Every home has flowers. “It’s because we want to show that we still find beauty in spite of all the difficult conditions,” explains Im Ayman. But I suspect the tradition pre-dates Israel’s oppression. It must have its roots in the ancient gardens of peasants and urban classes alike, in a common appreciation of nature’s gifts. Annie Higgins writes from Jenin. Read more about Hearts and Flowers  

A Palestinian who had been tortured before his arrival in Britain has gone on hunger strike after having been held for 13 months without charge. Mahmoud Abu Rideh is detained under anti-terrorism provisions. He was transferred from Belmarsh high security prison to Broadmoor high security mental hospital last August under the orders of a judge, because he was seriously mentally ill. Audrey Gillan outlines his situation in The Guardian. Read more about Palestinian goes on hunger strike 

I met up with a group of friends, including a few of my favourite village boys. These boys are not a politically minded bunch. Who are you going to vote for? I asked the boys. I didn’t normally ask questions like this, simply because its previously been a conversation killer. Read more about Fifteen kilos of radishes in the Galilee and a vote 

The idea of Sharon with broom in hand is comical enough, but the suggestion that he sweep the rooms of the Islamic Center that his soldiers left in shambles made me laugh. My friend, who conducts Qur’anic study sessions, always manages to find humor in the midst of the bleakest conditions. Her laughter itself is a resistance against the gravity of oppression. Annie Higgins writes from Jenin. Read more about Swept Clean 

“Israelis have scoffed at Prime Minister Ariel Sharon�s war crimes trial in Belgium, but, despite it all, the legal process continues. Indeed, on Tuesday it received a valuable shot in the arm.” The Daily Star’s Michael Young examines the legal and political background of a possible resumption of the war crimes case against Sharon and others in Belgium Read more about Universal Jurisdiction in Belgium: The Trial Continues 

The European Commission praised the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to crack down on financial irregularities yesterday, despite claims from Israel that the organisation funded suicide bombers. Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian Finance Minister, has garnered widespread approval for his book-keeping. Justin Huggler reports in The Independent. Read more about Palestinian's IMF pointman dispels corruption fears 

Israel today shut down two West Bank universities as two Palestinians were killed in clashes and Israeli troops sealed the homes of four Jerusalem Arabs responsible for killing 35 people, including five Americans, in bombings. In Hebron, the army closed the Islamic University and Polytechnic Institution as part of its response to the Tel Aviv bombing earlier this month in which 22 people were killed. Jamie Tarabay reports for the Associated Press. Read more about Israel closes Palestinian universities 

Belgium gave itself the right in 1993 to try cases of war crimes committed by anyone, anywhere at any time. However, legal setbacks to the “universal competence” law have blunted Belgium’s zeal to act as an international war crimes court. Last June a Belgian court appeared to kill off the case against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon when it declared that he could not be tried because he wasn’t physically present in Belgium. That obstacle now appears likely to be dismantled. Andrew Osborn reports from Brussels in The Guardian. Read more about Belgium may revive Sharon war crimes case 

I have a headache today. I’m not the only one. The woman in the apartment building in Silwan, where I was this morning also has a headache. So does her children. She told me herself. Read more about Explosions, a headache from an unlikely source