Israel has destroyed three times as many Palestinian homes in the past 12 months as it did during the first 31 months of the Intifada, according to UNRWA. Over the four-year period up to 15 May 2004, Israel demolished or damaged beyond repair over 3,000 Palestinian homes. Of those, more than 2,000 have been in the Gaza Strip. The humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is stretching the limits of the Palestinian people as well as of humanitarian aid organizations working in the region, including UNRWA, explained Maher Nasser, the Chief of UNRWA’s Liaison Office in New York. Nasser was speaking at a 20 May 2004 briefing at the DC-based Palestine Center. Read more about Gaza Humanitarian Crisis Stretches Limits of Aid Organizations 

Although I am a Jewish American, born and raised in the United States, I am also a citizen of Israel by virtue of my father’s birth in that country. Israel’s laws automatically confer citizenship on the children of citizens regardless of their place of birth. Like all other Jewish citizens of Israel, I am required to serve in the Israeli army. On Thursday I set fire to my Israeli military deferral papers across the street from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC. This act of civil disobedience took place during a protest organized by a Jewish American peace organization against the atrocities that Israel is committing in the occupied Gaza Strip. Josh Ruebner explains why. Read more about Why I Burned My Israeli Military Papers 

“Nidal played the hero of the play who did not confess anything to the interrogators. He said that the play taught them about what to expect if they were ever arrested, and how to avoid giving up information even when manipulated. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘three of the actors are living the play in real life.’ Muhammad, who played an interrogator in the play, is lonely these days, having lost many in his circle of friends. With a forlorn air that almost suggested he only spoke to journalists because there was no one else to talk to, Muhammad said, ‘Before the arrests, there was movement in Aida, I could find people to chat with. Now, there is no one’.” Amahl Bishara and Nidal al-Azraq report on life imitating art in one West Bank refugee camp. Read more about Assume the position: a play about prison is followed by arrests 

Observing Israel’s propaganda campaign to deflect the current international spotlight away from its brutal military operation in Rafah, I am struck by the sheer scale of the lie and the blatantly premeditated campaign to cloud the issue instead of dealing transparently with the obvious and undeniable abuses. Even the hapless United States administration — whose contentedly culturally-ignorant and amoral soldiers were violating the human rights of Joe and Jane Iraqi long before the abuse in Abu Ghraib came to light — has enough of a clue when finally caught red-handed to understand that the only way out of the mess was to begin a process of prosecuting those responsible. Read more about Letter from and to America 

Fifty Israelis demonstrated for the second day at the entrance to the Gaza Strip. Following the killing of innocents in Rafah, 500 Israeli protesters blocked major streets in Tel-Aviv. Eight were arrested and three wounded by police violence. It is 00:30 in Jerusalem, and I’m back from a long day, that unexpectedly has seen this day’s most crucial land marks, at least from the Israeli side. Please excuse me if this report is somehwat confused, but I insisted on sending it ASAP to all of you in America, and many of you whom I know are still awake here. Demonstrations at Sufa checkpoints will resume tomorrow morning. On Friday a large demonstration is planned there. Read more about A black day: Jerusalem-Rafah-Tel Aviv 

It was just before midnight (Tuesday, May 18th.), when I tried to contact my friend Mohammad from the worst hit neighborhoods in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. Earlier on, during the day, I made several attempts to contact my friend, but with no success. News from Rafah started to become extremely worrying about the high number of killed Palestinians at the Tel Al-Sultan area of Rafah. The Israeli army killed fourteen people in the morning of Tuesday alone. Journalist inside the area talked over the phone about injured people in the streets bleeding to death and calling for immediate help. But, Israeli snipers prevented ambulances and private cars from reaching the dead or injured by shooting at any one who came near those lying in the middle of the street. Read more about A phone call from under siege in Rafah 

Since Rachel Corrie died in Rafah over a year ago, Rafah has held a special place in the hearts of Olympia residents who have been attempting to forge a sister city relationship with the besieged city. On May 18, the Olympia Rafah Sister City Project [ORSCP] sponsored a demonstration in support of the people in Rafah. About 35 people gathered at rush hour on Percival Landing to protest the latest destruction and show solidarity with the Palestinian people. The current deadly incursion in Rafah has hit many people here hard. Read more about Outrage in Olympia as Sister City is Attacked 

“…the Apaches are shelling us right now, many many fragments and parts of injured people everywhere in the area. I wasn’t able to identify the body of my relative who was killed. They brought him to the hospital in parts and fragments. I can’t beleive how Hani arrived like this, can’t can’t really can’t — why did they shell him with a group of children — why? — I don’t know why, God why is this?!! ” Mohammed, a student and amateur reporter in Gaza, e-mailed this account of the attack on Rafah during Friday’s attack. Read more about "...the Apaches are shelling us right now"