Population Growth Higher in Settlements than in Israel
Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics last month released the most recent population statistics for West Bank settlements. The figures show that during 2010 the growth rate was 4.5 per cent…
US Hires Blackwater-affiliated Security Firm To Operate In The West Bank
The US State Department signed a deal with a company closely associated with the Blackwater security firm to provide ‘security services in the West Bank’, The Washington Post said on…
67 Palestinians Kidnapped Since Start of 2011
According to an official report, Israeli forces have arrested 67 Palestinians since the first day of 2011, among them are 13 minors and 3 fishermen, the Palestinian Information Center reported…
New Report Reveals 19 Violations Committed Against Journalists in December
Today, the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) issued its monthly report documenting violations against journalists in the Palestinian territories. According to the report there were 17 violations…
Israeli Court Extends Jail Term for Abdallah Abu Rahma, Anti-Wall Activist
UPDATE: Today, the Israeli Military Court has accepted the military prosecution’s appeal to extend Abdallah Abu Rahmah’s sentence. Abu Rahmah was supposed to be released on November 18th 2010, but…
Prisoners’ Rights Group Calls for Release of Five Hamas Men from Israeli Custody
Lawyers from Addameer, the Palestinian prisoner’s rights group, visited three of the five Hamas men detained by Israeli forces during a deadly raid on Hebron last week, and called for…
Boycott Roundup: US Tear Gas-maker CSI Urged To Cancel Israel Sales
Four activist groups in the US are calling on a tear gas manufacturer to stop providing its products to the Israeli military following the death of Jawaher Abu Rahmah from…
Army Demolishes A Home Near Qalqilia
The Israeli Authorities demolished, on Tuesday morning, a home in Azzoun Atma village, near the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, under the pretext of being constructed without a construction…
Israeli Extremist Group Calls For Assassinating Ehud Barak
An extremist Israeli group published a video on the internet calling for assassinating Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, for what the group called “his stances that would give the lands…
Palestinian Legislator Kidnapped In Salfit
Israeli soldiers kidnapped in Salfit, on Tuesday at dawn, Palestinian legislator of the Hamas Change and Reform Bloc, Dr. Omar Abdul-Raziq, who also served as the Finance Minister of the…
Lieberman: ‘Israeli Groups that Provided Information to Goldstone Commission: Collabors With Terror’
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated that Israeli organizations which provided information to the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (Goldstone Commission) are “net collaborators with terror…
Netanyahu’s Office Issues Statement Defending Demolition Of East Jerusalem Hotel
The office of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued an official statement defending the demolition of East Jerusalem Arab Hotel “Shepherd”, and challenging international condemnations in this regard. The Hotel,…
Elderly Man Killed By Israeli Army Fire In Northern Gaza
Palestinian medical sources reported on Monday afternoon that an elderly Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli army fire in northern Gaza. The man was identified as Sha’ban Shaker…
Iran Arrests Spies Reportedly Linked To The Assassination Of Scientist
The Iranian Authorities stated that spies working for Israel and involved in the assassination of Iranian scientist, Massoud Ali Mohammadi, were arrested in Tehran.The scientist, Mohammadi, was assassinated one year…
Palestine Today 01 10 2011
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || 3 m 50s || 3.51 MB || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center,…
EU Proposes Help To Palestinians In East Jerusalem
In a new confidential report published by The Independent on Monday, the European Union proposed having EU officials observe at sites of imminent house demolitions or evictions in East Jerusalem,…
Israel Cracks Down on Silwan Community Organizers
The past week has seen an increase in Israeli repression towards Palestinian community organizers in Silwan, East Jerusalem. Jawad Siyam has recently been targeted because of his involvement in directing…
‘Soldiers, Settlers, and the Police are the Occupation”: Palestinian Life Inside a Settlement
Hani Abu Haikal and his family live in Hebron’s H2, which is under Israeli control. They are part of the 30,000 Palestinians that live among 500 settlers in this part…
Four Detained in Southern West Bank
Israeli troops arrested at least four Palestinians in an overnight raid targeting the town of Dura, south of the West Bank, Ma’an News reported. The Israeli army reportedly raided several…
Several shells fired by Palestinian groups into Israel; two foreign workers injured
At least six homemade shells were fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on Saturday, one of which landed in a kibbutz (farming cooperative) in Sha’ar Hanegev, according to…
Five Palestinians Wounded In A Tunnel Explosion
Palestinian medical sources reported late on Sunday at night that five Palestinians were injured after an explosion took place in a siege-busting tunnel, in Rafah, in the southern part of…
Israeli Troops Abduct Teen in Hebron
The Israeli army abducted a 17-year old Palestinian boy in the Old City of Hebron late on Saturday night, according to local sources.Local witnesses said that a boy identified as…
Israeli Academics Boycott Settlement University
On Sunday, 155 academics joined the boycott of the ‘Ariel University Center of Samaria’, located in the illegal West Bank settlement of Ariel.The university and college faculty members signed a…
Israeli Authorities Demolish Shepherd Hotel In Sheikh Jarrah
The Israeli Authorities and the Jerusalem Municipality demolished on Sunday morning the old building of the Shepherd Hotel in Sheikh Jarrah, in occupied East Jerusalem.Several bulldozers started the leveling of…
Palestinian Shot Dead At The Al Hamra Roadblock
One week after Israeli soldiers shot and killed a resident at the Al Hamra Roadblock, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus; soldiers shot and killed another man on…
Three injured at Bil’in protest commemorating woman killed by tear gas last week
Dozens of people suffered from inhalation of tear gas fired by Israeli troops at a protest commemorating the death of Jawaher Abu Rahma last week by tear gas inhalation. Two…
Settlers Uproot 100 Saplings Near Nablus
Israeli settlers uprooted on Friday at least 100 Olive saplings that belong to residents of Qasra village, southeast of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The settlers collected the…
Injuries Reported in Silwan Clashes
Clashes took place on Friday evening between a number of Israeli soldiers and dozens of local Palestinian residents in Batn Al Hawa neighborhood in Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem; several…
Israeli Soldier Killed Near Gaza Border
Israeli military sources reported that a soldier was killed by “friendly fire”, on Friday at night, during clashes that took place with Palestinian resistance fighters along the border with the…
Soldiers Shot and Killed an Elderly Man While Sleeping In His Bed
Israeli soldiers broke, on Friday at dawn, into the house of Omar al-Qawasmy, 66 years old, in al-Sheikh neighborhood in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and shot him…
HRW Demands Criminal Investigation Into Death of 20 y.o Palestinian Patient Denied Permit By Israel
Human Rights Watch and other organizations have demanded a criminal investigation into the death of a 20 year old Palestinian patient who was denied a permit by Israeli Authorities to…
New Settlement Plan to Split Silwan in Two
A new settlement project in Silwan will see the Jerusalem neighborhood split in two parts, a Silwan committee official revealed to Ma’an News on Thursday.The new development plan is set…
Umm al-Fahm neighborhood organizes general strike in response to home demolitions
After the Israeli government demolished a 3-story building Tuesday in the neighborhood of Umm al-Fahm in East Jerusalem, the residents of the neighborhood declared a general strike in protest of…
Violence Continues After Israeli Shelling at Gaza Border
The firing of three mortar shells was reported towards an Israeli military base along the Gaza border, on Thursday morning, a PFLP affilated armed group told Ma’an News. Violence resumed…
Netanyahu To Meet Mubarak In Egypt
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will be holding a meeting on Thursday with the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, and will be heading back to Israel during evening hours. The two…
Lieberman: “Gaza Siege Could Be Lifted if Smuggling Stops & International Forces Are Deployed”
Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman stated during his Wednesday meeting with the visiting EU Foreign Policy Chief, Catherine Ashton, that the siege on Gaza can only be lifted if the…
Palestine Today 01 05 2011
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || 4 m 05s || 3.55 MB || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center,…
Gaza Youth Manifesto Joins Supporters
The manifesto that an anonymous group of Gazan students, called Gaza Youth Breaks Out, issued three weeks ago showing their despair over the living conditions in the strip, has captivated…
Police Raid Homes of Israeli anti-Wall Activists
Israeli activists who are involved in protests against the Israeli annexation wall had their homes searched by Israeli police.According to a Ma’an News report, Israeli special police forces attempted to…
Call for Israeli Facebook Groups to be closed down
The deputy Israeli Attorney-General has asked the police in Israel to investigate two Facebook groups for inciting racism against Arabs.Haaretz reports today that Israel’s deputy Attorney-General Shai Nitzan has instigated…
Knesset to Vote on Proposal to Investigate Organizations Critical of Israeli Military
The Knesset will vote on Wednesday on a proposal initiated by Yisrael Beiteinu to establish a committee of inquiry into groups that are critical of human rights violations committed by…
Lieberman: At least a Decade to Achieve Mid-east Peace
Israeli hard right-wing foreign affairs minister Avigdor Lieberman, speaking to Agency France Press in an exclusive interview, stressed on Tuesday that at least a decade is needed to reach a…
European Activists Arrested at Al Hamra Checkpoint
Israeli troops arrested on Tuesday five activists from a European pro-Palestine movement as they were trying to cross the Al Hamra military roadblock, in the West Bank, the Palestinian Information…
Netanyahu Wants Israeli Spy Released From U.S Jail
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, sent on Tuesday a letter to President Barack Obama asking that he releases Jonathan Pollard, who was spying on Israel’s best ally, the United States,…
Fishermen Abducted off Gaza Port
Israeli navy detained, on Tuesday morning, an unspecified number of Palestinian fishermen who were fishing off the coast of Gaza City, local sources said.Gaza’s Ministry of Agriculture confirmed that the…
EU Official: “Urgent Progress Is Needed” In Mideast Talks
Catherine Ashton, the Foreign Policy Chief of the European Union, is on her way to Israel and Palestine Wednesday, and told reporters as she headed to the region, “There is…
Two Israeli Airstrikes Hit Gaza Overnight
The Israeli Air Force attacked two areas in the Gaza Strip overnight under the pretext of responding to a Qassam homemade shell that was allegedly fired from Gaza into an…
Sudanese Migrant Wounded By Egyptian Fire
Egyptian security personnel shot and wounded, on Wednesday morning, a Sudanese migrant while attempting to infiltrate into Israel, apparently seeking work.Egyptian security sources reported that a border police patrol noticed…
Israeli Detainees Released After Protest Against Jawaher’s Death
The Israeli group ‘Anarchists Against the Wall’ announced on Tuesday evening that Israeli activists, who were detained late on Saturday evening for protesting outside the US Ambassador’s home, were finally…
Palestine Today 01 04 2011
.Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || 3 m 40s || 3.35 MB || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center,…
Mohammed Khatib, Prominent Anti-Wall Activist Acquitted by Military Court
On Monday, Mohammad Khatib, the coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, was acquitted of all charges as the Israeli prosecution could not present credible evidence.lack of…
PLO Report Documents Palestinian Deaths, Home Demolitions and Settlement Expansion in 2010
The Palestine Liberation organization (PLO) issued a report this week documenting Israeli human rights violations against Palestinians during 2010.According to the report, 107 Palestinians were killed by Israel and 145…
Israeli Army Excludes Responsibility for Jawaher’s Death
Israeli daily Haaretz said the Israeli military issued a report stating that they ‘find inconsistencies in medical report over the death of Jawaher Abu Ramah.’ According to military sources, the…
Rabbi Bans Jewish Women from Driving
Ahram Online reported that a chief Jewish rabbi issued an order banning Jewish women from driving unless absolutely necessary. The religious decree by Rabbi Avraham Yosef prohibits women to drive,…
Israeli Army Enter Jenin University Dormitory
Israeli military raided, on Monday, a university dormitory in Jenin, officially in search of wanted Palestinians. One man was briefly detained during the raid. According to Ma’an News, eight military…
Army Kidnaps Eight Palestinians In Nablus
Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Tuesday at dawn, eight Palestinians, including a security officer, in the northern West Bank district of Nablus, local sources reported.The sources added that several Israeli military…
Palestinian Home Demolished In Jerusalem
Israeli bulldozers demolished on Tuesday at dawn a Palestinian home in Beit Hanina, north of occupied East Jerusalem, the Maan News Agency reported. The agency added that apprxamately at 4:30…
Palestine Today 01 03 2011
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || 3 m 30s || 3.20 MB || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center,…
MKs Call for Boycott of Israeli Rawabi Companies
Forty-eight Knesset members have signed a petition calling for the boycott of Israeli companies involved in building the new Palestinian city of Rawabi, Israeli daily Haaretz reported.The petition also has…
Israeli newspaper scorns Netanyahu’s call for talks
The Israeli daily newspaper Maariv today rubbished Israeli PM Netanyahu’s statement he is ready to sit down with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas and make peace.Columnist Ben Caspit claims that…
Hamas: 3,000 Members Arrested by P.A. in 2010
Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, said on Sunday that in 2010, Palestinian Authority security forces detained 3,000 Hamas affiliates in the West Bank.In a press conference held in Gaza City, Barhoum…
U.N. Concerned About Deaths of Two Palestinians
On Sunday, the office of the U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East, Robert Serry, said that the U.N. is concerned about the killings of two Palestinians within 48 hours…
Israeli Ministerial Council Extends Ban On Palestinian Family Reunification
The cabinet of the Israeli Ministerial Council decided, Sunday, to extend the ban on family reunification for Palestinians married to Israelis for an additional six months. The law does not…
Asia 1 Makes It Into Gaza
The Asia 1 solidarity convoy managed to enter the Gaza Strip late on Sunday at night to deliver humanitarian and medical supplies to the residents of the besieged coastal region.…
Palestinian Killed by Army Fire At A Roadblock In The Jordan Valley
Palestinian medical sources reported on Sunday morning, that Israeli soldiers stationed at the Al Hamra roadblock in the Jordan valley, shot and killed a Palestinian youth despite having his hands…
25 Persons Killed In Bombing Targeting Church In Alexandria
A statement released by Christian priests in Egypt, including the secretary of the Coptic Pope, Shenouda III of Alexandria, revealed that an explosion targeting a church in Alexandria left at…
Nonviolent Protestor Killed After Being Asphyxiated by Tear Gas in Bil’in
Jawaher Abu Rahma, aged 35, died on Saturday, after suffering the effects of tear gas inhalation fired by the Israeli military during the Friday weekly protest in Bil’in. Medical sources…
Child, Paramedic Wounded By Army Fire During Nabi Saleh Weekly Protest
As dozens of residents and international peace activists held their nonviolent weekly protest against the Annexation Wall in Nabi Saleh village, near the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Israeli soldiers…
This Week in Palestine week 51 2010
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file|| 10 m 55s || 9.92 MB || Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media…
Civilian Hit by a Tear Gas Canister at Weekly Protest in Bil’in
On Friday, a civilian was hit by a tear gas canister during the weekly nonviolent protest against the Annexation Wall in the village of Bil’in. Also, dozens of people were…
Knesset Approves NIS 2 billion to Settlements in the New Year’s Budget
The Israeli Knesset approved its 2011-2012 budget on Wednesday, which includes two billion shekels (approx. US$ 564 million) to settlements construction, services and security, Israeli daily Haaretz reported. According to…
Extra E.U. Funds in Support to P.A.’s Institution Building
Prime Minister Fayyad and an E.U. Representative agreed today to support the P.A.’s institution building plan, a European information centre claimed on Friday. European Neighborhood Partnership Institute (ENPI) Information Center,…
Gaza Convoy Blocked in Egypt
Egypt stopped activists on the Asia 1 aid convoy from reaching the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian daily newspaper quoted in Press TV reported on Thursday.Around 50 Iranian and Jordanian activists…
Five Palestinians Arrested During Night Raids in the West Bank
Israeli forces detained five Palestinians around the West Bank in a series of night raids that ended on Friday morning. A woman and her son were also allegedly beaten, Palestine…
Abbas: ‘The New Draft is Designed to Gain the U.S. Support’
In the following days, P.A. and other Arab states will bring a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council, calling to condemn Israel for the illegal settlement construction in the…
Islamic Jihad Refuses To Participate In New Gaza Government
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Gaza refused to participate in the new government that The Hamas movement intends to form in the Gaza Strip. Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyya, offered a…
Role of Israeli firms raises boycott concerns about Rawabi
(Image below) Bashar Masri shows US Consul General in Jerusalem Daniel Rubinstein (left) and USTDA Director Leocadia Zak (second from left) around the site of the planned Rawabi real estate…
Palestine Today 12 30 2010
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file|| 3 m 25s || 3.13 MB || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org,…
1,100 Palestinian Children Detained During 2010
The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Detainees’ Affairs reported, on Wednesday, that Israeli forces arrested 1,100 Palestinian children in 2010, most of them in East Jerusalem and Hebron. In a report,…
Another Way to Remember the Gaza War
Marking the second anniversary of Israel’s offensive on the Strip, two youth groups in Gaza City are painting murals in the destroyed government compound, Ma’an News reported.The Cultural Club and…
Palestinian Legislator Kidnapped From His Home In Hebron
Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Thursday at dawn, elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), from his home in Yatta town, in Hebron, in the southern part of the West…
Former Israeli President, Katsav, Convicted Of Rape, Sexual Assault
The Tel Aviv District Court convicted on Thursday, former Israeli President, Moshe Katsav, 65, of two counts of sexual assault and rape. By Israeli law, the maximum punishment of rape…
The First In Six Years, U.S. Appoints Temporary Ambassador
U.S. President, Barack Obama, issued an order appointing a temporary ambassador in Damascus after near six years of a total diplomatic boycott. The new order, signed by Obama on Wednesday,…
Two Journalists Attacked by Settlers South of Hebron
On Wednesday evening, Israeli settlers attacked a car transporting two journalists working for Reuters and Ball Media. The journalists were taking pictures near Yatta village, south of HebronYusry Al-Jamal, the…
Eight Detainees Injured, Dozens Treated For Gaza Inhalation After Being Attacked By Soldiers
Undercover Forces of the Nahshon Israeli Military Unit, broke on Wednesday at night into the Ofer Israeli military detention center, and attacked Palestinian detainees wounding eight while dozens suffered the…
Two Years After Gaza War, Gaza Remains Sealed-Off, Suffering Continues
Two years after Operation Cast Lead: Gaza Remains Sealed-Off from outside World, Impunity for War Crimes Prevails PCHR Report on Gaza War, Monday, 27 December 2010 11:30 December 27, 2010,…
Two years after Gaza massacre, a demand for justice
Open letter, various undersigned, 27 December 2010 We the Palestinians of the besieged Gaza Strip, on this day, two years on from Israel’s genocidal attack on our families, our houses,…
Palestine Today 12 29 2010
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file|| 3 m 58s || 3.40 MB || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org,…
Settler Clashes Near Nablus
Settler attacks erupted on Wednesday in two locations in the northern West Bank, destroying several vehicles and causing fire damage to agricultural fields, local sources said. Officials reported farmers were…
Industrial Buildings Razed North of Jerusalem
Israeli forces demolished an agricultural storehouse, a gas station, and several other industrial buildings in the Palestinian village of Hazma, north of Jerusalem, PNN claimed on Wednesday. Palestinian news wire…
Israelis Divided on Rabbis’ Housing Proposal
Israelis are roughly split between those supporting and opposing the plan of a group of rabbis not to sell or rent property to non-Jews, Press TV reported. According to a…
Shelling Reported in Gaza City
Residents of Gaza City said shelling was heard, on Wednesday morning, in the eastern part of the city, Ma’an News said. Local witnesses reported hearing blasts east of Gaza city,…
‘No Hope’ Message From Gideon Levy on Visit to AIC In Beit Sahour
Israeli journalist Gideon Levy left a message of no hope, on Tuesday night, during his visit to the Alternative Information Center in Beit Sahour, the PNN reported. “I don’t see…
Interview with Bethlehem MP – Khalid Tafish
Khalid Tafish is Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member in Bethlehem. In 1986, he graduated with a BA in Islamic studies. Before becoming PLC member, he was imam for Omar Ibn…
Israeli Bulldozers Demolish Homes In The Negev
Israeli bulldozers demolished on Wednesday morning a number of homes that belong to residents of Al Sadeer “unrecognized” Arab village in the Negev. The homes belong to members of Al…
Palestinian Factions In Gaza Hold A Meeting To Discuss Israeli Threats
Palestinian factions in Gaza, except for Fateh, held a meeting on Sunday calling on Arab and international institutions to pressure Israel into halting its violations and escalations against the Palestinian…
Palestinian Killed, Five Injured, As Army Bombards Khan Younis
Palestinian medical sources reported on Tuesday evening that one resident was killed, and five others were injured, when the Israeli Army bombarded an area in Khuza’a town, east of Khan…
Palestinian Developer Intends To Buy Settlement Construction Firm
A construction firm headed by Palestinian businessman, Bashar Al Masry, intends to buy an Israeli Construction Firm that builds Jewish settlements in occupied East Jerusalem. The news angered residents of…
Prominent Rabbis’ Wives Tell Fellow Jewish Women Not To Date Arabs
In a letter published Tuesday in the Israeli press, around two dozen wives of prominent Israeli rabbis followed a recent edict by their husbands for Jews to refuse to rent…
Report: 90% of Shin Bet Detainees Prevented from Seeing Lawyer
According to study by the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), up to 90% of Palestinian prisoners interrogated by the Israeli Shin Bet security team are not allowed to…