Bil'in

Yossi Gurvitz. (Ilya Melnikov)

Breaking the wall of denial: In memory of Yossi Gurvitz

Gurvitz revolutionized activist-journalism in Israel, blazing a path for many of us to challenge the mainstream discourse and speak out about the occupation.

By Noam Sheizaf February 21, 2023

Israeli left-wing activist Jonathan Pollak is led to the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court for a hearing, January 30, 2020. (Oren Ziv)

Israeli activist persecuted by far-right group marks one month in custody

Israel has been holding Jonathan Pollak in custody since the beginning of January, after an extreme-right group filed a suit against him for protesting in the West Bank.

By Oren Ziv February 4, 2020

Israeli activist Jonathan Pollak at the Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court, arrested as part of an unprecedented private suit by Israeli right-wing group Ad Kan, Jan. 15, 2020. (Oren Ziv)

As a Palestinian rights defender, I’m proud to stand with Jonathan Pollak

The Israeli military court where I stood trial for false charges, and the civil court where my friend faces his, are part of the same unjust system.

By Mohammed Khatib January 15, 2020

Latest

Abdullah Abu Rahmah being arrested by Border Police in Bil'in, May 13, 2016

Palestinian activist sent to prison for ‎riding a bike in his village

An Israeli military court sentenced Abdullah Abu Rahma, a recognized human rights defender, to 110 days in prison for riding a bicycle during a protest against the occupation two years ago. An Israeli military court sentenced renowned Palestinian activist Abdullah Abu Rahma to four months in prison on Wednesday, for two charges stemming from a bicycle race to mark Nakba Day…

By Oren Ziv November 14, 2018

Subhiyeh Abu Rahmeh cries near the memorial monument for her son, Bassem, who in a 2009 protest was shot and killed with a high-velocity tear gas canister fired by an Israeli soldier, Bil'in, West Bank, October 4, 2013. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

No justice for Bil’in Palestinian activist shot dead by Israeli soldier

Nearly a decade after an Israeli soldier killed Bassem Abu Rahmeh while he was nonviolently protesting in Bil’in, Israel’s High Court decides once and for all that his killer will never see the inside of a courtroom. More than nine years after an Israeli soldier killed Palestinian activist Bassem Abu Rahmeh at a protest in…

By Henriette Chacar September 18, 2018

Border police officer stands in front of Palestinian as they wait to cross from Qalandiya checkpoint outside Ramallah, West Bank, into Jerusalem to attend the Ramadan Friday Prayer in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, July 26, 2013. Photo by: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org

‘The law is what keeps the edifice of occupation from crashing down’

Michael Sfard has spent the past two decades fighting the occupation in Israeli courts. His new book dissects the moral dilemmas of engaging with the occupation’s legal system, its role in making the status quo sustainable, and why, despite it all, he remains optimistic that Israel’s military rule over the Palestinians will end. By Yossi Gurvitz “The…

By +972 Magazine June 22, 2018

Hundreds mark 13 years of protests against the wall in Bil’in

The village that managed to unite the world behind the spirit of nonviolent Palestinian protest marks more than a decade of not only tear gas, night raids and tragedy, but also co-resistance and victories in the struggle against settlements, the separation barrier and the occupation. By Oren Ziv/Activestills.org Some 500 demonstrators marked 13 years of struggle…

By Activestills March 2, 2018

Palestinian youths climb the Israeli separation barrier in Bil’in, February 17, 2017. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

12 years strong: Hundreds march against Israel’s wall in Bil’in

Perhaps finally learning the value of nonviolence from the villagers, the Israeli army did not disperse the weekly protest on Friday. Youth manage to pry open gate in the wall. Some 300 people — Palestinians, Israelis and internationals — took part in a protest march Friday from the West Bank village of Bil’in to Israel’s separation…

By Haggai Matar February 17, 2017

Photography as protest in Palestine/Israel

‘There is a lot of criticism over the way photojournalism perpetuates social gaps. Activestills came as a response to that. They are part of the struggles they were documenting. The work they produce is intended for communities to use to promote their own struggles.’

By Edo Konrad January 4, 2017

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks before the UN General Assembly (Kobi Gideon, GPO)

Netanyahu at the UN: Frozen bodies, blatant lies, and imaginary children

Netanyahu didn’t need the Mufti or a bomb diagram at this year’s UN General Assembly. Just a few kind words about a Palestinian victim of Jewish terror, branding Israel as an economic powerhouse, and kissing up to the Americans. 1. Stealing the president’s lines “Ahmed was the victim of a horrible terrorist act perpetrated by Jews……

By Samah Salaime September 24, 2016

IN PICTURES: Israel clamps down on Nakba Day ‘return race’

Abdullah Abu Rahmah, one of the leaders of the 11-years-old Bil’in protests against the separation wall, has been arrested after confronting Border Police over the dispersal of the cycling event. Text and pictures by Oren Ziv Abduallah Abu Rahmah, one of the leaders of the Bil’in protest movements, was arrested on Friday during a bicycle…

By Activestills May 14, 2016

Israeli soldier Elor Azaria, who has been charged with manslaughter for shooting an incapacitated Palestinian stabbing suspect in Hebron, is seen in a military court, March 29, 2016. (Pool photo/AFP)

Hebron shooter’s indictment is an exception that proves the rule

When Sgt. Elor Azaria was caught on camera finishing off a wounded Palestinian knifeman and indicted for manslaughter, the IDF said rogue soldiers would always be brought to justice. The case of Bassem Abu Rahme, an unarmed protester who was fatally shot by an unknown soldier in 2009, shows that when given an opportunity to…

By +972 Magazine April 25, 2016

Palestinians, Israelis and internationals march through the West Bank village of Bil’in, protesting Israel’s expropriation of village land with the separation barrier, February 19, 2016. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

WATCH: Palestinians mark 11 years of struggle against the wall

The West Bank village of Bil’in, along with supporters from Israel and abroad, march on the separation wall that has illegally annexed their agricultural lands. Bil’in has become a symbol of Palestinian non-violent resistance. By Oren Ziv/Activestills.org Hundreds of people — Palestinians, Israelis, and foreigners — took part in a march Friday to mark 11…

By Activestills February 19, 2016