26th October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Al Masara, Occupied Palestine

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Some of the protesters at the demonstration

Friday 25th October, over a hundred non-violent protesters, half of them internationals frommore than a dozen countries all over the world marked the seventh anniversary of the popular struggle of the people of Al Masara against illegal Israeli settlements, most notably the expansion of the Efrata settlement.

After activists were prevented from marching to the Al Masara land by a row of Israeli soldiers in riot gear, several speeches were given. Most notably by Hasan, the leader of the Al Masara non-violent resistance, and Rabbi Brant Rosen from a Jewish-Palestinian delegation from Chicago, highlighting the importance that fighting oppression and injustice takes in the Torah, addressing both the protesters and the soldiers.

Wrapping up this successful non-violent stand against the blatant violation of the international law taking place in the West Bank, some of the internationals and the Palestinians gathered in Hasan’s house to listen to an impassioned speech by his mother Fatima, who recounted the role of the international community in the Palestinian struggle and stressed the desire for freedom and a state that the Palestinians could call their own, rather than alms in aid money.





Must watch – DONOR OPIUM – the impact of international aid to Palestine

Video by RLFPalestine on

For twenty years now the international donor community has financially supported Palestinian institution-building, infrastructure development, the economy, public employees’ salaries, health and education, social welfare, the police, electricity production, private credit guarantees, and the bigger part of the civil society organizations with regards to democracy promotion, human rights, tolerance, women rights etc.

Peace and the establishment of a Palestinian state have been the declared goals of all the support. But actual results are the fragmentation and pacification of the Palestinian people.

This documentary film, directed by Mariam Shahin and George Azar, and funded by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, features Palestinian criticism of this externally funded “development”.









