Pam Bailey

The story of Samer Abu Seir and Loai Odeh — two men who met in Israeli prison and have remained friends ever since — speaks to the experience of so many others.

GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) - Palestinians are calling for boycotts against Israeli products and companies. But in the Gaza Strip — at the heart of the Israeli occupation — it is often impossible for residents to follow their own call to action.

GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) - A look at the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings that succeeded in ousting long-entrenched dictators confirms a universal truth: it is the youth who are leading the way in forcing reform in the Middle East.

As news of the uprisings in a growing number of Arab countries spread like wildfire around the world, residents of other countries struggling under their own oppressive governments and soaring unemployment were celebrating on the streets, on Twitter and on Facebook. The occupied Gaza Strip was no exception.

GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) - Football is the world’s most popular sport, boasting more than an estimated 2 billion fans. And despite its isolation from the world through Israel’s four-year-old blockade, the Gaza Strip is no exception. When a football match is on, tea and shisha cafes are packed with people gathered around the TV sets.

GAZA (IPS) - It was bad enough that Ahmad Asfour was severely maimed by an Israeli drone strike outside his house on 9 January 2009. But, his search for advanced treatment landed the journalism student, now 19, in Israeli prison where he remains.