[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Palestine and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Palestine Page co-editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each roundup to Palestine@jadaliyya.com.]
The Occupation Forces
Israel Bans 9 Palestinian Women From Al-Aqsa
On the evening of 16 Augusth, Israeli authorities released nine of ten women who were detained at checkpoints around al-Aqsa, under the condition that they were banned from the mosque for over two weeks. Lawyer Khalid Zabarqa explained that the women had not broken laws, but were detained for being in the location when Israeli settlers stormed the compound.
Israeli Forces Injure Norwegian Activist in Kafr Qaddum March
Israeli forces shot a Norwegian female activist in the stomach with a rubber-coated steel bullet and injured her on Saturday as they attempted to suppress the weekly and peaceful anti-settlement march in the Kafr Qaddum village in the northern occupied West Bank district of Qalqiliya. Her identity remains anonymous and her condition remains unknown.
IOF Killed Palestinian And Close Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem
Israeli Occupation Forces shot and killed Ahmad Mahameed on Friday, claiming that he was carrying out a stabbing attack. Following the killing of Mahameed, the commander of the Jerusalem District, Yoram Halevy, closed the compound. Demonstrations coalesced around al-Aqsa, with worshippers saying their protest will end when the mosque reopens.
Israeli Navy Opens Fire at Gaza Flotilla
Israeli naval forces opened fire at forty Gaza flotilla boats that set sail on Saturday from the besieged Gaza Strip port in an attempt to break the maritime blockade imposed by Israel. According to local sources, Israeli naval forces opened fire a while after five boats of the Gaza flotilla set sail towards the northern borders of Gaza to break the nearly twelve-year siege. No injuries were reported.
Domestic Politics
In Detaining Peter Beinart, Israel Has Declared It No Longer Represents Millions of Jews Overseas
The latest victim of Israel’s political profiling is Peter Beinart, a prominent American-Jewish commentator who is critical of Israel’s discriminatory policies. With more and more polls suggesting that a gap is widening between Israel and many Jewish people abroad that it claims to speak for, this seems to be one of many actions that make it clear Israel does not represent millions of Jewish people overseas or who may be critical of it.
Hamas: End to Israel's Gaza blockade 'around the corner'
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said an end to Israel's decade-long blockade of Gaza was "around the corner" as talk of a possible truce deal intensifies. Indirect discussions sponsored by Egypt and the United Nations have led to negotiations that may lead to the easing of the blockade, but not necessarily its complete end.
Fatah: We Will Reject Any Truce in Gaza Agreed Without Us
Member of PLO’s Executive Committee and Fatah’s Central Council Azzam al-Ahmad said yesterday that his movement will reject any truce in Gaza if it was not part of the negotiations, Shehab reported. Speaking to the BBC, al-Ahmad said that the PLO and Fatah’s conditions to accept any truce is accepting a PLO delegation chosen and dispatched by the body, Fatah and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Its demand to head the delegation was rejected by other factions.
Foreign Policy
UN Chief Proposes Armed Peacekeeping Force to Protect Palestinians in Gaza
United Nation Secretary-General Antonio Guterres published a special report on Friday detailing possible steps to protect Palestinian protestors. Guterres' propositions follow a General Assembly resolution in June condemning violence in the Strip, but any application seems less likely following recent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
Fury Over Trump Aid Cuts in Gaza
UNRWA, a key provider of education and healthcare to Palestine’s refugees, is undergoing a crisis. A three hundred million dollars cut in US aid to the agency this year has placed many of its activities in jeopardy. Since the job cuts were announced, new evidence has surfaced about how senior figures in Washington wish to damage UNRWA.
Settlers and Illegal Settlements
Israeli Settlers Attack Residents of Hebron City
On 16 Augusth, Israeli settlers stormed al-Shuhada Street and broke into the home of Ishaq Ramadan, attacking his daughters. Palestinians living on the same street have had their doors welded shut, with Israeli settlers open carrying on the same streets Palestinians are forbidden from walking or driving on.
Settlers Uproot Dozens of Olive Groves and Trees West of Ramallah
Settlers uprooted dozens of olive trees and destroyed long-standing trees in the village of Ras Karkar, west of Ramallah. Roughly seventy trees were destroyed, with racist epithets spray-painted on the community’s well.
Israel Approves New Settlement Units Near Bethlehem
Activist Hassan Breijieh said, on Monday, that Israeli settlers of Efrat rejected a plan, previously approved by the Israeli Civil Administration's Higher Planning Council, to construct forty new housing units in the settlement and demanded the construction of one hundred six units; their demand has been approved by the council.
US Envoy to Israel: ‘No need’ to Evacuate Illegal Settlements
US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, told Tel Aviv on Wednesday that there is “no need” to evacuate its illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Friedman has a long history of support for Israel’s illegal settlement movement. In May it was revealed that Friedman was president of pro-settler organization Friends of Beit El Yeshiva when it donated ninety-three thousand dollars to Komemiut.
For One Day, The Villagers of Ein Samia Beat Israel's Most Radical Settlers
Last Wednesday, dozens of Israelis, Palestinians, and international activists joined the local activists for a solidarity visit to the grazing land, which belongs to Palestinians, but is located between two settlement outposts. The hilltop youth, among the most violent settler factions, have been attacking the Palestinian shepherds. But the solidarity march allowed Palestinians to visit land that had been confiscated in the 1970s, an area from which settlements have exponentially expanded.
Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions Movement
More Than 80 UK Prominent Groups Refuse Definition of anti-Semitism
More than eighty prominent organizations from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities in the United Kingdom (UK) rejected the definition of anti-Semitism that is being considered by the Labour Party, saying it "suppresses discussion of the 'colonial history' of Palestine." The letter also says that "this is a dangerous breach of our own rights, and of the wider British public: we must all hear the full story of the Palestinians in order to make sense of the current discussions about racism and Israel."
Following Backlash, Lana Del Rey Says Will 'Visit Palestine Too' on Israel Trip
After criticism from BDS advocates for her decision to perform at the Meteor Festival in Israel, Lana Del Rey argued that her decision “is not a political statement” and said that she would “be visiting Palestine too.” She argued that crossing the BDS picket line “is not a commitment to politics [in Israel]” and that she wanted “peace for both Israel and Palestine,” and further alluded to the possibility that her performance would lead to peace in the region.
BDS Victory as South Africa Band Cancels Concert in Israel
Palestinian solidarity groups in South Africa have welcomed the decision by music duo Black Motion not to perform in Israel. The pair were due to take part in the Meteor Festival from 6 – 8 September but have “e-mailed the festival’s organizers and stated that they do not want their clients to perform and want to be excluded from the line-up”.
Israel Court Rejects Petition to Reveal Identity of Lawyers Fighting BDS
An Israeli court has rejected a petition by human rights activists who sought to force the state to reveal the names of lawyers helping to fight Palestine solidarity activism worldwide. According to the report in Israel Hayom, the Jerusalem District Court accepted the state’s argument that to disclose such details “could seriously undermine Israel’s foreign relations” and ordered the petitioners to pay the state almost one thousand dollars in court costs.
Law
Israel Sentences Ahed Tamimi's Brother to 14 Months in Prison for Throwing Stones at Border Police
Waed Tamimi, the twenty-one-year-old brother of the high-profile former Palestinian prisoner Ahed Tamimi, was sentenced to fourteen months in prison on Monday for throwing stones at Israeli border police in an incident last year and another one the year before. Waed Tamimi has been in detention since May and was given a nineteen hundred dollars fine in addition to the sentence.
Khan Al-Ahmar Not Illegal, Lawyer Evidence Shows
The evidence consisted of a map dating from 1942, during the British Mandate era, which showed that Khan al-Ahmar is in an area called the Judean Desert Zone. Jabareen explained that “In this area, the law says that you are not [prohibited] from building tents and it is still valid today.” This means that even under Israel’s own law, Khan al-Ahmar is not located in an agricultural zone declared as “state land.” Therefore, the issuing of building permits may not even be needed for the construction of tends under the Israeli legal system.
One of Palestine's Most Popular Journalists Is In Jail For Incitement
Israeli forces arrested Ali Dar Ali, one of the most renowned Palestinian journalists in the West Bank, at his home near Ramallah last week, for incitement to violence. It seems that the prosecution is arguing that Ali’s reposting of a poster and song is what is “incitement,” but the fact that they have mentioned his 245,000 followers base several times may indicate that they are targeting him because of his wide appeal and reach.
Netanyahu Questioned in Corruption Probe, Again
Israeli police last week questioned Netanyahu over what local media said was a case involving the country’s largest telecoms firm, one of three corruption probes in which he has been named as a suspect. The authorities allege Netanyahu awarded regulatory favors to Bezeq Telecom Israel in return for positive coverage of him and his wife on a news website owned by the company. Despite a center-left coalition rallying against Netanyahu and the suggested corruption, polls suggest strong support for his re-election.
Economy and Development
PCBS: Unemployment of Young Graduates Now Exceeds 55%
On International Youth Day, The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) has issued a press release illustrating the serious economic and social challenges that young Palestinians face daily. The unemployment rate among individuals who are fifteen to twenty-nine years old has risen ton 41.0 percent in 2017 (33.7 percent among males and 66.7 percent among females) compared with 30.5 percent in 2007 (29.4 percent male and 35.6 percent female).
Israel Is Making It Impossible For Foreign Nationals To Live In The West Bank
The granting of tourist visas instead of work visas has allowed the Civil Administration to prevent “foreign nationals” (many of whom are Palestinian but were prohibited from returning to the West Bank for a period) from staying and contributing to a Palestinian economy. This policy has also resulted in many being subject to deportation from the communities in which they have lived for many years.