“Border Police clashed with Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem’s Isawiyah neighborhood on Thursday night. One police officer was injured and officers deployed tear gas, stun grenades and sponge-tipped bullets against residents. Residents said forces were trying to make an arrest but left without detaining anyone…Police have stepped up raids and arrests in Isawiyah over the past year. One resident has been killed and dozens injured during police operations in the East Jerusalem neighborhood during this time. Such activity has decreased over the past two months amid the coronavirus pandemic, but residents have reported an increase over the past week.”

“The High Court of Justice in a Thursday ruling ordered the demolition of roughly three dozen buildings in a central West Bank outpost that were built on private Palestinian land. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “saddened” by the decision. In a two-one decision, the panel of judges greenlit the use of a legal tactic endorsed by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit known as “market regulation,” which grants retroactive legalization to outpost homes built on Palestinian land so long as they were constructed in “good faith.” Legal experts say the judges’ authorization could lead to the legalization of nearly 2,000 wildcat homes throughout the West Bank.” Also See – “High Court rules for removal of settler homes from Palestinian land” (Ynet); “Israel’s Top Court Orders Evacuation of Illegal West Bank Outpost” (Haaretz)

“The health conditions of four Palestinian detainees who have been on hunger strike in Israeli jails, in protest against their detention without charge or trial, are deteriorating, today said the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS)…Israel’s widely condemned practice of administrative detention allows the detention of Palestinians without charge or trial for renewable intervals ranging between three and six months based on undisclosed evidence that even a detainee’s lawyer is barred from viewing. There are about 4,500 Palestinian and Arab political prisoners serving sentences in Israeli detention for resisting the prolonged Israeli occupation of their homeland. Of those, there are some 350 detainees held in prison as administrative detainees, without a charge or trial including minors and elderly.”

“Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settler-related violence in the district, told WAFA that a group of hardline Israeli settlers sneaked into the village in middle of the night, torched a vehicle owned by Abdul-Qader Asayrah, a local citizen, and sprayed hate and racists slogans calling for the ethnic cleansing of Arabs on walls. Earlier this month, Daghlas said there has been a surge in settlers’ attacks against Palestinian civilians and property in the Nablus area, and in their efforts to grab as much Palestinian land as possible to expand their settlements including the recent setting up of mobile homes on Palestinian-owned land.” Also See – “Israeli Police Investigate Suspected Hate Crime as Vandals Target Palestinian Village“

“It seems the Transportation Ministry has yet to come up with solutions for the topographic issues, the land expropriation, and traffic arrangements for Palestinians. Mintz makes no secret of the fact that his goal is to use the road to develop the area, which is currently sparsely populated with settlers, certainly when compared to other areas around Jerusalem. “There is room for 100,000 people here, there is state land,” he said. According to Mintz, there already exists a master plan for 15,000 households. “This road is essential because our location is strategic. We are the mirror image of Gush Etzion [settlement bloc]. Just as Gush Etzion connects to the Jerusalem corridor from the south [of the West Bank], we will be able to connect to the Jerusalem area from the north.””

“An Israeli police officer who gunned down a Palestinian man who had autism in the Old City of Jerusalem in May defied an order to hold his fire even though the man posed no danger to anyone, his commander has told investigators, according to people briefed on the case. “He didn’t attack or do anything,” the commander testified, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. “He was definitely not resisting.””

“The family of an autistic Palestinian man who was killed by Israeli police in May has accused police of deliberately “destroying cameras” that included evidence of the murder. “

“The military struck Hamas targets in Gaza on Friday morning after six rockets were launched from the enclave during the night, according to a statement. The rocket fire came after the army struck an underground facility and military post belonging to Hamas earlier in the night in response to the launching of incendiary balloons from the Strip on Thursday.”

“Israeli fighter jets carried out a series of airstrikes early today morning targeting several locations across the besieged Gaza Strip, causing damage to property but no casualties, said WAFA correspondent.”

“The Hamas terror group warned on Friday morning that it would exact a “heavy price” from anyone who threatened the Gaza Strip, after overnight violence saw a volley of rockets launched toward southern Israel and two rounds of airstrikes on the enclave. “Whoever lays siege to our people will pay a heavy price in their security and stability,” said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, according to Channel 12 news.”

“In addition, 48 cases were reported in the Gaza Strip during the past 48 hours.”

“The violence and the drop in electricity has occurred as Palestinians in Gaza are struggling to reign in their first serous outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Until this month, Gaza had been spared. All those who had contracted the disease, did so while outside the strip and were diagnosed upon their return.”

“Israel is responsible for the lives of Palestinians in light of the coronavirus outbreak in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian factions said Thursday. They said they would not remain indifferent to the “suffocating siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, especially after the outbreak of the coronavirus.””

“US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returned to Washington on Thursday after a whirlwind four-day trip to the Middle East, in which he was greeted with handshakes and smiles but received no further affirmations from Arab leaders with regard to normalized ties with Israel…US National Security Council Adviser Robert O’Brien also plans to head to the UAE next week, together with US Special Adviser Jared Kushner, US Special Representative for International Negotiations Avi Berkowitz and Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook.” Also See – “Pompeo ends Mideast tour without a single state agreeing to normalisation with Israel” (Middle East Eye)

“Despite being tangential to the conflict and never having been at war with Israel, the UAE has gone against the standard set by the Arab League by delivering normalization without any meaningful concessions from Israel. It essentially frittered away one of the few remaining bargaining chips left on the Arab side and paved the way for other countries in its axis — including, potentially, Bahrain and Sudan — to do the same. Israel can claim to the international community that it has given up something important by “suspending” annexation (even as Netanyahu insists the opposite to his constituents). But this assertion is laughable: annexation is not a date on the calendar but an ongoing process that continues unfettered, de facto if not de jure. So what exactly have the Emiratis achieved?”

“Netanyahu knew that some of the settler leaders — mainly heads of the Yesha Council, the settlement umbrella organization — were very angry and disappointed with him. But he also knew that others in the settler leadership were more understanding of his varied considerations as a statesman and, thus, will remain faithful to him…This week, the Yesha Council shifted into high gear in the battle against Netanyahu; now they attack him for freezing building permits in the West Bank settlements in the last half year. And the Construction Planning Committee has not convened in half a year, effectively freezing new construction there. In fact, the Construction Planning Committee was supposed to convene this week but the meeting was mysteriously canceled. Thus, many accusing fingers are pointing to the prime minister.

“The issue of Palestine and the power of the Muslim Brotherhood are linked. For MBZ, eliminating Palestine as a topic that unites Arab publics, often against their own rulers, is desirable for a ruler primarily concerned about the possibility of domestic unrest. Although they may not yet feel able to do so, other Arab autocrats would similarly relish the opportunity to disempower the Muslim Brotherhood, support for which is partly tied to the group’s frequent references to the issue of Palestine. Support for the Palestinian cause and support for the Muslim Brotherhood are both dangerously close to democracy, from MBZ’s perspective. Thus far, MBZ’s efforts to kneecap the Muslim Brotherhood, in part by attempting to deflate the matter of Palestine, may leave him isolated. Sudan, Bahrain, Oman, and other countries initially fingered as possible dominoes to fall, have all maintained their unwillingness to formally normalize with Israel. Yet covert relationships with Israel are now the norm for much of the region, and these are likely to strengthen.”

“Press freedom groups are calling for the release of a cartoonist who was arrested in Jordan for criticizing the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalize relations. Emad Hajjaj was arrested Wednesday after publishing a cartoon depicting the leader of the United Arab Emirates holding a dove with an Israeli flag on it that has spit in his face. The spit is labeled F-35, a reference to Israel’s opposition to the sale of advanced US aircraft to the Emirates following the US-brokered deal.”

“Hundreds of Israelis blocked roads at simultaneous demonstrations calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resignation in Tel Aviv and Haifa on Thursday night.”

“A Likud party ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Friday for the passage of a bill allowing the Knesset to override High Court of Justice rulings, potentially setting off a fresh round of coalition infighting with Blue and White. “The legislating of the override clause needs to be a condition for the continued existence of the government,” coalition whip Miki Zohar wrote on Twitter.”

“In an interview with Politico’s Playbook on Thursday, White House senior advisor Jared Kushner defended actions by the Trump administration to cut U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority and blamed the PA leadership for the crisis. “Our strategy has not been to isolate the Palestinians. Our strategy has just been to not do stupid things,” Kushner said, explaining why the administration has cut off aid as the PA grapples with ongoing financial crises in the West Bank and Gaza. Kushner said he told representatives of the “Quartet” — a group comprised of the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States — on Wednesday that the Palestinians are complaining about what he called “a self-made financial crisis” because they are unwilling to take the money Israel is ready to transfer from an escrow account.”

“Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) pledged on Wednesday that a Biden-Harris administration would continue the United States’ unconditional military aid to Israel despite potential disagreements with the Israeli government. “Joe [Biden] has made it clear he will not tie security assistance to any political decisions that Israel makes and I couldn’t agree more,” Harris said during a virtual fundraiser with 1,800 Jewish Democrats.” Also See – “Harris says Biden presidency will not condition aid to Israel“