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Palestine’s Irish connection
| August 27, 2018
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The Palestinian town of Beit Sahour and Tralee in Ireland have become twin cities over a common demographic of Christians coupled with both towns experiencing the effects of occupation.
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Ashtar Theatre: self-love and resistance through performance
| August 13, 2018
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Ashtar was the first theatre organisation to open in Palestine, and while the outside world constantly tries to politicise Palestinian art, the students more greatly appreciate the tools they can take from theatre to use in their every day lives; such as confidence, friendship building and expression of self.
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Democracy in Israel: What it is and what it isn’t
| March 25, 2018
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Knesset and Joint List Member Yousef Jabareen being restricted from travelling to the US to give speeches on Israeli democracy can be seen as a prime example of the targeting of Arab Knesset members and the clamping freedom of speech within Israel.
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Arbitrary Rules Force Palestinians to Choose: In or Out
| March 10, 2018
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With the aim to Judaise Jerusalem, Israel has revoked the residency status of 14,500 Palestinians since 1967. For some Palestinians who have been denied renewal of their residency, they are forced to remain in the State of Israel, often giving up opportunities to see family overseas, for fear of not being allowed back into the country on return.
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US Federal Judge upholds American’s ‘right to boycott’ Israel
| February 12, 2018
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Citing the First Amendment, a US federal court has blocked a Kansas law forbidding state employees from participating in the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement, putting in jeopardy the nation-wide campaign to criminalise and silence opposition to Israel in the United States.
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Second Friday of rage leads to another Saturday of mourning
| December 19, 2017
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As the second Friday of Rage after Trump’s Jerusalem announcement came and passed, so too did another four Palestinian lives. Amin Mahmoud Aqell was shot dead at a protest in Ramallah after stabbing and lightly wounding an Israeli soldier. His death left a number of questions unanswered.
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What is driving Palestine’s tourism boom?
| October 30, 2017
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Palestine topped the UN list for the fastest-growing tourism industry, a recent report by the UN World Tourism Organisation revealed. What is driving the increase in foreign tourists, and what activities are on offer to visitors despite Israel’s occupation?
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Israel turns the lights off on West Bank school
| August 19, 2017
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As the school break ends, 80 children will go back to classrooms without electricity after solar panels were confiscated from a school in the Bedouin village of Abu Nuwar. It’s the third time this summer Israel confiscates solar panels, paid for by European donors, from Palestinian communities in Area C.
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Activists remain steadfast at ‘sumud’ protest camp
| June 10, 2017
 | Despite raids and arrests, activists continue their protest at the Sumud Freedom Camp. The Palestinian-led coalition, which aims to establish a new model for Israeli and international solidarity, symbolically rebuilt a village to reclaim the Palestinian residents’ right to live on their land.
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Why is child labour on the rise in Gaza?
| June 04, 2017
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Child labour has doubled in the Gaza Strip in the past six years. Today, it affects more than 10,000 Palestinian minors. Children are seen working in restaurants, at the port, in the fields. Why is the problem so endemic?
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Nablus rap: self-expression as resistance
| May 10, 2017
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Bahaa Jper, a young artist from Nablus, told us how living under occupation got in the way of his passion for music. But he does not absolve his own society of criticism: “Freedom of movement is just a right, and the people of Palestine have stopped dreaming about what they want to do with that right.”
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Turning waste into everyday art
| May 09, 2017
 | ReSign for Recycling Design, an "upcycling" initiative, is committed to transforming trash into functional items with aesthetic appeal. The project is at the forefront of Palestine’s environmental movement.
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Lifta: the struggle over Palestinian memory
| April 05, 2017
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2,250 Palestinians lived in Lifta before the entire population was expelled in 1948, during the Nakba. Hundreds of Palestinian villages had a similar story but Lifta is different because it is the only one that was neither destroyed nor inhabited again.
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FIFA slammed for its failure to act against Israeli settlement clubs
| March 16, 2017
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Earlier this month, a coalition of international and Palestinian organisations called for the dissolution of the FIFA Monitoring Committee Israel-Palestine founded in spring 2015. They say it failed to compel Israel’s national football league to exclude six football teams based in illegal Israeli settlement.
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Struggling to bury their dead
| March 06, 2017
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Bab al-Rahma is the second most important Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem, lying in the shadow of the Old City. Local Palestinians wishing to bury their dead there have been facing increasing restrictions, which some observers see as part of Israel’s policies aimed at weakening Palestinians’ ongoing connection to Jerusalem.
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A story of every prisoner
| February 22, 2017
 | During the first intifada, Abed Dalbah was arrested a few months before his wedding with his now wife of 26 years, Bassma. The Red Cross would transfer postcard-like letters between prisoners and their loved ones, but these were restricted to 10 lines and moderated by the Israeli authorities. But there was a way to smuggle his love letters.
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Grassroots organisation works to combat violence against women
| February 11, 2017
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Formerly known as Woman Against the Wall, Biddiya-based Women for Life began in 2002 as a group of Palestinian women practising non-violent resistance against the separation wall. Through demonstrations, camp-outs and rallying, the women succeeded in diverting the wall by 3km, and in doing so saved a school from demolition.
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Final vote looming on settlement legalisation bill
| February 04, 2017
 | The controversial bill would retroactively legalise 55 outposts, including approximately 4,000 housing units in both settlements and illegal outposts through the expropriation of over 8,000 dunums (about 2,000 acres) of private Palestinian lands.
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Fighting drug abuse in East Jerusalem
| January 31, 2017
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In Shuafat, the only Palestinian refugee camp within the boundaries of the Jerusalem municipality, drug consumption is on the rise among youth. The introduction of synthetic cannabis several years ago has proved to be a major problem in tackling drug abuse for community activists.
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A lightness of being
| January 28, 2017
 | Tayseer Barakat is a Gaza-born, Ramallah-based artist who works with a variety of materials to create pieces that reflect a combination of Arab and Palestinian visual art and mythology with contemporary aesthetics of political struggle. His latest solo exhibition, ‘Lightness of Being‘, launched this week at Zawyeh gallery in Ramallah.
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The Amona stalemate
| January 25, 2017
 | Settlers from the illegal Israeli outpost in the West Bank have backtracked from an earlier deal to relocate a few metres from their current location, calling for renewed protests.
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UNSC resolution a “very powerful base” for advancing BDS efforts
| December 27, 2016
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The resolution adopted last Friday by the UN Security Council, reaffirming the illegality of all Israeli settlements and demanding an end to settlement construction, was welcomed by most Palestinian analysts as a good legal base to advance the BDS campaign, take Israel to the ICC and demand sanctions. But words must be translated into action.
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The women waging peace
| December 12, 2016
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A 30,000-strong non-partisan Israeli women’s movement is trying to influence the country’s leadership to go back to the negotiating table. At least 1,000 Palestinian women joined a two-week march the movement organised last October. But with settlement construction continuing unabated and the Knesset drafting laws that, Palestinians say, are set to bury the two-state solution for good – the movement is not without its critics.
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A victory for solidarity activists, but Negev Bedouins are left in limbo
| December 03, 2016
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Following international pressure, the planned demolition of Um al-Hiran, which Israel is planning to replace with a Jewish town, was once again postponed. But residents still face an uncertain future. The plight of the "unrecognised" village highlights the similarities in Israeli policy on both sides of the Green Line.
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NGO fights to protect victims of settler violence
| November 29, 2016
 | 91 percent of cases against settlers are closed by the Israeli police without an indictment.
“The Israeli state colludes with the settlers. They make it a systematic policy to intimidate the Palestinians and get them off their land.”..... | | .....Read More |
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The Sufis of Nablus
| November 27, 2016
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In the corkscrew lanes of Nablus’ medieval centre, just a few steps from the austere beauty of the grand mosque, there is a low room with some plastic chairs and rich carpet. At first glance, it looks the same as any other Muslim holy place. But this room is actually a tekyeh, home to the Naqshbandi sect of Sufism.
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Orphanage battles to help kids in the face of trauma
| November 07, 2016
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At first glance, Jeel El-Amal (‘generation of hope‘) looks like a normal school. But about a quarter of its students are orphans who live on site, many of whom have suffered abuse, spent time on the street, or were exposed to violence. While good quality mental health care is hard to come by in the West Bank, the orphanage offers alternative approaches to helping children affected by trauma.
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From Beijing to Ramallah: Chinese medicine comes to Palestine
| November 02, 2016
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Green tea, Taoism, acupuncture. Where do you expect to find these hallmarks of traditional Chinese medicine? Shanghai? Guangdong? Maybe some bohemian corner of Paris or Berlin? The Palestine Monitor spoke with Chinese-trained Ousama Habiballah, the first practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in Palestine.
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- Traditional oud-maker salvages ancient Palestinian tradition
| October 22, 2016
 | The Israeli occupation has caused a lot of harm to a lot of people. But at least it got Samer Totah interested in the oud, an Arab stringed instrument similar to the lute.
But during the First Intifada, Totah and his cousins would sit in their garden and listen to the old classics of the oud tradition. ..... | | .....Read More |
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Palestinian refugees starved of clean drinking water by Israeli red tape
| October 17, 2016
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Denied access to clean water by the indifference of the Israeli authorities, the residents of Aqabat Jaber refugee camp say their children are suffering permanent health damage.
Mohammed is a camp resident and father, and regularly makes a three-kilometre trek to neighbouring Jericho to fill up gallon jugs of clean drinking water.
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The Qalandiya Festival and the Limits of Artistic Activism
| October 10, 2016
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“It has been an adventure to arrive at this moment,” began Aline Khoury, the media coordinator for the third Qalandiya International Festival (QIF). It is easy to see what she means. The event took two years to organise. Exhibits are hundreds of miles apart. One of the venues, the West Bank, is subject to a foreign occupation.
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A Glimpse of Ramallah’s Past at “Dar Zahran”
| October 10, 2016
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Ramallah’s ‘Old Town’ does not feel very old. This changes when you visit Dar Zahran. The house was built in the mid-18th century. The stone bricks, stylishly carved into alcoves above the windows, are originals.
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Vibrant Food Train empowers Palestinian ex-prisoners
| September 28, 2016
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The classic food carts are pretty boring and utilitarian, and they all look the same. At the hustle and bustle of modern Ramallah city center, an eye-catching rolling restaurant airbrushed with a riot of color thus immediately draws not only hungry foodie’s but every passerby‘s attention.
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West Bank village resists collective punishment
| September 27, 2016
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For months, the Israeli army enclosed the West Bank village of Hizma in response to what they accused the residents of inciting violence and stone-throwing against soldiers in the area. The main road was blocked entirely from July 28 for almost one month. Residents had to carry IDs inside the village preparing to be checked by soldiers anytime.
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Ramallah Fun Run Raises Awareness for Palestinian Children
| September 24, 2016
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On September 23, the Palestine Medical Relief Society (PMRS) hosted a fun run for children as part of its Lost Childhood campaign, with the support of Right To Movement, Ramallah.
About 400 children, aged 5-14, were bussed into Ramallah from all over the West Bank, including several refugee camps.
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First-ever professional skateboard tour hits Palestine
| September 22, 2016
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‘Radical Islam’, reads a graffiti tag in Nablus skate-park. Sketched below it is a bearded Imam, a broad grin on his face and a skateboard in his hand. On Saturday, September 10, he watched the park being put through its paces by the Isle skate team.
Isle were in town for the first professional skateboarding tour in Palestinian history.
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Innocent Palestinians punished as lethal violence flares in Hebron
| September 22, 2016
 | Following a spate of lethal clashes between the Israeli Army and Palestinian youths, innocent civilians are being denied the right to work, leave their home villages or retrieve the bodies of their dead children. At least 230 Palestinians and 32 Israelis have died in internecine conflict since unrest began to rumble across the West Bank in October..... | | .....Read More |
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Inside the Palestinian refugee camp backed by Celtic football fans
| September 16, 2016
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Glasgow Celtic Football Club played Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva on August 17. A section of the crowd waved Palestinian banners in an act of solidarity. UEFA are set to hit Celtics fans with a £15,000 fine for displaying “illicit banners”. Instead, Celtic set up an online fundraiser,appealing for donations for MAP and Aida Refugee Camp.
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Gaza children return after a 10-day football trip in Ireland
| August 15, 2016
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"It was an amazing trip; a dream come true. I have learned so much and Irish people were so friendly with us," told Muhannad Abu Ouda. Muhannad is one of the 14 children from the Gaza Strip who have just returned from a 10-day visit to Ireland to play football. Aged 10 to 14 years old, the young team of Al Helal football club toured seven cities
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- Rawabi, Palestine’s first planned city, enters new phase
| August 01, 2016
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As the summer draws to a close, Rawabi seems to be entering a new stage in its development. The first school is set to open in September, and hundreds of new residents will move in by November. And last month, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah visited the site for the first time.
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Web documentary tells stories of Gaza‘s obliterated families
| July 17, 2016
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In commemoration of the second anniversary of the latest Israeli offensive on Gaza, photojournalists Anne Paq and Ala Qandil released a multimedia web project. Obliterated Families offers a deep and intimate journey into the lives of those who survived; it transcribes their pain, and their struggle for existence in the aftermath.
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In Qalqilya, local zoo is ready for the international spotlight
| June 23, 2016
 | Qalqilya is mostly known for being surrounded on all sides by the occupation wall, with only one crowded checkpoint left for residents to enter and exit the city. But Qalqilya has another claim to fame: its live-animal zoo, taxidermy museum and educational center, run by Dr. Sami Khader...... | | .....Read More |
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Israel to expand settlement bloc in West Bank ‘in response to terrorism’
| September 10, 2014
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“Building is our answer to murder,” said Naftali Bennett during his visit to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc in the West Bank on 1 September. Bennett, the Israeli Minister of Economy and Trade, was referring to a government proposal to annex 400 hectares of land south of Bethlehem which was presented the day before. He linked the land-grab to ...
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Beloved Palestinian Druze Poet Samih al-Qasim Dies age 75
| August 26, 2014
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Al-Qasim remained a powerful voice against Israeli oppression, both in the occupied West Bank and Gaza and also against Palestinians living within the State of Israel. As a result of his political beliefs and activism, al-Qasim was subjected to periods of house arrest, imprisonment, harassment and censorship.
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Propaganda or careless journalism - the BBC investigated
| July 10, 2014
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Nowhere is it more important to disseminate accurate and unbiased information to news audiences than in reference to Palestine and Israel. For many the situation is both confusing and multifaceted, and the sensitivities surrounding the status of Jerusalem in particular are deep-seated and long standing.
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Israeli cabinet makes move to strengthen hold on Jerusalem
| July 03, 2014
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The Israeli Cabinet approved an $87 million (NIS 300 million) plan for enhanced Israeli security, economic development, infrastructure and education in East Jerusalem. The plan‘s stated purpose is to thwart "any possibility that the city would be divided as part of a future accord," and echoes Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennet‘s plan to ...
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Israel enacts widespread crackdown after 3 teens go missing
| June 16, 2014
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On Thursday night, three Israeli boys aged between 16 and 19 were travelling home from their Jewish religious schools, based in the illegal settlements of Gush Etzion and Kiryat Arba in the southern West Bank. The teenagers, Gilad Shaer, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Ifrach, were reportedly hitchhiking. They didn’t make it home.
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Breaking the Silence commemorates 10 years
| June 10, 2014
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They all served in the Israeli military, but none of them agree with the things they witnessed while serving. Those are the two traits that all speakers had in common at the 10-year anniversary of Breaking the Silence this weekend in Tel Aviv.
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As prison protest escalates, troubling testimony from inside
| June 08, 2014
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For families, activists and observers in Palestine, the passing of time has come to be loaded with a grave significance. Each 24 hours represents another day of hunger for hundreds of prisoners protesting administrative detention in Israeli jails: a new mark in an increasingly morbid tally that takes the situation of inmates closer to the brink.
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Emek Shaveh: Archaeological narratives and control of Jerusalem
| May 19, 2014
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It was a find, literally, of biblical proportions. Last week, Israeli archaeologist Eli Shukron boldly claimed that he’d discovered the legendary citadel captured by King David in his conquest of 3,000 years ago – a site that has long evaded discovery, but which is regarded as pivotal to Jewish biblical history.
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“Price Tag” vandalism on the rise
| May 10, 2014
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A recent surge in vandalism of Arab religious sites across Israel has resulted in widespread concern and several demonstrations demanding action from the Israeli police.
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Devotion and restrictions in Jerusalem this Easter
| April 22, 2014
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It is just past midday on the Via Dolorosa, and Jesus Christ, or at least a devotee dressed as him, is carrying a crucifix. Covered in red paint and with a crown of thorns on his head, he is led by a gaggle of followers wearing purple, sequinned headdresses. The party is surrounded by hundreds of people, cameras, smartphones and iPads raised ...
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Settlers move into strategic Hebron enclave
| April 22, 2014
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At the edge of Hebron’s old city, the sound of construction is clearly audible from the Rajabi building. The empty 3000 square meter structure, which could potentially house dozens of apartments, overlooks a Mosque, a sprawling cemetery, and several Palestinian homes. And now, it has become the newest Israeli settlement enclave in the Palestinian
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High Court petition holds Israeli impunity to account
| April 13, 2014
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Samir Awad was sixteen years old when he was killed. It was mid January last year, and after completing a science exam he had walked to the separation wall that cuts through the land of his home town of Budrus. According to the friends he was with, Israeli soldiers fired a stun grenade at the boys and shot Samir in the leg. Then, as the ...
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March Freedom Ride 2014
| April 03, 2014
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On Saturday 29 March the 2014 March Freedom Ride concluded in Bethlehem. Starting on 17 March, the Freedom Ride consisted of about 20 people from all over the world who made their way through parts of the West Bank facing particularly pressing conditions, beginning in Jenin and making stops in the Jordan valley, Nabi Saleh, the South Hebron ...
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No right of return in a Jewish state
| March 18, 2014
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Talking to Israeli public radio on 11 March, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he would only agree on a peace deal that includes Palestinian recognition of the Jewish state and that forgoes the Palestinian right of return, repeating the already known Israeli position. Recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is unacceptable for...
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Continued settlement expansion harms negotiations
| March 10, 2014
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Israeli authorities recently approved extensive measures that will expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. These actions come in the midst of the latest round of peace talks, and have drawn disapproval from the European Union and the US State Department.
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Worshipers detained at Al-Aqsa amidst heated sovereignty debate
| March 09, 2014
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Eight Palestinian men were detained by Israeli forces at the Al-Aqsa mosque on Friday 7 March. Leaving the compound, the young men were arrested as they breached a recent police decision to restrict access to the mosque for male worshipers under the age of 50, based on "intelligence of plans for unrest", according to police spokeswoman Luba Samri.
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BDS is on the rise
| February 24, 2014
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In recent weeks, some of the biggest international financial institutions have decided to reconsider their economic ties with Israel.
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Al-Quds, a university caught in more than just a media war
| February 17, 2014
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On 22 January dozens of Israeli Border Police officers in armoured cars closed off the main entrance to the university and began checking students’ identity cards. Some of the policemen started throwing tear gas bombs into the campus, causing damage to buildings and injuring students. Others entered the campus grounds in full gear, carrying ...
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The Siege of Ein Hijleh
| February 03, 2014
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Hundreds of activists and supporters—men, women, and children—moved into the abandoned village, called Ein Hijleh, near Jericho in the Jordan Valley on Friday 1 February. The operation was shrouded in secrecy until around midday, when the first busloads of activists began to arrive and word quickly spread. Friends and supporters continued to ...
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Silwan continues struggle for human rights in East Jerusalem
| January 27, 2014
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Amid expanding Israeli settler development projects, mounting demolition orders on Palestinian homes, and ongoing night raids to frighten and detain children, the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan remains resilient, launching a new creative protest on Wednesday, 22 January.
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Elderly Palestinian killed on New Year’s Day
| January 09, 2014
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On New Year’s Day, Said Jasir Nasar Ali, an icon of the village of Kafr Qaddum, suffocated when Israeli forces tear-gassed his home during a demonstration inside the Palestinian village. He was pronounced dead in a Nablus hospital later in the day, becoming the first fatality of the village’s two-and-a-half year popular struggle and the first ...
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BDS Momentum and Debate in 2013
| December 28, 2013
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In December, a major European business firm and an important American academic association made headlines when they endorsed sweeping boycott measures against Israeli institutions, capping a momentous year of growth and debate surrounding the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israeli violations of Palestinian rights and ...
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Commemorations, new strategies, and clashes in West Bank resistance village
| December 10, 2013
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On Saturday, 7 December, the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh hosted a special event commemorating several important milestones and a new beginning for the Popular Struggle against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. Approximately three hundred people, including 70 or 80 Israeli activists and a dozen or more internationals, were in ........ | | .....Read More |
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The struggle to remain in south Hebron hills
| December 07, 2013
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A shepherd, an activist, and a father of seven, Mr Hafez Hreini serves as the coordinator for the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee (PSCC) in the south Hebron hills. Last week, he welcomed the Palestine Monitor to his home in Al-Tuwani to talk about his family‘s history intertwined with that of the PSCC‘s work in the region, and about...
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Thousands Protest Prawer Plan in Global "Day of Rage"
| December 04, 2013
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Protests were held throughout the Israeli and Palestinian territories, as well as 31 cities around the world, on Saturday 30 November, to protest the Prawer-Begin Bill for the Regulation of Bedouin Settlement in the Negev, a development plan currently being reviewed by the Israeli parliament which would displace some 40,000-70,000 Bedouin fr..... | | .....Read More |
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East Jerusalem park prevents expansion of two Palestinian neighborhoods
| December 03, 2013
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On Thursday 14 November, the Israeli District Planning and Construction Committee ordered plans to construct a national park on lands belonging to the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Al-Issawiyyeh and A-Tur. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemned the decision, stating that the construction of the park would confiscate ...
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Emmy Awards recognize Palestinian struggle
| December 02, 2013
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Emad Burnat, Bil‘in resident and film Director, along with co-Director Guy Davidi and Producer Christine Camdessus, won the award for Best Documentary at the 41st International Emmy Awards, last Monday 25th November in New York, for their production of 5 Broken Cameras.
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Rasmea Odeh: Palestinian-American activist risks 10 years in American prison
| November 16, 2013
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On Wednesday 13 October, Rasmea Odeh, associate director of the Arab American Action Network, appeared in court in Detroit on charges of immigration fraud. If convicted, the sixty-six years old Palestinian-American community activist faces a potential prison sentence of ten years and deportation. According to her lawyer, she pled not guilty.
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Yasser Arafat’s death: commemoration and investigations
| November 13, 2013
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Palestinians commemorated this week the 9th anniversary of the death of former Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. This year’s commemorations come in the midst of the release of a report compiled by a team of Swiss doctors on the cause of the death deceased president. Owing to the discovery of an abnormal rate of polonium 210 in his ...
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Olive harvest in Burin: Israel stifles Palestinian agriculture
| November 10, 2013
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Surrounded by the Israeli settlements of Yitzhar and Bracha, residents of Burin experience settler violence throughout the year, especially during the fall olive harvest. Burin‘s agricultural land has been and continues to be subjected to poisoning, burning and the uprooting of precious olive, almond and fig trees. Over 6,830 olive trees ...
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Israel to maintain control over Jordan Valley via construction of Wall
| November 08, 2013
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On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his plans to construct a barrier along the Jordanian border, according to the Israeli daily Maariv (Hebrew). The wall will be built upon completion of the ones along the Egyptian and Syrian borders and will pass through the Jordan Valley, closing off the West Bank from Jordan.
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Palestinian annual olive harvest, a struggle to survive
| November 07, 2013
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Every year, throughout October and November, Palestinians carry out an ancestral tradition: the olive harvest. Palestinians farmers along with their relatives, friends and international supporters begin picking olives from the eight and a half million productive olives trees that bring economic sustenance to around 100,000 families in West Bank.
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Palestinians en route to UNESCO in defence of Akka’s old city
| November 06, 2013
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“The khan al-Umdan is not for sale,” chanted the demonstrators, last 18th of October, while marching through the old streets of Akka (also called Akko, in Hebrew, or Acre in English - located in the north of present-day Israel). The demonstration marked the opening of a campaign against what the participants see as a threat to the Palestinian ident
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Israeli soldiers kill twenty year-old man in Jenin
| November 01, 2013
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Overnight on Wednesday, 30 October, the Israeli military fatally wounded Ahmad Imad Tazaza, 20, after shooting him directly in the chest druing a midnight raid on the village of Qabatiya, outside the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
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Wadi Fukin is disappearing
| November 01, 2013
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Last week Israeli authorities stopped the construction of a park and children’s playground in Wadi Fukin, on the grounds that it was built without a license. After showing the Palestine Monitor around the site, Mr. Manasrah expressed his feelings of shame at the park‘s unfinished state. A simple idea bursting with love and good will, blocked ...
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The Euro-Palestinian Water Film Festival
| October 24, 2013
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The United Nations (UN) named the year 2013 as the “International Year for Water Cooperation.” Since the start of the year, many projects have taken place worldwide aimed at increasing awareness about the international challenges and demands regarding water management, sanitation and access.
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Waste water and pollution threaten Salfit
| October 21, 2013
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Untreated wastewater runs like a small creek along the side of the road by the village Salfit, near the Israeli settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank. Plants wither around the water and a stench hangs in the air. Stretching back into town, the olive groves show little sign of the contamination in the soil, but Saleh Afaneh, Head of ...
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Lina Qadri, “Nostalgia”
| October 01, 2013
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Lina Qadri started painting when she was a child in her hometown of Nablus. After studying Arts at al-Najah University, she held her first solo exhibition in the French Cultural Center of Nablus. Her third exhibition, “Nostalgia,” was displayed last week in the intimate atmosphere of the Mahmoud Darwish Museum in Ramallah.
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Israeli provocations at al-Aqsa Mosque
| September 29, 2013
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On 28 September 2000, 13 years ago today, former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon entered the al-Aqsa compound in an act of provocation, sparking the Second Intifada. Recently, more and more Israelis have been entering the Temple Mount again, causing “the worst tension in memory” around the mosque, according to Palestinian leaders who have ...
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Remembering Sabra and Shatila
| September 18, 2013
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On 16 September 1982, between 800-3500 Palestinian were massacred by the Lebanese Phalange party militia, after the right wing Christian group, in collaboration with Israeli forces, invaded the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila in southern Beirut. The massacre took place in the context of the Lebanese civil war (1970-90) and Israel’s 1982 ...
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Resistance Culture
| September 10, 2013
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Issawiya is nestled in a small valley in East Jerusalem; its modest houses extending up the slopes towards the posh Jewish settlement of French hill and the ivory towers of Hebrew University. These hills, once part of Issawiya, today stand worlds apart. The manicured lawns, trendy food stalls, and spacious parks of the French Hill/Mount Scopus ...
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Al-Ka’abneh Bedouins made homeless in Beit Hanina
| August 25, 2013
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On August 19th the Bedouin community of Beit Hanina -East Jerusalem- was brutally woken up by an Israeli raid that tore their homes to the ground. An estimated two-hundred Israeli soldiers stormed the makeshift structures at around 6 AM, threatening its inhabitants with guns and forcing them out of the perimeter outlining the area ...
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In Palestine, studying abroad is a fight for freedom
| August 20, 2013
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Albaraa Kefaya’s dream came true the day he was accepted for an internship at Berkley University, California. With the US visa in hand, he approached the border with Jordan and found out that a security alert had been issued against him. The twenty-five year-old engineer student is considered a threat to the state of Israel due to his ...
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Egypt’s turmoil results in demise of Gazan Palestinian image and livelihood
| August 20, 2013
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Tha’er Abdullah, a resident of Gaza, doesn’t support Hamas’ relations with recently ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan) in Egypt. He doesn’t think he is among a minority holding this belief in Gaza, either. Between the Egyptian military’s current attitude towards Palestinians in Gaza, however, and Hamas’ ...
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Israel’s High Court delays justice for deaths in the Abu Rahmeh family
| June 25, 2013
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Two members of the Abu Rahmeh family were killed on separate occasions during demonstrations in Bil’in, a West Bank village near Ramallah. A third was shot while being held by Israeli soldiers at nearby Ni’lin village. In all three cases, the Abu Rahmeh family faced initial refusal by the Israeli military to open investigations, avid denial ...
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Why Google’s tagline change matters
| June 23, 2013
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On the 1st of May of 2013, the Internet search engine Google surprised the world by changing the tagline on the homepage of its Palestinian version from “Palestinian Territories” to “Palestine.”
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Settlement Expansion and the Prospects for Peace
| June 21, 2013
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Since the onset of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visits to revive the staled peace talks between Israel and Palestine there has been a sharp increase in settlement expansion plans in the West Bank, with construction rising 335% in the first quarter of 2013. In the month of June alone, Israel announced its plans to build 1000+ new homes in ...
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Mohammed Assaf ‘cheers up‘ Palestine
| June 20, 2013
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The second edition of the program, Arab Idol, has turned into quite an event throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. The Beirut based music talent show, based on the British series Pop Idol, is catching the attention of Palestinians like no other TV show has before.
Gathering around the TV at home, in cafes and restaurants or attending...
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Apartheid roads on the rise in Jerusalem
| June 18, 2013
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Israel’s Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee has approved the construction of the Hazeitim interchange, a road way that connects the Ma’ale Adumim settlement bloc directly to Jerusalem and allows for further settlement construction in the controversial E-1 area.
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Mass graves shine light on Palestinians in Jaffa
| June 18, 2013
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The recent discovery of six chambers of mass graves in Jaffa has captured international headlines. The skeletal remains of hundreds believed to have been killed during the 1948 Nakba were uncovered, and consequently, further light has been shed on the carnage that translated into Israel’s establishment on the land of historical Palestine.
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Israel bans tourists from visiting West Bank
| June 17, 2013
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A delegation of North American religious tourists was banned from visiting the West Bank recently upon their arrival to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. Israeli authorities at the airport forbade them from entering the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of the West Bank without an Israeli-issued military entry permit.
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Israel rejects Palestinian petition to redirect Wall in Cremisan valley
| May 29, 2013
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The Israeli Special Objection Court rejected the latest petition from Palestinian landowners in the town of Beit Jala to redirect the wall that intends to cut off the Cremisan Valley—located in the Bethlehem district—from the surrounding villages of the Jerusalem area. The ruling, rendered official on 26 April 2013, allows for the continuation ...
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Eyal Checkpoint, Qalqilya: A Testament of Human Resilience
| May 16, 2013
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The sun has not yet risen on Eyal checkpoint in the northwestern city of Qalqilya. Already hundreds of Palestinians queue up and wait to cross into Israel and begin the workweek. In the coming hours, roughly four thousand Palestinians from the Qalqilya region and the northern West Bank will pass through the encaged L-shaped corral...
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Among the ruins of Lifta, memory of the Nakba persists
| May 14, 2013
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Standing within the boundaries of the holy city, Lifta is one of the 68 villages surrounding Jerusalem that were ethnically cleansed during the Israeli systematic attack in 1948. Unlike the others, it is the only Arab village that has not been destroyed since.
Israel confiscated the village land under the Absentee Property law in 1950, despite...
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"From al-Araqib to Susiya" documentary encourages new framework of resistance
| May 12, 2013
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On April 26, the documentary by legal workers at the Adalah Legal Center “From al-Araqib to Susiya” featuring testimonies from the residents was screened in both of the villages.
al-Araqib is located roughly eight kilometers north of Beersheba in the Naqab desert, whereas Susiya lies within the 1949 Armistice “Green Line,” six kilometers...
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Update: Efforts to save Lian Barhoum entering second phase
| May 02, 2013
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Lian Barhoum, a toddler from Gaza, is suffering from a lack of the enzyme oxalate in her liver which if left untreated, will systematically destroy all the organs in her body.
The Palestine Monitor reported on her case in February 2012. Lian is currently undergoing treatment, with her parents at her side at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center. Her...
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Discriminatory Israeli laws fragment Palestinian lives
| April 29, 2013
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On Monday 22 April, Israel ratified the extension of the “Citizenship and Entry into Israel” law for the thirteenth time since 2003.
The law breaks multiple international conventions, has been dubbed “racist” by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, and denies Palestinians the basic human right of leading a dignified family life under one...
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Israeli settlement policy poised for further aggressiveness
| April 24, 2013
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The new Israeli government Netanyahu-Lapid-Bennet-Lieberman coalition is set to pursue the most aggressive West Bank settlement building policies to date.
Having settlers within the government cabinet is not a new phenomenon, but the current batch of ministers marks the highest percentage of settlers, not to mention the most radical.
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Palestinian-Americans denied entry to their homeland
| April 15, 2013
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According to the Right to Enter Campaign based in Ramallah, a legal resource for those visiting the West Bank who have been denied entry to Israel, Israel’s crackdowns on granting tourist visas to Palestinian-Americans and anyone who might be suspected of visiting the West Bank have intensified this year. While in years gone by many Palestinian...
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Hacker group Anonymous vows to "Erase Israel From the Internet"
| April 03, 2013
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The hacker collective Anonymous is preparing a second wave of assaults against Israeli websites after a period of relative calm in Israeli cyberspace following the end of Israel‘s November assault on Gaza known as "Operation Pillar of Defense." The promised attacks, promoted through Twitter, are part of an Anonymous initiative known as...
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Racism in Israeli universities “escalating out-of-control”
| March 26, 2013
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On March 6, three Palestinian students at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem were arrested after they demonstrated in support of Palestinian prisoners.
They were arrested by Israeli police several minutes after the protest was over whilst chatting to fellow students on the street.
“We were protesting against Israel’s detainment of...
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Embroidery in Dheisheh camp financially improves women‘s lives
| March 25, 2013
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On March 8 of every year, International Women’s Day is celebrated as a symbolic reminder to the rest of the world of the struggles of women across the globe.
“International Women‘s Day for Palestinian women this year means a lot of struggle, a lot of power that must be gained for Palestinian women because we are facing two kinds of oppression...
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Jerusalem Municipality plans to build landfill on Anata and Issawiyya lands
| March 23, 2013
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The Israeli Jerusalem Municipality has been developing a plan (No. 13900) to establish a landfill in Wadi Al Rejʹiyyat area, on the lands of Anata, Issawiyya and Shuʹfat villages. So far, the program has been approved by the Local Planning and Building Committee and initially accepted by the District Planning and Building Committee prior to...
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With Israeli coalition formed, outcome looking ever worse for Palestine
| March 21, 2013
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On the surface, Israeli political star Yair Lapid‘s first speech to the Knesset was a ray of hope in a dark landscape of institutionalized racism and violence. Lapid, whose Yesh Atid party has 19 of 68 seats in the newly formed coalition government, spoke out against settler violence and the impunity granted to settlers by Israel, describing...
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Women on hunger strike for the "Old Prisoners"
| March 18, 2013
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Sawsan and Nasim Shaheen are two sisters that began their hunger strike together on February 20 in a tent in front of the United Nations building in Ramallah. They have joined the Palestinian hunger striking prisoners in order to demand the liberation of political prisoners incarcerated by Israel.
The youngest one, Sawsan, is thirty four and...
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Old City of Jerusalem under attack
| March 16, 2013
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The past two weeks has seen a dramatic escalation in attacks and violations in the Old City of Jerusalem by Israeli settlers and soldiers.
The recent catalogue of assaults began on March 4 when Israeli soldiers attacked two female students inside the Al-Aqsa compound and kicked the Qur’an one of the students had dropped.
A few days later...
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Hope of justice for Ziad Jilani, three years after his death
| March 15, 2013
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On Wednesday March 13, the Israeli Supreme Court in Jerusalem gave a ray of hope to a family who have been fighting for justice over the shooting of their father and husband, Ziad Jilani, nearly three years ago.
Ziad Jilani was killed after a traffic incident on the main road leading to Wadi Joz, in occupied East Jerusalem. His car swerved...
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Aida Camp residents drilled hole in Apartheid Wall
| March 12, 2013
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Sixteen year old Saleh Elamareen was shot in the head with a dumdum bullet on January 18 and was pronounced dead several days later. But the full circumstances surrounding Elamareen‘s death, who was shot several days after an Israeli invasion of Aida refugee camp in response to the discovery that a hole had been drilled in the Apartheid Wall...
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The Israeli army‘s use of the Ruger sniper rifle
| March 04, 2013
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The Ruger 10/22 sniper rifle is back in use in the West Bank.
The weapon has been outlawed under Israeli law since 2001. It was deemed “more lethal than previously thought” by the Israeli occupation Judge Advocate General Menachem Finkelstein after it killed several children in Gaza during the second Intifada.
The US-made rifle is modified by...
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Salah Khawaja: Working for popular resistance
| February 28, 2013
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There is little Salah Khawaja does not know when it comes to the subject of resistance in Palestine.
Born in the village of Ni’lin, he was raised in an environment of creative, nonviolent and direct resistance. Now, at 45 years of age, he chairs the Popular Struggle Committee of Ni’lin and works in the Committee Against the Wall and Settlements...
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Social media and the Israeli army
| February 28, 2013
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On February 15, an Instagram photo of a Palestinian child in the crosshairs of an Israeli army sniper rifle went viral.
Soon, it was revealed that the photo was posted on the Instagram account of Mor Ostrovski, a 20 year old Israeli soldier in a sniper unit in the Golani Brigades. Once the photo was leaked, garnering public attention and...
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Stéphane Hessel: Holocaust survivor and Palestinian human rights advocate
| February 27, 2013
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On Tuesday, February 26, 2013 French author, intellectual luminary, Holocaust survivor and Palestinian human rights advocate Stéphane Hessel, age 95, died in his sleep.
Stéphane Hessel was born in Berlin in 1917, but his family soon thereafter immigrated to France. During World War II, Hessel joined the French resistance against the Vichy...
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Salesian community wages war against Israel’s Apartheid Wall
| February 27, 2013
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For over 150 years the monks have been growing grapes to make the West Banks ‘Cremisan’ wine, surviving off the costs they earn from the sale of the wines. Around the vineyard the community of Salesian monks and nuns has flourished. The slopes of Walajeh, the Palestinian village where the Cremisan Valley lies is home to the Salesian Sisters of...
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The Women in Green movement
| February 19, 2013
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Belgian-born Nadia Matar, 45 made Aliyah—a term given to Jews of the diaspora who immigrate to Israel, typically to live in Israeli settlements--when she was 18 years old. Though she is not Israel-born, she went on to join her mother-in-law, Ruth Matar, in founding one of the most extreme, right-wing settler movements that Israel has ever seen:
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The surrounded town of Beit Ommar
| February 18, 2013
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The village of Beit Ommar is effectively under siege. The town is penned in by settlements on three sides, and the fourth is dominated by an Israeli guard tower, severely restricting freedom of movement and access to land for the residents.The people of Beit Ommar hold demonstrations every Saturday and are often met with a violent response from...
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Profiling Israel‘s undercover Mistaarvim unit
| February 18, 2013
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Little is known about the internal operations of the Israeli undercover units. The group ‘Mistaarvim’ in Hebrew or “Musta’rabeen” in Arabic is an undercover unit whose members serve in various sections of the Israeli army. Translated from Hebrew it literally means ‘Arab pretenders.’
The Mistaarvim are an elite branch of supposed...
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Thank God It‘s Friday is Nabi Saleh‘s biggest film debut
| February 17, 2013
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Thank God it‘s Friday probably had the most successful film debut in the village of Nabi Saleh. The village‘s cultural center was filled beyond capacity, and seats were hard to find amid an excited, cheering crowd.
The documentary has been in the works for two years and focuses on the ongoing struggle to reclaim the land of Nabi Saleh, much of...
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The shrinking village of Bil’in and its resistance
| February 11, 2013
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Bil’in is a small village near the city of Ramallah hemmed in on the west by eight Jewish settlements. As more and more of the village’s land has been confiscated over the years to make way for the flourishing settlement communities, huge chunks of Bil’in has been steadily disappearing. Today 60% of Bil’in land has been annexed for...
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Road closures in Hebron violates 1997 agreement
| February 09, 2013
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Shuhada Street may get the most attention, but it‘s far from the only road that‘s been closed in Hebron.
Last Friday, the Hebron Defense Committee, an activist group, staged a demonstration to call attention to the many other roads that have been closed in the city. "Shuhada Street, it‘s like 900 meters, but we have another four kilometers...
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Ni‘lin: Still steadfast, still in resistance
| February 03, 2013
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Despite deaths, severe injuries, land confiscation & settler attacks, the people of Ni‘lin remain steadfast in their struggle against the Israeli occupation and the Apartheid Wall.
At a demonstration on Friday, January 26th, demonstrators from the village climbed the Wall and planted a Palestinian flag where it could be clearly seen by Israeli...
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Nearly ten years after store closures, Hebron still suffering
| January 26, 2013
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In the graffiti stenciled around Hebron‘s old city, two interrelated messages are frequently found on the walls: "Open Shuhada Street" and "Free Ghost Town."
Shuhada Street was the city‘s main market area, closed completely to Palestinians by the Israeli military since the Second Intifada, and the eviction of residents and forcible closure of...
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The dispossession and destruction of al-Maleh
| January 26, 2013
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On January 17th at around 9 a.m. in the morning, two busloads of soldiers, numerous jeeps and three Caterpillar bulldozers carried out a demolition order on al-Maleh’s structures, a village in the Jordan Valley. Between 45 and 55 structures were totally destroyed, including around 30 structures used for keeping livestock. Two days later, on Satur..
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Israel Avoids Hard-Right Shift: No Benefit for Palestinians
| January 23, 2013
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With many commentators predicting big wins for the settler movement in Israel’s elections, the Knesset appeared poised for a hard-right shift. But though the official results won’t be in until eight days after the election, the exit polls show a much weaker right wing than predictions suggested.Likud, the party of right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin
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Hebron families struggle for existence
| January 19, 2013
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This report is the first in a new Palestine Monitor series on life in the Old City of Hebron. The Palestine Monitor will publish one report a week on Hebron leading up to the ‘Open Shuhada Street’ protest on Feb. 25 organized by the nonviolent resistance group Youth Against Settlements. The demonstration marks the anniversary of Baruch Goldstein’s
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- Samer Issawi hunger strike: Israel targets his family
| January 07, 2013
 | As people all over the world participate in today’s global hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners, Samer Issawi has become an international figure of determination in his fight against the violations of the occupation. As he nears the end of his 164th day of hunger strike it is clear to Israel that Samer’s strength will continue........ | | .....Read More |
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- Detainment of Palestinian researcher is an attack on intellectuals
| January 05, 2013
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Ramallah– Israel’s detainment of Ayman Nasser, a researcher for Addameer Prisoner Support Network, a Ramallah-based NGO, is a crime born from a long tradition of attacking Palestinian intellectuals and human rights defenders. By attacking Palestinian civil society yet again, Israel does not simply violate human rights; it reaffirms that the Pales..
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Eleven men on hunger strike with prisoners
| December 29, 2012
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As the plights of long term hunger strikers Samer Issawi and Ayman Sharawneh became even more critical, on Thursday, December 20th a group of eleven young men began their own hunger strikes in a show of support.
Held without any charge on administrative detention, Issawi and Sharawneh’s strikes have continued with little reaction on the ground...
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The death of Mohammad Salaymah on his 17th birthday
| December 25, 2012
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The death of Mohammed Salaymah on Wednesday 12th December 2012 has become yet another eye-opener to the increasing use of live ammunition within the West Bank by the occupying forces.
The event occurred on the following day after Israel had announced a modification in its policy surrounding the use of live fire against Palestinians.
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Live ammunition and child arrests: IDF response to protests
| December 25, 2012
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In condemnation of the recent murder of 17 year old Mohammad Ziad Awad Salaymah, protests broke out in Aida refugee camp the following day.
The teenager was shot dead on Wednesday, December 12th, by an Israeli border officer at a checkpoint in Hebron. According to Israeli sources Salaymah pulled a pistol out at the officers, which later turned...
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Firing Zone 918 – Khirbet Al-Fakhit
| December 23, 2012
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Several miles from road 317 into the expanse of the South Hebron hills lays Khirbet Al-Fakhit, a village presently under danger of demolition due to Israel’s declared firing zone.
Only plausibly accessible by tractor or a rugged off-road vehicle, the village is home to approximately 200 people. These people live predominately in tents since...
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Cut off from water and electricity, Abu Farda stands alone
| December 19, 2012
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Arab Abu Farda is a Bedouin village which for the past 60 years has received no basic amenities such as water and electricity, and little help from the outside community.
It is situated South of Qalqiliya in what is known as the ‘seam zone’, which is the land between the green line and the Apartheid Wall. This land is classified as a closed...
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Fighting the culture of impunity in Israeli army murders
| December 15, 2012
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On Monday 3rd December 2012, 37 year old Palestinian worker Hatem Shadid was shot dead by members of the Israeli internal security service, Shin Bet, after a road collision.
According to Israeli officials, Shadid’s car rammed into the Israeli jeep, carrying two intelligence officers, causing it to crash. He then got out and attacked the officers..
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Jenin refugee camp – not an easy place to grow up in
| December 11, 2012
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The Jenin refugee camp was established in 1953 on 0.42 square kilometers of land leased by the Jordanian government. The inhabitants mainly come from the Carmel region of Haifa. The camp’s residents still have close relationships with relatives on the other side of the Green Line due to the short distance between Jenin and what is now called .....
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- Tensions Rise After Successful Palestinian UN Bid | December 04, 2012
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International outrage has mounted since Israel’s announcement last Friday that it plans to build 3,000 additional homes for its settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed the controversial plan just one day after the United Nation’s decision to symbolically recognize a Palestinian state—based....
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Life under Israeli air strikes: stories from two young Palestinians in Gaza
| December 03, 2012
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22 year-old Malaka Mohammed has lived her whole life in Gaza and has grown up in Sheja’eya, east of Gaza City. She is quite active and has her own blog that was regularly updated during the latest military assault on Gaza. Throughout her life she has witnessed attacks and destruction of people’s homes, people being killed and violations of human..
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Palestine’s UN Bid Success: To what ends?
| December 01, 2012
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At midnight on Thursday a jubilant Palestine celebrated the overwhelming success of the United Nations General Assembly vote. In the centre of Ramallah, crowds of hopeful Palestinians gathered around a projection screen as the result of the vote was televised live from New York.
In the end 138 member states voted in support of Palestine’s bid...
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Targeted as Terrorists: The Fourth Estate in Gaza
| December 01, 2012
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RAMALLAH – “I don’t think I have ever been in a conflict where so many media buildings were deliberately targeted by a government,” read a tweet from Paul Danahar, BBC’s Middle East Bureau Chief, on Tuesday 20 November 2012. Danahar’s tweet came on the second to last day of Israel’s eight-day long military assault on the besieged Gaza Strip,....
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Doctors in Gaza calm after the storm
| November 28, 2012
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After eight days of bombing, shelling and terror brought on by Israel in its so-called “Operation Pillar of Defense,” doctors in Gaza were finally able to rest this weekend.
The Israeli assault, which left 166 Gazans according to Al-Jazeera English, also left Gazan doctors short on rest and Gazan hospitals short on beds and supplies...
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Part 2: What’s Going on in Silwan? Elad’s List of Sins
| November 13, 2012
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This is a three part story about the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan which threatened by Jewish settlers who are in control of archaeological tourism in the area. The state of Israel supports the settlers in order to consolidate its hold over Jerusalem, while the settlers are seeking control over the Noble Sanctuary/Temp..... | | .....Read More |
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Ex soldiers are Breaking the Silence with guided tours in Hebron
| November 07, 2012
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On October 25th the Breaking the Silence gave a tour to a mixed group (contenting of tourists and international students) in Hebron. Nadav Bigelman, who is born in Jerusalem and now lives in Haifa, was the guide for the day. As a 19 year old in 2008, he served as an Israeli combatant for one year and eight months in Hebron.....
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Part 1: What’s going on in Silwan? The Story of Al Bustan
| November 03, 2012
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This is a three part story about the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan which threatened by Jewish settlers who are in control of archaeological tourism in the area. The state of Israel supports the settlers in order to consolidate its hold over Jerusalem, while the settlers are seeking control over the Noble Sanctuary/Temple Mount.....
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Jewish terrorism unit to protect Israelis
| October 29, 2012
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Ramallah – On Wednesday October 10, the Israeli government appointed a newly formed unit with the sole responsibility of dealing with “Jewish terrorism,” countering the attacks carried out by extremist settlers.The inauguration of the new unit was attended by senior Israeli officials and held in the “Binyamin District” of the West Bank in which...
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Extremism goes mainstream: Violence at Al Aqsa Mosque
| October 12, 2012
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Every year, the Jewish holiday of Sukkot brings with it groups of Jewish worshipers who try to penetrate security at the Al Aqsa compound, disregarding the sanctions of this Muslim holy place. Typically these antics lead to clashes between the Palestinians inside the compound and the Israeli police or soldiers, who offer protection to the Jewish...
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Taybeh Oktoberfest: “The flame of peace”
| October 08, 2012
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The annual Taybeh Oktoberfest is evidence of this. Since 2005 the Oktoberfest has been a recurring annual event that kicks off at the beginning of October, which draws thousands of people both locals and internationals to the little village of Taybeh, northwest of Ramallah, where they enjoy the locally brewed beer and celebrate life despite of the
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The Enemy Within: Price tagging targets Christians too
| October 06, 2012
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A recurring phenomenon, settler violence known as “price tagging” has increased significantly during last year’s run up to the PA’s UN bid for statehood in September, and has predominately targeted Palestinians.
Most of the vandalism has been targeted at defacing and burning mosques in various Palestinian villages. However, in a recent spat ....
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Closure of Ras Khamis checkpoint impedes freedom of movement further
| October 03, 2012
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Ramallah – On Wednesday, September 19th, the Israeli authorities closed down the Ras Khamis checkpoint, which serves 65,000 Palestinians and is one of the only two entrances to the Shuafat refugee camp. The Shuafat refugee camp is already enclosed on three sides by the Apartheid Wall, even though it is actually a part of the Jerusalem Municipali...
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Two Men, Two Speeches, Two Agendas
| October 03, 2012
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Last September, with international and local momentum behind him, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas went to the United Nations General Assembly to declare to the world his intention to have the Security Council confer upon Palestine the status of state. His impassioned speech received ovations from the crowd as thousands of .....
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A Week of Protests in Ramallah: An Insider’s Account
| September 18, 2012
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As I walked down the dark street towards Al Amari refugee camp in Ramallah on September 8, I could see several fires burning in the distance and a crowd of 200 people blocking the main road to Jerusalem. Upon coming closer I was surprised to see the people who were smashing bottles, burning tires, and basking in an atmosphere of anarchy were a ...
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- Escape Through Fiction: Salha and Her Flying Sheep
| September 10, 2012
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After declining Messi’s initial request that she and Hantush join the Barcelona football club, Salha convinces Messi to return with her to her home in the Bedouin village of Abu Hinde on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Messi ends up transforming the village’s derelict football pitch into a giant stadium, enabling the tiny village to play host to the...
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Al-Nu’man: a village stuck in limbo
| August 26, 2012
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Prior to 1967, al-Nu’man had been a tiny dot on the edge of the Bethlehem governorate. After the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it was decided by the Israeli government that the village would serve a higher purpose within the Jerusalem governorate, where its land would prove to be useful for the inevitable ‘natural growth’...
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The last kuffiyeh manufactory in Palestine
| August 05, 2012
 | Traditionally worn by Palestinian farmers, the Kufiyeh became a symbol of Palestinian nationalism and revolution against the British Mandate during the 1930s. Its notoriety increased during the 60s with the Palestinian resistance movement and Yasser Arafat‘s vesture as a symbol of identity and national struggle.Hirbawi Textile is a decades old ........ | | .....Read More |
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Palestinians participate in the Jerusalem Film Festival
| July 24, 2012
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It could have been uncomfortable, but instead the unlikely auditorium assigned for Monday’s July 9th screening of short films by Palestinian and Israeli directors on the subject of water, part of the Jerusalem Film Festival, was the perfect backdrop for an evening which both willingly and unwillingly highlighted where the dominating narrative...
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Political Archeology in Jerusalem
| July 12, 2012
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After over four decades of excavation work the Ophel Wall site, which is located in the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park, was opened to the public on 21 June.The archeological findings—which were restored by the Israel Antiquities Association—include one wall, a building thought to be a gate house, and part of a tower which have been said ....
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Part 3: Exploring Israel’s Apartheid Wall
| July 12, 2012
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At the beginning of June, Dylan Collins and R.G. rented a car and spent several days meandering through occupied West Bank. Their mission was to follow the Apartheid Wall’s northern route, from Jerusalem up to Qalqiliya, through Tulkarem and into Jenin. Below is the third account of a three part series documenting their journey, written........
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Part 2: Exploring Israel’s Apartheid Wall
| June 27, 2012
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At the beginning of June, Dylan Collins and R. Guendelman rented a car and spent several days meandering through occupied West Bank. Their mission was to follow the Apartheid Wall’s northern route, from Jerusalem up to Qalqiliya, through Tulkarem and into Jenin. Below is the second account of a three part series documenting their journey, written..
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Jenin Diaries: Burried Jewels, But Where?
| June 26, 2012
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Koufrdan is a small village located a few kilometers west of the Palestinian city of Jenin. Its wells provide the main source of water for Palestinian farmers in the area due to its large amount of groundwater. It is the only village in the governorate of Jenin which produces large quantities of water from its springs.Many of the wells are present.
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Israeli Authorities Breach Last Month’s Prisoner Agreement
| June 24, 2012
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After undergoing 71 days without food, Palestinian prisoner Hasan Safadi is back on hunger strike protesting the renewal of his administrative detention, a breach of the agreement signed between the Israeli authorities and the Palestinian prisoners’ committee on May 14. Safadi’s administrative detention order was renewed Thursday 21 June 2012 ....
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Part 1: Exploring Israel’s Apartheid Wall
| June 20, 2012
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At the beginning of June, Dylan Collins and R. Guendelman rented a car and spent several days meandering through occupied West Bank. Their mission was to follow the Apartheid Wall’s northern route, from Jerusalem up to Qalqiliya, through Tulkarem and into Jenin. Below is the first account of a three part series documenting their journey.....
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Ahmad Canaan: Affirming Palestinian Existence Inside Israel
| June 18, 2012
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Earlier this month, Palestinian artist Ahmad Canaan invited the Palestine Monitor into his private studio at his home in Tamra in the northern Galillee for an interview. At age 47, Canaan has been one of the foremost Palestinian artists living within Israel for the last twenty years. A graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Art in Design in ........
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Naksa 2012: A day of protest
| June 09, 2012
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Ramallah, occupied Palestinian Territory—Every fifth of June since the year 1967, Palestinians in the occupied territories and within the surrounding Palestinian refugee camps scattered throughout the Middle East have congregated to commemorate Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Tuesday, 5 June 2012.......
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Qalqilya District: an inhumane situation established by the Israeli authority
| May 02, 2012
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One of the outcomes of the 1993 Oslo accords was a temporary administrative division of the West Bank into three zones; Areas A, B and C. Area A is under full civil and security control by the Palestinian authority. This area includes the major Palestinian villages and Israeli citizens are prohibited to enter this area. Area B includes rural.....
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Until Freedom or Martyrdom: Thaer Halahleh on 60 Days of Hunger Strike
| April 28, 2012
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Kharas, occupied West Bank—Two year old Lamar Halahleh has never met her father outside of a prison cell. In fact, she wasn’t able to lay eyes upon him until she was nearly half a year old. Thaer Halahleh, Lamar’s father, has not only spent the last two years in the Israeli prison system, the 33 year-old has actually been detained for the........
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Noor Aida: Cooking Classes as a Form of Empowerment
| April 07, 2012
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Noor Aida started off as a simple mother’s club but quickly evolved to an income generating empowerment project. It was understood at an early stage that stable financing was key to ensure that progress made at the mother’s club could be sustainable.
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Israeli law finds new ways to keep out Palestinians
| February 08, 2012
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AKKA-The Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, conceived as temporary legislation in 2003, prevents the unification of Israeli citizens with spouses that are from the occupied Palestinian territories. It denies Palestinians from these areas, as well as nationals of Arab “enemy” countries, from ever receiving Israeli citizenship or permanent .....
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Young photographers in Nablus
| August 25, 2011
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These photos were taken around the city of Nablus by young Palestinians between the ages of 11 and 15, all participants in the Triple Exposure project at Tomorrow’s Youth Organization, Nablus. After some technical training, the participants were lent cameras for one week at a time, to take home and photograph their lives, surroundings, and .......
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Water resources in Masafer-Yatta, the South Hebron Hills
| July 19, 2011
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Starting on Friday 1 July, I stayed for one week in at-Tuwani (ﺍﻟﻃﻮﺍﻧﻲý ﺍﻟÊæÇäÉ), the small Palestinian village about 9 miles to the south of Hebron in the area known as Masafer-Yatta or the South Hebron Hills. At-Tuwani is in Area C under full Israeli control[1], and around 350 people live in the village. Israeli settlement of Ma’on and the.....
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17 June 2011 Bil’in protest
| June 19, 2011
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Bil’in- Rammallah : In the latest demonstration in Bil’in against the Jewish-only colonies and the Apartheid Wall that illegally annexes 60% of the village’s land, the local protesters and their international and Israeli supporters were accompanied by a group of acting students from the Freedom Theatre in Jenin.
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2011: A Record Year for House Demolitions & Displacement in the West Bank
| February 02, 2011
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Akin to most Israeli Occupation Authority (IOA) atrocities in the West Bank, home demolitions and forced displacements rose tremendously during 2011. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’s (OCHA) latest report, approximately 1,100 Palestinians, half of which were children, were displaced due to home demolitions...
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