It is Sunday morning, and I am at the Nakba Day protest in Qalandyia refugee camp. The long and beautiful march with the songs, slogans and high spirit has been dispersed quickly with massive shooting of tear-gas, and all attempts to resume the march have been dispersed as well, with ever growing violence.

qalandia 15 5 2011 activestills

Today's march in Al-Ma'asara was larger than usual, marking Nakba day and joined by activists from Combatants for Peace. The demonstrators were met with the usual violence at the entrance to the village, with tear gas, stun grenades, and two arrested. Video from the demonstration:Al maasara May 13 2011

Six years have passed since residents of Bil'in, together with their Israeli and international supporters, started regularly demonstrating against the Wall and the confiscation of more than half their land by it.

Yousef Ikhlayl was the second Palestinian youth shot by settlers in as many days following the shooting of Oday Maher Hamzanear Nablus on Thursday. 

Yousef  Ikhlayl

On Jan 11 2011 Jonathan Pollak began a 3 month sentence at Hermon prison in Northern Israel. The formal charge is Illegal assembly but the real reason he is in prison is that he is uncompromising in resistance to oppression and the state that carries it out.  

Jonathan Pollak and his father outside Hermon prison (11/01/2011)

Jawaher Abu Rahmah, 36, was evacuated to the Ramallah hospital yesterday after inhaling massive amounts of tear-gas during the weekly protest in Bil'in, and died of poisoning this morning. Abu Rahmah was the sister of Bassem Abu Rahmah who was also killed during a peaceful protest in Bil'in on April 17th, 2010.

Jawaher Abu Rahmah