Palestine Follow

Israel is intensifying its collective punishment of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, one of the most overcrowded areas on the planet.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets of Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, last Sunday.

London The Stop the War Coalition has called an emergency demonstration in London for next Saturday, 22 July. It is demanding 'Hands off Lebanon' and 'Freedom for Palestine'.

As the Israeli siege of Gaza continued on Friday of last week, Palestinian refugee Fatima Helow contacted a friend who lives in Gaza City. He explained the situation to her. He did not want to give his name for fear of Israeli action against him

The mainstream media has failed to report the real issues behind the Israeli invasion.

"There are F-16 planes and helicopters hovering over me as I speak. There are large numbers of tanks throughout Rafah and Gaza. Fear comes with the night. The sonic booms of Israeli warplanes are terrifying the population in Gaza."

Every inhabitant of the Gaza Strip knows what it is like to be held hostage by the Israeli state. It is the daily reality for the Palestinian population in one of the most densely inhabited places on the planet.

At the heart of the tensions is disagreement over a "peace process" which is controlled by Israel and its backers in the US. The trigger for armed conflict could be a referendum set for July on the terms for peace with Israel.

The British papers greeted the recent heatwave with pictures of crowded beaches. In Gaza, one of the most crowded corners of this planet, the beach provides one of few escapes.

Israel has abandoned any pretence of being interested in peace with the Palestinian people. It is using all its force – its US-supplied tanks, weapons and fighter jets – to crush a people's resistance. Israel has inflicted decades of repression, brutality and humiliation on the Palestinian people.

‘When the twinning conference in Palestine was planned in 2005, there was not yet a date for the Palestinian election. Following a conference in Camden last September, Palestinian delegates wanted to take the twinning movement forward by hosting a conference in the West Bank. The Hamas government had not been elected.

Paradise Now, directed by Hany Abu-Assad, follows two Palestinian suicide bombers during their final days. It won the award for best foreign film at this year’s Golden Globes. In his acceptance speech, Hany said that he hoped the prize would bring "a recognition that the Palestinians deserve their liberty and equality unconditionally".