[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
IOF Destroy Irrigation System of Palestinian Farm For The Fourth Time Israeli Occupation Forces on Thursday 18 July stormed Al Baqa’a village, east of Hebron, and destroyed an irrigation system that carries water to two agricultural fields, growing around ten thousand tomato plants each. This land has been farmed by the Jaber family for generations.
Israeli Police Summon Four Year Old Palestinian Child For Investigation In an unprecedented move, the Israeli Occupation police on Monday summoned a four-year-old Palestinian child for investigation, under the pretext of “throwing a stone at Israeli soldiers.
39 Demonstrators Shot With Live Ammunition, One Killed, on Gaza’s 68th Friday March At least thirty children, three women and a paramedic were among those injured this Friday, 26 July 2019. Thirty-nine civilians were shot with live bullets and four of them sustained moderate to serious wounds. The Palestinian Health Ministry stated that Ahmad Mohammad al-Qarra died from serious wounds after Israeli soldiers shot him during the Great Return March processions.
Israeli Police Deny Summoning 4-year-old Palestinian Boy For Questioning After Social Media Uproar According to local media, the boy’s summons was “cancelled” upon arrival to the police station, and his father was taken into holding for interrogation instead. Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld tweeted a response to the incident, calling it “fake news.”
Domestic Policy
President Abbas: A Committee Will Examine How to Cease Cooperation With Israel President Abbas said at Palestinian leadership meeting held in Ramallah following Israel’s demolition of ten Palestinian buildings in Sur Baher neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem that the leadership decided to stop the agreements signed with Israel and the formation of a committee to implement this decision.
President Abbas Must Take Practical Measures Concerning Suspension of All Deals with Israel: Hamas Say A senior Hamas movement official says the recent decision made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to suspend all agreements signed with the Israeli regime needs practical steps.
Israel's Arab Parties Join Forces to Make Gains in Upcoming Polls Israel's four Arab political parties have formally announced a decision to join forces in September's election, in a move aimed at boosting turnout among the minority that comprises a fifth of the country's population.
Hamas Leaders Meet PA PM in Turkey In an interview with the local Palestinian news agency PalSawa, Al-Hayya said that the Hamas delegation sat with the Palestinian Authority’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh in a meeting “far away from the official positions”. The Hamas leader said that his movement’s delegation presented their vision for a Palestinian reconciliation.
Israel Right-Wing Unites For Election, Ultra-Nationalist Factions Announce Merger The New Right (Hayemin Hehadash) party and the Union of Right Wing Parties (URWP) have announced the formation of a technical bloc to contest Israel’s September election, while the ultra-nationalist Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Home) party will merge with a newly-formed extremist party, Noam. The remaining positions will be declared this week, with the deadline for announcing party slates set for Thursday.
Foreign Policy
US Blocks Attempt to Condemn Demolition of Palestinian Houses at UN The draft statement, circulated by Kuwait, Indonesia and South Africa to the fifteen-member council, expressed “grave concern” and warned that the demolition “undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for just and lasting peace,” as quoted in a Reuters report. According to Reuters, diplomats said that the US told its counterparts in the UNSC that it could not support the draft text.
Bernie Sanders Says He’d “absolutely” Use Foreign Aid As Leverage Against Israel’s Government In an interview on July 26, Vermont Senator and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders said he would “absolutely” consider cutting military aid to Israel as leverage to change their government’s actions. He also reiterated that he did not consider himself “anti-Israel” and that “Our policy cannot just be pro-Israel, pro-Israel, pro-Israel. It has got to be pro-region, working with all of the people.”
Premier at Socialist International Conference in Ramallah: US Administration Is Stupid Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh described, during the annual conference of Socialist International hosted this year by the State of Palestine, the administration of US President Donald Trump as "stupid" stressing that Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is not a partner in peace.
Ex-Israel PM Ehud Olmert Cancels Switzerland Trip Over War Crimes Arrest Threat Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert cancelled a planned trip to Switzerland after being told he could be arrested over war crimes charges for crimes committed during the “Operation Cast Lead” invasion of Gaza in 2008-09, Israeli media reported yesterday.
Settlers and Illegal Settlements
Israeli Settlers Chop Scores of Olive Trees For Palestinian Farmers in North of West Bank Israeli settlers chopped eighty olive trees for Palestinian farmers in the village of Yasouf, east of the northern West Bank city of Salfit, today reported Yasouf mayor, Khaled Abbieh. He told WAFA that the land where the trees were cut down is located near the illegal Israeli settlement of Rahalim and it is owned by two brothers who are residents of the village.
Israeli Forces Seal Off Hebron-district Road Coordinator of the Anti-Wall and Anti-Settlement Committees in southern Hebron Rateb al-Jabour told WAFA that Israeli forces provided protection to a military bulldozer as it proceeded to sealed off the road connecting Shaab al-Butum to Ma’in village, located to the south of Yatta city, with earth mounds.
Jerusalem's Historic Hotel to Be Shut Down by Jewish Settlers This Al-Jazeera video interview covers two hotels in the Christian quarter of the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem that are to be taken over by a group of Jewish settlers. It is a part of their long-term plan to change the centuries-old religious and ethnic make-up of the area, which brings to an end a fourteen-year-long legal battle.
Israel Prepares $14m Plan to Help Foreign Embassies Move to Jerusalem Israel’s Foreign Ministry is preparing a plan worth fifty million shekels to help countries move their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Israel Hayom reported yesterday. It is set to be presented to the cabinet for a vote in the coming weeks.
Boycott, Divest, and Sanction Movement
AOC is Now Cosponsoring Ilhan Omar’s Boycott Bill A resolution affirming that Americans have the right to participate in the boycott of foreign countries has four new cosponsors, including New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In addition to Ocasio-Cortez signing onto the legislation, the bill also obtained backing from Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), and Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA). The bill now has fourteen cosponsors.
In Victory For Activists, Vancouver City Council Votes Against Adopting IHRA Antisemitism Definition At the end of June, the federal government of Canada endorsed the IHRA definition, which condemns criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism. The Vancouver City Council then attempted to pass a similar decision, but a popular campaign was immediately launched to defend criticism of Israel. This campaign, which involved a coalition of Palestinian, Jewish, and allied groups, was successful in pressuring the Council to vote against the resolution.
Settlement Wines Not “Made in Israel,” Canadian Court Rules In a landmark defeat for Israel, the Federal Court of Canada ruled on Monday that wines produced in settlements on occupied Palestinian land in violation of international law cannot be labeled “Made in Israel.” In an affirmation of the right of citizens to engage in boycotts, the court found that people who wish to express their political views through their purchasing decisions “have to be provided with accurate information as to the source of the products in question.”
Law
Calls for Palestinian Children in Prison to Have Phone Access According to human rights group B’Tselem, more than two hundred Palestinian children are currently held in Israeli jails, with roughly half facing charges of stone throwing. Many are not allowed to have contact with their families, or to see a lawyer. Now, the Israeli human rights group, HaMoked, is petitioning the courts for that to change.
Israeli Conscientious Objector Sentenced to 20 Days in Military Prison An Israel Defense Forces disciplinary body sentenced eighteen-year-old Israeli conscientious objector Maya Brand-Feigenbaum to twenty days in military prison on Tuesday over her refusal to serve in the military. Brand-Feigenbaum published a statement which frames her decision as one against the occupation, stating that the occupation “compromises the security of the State of Israel.”
Environment, Economy, and Other
First Batch of Gaza Pilgrims Leave for Saudi Arabia Diab al-Louh, Palestine’s ambassador to Egypt, said 795 pilgrims who left Gaza yesterday are the first in nine groups comprising 2,900 pilgrims in total heading to Mecca in Saudi Arabia for Hajj. He said eleven international flights from Cairo during the coming four days are allocated for the next batches of Gaza pilgrims leaving for Saudi Arabia.
Gaza’s Universities: Severe Financial Crisis Threatens Continuity of Work On the sidelines of a meeting of officials of three universities (Islamic University, Al-Azhar University – Gaza, University College of Applied Sciences) with journalists, the academics and university administrators attributed the financial crisis to the decrease in students’ enrolment rate, by up to thirty per cent at present.
Israel Takes $141m in Confiscated Palestinian Taxes Israel’s electricity company has been approved by the Finance Ministry to collect half a billion shekels from Palestinian tax money collected by Israel, a Hebrew economic newspaper reported on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reports. The Israeli Knesset passed the “Freeze of Palestinian Funds” Law in April 2018, and the Israeli government began to implement it in February 2019 after it was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers for Security and Political Affairs.
The EU Provides €14.9 Million to East Jerusalem Hospitals The EU has contributed 14.9 million euro to the Palestinian Authority payment of medical referrals to East Jerusalem Hospitals. This contribution is funded by the EU, the Government of Italy, and the Government of Finland. This contribution supports East Jerusalem Hospitals in maintaining critical medical services to Palestinians.