The BBC reports that, "Israel's supreme court has ordered the government to redraw the route of the West Bank barrier near Bilin village, a key focus of anti-barrier protest."
The Separation Wall is often used as a tool to destroy Palestinian villages, separating farmers from the fields that surround their communities, shutting producers off from local markets and depriving communities of access to traditional sources of water.
We received word last night from our friends at Rebuilding Alliance that Husam El Nounou from Grassroots International’s partner, the Gaza Community Mental Health Program, has returned safely to his home in Gaza.
Husam, like thousands of other Palestinians, had been stuck in Egypt after having been denied entry back into Gaza as Israel had sealed Gaza's borders following the Hamas takeover of the Strip and the dismissal of the unity government by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
I arrived in Cairo on Friday 15 June after a two-week visit to the US where I participated in a speaking tour with the US non-profit Rebuilding Alliance, where I had numerous meetings, interviews and lectures with a variety of audiences, politicians, and media. I was accompanied by another speaker, the remarkable American-born Israeli Rabbi Jeremy Milgrom. The American public we met was happy to see Palestinian and Israeli peace activists speaking together about peace and the importance of working together to achieve justice and end violence. The visit to the US, which was the second for me, was a unique opportunity to educate and advocate for making peace in the Middle East.
Media reports in the last few days have been focused on alleged Iranian support of various radical Shia factions in Iraq and elsewhere. The same mainstream media have been, with few exceptions such as the New Yorker magazine that publishes investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, deafeningly silent on reports of U.S. and U.S. allies' involvement in supporting various radical Sunni groups, including in Lebanon.
Dear Friends,On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, Grassroots International wishes to express its solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for a just peace. Our work in the Occupied Palestinian Territories began in 1986, growing out of the work the organization had done since its founding in 1983 with Palestinian refugees in Lebanon after Israel’s invasion in 1982 and over the years we have had the privilege to work with and support some of the most dynamic and creative Palestinian organizations. As a member organization of the U.S.
For the 3rd consecutive day, Gaza City has witnessed unjustifiable violent internal fighting, and an atmosphere of tension has spread over Gaza that is not less violent than that which has spread as a result of the offensive that has been launched by Israeli Occupation Forces for nearly a month. Since Monday evening, violence has extended to most areas in the Gaza Strip from the north to the south, and militants have deployed in the streets, at the entrances of towns and near governmental headquarters and security compounds. Militants from Hamas and Fatah movements have used various kinds of weapons and have occupied a number of official buildings belonging to the Palestinian presidency and government.
Grassroots International notes with alarm both 40 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem and the escalating factional violence. Will you support Palestinians’ grassroots human rights efforts?
Palestinians face increasing levels of poverty and food insecurity, and continued theft and destruction of their precious land and water resources. On top of this assault, Palestinian factions battle one another in the streets leaving the civilian population vulnerable and unsure where to turn.
My baby son is staying with his grandparents a few blocks away and we can't bring him home because of the shootings. We struggled yesterday to send him some milk. I have to take a blood test and a medical infusion and can't have them. In our quiet street people spend sleepless nights as the sounds of bullets and bombs are horrific and none stop. Some body said that we could have defeated Israel with all these arms we apparently possess!
More than 5000 people rallied on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Sunday, June 10th to call for an end to the 40 year Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian Territories of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. They represented over 300 organizations from around the country including Grassroots International—Grassroots’ Executive Director Nikhil Aziz participated in the rally. The organizations ranged from faith-based groups and labor unions to civil rights, students’, women’s and lesbian and gay groups. They demanded that the U.S. government act to bring about a lasting and just peace and an end to the occupation and conflict.
Dear Friends and Family:
We regret our long silence! As Bob is now on the staff at St. George's Cathedral in addition to being Acting Director of Sabeel, life has been busy! Maurine continues to work primarily on editing projects and hopes that the book of papers presented at last fall's Sabeel conference on The Forgotten Faithful, the Palestinian Christian community, will soon be ready for publication. We also continue to meet with various groups visiting Sabeel and to guide those interested in seeing the "facts on the ground."
On January 25, 2006, Palestinians went to the polls to elect members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. This was only the second parliamentary election since 1996 and despite obstacles and barriers created by the ongoing Israeli occupation, the elections were, by most accounts, free and fair with approximately 76% of eligible voters participating.
The final results of the Palestinian legislative elections show a resounding victory for Hamas, which won 74 out of the 132 seats, giving them a clear majority. Fatah won 45 seats and independent candidates took 13 seats.
Much has been made of these results and Hamas' watershed victory certainly opens a new chapter in the history of the Palestinian Authority (PA). However, we should be careful to see these results for what they are. They are not a broad mandate for Hamas positions.
At exactly 6:00 a.m. Thursday November 11, my phone rang. It was a colleague, calling to inform me that Arafat's death had been officially declared.
Over 66 Palestinians, including 19 children, have been killed and at least 246 injured since the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) launched a renewed incursion into the northern Gaza Strip in a large scale operation called "days of penitence". It is the largest and deadliest offensive in Gaza in more than four years.
IOF, reinforced by over 200 tanks & armored personnel carriers and Apache helicopters, opened fire on the densely heavily populated Jabalya refugee camp and residential area in the village of Bait Lahiya.
Israeli occupying troops have continued their wide scale offensive on the northern Gaza Strip. In the last two days, 15 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops. Thus, the number of Palestinians killed since the beginning of this latest offensive has mounted to 60, including 27 civilians, 18 of whom are children. In addition, at least 280 others, mostly civilians, including a number of children, have been injured, and a number of them have been rendered permanently handicapped.
After George Bush's press conference last night, terror and counter terror are on our minds. Those issues certainly came up a lot during Daniel and Jennifer's trip to Palestine. We thank you all for your many responses to their reflections on the trip. Keep your eye out for an upcoming photo essay on their trip, which will be announced here.
We want to draw your attention to the release of a new report by the NGO trade association, Interaction. The report, entitled "Handbook on Counter-Terrorism Measures: What U.S. Nonprofits and Grantmakers Need to Know is a long overdue summary of the new legal restrictions on grantmaking and nonprofit activity, in general, since 9/11/01. Everyone involved in international grantmaking should certainly read it. We would certainly be happy to have your comments on the report.
The Boston Globe published our own assessment of the political context of post-9/11 international grantmaking (especially in the Middle East). It gives more attention to the civil liberties issues surrounding the new regulatory environment. Both perspectives are important to keep in mind.
I think these are some of the saddest and by far the most frightening of days. Israel, together with this administration, has been trying since Sept.
