Palestine: a journal of everyday occupation

Last Saturday night (May 23rd) we went to see the final night’s performance of The Siege, a Jenin Freedom Theatre production based on the siege of Bethlehem’s Nativity Church in 2002. The company is touring the UK and we went to the wonderful Battersea Arts Centre, part of which was recently devastated by fire. Despite [...]

For most people, a holiday involves day trips, seeing the sites and enjoying time with family. But if you’re Palestinian, and you’re in your homeland—you know, the place you were born, your parents were born and generations of your family were born—then forget it.

Saturday August 30th After lunch, which is usually at around 4pm, we decided to go to Wadi Fukin to visit family. I’ve written before about the village which sits directly east of the 1949 armistice line, more commonly referred to as the Green Line. Each time we visit, I am always shocked. This time was [...]

This article is also published on Palestine Chronicle Over the past few days, the talk of a third Intifada breaking out in the occupied Palestinian territories has increased. But it isn’t Palestinians living under the occupation who are talking up the chances of a third uprising against Israel’s continued oppression in the territories.

The Australian student group’s next meeting after Sam Bahour was with Abdullah Abdullah; PLO ambassador to Lebanon, Palestinian parliament representative for Jerusalem, and Fateh party member.

Published in Labour Briefing, May 2011 Al Nakba was not the random result of the chaos of war but the deliberately planned ethnic cleansing of Palestine. OVER THE past week, Israel celebrated its 63rd birthday. On May 14th 1948, David Ben Gurion announced the creation of the Israel. And while Zionists laud their colonialist success, [...]

The fact that the Palestinian Authority is venal and corrupt should hardly be a surprise. It’s interesting though to see some of the details of what has long been suspected: the PA selling out the people it is supposed to represent, and Israel’s refusal to accept anything other than as much territory with as few [...]

I watched Budrus at the weekend. It’s a film about the villagers of Budrus and how they responded to the continued theft of their land by Israel. Led by the mayor, Ayed Morrar, the villagers unite to challenge the Israeli military and border police at regular demonstrations where they try to protect their land and [...]

First published in Labour Briefing, September 2010 Georgina Reeves asks the mayor of Bethlehem about the impact of the Israeli settlements and the way towards a peaceful settlement Dr Victor Batarseh was elected mayor of Bethlehem in 2005 and took control of a local council in debt to the tune of 4.5 million NIS (Israeli [...]

According to Ha’aretz, the walls around Gilo are falling. It reports the walls went up in 2002, but in fact it was before that. British photographer JD Perkins ran a story on the painted walls in 2001. The murals on these massive concrete blocks obliterate any Palestinian presence from view and shows a pretty, Arab-free landscape.