IMEU Institute for Middle East Understanding
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Jerusalem, Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza Strip attended prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque on the second Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, despite widespread measures taken by Israel against Palestinian freedom of movement across the occupied territory.
on June 17, 2016
A group of Palestinians deported to the Gaza Strip following the 2002 siege on the Nativity Church in Bethlehem rallied outside UN offices on Tuesday, commemorating their 15th year in exile as they urged the international organization to help them return to their homes in Bethlehem.
on May 10, 2016
As an American of Palestinian Christian origin, I urge the United Methodist Church to heed the Palestinian Christian Kairos call for divestment from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation. The Kairos call is certainly one of defiance, but it is also, in its own words, truly a message of “faith, hope, and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering.” It is based on a simple premise: Righteous people ought not to profit from unjust practices inflicted upon their fellow human beings.
on May 9, 2016
Kneeling at the back of the Ibrahimi Mosque, Hosni Issa al-Rajabeh called out to his son across the floor. "Go back a little. Right. That's it. That's exactly where I was praying," he said, gesturing to the spot where his son Ayoub stood, a few metres in front of the pulpit. "And from there, I crawled forward to check on the imam."
on February 26, 2016
Jewish-American activists with the peace organization CODEPINK protested at Israel’s Western Wall (also known as the Kotel or Wailing Wall) on Tuesday morning. They unfurled a banner that read “American Jews support BDS,” referring to Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, a peaceful global human rights movement called for by Palestinian civil society that seeks to use nonviolent economic means to pressure the Israeli government to end its illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories,
on November 10, 2015
Fact Sheets
Over the past decade, the messianic Temple Mount movement has grown rapidly, gravitating from the margins of Israeli society to the mainstream. The IMEU offers the following fact sheet providing an overview of Israeli government support for the extremist Temple Mount movement, whose provocations in occupied East Jerusalem are one of the main causes of the current crisis in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.
on November 4, 2015
The leadership of three major U.S. churches took on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict last week, voting on resolutions to support the pro-Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanction movement. The United Church of Christ — with nearly 1 million members — passed the resolution, while the Episcopal Church rejected it and the Mennonite Church U.S.A. delayed its vote until 2017, according to The New York Times.
on July 8, 2015
Israeli forces deployed heavily at the 300 Checkpoint in Bethlehem on Friday as restrictions announced during the week were imposed on Palestinian worshipers. A Ma'an reporter said Israeli forces prevented men under 50 and women under 30 from entering Jerusalem, while children under 12 and girls under 16 were allowed to enter.
on July 3, 2015
Israeli authorities set new restrictions Tuesday on Palestinians allowed to enter Jerusalem during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan after attacks targeting Israeli military and settlers. The new restrictions now require a permit for women aged between 16 and 30 to enter Jerusalem on Fridays. The same applies for men aged 30-50, while those under the age of 12 and over 50 can enter without a permit.
on July 1, 2015