Gaza, two years on

What We’re Reading

Gaza

Gaza: Waiting to rebuild,

“Two years after the 2014 war, thousands of families are still in limbo, waiting for funds to rebuild their homes,” writes Belal Aldabbour.

No justice, no aid: Gaza on its knees two years after war, say reports,

Two years after Gaza’s last devastating conflict with Israel, rights groups vented frustration on Thursday over the slow pace of reconstruction in the Palestinian territory and lack of war crimes prosecutions.

Occupation/Human Rights

Rejecting US criticism, PM denies settlements are preventing peace,

Palestinian incitement is key obstacle, charges Netanyahu, after State Department says plans for new homes in East Jerusalem, West Bank raise questions about Israel’s commitment to peace.

Daily Life in the West Bank Is More Than Just Protests and Tear Gas,

Identical twins who swap identities to keep their double out of jail; an Israeli settler caught in his own razor wire, too proud to allow himself to be helped down by a Palestinian; a little blond girl who defiantly raises her fist at soldiers twice her size—Ben Ehrenreich brings a novelist’s touch to anecdotes that are often stranger than fiction in his new book The Way to the Spring: Life and Death in Palestine.

Israel punishes hundreds of thousands of Palestinians for the actions of individuals,

Israeli policy constitutes collective punishment of hundreds of thousands of innocent people who are suspected of no wrongdoing.

Israeli hotel warns Jewish guests 'there will be a lot of Arabs',

“Hotels in Israel are offering their Jewish clients some vacation segregation,” writes Mairav Zonszein.

Israelis don't get to hold a referendum on Palestine,

“A recent poll found that if there were a Brexit-style referendum over whether to maintain Israeli control over the West Bank, most Israelis would choose ‘remain.’ But is that up to Israelis to decide?” asks Mike Omer-Man.

Palestinian politics

Abbas calls on UN Security Council to reject Quartet report,

The United Nations Security Council should reject the Quartet report on the conflict with Israel, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday.