Mehdi Hasan analyses whether the Palestinian Authority has its people’s best interests at heart.

“The extension of Mahmoud Abbas’ rule following Fatah’s latest congress hinders Palestinian democracy,” writes Diana Buttu.

A new video, previously unreported but recently reviewed by LobeLog, shows that Donald Trump’s national security adviser-designate, Ret. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, wants the U.S. to fundamentally change its position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, effectively giving both Israel and the Palestinian National Authority permission to abandon the peace process.

When Trump becomes president in January, it will be the first time that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold office opposite a Republican in the White House.

Israel ramped up its practice of demolishing Palestinian structures in the West Bank this year, destroying more than twice as many as it did in 2015.

The Batan al-Hawa neighborhood, in the heart of Silwan, is the setting for the most extensive expulsion in recent years in East Jerusalem. To date, eviction claims have been filed against 81 Palestinian families that have been living in Batan al-Hawa for decades.

Stolen fruit, destroyed trees and harassment by the army and settlers wreak havoc with the yearly olive harvest, an essential source of subsistence for West Bank Palestinians.

Ninety-one Palestinians in the Jordan Valley were forced to leave their homes while the army trained near their homes. Military officials have previously admitted that ‘firing zones’ are being used to expel Palestinians from areas of the West Bank.

Facing a court-ordered evacuation, residents of the Jewish settlement outpost of Amona in the West Bank are digging in for a fight to the finish.

The chairman of Israel’s ruling government coalition raised the ire of fellow lawmakers by saying he would prefer that Arab-Israelis did not vote in national elections.