To hear the condemnations from members of Congress, you’d think the Palestinian Liberation Organization had returned to armed struggle. But no, it’s Palestinian nonviolence — specifically, the decision by the State of Palestine to join the International Criminal Court — that’s being called “deplorable, counterproductive.”

In response to last year’s Gaza conflict, the Israeli government announced the construction of further settlements in the West Bank — a move condemned by the international community for escalating tensions that were already highly fraught.

The expansion of the settlements has consumed privately owned Palestinian land, causing the destruction of Palestinian homes, produce, and livelihoods. Despite Israeli settlements taking up only one percent of land in the West Bank, they now exert control over 42 percent, with settlement boundaries often 10 times larger than the settlements themselves.

VICE News traveled to the West Bank to speak to displaced Palestinians and activists who are trying desperately to address the grievances that boiled over with such horrific consequences in 2014.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday revealed his party’s campaign slogan for the upcoming election. “Ariel for Israel; Umm al-Fahm for Palestine.” The slogan, which refers to the large Israeli settlement in the West Bank and the biggest Arab city in Israel, essentially reiterates’ Lieberman’s “peace plan” envisioning the transfer of Israeli Arabs in exchange for economic incentives.

Moshe Kahlon, who set up the Kulanu party for the upcoming elections, said on Wednesday that he sees no possibility of reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians in the foreseeable future. The former Likud communications minister also said he is in favor of continued construction in the settlements. In recent campaign speeches, however, Kahlon said he represents the real, moderate Likud.

“The left-wing Meretz Party suffers from a negative image among Jewish voters, but its greatest problem is speaking the truth and daring to criticize the government even at times of military conflict,” writes Akiva Eldar.

The initial drive to rebuild the Gaza Strip following last summer’s destructive war between Israel and Hamas has gradually stalled. Only a tiny percentage of funds pledged at an October donor’s conference have reached Gaza, and thousands remain homeless. What factors have caused these failures in the reconstruction of Gaza? How can the Palestinian leadership and the international community work to avoid past mistakes?

Hamas-affiliated parliament members in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday reactivated the coastal enclave’s parliament, which had been suspended since a unity deal between Fatah and Hamas was agreed upon in April.

A senior Hamas official has been running a number of secret armed cells over the past few months to carry out attacks against Fatah and Western targets in the Gaza Strip, in part to thwart any moves toward unity between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

If talks resume with Israel in the coming weeks, PA chief Mahmoud Abbas won’t file charges against Israel in the Hague, he said.

A member of the Central Committee of Fatah, Mohammad Shtayyeh, said the Palestinian request to join the International Criminal Court is the finish line for negotiations with Israel, and an effort to internationalise the Palestinian cause.