“Many are now arguing, correctly, that undermining UNRWA will threaten an already fragile status quo in the West Bank and Gaza (not to mention Jordan and Lebanon), and thus would be bad for Israel and would have serious humanitarian implications for Palestinians. For these and other reasons, some suggest that the attack on Palestinian aid is a tactical ‘misstep’ by the Trump Administration. These arguments miss the point: with this new approach to UNRWA, undermining the status quo is a feature, not a bug,” writes Lara Friedman.

Israel has banned leaders and key activists from Jewish Voice for Peace, the American Friends Service Committee, and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, among other groups that support BDS, from entering the country. So why doesn’t it extend the same restrictions to members of Nazi-affiliated groups?

A Quaker organization that received the 1947 Nobel Peace Prize for its work assisting and rescuing victims of the Nazis is among the blacklisted groups whose senior activists have been barred from entering Israel.

“The entry blacklist means Israel is effectively turning the screws in the prison of occupation a few notches tighter, as it continues to inch away from its self-declared commitment to being a democracy,” writes Mira Sucharov.

Shortly before Kushner’s trip to Israel last May, his family real estate company received a roughly $30 million investment from Menora Mivtachim, an insurer that is one of Israel’s largest financial institutions, according to a Menora executive.

“I’ve believed in the two-state solution for over 40 years, but I fear it’s fast becoming an illusion. Israelis and Palestinians are careening towards a one-state reality that carries extremely dangerous risks for both sides,” writes Dan Kurtzer.

“Palestinians live in terrible conditions here, and it’s already a catastrophe. Without UNRWA, we’ll go down to zero.”

“It’s not just the BDS blacklist. In Israel, the basic rights and values underlying democracy itself are being repealed,” writes David Rothkopf.

As President Trump moved last month to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, an Egyptian intelligence officer quietly placed phone calls to the hosts of several influential talk shows in Egypt.

Arab foreign ministers are calling for international recognition of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, aiming to nullify a controversial US decision on the holy city’s status.

Yesh Din argues that Palestinians despair of receiving justice and increasingly refrain from turning to police when crimes are committed against them.

About two weeks ago the army dug wide, deep ditches in two of the roads, rendering them impassable, and rolled gigantic rocks onto a third. These are obstacles the inhabitants were unable to remove.

Kufr Aqab and Shuafat refugee camp are neglected by the Jerusalem municipality, but beyond the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Police are absent and municipal services are limited.

The Palestinian Authority intends to try to upgrade its status at the United Nations and become a full state member, it was reported Sunday, as Ramallah looks for ways to respond to a series of setbacks.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will ask the EU foreign ministers to work with their respective governments to recognize Palestine within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, said a source close to him.