The campaign in support of the South Hebron Hills communities started with its first nonviolent action this past Saturday.

Israel’s Council for Higher Education is slated to vote on a series of benefits for Israeli university students who serve in active military reserve duty. Approval of these benefits, which include preference in receiving scholarships and dormitories, is expected in the coming two weeks.

Settlers from the South Hebron Hills area settlement of Mitzpeh Yair attacked Palestinian farmers, a human rights worker and an Israeli activist.

At 6.30 a.m. on Sunday morning, Palestinian eyewitnesses saw two settlers set fire to the barley harvested from three dunams of land in the Munaizel area of the South Hebron Hills.

Racist! Liable to result in the death of Jews! Reprimand the South African ambassador! Reactions from Israel’s government, coalition and right-wing to the South African decision to ban labeling of products made in West Bank settlements as being made in Israel.

Sunday 20 May is the day in the Hebrew calendar in which Israel celebrates the “reunification” of Jerusalem and the Israeli occupation of the Old City in June 1967.

In a two-day spate of settler violence, two Palestinians were wounded in a Nablus-area village after clashes with settlers on Saturday, while settlers uprooted olive and fruit trees and burned the harvest from 300 dunams of barley fields in two Hebron-area villages on Saturday and Sunday.

Please join us at the AICafe on Tuesday 22 May at 8.00 p.m for Interstice: Life in the firing zone 918 – a photo documentary project about Masafer Yatta by Eduardo Soteras.

A new Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank was sworn-in Wednesday under the continuing leadership of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Please join us at the AICafe on Saturday 19 May at 8.00 p.m for Life in Palestine Before 1948 with Mohammad Al Azza Abu Yasser.