[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
Gaza: Occupation Releases The Body of Teen Martyr, Imad Shahin Israeli Occupation authorities today released the body of the martyr Imad Shahin, seventeen, from Gaza, who was martyred on November 3, 2018, the Prisoners and Ex-prisoners’ Affairs Committee said on Wednesday. The Israeli authorities released the body of Shaheen from Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip through the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing.
IOF Kill Palestinian in Tulkaram North of West Bank Israeli Occupation Forces shot dead a man near a military barrier, south of Tulkaram, in the occupied West Bank on Friday evening over an alleged stabbing attack. The identity of the man has not been identified yet. Israeli news has reported that the occupation forces shot the man because he was carrying a knife.
British Forensic Researchers Challenge Israeli Army Denial Over Shooting of Child With Live Fire Nine-year-old Abd el-Rahman Yasir Shatawi, was shot in the head on July 12 while sitting outside his friend’s house during a protest in the West Bank village of Kafr Qaddum. Despite eye-witness accounts, medical reports and investigations all saying that Abd was shot with live ammunition, the Israeli army has continued to insist that soldiers did not use live fire that day. This has been challenged most recently by London-based research group Forensic Architecture, which carried out an investigation into the incident at the request of ISM.
Rights Group: Record Number of Home Demolitions in East Jerusalem Israeli authorities have demolished at least one hundred forty Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem this year, an Israeli rights group has said, the highest annual number since it began keeping records in 2004. The uptick also comes amid a major increase in Jewish settlement activity both in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank since US President Donald Trump took office.
Israeli Soldiers Injure Palestinian Farmer While Working in His Land in Gaza Israeli soldiers shot and injured a Palestinian farmer today while working in his land east of Jabalya in the north of the Gaza Strip, according to medical sources. They said the man was moderately injured when soldiers stationed on the border fence with Gaza opened fire at him for no apparent reason.
Israeli Navy Attacks Palestinian Fishermen in Gaza Israeli naval forces today attacked Palestinian fishing boats offshore al-Sudaniya, northwest of Gaza city, according to a WAFA correspondent. He said that the Israeli navy opened gunfire and shot water hoses towards fishing boats sailing within three nautical miles offshore, causing material damages.
Domestic Policy
Israel's Netanyahu Gives Up Effort to Form New Government Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced he is giving up his effort to form a new government after failing to form a coalition following an inconclusive parliamentary election last month. Following Netanyahu's announcement, Rivlin said he will now hold consultations with the various political parties to tell them he intends to task Gantz with the job of putting together a new government.
Palestinian Authority Blocks Dozens of Websites Critical of Abbas Government The Palestinian Authority has blocked access to dozens of news websites and social media accounts in the occupied West Bank in its ongoing crackdown of opposition voices and those critical of Mahmoud Abbas’ presidency. The decision was reportedly made last Thursday by a magistrate court in Ramallah, but only came to light this week when Palestinians protested the move in the streets and on social media.
Israel to Decrease Electricity Supplies to Palestinians Jerusalem District Electricity Company has received the first warning ahead of the second phase of electricity cuts to Palestinians in the West Bank, Chairman Hisham Omari said yesterday. He said that the Israel Electric Corporation is to cut electricity by two hours a day, noting that this measure is being taken due to the Palestinian Authority debts.
Report: Israel Discriminating Against Arab Students The Israeli Knesset Research and Information Centre has revealed a huge gap between the government’s funding of Jewish and Arab students at Israeli schools, Arab48 reported yesterday. The report found that Arab-majority schools get far less funds than the Jewish schools, stating that the state pays up to 12,174 dollars for Jewish students at secondary school level, while their Arab counterparts only receive funding of 6,866 dollars; almost half as much.
Christian Population in Palestine Declining Due to Israel Occupation According to the Afro-Palestine Newswire Service, indigenous Christian Palestinians once constituted over nineteen per cent of the population of historic Palestine, but number less than two per cent today, as the Arab-Israeli conflict has caused the majority of Palestinian Christians to leave their homeland.
Foreign Policy
UN Expert Calls For Ban on Israeli Settlement Products Michael Lynk, the United Nation’s special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, told the General Assembly’s human rights committee Wednesday that the international community should issue “a clarion call to the United Nations” to complete and release a withheld database “on businesses engaged in activities related to the illegal settlements.”
Hamas Decries Israel's Participation in Bahrain Summit Palestinian group Hamas that rules the besieged Gaza Strip has decried Israel's participation in a United States-led maritime security meeting in Bahrain. Israel's Channel 13 reported that an Israeli delegation would attend the event, due to open in Manama on Sunday. Israel and Bahrain do not have diplomatic relations. In a statement, Hamas spokesman Hazim Qasim said attempts to "integrate the Israeli occupation into the region are doomed to fail".
Settlers and Illegal Settlements
Israeli Settlers Increasing Their Attacks on Palestinian Farmers, IOF Protects Their Aggression Several attacks by Israeli settlers against vulnerable Palestinian communities have been reported since the beginning of this year’s olive harvest, some of them resulted in the injury of civilians. Settler attacks on Palestinian farmers occur at a time when the Israeli army and police are present. Settler violence against Palestinian civilians intensifies during the crucial olive harvest season.
Foreign Ministry Says By Lessening Area B, Israel is Systematically Destroying Agreements The Ministry warned in a press statement of a new settlement plan to seize more than seven hundred dunums of Qaryout village land to expand the illegal settlement of Eli. The Ministry said Israel “is taking advantage of the full American support for its expansionist colonial plans and continues to undermine any chance to achieve peace on the basis of a two-state solution.”
Boycott, Divest, and Sanction Movement
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association Comes Out in Support of a Bill That Protects Palestinian Children The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association has come out in support of a bill that promotes the human rights of Palestinian children and they’re calling on congress to pass it. H.R.2407, the Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, was introduced by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) in April.
Georgia Tech Student Activists Found Guilty of Discrimination For Preventing pro-Israel Staffer from disrupting meeting The Young Democratic Socialists of America at Georgia Tech have been found guilty of discrimination and sanctioned by the school’s Office of Student Integrity for barring a Hillel staffer from attending one of their meetings over concerns that they would potentially be disruptive.
Episcopal Church Officially Bars Investments in Companies Benefitting From The Israeli Occupation This week, the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church adopted a human rights investment screen related to Israel and Palestine and will sell its holdings in Motorola Solutions, Caterpillar, Inc., and the Israel Discount Bank. The human rights screen would bar Episcopal Church investments in “any corporation that supports or benefits from denial of human rights in or through the occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem or the Gaza Strip.”
Over 350 faculty members have declared that they refuse to be intimidated by the Trump administration over Palestine Over three hundred fifty faculty members have signed a petition supporting Palestinian rights and declaring that they won’t be intimidated by the Trump administration’s recent targeting of Middle East studies programs on campus. This comes after a series of actions by the Department of Education to crack down on university activity that is at all critical of U.S. or Israeli actions.
‘Rightwing push’ to Ban Criticism of Israel on US Campuses, Revelations Show A report in the Guardian has revealed how “rightwing activists are attempting to spread new laws across Republican-controlled states that would ban criticism on public university campuses of Israel and its occupation of Palestinian territory”. The report is based on access to emails obtained by the Centre for Media and Democracy, which lay out details of a conference held in August in Austin, Texas, organized by the American Legislative Exchange Council.
Law
Palestine: Ghannam Completes 100 Days of Hunger Strike Palestinian prisoner Ahmed Ghannam completed his one hundredth day without food Monday, along with five other prisoners, in a protest against the Israeli occupation authorities. Israeli occupation authorities continue to deny his family from visiting him and impose torture measures against him.
UK protestors Face Jail For Campaigning Against Israel Owned Arms Factory Seven people are facing the prospect of three months in prison for protesting against an Israeli-owned arms factory based in the UK. The activists were arrested in August following a two-day occupation at the Elbit-Instro arms factory in Kent.
Environment, Economy, and Other
Gaza: Poverty And Unemployment Rates At 75% The Ministry of Social Development in the Gaza Strip said yesterday that the rates of poverty and unemployment in the Gaza Strip reached nearly seventy five per cent in 2019. In a press release it added that seventy per cent of the population of the Gaza Strip is food insecure. This, it continued, was a result of “the aggressive Israeli practices increased since the Second Intifada, which broke out in 2000, and depriving thousands of Palestinians of their jobs.”
US Rapper Snoop Dogg is Brand Ambassador For Israel Cannabis Company The world-famous celebrity Calvin Broadus, known professionally as Snoop Dogg, has been signed as the new brand ambassador of Seedo, an Israeli cannabis tech startup. According to Seedo, Snoop Dogg’s role will be to “educate consumers on the environmental benefits and social opportunity of Seedo’s home and commercial grow technology.”
Poll: 33% of Palestine Youth Fear Sharing Political Views Online A poll carried out by 7amleh found that two-thirds of Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel are afraid of sharing their political opinions online. It also found that roughly one-third of Palestinian youth are punished by their families for sharing their political views. 7amleh’s poll also found that Palestinian citizens of Israel do not share their political views online because they are afraid of losing their jobs or education opportunities.