[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
Palestinian Reporter Blinded in One Eye by Israeli Bullet in West Bank Israeli soldiers have made a Palestinian journalist blind after shooting at him in the eye during attacks on Palestinian protesters in the south of the occupied West Bank. Photojournalist Mu’ath Amarneh completely lost sight in the left eye after being seriously wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet fired by an Israeli trooper in the Surif town in Hebron province on Friday.
IOF Arrest 17 Palestinians Overnight Israeli Occupation Forces on Monday night launched a campaign of arrests and detained at least seventeen people from different parts of the West Bank. The areas that seemed to face the most arrests were al-Far’a refugee camp south of Tubas and towns around Tulkarm.
Israeli Army to Probe 'unexpected' Gaza Civilian Deaths Israel's military has said it will investigate the death of civilians in Gaza who were killed by Israeli air attacks after a strike that the army originally claimed targeted a leader of Islamic Jihad.
Israeli Army Launches Fresh Air Raids on Gaza, targets Hamas Israel has said it carried out fresh air raids on the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire from the besieged enclave, two days after a precarious ceasefire went into force following a round of fighting that killed dozens of Palestinians civilians.
Israeli Police Kill Palestinian Youth Near Jerusalem Israeli police on Sunday shot and killed a Palestinian youth from occupied East Jerusalem during apparent police chase south of the city, according to WAFA. The name of the youth was not released, but the Occupation Forces stated that he had stolen a car as the pretext for their opening fire at him.
Seven Israeli Bulldozers Carry Out Limited Invasion into Gaza Strip Israeli military bulldozers on Monday morning moved into the east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Local sources confirmed the incursion of seven Israeli military bulldozers from the gate of the site “Suva” military east of the city of Rafahfor a limited distance outside the security fence.
Domestic Policy
Palestinian Journalists Protest Against Wounding of Colleague The shooting of Muath Amarneh in the eye by Israeli forces has drawn significant attention among Palestinians and in several Arab countries, with journalists expressing solidarity by posting photos of themselves wearing eye patches on social media.
Palestinian Leadership Convenes Emergency Meetings to Deal with US Decision on Settlements Palestinian leadership began Tuesday a series of emergency meetings to take measures and put mechanisms to confront the recent announcement by the United States that it affirmed the legality of illegal settlements. The leadership, specifically the Executive Committee of Palestine Liberation Organization and the Fatah Central Committee, emphasized the need for international coordination to counter the United States’ position.
‘Burn it all down’ - Netanyahu Attacks Rival’s Possible Coalition With Palestinians Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu attacked publicly the possibility of a minority government of his rival Blue-White that would be dependent on the Joint List of Palestinians parties. According to several reports, pounced upon by the opposition, Netanyahu called upon his followers to “burn it all down” should a minority government with the Joint List actually be created.
2 Arab Knesset Members Receive Death Threats Knesset members and leaders of the Arab Joint List alliance, Ayman Odeh and Ahmed Al-Tibi, said that they had received “a series of death threats on their phones and their accounts on social media networks.” Among the messages that Al-Tibi received: “God willing, a rocket will fall on your children.”
Israel Heading For a Third Election After the failure of Israeli leaders to agree on a coalition or unity government following September’s election, Israel is heading for its third election. An Israeli source close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told MEMO that the coming elections would take place in March 2020.
Israel Shuts Down Palestinian Institutions in Jerusalem Israeli authorities today morning closed several Palestinian institutions in the occupied city of Jerusalem for a period of six months. The Israeli police stormed the offices of Palestine TV, the Education and Higher Education Directorate, and the Islamic Orphanage School, seizing records and surveillance footage and shutting down those offices.
Foreign Policy
Japan Completes Project of Constructing Building in Urif Mixed School A grant of 90,565 dollars was extended to Urif village council to secure an appropriate educational environment for students in the village. It was used to construct a new building with four classrooms in Urif mixed school. Now that the project has been completed, about 108 first-grade students will directly benefit from the project where they will move from the rented school to the new building.
After 10 Years of Voting for Israel, Canada Supports pro-Palestine UN Resolution The Trudeau government yesterday backed a resolution to support the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people adopted by the UN General Assembly during a session of the Third Committee. A total of one hundred sixty-four countries voted in favor, including the United Kingdom and Germany.
Settlers and Illegal Settlements
Pompeo: US No Longer Considers Israeli Settlements Illegal US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Monday that the United States was softening its position on Israeli settlements. "After carefully studying all sides of the legal debate, this administration agrees... (the) establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law," Pompeo said.
Netanyahu Green-lights Submitting Draft to Annex Jordan Valley Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given the green light to Likud committees to submit a draft bill to annex the Jordan Valley and submit it to the Israeli parliament next week, Likud party said Tuesday morning.
Israel Settlements in Palestine Are Illegal, EU Says The European Union is sticking to its stance that Israeli settlement constructions in Palestine are illegal under international law, a long-held view Washington has started to dispute now. “The EU calls on Israel to end all settlement activity, in line with its obligations as an occupying power,” European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.
Settler Leaders, Right-wing Politicians Urge West Bank Annexation After US Policy Shift As reported by the Times of Israel, Oded Revivi, mayor of Efat settlement and foreign “ambassador” for the settler leadership, Yisrael Gantz, chair of the so-called Binyamin Regional Council of settlements, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, and others welcomed the United States’ announcement and responded by urging the government to “apply our sovereignty to these communities [settlements].”
Boycott, Divest, and Sanction Movement
Over 100 Harvard Law Students Walk Out of Israeli Counselor’s Lecture Over one hundred pro-Palestinian law students from Harvard University today walked out of a lecture by Dani Dayan, current Consul General of Israel in New York, at the Harvard Law School. A video posted online by the Harvard College Palestine Solidarity Committee shows students participating in the silent walk-out of the event and holding signs reading “settlements are a war crime.”
California Democratic Party Rejects Right of Return Amendment, Denounces BDS As Antisemitic in Its New Platform At the California Democratic Party’s fall convention on 17 November, delegates rejected a resolution that would have recognized the Palestinian right of return. The group’s new platform also reiterates its opposition to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and tags the movement as antisemitic.
Pro-Palestine Activists Keep Showing Up at Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s Office to Demand Action….Will She Listen? On 18 November, seventy-five members of the progressive Jewish organization IfNotNow occupied Illinois Representative Jan Schakowsky’s Chicago office, calling on her to back the group’s recently released 2020 platform. The group has been pressuring Democratic Party members, including presidential candidates, to adopt a platform that withdraws funding from the Israeli occupation and fights white nationalism and antisemitism in the United States.
UK: Tories to Ban Councils From Boycotting Products From Israel Under Manifesto Plans The Conservative Party will include in its election manifesto a ban on public bodies from boycotting or sanctioning foreign states, reported the Sunday Telegraph. However, the ban is primarily aimed at the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign, which seeks to pressure Israel to abide by international law and respect Palestinian rights.
Law
Israeli Startup Investigated Over Use of Biometric Technology AnyVision, based outside Tel Aviv, has come under scrutiny following reports by Haaretz's TheMarker business newspaper and NBC News that its technology is used to monitor Palestinians who live in the occupied West Bank. Microsoft, which funded AnyVision, is now hiring former US Attorney General Eric Holder to lead an investigation of the Israeli start up, citing allegations that AnyVision violated ethical standards.
International Law Experts Say The US Has No Legal Capacity to Legalize Settlements International law experts agree that the US administration does not have the legal capacity to legalize settlements. The lawyer and expert in international law, Salah Mousa, said that the Pompeo declaration is a political statement and does not have any legal impact, noting that the United States has no right to change the legal facts.
After 40 Years in Israel Jail, Palestinian Prisoner Placed in Solitary Palestinian prisoner Nael Barghouthi yesterday entered his fortieth year in Israeli jails yesterday and was placed in solitary confinement for seven days, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said.
Environment, Economy, and Other
Palestine Electric Company to Sue Israel Following Power Cuts Chairman of the Palestinian Energy Authority, Zafer Melhem, said yesterday the Palestinian electric company is preparing to prosecute its Israeli counterpart in both Israeli and international courts over plans to cut electricity in the occupied West Bank.
Gaza Suffers 3 Million Dollars in Damage Due to Israeli Attacks in 2019 This year alone, the damage dealt by Israeli strikes and bombings in Gaza amounts to at least three million dollars, as stated by the Media Office in the Strip. The brunt of the damage is borne by approximately five hundred housing units that were partially, severely or completely destroyed with an estimated total value of about two million dollars.