A Hopeful Opposition In Israel

What We’re Reading

From the FMEP Blog

A Hopeful Opposition In Israel: FMEP Interviews MK Ayman Odeh,

In an interview with FMEP’s Mitchell Plitnick, Joint List head MK Ayman Odeh condemns Tel Aviv violence and Netanyahu’s portrayal of Israel’s Arabs as criminals, reiterated that two states is only solution, and maintained that the interests of Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs are “not conflicting, but common.”

US-Israel relations

Opinion: the Great Betrayal: American Jews Stay Silent as Israeli Democracy Withers,

“Imagine the outcry among American Jewish liberals if the U.S. government in 2016 would ban a book from public schools because it could promote racial intermarriage. Try to conjure the reaction to Congressional legislation stipulating that Native Americans could not be taught in their own schools about the tragic history of their own people,” writes Chemi Shalev.

Occupation/Human rights

Opinion: Murder as a tool for redemption,

“The notion of a price to be paid for Jewish blood has deep roots in Jewish underground movements,” writes Mitch Ginsburg.

Document raises questions about Duma arson investigation,

A document released publicly for the first time on Monday suggested that the main suspect in the murderous arson fire in Duma may not have acted alone, and that a group of settlers had been spotted leaving Duma shortly after the fire. About ten minutes after IDF troops arrived at the village, lookouts spotted settlers walking away from the northern part of Duma to a nearby outpost of Adei Ad.

Homes of Palestinian stabbing suspects destroyed in East Jerusalem,

Israeli forces on Monday destroyed the east Jerusalem homes of two Palestinians who killed four Israelis in one of the deadliest days in the recent surge in violence. In the neighbourhood of Jabel Mukaber, the home of Palestinian Alaa Abu Jamal was filled with concrete and sealed off, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

More police won't solve Arab crime in Israel,

The government is exploiting a shooting attack in Tel Aviv to disguise discriminatory policies against Palestinian citizens as an effort to bring the rule of law to an ‘unruly’ society.

Special Rapporteur on Occupied Palestinian Territory resigns due to continued lack of access to OPT,

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, Makarim Wibisono, today submitted his resignation to the President of the Human Rights Council, effective as of 31 March 2016.

Israeli Youth Wounded in Jerusalem Stabbing Attack; Assailant Shot at Scene,

An Israeli was lightly wounded in a stabbing attack on Jerusalem’s Bar Lev Road Monday evening. The assailant was shot and moderately wounded at the scene.

Israeli politics

Palestinians in Israel accuse Netanyahu of incitement,

Arab politicians and rights groups decry Netanyahu’s strive to increase security in Palestinian communities in Israel.

Poll shows Netanyahu would lose if elections held today,

If elections were held today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not have been able to form a government, as his current coalition will drop from 61 Knesset seats to only 57, a poll held this week by Dr. Mina Tzemach and Mano Geva of the Midgam Institute for Yedioth Ahronoth shows.

Netanyahu: We’ll root out lawlessness, incitement among Israeli Arabs,

At scene of Tel Aviv attack, PM promises a ‘dramatic’ increase in police enforcement in Arab towns: ‘We will demand loyalty to the laws of the state.’

Palestinian politics

Dismissed Fatah leader Dahlan says Abbas, Hamas lack 'serious nationalism',

Dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan discusses the current situation in Palestine, his rift with President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and his aspiration to become president.

Palestinians dismiss rumors of Abbas ill health,

PA president’s spokesman rejects ‘baseless’ social media claims that he had a stroke.