The Israeli military interrupts the launch event for a new graphic novel created by the makers of the documentary film 'Budrus.' Text by: Jessica Devaney, Photos by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org Just Vision launched an Arabic graphic novel at the Budrus Girls School on Thursday. Created by Irene Nasser and based on the award-winning documentary, Budrus (directed by Julia Bacha), the graphic novel looks at the unarmed movement in the village through the eyes of 15-year-old Iltezam Morrar. Starting this summer, Just Vision’s outreach team will use the graphic novel to engage Palestinian youth in discussions surrounding the significance of women's role…

I went to the weekly demo against the Wall in the Palestinian village Bil’in yesterday, after several months that I haven’t visited the West Bank at all (I try not to travel beyond the Green Line when it’s not for work). A colleague visiting from the U.S. joined me, and we arrived at the village shortly after noon. Some internationals and a few Israelis gathered in the streets, and when the prayer ended we started walking towards the wall, a march which has become much longer since the army moved the route of the barrier closer to the ultra-Orthodox settlement…

About 100 Palestinians from the ancient village of Sebastia and their supporters held a demonstration today to protest against settlers spilling their sewage onto the village's agricultural lands. This was the third demonstration in two months; villagers are starting weekly demonstrations, much like the ones against the wall and settlements that take place every Friday in Bil'in, Ni'ilin, Ma'asara, Nabi Saleh and Qaddum. Demonstrations took place in all of those villages as well on Friday, some of them with violent confrontations with army forces. In addition, activists in the newly formed popular committee say they are planning to take the matter to the…

Hundreds of Palestinian took part today in demonstrations in solidarity  with Palestinian prisoners, specifically those administrative detainees on hunger strike. Dozens were lightly wounded from tear gas inhalation, and several from live ammunition. The main protest today occurred outside Ofer Prison, just outside Ramallah, in support of Samer Issawi, who has not eaten since July 29, 2012, along with the rest of the Palestinians on hunger strike. Hundreds of Palestinians, including MK Ahmad Tibi, Palestinian MP Mustafa Barghouti and Islamic leader Sheikh Raed Salah gathered near Ofer at noon for a Friday prayer before marching toward the prison,some  confronting army…

UPDATE, 8:30 a.m.: Mass police and army forces evacuated Bab Al-Shams overnight, following a statement made by the prosecuter general stating that the outpost is an immediate threat to the security of the region. Hundreds of soldiers and police detained the dozens of activists present, who resisted the eviction non-violently, and put them on busses to Qalandiya checkpoint. The tents have remained in Bab Al-Shams, and authorities are waiting on the High Court to rule on whether or not they too can be brought down. The heart of the legal controversy is whether or not Bab Al-Shams was built on…

In response to the Israeli government's plans to build 4,000 housing units for Jewish settlers in the E1 area, Palestinians set up a new tent village called Bab Al-Shams (Gate of the Sun). Police attempts to dismantle the new village were thwarted by a temporary warrant issued by the High Court of Justice. Some 250 Palestinians, organized in part by the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee and activists from several villages in struggle against the wall and settlements, arrived at the area known by Israel as E1 early this morning, and started work on their new village. Activists state that the…

Demonstrations against the imprisonment of refugees and asylum seekers, protests in Ramallah over the high cost of living, an anti-war candlelight vigil, and more. Activestills images tell the stories of the week.    

By Popular Struggle Coordination Committee Some 200 Palestinians and a handful of Israeli and international solidarity activists joined the protest in Kufr Qaddoum on Friday. The demonstration was dedicated to the commemoration of American peace activist, Rachel Corrie, who was run over by a bulldozer while attempting to prevent house demolitions in Rafah in 2003. The verdict in the civil lawsuit against the State of Israel in her case will be announced next week on August 28. The protest opened with speeches, following which the crowd started marching towards the main road of the village. Without any provocation on behalf of the protesters, the army…

Jawaher Abu Rahmah, 36, died the morning after inhaling massive amounts of tear gas at a protest in Bil'in last year. The exact cause of her death, however, is still unclear. Why has the army refused to open an investigation into the matter and where does the case stand? A report from one of the family's legal representatives. By Emily Schaeffer We may never know what caused Jawaher Abu Rahmah's death on January 1, 2011. Following the incident the IDF Spokesperson’s Office launched a disinformation campaign asserting first that she was not at the Bil’in demonstration that preceded her death,…

In what seems to be an orchestrated campaign of detaining and deporting internationals, the IDF conducted targeted arrests during Friday demonstrations across the West Bank. By the Popular Struggle Committee Coordination Committee Four Israeli activists and six foreign citizens, including a New York Times correspondent, were arrested this Friday in Nabi Saleh. The Israelis and the reporter were released last night after a short investigation. The international activists remain in custody and will most likely be deported. According to various reports, New York Times reporter Ben Ehrenreich was in Nabi Saleh to write up a story for the magazine, and…

Weekly demonstrations by the popular committees in three Palestinian villages in the West Bank on Friday endured the customary IDF means of suppression, including tear gas, skunk water and rubber-coated bullets. One child was injured, two fires erupted and several arrests were made.  By The Popular Struggle Coordination Committee ּBi'lin Residents of Bil'in were joined by Israeli and international activists, and made their way from the center of the village towards the Wall. Demonstrators carried flags and chanted slogans for national unity, for the continued struggle against the occupation and in solidarity with political prisoners. Upon reaching the Abu Lamon grove,…

The Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh was raided last night (Sunday) by the IDF. Nabi Saleh, which has been conducting weekly nonviolent demonstrations since the end of 2009 against Israel's occupation and the encroaching settlement of Halamish, has been the target of repeated night raids over the last two years. In the video below, uploaded by Bilal Tamimi, you can hear the IDF shooting stun grenades into the village and see the flashes of light they give off. Towards the end of the video, you can clearly see the IDF jeeps parked in the village, some soldiers firing shots, and then they…

Bassem Tamimi, one of the leaders of the popular unarmed struggle in Nabi Saleh, was sentenced Tuesday to 13 months in prison – the period of time he has already served. Tamimi: "The court sent political prisoners a clear message that they are better off confessing to what they have not done". Tamimi, one of the most prominent activists in Nabi Saleh who has stated countless times his commitment to nonviolent resistance, was arrested in March 2011 and charged with a series of accusations revolving around the demonstrations in his village. Two weeks ago he was acquitted of incitement, yet…