From the FMEP Blog
US-Israel relations
Inside AIPAC's Quiet Campaign To Blur Israeli Settlement Lines, The Huffington Post
When the Senate passed a high-profile piece of trade legislation last Friday, lawmakers simultaneously approved a little-noticed amendment described by its authors as “pro-Israel.” In doing so, the Senate moved to protect Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories from international sanction — directly contradicting what has been U.S. policy in the region since 1967.
Netanyahu: Israel, US discussing new security aid package unrelated to Iran deal, The Jerusalem Post
Prime minister Netanyahu says defense assistance package is not a “quid pro quo” for the Iranian nuclear deal.
Occupation/Human Rights
The Soldier's Story, The American Prospect
What happens when one corporal speaks out about how the occupation corrupts Israel?
Israeli politics
Israel Supreme Court: Bedouin have no indigenous rights, +973 Magazine
A recent Supreme Court ruling refusing to recognize Bedouin land rights sets a legal precedent for the state to endlessly appropriate Palestinian lands.
Report: Netanyahu Offered Lapid the Foreign Ministry, Arutz Sheva
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who has openly declared that he intends to work to expand his 61-member government, recently offered Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid to join the coalition, Channel 2 Newsreported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources in the political system.
Rebellion? Likud Bill to Block Netanyahu, Arutz Sheva
As debate rages in Likud over changing the party’s primaries system, senior sources in the ruling party are continuing to seek ways to limit Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s power. The sources are advancing a bill to limit the term of the Israeli Prime Minister to either eight years or three terms – Netanyahu has just begun his fourth term, having served as prime minister a cumulative total of over nine years.
Kahlon's election promise blunder, Al-Monitor
“Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon won 10 Knesset seats after promising to dismantle monopolies and share more equally natural resources, but this promise is now questioned in view of his friendship with a leading Israeli businessman,” writes Mazal Mualem.
Hamas and Gaza
Hamas struggling with emerging Islamist parties, Al-Monitor
Hamas has allowed some Salafist organizations to openly carry out their activities while trying to shut down others.