From the FMEP Blog
Q&A with Sam Bahour, Mitchell Plitnick
FMEP’s Mitchell Plitnick interviews Palestinian-American businessman Sam Bahour.
Occupation/Human rights
UN: Palestinian economy could double without Israeli occupation, Ynet News
Development agency report says Israeli confiscation of Palestinian land, water and other natural resources, as well as widespread restrictions on movement, destruction of homes and expansion of settlements were damaging to the Palestinian economy.
PHOTOS: Israeli army blocks main roads to Palestinian villages, ActiveStills/+972 Magazine
The Israeli army has blocked off with with concrete cubes, boulders and dirt seven main access roads to Palestinian villages in the Nablus area of the West Bank in recent days.
Opinion: A once-in-a-decade show trial, Local Call
“The military trial of Elor Azaria is part of a purification ritual, one that takes place every 10 years, as if everything in between is just fine,” writes Hagai El-Ad.
New rule makes it harder to remove illegal settler structures, The Jerusalem Post
Until now, the Civil Administration had the sole authority to remove unauthorized modular homes and structures within 60 days of their construction.
Palestinian politics
Opinion: Mahmoud Abbas's last stand, Middle East Eye
“Today Fatah is disintegrating without help from Israel. The hunt for a successor to Abbas appears to have narrowed down to a choice between one Palestinian security chief and another. One serves Israel’s interests directly in the West Bank, the other serves the Emirates and had strong links to Israel and the US,” writes David Hearst. “Somewhere along the line, any quaint thought of electing a leader with democratic legitimacy in the Palestinian street has been jettisoned.”
Hamas looks to Algeria, Al-Monitor
“Algeria’s approval to open a Hamas office in the country may prompt regional and international pressure against it,” writes Adnan Abu Amer.
What it would cost Abbas to reconcile with Dahlan, Al-Monitor
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is being pressured by a group of Arab states to reconcile with former Fatah member Mohammed Dahlan and by Qatar not to do so.
Israeli politics
Netanyahu unruffled by critical UN envoy report, Al-Monitor
“Neither criticism by UN Middle East envoy Nikolay Mladenov over settlement expansion nor a ruling by Israel’s own Supreme Court against the construction of illegal outposts have ruffled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on portraying Israel as the victim of international persecution,” writes Akiva Eldar.
Likud falls behind Yesh Atid in poll, The Jerusalem Post
The poll found that for the first time, former finance minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party had passed Likud, 24 seats to 22.