West Bank barrier shows walls don’t work – no matter what Trump says

What We’re Reading

FMEP in the News

Viewpoint with James Zogby,

FMEP President Matt Duss talks to James Zogby of the Arab American Institute about what the future holds for Israelis and Palestinians.

Occupation/Human rights

No, Mr. Trump, walls don't work,

The Separation Barrier in the West Bank shows that walls cannot provide security. They can only provide “security theater.”

Opinion: Palestinian suffering makes no sense for Israel,

Security will only exist when the society on the other side rejects the use of terrorism against Israelis citizens and the use of violence against soldiers and police. The other side will not be convinced to loudly voice their opposition to the attacks against Israelis while they continue to suffer and see no hope for positive change on the horizon. No Israeli that I know would ever agree to live under the conditions that exist for Palestinians in the West Bank, east Jerusalem or Gaza.

How Israel is 'turning Palestinians into Zionists',

Israel is to put financial pressure on Palestinian schools in occupied East Jerusalem in a bid to make them switch over to an Israeli-controlled curriculum, according to local activists and officials.

US-Israel relations

U.S. Envoy Power to Netanyahu: 'NGO Bill' Could Harm Israeli Democracy,

The U.S. ambassador at the United Nations, Samantha Power, told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a meeting in Jerusalem on Monday that the U.S. administration is concerned about legislation that the Netanyahu government is promoting on disclosure of foreign government funding of non-governmental organizations. The so-called “NGO bill,” which is primarily directed at left-wing Israeli groups, could do harm to civil society organizations and Israeli democracy as a whole, Power said, according to Israeli sources who had been briefed on the contents of the meeting.

Trump says he’d be ‘neutral’ with Israelis and Palestinians,

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump said Wednesday that if he is elected president, he would be “neutral” on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Expect non-proliferation pressure on Israel following the Iran deal,

“Now that the Iran nuclear deal has been implemented, the Islamic Republic, Egypt and others are likely to make a much more serious push for a nuclear-free Middle East. And Israel is in a much tighter spot than ever before,” writes Shemuel Meir.

Gaza

UN: Hamas tunnel threats not helpful for Gaza reconstruction,

The UN Mideast envoy said Wednesday that threats by Hamas to continue building tunnels into Israel do “not help” reconstruction efforts in war-battered Gaza Strip.

Palestinian politics

Fatah, Hamas reach "tentative" deal on Palestinian unity gov't: official,

Major rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have reached a “tentative agreement” on forming a unity government, a senior Fatah official said Wednesday.