News stories by Jillian Kestler-DAmours, page 2

TEL AVIV, Apr 18 (IPS) - Fireworks went off over the Tel Aviv skyline this week as thousands of flag-waving Israelis marked the 65th anniversary of their country's founding. At the same time, a smaller group of Israeli activists explored the other, most often ignored, side to their country's creation: the forced displaced of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

JERUSALEM, Apr 13 (IPS) - Tent cities are being set up by Palestinians all over the West Bank to protest against Israeli settlements, building on a protest during the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama last month.

RAMALLAH, Occupied West Bank, Feb 28 (IPS) - Local food for local people. That's the idea behind Sharaka (‘partnership', in Arabic), an entirely volunteer-run, Palestinian organisation that aims to bring locally grown products directly to Palestinian dinner tables.

OCCUPIED EAST JERUSALEM, Feb 22 (IPS) - The release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in late 2011 set off scenes of jubilation throughout the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem, as families joyously welcomed their loved ones homes after months and years apart. But for many of these same families, an Israeli military order – that allows Israel to re-arrest released Palestinian prisoners based on secret evidence – has now shattered those happy reunions.

MAJDAL SHAMS, Occupied Golan Heights, Feb 07 (IPS) - After Israeli war planes reportedly bombed targets in Syrian territory last week, individuals and groups in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are quietly preparing for the possibility of escalating violence between Syria and Israel.

ISTANBUL, Feb 01 (IPS) - As negotiations in Turkey's efforts to join the European Union remain stalled, many worry that the Turkish government has little incentive to curb its ongoing crackdown on media freedoms and freedom of expression.

JERUSALEM, Jan 31 (IPS) - The Israeli army is systematically using crowd control weapons and live ammunition unlawfully against Palestinians in the West Bank, signaling a widespread breach of military regulations and an alarming culture of impunity, a leading Israeli human rights group has warned.

ISTANBUL, Jan 15 (IPS) - After over a year without accountability for a Turkish aerial bombing that killed 34 Kurdish men and boys, Turkey has come under heavy criticism for what many say is a widespread culture of impunity, especially when it comes to the treatment of its Kurdish citizens.

HEBRON, Occupied West Bank, Dic 29 (IPS) - Every day, Anas Maraka sees his family's home, but can't go inside. "It's hardest for my grandfather," said Maraka, referring to the house overlooking Shuhada Street, once the central marketplace in Hebron's old city.

BEERSHEBA, Israel, Dic 22 (IPS) - As campaign posters pop up around Israel ahead of the country's upcoming parliamentary elections, Bedouin citizens of the state are still reeling after being denied the chance to elect their own local council representatives.