Palestinian politics
Hamas, Fatah sign reconciliation agreement in Cairo, Al Jazeera
Palestinian political parties Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation deal in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Thursday, as part of an effort to end a decade-long rift.
3,000 Palestinian Authority police to redeploy to Gaza in unity deal, Times of Israel
Some 3,000 police officers from the Palestinian Authority are to redeploy to Gaza as part of a unity agreement between rival movements Fatah and Hamas, a Palestinian official said on Thursday.
Pollster: Abbas would lose in elections, Fatah still safe, Al-Monitor
Khalil Shikaki, leading Palestinian pollster and director of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR), has told Al-Monitor that based on current polling, the Fatah movement would do well in parliamentary elections, but that President Mahmoud Abbas would not win.
US-Israeli/Palestinian relations
ACLU launches first major challenge of anti-BDS legislation, +972 Magazine
The lawsuit offers the most stark example yet of how anti-BDS legislation threatens Americans’ First Amendment rights.
US to withdraw from UNESCO to save money, protest anti-Israel bias — report, Times of Israel
The United States reportedly plans to formally withdraw from the UN’s cultural body out of financial considerations and what it says is an ingrained anti-Israel bias.
Occupation/Human rights
Hundreds of Jewish Youths Go on Rampage in Jerusalem's Muslim Quarter, Ha'aretz
One Palestinian shop owner was attacked as some 400 youths were reported to have marched through the Old City’s Muslim Quarter shouting, banging doors and throwing rocks on the eve of a Jewish festival.
Gaza
Dark Times: Putting Out the Lights in Gaza, The Nation
“The Israeli siege has become unbearable—and now the Palestinian Authority has joined Israel’s campaign,” writes Paul Aaron.