[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.]
The Occupation Forces
Israel Signals Occupied West Bank Annexation Move Not Imminent Israel's foreign minister has suggested an announcement on the planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank was not imminent on Wednesday, the date set by Israel's coalition government to start the widely criticized process. In a sign of rifts within the coalition over the timing of any unilateral annexation move, which has been fiercely opposed by the Palestinians and most of the international community, Ashkenazi referred further questions on the matter by the interviewer to Netanyahu.
Israeli Warplanes, Artillery Bomb Sites in Gaza Strip Causing Damage But No Injuries Israeli warplanes and artillery bombed several sites in the besieged Gaza Strip late last night causing damage but no injuries, reported WAFA correspondent. Though no injuries were reported, property damage in Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, Martyrs’ Cemetery, and elsewhere was reported.
Israeli Navy Attacks Palestinian Fishermen Off Gaza Israeli navy attacked this morning Palestinian fishermen sailing off the Gaza Strip, causing damage to at least one boat, according to WAFA correspondent. He said that the navy fired water at fishermen who were sailing off the Sudaniya shore, north of the Gaza Strip, and forced them to return to the harbor.
Israel Defense Forces Pressure non-Jews to Convert, Despite Court Criticism The Israel Occupation Forces continue to put pressure on non-Jews to convert to Judaism, despite criticism from the country’s high court and a move to ban the practice two years ago, the Times of Israel has reported. The Israel Defense Forces Education Corps and military rabbinate reportedly have a list of soldiers who are not recognized as Jews under Israeli law, marking them as potential converts.
Domestic Policy
255 New Cases of COVID-19 Since Last Night The Palestinian Ministry of Health this morning announced that two hundred fifty-five new cases of coronavirus were recorded since the evening update on 30 June and the morning of 1 July.
Bethlehem Governor Declares Total Two-day Lockdown on City Starting Monday Bethlehem Governor Kamel Hmeid announced late last night a total two-day lockdown on the city and area towns and villages starting Monday in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease.
Fatah: Netanyahu Might Annex During EU-Parliaments’ Summer Break In a statement issued by Fatah today, the movement cautioned that Israel's Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be waiting till the European Parliaments start their summer break so that the international reaction to a possible annexation may be rather mild.
Left-wing Activist Assaulted Over Palestinian Flag at Tel Aviv Pride A left-wing Israeli activist was attacked while protesting Israel’s human rights violations against Palestinians at the annual Tel Aviv Pride event on Sunday night. The activist, Sapir Sluzker Amran, a lawyer and Mizrahi feminist who is active in the LGBTQ community, was assaulted after she stepped in to defend a fellow protester who was being attacked for holding up a Palestinian flag.
Likud Considers Abandoning Rotation Deal with Gantz Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party is considering scrapping the rotation deal with Defence Minister and alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Friday. Likud is deliberating offering presidency of Israel to Gantz in 2021 as an “honorable way out” of the rotation deal.
Palestinian Factions in Gaza Unite in Face of Israel Annexation Plans The national and Islamic forces and factions in Gaza reached an agreement yesterday on a document outlining a unified national plan of action to confront the United States’ “deal of the century.” The plan consists of activating comprehensive resistance to face the liquidation plans, calling on the people to take part in a day of anger on 1 July and a huge activity with the participation of all factions in Gaza.
Foreign Policy
Congress Members Seek to Deduct US Aid to Settlements Internal pressure has mounted on the administration of US President Donald Trump to intervene and discourage the Israeli government from its intention to annex parts of the West Bank early next month. In this regard, a new petition was launched from within the US Congress today warning against Israel turning into an apartheid state, and that if it undertakes the implementation of annexing parts of the West Bank early next month, members of Congress will seek to link the annual aid amount to Israel of 3.8 billion dollars to the extent of its commitment to human rights in Palestine.
Palestinian Civil Society Rejects EU's Conditional Funding Palestinian civil society organizations have formed a national campaign that rejects the European Union's conditional funding based its "anti-terror clause." The stipulation, which was included in European Union grant proposals late last year, identifies at least seven Palestinian political parties as "terrorist groups.”
Romanian Foreign Minister Affirms his Country’s Unwavering Stance Toward Palestinian Issue Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu affirmed his country’s unwavering stance toward the Palestinian issue in accordance with United Nations’ resolutions and international law, and within the unified European Union position which was announced recently by the European Union High Representative Josep Borrell.
UN Unable to Convene Quartet to Discuss Annexation The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has announced that the United Nations is unable to convene the Middle East Quartet to discuss the potential Israeli plan to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank, Quds Press reported on Friday.
US: Anti-occupation Congress Hopeful Wins Primaries Against 16-term pro-Israel Candidate Pro-Israel Democratic Congressman Eliot Engel was beaten out of his position as a New York congressional candidate for the 2020 US general election in the Democratic primaries by progressive Jamaal Bowman. It was also reported that this particular pro-Israel PAC spent over half a million dollars on a smear campaign directed at Bowman, a forty-four-year-old former educator, however, the actual amount spent on pro-Israel smears has been put at three million dollars by Jewish anti-occupation group IfNotNow.
UK Labour Leader Sacks MP Who Highlighted Israel Training of US Police Force Former UK Labour leadership hopeful Rebecca Long-Bailey was sacked from the shadow cabinet amid accusations of anti-Semitism after she shared an interview with actress Maxine Peake where she claimed that Israeli Forces taught the US police the technique of crushing the neck with the knee; the brutal tactic by which Minnesota cop Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd.
Settlers and Illegal Settlements
Settlements Continue While Netanyahu Discusses Annexation Plans With US Administration The National Bureau for defending land and resisting settlements stated in its latest weekly report, that a high-level American delegation arrived to Israel in order to discuss Israeli annexation plans following the White House’s deliberations last week, which ended without a solid decision. Within this context, settler have exploited the COVID-19 pandemic and seized hundreds of agricultural dunums in the areas of Kerkafia and Maswana southwest of the town.
Israeli Settlers Steal Palestinian Water in West Bank Village Israeli settlers today stole Palestinian water in the West Bank village of Madama, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, according to a local activist. Settlers from the illegal Yitzhar settlement installed a water pump on a well used by the Madama village residents and pumped all the water out and took it away, said Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlers' activities in the north of the West Bank.
Israeli Settlers Set Fire to Palestinian Fields Near Nablus Extremist Israeli settlers took advantage of the hot weather today and set fire to fields in the village of Burin, south of Nablus city in the occupied West Bank, said a local source.
Right Wing Settlers Handed Church Property By Israeli Court A right-wing settler group in Israel has finally won a long legal battle over the ownership of Palestinian Christian property in occupied East Jerusalem. The settlers are said to have appropriated Palestinian land and property owned by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. Known as Ateret Cohanim, the group’s victory came in the Supreme Court, despite accusations that inappropriate funds were paid to complete the contested sale in 2004.
Boycott, Divest, and Sanction Movement
Over 100 Organizations Call For a Fair And Just US Foreign Policy Toward Israel, Palestinian Rights In a letter to US presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump, more than one hundred US organizations called for a fair and just foreign policy regarding Israel and Palestinian rights.
BLM UK Accused of Anti-Semitism After Airing Support for Palestinians Black Lives Matter UK was accused of anti-Semitism by the United Kingdom’s Board of Deputies after tweeting solidarity with Palestinians as annexation looms. In a Tweet, the movement said criticism of Zionism and Israel’s “settler colonial pursuits” were gagged in British politics, and that they “loudly and clearly stood by their Palestinian comrades.”
Amnesty to TripAdvisor: Remove Listings in Illegal Settlements As Israel prepares to annex large swathes of the occupied West Bank including illegal settlements in defiance of international law, Amnesty International has called on TripAdvisor to urgently remove properties listed in settlements. “With a sharp increase in settlement expansion underway, and persistent attacks on Palestinians and their properties by some Israeli settlers, it is more important than ever that companies do not further legitimize settlements by doing business in them,” Amnesty said.
Dutch Parliament Votes to Impose Sanctions on Israel If It Annexes West Bank The Dutch parliament today passed a resolution calling for the government to consider sanctions against Israel if it goes ahead with the annexation of large parts of the occupied Palestinian West Bank. The resolution, submitted by Sadet Karabulut of the Socialist Party, calls on the country’s foreign minister “to identify options of measures possibly to be taken should Israel proceed with annexation of Palestinian territory.” However, the resolution is non-binding.
Belgium Calls For Sanctions Against Israel If It Annexes West Bank The Belgian parliament today passed a resolution urging the government to call on the European Union to impose sanctions against Israel if it proceeds with its plan to annex large swaths of the occupied West Bank. The body was also due to vote on a motion calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state, but this was delayed after it was sent back to the foreign affairs committee for further debate.
Law
ICC to Launch Investigation Into War Crimes By Israel The International Criminal Court's prosecutor is expected to launch an investigation into potential war crimes committed by Israelis. The court's pre-trial chamber is looking at what jurisdiction it has over illegally occupied Palestinian territory.
Fresh Complaint Submitted to ICC Over US-Israel War Crimes in Palestine A new request has been submitted to the International Criminal Court to investigate senior officials from the United States and Israel over alleged war crimes committed in Palestine. They include Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mike Pompeo, and Jared Kushner.
Hamas Urges UN to Help Stop Prisoner Torture by Israel Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Friday called on the United nations to put pressure on Israel to stop torturing Palestinian prisoners, Anadolu Agency reports. This came in a statement by Abdul Latif al-Qanoua, the group’s spokesman, on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture being marked today.
Environment, Economy, and Other
Deficit in Current Account Reaches $349 Million in First Quarter 2020 – PCBS, PMA An incessant deficit in the Current Account totaled 349 million dollars in first quarter 2020, today said a joint statement by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Palestine Monetary Authority on the preliminary results of the Palestinian Balance of Payments.
Masks for Israel, Jobs in Gaza, Many Mixed Emotions As the Gaza Strip records more cases of the coronavirus in its quarantine centers, its textile industry’s long-dormant response to need is in full gear. This includes Israel’s needs. Ironically, some of workers were themselves injured by Israeli snipers during Gaza’s Great March of Return protests. “It never occurred to me that I’ll be working at a place that exports to Israel, which destroyed my leg,” Muhammad Anbar told The Electronic Intifada.