Some 50 Palestinians—many decked out in Santa Claus costumes—hurled stones at Israeli security forces in the West Bank village of Bil’in Dec. 26 in a protest against the enclosure of village lands by the “Apartheid Wall.” Soldiers sought to disperse… Read morePalestine: Santa Claus strikes back on West Bank
A report released by the B’Tselem human rights group Dec. 22 states that the West Bank settlement of Ofra, northeast of Jerusalem, is in fact an “illegal” outpost even under Israeli law. Ofra, part of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council,… Read moreReport: West Bank settlements illegal —under Israeli law
Israel’s Supreme Court ruled on Dec. 15 that the route of the West Bank “separation barrier” cannot be based on plans to expand Jewish settlements. The court rejected a plan that would route the wall through Bil’in village, on the… Read moreIsraeli high court orders “Apartheid Wall” rerouted at restive village
Right-wing settlers furious at the Israeli army’s eviction of the so-called House of Contention in Hebron invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus Nov. 4, and set fire to fields and vehicles. Dozens were injured in Hebron as IDF… Read moreWest Bank settlers burn Palestinian fields to protest eviction
For the first time since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war (at least), no Palestinians from the Gaza Strip are making the sacred annual pilgrimage to Mecca this year. Saudi Arabia, seeking to bolster the (Fatah) administration on the West Bank, asked… Read moreHajj becomes pawn in struggle for Gaza
On Nov. 23, Israel’s Supreme Court issued a decision to allow the state until May 2009 to implement its ruling of February 2006 concerning the “National Priority Areas” (NPAs). In its 2006 decision, the court ruled that the government’s division… Read moreIsraeli high court extends official discrimination
Israeli police evicted a disabled Palestinian man and his wife from their East Jerusalem home of more than 50 years in a late-night raid early Nov. 9. The eviction followed a July Israeli supreme court order that found the home,… Read moreElderly Palestinian couple evicted from Jerusalem home in night raid
President-elect Barack Obama‘s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel apologized Nov. 14 for disparaging remarks made by his father about Arabs. Benjamin Emanuel, speaking about his son to an Israeli newspaper last week, said, “Obviously, he will influence the president to… Read moreEmanuel disavows dad’s diss of Arabs
Palestinian security forces arrested 12 followers of Hamas in West Bank Nov. 16, in an ongoing crackdown against the Islamic movement. The arrests, by forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, took place in Nablus, Salfeet and Hebron, a… Read morePalestinian forces arrest Hamas militants in West Bank
Speaking before the General Assembly, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said Israel’s ongoing efforts to build settlements in the West Bank is “illegal,” a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and have lead to widespread human rights abuses against Palestinians. Ban’s… Read moreUN reports condemn West Bank settlement
An explosion in the northern Gaza Strip killed a Palestinian militant and critically wounded another, medical workers reported Nov. 15. The Popular Resistance Committees said an Israeli air-strike targeted a group of its militants as they approached the Israel-Gaza border… Read moreGaza: explosion kills Palestinian militant
Israeli forces detained six Palestinians and stormed one village across the West Bank before daybreak Nov. 14. Israeli sources said that the troops arrested six “wanted” Palestinians from al-Ubeidieh in the Bethlehem governorate, from Hizma and Abu Dis in the… Read moreIsraeli raids continue on West Bank
