The Israeli government announced on Sunday that it was launching a task force to identify and deport members from the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, marking the latest attack on left-wing and pro-Palestinian activism by Israel. In a statement released by Israeli police spokeswoman Luba al-Samri, Israeli Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri and Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan decided on Sunday during a meeting to form a joint task force to “expel and ban the entry of BDS activists” into Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. "We must not allow BDS activists to enter to state of Israel. This is a necessary step, given the malicious intentions of these activists to delegitimize and spread lies and distortions about the reality in our region," Erdan was quoted as saying in the statement, adding that the boycott movement against Israel “must have a price.” “Fighting against Israeli boycott starts by fighting those wo undermine the State of Isr...

Israeli forces injured dozens of Palestinians during weekly Friday protests in the occupied West Bank villages of Kafr Qaddum and Bilin, as well as in the Gaza Strip. Three Palestinians, including two journalists, were injured on Friday as Israeli forces dispersed the weekly protest in Kafr Qaddum in the northern West Bank district of Qalqiliya. Coordinator for popular resistance in the village Murad Shtewi said dozens of Israeli soldiers raided the village firing rubber-coated steel bullets, sponge rounds, tear gas canisters, and stun grenades. Akif Jumaa, 55, was injured by a sponge round fired at his wrist. He was taken to Rafidia hospital for treatment. Reporter for the Palestinian news station Palestine TV Ahmad Shawir was injured with rubber-coated steel bullets fired by Israeli forces at his hand and foot, while the photojournalist Muthanna al-Deek was injured with a rubber bullet fired at his the foot. They were treated on the scene. In the central West Bank village of Bili...

Three Palestinian journalists sustained minor injuries on Tuesday after being hit with shrapnel from stun grenades fired by Israeli forces during a “peaceful” sit-in outside Israel’s Ofer detention center on World Press Freedom Day. A group of Palestinian journalists used the occasion to direct attention to the plight of Palestinian journalists currently being held in Israeli custody as a result of Israel’s widely-condemned crackdown on Palestinian journalists since a wave of unrest erupted across the occupied Palestinian territory in October. At least 43 Palestinian journalists have been detained by Israeli forces since October, who have reported cases of torture, medical negligence, and unreasonable and illegal rulings by Israeli authorities, according to a recent report by the Committee to Support Palestinian Journalists. Staging a sit-in outside the Ofer detention center, the demonstrators raised posters of imprisoned Palestinian journalists and demanded the release of 20 who ar...

Israeli forces on Tuesday morning stormed the offices of a Palestinian radio station in Hebron, where they destroyed equipment and ordered the station's closure, in the latest violation of press freedoms in the occupied Palestinian territory. Manbar al-Hurriyya (Freedom Tribune) radio station wrote on its website that Israeli forces had destroyed equipment inside the offices and confiscated other equipment. The soldiers then issued a military order notifying employees that the station was to be closed and its broadcast banned. The Israeli army said in a statement that the station was shut down "as part of the ongoing battle against incitement." It continued: "Forces confiscated broadcasting equipment in order to prevent the incitement which has caused a flare of violence in the region over recent weeks." It accused the radio station of encouraging "stabbing attacks" and "violent riots," and reporting "false and malicious claims of s...

The post-Charlie Hebdo “free speech” march in Paris was a fraud for multiple reasons, as I wrote at the time. It was led by dozens of world leaders, many of whom imprison or even kill people for expressing prohibited views. It was cheered by many Westerners who feign upset only when free speech abridgments are perpetrated by Muslims, but not — as is far more common — by their own governments against Muslims. Worst of all, the march took place in a country that is one of the most hostile to free speech rights in the West, as France quickly demonstrated in the days after the march by rounding up and prosecuting Muslims and other anti-Israel activists for the political views they expressed. A great, best-selling book by French philosopher Emmanuel Todd released this year argues that these “free speech” marches were a “sham,” driven by many political sentiments — nativism, nationalism, anti-Muslim bigotry — that had nothing to do with free speech. The absurdity of France’s celebrating it...

Today in al-Khalil (Hebron) families gathered to stage a peaceful demonstration protesting the continuing closure of the Shuhada checkpoint. The rally consisted of approximately 50 Palestinians, of all ages. The protesters met outside of the closed checkpoint at 1 pm, armed with nothing but Palestinian flags. The protest moved towards the checkpoint, as soon as it reached the checkpoint´s outer barrier the soldiers from the other side threw a tear gas grenade and two stun grenades at the dense group of protesters. The protesters dispersed immediately, elderly men had to be assisted by other protesters due to tear gas inhalation. Several young Palestinian boys then threw stones at the checkpoint, but were stopped by other protesters. The dispersed demonstrators stayed in the area near the checkpoint after the first aggression by the Israeli occupation forces, but several more tear gas grenades and stun grenades forced the protesters to leave the area completely. Young Palestinian b...

Some 43 reserve soldiers serving in Israel's top electronic surveillance unit have refused to wiretap Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, according to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency. In a letter addressed to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and army chiefs, some 43 reserve soldiers of Unit 8200 said that they now refuse to perform any military tasks which would consolidate Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands, Israeli radio reported. The soldiers assert that the information collected by their unit is being used to pile pressure on Palestinian civilians to recruit them to spy for Israel. Established in 1952, Unit 8200 is the largest army unit responsible for intelligence gathering, according to Al Ray. This move comes two weeks on the tail of a devestating seven-week Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip, in which over 2,000 Palestinians -- mostly civilians -- were killed and nearly 11,000 others injured. more

Police are set to ban Gaza protesters from King Street and move them elsewhere after limiting numbers to 10 at a time. From tomorrow (Saturday), GMP will be imposing conditions on demonstrators, including limiting the maximum number at any one time to 10 and moving them to a designated area outside an empty business on Police Street. Police say the action has been taken because the ‘legal threshold’ required under the Public Order Act has been passed. Those who fail to comply could be arrested. A statement in conjunction with Manchester council states: “We have shown great patience in facilitating the protests, but it is the cumulative impact of the daily protests - which is causing significant disruption to the business community on and around King Street and has led to members of our communities experiencing concern, fear and intimidation.” more

The Israeli Occupation Forces raided the home of Khalida Jarrar, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, in Ramallah early this morning. The soldiers gave her an order for deportation to Jericho for an indefinite period. According to information received by PNN, the Israeli soldiers tried to force Khalida to sign the order, which she refused. Then a soldier read the text aloud, saying that the military courts, due to information from the intelligence and security services of the Israeli occupation, have ordered Jarrar to be deported to Jericho within 24 hours and to remain for an indefinite period within the city limits of Jericho; the soldiers left a map of the Jericho city limits. more

Nearly two hundred Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the past week, and while the death toll continues to rise, there remains no escape from the ongoing siege as Egypt maintains closure of Rafah crossing, the sole entry and exit point for the vast majority of Gaza’s 1.8 million residents. United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon urged Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to open the border on Wednesday last week, after three days of intensive Israeli bombing had killed approximately ninety Palestinians. On Thursday, Egyptian authorities opened the Rafah crossing only for Egyptians and Palestinians suffering critical injuries. Only eleven Palestinians passed the crossing before Egyptian authorities closed it again on Friday morning, according to the Ma’an News Agency. Egyptian authorities did not provide any reason for the closure. Meanwhile, charity and medical workers report that they have been prevented from entering Gaza via Rafah crossing to deliver medical and fo...

France's socialist government provoked outrage today by becoming the first in the world to ban protests against Israeli action in Palestine. In what is viewed as an outrageous attack on democracy, Socialist Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said mass demonstrations planned for the weekend should be halted. Cazeneuve said there was a "threat to public order", while opponents said he was "criminalising" popular support of the Palestinian people. Thousands were set to march against the ongoing slaughter in Gaza, calling for an immediate end to hostilities in which civilians, including many children, have been killed, but Cazeneuve fears there might be a repeat of the fights between ultra-Jewish vigilantes and pro-Palestinians which happened after a demonstration last Sunday. Referring to the main Paris march, Cazeneuve said: "I consider that the conditions are not right to guarantee security." more

Continuing confrontations in the Palestinian Territories and many cities in Israel are marked by Israeli authorities’ flouting of basic rights, including freedom of information Since three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped on 12 June, and their bodies discovered 18 days later, the situation has deteriorated to dangerous levels. Hate messages demanding vengeance are flooding the web. Then, the body of a young Palestinian who had been burned alive was found in East Jerusalem. Israeli security forces have been combing the West Bank, arresting more than 600 Palestinians on grounds of suspected of links to Hamas. Human rights violations are taking place daily and information freedom is being disregarded. Reporters Without Borders condemns these attacks on information freedom. Many journalists have been targeted by the Israeli army. Others have been arrested arbitrarily. And security forces have been conducting raids on media offices. RWB urges the Israeli military to allow news profess...

Gaza's Hamas rulers are preparing to suppress political activists amid fears that the Palestinian territory could experience mass protests such as those that toppled the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, campaigners have told The Daily Telegraph. The allegation has come from Ya Felistini Tamarod (Palestinian, Rebel), a group set up following the overthrow of Mohammed Morsi, the Islamist Egyptian president and an ideological ally of Hamas. The campaigners, who say they are unhappy with the continued division between Hamas in Gaza and the more moderate Fatah group that runs the West Bank, want to emulate the Egyptian experience by organising a petition demanding immediate presidential and parliamentary elections for both territories. The Egyptian Tamarod movement, led by Mahmoud Badr, claimed to have collected more than 22 million signatures urging Mr Morsi to step down before the army removed him on July 3. Now its Gaza counterpart has drawn fierce scrutiny from the Hamas security ...

On 31 May the residents of Kufr Qaddum held their weekly demonstration after the Friday prayer and were violently repressed when the Israeli army invaded the village, firing tear gas and sound bombs directly at the protesters and into several houses and the local mosque. The protest began at around 13:15 with the regular march to the eastern side of the village toward the road closure that separates Kufr Qaddum from the illegal Israeli settler colony Qedumim, which was built on land stolen from Kufr Qaddum. As protesters approached the last house on the edge of the village, the road was blocked by one Border Police jeep and a bulldozer. A standoff ensued between Israeli forces and local youth who built defensive stone barricades along the main road to prevent an army incursion. After half an hour, Israeli soldiers began to shoot tear gas canisters from a device know as “The Tempest,” which fires multiple canisters simultaneously. As the protesters retreated from the continuous barr...

Palestine solidarity activists now have the backing and support of major civil rights and legal organizations if they are harassed, intimidated, singled out, or pressured to shut down activism campaigns across the US. The Center for Constitutional Rights, in conjunction with the National Lawyers’ Guild and the Student Speech Working group coalition, has launched the Palestine Solidarity Legal Support Initiative ( palestinelegalsupport.org ) that is geared to “track incidents of repression and provide legal support to advocates facing legal and other challenges to their activism,” according to a press release. In addition, the Center for Constitutional Rights says that “Attorneys familiar with the issues that activists face will respond to questions related to Palestine solidarity organizing and to requests for advice and legal assistance. The initiative also provides advocacy support, as well as trainings and other resource materials.” more

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces raided three civil society organizations in Ramallah early Tuesday, a Ma'an correspondent said. Soldiers raided the offices of the Agricultural Work Committees, prisoners group Addameer, and the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees, located in Qaddura refugee camp. Four laptops, one hard disk and a video camera were taken from Addameer's office, a statement from the group said. It is the first time the prisoners group has been raided since 2002, during the height of the second Palestinian intifada. Israeli forces confiscated files and computer hardware from the women's committee before ransacking the office, witnesses said. During the raid, clashes broke out with local youths and Israeli soldiers, who responded by firing tear gas. Military forces also raided the offices of the Palestinian NGO Network, Ma'an's reporter said. more

After a second Israeli attack on a media building in two days, this time killing two journalists, the spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister, Mark Regev explains to al-Jazeera English that because the journalists were Palestinian the Israel military considered them legitimate "targets." Regev's remarks were made just a few hours after the November 19, 2012 bombing of al-Shuruq Tower and another building used to house the offices of several media outlets, including both Palestinian and international networks. Speaking to al-Jazeera, Regev said, "We took out the target that we wanted to take out." When pressed by al-Jazeera over the injuries of eight journalists the previous day, where one lost his leg, Regev continued, Oh you're talking about... oh first of all maybe we have a discussion about who is a journalist and if you'll allow me I will elaborate on this. There is the al-Aqsa station, which is a station that is a Hamas command and control faci...

As is now widely known, in the early morning hours of 18 November during Israel’s continued escalation of its military assault on Gaza, the army targeted two buildings in Gaza City that housed international and Palestinian media outlets. The attacks left at least eight journalists injured. Twenty-year old cameraman Khader al-Zahhar had his right leg blown off when a rocket shot through the roof. At the time of writing, Israel has killed 72 Palestinians — 26 just today — since Wednesday, 14 November. According to a press release today by the human rights organization Adalah: “The Israeli army bombed Al-Shoroq Tower (or the “Journalists’ Tower”) in Gaza City. The 15-story building housed both local Arab and international media agencies such as Al Arabiya, Al Quds TV, Sky News, France 24, and Russia TV. Local media sources reported that eight journalists were injured in the initial attack. According to [Palestinian human rights group] Al-Mezan field reports, building occupants lat...

At 1.30am this morning ten armored jeeps of the Israeli Occupation Forces surrounded and raided the offices of Stop the Wall in Ramallah. Israeli military stole 2 laptops, 3 hard drives and 10 memory cards containing files and photos as well as archive material relating to the work that the organisation does in opposition to Israel's apartheid wall and the attack on Palestinian human rights that the wall and the settlements represent. This is yet another attack upon Palestinian civil society and their struggle against the physical and psychological oppression, land confiscation and ethnic cleansing policies of Israel. For photos see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stopthewall/sets/72157629631856082/ Stop the Wall is one of the most vibrant organizations of human rights defenders in Palestine, and has been promoting, for almost ten years, civil resistance and advocacy campaigns against the Wall and in defense of Palestinian rights to self determination. Human Rights Defenders are int...

The Israeli military targeted on Wednesday Watan TV, a local Palestinian television station broadcasting from the central West Bank city of Ramallah. “Around 2 am a large military force surrounded the station building and stormed our offices; at first we thought they are coming to conduct arrests at the nearby Al Amariy refugee camp.” Hamza al Salaymah, Watan TV reporter, told IMEMC. The army detained al Salaymah along with Production manager, Abed Al Rahman Al Daher, Graphics designer Ibrajem Milhim, Cameraman Ahamd Zaki and the night gourd Saleh Baker. The four men were detained until the army left the area. “They took our broadcast equipment, computers, and financial statements and documents; they forced us to go off-air” al Salaymah added. Watan TV is a local media company that has an online news service and offer press conferences services in Ramallah a city that is under total Palestinian Authority control. The station went on-air 15 years ago.This is the second time the TV is at...