Israel pressing to ban Hamas’s participation in PA poll
Concerned about the ongoing dialogue between American and European Union diplomats and Hamas, Israel is pressing to ban the participation of the Islamic movement in legislative Palestinian Authority elections. According…
Oppressive nonviolence
{mosimage}Settlers and right wing foes’ nonviolent direct actions are right now the best show in town. Blocking roads, placing “suspicious†packages to halt trains, gluing closed governmental offices, demonstrating and…
Security committee convenes, NATO officials to meet PA
The Israeli-Palestinian security committee continues its meetings in bid to coordinate the intended Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip, Wednesday night, while the Palestinian Authority is preparing to welcome the…
Israel accuses Hezbollah of financing Fateh cells
An Israeli military source claimed that the Lebanon based Hezbollah party is financing cells of al-Aqsa brigades, the military wing of Fateh, in the Palestinian territories. Israel charged t that…
Six settler women arrested in Hebron
Wednesday at night, the Israeli police arrested six settler women after writing graffiti against the Palestinians on walls adjacent to Keryat Arba’ settlement, east of the Hebron. The police reported…
Dozens detained, homes searched in Hebron
The Palestinian district coordination office, DCO, in Hebron, reported that Israeli soldiers broke into homes in the city, and Yatta village, and conducted military searches. The DCO stated that soldiers…
Sharon nixes U.S. request for conference with Rice
Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, rejected a request by the US administration to hold a joint press conference between him and U.S. secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, when she visits…
EU renews low-level talks with Hamas
In a move described as a political-strategic turnaround with respect to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the European Union decided to renew low-level talks with Hamas, Israeli sources reported. The EU has…
Fighters take over empty home of Qorei
Wednesday morning, dozens of fighters broke into a vacation home of Palestinian Prime Minister, Ahmad Qorei, in Jericho and fired rounds of live ammunition in the air. The fighters demanded…
Caravans for Gaza evacuees arrive at Nitzanim Dunes site
Israeli media sources said a shipment of 12 mobile homes arrived in the Nitzanim Dunes site north of the Gaza Strip on pre-dawn hours Thursday, said to serve as temporary…
PA official pessimistic about pullout deal
The Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al-Kidwa on Tuesday was pessimistic about the chances for the upcoming Sharon-Abbas summit meeting saying it he does not expect a diplomatic breakthrough. However, Al-Kidwa…
Abu Zayed: `“Israel will withdraw from Jenin before disengagement`
General Jamal abu Zayed, assistant of the minister of interior and national security at the Palestinian authority said that Israel informed the P.A of intentions to withdraw from Jenin prior…
ISR Police: 8000 volunteered to assist in pullout
Gabi Gal, human resources chief at the Israeli police said that 8000 Israelis requested to assists in settlement pullout during disengagement from the Gaza Strip, August 2005. Gal said that…
Settlers to ‘shut down’ Israel with parked cars
Anti-pullout protesters are planning to simultaneously park hundreds of cars, blocking most of the roads across Israel, and stand holding anti-disengagement signs. The entire countries will be shut down for…
Qurei threatens to shelve his government if violence continues
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei threatened suspend his government if insecurity and chaos resumes in the Palestinian territories.  Qurei told P.A ministers during the weekly session in Ramallah that…
Police chief orders probe into death of Palestinian detainee
The Israeli radio reported that an Israeli police chief in the north has ordered an internal investigation department to probe into the death of a Palestinian detainee at Rosh Pina…
Three defeats for Sharon’s Government in Knesset
Israeli sources reported that the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s government survived three no-confidence votes in the Knesset proposed by Shinui, Shass and the National Union (Mafdal). The three motions…
Halutz: Will not let our soldiers be like ‘sitting ducks’
Addressing a question, the Israeli defense establishment senior officials have until now preferred to avoid on how will police officers and troops behave if extreme anti-pullout Jews open fire at…
P.A source: `“Army rearrested dozens of freed detainees`
A senior Palestinian source reported on Tuesday that the Israeli army rearrested dozens of freed detainees, and placed them an Al-Maskobiyya, and Betah Tikva detentions.  The source stated that…
Settlers poison a horse in Hebron
Tuesday afternoon, settlers of Keryat Arba’ settlement in Hebron, poisoned an “Arabic Horse” which belongs to Da’na family, near the settlement. Nasser Sa’id Da’na said that settlers poisoned the horse…
Creative Writing Classes in the Bush Adm.
‘The American public has been told many differing things about the war in Iraq, about the costs and casualty projections and even about scientific reports. As time passes the facts,…
Israel demands that PFLP leader remains jailed
Israeli media sources reportedly said that Israeli intelligence recommended that the Secretary General of the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine, (PFLP), Ahmad Sa’adat who has been jailed in…
The fish stinks from the head
Ahead of a special address by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on governmental corruption to the Knesset plenum, MK Zahava Gal-On (Yahad) said Tuesday ‘the fish stinks from the head’…
Barak: Peres is a loser
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak kicked off Tuesday a campaign for Labor Throne by launching a fierce attack against Party leader Shimon Peres and other candidates. Barak referred to Peres…
Army invades village near Hebron, arrests one resident
Tuesday morning, Israel soldiers invaded the village of Yatta, south of the West Bank city of Hebron, conducted military searches, and arrested one resident.  A local source in the…
Rabbi Bar-Illan: `“If the State disengages, we will disengage from it`
Naveh Dikalim Rabbi, Shaul Bar-Illan, the head of the Tal Orot yeshiva at Kfar Darom settlement in the Gaza Strip, said that of the State of Israel disengages ‘he will…
Police detain peace activist for waving Palestinian flag in Jerusalem
The Israeli Supreme Court rejected an appeal submitted by the residents of Bil’in and Kharbata, west of Ramallah, in the West Bank demanding cease to the construction of the separation…
20 settler families move to Sa-Nur settlement
As the Israeli government talks about preparations for evacuating, twenty new settler families moved to Su-Nur settlement in the northern West Bank. Settlers in Sa-Nur are preparing to celebrate the…
Israeli Ambassador to UN, to be next vice president of UN GA
Israel ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman will be the next vice president of the United Nations General Assembly, Israeli sources reported on Tuesday. The source also said that…
Separation to the fore
Palestine took an important step towards building a democratic system when it held presidential, local and legislative elections. Combined, they set a democratic precedent in the region. The preparations for…
Two explosions in Gaza Strip, 3 wounded
Palestinian sources said an explosion rocked Al-Shati refugee camp near Gaza city on Monday afternoon, three Palestinians were moderately wounded. The sources said, it is likely that the explosion, which…
Qaddoumi rejects to be vice president
Farouq Qaddoumi, head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, PLO, head of the Fatah Central Committee, said that that the position of the Palestinian vice president should…
Busy diplomatic schedule ahead of Abbas-Sharon summit
Ahead of the summit that will join the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, scheduled for June 21, several diplomats are planning meet with both…
Imprison me, but don’t send me to the army
Wisam Sahel Qabalan, from Beit Dajan, in the north of the country, was sentenced to 29 consecutive days after rejecting military service for conscious reasons.  “I prefer to be…
Sharon expresses satisfaction over pullout preparations
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said on Sunday, he is satisfied with the preparations for the intended pullout from the Gaza Strip. Sharon said that during a visit he had…
Detainee tells a horrific story of torture
Detainee Riyadh Dakh-Allah al-Omour, from Bethlehem, told lawyer of the Palestinian Prisoners Society, Fawwaz al-Shalloudy, details of extreme torture he was subjected to in Bir Shiva prison, in spite of…
Palestinian Factions threaten to end truce
Palestinian factions, on Monday, stepped up a threat to withdraw from the months-long cease-fire with Israel however, did not declare pulling out of the deal. In a leaflet signed by…
When Pal’ mortars kill Palestinian workers
{mosimage}Two Palestinian and a Chinese worker were killed last week, when a group of resistance operatives fired a mortar shell at the Gaza Strip settlement of Gani Tal. The assailants…
Take No Prisoners
The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’Tselem, reported that the Israeli government formally adopted since the beginning of al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000, a policy of…
Settlers attack homes east of Hebron
Sunday at dawn, a group of settlers of Keryat Arba’ settlement in Hebron attacked dozens of homes in Wad al-Nassarah, and Wad al-Hssein neighborhoods, near the settlement.  Jamal abu…
PA executes 4 murderers, first time since 2001
The Palestinian Authority executed Sunday four convicted murderers as part of its campaign to rein in lawlessness and chaos. The four men executed were sentenced to death by a Palestinian…
Olmer to PA: Fight ‘Terror’ or we will
Israeli vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday PA refusal to confiscate weapons, indicates the PA’s inability to cope with ‘terrorism’. ‘The refusal of Palestinian Authority officials to disarm the…
PA forms a team to prepare for Gaza pullout
The Palestinian Authority set up a security planning team on Saturday to prepare for Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip starting in August. ‘The security planning team will set the…
Rachel, Full of Life
At the age of 23, Rachel Corrie was full of life. At the age of 23, she was a senior in college ignited by a passion for justice. At the…
Handover Rafah crossing, allow a Gaza-West Bank free passage
Israel must transfer control over the Rafah crossing to the Palestinian Authority, and allow regular passage of people and goods between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, a position…
Pullout Coordination; meetings, no progress
Stressing unilateralism of the Disengagement plan, Israeli political source said coordination with the Palestinians is not a must for the pullout to take place, Israel Radio reported on Saturday.  …
This Week in Palestine – June Week 2
 Download MP3 (8.10 MB) | Listen to Real Audio  (08:50 min) This week in Palestine – a service of the International Middle East Media center IMEMC.Org for the week Friday June…
Report: `“Settlements kill the Palestinian State`
The National Office for Land Defense reported that settlements spread all over the Palestinian territories are decimating any horizon of a future Palestinian State. Since the 1967 war, and the…
Soldiers invade Hebron, two villages
Saturday at dawn, Israeli soldiers invaded the West Bank city of Hebron and two surrounding villages after surrounding them, and conducted military searches of homes. A local source in Hebron…
Father, daughter arrested in Tulkarem
Saturday morning, Israeli soldiers arrested a resident and his daughter in the village of Atteel, north of the West Bank city of Tulkarem. A local source in the village reported…
U.S. demands U.N. to carry out reforms
The US Congressional House International Relations Committee, on June 8, approved a bill that calls for specific reforms at the United Nations. Congress demanded the United Nations General Assembly to…
A wish of a dying mother
{mosimage}Farha Barghouhi, 74-year-old, known as “the mother of prisoners” was admitted to the Intensive care unit at Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Ramallah on April, 10, 2005 suffering from pneumonia, her…
Anti-wall protesters’ new weapon
Protesters against the separation wall in the village of Belein, near Ramallah, responded Friday to army tear gas by throwing balloons filed with chicken urine “poo missiles” at soldiers. “It…
Soldier wounded in clash with settlers
A soldier was lightly wounded in clashes with a settlers at the Tapuach junction, east of the West Bank settlement of Ariel Friday afternoon. According to army spokesperson, soldiers spotted…
No breakthrough in Mofaz, Dahlan meeting
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz met Friday afternoon with Palestinian Civil Affairs Minister Mohammed Dahlan in Tel Aviv to discuss coordinating the civil aspects of the disengagement plan, especially control…
P.A frees two Islamic Jihad members
The Palestinian Authority freed two Islamic members who were detained following the Tel Aviv “Stage” night club bombing; two other members of the Jihad are expected to be freed on…
Dozens hurt, activist arrested near Salfit
Friday afternoon, Israeli soldiers fired gas bombs and rubber-coated bullets at a peaceful procession against the Separation Wall in the village of Marda, near the West Bank city of Salfit.…
Resident dies of wounds sustained June 2
Friday afternoon, resident Fayez Hilmy Ayyad, 30, from Gaza, died of wounds sustained on June 2, 2005. Dr. Moawiya Hassanen, head of the emergency unit at the Palestinian Ministry of…
Poverty rates rising in the Palestinian areas
The Palestinian Census Bureau reported that poverty levels are significantly rising in the Palestinian areas, and arrived to a serious level in comparison with the years prior to the Intifada.…
Israeli Politicians recommend release of Barghouthi
Senior Israeli politicians recommended the cabinet to release the Palestinian lawmaker Marwan Barghouthi, jailed in Israel since April 2002, Israeli sources reported. Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronot said, “A classified document…
Settlement sewage kills off 200 Olive trees
Palestinian residents of Jensaffut village, east of the West Bank city of Qalqilia, lost approximately 200 olive trees over the past three years, due to contamination of industrial sewage collected…
Settlers uproot trees south of Bethlehem
Settlers of the Alon Shafot settlement outpost, adjacent to Kfar Atzion settlement, south of Bethlehem uprooted hundreds of Olive trees in Khirbit Zakariyya area, in the village of Artas ,…
Pullout opponents stop train traffic in Tel Aviv
The Israeli police reported that pullout opponents blocked train traffic, for several minutes, near Hadera, north of Tel Aviv, after placing rocks and anti pullout sign on the train tracks.…
Human Rights Groups slam military checkpoints
A report prepared and published by the Human Rights group in Israel slammed the military checkpoints in the Palestinian areas, saying that it paralyzes the lives of million people on…
Dahlan: Israel’s Policies in W.B. is leading to new Intifada
Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs, and in charge of Disengagement file, Mohammad Dahlan warned on Thursday of a third Intifada if current Israeli policies including settlements, wall construction and the…
Tension mounts in the Negev detention
Prison administration in the Negev detention camp rejected to allow representatives of the detainees to visit the new sections of the detention in order to meet with the detainees who…
Prisoner suffering serious health problems
Ahmad Bajes Hajjaj, 27, from Beit Reema, near the West Bank city of Ramallah is suffering from serious physical conditions, especially after he was shot injured during his arrest, and…
Prison service: Koran abuse was unintentional
Following report about Israeli military police abusing the Holy Koran in Magiddo prison, Israeli Prison Service officials commented on Thursday that it was unintentional, rejecting accusation that guards had torn…
A law breaking government
{mosimage}An investigation carried out by Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed that the majority of the 140 unauthorized settlers’ outposts were subsidized by governmental money, up to NIS 74 million, were built…
PA, Factions to coordinate preparations for pullout
The Palestinian Authority and Palestinian factions agreed to form a ‘high national commission’ to monitor and supervise the Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip, which is expected to start on…
Is Israel unique?
In the early 1960s, Martin Luther King, Jr was being tugged in two different directions. One segment of the movement wanted him to take a stand on the Vietnam War…
Israeli Army Vs. Anti-Wall Protestors
There has been an increase in the reports of Israeli soldiers’ assaults against protestors in nonviolent anti-wall actions. Apparently there has been an increase in the anti-wall demonstration especially around…
Soldiers attack a procession against the Wall in Salfit
Thursday afternoon, the Popular Committee Against the Wall, and Salfit municipality, organized a procession against the Separation Wall in Salfit and the surrounding areas. Israeli soldiers attacked the peacefully protesting…
Coordination versus collaboration
How would it be possible for a reasonable leader to be ready to assist in implementing a unilateral decision made by his opponent? The answer to this question could lead…
Palestinian refugees suffering in Arab countries
An Arab newspaper published a report said to be conducted by Dr. Abdullah al-Saheemi, which revealed that Palestinian refugees are facing inhuman conditions and treatment in several Arabic countries. The…
Poll: `“Half of the Israelis support pullout`
The Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon blamed the Palestinians for the decline of support to his disengagement plan, after it dropped to 48% according to latest statistics. Sharon was responding…
Supreme Court: Pullout legal, W. Bank, Gaza not part of Israel
Removing a major legal obstacle to the pullout, Israel Supreme Court rejected on Thursday 12 petitions submitted by settlers and some Knesset members calling halt of disengagement. The 11-judge panel…
Settlement construction sharply increases in W. Bank
The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics revealed that construction in settlements was significantly boosted this year arriving to 83%, ahead of the disengagement plan, while construction inside the Israeli borders…
Youth stabs a policeman in Jerusalem
Wednesday evening, the Israeli police claimed that a 15 year-old Palestinian youth from Shu’fat, near Jerusalem, stabbed an Israel policeman near al-Maskobiyya police station in Jerusalem. The policeman was moderately…
Physically challenged residents protest in Bil’in
Wednesday evening, Israeli soldiers attacked a peaceful protest against the Wall in Bil’in organized by physically challenged residents from several West Bank areas.  The WAFA news agency reported that…
Anti-Pullout Solidarity Movement
In a move the signals an increasing support for the pullout foes, over 100 Americans led by a New York lawmaker finished on Tuesday their second day of the three-day…
Yousef, Mofaz agree to create 3 coordination channels
Palestinian Interior Minister, Nasser Yousef, and Israeli Minister of Defense, Shaul Mofaz agreed to from three channels for security coordination ahead the upcoming Israeli withdrawal. An Israeli source reported that…
Israeli Air strike targets a car in Gaza Strip
In what seems to be a failed assassination attempt, Israeli gun ships fired air-to-land missiles at a car driving on the main road in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources…
P. A security foils firing of Shells at Gaza settlements
Wednesday afternoon, a Palestinian security source reported that P.A security men foiled, on Tuesday night, several attempts by resistance fighters to fire homemade shells at settlements in the Gaza strip.…
MOI warns of Israeli escalation in the Gaza Strip
The Palestinian Ministry of Interior and National Security, expressed concerns that Israeli might launch a wide scaled military operation in the Gaza Strip. The ministry said that Israeli military planes…
Hebron settlers damage, burn a store in old city
Settlers of the Abraham Abino settlement outpost in Hebron damaged a wall of a store in Hakoret al-Kayyal area in the old city and set it on fire. Imad Hamdan,…
Sharon storms Gaza settlers, blame for `“disinformation`
As part of attempts to face the settlers’ anti-disengagement campaign, the Israeli government invited the media to its weekly meeting to, as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon puts it, “refute…
Army invades Marda, imposes curfew
Wednesday morning, the WAFA news agency reported that Israeli soldiers invaded the village of Marda, near the West Bank city of Salfit, and imposed curfew, barring the resident from leaving…
Dahlan: `“Israeli is obstructing its withdrawal`
Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs, Mohammad Dahlan, said that the Israeli government is obstructing its own withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and obstructing cooperation with the Palestinian Authority. Dahlan added…
Deprived even from Sunlight
{mosimage}Palestinian detainees are facing deteriorating conditions and harsh treatment by Israeli soldiers in detention camps and prisons, which became a policy prison administration is using to humiliate them.  Lawyer…
Crushing Blow prior to Pullout
Some Israeli army and security officials are lobbying for a ‘crushing blow’ on Hamas prior to the pullout to the Gaza Strip borders.  Louder calls for a major blow…
Train contiguity
{mosimage}By the time U.S. President presented a vision of “viable†and “contiguous†future Palestinian state, Palestinian territories were, and still are, extremely fragmented with a completely ruined economy. With the…
Acknowledging Jenin: Perspectives from an American Artist
Jenin. The sky sets with shadow somewhere around seven or eight in the summertime. I’m about to head down Mostashfa Street and leave the wall I’ve been working on all…
From Guantanamo to Majeddo
Palestinian detainees in Majeddo detention announced hunger strike starting Wednesday morning in protest to desecrating the Holy Koran by Israeli soldiers who raided the rooms of the detainees, on Tuesday…
30 PFLP members arrested last month
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, PFLP, said that Israeli soldiers arrested thirty of its members in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron, over the last month  A senior PFLP…
Three injured, two arrested south of Hebron
 Tuesday afternoon, three residents, including one reporter, were injured, and two others were arrested after Israeli soldiers attacked a peaceful procession against the Separation Wall in al-Ramadeen village, south of…
Resident killed in Rafah
Monday at night, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a resident near the Philadilphi Route in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army claims that apparently…
Fighter, policeman killed in Qabatia, seven injured
Tuesday morning, Israeli soldiers shot and killed an Islamic Jihad fighter and an unarmed Palestinian policeman after invading Qabatia south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Israeli soldiers,…
The Bogyman
While the new Chief-of-Staff, Air Force general Dan Halutz, was assuming his new job, I stood with a group of demonstrators at the gate of the General Staff building, to…
Problems of unilateralism
To some shortsighted politicians, unilateralism seems very convenient. It doesn’t require the mess of actual negotiations. It is usually politically correct, because you can decide how much and how far…