Tuesday March 20, 2007, Ktziot, Israel

Sudanese refugees in Israel

More than 320 Sudanese refugees have fled from Egypt to Israel in recent years. Over 120 refugees are detained in prisons (around 45 in the Ktziot prison), while all others live in Kibbutzim or Moshavim, restricted to the settlements' premises. Israeli NGOs appealed to the Supreme Court claiming that holding refugees in jail alongside criminal offenders is prohibited according to the UNHCR. The Court ordered the state to provide an explanation by early May as to why the refugees are imprisoned. Over the course of the past year, Israeli authorities have worked with the UNHCR to find a more humane alternative for housing these refugees, rather than simply placing them in prison cells. As a result, many live in Kibbutzim and Moshavim. Differences remain however. While supporters of the new accommodations point out that refugees are slowly becoming integrated into the kibbutz system, critics argue that those housed at the Moshavim are treated as simple laborers, and not true residents.

A Sudanese refugee in his cell in the Ktziot prison.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Saturday April 22, 2006, Jerusalem, Israel

Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem

Thousands of Orthodox Christians gather in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre during the Easter ceremony of ëHoly Fire.' The ceremony - celebrated in the same way for 11 centuries - is marked by the appearance of ësacred fire' in the two cavities on either side of the church.

A man and Orthodox Christian woman wearing a headscarf pray.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Wednesday January 25, 2006, Hebron, Israel

Palestinian Elections

A Palestinian boy stands outside a polling station in Hebron as the floor is covered with election flyers during Palestinian parliamentary elections, Wednesday Jan. 25, 2006. Amid tight security, Palestinians cast ballots in their first parliament election in a decade Wednesday, an historic vote integrating Islamic militants into Palestinian politics and determining the future of peacemaking with Israel.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Sunday July 23, 2006, North Israel, Israel

Israeli Defense Forces enter Southern Lebanon

An Israeli soldiers prayes before entering Lebanon near the village of Avivim, at the Israel-Lebanon border, July 23, 2006. Israeli forces are carrying out limited incursions a few kilometres inside southern Lebanon, mainly around the Lebannese village of Marun Al-Ram.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Monday July 30, 2007, Ktziot Prison, Israel

Sudanese Refugees in Israel

A Sudanese refugee and her daughter in their room in the women and children quarters of the refugee camp in Ktziot Prison near the Israeli-Egyptian Border, July 30, 2007. Israel is building a government refugee camp inside and outside the prison with a planned capacity of 1200 people. Israel said on Aug 19th it would turn away refugees from the war torn Darfur region of Sudan in an effort to stop the flow of Africans across Israel's southern border with Egypt. Advocates for the refugees in Israel condemned the decision, saying the Jewish people should be expected to show empathy for people fleeing persecution.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Monday July 30, 2007, South Israel, Israel

Sudanese Refugees in Israel

An Erithrean refugee who illegally crossed into Israel rests before been detained by Israeli soldiers at the border with Egypt August 18, 2007. Late Saturday Israel returned to Egypt 50 refugees who crossed the border into Israel during the weekend. In a bid to counter the influx, Israel has said that people crossing the border illegally will be sent back to Egypt. But it has also said that it would help "a small number" of asylum-seekers from Darfur.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Monday July 30, 2007, Kadesh Barnea, Israel

Sudanese Refugees in Israel

A Sudanese refugee kid next to the public sink at a private home where she and others are temporarily being housed after crossing into Israel from Egypt, Kadesh Barnea, Aug 18, 2007. Israel said on Aug 19th it would turn away refugees from the war torn Darfur region of Sudan in an effort to stop the flow of Africans across Israel's southern border with Egypt. Advocates for the refugees in Israel condemned the decision, saying the Jewish people should be expected to show empathy for people fleeing persecution.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Friday August 4, 2006, Kiryat Shmona, Israel

Hezbollah rockets cause heavy damage to Israeli homes

Itzik Harush standing in what used to be his living room which was hit by a Katyusha. Over 2000 houses, apartments and businesses in Israel have been damaged by missile and rockets fired by the Hezbollah during the past 3 weeks.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Saturday March 17, 2007, Osafiya, Israel

Sudanese refugees in Israel

More than 320 Sudanese refugees have fled from Egypt to Israel in recent years. Over 120 refugees are detained in prisons (around 45 in the Ktziot prison), while all others live in Kibbutzim or Moshavim, restricted to the settlements' premises. Israeli NGOs appealed to the Supreme Court claiming that holding refugees in jail alongside criminal offenders is prohibited according to the UNHCR. The Court ordered the state to provide an explanation by early May as to why the refugees are imprisoned. Over the course of the past year, Israeli authorities have worked with the UNHCR to find a more humane alternative for housing these refugees, rather than simply placing them in prison cells. As a result, many live in Kibbutzim and Moshavim. Differences remain however. While supporters of the new accommodations point out that refugees are slowly becoming integrated into the kibbutz system, critics argue that those housed at the Moshavim are treated as simple laborers, and not true residents.

A Sudanese child refugee sits next to her mother in the women's shelter in the Druze village of Osafiya.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Monday June 18, 2007, Erez Crossing, Israel

Erez Border Crossing

Erez Crossing is the main passage between Gaza strip and Israel. The crossing has been closed by Israel since the beginning of the clashes in Gaza between the Hamas and Fatah. Only around 300 people were given permit to pass through Israel to the West Bank. A few hundreds of Palestinians have taken shelter on the Palestinian side of the crossing wishing to escape from Gaza to the West Bank as well.

An Israeli-Arab woman waits on the Israeli side of Erez Crossing for the release of her son trying to escape from Gaza strip.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Monday August 8, 2005, Shirat Hayam, Israel

Jewish settlers begin storing Food Reserves for approaching evacuation

Shirat Hayam is one of 21 settlements in Gaza strip planned for evacuation according to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan. The residents of Shirat Hayam have started preparing for a situation of no available food or water supplies after August 15, when Gush Katif will be declared a closed army zone and any movement between settlements will be forbiden.

Israeli settler teenagers with food and water reserves in a deserted house in Shirat Hayam, part of Gush Katif settlements bloc.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Friday December 24, 2004, Bethlehem, Israel

Christmas in Bethlehem

Christian worshippers in the West Bank city of Bethlehem's Nativity church on Christmas eve, December 24, 2004. Hundreds of pilgrims and a new Palestinian leadership came to Bethlehem for Christmas as the town of Jesus's birth celebrated the festival with new hopes for peace following Yasser Arafat's death.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Tuesday March 20, 2007, Ktziot, Israel

Sudanese refugees in Israel

More than 320 Sudanese refugees have fled from Egypt to Israel in recent years. Over 120 refugees are detained in prisons (around 45 in the Ktziot prison), while all others live in Kibbutzim or Moshavim, restricted to the settlements' premises. Israeli NGOs appealed to the Supreme Court claiming that holding refugees in jail alongside criminal offenders is prohibited according to the UNHCR. The Court ordered the state to provide an explanation by early May as to why the refugees are imprisoned. Over the course of the past year, Israeli authorities have worked with the UNHCR to find a more humane alternative for housing these refugees, rather than simply placing them in prison cells. As a result, many live in Kibbutzim and Moshavim. Differences remain however. While supporters of the new accommodations point out that refugees are slowly becoming integrated into the kibbutz system, critics argue that those housed at the Moshavim are treated as simple laborers, and not true residents.

Sudanese refugees stand in the yard of their ward in the Ktziot prison.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Friday April 21, 2006, Jerusalem, Israel

Orthodox Christians commemorate Good Friday in Jerusalem

Orthodox Christians mark the solemn period of Easter by retracing the traditional path of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection and attending mass inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Ethiopian Christian worshippers pray during the Orthodox Good Friday celebration in a church adjecent to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Friday August 4, 2006, Mghar, Israel

Missile attack kills Israeli Druze

Israeli Druze women cry in the streets next to the house of Manal Azam who was killed as a rocket fired from south Lebanon by the Shiite Muslim Lebanese guerilla group Hezbollah landed in Mghar.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Friday January 7, 2005, Jerusalem, West Bank, Israel

Palestinians support Mahmoud Abbas at election rally

Palestinian supporters of presidential candidate Mahmoud Abbas getting ready for a rally in the village of Beir Naballah, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Elections to choose a successor to the late Yasser Arafat are scheduled for Jan. 9.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Friday April 6, 2007, Jerusalem, Israel

Christians participate in Good Friday procession

Christians hold crosses along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem's Old City during the Good Friday procession. Thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world descended on Jerusalem's Old City to retrace the path Jesus traditionally took to his crucifixion.

Christians hold crosses during the Good Friday procession.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Monday July 30, 2007, Ktziot Prison, Israel

Sudanese Refugees in Israel

Sudanese refugees' kids in the women and children quarters of the refugee camp in Ktziot Prison near the Israeli-Egyptian Border, July 30, 2007. Israel is building a government refugee camp inside and outside the prison with a planned capacity of 1200 people. Israel said on Aug 19th it would turn away refugees from the war torn Darfur region of Sudan in an effort to stop the flow of Africans across Israel's southern border with Egypt. Advocates for the refugees in Israel condemned the decision, saying the Jewish people should be expected to show empathy for people fleeing persecution.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Thursday June 21, 2007, North Israel, Israel

Israeli Fronts

An armored vehicle is being lowered from a trailer heading to an Israel army base on the border between Israel and Syria, Jun 21, 2007. The border was heavily fortified after Israel concurred the Golan Heights in 1967 and many army bases have been established along the border.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Monday August 8, 2005, Shirat HaYam, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories

Shirat HaYam Jewish settlement planned for evacuation

Shirat HaYam is one of 21 settlements in Gush Katif planned for evacuation during summer 2005 according to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, and its residents have started preparing for a situation of no supplies available after Aug 15. The ruined houses in Shirat HaYam used to serve as recreation houses for Egyptian officers until 1967.

Jewish settlers passing water and food supplies into a ruined house in Shirat HaYam, part of Gush Katif settlements bloc.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Sunday August 21, 2005, Katif, Israel

Evacuation of Gush Katif settlement

An Israeli settler is carried out by soldiers from the synagogue of the Gaza's settlement of Katif, 21 August 2005 during the evacuation of the place as part of the Israeli uproot of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Wednesday April 13, 2005, Bilin, West Bank, Palestinian Territories

Clashes in Bilin over Jewish settlement security barrier

Israel sought to play down differences with the United States on Tuesday after President George W. Bush told Prime Minister Ariel Sharon the Jewish state must not expand settlements in the occupied West Bank. Several demonstrators were detained and no injuries were reported during the clashes.

Palestinians hurling stones with a slingshot at Israeli border policemen during a protest that turned into clashes at the construction site of Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bil'in, near Ramallah.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Sunday April 10, 2005, Jerusalem, Israel

Israeli authorities thwart Jewish demonstrations at Western Wall

Thousands of Israeli police encircled Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday to keep Israeli ultra nationalists out of a disputed holy site and prevent protests by jittery Muslim worshippers. A dozen Israelis were arrested as their protest against a Gaza withdrawal quickly dissolved.

At the Western Wall, Judaism's most holy site, religious Jews and Israeli settlers participate in a prayer on a Sunday in Jerusalem's Old City.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Tuesday May 10, 2005, Shirat HaYam, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories

Shirat HaYam Jewish settlement planned for evacuation

The Palestinian Muassi tribe lives among the Jewish settlements of Gush Katif basing it's very poor economy on agriculture. Shirat HaYam is one of 21 settlements in Gush Katif planned for evacuation during summer 2005 according to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan,

Palestinians women student members of the Muassi tribe walking home outside the defence wall guarding Shirat HaYam, part of Gush Katif settlements bloc.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Wednesday February 1, 2006, Amona, Israel

Israeli security forces clash with settlers in Amona

Israeli Security forces and right-wing protesters clashed violently as the evacuation of the Amona settlement was completed. Soldiers and policemen razed nine structures after spending over three hours battling and emptying protestors. At least 219 people including two Knesset members and over 160 policemen were wounded in the violent clashes.

Protestors run from Israeli police on horseback.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Sunday July 23, 2006, Kiryat Shmona, Israel

Hezbollah rockets cause heavy damage to Israeli homes

Vadim Morilo examining the damage to his apartment in northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona, which was hit by a Katyusha missile. Over 2000 houses, apartments and businesses in Israel have been damaged by missile and rockets fired by the Hezbollah during the past 3 weeks.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Monday July 24, 2006, Kiryat Shmona, Israel

Israeli artillery shells Hezbollah positions in south Lebanon

An Ultra-Orthodox Jew holding a book of Torah next to an Israeli soldier aiming a mobile artillery unit in its position near the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona. Israel's offensive in Lebanon is not aimed at totally dismantling Hizbollah but rather at preventing the guerrilla group returning to the border and attacking the Jewish state, a cabinet minister said.

An Ultra-Orthodox Jew holding a Torah next to an Israeli soldier aiming a mobile artillery unit

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Friday August 4, 2006, Tarshiha, Israel

Hezbollah rocket kills three Israeli Arabs

Israeli Arabs cover with dirt the grave of Shnati Shnati, Amir Naim and Muhamed Faor, during their funeral in Ma'alot Tarshiha in northern Israel. The three Arab shepherds were killed Thursday in a Hezbollah rocket attack near Ma'alot. With eight people killed by guerrilla rockets and four soldiers killed in Lebanon, Thursday was the deadliest day for Israel in its two-front war.

Israeli Arabs cover the grave with dirt during the funeral.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Thursday November 30, 2006, Svay Rieng, Cambodia

Child healthcare in Cambodia

A child stands in a staircase leading to the pediatric ward at Svay Rieng Provincial Hospital. Child healthcare in Cambodia is considered some of the worst in all of Asia. In a nation where government hospital suffer from poor hygiene and crumbling infrastructure, birth mortality rates run as high as seven percent while nearly nine percent of children never make it to age five.

Credit: Natan Dvir / Polaris

Natan Dvir