In this new episode of Occupied Thoughts (recorded 11/4/19) Peter Beinart explores the texture of Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip in a conversation with Tania Hary, the Executive Director of the Israeli NGO Gisha– Legal Center for Freedom of Movement.

“The enclave the Gharib family lives in is especially small; maybe it should be called a fenced-in pocket. On three sides, a 6-meter-high fence surrounds the one-story house and the short path leading to it from Sa’adat’s brothers’ house to the south. An unpaved, sunken road, blocked by concrete walls and fences, closes in on the house from the south and cuts it off from the family’s olive grove and the village’s lands. Above it is a concrete bridge. Under the bridge on the east, behind a locked door made of iron bars, steps lead to the sunken road, which is intended only for Israeli military vehicles. The soldiers have the key to the door and at any moment they can open it and enter the path leading to the family’s house.”

“In the days following the attack, I was pained by the fact that many of my Jewish friends from the United States, particularly those of a centrist bend, didn’t reach out to me. It felt like my pain and experience weren’t convenient for them to confront. But even beyond offering mere expressions of support and condemnations of the attack, the American Jewish community must also come to terms with the implications of a 52-year-old military occupation and the flourishing of a Kahanist ideology that leads to routine violence. “

“Gaza is home to more than 1.5 million Palestinians, half of them under the age of 15. Unemployment stands at 52 percent, according to the World Bank. Gazans face poor water and sanitation conditions and overstretched hospitals, among other adversities, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. This film follows five strong-willed women who are doing their utmost to make a difference in Gaza in different walks of life – medicine, social work, photojournalism, music and local government. Despite the socio-economic conditions in Gaza, the five of them work to make life better for their families and communities.”

“The establishment of a film fund for the West Bank was met with criticism last week. Some denounced the idea as racist because it would only serve the Jewish residents in the West Bank. Only Israeli citizens are able to submit requests for support, and the Gesher Fund, which operates the fund alongside the Samaria Community Center, sought requests only from a list of Jewish communities.”

“Israeli soldiers in Hebron were filmed Tuesday shouting and shoving a Palestinian man in front of his young child, whom they claimed had been throwing rocks at security forces nearby. The video, which caused outrage among Palestinian social media users, shows two soldiers pushing the father and cocking a gun in his face. It is unknown who filmed the incident…It is the second clip of IDF troops appearing to mistreat Palestinians to cause an uproar in recent days, after footage published Saturday showed a Border Police officer shooting a sponge-tipped bullet at a Palestinian who was walking in the opposite direction with his hands held up, apparently “as a form of dubious entertainment,” according to the judge in the case.”

“Plans to build a huge outreach center for evangelical Christian tourists visiting Jerusalem – among the most touted construction projects on the Holy City’s landscape in recent years – have been scrapped, the developers told Haaretz. The $60 million, seven-story facility was being financed by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the largest private philanthropy active in Israel, and was also to function as its global headquarters. Billed as a home away from home for Christian tourists visiting the Holy Land, the building was meant to include an exhibition center where Christians could learn about the Jewish roots of their religion. The project was the brainchild of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, the founder of the organization (also known in Israel as Hakeren Leyedidut), who died in February at 67. Eckstein had envisioned the center as a place where Christian tourists could be trained to become “ambassadors” for Israel abroad and, more specifically, help combat the international boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. He also saw it as a way to bring more Christian tourists to the country and provide those interested with volunteering opportunities.”

“Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz launched a fresh attack Tuesday on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying his refusal to negotiate on any of his demands in the ongoing coalition talks would ultimately lead to a third election in Israel in under a year. In a tweet, Gantz said Netanyahu was preventing a Blue and White-Likud unity government from being formed by refusing to abandon his 55 seat-strong bloc of right-wing allies and the prospect of immunity from prosecution in three corruption cases in which charges are pending against him and could be announced this month. ‘Netanyahu isn’t willing to give up his bloc. Netanyahu isn’t willing to give up his immunity,’ Gantz tweeted. ‘Netanyahu isn’t willing to discuss the basic guidelines for a unity government’.”

“The Bennett-Shaked partnership had driven Netanyahu crazy for many years as the two had created an important political force. But then, half a year ago, as a result of the April elections, it all came crashing down on them. While the two of them are still members of the same reduced faction known as the New Right, and while they still co-chair the aforementioned faction, it now seems like Bennett is on his way out. It looks like he will be joining the Likud, under Netanyahu’s patronage. When the meeting was over, Bennett remained behind in the prime minister’s office for a private meeting with Netanyahu, which they had scheduled one day earlier. Despite earlier reports, Netanyahu did not offer Bennett the defense ministry. All the prime minister was willing to give Bennett was one of the unoccupied ministries and membership in the security cabinet. Bennett rejected the proposal, but did promise to remain loyal to the “national bloc.” Ironically, all of this happened just a few months after Netanyahu fired Bennett and Shaked from the education and justice ministries in a very aggressive and predatory way. Even if Bennett was disappointed by Netanyahu’s current proposal, it was not enough to throw a monkey wrench into the rekindling of their relationship. Bennett has his eyes set on the Likud. He realizes that it is the only platform from which he can one day run for prime minister. That was, in fact, his original plan, but Netanyahu had blocked his advancement in the Likud for years, just as he blocked Shaked.”

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bureau stated following the decision to release the Jordanian nationals that ‘Israel views the relationship between Jordan and Israel as a cornerstone of regional stability and will continue to act to ensure the region’s security’.”

“The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees has stepped aside pending the outcome of an investigation into misconduct allegations. The move on Wednesday came after the UN secretary-general’s office said the ongoing inquiry ‘revealed management issues which relate specifically’ to Pierre Krahenbuhl, the commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). A UNRWA statement said Krahenbuhl ‘has stepped aside until the completion of the process’. ‘The UN Secretary-General has appointed Mr Christian Saunders as the Officer-In-Charge for the interim period,’ it added.”