Top news stories from Israel/Palestine: October 9, 2018

What We’re Reading

US-Israeli/Palestinian relations

A New Wave of Democrats Tests the Party’s Blanket Support for Israel,

A cluster of activist Democrats — most of them young, most of them cruising toward House seats this fall — has dared to breach what has been an almost inviolable orthodoxy in both political parties, strong support for Israel, raising the specter of a crack in the Democratic Party that Republicans could use to attract Jewish supporters.

Rick Gates Sought Online Manipulation Plans From Israeli Intelligence Firm for Trump Campaign,

A top Trump campaign official requested proposals in 2016 from an Israeli company to create fake online identities, to use social media manipulation and to gather intelligence to help defeat Republican primary race opponents and Hillary Clinton, according to interviews and copies of the proposals.

Greenblatt tells ToI: US won’t propose Israel-Jordan-Palestinian confederation,

The US administration’s forthcoming peace proposal does not call for a tripartite confederation consisting of Israel, Palestine and Jordan, Jason Greenblatt, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for international negotiations, said.

Occupation/Human rights

Palestinian forced to demolish own home in East Jerusalem,

A Palestinian was forced to demolish his own home, on Monday, in the Beit Hanina neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem after receiving demolition threats from the Jerusalem municipality.

Two Israelis killed, third wounded, in West Bank shooting,

Two Israelis have been killed and a third wounded in an industrial area near the illegal settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank, Israeli police said.

The Israeli activists helping protect the Palestinian olive harvest,

For the past decade and a half, dozens of left-wing Israeli activists have come together to accompany Palestinians to their groves during the olive harvest. Despite recurring settler violence, the situation has improved over the years.

News of Jews Taking Over House Next to Jerusalem's Temple Mount Spur Palestinian Media Uproar,

Internal Palestinian political rivalries ultimately led Palestinian Authority to sell property to a broker, who immediately transferred it to a right-wing Israeli NGO, reports say.

BDS and Settlement boycotts

Minister: If US student held at airport renounces BDS views, we might let her in,

Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) on Tuesday said a US student of Palestinian descent, who has been held at Ben Gurion Airport for a week and faces deportation for allegedly supporting an Israel boycott, can leave Israel whenever she wants.

Gaza

Without PA consent, Israel begins transfer of gas to Gaza,

Amid the crisis between Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Fatah in the West Bank, Israel began transferring diesel fuel Tuesday morning from Israel into power plants in Gaza without PA coordination or approval, Army Radio reported Tuesday.

Donors consider new mechanism for assisting Gaza,

Donor countries to Gaza are looking for ways to transfer aid to Gaza Strip residents without the money falling into the pockets of Hamas.