letter from Bil’in’s Abdallah Abu Rahmah was shared from his prison cell to his lawyers

Photo: Barbed wire sky in Israeli prison.

Dear Friends and Supporters, It has been two months now since I was handcuffed, blindfolded and taken from my home. Today news has reached Ofer Military Prison that the apartheid wall on Bil’in’s land will finally be moved and construction has begun on the new route. This will return half of the land that was stolen from our village. For those of us in Ofer, imprisoned for our protest against the wall, this victory makes the suffering of being here easier to bear. After actively resisting the theft of our land by the Israeli apartheid wall and settlements every week for five years now, we long to be standing along side our brothers and sisters to mark this victory and the fifth anniversary of our struggle.

(…اكثر)

Come Celebrate five years of the Popular Resistance in Bil’in!

Saturday, February 6, 8pm
Kaza Maza 4629 avenue du Parc
Fundraising evening featuring
live music, slideshows, theater and a poster exhibit
Share a piece of Fifth Anniversary Cake!

Sunday, February 7, 1pm
Demonstration in Solidarity with Bil’in
métro Mont-Royal plaza

(…اكثر)

13 January 2010 Amnesty International

Photo: Israeli soldier attempts to cover camera in the West Bank

Amnesty International has welcomed the release of Palestinian human rights activist Jamal Juma’, who was detained by the Israeli military late last year.

Jamal Juma’ was arrested in December 2009, joining fellow activists Abdallah Abu Rahma and Mohammed Othman in detention, following a series of protests against the construction of the fence/wall in the West Bank.

(…اكثر)

Human Rights Watch – Mohammed Othman Held without Charge

Photo: Palestinian youth holding flag along Israeli apartheid wall.

(Jerusalem) – The Israeli military appeals court should end the administrative detention of Mohammed Othman, a West Bank rights activist, and order his release, Human Rights Watch said today.

Israeli authorities have detained Othman without charge for more than two months on what appear to be politically motivated grounds. On the basis of secret evidence that Othman and his lawyers were not allowed to see, a military court confirmed a military order that consigned Othman to three months administrative detention without charging him with any crime. Othman has no criminal record and, to the knowledge of Human Rights Watch, has never advocated or participated in violence. His detention period, which may be renewed, ends on December 22.

(…اكثر)

Majida Abu Rahmah, Huffington Post January 4, 2010

Photo: Valerian Mazataud Palestinians in Bil’in raise Palestinian flag at weekly protest.

On International Human Rights Day in 2008, my husband Abdallah Abu Rahmah was in Berlin receiving a medal from the World Association for Human Rights. Last year on the same day, December 10th, Abdallah was taken away at 2am by Israeli soldiers who broke into our West Bank home. Abdallah was arrested for the same reasons he received the prize – his nonviolent struggle for justice, equality and peace in Israel/Palestine.

My husband is a school teacher and farmer from the Palestinian village of Bil’in. When Israel built its apartheid wall here, it separated Bil’in from more than half of its land, in order to facilitate the expansion of the illegal settlement Mattityahu East. In response, Abdallah and fellow villagers began a campaign of nonviolent resistance. Every Friday for the past five years, we’ve marched, with Israeli and international supporters, to protest the theft of our land and livelihoods.

(…اكثر)

Free Palestinian political prisoner Abdallah Abu Rahmah!

Friday, December 18th 12h00
Indigo Bookstore
corner of St. Catherine & McGill college
(metro McGill)
Montreal, Canada

(…اكثر)

Interview with Palestinian artist Suleiman Mansour by Aaron Lakoff

Photo: Painting on the apartheid wall near Ramallah by Suleiman Mansour

Suleiman Mansour is one of Palestine’s most renowned painters. Active in the Palestinian artist community since the 1970s, he has contributed greatly to art education and promotion in the West Bank. He is a co-founder of the Wasiti Art Center in Jerusalem, and is also a member of the “New Vision” artist group, which focuses on the use of local material in artwork.

On the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba in 2008, Suleiman Mansour was interviewed at the Palestinian International Academy of Art in Ramallah about the struggles of Palestinian cultural producers over the decades, and what the significance of art is in the face of this historic milestone.

(…اكثر)

Report November 30th, 2009. Bil’in Popular Committee

Photo: Valerian Mazataud Protests in Bil’in, Palestine.

Adeeb Abu Rahmah was arrested on 10 July this year, and is still held in custody for taking part in organizing the village’s demonstrations. Demonstrators wore masks of his face and called for his release.

Two injured and several demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation from canisters thrown at them by the Israeli occupation soldiers in their attempt to suppress the weekly protest of Bil’in citizens and solidarity groups.

(…اكثر)

criminalization of social movements & the anti-terrorism crusade

Thursday, November 5th 2009
6:30 pm Pavillon J-A-DeSève (DS)
UQAM, Rm DS-1580
320 Sainte-Catherine Street E.
graphic obey

(…اكثر)

Report Defence for Children International, September 2009.

Photo: Palestinian youth amongst destruction in the Gaza Strip.

In September 2009, the Goldstone Mission published a 575 page report based on the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (download report). The fact finding mission was established by the UN in April 2009, following the 23 day war in Gaza which killed over 1,400 hundred Palestinians, including 353 children. Eighteen Israelis were also killed during the conflict.

The Report not only deals with the direct impact of the war but also considers the broader effects, including the effect on Palestinian children from the West Bank detained by Israel during, and immediately after, the offensive.

(…اكثر)