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Updated: A year bookended by the death of unarmed activists

Updated: A year bookended by the death of unarmed activists

On January 3rd, 2011 protester Jawaher Abu Rahmah was killed by a tear gas inhalation at an earlier march in Bil’in. At the time, the Israeli Army made some bizarre claims that her death was caused by cancer, which they later retracted. Now almost a year later on December 9th, another nonviolent marcher has been killed in their own village, this time Mustafa Tamimi. You can read eyewitness testimony of his shooting here. The short version … Read entire article »

Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs

Statement of the Palestinian Freedom Riders

Statement of the Palestinian Freedom Riders

As of now, 6 Palestinian Freedom Riders are about to be arrested just inside Jerusalem. Read why the Palestinian human rights activists boarded segregated buses below. My name is Hurriyeh Ziadah. I am the media spokeswomen for the Palestinian Freedom Rides campaign. Thank you all for being here today. Fifty years ago brave African American civil rights activists challenged the racist and unjust laws of Jim Crow by boarding buses to the segregated South, thereby embarking on … Read entire article »

Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs, On The Ground Reports

New Sheikh Jarrah Video from Just Vision

New Sheikh Jarrah Video from Just Vision

Just Vision, the folks I interned for last spring, are out with, “Home Front is a new series of four video portraits chronicling the resolve of a neighborhood, and the support it receives from the most unexpected of places.” It documents different Israelis and Palestinians involved in the Sheikh Jarrah movement, including a Palestinian teenager whose family who was evicted. TOD’s own Amir Terkel worked on the film. It is a wonderful primer on the … Read entire article »

Filed under: On The Ground Reports

Video: Democracy Now! footage from Freedom Waves Flotilla

Israel has boarded and detained the latest Freedom Flotilla heading for Gaza. See the last footage they were able to transmit from on board the boat here. If you are in New York City, there will be an emergency action. TODAY, November 4 5 – 6:30pm across the street from the Israeli Consulate (800 2nd Ave, between 42nd and 43rd Sts, Manhattan) … Read entire article »

Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs

Freedom Theatre attacked yet again

Freedom Theatre attacked yet again

Missed this item last week because of earthquake/hurricane, but the Freedom Theatre was attacked again on August 22nd:   Freedom Theatre targeted again After the Israeli army targeted the theatre twice during the last month, arresting three of its members, today at approximately 02:00 in the morning of the 22nd August the Israeli army again surrounded The Freedom Theatre and the Nagnaghiya family home. Jacob Gough, the Acting General Manager at The Freedom Theatre left the office at about … Read entire article »

Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs

Freedom Theatre Update: First rule about being arrested by Israel is..

Freedom Theatre Update: First rule about being arrested by Israel is..

 `Let the jury consider their verdict,’ the King said, for about the twentieth time that day. `No, no!’ said the Queen. `Sentence first–verdict afterwards.’ Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Here’s an update about the latest arrest at the Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp. The previous arrests were covered here, but you can’t read about the latest on in Israel. The democracy has forbidden reporting on it within the country. Acting Student Rami Hwayel Taken By Israeli Army by: The … Read entire article »

Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs

Updated: Israeli Army ambushes Freedom Theater

Soldiers have stormed the Freedom Theatre of Jenin, whose co-founder Juliano Mer-Khamis was slain earlier this year. UPDATE: Per Jonatan Stanczak: latest is that the lawyers have been barred from visiting or speaking with Adnan or Bilal and that they have been taken to two different prisons in Israel. No additional info from the army on why. - Show quoted text - URGENT PRESS RELEASE From The Freedom Theater Foundation, Jenin, Palestine 04.46 (gmt+2), July 27, 2011 Special Forces of the Israeli Army attacked the Freedom Theater in Jenin Refugee Camp at approximately 03:30 this morning.  Ahmad Nasser Matahen, a night guard and technician student at the theater work up by heavy blocks of stone hurled at the entrance of the theater.  As he opened the door he found masked and heavily armed Israeli Special Forces … Read entire article »

Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs

For Israeli army, Palestinians having guests is a crime. Pt 2

For Israeli army, Palestinians having guests is a crime. Pt 2

Video of the Jully 22nd protest in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. Part 1 of an account of that day’s protest from our source A. is here. Her story continues… After a while, my paramedic friend and a young man from the village led me once again through back-roads and fields back to Leila’s, where people were happy I hadn’t been arrested (and Nour was back to laughing). It sounded like soldiers might reappear, though, … Read entire article »

Filed under: On The Ground Reports

For Israeli army, Palestinians having guests is a crime. Pt 1

For Israeli army, Palestinians having guests is a crime. Pt 1

Here is the  video of the Nabi Saleh protest from Friday. We received this account from the same protest our anonymous  source A., an international activist living in Palestine.  She explains: This account is edited from a chat conversation describing events that took place on July 21st during and after the weekly demonstration in Nabi Saleh against the illegal settlement on the village’s land and against Israel’s Apartheid policies and unlawful occupation and colonization of Palestine as … Read entire article »

Filed under: On The Ground Reports

For Lieberman, human rights = terrorism

For Lieberman, human rights = terrorism

Well, this sums it up well. Though Israel declined to follow up the anti-Boycott bill by passing a law calling for the investigation of human rights organizations, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was not “blasted ministers for refusing to probe” From Ha’aretz, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud ministers for their opposition to a bill calling for parliamentary investigations into left-wing organizations. Speaking during Sunday’s cabinet meeting, Lieberman said the bodies slated for … Read entire article »

Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs, Victories for Democracy