By Amer Zahr We Palestinians have been struggling for a long time.  I am not speaking of the struggle to be recognized as an independent state, or the struggle to be recognized in the United Nations, or even the struggle to be recognized in international courts.  I am speaking, rather, of the struggle to be recognized as human beings. I am a comedian, and I travel to Israel and Palestine often to perform, visit, and conduct workshops.  I have, until this point, done all of my work for Palestinian audiences and participants.  My first job is to be funny.  But I also hope to show…

An Israeli judge claims activists who oppose house demolitions - and not those who demolish them - are the perpetrators of violence. The Israeli court system was, for a long time, the most successful fig leaf of the only Jewish state in the Middle East.  Now it has gone diving into the Hasbara morass. After "diplomatic terrorism" (opposing Israel in the world, a phrase favored by our foreign minister) and "economic terrorism" (boycotting settlements) we now have the District Court of Haifa blaming (Hebrew) the ISM organization of being  "practically violent," even though the court admits it had nothing to do with…

Demolitions and arrests in the West Bank, solidarity with Rachel Corrie's family, preparing for war, and more. Activestills images tell the stories of the week. Activestills is a collective of Israeli, international and Palestinian photographers, united by a conviction that photography is a vehicle for political and social change. To stay updated on our latest images, like Activestills on Facebook  or follow @activestills on Twitter. You can also visit our flickr photostream.

Since Rachel Corrie's death, the Israeli establishment has been losing patience with activists of any kind. (This op-ed was originally published in The Guardian on August 29 here and in the print edition here) The state of Israel is not to blame for the death of Rachel Corrie – this is the decision an Israeli court reached yesterday. The ruling, made by Judge Oded Gershon of the Haifa district court, may have come as a shock to some, but anyone following Israel's path on a slippery slope, particularly over the past decade, could hardly be surprised when the court literally blamed the victim…

The verdict on the 2003 killing of Rachel Corrie absolved Israel of any wrongdoing, essentially blaming the victim for her death. The trial revealed Israel's approach to the most fundamental principles of international law, and especially to the duty to protect non-combatants. By Jeff Halper For those who hoped for a just verdict on the death of Rachel Corrie, the American student and ISM activist killed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza in 2003 as she was defending a Palestinian home about to be demolished, this is a sad day. Not surprising, but still sad and bitter. The judge who…

An Israeli judge ruled Tuesday morning that the State of Israel is not to blame for the death of Rachel Corrie, an American who was killed on March 16, 2003 in the Gaza Strip when she she stood in front of an IDF bulldozer that crushed her.  The judge called her death a "regrettable accident." Rachel Corrie was in Rafah as an activist with the International Solidarity Movement, acting as a human shield to protest the demolition of Palestinian homes. She was 23 years old at the time of her death. She had arrived in Israel in January 2003 and spent two…

YB, the driver who ran over ISM activist Rachel Corrie seven years ago, took his first public stand yesterday, appearing as a key witness in the Corrie family lawsuit against the State of Israel. Well, almost public: He spoke from behind a tight screen, placed despite the Corrie family's protest. His full name, and any biographical detail that came to light during the hearing, is under a strict gag order. Most of the hearing at the Haifa District Court was spent nitpicking through the driver's testimony and the numerous contradictions he had between his own statements given at different times, and…