“Israeli authorities have demolished at least 140 Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem this year, a rights group said Thursday, the highest annual number since it began keeping records in 2004. The demolition of homes built without permits comes amid a major increase in Jewish settlement activity both in east Jerusalem and in the occupied West Bank since President Donald Trump took office. The Israeli rights group B’Tselem said 238 Palestinians have lost their homes this year, including 127 minors. The second highest number of demolitions on record was in 2016, when 92 homes were demolished.”

“Dozens of Border Police officers descended on the Yitzhar settlement Thursday morning to facilitate the razing of two structures in a nearby illegal outpost, as tensions remained high in the area following several instances of violence involving local teens. The wooden buildings were erected last week on a hilltop settlers call Shevah Ha’aretz that is in Area B of the West Bank — beyond the boundaries of Israeli civil control. It is also adjacent to the Kumi Ori outpost, whose largely teenage residents have been involved in a pair of clashes in the past week with IDF troops. The Yitzhar secretariat blasted the Thursday operation, calling it a ‘violent move that harms its efforts to restore calm’.”

“Unidentified vandals defaced more than 20 vehicles near a checkpoint in the West Bank city of al-Bira on Tuesday overnight, as well as spray-painted graffiti on a wall in the area that read: ‘closed-off military area traitors choose to harass Jews.’ Police said they entered the scene along with Israeli army forces and began collecting evidence, and that an investigation was underway. The graffiti most likely refers to the closed-off military area order that was enforced by the Israeli army to Comey Uri Hill near the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar following the violence in the area against security forces.”

“The Lod District Court on Thursday ruled that the accomplice in the Duma terror attack is a member of a terror organization, tacking the additional charge onto the rap sheet of the now-19-year-old who planned the 2015 firebombing that killed three members of a Palestinian family. Lorch pointed out that during his interrogation, the teen divulged that ‘the ultimate goal is the establishment of a state that will run in the light of Torah authority… There is no room at all for the Gentiles… and if they do not leave then they should be killed’.”

“In the view of the Special Rapporteur, all United Nations Security Council resolutions which pronounce on the illegality of the Israeli settlements, the illegality of the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem, and the failure by Israel to fully comply with its legal obligations under international law, or which make declarations on any aspect of Israel’s occupation are binding decisions that must be complied with by Israel. Its failure to honour any of these decisions places the onus on all other member states to enforce these obligations within the bounds of the Charter.”

“The U.N. independent expert on human rights in the Palestinian territories called Wednesday for an international ban on all products made in Israeli settlements as a step to potentially end Israel’s 52-year ‘illegal occupation.’ Michael Lynk told the General Assembly’s human rights committee that the international community should also issue ‘a clarion call to the United Nations’ to complete and release a database “on businesses engaged in activities related to the illegal settlements’.”

“Likud confirmed a meeting would be held in the coming days but stressed that Netanyahu was negotiating on behalf of the 55-member bloc of right-wing and religious parties loyal to him, without whom he will not enter a coalition. Blue and White has previously rejected this negotiation position outright. Immediately after receiving the mandate to form a government from President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday evening, Gantz got to work speaking with party leaders and inviting them to meet to negotiate their potential entry into the Blue and White-led coalition he hopes to establish.”

“According to the Channel 13 survey, Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White would remain as the largest party if new elections were held, growing from 33 to 34 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud would also see a one seat bump, rising to 33 seats.  The Joint List of four predominantly Arab parties would maintain 13 seats, and Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu would hold steady at eight seats.”

“Palestinian officials say the Israeli army is becoming more brazen with its prohibited raids of areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The prime minister in Ramallah recently promised to put a stop to the forays. How he plans to accomplish that, however, isn’t clear. Creating a political precedent, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh told al-Quds newspaper Oct. 12, ‘We will prevent the Israeli occupation’s army from breaking into the West Bank’s Area A, without using violence, but rather with our bodies. Israel raids the [PA] areas, and the signed agreements don’t allow such incursions to take place. We will break the status quo’.”

“The PA accused the banned websites of insulting PA officials, publishing articles and pictures that threaten Palestinian ‘national security’ and ‘civil peace’, and negatively affecting Palestinian public opinion. Critics have pointed to the popular uprisings in Lebanon and elsewhere in the region, claiming that the clampdown on media is an attempt by the PA to ensure Palestinians don’t follow suit.”