Why we shouldn’t rejoice over Bibi’s fall; HRW on expulsion of Palestinians from Jerusalem

What We’re Reading

Israeli politics

Opinion: Netanyahu's Looming Fall Is No Cause for Celebration,

“Anyone-but-Netanyahu is the shallow, fleeting fashion of people who seek revenge and schadenfreude, whom we can understand but whose conclusions we don’t agree with. Netanyahu was never the demon he was depicted as, and getting rid of him will liberate us from nothing but his wife and son,” writes Gideon Levy.

The Fall of Netanyahu: Too Little, Too Late,

“But for those of us outside of Israel who support the rights of Palestinians as well as Israelis and wish for all of those in the troubled region to enjoy equal rights, the fall of Netanyahu comes too late to make much difference,” writes Mitchell Plitnick.

‘The Zionist Left needs to understand that change is impossible without us’: an interview with MK Ayman Odeh,

‘Were the government to pursue peace, democracy, and social justice, and treat the country’s Arab citizens as legitimate members of political life,’ Ayman Odeh told Fathom, ‘the Arab sector will “come out in droves” to build a fair and equal country that works for the benefit of all of its citizens, as happened in Rabin’s time’.

Conscientious objector: 'I refuse to be a tool of the gov't',

“Hadas Tal is the latest Israeli to publicly refuse to join the Israeli army because of its human rights violations against Palestinians. Before heading to prison, she speaks about her about her family’s reaction, the potential consequences of her decision, and why so many conscientious objectors are women,” writes Orly Noy.

Occupation/Human rights

Israel: Jerusalem Palestinians Stripped of Status,

Israel’s revocations of the residency status of thousands of Palestinians from East Jerusalem over the years illustrates the two-tiered system Israel maintains in the city, Human Rights Watch said today. The residency system imposes onerous requirements on Palestinians to maintain their status, with significant consequences for those who don’t.

Israel's Attorney General asks for injunction against seizure of Palestinian property,

The office of Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit has asked the High Court of Justice to issue an injunction that would freeze the Settlements Law passed earlier this year until the justices have ruled on its legality.

The Israeli judge who decided certain Arabs are predisposed to violence,

Arab citizens with one parent from the occupied territories are more likely to commit acts of violence, an Israeli judge claims, in order to justify stripping the citizenship of Alaa Zayoud.

Israeli forces destroy Palestinian home in East Jerusalem, leaving 4 homeless,

Israeli forces on Tuesday demolished a Palestinian home in the Jabal al-Mukabbir neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, leaving a family of four homeless.

Israeli forces deliver 14 demolition notices to Palestinian structures in Area B,

One of the 14 structures is a private school, which has been operating for more than 10 years and is the only private school that serves villages in eastern Ramallah.

US-Israeli/Palestinian relations

Sen. Charles Schumer joins sponsors of bill cutting payments to Palestinian Authority,

Schumer’s co-sponsorship, a rare move for the leader of a party in the Senate, ensures that Democrats will not use parliamentary maneuvers to block the act. A similar bill in the U.S. House of Representatives is also likely to pass.

Abbas, Jordan King Seek Trump Commitment to Two-state Solution, Palestinians Say,

Washington must establish a clear position regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, Palestinians said after President Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah II concluded a meeting as part of the Jordanian monarch’s visit to Ramallah on Monday.

Palestinian politics

Dahlan muscles his way into Gaza with UAE money,

A reconciliation effort between Hamas and estranged Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan could resolve the bad blood among Palestinians resulting from the 2007 infighting between Fatah and Hamas.

Gaza

Rafah Crossing has been closed for five months; longest period in the last decade,

Today, five months have passed since the last time Rafah Crossing was opened to people exiting from the Gaza Strip. This is the longest stretch of time during which the crossing was consecutively closed since 2007.