After Israel boots the only internationally mandated human rights observer group in Hebron, Palestinian volunteers step up to monitor settler attacks amid a sense of heightened hostility. By Steven Davidson About a dozen Palestinian volunteers in blue vests identifying themselves as “human rights observers” made their way toward the Israeli army’s Checkpoint 56 on Shuhada Street in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron early last week. They were escorting children on their way to the Qurtuba school 100 meters away, enduring harassment and kicking by settlers as they let the schoolchildren pass. [tmwinpost] Up until late last month, this was…

Israeli soldiers reportedly stand by during attack on the 'Youth Against Settlements' community center in the occupied city. Israeli settlers attacked a group of Palestinians who were attempting to rebuild part of a local youth center in the occupied city of Hebron over the weekend, sending seven of them to the hospital with minor injuries. [tmwinpost] On Saturday, according to eye witnesses, the settlers had demolished parts of a storage room being constructed at the home of local Palestinian activist Issa Amro, which also serves as a community center run by Youth Against Settlements. Amro filed a complaint with Israeli police…

A first-of-its-kind bill introduced this week focusing on the rights of Palestinian children could pave the way for greater transparency and accountability in America's dealings with Israel.    Members of Congress on Tuesday introduced a bill requiring the U.S. Secretary of State to certify that funds bound for Israel "do not support military detention, interrogation, abuse, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children." The proposed legislation, put forward by Minnesota Representative Betty McCollum, had ten co-sponsors when it was announced. [tmwinpost] Although that number may seem small, especially when measured against the 268 current co-sponsors of the so-called Israel Anti-Boycott Act, the "Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act"…

On trial in an Israeli military court for nonviolently opposing the occupation, the odds are stacked against Palestinian human rights defender Issa Amro. With the support of U.S. progressives like Bernie Sanders, he might just stand a chance. By Maya Garner It is a big deal when high profile American politicians like Bernie Sanders stand up for a Palestinian. After a nearly year-long trial in Israeli military court, and fresh out of PA custody just weeks earlier, Issa Amro traveled to the United States to meet with his supporters in Washington last week. Earlier in 2017, Sanders and dozens of…

Amro, a Palestinian activist known for opposing settlements in the West Bank city of Hebron, was arrested by the Palestinian Authority for criticizing its recent arrests of journalists. Upon his release, Amro called on Mahmoud Abbas to revoke or revise a new law that's been used to target journalists and activists. By Oren Ziv/Activestills.org A Palestinian Authority court on Sunday released prominent activist Issa Amro on bail following his arrest last week for criticizing the PA's detention and intimidation of journalists. A host of international organizations and lawmakers had condemned the Palestinian Authority for arresting Amro and called for his…

Human rights groups and foreign diplomats were kept out of the closed-door Palestinian court hearing. Members of U.S Congress demand that Abbas release Amro, an EU-declared human rights defender, who was arrested for criticizing the PA on social media. By Yael Marom The Palestinian District Court in Hebron on Thursday ordered that well-known human rights activist Issa Amro remain in jail for an additional four days. Amro, co-founder of Hebron-based anti-occupation group Youth Against Settlements, was arrested on Monday by the Palestinian Preventative Security Service, allegedly for criticizing the Palestinian government. He is being accused of sedition and incitement against…

Palestinian authorities reportedly arrested Amro, an activist with Youth Against Settlements, for criticizing the PA in a Facebook post. Amro, who is also facing charges in Israeli military court for his political activism, has been recognized by the EU and UN as a human rights defender. Palestinian security forces arrested human rights defender and well-known Palestinian activist Issa Amro in the West Bank city of Hebron on Monday. The arrest was reportedly related to a Facebook post published by Amro, in which he criticized the Palestinian Authority for arresting a journalist a day earlier. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas recently…

President Trump has arrived in Israel, promising the ultimate deal. Ahead of the big day, a few political activists and commentators shared their thoughts on what, if anything, Trump can bring to the region.  By Yaser Abu Areesha President Donald Trump, a man who often speaks about making the "ultimate deal" that would bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has landed in Israel. But despite official declarations, no one is actually sure what he wants or whether he will surprise us. What is certain is that Trump moves in mysterious ways. [tmwinpost] The president is no longer the messiah…

Hundreds of activists, organized by a coalition of Palestinian, Israeli and American Jewish groups, built an encampment in Surara, from where Palestinians had been expelled in the 1990s. By +972 Magazine staff Around 300 Palestinians, Israelis and diaspora Jewish activists staged a direct action in the village of Sarura in the south Hebron hills of the West Bank on Friday, building a protest camp on land from which Palestinians were evicted in the 1990s. The event was also intended to mark 50 years of occupation. The event was organized by a coalition of groups, including the Center for Jewish Nonviolence,…

The Israeli army really wants to see Palestinian nonviolent activist Issa Amro in prison. We ask Issa why he's facing 18 charges now, and what 'winning' would mean for him. Video by A. Daniel Roth, Aaron Rotenberg Nonviolent Palestinian organizer Issa Amro has been practicing and teaching nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience in the occupied city of Hebron since 2003, in part through the local activist group he helped establish and operates, Youth Against Settlements. Recently, the Israeli army announced that it plans to prosecute him for 18 separate charges going all the way back to 2010. [tmwinpost] Almost all of the charges are…

Police arrested Muhammad Abu Hummus to prevent him from peacefully demonstrating against the Jerusalem Marathon — then lied about it. By John Brown* In March of this year, Israeli police arrested Muhammad Abu Hummus, a resident of the village Issawiya in East Jerusalem, where he serves as a member of a community organizing committee. He was arrested along with two other residents for alleged disorderly conduct. At 4 a.m. on March 18, approximately 20 police officers arrived at Abu Hummus' home and took him to the local police station for interrogation, even though a simple summons would have sufficed. The police, however, did…

"The Israeli occupation used to target Palestinian human rights defenders — now they’ve moved inside Israel," Hebron-based activist with Youth Against Settlements, Issa Amro, tells +972 Magazine and Activestills. Read more on the campaign against Breaking the Silence and human rights organizations in Israel.

Neither the army nor the police bat an eyelid when settlers set up shop in the front yard of a privately-owned Palestinian home for an entire weekend.  By Michael Salisbury-Corech Dozens of settlers in Hebron took over the front yard of the home of well-known local Palestinian nonviolent activist Issa Amro over the weekend. Israeli soldiers remained with the settlers for over 24 hours, guarding them as they slept, prayed, and ate — all the while blocking the entrance to the house. [tmwinpost] Amro rents the house from its Palestinian owner, using it as the community center for the "Youth Against Settlements"…