News Highlights: Israel will release 199 Palestinian prisoners on August 25 as a “goodwill gesture” to Mahmoud Abbas, including two long-serving political detainees. Palestinian officials note, however, that just since the Annapolis conference last year, Israel has arrested over 4 times the number of prisoners it has released. Patients continue to die in Gaza due …

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News Highlights: Palestinians plan state funeral for Mahmoud Darwish, the famous Palestinian poet who passed away on August 9th, 2008 following heart surgery. Israeli military raids the West Bank village of Yabad, near Jenin, and stops work on water reservoirs; the village is currently not connected to either the water or electricity networks and suffers …

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News Highlights: International activists are crossing from Cyprus to Gaza in two vessels to try and break the Israeli blockade. Nilin villagers bury 17-year-old Palestinian killed by Israeli troops, but funeral is attacked by Palestinian Authority security in Ramallah for displaying Hamas flags. Israel transfers 88 Fateh supporters to Jericho, after they fled clashes with …

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News Highlights: 10-year-old Palestinian boy shot dead near Nilin, as protests continue against the apartheid wall that will take 2500 dunums of village land; Israeli authorities are deporting 23-year-old Canadian human rights volunteer who was assisting the Nilin villagers. Palestinian officials say upcoming talks in Washington are the last chance for peace negotiations to succeed. …

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News Highlights: Israeli soldier that was filmed shooting a bound and blindfolded Palestinian was released from police detention, because he said his commander told him 3 times to “shoot him”. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warns he will withdraw PA security forces from cities in the occupied West Bank unless the Israeli military halts their raids. …

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News Highlights: Palestinian toddler dies in Gaza Strip after being barred from transfer to a more specialized hospital elsewhere; the 19-month-old baby is the 204th Palestinian patient to die because of the ongoing Israeli closure. Israeli military forces continue their campaign against institutions in Nablus. Palestinian officials say they may suspend negotiations with Israel due …

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News Highlights: Israeli army invades Nablus, and shuts down several charitable institutions and confiscates their properties. Israeli forces also raid a popular shopping mall in Nablus, but local shoppers defy the two year closure. July 5th – Israeli army invades the village of Nilin near Ramallah, ordering a complete curfew and closing off all roads. …

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News Highlights: Red Cross official says that the Israeli siege on Gaza is having a devastating impact on all aspects of daily life and commerce. Palestinian prize-winning journalist Mohammed Omer is strip-searched and assaulted by Israeli security officials as a border crossing. A proposed amendment to an Israeli law will deny Palestinians the right to …

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News Highlights: The first violation of the Gaza ceasefire occurs when Israeli troops wound a 68-year-old Palestinian farmer in northern Gaza on June 23rd, 2008. Gaza truce remains shaky, as Israeli troops kill 2 Palestinians in the West Bank and Palestinian resistance fighters in Gaza respond by sending rockets into Israel. International donors to the …

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News Highlights: Israel announces it will build more settlement housing units in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank; this brings to nearly 8000 the number of new settlement units approved for construction since the Annapolis talks last November. Israel and Hamas agree to a six-month truce, to start on June 19, brokered by Egypt; …

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