The expansion of Gaza’s el-Zohor slum, where barefoot children play in the rusty skeletons of discarded vehicles surrounded by mountains of garbage, is a sign of the times in Gaza, where poverty is growing and there is little hope for the future.

“Top Israeli politicians and security officials are urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the aid package offered by the United States and not take the needless risk of holding out for more,” writes Ben Caspit.

A Jewish political action committee is seeking to get the Republican Party platform to recognize the West Bank as an “indigenous” part of the Jewish homeland.

“The latest cycle of violence clearly shows the despair young Palestinians feel,” writes Ido Zelkovitz. “This is a generation that will not follow its political leadership blindly.”

“The Netanyahu government’s objection to France’s proposal to convene an international peace conference is not out of step with traditional Israeli foreign policy. Over the years, Israeli governments have generally opposed or expressed little enthusiasm for international conferences aiming at promotion of a peace settlement,” writes Elie Podeh.

The right-wing NGO Elad has petitioned the High Court of Justice to prevent the disclosure of the group’s contacts with Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and the ministry’s director general Emi Palmor. The information is expected to shed light on how an Elad project was approved.

Abbas claimed that rabbis in Israel had recently called for the poisoning of Palestinian water supplies to murder Palestinians. “Certain rabbis in Israel have said very clearly to their government that our water should be poisoned in order to have Palestinians killed,” he said, repeating an anti-Semitic canard.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Oded Ravivi, head of the Efrat Regional Council, said that those supporting the French peace initiative are detached from the reality on the ground in the West Bank.