The occupation is a civil rights issue; Netanyahu: I support two states

What We’re Reading

Pic of the day: Paramedics at the scene of a stabbing attack in the Israeli settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev, East Jerusalem.

US-Israel relations

Open Letter to Hillary Clinton from a Young Palestinian Feminist,

“As a young Palestinian girl growing up in a patriarchal society, your speeches about women’s rights inspired me to imagine a world where gender equality could exist,” Layali Awwad writes to Hillary Clinton. “That’s why I was surprised to read your article in The Forward.

Opinion: Netanyahu reaffirms Palestinian statehood but does he mean it?,

“In Washington, Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his pledge to make peace with Palestinians – but analysts raise doubts,” writes James Reinl.

Netanyahu won. Here’s how to beat him,

“Instead of first defining the framework of a resolution,” Michael Omer-Man writes, “start treating the occupation and the violence it perpetuates as a civil rights issue and not a nationalist or diplomatic affair.”

Netanyahu Visit Sparks Internal Backlash at Powerhouse D.C. Think Tank,

In a tense internal meeting, staffers of the Center for American Progress criticized the think tank’s decision to host the Israeli leader.

US senators to EU: Don’t label Israeli products,

Three dozen US senators sent on Tuesday a missive to the European Union expressing concern over plans to label products manufactured in West Bank settlements.

West Bank, East Jerusalem unrest

Two knife attacks as unrest returns to Jerusalem,

Israeli forces shot and killed one Palestinian and critically wounded another Palestinian, a 12-year-old boy, after two separate knife attacks in Jerusalem.

Palestinian female attacker shot dead by Israeli troops,

After a series of killings and attacks in recent days a top Palestinian official said clashes likely to rise further across Israel and Palestine.

Opinion: Will Hebron become 'the capital of the intifada'?,

“Hebron, the largest West Bank city, might be just a few steps away from conducting armed confrontations against the Israeli army,” writes Adnan Abu Amer.

Occupation/Human rights

Israel's predawn raid on a youth activist centre,

Over the weekend, Israeli troops raided the offices of Youth Against Settlements (YAS), an activist group in Hebron that monitors human rights violations by the Israeli army and Jewish settlers.

ICT: The Shackled Engine of Palestine’s Development,

“The full development of the Palestinian telecommunications sector depends on an end to Israel’s controls and more broadly ending its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and its denial of Palestinian rights,” write Nur Arafeh, Wassim F. Abdullah, and Sam Bahour.

Ya’alon: Israel lacks evidence for conviction in fatal Duma firebombing,

After 101 days, Israeli law-enforcement officials still don’t have enough evidence to indict the Jewish extremists who firebombed a Palestinian home, killing three members of the same family, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon announced Monday.

Israel to install cameras along West Bank highways,

Israel is reportedly planning to install surveillance cameras on roads throughout the West Bank in an effort to curb stone-throwing and firebombing attacks.

Palestinian politics

Palestinians See Poor Prospects for Peace, Security,

Ahead of the recent flare-up in violence that has prompted fears of a third Palestinian intifada, a majority of Palestinians continue to say they believe mostly in nonviolent forms of resistance and negotiation in achieving self-determination and security for their people. However, Palestinians are more supportive of violent means than they have been in the past several years, with 32% believing mostly in armed struggle and military solutions.

Israeli politics

Survey: Israelis distrust government, Jewish Israelis distrust Arabs,

Israelis don’t trust their government, while many Jewish Israelis don’t trust Arab Israelis, according to a far-ranging annual survey by the Israel Democracy Institute.

Bennett criticizes Netanyahu's continued support for two-state solution,

Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s continued public support of the two-state solution on Tuesday, in an interview with Army Radio.

Gaza

What Netanyahu can easily offer Obama on Gaza,

Gisha‘s Amir Rotem outlines three ‘gestures’ Israel can easily make that will radically improve the lives of at least thousands of Palestinians — all without compromising one inch on its own security concerns.