Lena Odgaard

Lena Odgaard is a Danish journalist reporting from around the Middle East, primarily on Israel and Palestine. On Twitter: @l_odgaard

Israel | Jul 31, 2013

Gay Pride Parade in Holy Jerusalem

As Jerusalem prepares for its annual gay pride parade, members of the city’s LGBT community speak of the importance of raising the rainbow flag to call for rights and show that religion and homosexuality can coexist.

Participants hold rainbow flags during the 12th annual gay pride parade in Jerusalem August 1, 2013. Some 2500 people on Thursday took part in the annual parade in Jerusalem. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTX127G3

Palestine | Jul 2, 2013

Israeli Wall Creates Limbo For Seam Zone Palestinians

Palestinians living between Israel's separation barrier and the Green Line are cut off from the rest of the West Bank and deprived of basic services.

Palestinian labourers queue next to a section of the controversial Israeli barrier as they wait to cross into Jerusalem at an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank town of Bethlehem March 18, 2013. U.S. President Barack Obama is due to make his first official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories this week, looking to improve ties after sometimes rocky relations with both sides during his first term in office. Israeli settlement expansion lies at the heart of much of the rancour between Israeli Prim

Palestine | Jun 18, 2013

Gaza Women Raise Voices Online

Female activists in Gaza have turned to social media to air their thoughts, but on-the-ground activism is still constrained by a largely male-dominated society.

A teacher shows a Palestinian schoolgirl how to use a new laptop at a United Nations school in Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip April 29, 2010. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) launched a campaign to distribute some 200,000 laptops to UNRWA students in the Gaza Strip, an UNRWA official said. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS EDUCATION) - RTR2D9BN

Palestine | Jun 7, 2013

Palestinian Cultural Scene Thrives Amid Hardships

The number of theaters in the West Bank has doubled in the past decade as the cultural scene booms under occupation.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY HOSSAM EZZEDINE
Palestinian actors perform in the play "Steal Less, Please" in the West Bank city of Ramallah on February 6, 2013. The play, based on a script by Italian playwright Dario Fo, talks about corruption. AFP PHOTO/ABBAS MOMANI (Photo credit should read ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/Getty Images)

Palestine | May 29, 2013

Hamas Official: 'Islamization' A Western Media Smear

Hamas government official Ihab al-Ghussein denies in an interview that his movement is imposing Islamic law on the Gaza Strip.

Hamas security men stand guard on the border between Gaza city and Israel to prevent any Palestinian collaborators from escaping to Israel on April 10, 2013. Hamas accused Western and Arab spy agencies of operating in the Gaza Strip and said it had a list of alleged collaborators. AFP PHOTO/MAHMUD HAMS (Photo credit should read MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images)

Palestine | May 20, 2013

Gaza Rappers Persevere Despite Hamas Ban

The liberal-Islamist divide is alive in Gaza, with Hamas keen to prevent the "Westernization" of Gaza's youth.

A Palestinian youth trains during a roller-blading lesson organized by the al-Qadesia local club at a school in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip March 27, 2013. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: SPORT SOCIETY) - RTXXZWW

Palestine | May 4, 2013

Gaza As Seen Through the Lenses Of Gaza's Cameras

The Palestine Photo-Marathon gives Gaza photographers "a chance to show how they see Palestine,” Lena Odgaard reports.

Pan Arab | Apr 11, 2013

Arab Youths Find Their Voices In International Debate Program

As young people in the Middle East learn to enjoy the newfound freedom to express themselves, a project called Young Arab Voices is training youths to articulate their opinions and debate on a competitive level.

Palestine | Apr 2, 2013

EU Trade with Israeli Settlements Undermines Palestinian Economy

NGOs are calling on the EU to stop trade relations with Israeli settlements, which undermined Palestinians' ability to create a viable economy, Lena Odgaard reports.

Palestine | Mar 28, 2013

Palestinian Christians Face Greater Restrictions This Easter

Israel has issued fewer permits to Palestinian Christians wishing to visit Jerusalem on the holiest event on the Christian calendar, Lena Odgaard writes.