“It is a reflex question for Palestinians, always posed early in the Arab greeting ritual, to ask a stranger, even another Palestinian, ‘Where are you from?’ before enquiring: ‘Where do you live?’ Few Palestinians live where they feel they belong. ” Jonathan Cook introduces us to a new generation of Saffuriyeen who are keeping their ties to the destroyed town of Saffuriyya strong and vibrant. Read more about Email from Saffuriyya: "Where are you from?" 

Israel’s military authorities have approached human rights organisations operating in the West Bank and Gaza to help with investigations into crimes committed by their troops against Palestinian civilians. Philip Jacobson reports on some unprecedented developments, due in no small part to the efforts of the family of Shaden Abu Hijleh, murdered by the IDF last fall. Read more about U.S. pressures Israel to probe crimes against Palestinians  

Oshan Abdul Aziz Shanier was shot by a single bullet to the heart and died instantly. He was 22 years old, born in a refugee camp in his own land, died in a refugee camp in his own land, killed by a soldier who is illegally in his country contravening all the relevant International Laws and Conventions. No warnings here, no mercy. No normal human decency. Shoot to kill. Anne Gwynn writes from Nablus. Read more about Children shot in Askar Refugee Camp 

“In Nablus, where the Abu Hijleh house echoes with a new emptiness, the family is determined that Shaden not become another nameless statistic. For some of her children, this means resisting the Palestinian glorification of martyrdom. For her family and friends, it means pursuing some measure of justice. That mission began minutes after the bullets flew.” The Christian Science Monitor’s Nicole Gaouette reports on one family’s attempts to challenge Israeli impunity in the international media—and at the International Criminal Court. Read more about IDF's murder of Palestinian grandmother tests Israeli justice system 

Just over an hour ago Israeli soldiers opened fire on a small group of children in Bethlehem’s Aida Refugee Camp. Kristen Ess reports. Read more about Israelis kill refugee child 

What happened last night at Balata will probably never be fully known, as witness the many decades of such attacks previously whose details are never discovered. Anne Gwynne writes from Nablus. Read more about Attack on Balata Refugee Camp 

“Hi everybody. I’m writing this personal update from the local internet joint at the Peanut Plaza, just near my mom’s place in Toronto. I was deported back to Toronto from Israel, and arrived early this morning.” Jaggi Singh writes after his deportation. Read more about Jaggi Singh: Free after deportation 

Canadian activist Jaggi Singh traveled to Palestine on December 14th to write about the realities of the Israeli occupation and participate in the activities of the International Solidarity Movement. On his arrival he was banned by an Israeli court from entering the occupied territories, an edict he defied on the grounds that it “normalized Israel’s occupation” of these lands. On January 8th, while arriving for a pre-arranged meeting with a friend in West Jerusalem, Singh was bundled into a car by three Israelis in plain clothes. Nigel Parry reports. Read more about Israeli security forces kidnap Jaggi Singh