On Saturday January 3rd, Israeli troops entered the Gaza Strip with the stated goal of destroying the elected government in Gaza, Hamas, and the suspected goal of helping two senior Israeli politicians in upcoming elections (see [1] | [2] | [3]). The ground assault came after eight days of air strikes, which were launched in response to small scale rockets that killed four Israelis. At writing, at least 660 Palestinians have been killed and 3000 injured, an estimated 50 percent of which are civilians. Reports: IMEMC.org | Cyprus Indymedia | Indybay

Resistance and solidarity continues to grow in Israel and the West Bank ([1] | [2]), despite serious repression. Three demonstrators in the West Bank have been killed and hundreds in Israel have been jailed for protesting the killing spree. In Gaza, seven medics killed by Israeli forces, five since the ground invasion began.

As the troops were amassing, protests were taking place in hundreds of cities across the globe calling for Israel to cease aggressions, and have continued to grow since. At least 700,000 people have rallied and marched on embassies and politicians' offices around the world, calling for international intervention and decrying silence as complicity. In Norway, over 7,000 people have joined Socialist Left Party's Facebook call for expelling the Israeli ambassador. On Wednesday in Toronto, a group of Jewish women occupied the Israeli Consulate until police removed them by force (Audio Report Here). In the United States, a nation-wide demonstration has been called for Saturday, January 10. Internationally, a growing network of organizations is calling for coordinated boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel and Israeli corporations ([1] | [2]). Roundups of Protest Coverage: Aotearoa: Jan4 and Dec30 | Australia: Jan4 and Dec29-31 | Ireland | United Kingdom | United States: Dec31 and Jan4 | | | IMEMC.org | endtheoccupation.org | tadamon.ca