“Israeli and American Jews would be well-advised to rethink where Trump and Netanyahu are taking them – and remember that we Palestinians are going nowhere.”

“The Palestinian Authority has failed to deliver democracy or sovereignty to the Palestinian people. It’s time for a new generation of leaders to deliver accountable governance and freedom.”

“Several thousand Palestinians on Wednesday held a protest in the West Bank against last week’s announcement that Israel was normalizing ties with the United Arab Emirates. Members of terror group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and the Fatah faction of president Mahmoud Abbas’s West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, took part in the rally in a rare joint initiative.”

“So as not to trouble our oppressors, here’s a 10-step guide to help Palestinians avoid racial profiling at checkpoints — and perhaps get to places on time.”

“The Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, said in a statement yesterday that it is religiously prohibited to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque through the process of political normalisation of another country with Israel, according to a fatwa he issued in 2014. Hussein said that the fatwa has permitted the visits to Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa within certain criteria, stressing that normalisation is not one of them. His words come days after US President Donald Trump announced a peace deal between the UAE and Israel brokered by Washington.” Also see: Jerusalem Post – PA’s Grand Mufti issues fatwa banning Muslims from praying at al-Aqsa

“An Israeli court decision last week stopping the military from demolishing the family home of a Palestinian man accused of killing a soldier represents a rare intervention against a policy that is widely popular in Israel but sharply criticized abroad…The move was hailed by human rights activists who said it showed an emerging discomfort in the courts about a policy that amounts to collective punishment. Judges have only occasionally halted such home demolitions but in several recent cases have limited demolition to only parts of structures.”

“The Israeli army thwarted an attempted terror attack in the West Bank, opening fire at a squad whose members were planning to hurl firebombs at passerby, the military said in a statement in the early hours of Thursday. The army added that a hit was identified, providing no further details. According to the IDF’s Spokesperson Unit, Israeli soldiers ‘spotted a terrorist cell whose members were carrying flammable materials used to prepare firebombs near the Palestinian village of village of Deir Abu Mashal.’” Also see: Middle East Eye – Palestinian teen dies after being shot by Israeli soldiers during clashes, Arab News – Israeli forces kill Palestinian in West Bank, military says he was planning attack, Al Jazeera – Palestinian dies after being shot, detained by Israeli army, i24 News – IDF: Palestinian terrorist neutralized in thwarted attack, fugitives at large

“The IDF struck the Gaza Strip early Thursday morning, responding to explosive balloon attacks, Walla reported, citing the Palestinian Shehab agency. According to Walla, at least 28 fires broke out in the Gaza Border Communities on Wednesday. More than 200 fires broke out in the western Negev over the last two weeks. ‘IDF tanks struck military posts of the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip,’ the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reported early Thursday morning. ‘The strike was executed in response to the launch of explosive and incendiary balloons from the territory of the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory,’ the Spokesperson added, This is the ninth night the IAF has struck the Gaza Strip amid growing tensions with Hamas, Walla reported. Rockets were fired over the last two days towards the cities of Sderot and Ashkelon.” Also see: Times of Israel – IDF strikes Hamas targets in Gaza following latest arson balloon attacks

“There are concerns the Qatari aid to the Gazans will stop as tension escalates on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.”

“Defense Minister Benny Gantz told local leaders in southern Israel on Wednesday that all acts of violence emanating from the Gaza Strip will be met with a response, amid continued arson attacks and rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled enclave. ‘There are no security violations that don’t receive [a response]. We don’t just know how to strike buildings and targets, but also those operating within them,’ he warned.”

“Consultant paediatrician and Chairman of the Gaza Neonatal Network (GNN) Dr Nabil Al-Baraqoun warned on Wednesday that the frequent electricity outages threaten the lives of 120 newborn babies currently being taken care of in intensive care incubators in Gazan hospitals. Dr Al-Baraqoun explained that the 135 neonatal incubators are all powered by electricity, noting that the frequent power cuts and the use of alternative energy sources cause damage to medical devices such as incubators, resuscitation equipment and ventilators, which could cause complications for the infants, and even deaths. He clarified that the alternation in using alternative energy sources like power generators and solar energy do not provide adequate energy to the incubators.”

“Hundreds of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip rallied against a United States-brokered between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalise ties. Protesters on Wednesday burned Israeli and US flags, trampled on posters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, and chanted ‘normalisation is betrayal to Jerusalem and Palestine’. The demonstrators in Gaza City also voiced support for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for his rejection of President Trump’s Middle East plan, which the Palestinians say unfairly favours Israel.”

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stepped up his push for elections on Wednesday, as Blue and White leaders attempted everything possible to stop Israelis from having to go to the polls for the fourth time in 19 months.If a bill is not passed to delay the deadline for passing the budget by Monday night at midnight, an election that would take place in November will be initiated automatically. Netanyahu made a campaign stop in Jerusalem’s Mahaneh Yehuda market, ordered his coalition chairman, Miki Zohar, to prevent a vote on the budget deadline extension bill in the Knesset Finance Committee, and sent Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin to brief reporters against Blue and White ministers, blaming them for the current crisis.“ Also see – Haaretz – Five Days Before Deadline, Israeli Election Appears Imminent as Netanyahu, Gantz Lock Horns, Jerusalem Post – Rivlin holding talks with party heads to try and prevent fourth election, Times of Israel – Compromises rejected, badmouthing persists as budget crisis nears climax,

“A new political party was approved this week, the ‘Mahane Yisrael’ party. The party was founded by residents of the Samaria community of Yitzhar and other parts of Judea and Samaria. The party successfully completed all requirements for registration after its formation was announced last month. In recent months, the party’s founders have held meetings with many communities, rabbis and activists with the intention of creating a united front for a joint run for the Knesset. The party’s founders have begun preparations for possible elections and intend to launch a membership drive in the coming days, at the end of which primaries will be held to determine the party’s list for the Knesset, for the purpose of running in the next elections.”

“Five takes on the UAE Deal: Israel as ‘belle of the ball’; a ‘nonsense’ deal; a business windfall; Egypt’s missed opportunities.”

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the United Arab Emirates an ‘advanced democracy’ in a video he posted on Twitter on Monday, before promptly deleting it upon realising his mistake. The video Netanyahu posted was an excerpt from his interview with Sky News Arabia, in which he talked about the peace deal and normalisation of ties between Israel and UAE last week. When asked how the deal would serve peace in the region, the Israeli premier said: ‘Vastly. The deal connects the UAE with Israel; both of them are advanced democracies and their societies are advanced.’”

“The Trump administration has accelerated a push to sell the F-35 stealth fighter and advanced armed drones to the United Arab Emirates, at a time when the Gulf nation is working with the Trump administration on a historic plan to formalize diplomatic ties with Israel, according to American officials familiar with the discussions…American officials deny that the new push to sell the advanced weapons is a direct reward for the Emirati role in a diplomatic breakthrough, announced by President Trump last week, where the Emirates would become just the third Arab nation to recognize Israel. In exchange, Israel will suspend annexation of occupied West Bank territory. But officials do not dispute that the new momentum on the arms sale — after years of stalled requests by the Emirates to buy the fighter jet — is linked to the broader diplomatic initiative.” Also see: Jerusalem Post – Friedman to ‘Post’: Israeli security not undermined in UAE deal, Times of Israel – Trump: UAE bid for F-35s ‘under review’; Netanyahu confirms sought IAF stance, Daily Beast – Is Trump’s Israel-UAE Peace Agreement Really Part of a Secret U.S. Arms Deal?

“Since the UAE and Israel announced last week that they had reached a deal officially establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, the reaction in the Middle East has been split.” Also see: Al Bawaba- Oman Sultan Sacks Foreign Minister A Day After He Talks With His Israeli Counterpart

“Saudi Arabia will adhere to the Arab Peace Plan in its relations with Israel, the Kingdom’s foreign minister said on Wednesday. Peace must be achieved with the Palestinians on the basis of the initiative for any alteration in ties, Prince Faisal bin Farhan said. ‘Once that is achieved all things are possible.’ The minister said: “When we sponsored the Arab Peace Plan in 2002, we fully envisioned that there would eventually be relations between all Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, and Israel if the condition is met. ‘Saudi Arabia remains committed to peace as a strategic option based on the Arab Peace Plan and relevant international resolutions enabling the Palestinian people to establish their own state with East Jerusalem as its capital.’” Also see: Times of Israel – Saudi FM: No Israel normalization without peace with the Palestinians, Israel Hayom – ‘Israel’s unilateral approach is hurting chances for peace’, Middle East Eye – The UAE-Israel deal is a no-win choice for King Salman, Middle East Monitor – Saudi hails UAE-Israel normalisation deal

“US President Donald Trump said Wednesday night he expected Saudi Arabia to join Arab normalization with Israel, hours after the country’s foreign minister ruled out any formalized ties before an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord. He then said he believed Iran would ultimately ‘come in too.’ During a press conference, a reporter asked the president if he expects Riyadh to follow Abu Dhabi’s lead and open up relations with the Jewish state. ‘I do,’ Trump said. A short time later, after discussing the possibility of the UAE buying US F-35 fighter jets and the importance of the Israel-UAE deal, he added:  ‘I see a lot of countries coming in fairly quickly. And when you have them all in, ultimately Iran will come in too. There’ll be peace in the Middle East. That’ll be nice. Iran will be very much neutralized. They never thought this could have happened. And with the horrendously stupid Iran deal signed by Obama, this could have never happened.’” Also see: Jerusalem Post – Trump: Saudis, eventually Iran, will follow suit amid UAE-Israel deal

“Hawkish pro-Israel groups that poured millions of dollars into Democratic races this year have thus largely failed to deliver on their investment. The very formation of so many new PACs — DMFI, Pro-Israel America, NORPAC and Americans for Tomorrow’s Future — whose primary mission is to maintain the bipartisan pro-Israel consensus in the halls of power, is an agitated response to the increasing willingness by Democrats to question and challenge the status quo of U.S. policy on Israel. These losses are not just a blow to hawkish pro-Israel policies; they are a sign that expressing support for Palestinian human rights and pushing for a shift in U.S. policy on Israel — including conditioning aid and even support for boycotts — is no longer a liability. For example, all three candidates now running for Engel’s seat as chair of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, including Rep. Brad Sherman (Calif.), a Democrat who has been staunchly pro-Israel, have indicated that U.S. aid to Israel cannot and should not be used by Israel to implement annexation of any parts of the West Bank.”

“With less than two weeks remaining until Massachusetts’s primary election on September 1, Democratic Majority for Israel is pouring more than $100,000 into advertising against Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, a young progressive challenger running against longtime incumbent Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) in the state’s 1st congressional district. If that sounds familiar, it may be because DMFI, a pro-Israel group, recently reared its head in another race, spending nearly $2 million on attack ads targeting Jamaal Bowman, a former middle school principal who defeated Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) in New York’s June 23 primary by 15 percentage points.  Mark Mellman, DMFI’s president and CEO, isn’t cowed by Engel’s loss, and defended his organization’s effort to boost Neal in an email statement. ‘Chairman Neal has consistently supported a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. Mayor Morse [who is Jewish] does not,’ Mellman told Jewish Insider. According to Mellman, Morse — who supports conditioning aid to Israel — ‘fails to meet the standard set by over 95% of House Democrats.’ Mellman added that Morse had ‘enthusiastically accepted support from IfNotNow,’ a group that Mellman characterized as ‘an organization that refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist, in any borders.’”

“As the former vice president officially becomes the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, a look back on his positions shows he differs from Trump on Iran and Saudi Arabia, and he has been asked to answer for his vote on the 2002 Iraq War resolution.”

“Former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign distanced itself from former Women’s March leader Linda Sarsour after the Palestinian-American activist spoke to Democratic National Convention delegates during one of the conference’s virtual assemblies. ‘Joe Biden has been a strong supporter of Israel and a vehement opponent of anti-Semitism his entire life, and he obviously condemns her views and opposes BDS, as does the Democratic platform,” Biden campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement. Sarsour quickly shot back on Twitter. ‘Just came here to remind you that you need a coalition to defeat Donald Trump and that Muslim Americans are an important voter bloc in key states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania & I know a little something about how to organize them,’ she wrote.”

“The US Treasury placed two United Arab Emirates-based companies on its sanctions blacklist Wednesday for their support of already-sanctioned Iran’s Mahan Air. UAE-based Parthia Cargo and Delta Parts Supply FZC ‘have provided key parts and logistics services for Mahan Air,’ the Treasury said. Mahan, one of Iran’s leading carriers, has been blacklisted under US counterterrorism regulations for its close relationship with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, which carries out terrorist activities in the Middle East.”