“Nothing excuses terrorism. I condemn it categorically,” writes UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. “It is inconceivable, though, that security measures alone will stop the violence. As I warned the Security Council last week, Palestinian frustration and grievances are growing under the weight of nearly a half-century of occupation.”

“Attention is finally focusing on a bill pending in Congress that would make it U.S. policy to defend and support Israeli settlements,” writes Peace Now’s Lara Friedman.

From Peace Now’s Lara Friedman: Seven reasons you should oppose attempts by Congressional and state legislators to conflate Israel and the occupied West Bank.

“Based on the assumption that Israel and the EU share values of democracy and human rights and that Israel is operating on the ground to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories, the EU has signed partnership agreements with Israel that have narrowed the distance between the two,” writes Menachem Klein. “But recently, more and more senior EU officials and decisionmakers have come to the conclusion that in fact, the Israeli government’s decision to limit the freedom of operation of human rights NGOs and the policy of de facto annexation of most of the West Bank widen the distance between the EU and Israel.”

Israel is by far not the only country that manages a “dual-use” list. However, the list for the Palestinian territory, and for Gaza in particular, is much longer and broader than recognized international standards and includes items that are critically needed for civilian use.

“In these days of entrapping human rights activists and blacklisting ‘traitors,’ the concept of equality has become as radical as it gets — and a threat to everything the governing regime stands for,” writes Natasha Roth.

“It is important that the successor listens to the suffering of Palestinians.” Daoud Kuttab responds to Palestinian security chief Majid Farraj’s recent interview with Defense News.