From Occupied Palestine

Freedom Summer
ADAM SHAPIRO
The Nation, 17 July 2003

Amman -- The International Solidarity Movement's second Freedom Summer has begun, and much has changed since our last: the war on Iraq, which focused all eyes on the region; the much-hyped road map; full-blown construction on what Palestinians have come to call the Apartheid Wall. Sadly, though, much remains the same: the continuing deterioration of the lives of Palestinians, with poverty and health crises in a crescendo.

Violence in Israel alters local man's life
SUSAN BROILI
Chapel Hill Herald-Sun, 27 June 2003

As he lay badly wounded for two months in an Israeli hospital, Brian Avery dreamed of coming back home to Chapel Hill.

"The biggest thing I was looking forward to was having some privacy and some peace and quiet," Avery recalled.

Murdering Solidarity
JUSTIN PODUR
ZNET, 10 May 2003

Picture this: 20 military vehicles, including an armoured personnel carrier, surround an office in broad daylight. Dozens of soldiers and police proceed to raid and loot the office, breaking equipment, stealing computers, and kidnapping the workers in the office-three unarmed women, one of whom has since been released.

ISM 2004 Noble Peace Prize nomination

To: The Norwegian Nobel Committee
Drammensveien 19
0255 Oslo Norway

Dear Committee Members,

AS a member of the House of Commons of Canada, and as the International Human Rights advocate for the New Democratic Party of Canada, it is my pleasure to nominate the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) for the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.

The contribution of the ISM to advancing the cause of peace in the Middle East, to defending human rights, and to upholding international law is without parallel. This organization's selfless efforts to promote peace and protect the lives of innocent civilians in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict clearly merit international recognition.

Israeli army sniper leaves British peace activist brain-dead
JUSTIN HUGGLER
Independent, 12 April 2003

A British peace activist was pronounced brain-dead yesterday after being shot in the head by an Israeli army sniper.

Tom Hurndall, 21, from London, was shot while trying to rescue Palestinian children from a street where they were pinned down by Israeli gunfire.

He is the third peace activist to be killed or seriously injured in the occupied territories in the past month.

Eyewitness: Israeli forces shoot and nearly kill U.S. peace activist Brian Avery in Jenin
AMY GOODMAN, TOBIAS KARLSSON, DANNY MULLER
Democracy Now!, 7 April 2003

AMY GOODMAN, DEMOCRACY NOW!: Can you tell us exactly what happened and where it happened?

TOBIAS KARLSSON, INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT: This incident took place in central Jenin on Saturday. I want to give you some brief background to put this into context. Jenin had, at this point, been under curfew for over 48 hours and there had been some disturbances in the central part of the city with the children of Jenin throwing stones and other objects at the heavily armed Israeli vehicles in which they were firing live ammunition at the children. No one had been injured within these 24 hours, but less than two weeks before, they killed two boys -- 14 and 15 years old -- under similar circumstances. We here at ISM try to be out on the streets during situations to monitor and to try to prevent the Israelis from firing on these kids. They are still considered civilians under international law, even if they are throwing stones, and it’s a violation of the law for Israelis to fire live ammunition on civilians.

US peace activist shot in Jenin
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Independent, 6 April 2003

An American peace activist who was allegedly shot in the face by Israeli troops while acting as a "human shield" in the West Bank town of Jenin was seriously ill today in an Israeli hospital, a member of the International Solidarity Movement said.

Brian Avery, 24, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, a member of the Palestinian-backed International Solidarity Movement, was shot in the face Saturday by forces in an armored personnel carrier. said Star Hawk, a fellow activist.