Feature Archives

5/10/2002 statement - On 5/2, a group of 24 international activists slipped past Israeli Defense Force roadblocks to enter Bethlehem's Manger Square. Running across the square, 10 were then able to enter the besieged Church of the Nativity through service doors to deliver food to the 200 Palestinians who have been trapped in the church for over a month. On 5/10, however, they were arrested by the IDF, apparently with the encouragement of the priests inside. Among those who took part in the action was former San Francisco Bay Area activist Trevor Baumgartner. He is currently being held by the IDF in a jail cell in Hebron and has been on hunger strike for over 6 days. The US consulate sent an official to the jail on 5/13; he has also been visited by a prison doctor and is drinking water after refusing all liquids for several days. Coverage: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

4/17/2002 update from Palestine IMC: Colin Powell's visit with Yasser Arafat in his besieged compound proved fruitless, and "peace" remains elusive. Following Powell’s departure, President Arafat came out to make a statement to the media present. He thanked Powell for his visit but made clear that Bush is not exerting any tangible pressure upon Sharon to leave Palestinian areas, without which there can be no solution. Full details: Palestine IMC

Read this urgent appeal from the 40 internationals inside the Presidential Palace in Ramallah and 4/2 interview with Noam Chomsky. Also, read more on the relationship between Israel and Hamas. It is now possible to donate to IMC Palestine

Full details and reports: IMC Palestine | IMC Israel | Global IMC | IMC Italy | IMC Argentina (es) | Alternative Information Center | Palestine Chronicle | ZNet's Mideast Watch

"[The road map] certainly allows the unlimited building for your children and grandchildren, and I hope even for your great-grandchildren." - Ariel Sharon

5/29/2003: In the wake of a visit by Colin Powell to the Middle East, the corporate media and U.S. Government are awash in self-congratulation over the new "road map" which is supposedly a historic concession to Palestinians who have suffered 50 years of violent occupation by Israel. But anyone familiar with the situation knows that this new road map, especially with conditions set by the right-wing controlled Israeli Knesset, is nothing more than the same old stalling tactics that permit repression and ethnic cleansing against Arabs to roll on unchecked, with the full support of the U.S. Government.

The US/Israeli handling of the road map is being criticized by Palestinians and left-wing Jewish organizations. Aside from the usual Israeli demands that the Palestinian Authority control violent factions of the Palestinian resistance with a police force that simultaneously comes under attack by Israeli forces, this time around Ariel Sharon is openly bragging about continued illegal settlements and even the construction of a wall to enclose the Palestinian people. In addition, the U.S.'s war victories in Iraq are being used to pressure Syria and other neighboring Arab states into marginalizing and dismantling not only hardline Islamic factions like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but also long-standing leftist political parties such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (which is considered a terrorist organization by the US State Department). All the while, the US has given Israel a free reign to murder and intimidate international pacifist groups who are witnessing and protesting against the occupation.

Israel IMC | Palestine IMC (temporarily down) | Palestine Chronicle | Sharon's Map

26 February update: Four anti-wall protesters have been killed by the Israeli Army after they opened fire on demonstrators in Biddu. Zacharia Mahmoud Eid, 26, from Beit Iksa and Mohamed Rayan, 26, from Beit Diggo, were killed by live ammunition. Mohamed Saleh Bedwan, 20, was shot in the head by a rubber bullet [the Israeli army often uses rubber coated metal bullets]. Abu Nabil Abu Eid died from a heart attack, provoked by an excessive amount of tear gas. Others have been shot, wounded or arrested.
Reports: International Solidarity Movement | 2 | 3 | 4

Led by a grassroots/non-governmental organization coalition, Palestinians are leading a global challenge to Israel's "security fence", a 400-mile long, 8-meter high concrete wall in the occupied West Bank. The barrier, which is also marked by trenches, razor wire, and armed guard towers crosses through Palestinian villages, isolates whole towns, and separates hundreds of thousands from their pastures, farms, schools, workplaces or families. While Palestinian, Israeli and international activists have been using direct action protests to disrupt the wall's construction, the Palestinian Authority appealed to the International Court of Justice (the "World Court") in the Hague for an opinion on the legality of the barrier, which is being built on occupied and confiscated Palestinian land.
While the Israeli government insists that the wall is solely for defensive purposes, many--including Noam Chomsky and Huwaida Arraf--have charged that its construction marks a land grab designed to permanently constrict the boundaries of any future Palestinian self-rule. Across occupied Palestine, thousands participated in a "Day of Rage" on February 23rd against the barrier, timed to coincide with the case in the Hague. Thousands Gather in Nablus
The Wall Is illegal, now we must stop it | stopthewall.org | B'Tselem | Coverage from Indymedia UK
En español: Campaña Palestina contra el muro