmers. Its rich soil, water resources and favourable climate produced abundant harvests of olives and vegetables. But since the start of the occupation, Battir's 4,000 inhabitants have faced tremendous difficulties. The farmland of Battir. The village straddles B and C areas, falling under administrative and military Israeli control. It is surrounded on one side by the separation wall and on the other by two settlements, Bitay Illet and Walja. If the settlements continue to expand at their current rate, they will soon merge, further isolating Battir. The village is one of fourteen such ‘blockations' in the West Bank. Available land has been steadily decreasing since 1949, when the Israeli Government began building a railroad through the village. Despite these restrictions, Battir's farmers retain faith that with determination and effective use of their natural resources, the good years... Soldiers prevent farmers from planting olive trees near Bethlehem IMEMC 1 Feb 2010 - Monday February 01, 2010 - 13:36, The Israeli military prevented, on Monday, Palestinian farmers and their international supporters from planting olive trees near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. Lasting Agriculture Versus Lasting Occupation Palestine Monitor - 1 Feb 2010 - The village of Battir, North West of Bethlehem, was once a haven for farmers. Its rich soil, water resources and favourable climate produced abundant harvests of olives and vegetables. But since the start of the occupation, Battir's 4,000 inhabitants have faced tremendous difficulties. The farmland of... Sheikhs and rabbis in pursuit of peace – on Mount of Olives The National 29 Jan 2010 - Yerushalom, a group founded by Jewish settlers, says it is trying to build bridges with Palestinians – and help them realise their dream. Military uses live ammunition on Burin demonstration 1/30/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - A demonstration against the Israeli order to halt construction of a nearly-completed mosque today, on threat of demolition, drew local, regional and international supporters in addition to attendance by the Palestinian Authority Minister of Religion. The demonstration was met with violent resistance by Israeli occupation forces, including the use of tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and. 22 ammunition. One local protester was removed from the area by ambulance when he was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet. The demonstration follows yesterday's incursion, in which Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and a sound grenade at villagers as they attempted to plant olive trees on village land close to the nearby settlement of Yitzhar. The order was issued three days ago to the village, declaring that the village must halt construction of the mosque, on consequence of demolition. Soldiers ’attack’ journalists near Nablus 1/29/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - A group of Palestinian photojournalists documenting tree-planting near Nablus on Thursday afternoon said they were accosted by Israeli forces, who declared the area a closed military zone. The tree-planting, on the edges of Burin village, was set to see 250 olive saplings dug into the soil under a new "Green Palestine" project in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Agriculture. Journalists, including Ma'an photographer Rami Swidan, said soldiers descended on the group, insisting that because they were in a closed military zone, no photographs could be taken in the area. Swidan said soldiers approached the group and ordered them to stop filming, but that they refused. He said a soldier hit him on his chest and tried to take the camera by force. Several journalists reportedly interfered and separated the two. Israeli soldiers 'attack' journalists near Nablus Uruknet January 28, 2010 - A group of Palestinian photojournalists documenting tree-planting near Nablus on Thursday afternoon said they were accosted by Israeli forces, who declared the area a closed military zone. The tree-planting, on the edges of Burin village, was set to see 250 olive saplings dug into the soil under a new "Green Palestine" project in cooperation with the... Settlers attack Palestinians in retaliation for outpost demolition 1/27/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Several dozen Israeli settler youths attacked the village of Beit Ilu on Tuesday, north of Ramallah, in response to Israeli forces razing the Gush Talmonim outpost, Israeli media reported. The attack was coordinated by text message, the Israeli daily Haaretz said, and the settlers began chanting "The police destroy nothing that belongs to Arabs. ""The rule of evil is persecuting the settlements. ""In 24 hours, we will set this place up anew. ""We will not be broken. "According to the daily, the assailants cut branches from nearby olive trees to make improvised weapons and began hurling stones. One of the settlers was appointed "security guard" to ensure no journalists were able to record the incident, Haaretz wrote. Rioters broke into the home of the Mazar family, trying to set fire to the car of family members trying to escape the violence and then. . . Nilin Protest Photo Wins Silver Camera Award PNN 26 Jan 2010 - Holland –Cris Toala Olivares, a Dutch citizen of Ecuadorian origin, has won the “Silver Camera Award” in the Foreign News category for a photo taken during a protest in Nilin Village in the West Bank in October 2009. The image is of a cluster of tear gas grenades exploding over a grove of Olive trees while demonstrators take cover.A private Twitter released... Jewish settlers uproot olive trees, IOF soldiers detain West Bankers PIC 26 Jan 2010 - Jewish settlers cut off 15 olive trees in Palestinian land in Deir Nizam village to the north west of Ramallah while Israeli occupation forces (IOF) abducted 7 Palestinians overnight. Settlers Uproot 15 Olive Trees Near Ramallah IMEMC 25 Jan 2010 - Tuesday January 26, 2010 - 00:49, A group of fundamentalist settlers uprooted on Sunday evening fifteen olive trees that belong to a resident of Dir Nitham village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah. Nil’in photo takes top prize at Dutch contest 1/26/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A Dutch photographer has won the Silver Camera Award in the foreign news category for his shot during a weekly demonstration against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Nil'in. The award is widely considered the foremost prize for press photography in the Netherlands. The photographer, Cris Toala Olivares, took the shot in October 2009 when he was in the West Bank for its annual olive harvest. He captured this moment when dozens of tear-gas canisters were shot at Palestinians in an olive grove in Nil'in. Olivares, a Dutch citizen originally from Ecuador, also visited the Gaza Strip in January 2009 and produced a series of photos during Israel's assault on the coastal enclave over the winter. . . . . Rula Halawani PNN 25 Jan 2010 - any of us see the relationship between the photographer and his/her subjects as if the camera were an extension of the photographer’s eye. In the case of Rula Halawani (1964), an internationally renowned Palestinian photographer who was born, raised, and continues to live in the Mount of Olives neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, the camera is not only an extension of her eye,... Israeli forces detain three journalists across the West Bank 1/23/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained three journalists in separate incidents across the West Bank, as they complied news reports near settlements on Saturday. Al-Quds TV representatives said that a journalist and a cameraman were detained near the illegal settlement of Ariel, south of Nablus. Correspondent for Al-Quds TV Mus'ab Al-Khatib, 25, and Ahmad Al-Kilani, 23, who works for Pal Media, were arrested whilst preparing a news report about a university near the settlement that was recognized recently by Israeli authorities. Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers detained a Pal Media journalist on Saturday reporting on a demonstration organized by farmers from the At-Tuwani village to protest the recent destruction of an olive grove near the Israeli settlement outpost of Havot Ma'on, the Christian Peacemaking Team said in a statement. Demonstrators plant olive trees at al-Ma’asara, one arrested 1/24/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 22 January - This week's Friday demonstration in al-Ma'asara celebrated the Palestinian Day of the Tree. Some 70 demonstrators, Palestinian, Israeli and international, marched from the centre of the village towards the route of the Apartheid fence, carrying young olive trees to be planted in the lands near the fence. Amongst the demonstrators were Palestinian Minister of Agriculture Ismail Du'eik and other officials from the Bethlehem area. Shortly before reaching the soldiers who awaited the protest, demonstrators stopped to watch the minister plant two olive trees at the end of the built area in the village. The march then proceeded to meet with the larger than usual number of border policemen and soldiers, some of whom had taken over the rooftops of nearby houses, aiming guns at the demonstration. The minister and other demonstrators gave speeches in Arabic and Hebrew, and left two plants near the fence. Journalist arrested at peaceful tree-planting action 1/23/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Christian Peacemaker Team - On 23 January, Israeli soldiers declared Palestinian land south of the Israeli settlement outpost Havot Ma'on (Hill 833) a closed military zone, then arrested a Palestinian journalist from Pal Media. The journalist was reporting on a demonstration organized by Palestinians from the village of At-Tuwani after the recent destruction of an olive grove. Despite the Israeli military interventions, the Palestinians successfully planted 20 olive trees during their demonstration. While Palestinian farmers, accompanied by internationals, were planting olive trees, fifteen settlers approached the area, some carrying slingshots. Israeli soldiers and police also entered the area. The soldiers informed the Palestinians that the area was a closed military zone, showing them a map that encompassed a large area south of Havat Ma'on outpost. Tree-planting action to be held in At-Tuwani 1/20/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Christian Peacemaker Team - On Saturday 23 January Palestinians will demonstrate against the recent destruction of a grove of olive trees and plant new trees, in order to show their determination to continue accessing and cultivating their land. On the afternoon of 14 January Palestinians discovered that a family-owned olive grove in Khoruba valley had been destroyed. Twenty mature olive trees were broken at their trunks. The family believes that Israeli settlers from the Ma'on settlement and Havot Ma'on outpost are responsible for the vandalism. This is the fifth time since 1997 that settlers have destroyed the olive trees in this grove. This most recent attack on Palestinian agriculture follows a month of Israeli settler violence and harassment aimed at preventing Palestinian farmers from plowing their fields and thus earning their livelihoods. Palestinian film forum breaking the cultural siege on Gaza 1/17/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Bianca Zammit & Rada Daniell, ISM Gaza - The Palestinian Film Forum (the Forum) was established in 2004 as a branch of the Pal estinian Artists Union covering both Gaza and the West Bank. In the last couple of months it has intensified its activities aiming to achieve an ambitious list of tasks and ensure development of Palestinian cinematography and its networking with the other world cinematographies. The Forum recently organised the first film festival in Gaza in many years. The International Al Quds Film Festival took place between 21 and 23 December ‘09 and film makers from 11 Arab countries showed 52 documentary and feature films, two of which were made in cooperation with Spanish and Dutch filming associations. All films focused on Al Quds or Palestine and explored issues of life under siege and occupation and five of them were awarded Gold Olive prices. An Nabi Salih: resistance to settlement expansion met with military violence 1/16/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 15 January - Israeli forces must have anticipated the large response to the An Nabi Salih Popular Struggle's call out for international solidarity in their 4th consecutive Friday demonstration on January 15th. Three International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activists were turned away from the seldom-staffed partial checkpoint of "Atara, between Ramallah and An Nabi Salih. Fortunately, a back route was established and the group made it to the village, joining 10 other internationals, a dozen journalists and over 300 Palestinians. The hilltop village of An Nabi Salih has a population of approximately 500 residents and is located 30 kilometers northeast of Ramallah along highway 465. The demonstration protested the illegal seizure of valuable agricultural land and the January 9th, 2010 uprooting of hundreds of the village resident's olive trees by the Hallamish (Neve Zuf) settlement located on highway 465, opposite An Nabi Salih. " Palestinian Olive Grove Destroyed in the Night 1/16/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 15 January, Christian Peacemaker Team - In the afternoon of 14 January Palestinians discovered that a family owned olive grove in Khoruba valley had been recently destroyed. Twenty mature olive trees were broken at their trunks. The family believes that Israeli settlers from the Ma'on settlement and Havot Ma'on outpost are responsible for the vandalism. A Palestinian farmer informed internationals who documented the destruction that this was the fifth time since 1997 that settlers have destroyed the olive trees in this grove. He also stated that the trees would not be able to bear olives for at least three years. This most recent attack on Palestinian agriculture follows a month of Israeli settler violence and harassment aimed at preventing Palestinian farmers from plowing their fields and thus earning their livelihoods. Will you marry poor me 1/15/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Eva Bartlett, Inter Press Service, 14 January - "If we had money we'd get married right away," says Samir*, 23. He has found his bride, but not the money to hold the wedding. The Israeli siege imposed shortly after Hamas's election in early 2006 has ruled out marriage for many. Palestinians traditionally marry young, between 18 and 25, but more and more now pass their mid-twenties single. With unemployment levels above 45 percent, and the price of most goods doubled or more, living, and marrying, are becoming unaffordable. Worsening living conditions under the siege are changing relationship patterns. While salaried work has traditionally been the man's role, many women have been adding to the family's income – or have sometimes been the sole provider – by selling hand-stitched embroidery. Groups such as Oxfam, the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee, and other social organisations have provided some of the poorest women with small gardens, sheep, rabbits or chickens to tend for food and for income. "This is life:" remembering earlier massacres in Gaza Uruknet January 14, 2010 - It's a sunny day in the border region east of Beit Hanoun. Aside from a glaring absence of the citrus and olive trees which for decades abounded on this fertile land, finally razed by Israeli military bulldozers, all seems idyllic. "This is the first time I've returned here since my friends were killed," Ahmad Hammad says.... Israeli bulldozers destroy agricultural land near settlement 1/13/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli troops bulldozed four dunums of agricultural lands in Safa village north of Hebron Tuesday night, following an effort by Palestinian farmers to plant olive trees in the valley near Beit Ummar. Earlier Tuesday, troops advanced on the farmers planting trees, who responded to the encroachment by throwing rocks. According to an Israeli military spokesperson, the troops responded with "riot dispersal" mechanisms. Locals said a five-year-old planting trees suffered from shock when a tear gas canister detonated beside him. Media spokesman for the Palestinian solidarity project Muhammad Awad said troops uprooted trees and destroyed land on property belonging to the Abu Maria family and his brothers. An Israeli military spokeswoman said construction equipment did enter the area, but that it was there "extracting a stuck IDF vehicle. " . . . . Getting to the root of the conflict
Mondoweiss - 13 Jan 2010 - On January 11, the delegation I’m traveling with visited with Mohammed Jaradat of the BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights. He speaks in a deep, resonant voice and has sparkling olive green eyes that twinkle as he presents. He explains to the delegation... Israeli forces prevent farmers from planting trees with riot gear 1/12/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Two Palestinians and one child were injured on Tuesday as Israeli forces prohibited farmers from tending to their land in Safa village in the northern Hebron governorate, solidarity workers said. "While the farmers were planting olive trees, Israeli forces attacked them and clashes erupted between both sides," said media spokesman for the Palestine Solidarity Project Mohammad Awad. Two men sustained injuries from rubber bullets used by Israeli forces and Hisham Al-Khlayel, 5, was taken to hospital to undergo treatment for shock as a result of tear gas used by forces to disperse those present, Awwad said. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the incident, saying troops responded to the group of farmers with "riot dispersal means," after youth threw rocks at the encroaching soldiers. He said there were no reports of injuries or damages, however. IOF troops bulldoze land in Gaza, detain Jerusalemites for planting olives Uruknet January 12, 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) advanced east of Shujaia suburb in Gaza city afternoon Tuesday and bulldozed Palestinian plantations, local sources said. They told the PIC reporter that the IOF troops escorted three military bulldozers, noting that the IOF soldiers fired three projectiles at cultivated lands east of Shujaia inflicting material damage. Meanwhile, IOF soldiers detained three... IOF troops bulldoze land in Gaza, detain Jerusalemites for planting olives PIC
12 Jan 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) advanced east of Shujaia suburb in Gaza city afternoon Tuesday and bulldozed Palestinian plantations, local sources said. IOF troops block planting olive trees, shoot at Palestinian driver PIC
12 Jan 2010 - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Tuesday blocked Palestinian farmers and foreign solidarity activists from planting olive trees in Safa area to the north of Beit Ummar village, Al-Khalil district. Israeli forces demolish 17 buildings in northern West Bank 1/11/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 10 January - Israeli military forces have demolished 17 buildings in the Palestinian community of Khirbet Tana for the second time. This is the only the most recent chapter in a long struggle for the small agricultural community to keep their lands. The Israeli army arrived this morning to the village in a convoy of jeeps and bulldozers and razed 17 buildings to the ground. The demolished structures included family homes, children's classrooms and shelters for the village's livestock. Several olive trees were also razed to the ground. In a statement issued by the Israeli military, the buildings were had demolished due to the fact they were "illegally constructed structures" built on a military training ground, "endangering the lives of those present". Khirbet Tana centered around two natural springs, lying 7km east of Beit Furik in the Nablus area of the West Bank. Why Oliver Stone believes Hitler was an 'easy scapegoat' Ha'aretz
11 Jan 2010 - Director's new documentary seeking to put historical villains 'into context' has viewing world up in arms., Activists: Army prevents tree-planting near Hebron 1/11/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli forces reportedly prohibited Palestinian farmers from planting 1,500 olive trees in the Abu Ar-Rish area of the Beit Ummar village near Hebron on Monday. "Despite the decision by an Israeli court allowing Palestinian farmers to work on their lands, Israeli troops banned farmers today from planting [olive trees]," said Muhammad Awad, media spokesman for the Palestine Solidarity Project. "The troops said that it is a closed military area," Awad said. The spokesman added that four journalists and three American activists were detained, as Israeli forces used stun grenades and closed off the area leading to the agricultural land in question. An Israeli military spokesman said he had no knowledge of the incident. . . . . Support Ahmad Mesleh & support independent media in Israel/Palestine
Mondoweiss - 11 Jan 2010 - (Photo: Ahmad Mesleh ) Last week I posted on the kick off of a new website from Israel/Palestine called The Daily Nuisance . The post featured an incredibly striking photo of a Palestinian protester holding an enormous Palestinian flag jumping off the stumps of a destoyed olive tree... Settlers desecrate olive groves in Burin Uruknet January 8, 2010 - 20 olive trees belonging to the Sufan family of Burin village were destroyed by settlers this morning. Burin, located in the northern West Bank, comes under frequent attack from the settlements of Yitzhar and Bracha enveloping the village. Under the cover of dark, settlers entered the olive groves of the Sufan family home at around 3am... Settlers desecrate olive groves in Burin 1/8/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 20 olive trees belonging to the Sufan family of Burin village were destroyed by settlers this morning. Burin, located in the northern West Bank, comes under frequent attack from the settlements of Yitzhar and Bracha enveloping the village. Under the cover of dark, settlers entered the olive groves of the Sufan family home at around 3am and began chopping the trees. The attack is the third of its kind in the last two months, with the family losing 96 trees in November. The family's home sits on the southern tip of the village towards the hill ascending to Yitzhar settlement, and bears the brunt of their violent neighbours' attacks. It is the third attack of its kind in the last two months alone, with the family losing 96 of their olive trees in November directly after the harvest. The Sufan family has experienced harassment from the settlement almost from the. . . Army harassment at peaceful tree-planting in Qaryut 1/8/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - An overwhelming force of Israeli military soldiers converged on farmlands outside Qaryut today as villagers attempted to replenish their endangered lands with water and new olive trees. Despite the overbearing army presence, residents' convictions were strong enough for them to stand their ground and finish work for the day. Villagers entered the Qaryut's eastern farmlands following the midday prayer, carrying 200 baby olive trees donated by Palestinian Agricultural Relief and the Ministry of Agriculture. Facing the busy Nablus - Ramallah Road 60 route, and the Israeli settlements of Shilo and Eli behind them they set to work planting the new trees in the land oft neglected by farmers from fear of settler or army reprisal. As residents worked the land, others began clearing the large earth mound that had been constructed across the small dirt road serving as Qaryut's sole link to Road 60. Hanan’s eight-year battle with Yitzhar settlers 1/7/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - On 5 May 2002, dozens of armed settlers from the Yitzhar settlement attacked the Safwan family, setting fire to their home, sending dogs into the home and damaging most of the furniture. Hanan Safwan, 49-years-old, recounted that her husband died on the spot that day in May, "ever since then," she lamented, "the attacks against this family have never stopped. "The family lives in the village of Burin, south of Nablus, a kilometer north of the Yitzhar settlement. "I can remember how my kids stood in panic and fear watching the fierce settlers' attack and seeing their father Adnan suffering a heart attack. . . he couldn't stand to see the home he build destroyed before his eyes," Hanan said. The most recent attack came last week, when a group of settlers snuck onto her family's property before sunrise, and uprooted 18 olive trees. De facto government opens Bissan Village, latest Gaza park 1/7/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - A small zoo, swimming pool, park and picnic area make up the new Bissan Entertainment Village in northern Gaza, opened for families on Wednesday by the de facto government. Animals from the rapidly closing smuggling tunnels brought to Gaza via Egypt roam fresh pens in the 14 dunum area next to picnic areas and barbecue pits, as well as two new buildingshousing a shop and small recreation center. The park opening was attended by the local government's Minister of the Interior Fathi Hammad, Minister of Agriculture Muhammad Al-Agha, PLC member Ahmad Bahar and de facto police Chief Jamal Al-Jarrah amid a large festival to celebrate the event. The park is the first built since Israel's war on Gaza in December and January of 2008-9. A newly planted forest in the park includes dozens of olive trees with plaques dedicating each tree to a child from the northern neighborhood killed during the war. Israel approves Jerusalem settlement expansion 1/6/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Israeli government approved on Wednesday the construction of a new settlement in the Palestinian town of Shufat, in occupied East Jerusalem. Israel Radio reported that the plan includes three new five-story buildings on a 5,000-meter plot of land, funded by Jewish American gambling tycoon Irving Moskovitz. On Tuesday Israel's Jerusalem Planning and Building committee approved the construction of four new settler buildings on the Mount of Olives, in the heart of East Jerusalem. Moskovitz was also behind the Mount of Olives project, which is intended to house 24 settler families adjacent to a Jewish religious school. Moskovitz caused a diplomatic storm last year when he obtained a permit to bulldoze East Jerusalem's historic Shepherd Hotel in order to build a settlement. Last week, the US, Europe, and other world powers condemned a plan announced. . . Hamas holds out olive branch to Fatah The National 5 Jan 2010 - On Gaza's streets – and even among its own ranks – the sentiment is rising that it is time for Hamas to reconcile with its secular rivals in the West Bank. Desmond Tutu calling for immediate release of Bil’in activist Abdallah Abu Rahmah 12/25/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - 24 December - Elders' chair, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has expressed his deep concern about the arrest and indictment of Abdallah Abu Rahmah of Bil'in and has called for his unconditional release. Abu Rahmah is a school teacher and coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements, which has carried out a five year campaign of non-violent protest and legal challenge against the wall that separates Israel from the West Bank. "My fellow Elders and I met Abu Rahmah and his colleague Mohammad Khatib in August when we visited Bil'in," said Desmond Tutu. "We were impressed by their commitment to peaceful political action, and their success in challenging the wall that unjustly separates the people of Bil'in from their land and their olive trees. I call on Israeli officials to release Abu Rahmah immediately and unconditionally. . . " [uruknet.info] Bethlehem's modern nativity scene - crib, wise men and separation wall Uruknet December 23, 2009 - The shelves of Bethlehem's tourist shops this winter are filled with the gifts you might expect. There are countless carved olive-wood crucifixes, angels and last suppers. But there are also unexpected nativity scenes complete with Joseph, Mary, crib, wise men and large Israeli concrete wall with military watchtower. Israel's vast separation barrier is at its most... Bethlehem's modern nativity scene – crib, wise men and separation wall PNN
24 Dec 2009 - Israel's security barrier, complete with looming watchtowers, has found its way into the nativity scenes on sale to tourists. The shelves of Bethlehem's tourist shops this winter are filled with the gifts you might expect. There are countless carved olive-wood crucifixes, angels and last suppers. But there are also unexpected nativity scenes complete with Joseph, Mary, crib, wise men and large Israeli... Peaceful olive harvest yields little 12/22/2009 - IRIN, Huwwara/Tel Aviv - Three hundred olive trees in Shaer's plot near the village of Jit in the West Bank's Nablus region are almost bare. There will be hardly any olives for his family this year, let alone any for sale. "We will pray for rain and wait," he said. He reckoned this year's crop would be less than a quarter of last year's "and last year it was not good at all. " Ahmed, an olive farmer form the Qalqiliya region, about 30 minutes drive from Tel Aviv, said the meager crop was not worth harvesting. "I can only hope for the future," he said. Palestinian olive farmers have been hit by a third consecutive bad or poor harvest. Normally, in this region, you get a good crop one year followed by a smaller yield the next year, but the two-year cycle appears to have been broken - exacerbated by a dry winter in 2008-2009, according to some experts. Demonstration outside Jelemeh prison in solidarity with arrested Palestinian grassroots activist 12/17/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - 16 December - A demonstration was held outside Jelemeh prison in Haifa today in protest against the arrest and imprisonment of grassroots activist Wa'el Al Faqeeh Abu As Sabe. Demonstrators planted olive trees and hung Palestinian flags and banners outside the prison gates, calling for the release of Palestinian political prisoners. The night that the army arrested Wa'el Al Faqeeh, they also arrested 8 other grassroot activists from Nablus and surrounding areas. 15km out of Haifa sits the notorious Jelemeh prison, known for its interrogation and ill-treatment of Palestinian political prisoners. International and Israeli activists gathered under grey skies outside the prison yesterday, beating drums and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans. Activists planted three olive trees outside the gates of the prison, in tribute to similar actions organised by Al Faqeeh in numerous West Bank villages. [uruknet.info] What did the trees do? Uruknet December 16, 2009 - Another incident of olive tree vandalism occurred in West Bank. Akram Na'san, a resident of the village of al-Mughayyir, north-east of Ramallah, discovered on Monday morning that approximately 260 Olive seedlings which he planted recently were uprooted and destroyed. Of them, approximately 190 were newly planted, and the rest were planted last year... Die on my Palestine land 12/16/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - Jody McIntyre, Ctrl. Alt. Shift - Fatima Mohammed Yassen, aged 49, is a farmer from Bil'in. Despite the crippling Israeli occupation of her village, she continues to work her land, along with her husband, on a daily basis. Jody McIntyre spoke to Im Khamis, as she is known to local villagers, in her home in Bil'in: Did you have land behind the Wall? Yes! BeforeIsrael started construction of the Wall in Bil'in, my family had 45 dunams (1 dunam = 1000 square metres) of land, all of them filled with olive trees. My husband's family had 50 dunams, which were a mixture of olive groves and vegetable patches, as well as another 50 dunams of land which was stolen after 1967 (after the war of this year, Israel began it's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza). When the Israeli army were building the Wall on our land, they stole land. . . Lives and Livelihoods at Stake: Palestinians Again Confronted by Violence and Repression During the Annual Olive Harvest 12/16/2009 - Al-Haq - Al-Haq is pleased to present its report on the 2009 Olive Harvest: ‘Lives and Livelihoods at Stake: Palestinians Again Confronted by Violence and Repression During the Annual Olive Harvest. The report provides an overview of incidents that occurred during this year‘s harvest season collected by field workers on the ground in the West Bank. It presents a synopsis of the violations of international law committed by Israeli settlers and Israeli Occupation Forces during the months of the harvest, and in one case of land confiscation, before the start of the season. -- Link: Click here to read the report (PDF) [end] Al-Habbash calls mosque arson ’war crime’ 12/12/2009 - Nablus - Ma'an - Palestinian Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash visited the mosque set on fire allegedly by settlers early Friday morning in the northern West Bank village of Yasuf, and described the incident as a "war crime"¯ in a statement issued on Saturday following his visit. The minister further asserted that the arsonists necessitated prosecution and punishment in international courts, he said. Al-Habbash accused the Israeli government of supporting the "terrorism of settlers who are corrupting the West Bank, burning Palestinian olive orchards, and attack Palestinian villages with the support and protection of the Israeli army,"¯ he said in a statement. The minister added that the "Yasuf village suffers from constant attacks by settlers. " ¯During his visit, Al-Habbash relayed President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority's praise. . . Demonstrators to protest arrest of prominent grassroots activist Wa’el Al Faqeeh Abu As Sabe 12/13/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - A demonstration will be held outside Jelemeh Prison in Haifa at 12pm, Monday 14 December 2009, to protest the arrest of prominent grassroots Palestinian activist Wa'el Al Faqeeh Abu As Sabe. Al Faqeeh, renowned throughout the Nablus region for his tireless campaigning and non-violent action against the Israeli occupation, was kidnapped from his home by Israeli Occupation Forces in the night of Tuesday, 8 December. Al Faqeeh is now being held at Jelemeh Prison in Haifa, Israel. The prison is notorious for its ill-treatment of prisoners, in particular Palestinian political prisoners. Protesters will gather outside the prison at 12pm, Monday 14 December, to protest the persecution and imprisonment of Al Faqeeh. Protesters plan to plant olive trees outside the prison, in celebration of Al Faqeeh's organisation of numerous tree-planting actions in Palestinian villages close to settlements. IOF demolish eight homes, number of tents in Negev region PIC
9 Dec 2009 - The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday demolished eight Palestinian homes as well as tents and uprooted dozens of olive saplings in different areas of the occupied Negev region. Israeli Occupation Forces Demolish Eight Homes, Tents In Negev Region 12/8/2009 - Political Theatrics - PIC - The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday demolished eight Palestinian homes as well as tents and uprooted dozens of olive saplings in different areas of the occupied Negev region. Different Palestinian local sources reported that Israeli bulldozers knocked down seven homes and uprooted dozens of olive saplings in Al-Araqeeb village and demolished another home in Umm Mitnan village. They also said that the Israeli troops tore down tents of Palestinian citizens in the village of Taweel Abu Jarwal for the 37th time and delivered 13 demolition orders against homes in an area near the village of Umm Numeila. “We rebuild as soon as the troops who demolish leave the area. We will not leave our land for it is our life or be deterred by demolitions in all circumstances, though we were left in the rain and cold,” Mohamed Talalqah, one of Taweel Abu Jarwal residents, said. [Uruknet 60831 07-dec-2009 15:46 ECT] Rabbi allows stealing Palestinian crops and water Uruknet December 7, 2009 -- The PA agriculture ministry has strongly condemned Sunday a new religious edict issued by a rabbi allowing Israeli settlers to steal Palestinian olive crops and to poison Palestinian water. Mohsen Abu Eita, the ministry's under-secretary for natural resources, asserted in a statement that Israeli rabbis permit the settlers to steal the Palestinian olive trees and crops... Rabbi allows stealing Palestinian crops and water PIC
7 Dec 2009 - The PA agriculture ministry has strongly condemned Sunday a new religious edict issued by a rabbi allowing Israeli settlers to steal Palestinian olive crops and to poison Palestinian water. Bostoner Rebbe Levi Yitzhak Horowitz dies at 88 Jeruslalem Post
5 Dec 2009 - First US-born hassidic master brought many closer to Judaism, laid to rest at J'lem's Mount of Olives. [Uruknet 60780 05-dec-2009 02:07 ECT] Report: 14000 Palestinian olive trees subjected to Israeli aggression in 2009 Uruknet December 4, 2009 - A Palestinian research centre, specialised in monitoring Israeli violations, revealed that the Israeli occupation authorities destroyed 14000 olive trees in the Palestinian territories during 2009. Such assaults included the uprooting of thousands of olive trees, for the sake of expanding the Israeli settlements, and the burning and cutting of thousands more by settlers. In a report... Sailors return to UK after Iran detention Daily Star
4 Dec 2009 Four British yachtsmen seized by Iran returned to Britain on Friday, saying it was "great to be back," as they planned a trip to the pub. Oliver Smith, 31, Oliver Young, 21, Sam Usher, 26, and Luke Porter, 21, flew back into London Heathrow Airport from Dubai. Along with David Bloomer, a Bahrain-based radio journalist, they were detained by Revolutionary Guards on November 25 and freed Wednesday. Middle East conflict played out in the olive groves PNN
3 Dec 2009 - Akram Imran says the Jewish settlers came at night. I came to work in the early morning. It was a horrible sight, a massacre of trees, he said. Some of them are at least 70 years old. Climbing over a heap of withered branches in his olive grove on a rocky hillside near the village of Burin, the Palestinian farmer said they... Craftsmen carve out their corner in Egypt
LA Times 30 Nov 2009 - With almost no unemployment, Damietta, a center of handmade furniture, is an anomaly in Egypt. But the $1-billion industry, reliant on exports, is feeling the squeeze of the global downturn. Chisel, scrape, chisel, scrape. Olive harvest 2009: army better prepared AlJazeera
25 Nov 2009 - This year, security forces were better prepared to protect farmers from settler violence during the olive harvest in the West Bank. However, they continued to limit Palestinian farmers' access to land lying near settlements or on the other side of the Sep Expired olive oil and produce confiscated in Hebron 11/26/2009 - Hebron - Ma'an - Palestinian officials confiscated 50 containers of expired olive oil and a significant quantity of expired produce in downtown Hebron, according to the Committee of Local Market Officials on Thursday. The committee, consisting of various Ministry of Economy departments including the Department of Consumer Protection and the Economic Department of the Palestinian security police, conducted an investigation into the produce sold in Hebron markets to ensure that groceries were consumable for the Eid Al-Adha holiday, the committee told Ma'an. The committee added that they will further investigate all Hebron markets on Thursday to guarantee the Palestinian consumer is not at risk of consuming perished produce. The inquiry follows a long line of similar inspections conducted across the West Bank where large quantities of expired goods have been confiscated by the Ministry of Economy. [uruknet.info] Rights group: 69 cases of Palestinian olive trees destroyed, but no prosecutions Uruknet November 25, 2009 - The human rights organization Yesh Din says not one of the 69 complaints filed during the past four years on damage to Palestinians' trees in the West Bank has resulted in an indictment. The organization released a report on the matter Tuesday and makes specific reference to damage caused to olive groves, central to the livelihood... OPT: Harvesting olives in the West Bank - Not as simple as it sounds Relief Web
25 Nov 2009 - Source: ICRC Harvest under Fire 11/1/2009 - This Week in Palestine - November 2009 - Compiled by the Palestinian Grassroots - Immatin is a small village of nearly 2,500 people that is nestled in the hills east of Qalqilia. Like so many other villages in Qalqilia, Immatin’s recent history is marred by stories of confiscated lands, uprooted olive trees, and the approach of the Wall, which threatens to isolate 10,000 of the village’s 27,000 dunums. To make matters worse, the people of Immatin have the misfortune of living just south of the Qedumim settlement. Founded by the religious settlement movement Gush Emunim in 1975, Qedumim is populated by settlers infamous for their violence, which inevitably increases during the olive harvest. These settlers were responsible for nearly a dozen attacks during last year’s harvest, when they burned and blocked access to fields and attacked farmers with sticks and stones. In just two weeks last October, Qedumim settlers perpetrated three attacks in Immatin. -- Links: This Week in Palestine (PDF) Twilight Zone / Mourning uprooted olive trees in West Bank villages Ha'aretz
20 Nov 2009 - The old tractor sputtered up the hill, its engine seemingly about to expire, but its big wheels bumping across the rocky terrain. We stood in the back, swaying wildly, holding on for dear life. On the hilltop loomed the big antenna of the settlement of Yitzhar, whose houses lay on the other side of the hill. The very knowledge of their presence inspired dread. It was a glorious sunny day, the spectacular valley sprawling below. The houses of the Palestinian village of Burin lie in this valley, which lies between two hills: on one stands Yitzhar; on the other, Har Bracha, outside Nablus. ... West Is East, When Israel Decides 11/19/2009 - Antiwar.com - The family received no compensation for the takeover. - JERUSALEM — Along a wall not about to come down — a hotel no longer a hotel, but an outpost. The three-story, 36-room Cliff Hotel used to be a favorite for Western pilgrims in search of the "authentic Holy Land flavor" because of its extensive gardens; it was a favorite also among Jerusalem Palestinians for wedding parties. Perched on a hillock opposite the biblical Mount of Olives, The Cliff offered (still offers) imposing views — eastward through the Judean desert down to the Dead Sea and up the mountains of Moab across the Jordan River; southwards to the church spires of Bethlehem; and westwards to the walled Old City and the Golden Dome of the Rock. Five years ago, in the wake of the Palestinian Intifadah uprising, Israel began to build its concrete security wall to fend off would-be bombers coming into Jerusalem. al-Ma’sara demonstrates against the Apartheid Wall 11/17/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - The al-Ma'sara Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, 13 November - In memory of the fifth year since the death of Yaser Arafat, who was poisoned by the Israeli army, villagers of Al-Ma'sara gathered today along with Israeli and international activists in protest against the illegal Apartheid Wall and settlement building. The protesters raised Palestinian flags and banners demanding that farmers be allowed to access their lands to pick olives. As every Friday for the past three years, they were intercepted by Israeli soldiers who had put up a fence of barb wire at the entrance to the village, effectively cutting off the villager's access to their lands. Demonstrators chanted against the discriminatory policies of the occupation and reminded that only this morning, farmers who were picking olives on their lands in the surrounding villagers were harassed by settlers while Israeli soldiers stood by.
Palestinians to sell first fair trade product
Nick Mathiason, The Observer, The Guardian 12/28/2008
The glimmers of an economic revival for Palestinians will grow early next year with the launch of their first fair trade product. Fair trade olive oil will hit the shops in 2009 as tourist numbers in Bethlehem reach their highest levels for a decade. Israeli and Palestinian officials report economic growth for the occupied territories of 4-5% and a drop in the unemployment rate of at least three percentage points. [sic] Palestinian farmers face barriers to carrying out normal agricultural activities caused through restrictions in movement and water shortages. Harriet Lamb, executive director of the Fairtrade Foundation, said: "We hope this will be the first of many more fair trade products coming from the world’s conflict zones and least-developed countries. If so, it will help to catalyse markets and make a real economic difference to the communities that need it most. more..e-mailPalestinian olive farmers welcome decision of not importing foreign olive oil
Palestinian Information Center 9/6/2008
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- News on the decision of the agriculture ministry in the legitimate PA caretaker government of premier Ismail Haneyya of halting the importation of foreign olive oil have relieved Palestinian olive farmers in the Gaza Strip. For their part, Palestinian olive farmers in the West Bank considered the report as good omens for them, hoping that they could be included in the decision as importation of foreign olives and olive oil badly affected the local products. Dr. Mohammed Al-Agha, the agriculture minister in Gaza, asserted that the decision was meant to protect the local product of olives and olive oil in order to enhance the steadfastness of the Palestinian farmer on his land. The ministry also specified specific dates for harvesting and processing olives in both Gaza Strip and the West Bank governorates. more..e-mailExpired dates and pickled olives seized in Nablus
Ma’an News Agency 9/2/2008
Nablus – Ma’an – The Palestinian Preventive Security forces on Tuesday afternoon seized 46 tons of dates and pickled olives with expired validity dates. The goods were confiscated from a warehouse in the eastern neighborhood of Nablus. The director of the Preventive Security’s operations, Yasser Al-Bulbul, told Ma’an, “The economic department of the Preventive Security service received information about a truckload of pickled olives coming from Egypt. After inspections, we knew where the truck was unloaded and we stormed the place accompanied with representatives of the Ministry of Health. ”A Ministry of Health employee told Ma’an’s reporter that 16 tons of dates and 30 tons of pickled olives were seized. more..e-mailOxfam, Palestinian farmers discuss project to improve olive oil quality with An-Najah University
Ma’an News Agency 5/30/2008
Nablus - Salfit - Ma’an - A delegation from Oxfam and the Union of Palestinian Farmers’ Societies visited An-Najah National University on Friday to discuss a project to improve the quality of Palestinian olive oil for the local and export markets. The delegation included Thomas Kazalis, coordinator of the Oxfam’s olive oil quality project, as well as Haitham Hassassneh and engineer Mahmoud Abu ’Assba. The delegation was received by Dr Sulaiman Khalil, general coordinator of the scientific centers at An-Najah, along with Dr Hassan Abu Qa’oud and Dr Munqeth Shtayeh from the Faculty of Agriculture, and Dr Nidal Za’tar, director of the Chemical and Biological Analysis Center. The attendees discussed coordination of the project, which aims to develop the quality of Palestinian olive oil in order to better market it for export to other countries. more..e-mailArtas Lettuce Festival
Kristen Ess, Palestine News Network 4/10/2008
Hundreds of Palestinians spent Thursday afternoon in Bethlehem’s Artas Village, surrounded by the mountains and an Italian-built monastery. The occasion was the annual "Artas Lettuce Festival. "Also on display are tradition crafts. An elderly woman cuts huge heads of lettuce from both outside and inside greenhouses. On a makeshift stage is the Governor of Bethlehem, Salah Tamari, and several other dignitaries. Speeches denounced the occupation and its measures to destroy Palestinian life. Others spoke of the persistence of the Palestinian farmer and the beauty of showcasing local goods. The elderly woman, who says she does not like to talk about politics, said that she sells her lettuce in Bethlehem, and when it’s not lettuce season she does the same with cucumbers and eggplant. This is a pesticide free zone, with organic farming practices being the norm. more..e-mailUnique glass mosaic unveiled after restoration in Caesarea
Nadav Shragai, and The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 1/28/2008
Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has restored a unique 1,400-year-old glass mosaic, which was discovered in 2005 during excavation of the ancient Bird Palace in Caesarea, Haaretz has learned. Yael Gurin-Rosen, head of the IAA’s glass department, said that the mosaic panel is the first of its kind to be excavated in Israel, and due to the quality of its preservation, given its age, and its gleaming, gilded craftsmanship indicating Christian origins, it is most likely the only one in the world. "It’s a unique find, a piece of art," Joseph Patrich, professor of Archaeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. "It’s in its original state," Patrich said, "because the panel fell face down, protecting its green, blue and gold facade from debris and damage." "The mosaic is particularly important because the small colored tiles forming... more..Bethlehem makes best of Christmas despite Israeli policies
Middle East Online 12/19/2007
BETHLEHEM, West Bank - Bethlehem souvenir store owner Mike Canawati is gearing up for his merriest Christmas in years.
A steady stream of pilgrims are trickling into his shop, snapping up olive wood crosses and nativity scenes as keepsakes from the town revered as Jesus’s birthplace.
Business isn’t booming. But sales are brisk, which is good enough for Canawati, who was forced to shut up shop altogether for two years when tourism slumped during the early years of a Palestinian uprising -- or Intifada -- that erupted in 2000 as reaction to Israeli policies and long occupation. The Israeli army exercised excessive use of force to silence Palestinian protest. But this Christmas they showed less hostility against the West Bank.
"More peace means more tourists," said Canawati, wrapping a plastic cherub for a customer as a jazzed-up version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" filtered through the loudspeakers with its message of pilgrimage to Bethlehem. more..Fires rage throughout western Galilee; arson suspected in some cases
Jack Khoury, Ha’aretz 6/24/2007
Dozens of dunams of fields and groves burned Saturday as brush fires raged throughout the western Galilee. The high temperatures made it difficult for firefighters to put out the blazes, and in some cases the teams were assisted by planes. Fires broke out near the communities of Sakhnin and Karmiel, Dir el-Assad and Abu Sna’an, but did not pose any danger to residents. Amir Levy, spokesman for the firefighter squad in the western Galilee, said that in some of the situations, arson was suspected, but a formal investigation has not been opened yet. In the Kiryat Ata forest and in the olive groves belonging to Kibbutz Yochanan, 60 dunams were ruined. Arson is suspected because of an ongoing dispute between the kibbutz and shepherds from the area over usage of the nearby fields. more..Iran to buy 5,000 tons of Palestinian olive oil, Palestinian agriculture minister reveals
Ma’an News Agency 2/22/2007
Ramallah - The Palestinian minister of agriculture, Dr. Muhammad Ramadan Al-Agha, has described the agricultural sector as "the backbone of the Palestinian economy". Al-Agha’s statements came during a speech he delivered over the phone in a meeting of the Palestinian Council of Olives and Oil, held in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday. Al-Agha also described the Palestinian olive oil as a strategic commodity of the national economy due its high quality taste, color and odor. Consequently, the agriculture ministry has placed great importance on planting olive trees and producing quality olive oil products. He added that the ministry has succeeded, through its communication with local, regional and international bodies, to market large quantities of the Palestinian territories’ surplus olive oil for this year. more..Winter Traditions in Palestine
By Wilhelmina & George Baramk, This Week in Palestine 2/7/2007
Dear Kyoto, In reply to your letter which we received a few days ago and in which you wrote at length about the traditions of your country, Japan, mainly the ceremonial way of preparing tea, the arrangement of flowers in their simple yet elegant way, and the traditional dishes that accompany religious festivities, we would like to tell you about the many culinary and cultural traditions that we, in Palestine, have. In the cold and gloomy winter season we have a variety of traditional dishes, starting with the crushed lentil (adas majroosh) soup prepared by slightly browning chopped onion in olive oil and then adding the crushed lentils, stirring for a few minutes, adding water, salt and boiling the mixture till well cooked. The accompanying side dish for this soup is the rayyaneh, prepared from simple bread dough cut into 2” balls and spread by hand... more..Olive season absorbs unpaid employees, reducing unemployment in the 4th quarter of 2006
Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2007
Bethlehem – The report of the "Labour Force" quarterly survey for the fourth quarter of 2006 has been published. During the period of mass worker’s strikes and school closure, many Palestinians found work helping with the annual olive harvest. The full report now follows: Data was collected between 7/10/2006 and 5/01/2007, representing the 4th quarter, 2006. The survey sample of this round is based on the 1997 census (updated 2003). 7,563 households were selected to represent Palestinian society, of which 6,571 questionnaires were completed. Main changes in the labour market: The 4th quarter 2006 testified to dramatic changes in the labour market, which occurred due to the strike of the public sector employees, and at the same time the closure of schools. Countering this, the olive season was prosperous... more..Economic statistics in the Palestinian territories, sampled during the fourth quarter of 2006
Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2007
Bethlehem - The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, has released the results of its labour force survey, conducted from October to December 2006. The olive season produced jobs, which reduced unemployment in the fourth quarter of 2006. The survey sample of this is based on the 1997 census (updated in 2003); 7,563 households were selected to represent the Palestinian society, of which 6,571 questionnaires were completed. Main changes in the labour market: The 4th quarter of 2006 experienced essential changes in the labour market, which occurred due to the strike in public sector and the closure of schools. Conversely, the olive season was lucrative, which was substituted lost incomes and provided temporary employment to families. more..Opening "the blessed tree" exhibition at the Plaza marketing center
Ma’an News Agency 1/25/2007
Ramallah - Chief of the union of Palestinian chambers of commerce, Ahmad Hashim, has on Thursday opened an exhibition of products of the olive tree, entitled "the blessed tree". The general manager of the Palestinian organization of marketing centers, Zuheir Al-Eseily, also took part in the opening ceremony. The exhibition has been organized by the Palestinian center for economic and social development, in cooperation with other institutions, such as Care international, the Australian agency for development and the Swedish cooperative center. The director of the marketing department in the Palestinian center, Fadi Mousa, said that the exhibition aims to support rural production "and to strengthen the Palestinian attachment to the blessed olive tree." [end]
Palestinian social fund supporting Gaza Strip women and traditional embroidery
Palestine News Network 1/25/2007
The Social Responsibility Fund and the Palestinian Communications Group are making gestures in solidarity with women and traditional crafts. -- The project is based in the Gaza Strip to “protect cultural heritage” and is providing sewing machines, embroidery materials and other essentials for the traditional embroidery sewn by generations of Palestinian women. A delegation included official from the Gaza Social Responsibility Fund, Mohammad Saleem, Rafiq Falouji from the company that supplies the fabric, head of the solidarity mission, Maha Abu Ramadan, and Director General of Cultural Contributions in the Communications Group, Anwar Mahila. The donation comes in support of the cultural sector and for job creation in the sector of heritage and women’s development. more..Ramallah municipality plants one thousand olive trees
International Middle East Media Center 1/15/2007
Ramallah municipality and the Palestinian pharmaceutical company Bier Ziet organized a campaign on monday to plant one thousand olive trees in the city of Ramallah in the central West Bank. Janet Micha’el, the Mayor of the city said that this action is being taken in order to maintain the healthy and balanced environment of the city, and she added that the action is a part of campaign to make the city green. Micha’el thanked the Palestinian pharmaceutical company Bier Ziet for the donation of the trees and everyone who helped in the action and encouraged the residents of the city to protect the trees and help in keeping them alive. Palestinian pharmaceutical company Bier Ziet sarted a national level campaign recently to plant olive trees all over the Palestinian areas under the slogan of "Lets make Palestine green." more..The olive harvest in the West Bank and Gaza - Oct 2006
ReliefWeb/United Nations 11/3/2006
31 Oct 2006 -- Olives, a centuries-old mainstay of the Palestinian economy, are in peak season for harvest from the middle of October to the beginning of November. Forty-five percent of Palestinian agricultural land (228,560 acres/914,235 dunums) is planted with olive trees. This year’s olive harvest is a source of hope for a community with over 2/3 of its population living in poverty (less than $2. 7/day). As a bumper crop year, the olive industry promises to contribute over 118 million USD (based on 2003/4 figures) to the fragile West Bank economy - 22 percent of total agricultural production.... Israeli movement restrictions, like the closures and the Barrier, which Israel has stated are meant to protect Israeli citizens, raise concerns over the ability of Palestinian farmers to complete this cycle.... Destruction and Uprooting of Trees... more..West Bank rain welcomed by olive farmers
Ma’an News 10/27/2006
Qalqiliya - Welcome rain continued to fall in the northern West Bank on Thursday following storms on Wednesday. Following the rain, local farmers in the Qalqiliya governorate were optimistic about the current olive harvest, hoping that the price of olive oil would rise in response. They said that they hoped that the price of one kilogram of olive oil would be between US $3. 5 and $ 4. 5 this year. For most Palestinians farmers, the olive harvest is their primary source of income for the year and the price of olive oil has a significant impact on their livelihood for the whole year. [end]
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