Occupation/Human rights
Palestinian journalist detained without charge by Israel has not eaten for three months, The Washington Post
“They’ve kidnapped my husband,” said the wife of Mohammed al-Qeq, a Palestinian journalist who has been on a hunger strike in an Israeli hospital for three months. “He is dying,” she said. Qeq, a reporter for a Saudi TV network, was arrested by Israeli security forces almost four months ago at his home in Ramallah and taken to an Israeli prison, where he was placed under “administrative detention,” a tool employed by Israeli military courts to hold Palestinian suspects without charges.
Jerusalem’s ancient Damascus Gate is at the heart of a modern wave of violence, The Washington Post
For centuries, the Damascus Gate has stood as the portal to the Old City of Jerusalem, opening onto a packed bazaar of souvenir shops, teahouses and falafel joints — and the holiest places for Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Palestinian shot dead after stabbing Israeli police officers, Middle East Eye
A Palestinian stabbed and lightly wounded two Israeli police officers outside Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate on Friday before they shot him dead, police said.
Palestinian Villagers Tilled Their Land So Well, Israel Is Now Confiscating It From Them, Ha'aretz
The separation barrier will cut residents of Al-Walaja from their lands by the end of the year; the beauty of the terraces they cultivated for decades was used as one of the main reasons for announcing the area a national park.
How police can earn the trust of Arab society in Israel, Local Call
For the past 15 years, the police have made efforts to work alongside Arab society. But as violence rises, they are once again being regarded as a quasi-military force more interested in state security than in reducing crime.
Israeli court convicts radical right-wing activist of sedition, The Times of Israel
The Rehovot Magistrate’s Court on Thursday convicted right-wing activist Moshe Orbach of sedition, the first time in a decade an Israeli court found someone guilty of the charge. Orbach was convicted for writing a pamphlet titled “The Kingdom of Evil,” in which he detailed the specifics for burning down the homes of Palestinians and instructions for establishing Jewish terror cells. He faces a maximum of five years in prison.
Israeli politics
Poll: Rightward shift hasn’t helped Herzog’s popularity, The Jerusalem Post
Support for the Zionist Union has fallen since before chairman Isaac Herzog announced his plan for separating from the Palestinians and shifted the party to the Center, according to a poll taken Wednesday and Thursday for The Jerusalem Post and its Hebrew sister publication Maariv Sof Hashavua.