Electronic Intifada : Diaries: Live from Palestine

An open letter: Father to father

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:15:37 PST

Dear Hisam, father of Ahmed, may he rest in peace: I learned of the death of your son, Ahmed Musa, through a one-sentence newsflash on the Palestinian news station Ma'an last Tuesday: "Ahmed Musa, a young boy, was killed by a bullet of the occupying forces in Nil'in." I was immediately overcome with shock and grief and bitter tears. And above all, that relentless feeling of powerlessness that I know too well.

Gaza organizations caught in the crossfire

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:23:53 PST

In the past two weeks, the Hamas-dominated interior ministry in Gaza has closed scores of Gaza-based non-governmental organizations. According to Al Mezan Center for Human Rights in Gaza City, the Hamas-dominated government has closed 179 institutions in Gaza, including those providing services to women, children and people with disabilities. The Electronic Intifada correspondent Rami Almeghari reports.

Gaza students still waiting and losing hope

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:37:00 PST

These days Rami Abdo's duties include gardening, teaching and caring for his 10-year-old nephew. Abdo, a 30-year-old student from Gaza City, is still waiting along with hundreds of others to attend universities abroad since Israel has closed all of the Strip's border crossings. The Electronic Intifada correspondent Rami Almeghari reports.

Really living here

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:40:16 PST

Aware of the dangers now facing hikers like me, I have, of late, been careful to restrict my walks to tracks which avoid any contact with the settlements. Two recent incidents I have experienced personally I believe illustrate what routine life is now like for us Palestinians in the occupied territories. Raja Shehadeh recounts for The Electronic Intifada.

Seeing the Dome of the Rock

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:15:20 PST

Some might think that I am overreacting about the short trip out of Gaza to a place only two hours away. But I would say to them that for me and so many other Palestinians in Gaza, it is not just a short trip, but rather a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The trip was a window that opened suddenly to allow in the fresh air and joy of life, and one that I may never experience again. Najwa Sheikh writes from occupied Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Bar Mitzvah

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:52:07 PST

My son Arab is 14, just past the age that his Jewish Israeli peers are celebrating their Bar Mitzvahs. This ceremony in Jewish culture is a rite of passage that marks a boy's entrance into the realities and responsibilities of adulthood. And last week, my son experienced something akin to the Palestinian Bar Mitzvah. Bassam Aramin writes from occupied Jerusalem.

A family under siege

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:15:07 PST

At the end of my visit they started asking me to take pictures for their brothers, uncles, sons and fathers detained in Israeli prisons for over four months -- a picture of a newborn not yet seen by the imprisoned father, one father's favorite girl and a picture of the detainees' pictures hanging on the wall to let the prisoners know they are missed, they are celebrated. Philip Rizk writes from the occupied Gaza Strip.

"I do not struggle alone"

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:59:41 PST

Ibrahim Bornat, 25, from the village of Bil'in in the occupied West Bank, was shot three times in the right thigh with dum-dum bullets by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on 13 June 2008. Like he does every week, Ibrahim was protesting against the construction of the separation wall in his village, which will effectively result in the annexation of 58 percent of the lands by Israel. Dina Awad and Hazem Jamjoum write from occupied Ramallah.

Photostory: Breaking the Silence's tour disrupted

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 02:57:17 PST

On 27 June, I took part in one of the regular tours of the West Bank city of Hebron and its settlements organized by the organization Breaking the Silence. Breaking the Silence is a group of Israeli army soldiers and veterans who work to expose the injustice of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Once more, the tour was disrupted because of the settlers. Anne Paq reports from Hebron.

Do no harm: A torture victim remembers

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:44:13 PST

I wasn't really surprised by the watchdog group Physicians for Human Rights-Israel's (PHR-I) latest intervention to Israel's health ministry, in which they accused Israeli doctors of complicity in the torture of Palestinian detainees in Israeli interrogation centers. Indeed, it sounded all too familiar to what I experienced during 550 days of incarceration in a South African prison from 1990 through 1992. Naji Ali writes for EI.

Putting a name to Gaza's injured

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:12:48 PST

Bedridden but painfully conscious, nearly paralyzed with no feeling from the waist down, 16-year-old Abdul Rahman is one of the hundreds who were injured by intense Israeli shelling and firing on Gaza between 27 February - 3 March 2008, during an operation dubbed "Hot Winter" by the Israeli army. Eva Bartlett reports on this aspect of Israel's siege on Gaza.

Shades of Checkpoint Charlie at Rafah Crossing

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:48:54 PST

On Monday 30 June, Gaza was abuzz with the sudden announcement that Egypt would open Rafah Crossing -- the only gateway for 1.5 million Palestinians who have been imprisoned here for almost two years -- for three short days. Haider Eid writes of his attempt to break out of the prison called Gaza.

A constant Nakba for Palestine's Bedouin (Part 1)

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:34:07 PST

"We [Bedouin] are the [Native Americans] of Palestine," is how 60-year-old Mohammad Ahmad Abu Dahook introduced the author and a colleague to Beit Iksa, located on land targeted by Israel for expanding Ma'ale Adumim settlement. Abu Dahook is one of the approximately 50,000 Bedouin whose traditions and lifestyle have been nearly destroyed by Israeli colonization. Ida Audeh reports from Beit Iksa.

A constant Nakba for Palestine's Bedouin (Part 2)

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:32:09 PST

My new birthday

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:02:23 PST

I am a third generation of the Palestinian Nakba, the forced expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland by Zionist forces. I now feel that I am a very lucky person. I never felt lucky before my new birthday: the day I visited my destroyed original village of Deir Rafat, where my grandfather and his family lived before they were forced out in 1948. Areej Ja'fari writes from Deheisheh refugee camp.

Wall slices off al-Khader's famous vineyards

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:03:54 PST

Since early January the Palestinian village of al-Khader located near Bethlehem in the West Bank has protested against Israel's construction of the Apartheid Wall and Jewish-only settlements built on village land every week. Al-Khader is known in the region for its vineyards which produce excellent-quality grapes. Adri Nieuwhof writes from al-Khader.

Not only Palestinians suffer

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:44:50 PST

There are roughly 5,000 Russian women in Gaza. Many, like Jamila, have been living in Gaza for many years. For Jamila, having two children and running a married life has proven difficult with the situation in Gaza, where conditions are totally different from those of her own homeland or maybe any other country in the world. "Prior to the outbreak of the intifada, I used to feel more comfortable. But since 2000 and particularly the last year, things have become much worse. There is no gas, there is no fuel, there is nothing," she explained. Rami Almeghari writes from Gaza.

Palestine is illegal

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:44:41 PST

The young, dark-haired woman behind the glass stamped the American passport in front of her. "Welcome to Israel," she said cheerily. The line in front of me receded quickly as passport after passport was stamped, and traveler after traveler admitted entry. I made my way to the desk and slid my passport under the glass. Sumia Ibrahim writes from Palestine.

Gaza ceasefire between success and failure

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:28:56 PST

Based on the reactions of Palestinians across all levels of society to the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza, the possibility of sustaining the truce appears doubtful. On the streets of Gaza City, interviews with a number of residents revealed a mixture of pessimism and optimism. EI correspondent Rami Almeghari reports from occupied Gaza.

Israeli forces terrorize Deheisheh refugee camp

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:33:37 PST

It started out as a normal Saturday morning. We were hanging out in Ibdaa Cultural Center in Deheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem. We were all sitting in the cafe at Ibdaa, which is on the fourth floor and has windows around three sides of the building. We were drinking coffee, chatting, watching television and all of a sudden there was a loud sound like a grenade or a bomb. Marcy Newman writes from Deheisheh.