The last two years have been the most brutal in the entire thirty-six year history of Israel's military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip; indeed the most violent since the creation of Israel itself. The International Solidarity Movement (ISM), coordinating international volunteers, was founded as peaceful resistance to that violence. Its highly visible actions, which have included breaking the sieges in Ramallah and Bethlehem, as well as saving countless lives, have shone a spotlight on Israel's occupation. Outlawed in Israel and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the ISM has threatened the governing coalition with fears that Israeli opinion might at last be turning against them. In showing what risks Palestinians take, ISM volunteers have also tragically been targeted. the shooting of Kate Edwards, Caoimhe Butterley, Brian Avery have never been fully explained; covered up in the US and UK, and brushed aside in Israel - an unfortunate consequence of Israel's 'war on terror'. Collecting previously published news articles on the movement, giving accounts drawn from web-logs and diaries as they happened and including last writings of the murdered American Rachel Corrie and contributions from the Hurndall family, Peace Under Fire -the story of first two years of the International Solidarity Movement - reveals the real horror of life under occupation, and describes the first signs of a new wave of international solidarity.

"Of all the crimes to which Palestinians have been subjected through a century of bitter tragedy, perhaps none are more cruel than the silencing of their voices. The suffering has been most extreme, criminal, and grotesque in Gaza, where Ghada Ageel was one of the victims from childhood. This collection of essays is a poignant cry for justice, far too long delayed." -Noam Chomsky There are more than two sides to the conflict between Palestine and Israel. There are millions. Millions of lives, voices, and stories behind the enduring struggle in Israel and Palestine. Yet, the easy binary of Palestine vs. Israel on which the media so often relies for context effectively silences the lived experiences of people affected by the strife. Ghada Ageel sought leading experts-Palestinian and Israeli, academic and activist-to gather stories that humanize the historic processes of occupation, displacement, colonization, and, most controversially, apartheid. Historians, scholars and students of colonialism and Israel-Palestine studies, and anyone interested in more nuanced debate, will want to read this book. Contributors: Yasmeen Abu-Laban, Ghada Ageel, Huwaida Arraf, Abigail B. Bakan, Ramzy Baroud, Samar El-Bekai, James Cairns, Edward C. Corrigan, Susan Ferguson, Keith Hammond, Rela Mazali, Sherene Razack, Tali Shapiro, Reem Skeik, Rafeef Ziadah.