Listen to a radio documentary on Burj el-Shemali refugee camp, located on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre & home to upwards of 20 000 Palestinian refugees. Recorded in Burj el-Shemali during the summer of 2005, this documentary focuses on the present day political, economic and social situation facing the Palestinian residents of the camp, within the context of ongoing major political changes taking place in Lebanon. Read more about Audio Documentary - Burj el-Shemali Refugee Camp 

In 2005, a group of student photographers from Birzeit University and Al-Najah University came together to work on the Right to Education Photography Project. Their aim was to document student life and the obstruction of Palestinian education under military occupation, through the artistic expression of their own ideas and experiences. Their photographs have now become an exhibition and a book, which were recently launched Birzeit University, and will tour Palestinian and international venues throughout 2006. Read more about Photostory: Students on Palestinians' right to education 

Polls have closed across Gaza and the occupied West Bank and the vote count has begun, after the first Palestinian parliamentary elections in a decade. Election officials say over 70 percent of the more than one million eligible voters turned out despite rain and cold winds to cast their ballots at more than 1,000 polling stations. East Jerusalem witnessed the highest turnout, between 80 to 90 percent, prompting the Central Elections Committee to extend voting until 9 p.m. An 81 percent turnout was registered in the Gaza Strip in comparison to 74 percent in the West Bank. A strong Hamas showing would indicate the movement’s call for change and reform clearly resonated with many voters, who were disappointed with the long-time rule of Fatah. Read more about Photostory: Palestinian Elections 

Sixteen constituencies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will choose 132 members of the Palestinian parliament, known as the Palestinian Legislative Council or PLC, which will sit for four years - though it has been 10 years since the last parliamentary election. Only Palestinians resident in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem can vote. Palestinians with Israeli citizenship are not eligible to vote, nor are the estimated 6 million Palestinians and their descendants who live as refugees in other countries. The vast majority of the 100,000 eligible voters living in East Jerusalem are not allowed to vote in their own city. Dozens of individuals and parties will contest the election. However the two biggest groups will be Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement and the Islamic movement Hamas. Read more about Photostory: Palestinian Elections Campaign 

Palestinian parties launched their election campaign with banners, rallies and parades yesterday amid growing tensions between the Islamic militant group Hamas and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas over his suggestion to postpone the Jan. 25 parliamentary vote. Abbas said for the first time Monday the balloting could be put off if Israel bars Palestinians from voting in Jerusalem. Hamas, which is expected to make a strong showing in its first general election, insisted yesterday the vote take place on schedule. It is unlikely Abbas would postpone the election without Hamas’s consent. Read more about Photostory: Campaigning begins for Palestinian elections 

Last month, Israel finished building the wall and new security terminal that cut links between Jerusalem and the West Bank town of Bethlehem. The new security terminal, however, seems to be scaring away tourists and damaging Bethlehem’s already battered economy. In 2002, when the tension was at its worst, the number of visitors to Bethlehem dropped to an estimated 15,000, according to the municipality’s figures. There’s been a steady climb since, though: 100,000 in 2004 and 252,000 so far this year. Authorities have been frustrated by the timing as well as by delays caused by security checks, which are longer than anyone expected. Foreign visitors are now required to get off their buses and submit to a series of searches that can take up to an hour. Read more about Photostory: Christmas in Palestine 

Palestinians are barred from making the trip to Bethlehem unless they have special Israeli permits allowing them to leave the West Bank. A towering wall of gray concrete slabs, 30 feet high, cuts across what once was the main road into the town. Shops are shuttered or empty, and the streets are deserted. After more than five years of Israeli attacks, the Wall separating Bethlehem from Jerusalem has been completed and the Palestinian town revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus is preparing to celebrate Christmas behind a wall. “It is turning the city into a big prison for its citizens,” said Mayor Victor Batarseh. Read more about Photostory: Bethlehem prepares for Christmas 

The Electronic Intifada is currently working on the production of a multimedia DVD for distribution to journalists, editors, producers, politicians, entertainment industry contacts, activists, and others interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The EI DVD will include introductions to the history of the conflict and to key aspects of the current situation on the ground, as well as an extensive Arts, Music & Culture section, will offer features, videos, and MP3s showcasing a range of material from Palestinian and Palestine-related artists. EI appeals for content submissions and financial support for the project. Read more about The Coming EI DVD: Call for Content Submission and Financial Support 

President Mahmoud Abbas formally reopened the Gaza Strip’s border crossing with Egypt today, giving Palestinians control over one of their frontiers for the first time. Rafah is the territory’s only outlet that doesn’t lead to Israel. Palestinians in Gaza can now come and go to Egypt and the wider world without passing through Israeli security. The European Union is supplying monitors to help at the crossing. Israel will have access to video camera images of the crossing, and can object if it sees someone whose entry into Gaza it opposes. Read more about Palestinians cross Rafah border