West Bank

After Israeli snipers killed 40 Palestinians in 3 months, army chief said, ‘This is not right, relax’ After Israeli soldiers killed more than 40 Palestinians 'easily' in 2 months, the army chief of staff said, "This is not right" and ordered snipers to "relax." But when reporter Ohad Hemo related this incident to the Israel Policy Forum, chair Susie Gelman just raised her concerns about the Palestinian prisoners escaping an Israeli prison. BY PHILIP WEISSS AMONG THE 40-PLUS PALESTINIANS KILLED “EASILY” IN THREE MONTHS IN 2021 WAS 16-YEAR-OLD AHMED SHAMSA, SHOT IN THE HEAD DURING A PROTEST IN JUNE 17 IN THE OCCUPIED WEST BANK VILLAGE OF BEITA. (PHOTO: SOCIAL MEDIA) A pro-Israel group held a discussion three days ago that showcased its utter indifference to Palestinian l...

By Paul Nicholson Palestinian football is mourning the loss of  Sa’id Yousef Odeh, a 16 year old player from the current league champions Balata FC’s youth team, who was shot dead this week by an Israeli soldier. According to eye witnesses, Sa’id was walking with a friend in his home village of Huwarrahwhen the soldiers shot him. The Israeli soldiers had stormed the village in search of a shooter who had shot three settlers at the nearby checkpoint of Za’atara. Sa’id’s friend tried to pull him away but the trigger-happy soldiers shot him as well. Sa’id had recently played for his Balata FC team against Hilal of Jericho in the quarter final of the Tokyo Cup. He will not play in the semi-final. Balata FC have been a significant success story and beacon of hope in an area ...

Israeli forces closed the Jalamah checkpoint between the city of Jenin in the West Bank and Israel after 6 Palestinian prisoners escaped from Israeli prison, on 6 September 2021 [Nedal Eshtaya/Anadolu Agency]September 8, 2021 at 2:17 pm Israel arrests relatives of Palestinian escapees Israeli occupation forces last night arrested several family members of the six Palestinian prisoners who escaped from the high-security Gilboa Prison in northern Israel earlier this week. According to the Palestinian Prisoners' Society, Israeli soldiers entered and ransacked Palestinian homes in Arabbuna, north of the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, where the escapees are from. They arrested four members of Mahmud Ardah's family. He has been described in Israeli media as the mastermind of the esc...

An Israeli court has upheld a travel ban imposed upon Palestinian activist Hanadi Al-Halawani, who has been barred from leaving the occupied West Bank to travel abroad until 19 January next year. The renewed ban was handed to her yesterday after she was summoned for interrogation by the Israel Defence Forces in occupied Jerusalem.The travel ban imposed on the 40-year-old has been used as an excuse to deny her access to health and national insurance. Moreover, she is subjected regularly to physical and verbal harassment during protests against raids on Palestinians by illegal settlers.“I have been arrested by the Israelis 63 times, and they have broken into my home on many occasions. They do this when my children are trying to study for exams, and the Israelis confiscate their book...

15-year-old Tareq Z. survived an incredibly brutal attack from Israeli settlers last week. The settlers pursued and struck him with their car, chained him to the hood, hung him in a tree by his wrists, burned the bottoms of his feet, and beat him for more than an hour and a half—until he lost consciousness. Tareq shared his story with us, which I invite you to watch by clicking the picture below. Though he survived the attack, he is still unable to walk. Israeli settlers violently attack Palestinian children and families on a daily basis. While they are civilians, Israeli settlers are issued firearms by the Israeli government and many subscribe to ultra-nationalistic beliefs that manifest in extreme violence towards Palestinians, including children. ...