Top news stories from Israel/Palestine: August 23, 2018

What We’re Reading

US-Israeli/Palestinian relations

US officials visit City of David in Jerusalem,

A delegation of US senior officials, headed by National Security Advisor John Bolton, met for dinner with Israeli counterparts in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem, a tourist site run by the right-wing organization Elad that promotes Jewish settlement in eastern Jerusalem.

Occupation/Human rights

2,275 housing units promoted in East Jerusalem in past two months while touristic settlement plans advance under the radar,

Today, two large-scale plans for a total of 608 new housing units beyond the Green Line were deposited for public objections. Along with these large-scale construction plans beyond the Green Line, plans are being advanced with increased vigor in the Palestinian neighborhoods around the Old City.

Amana moves its headquarters to east J'lm,

As part of reinforcing the territorial contiguity of Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem, the Jewish settlement movement relocates its main building to the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Israel publishes tenders for another 420 settlement homes,

Among the plans published are projects for 211 homes in Ma’ale Efraim in the Jordan Valley, 54 homes in Givat Ze’ev, 52 in Beit Aryeh and 42 in Ariel.

The One-State Reality,

Gaza

UN says it has run out of money for fuel, medicine in Gaza,

The United Nations has run out of funding to pay for fuel needed for hospitals, water plants and other critical facilities in the Gaza Strip, the UN political chief said Wednesday.

Hamas pursues truce with Israel, but not all factions approve,

“A real truce will require the PLO’s blessing and the participation of various factions besides Hamas.”

Israeli politics

No opposition to West Bank settlement boom,

“This is a dramatic development. The situation on the ground is changing rapidly,” Shabtay Bendet, head of Peace Now’s Settlements Watch Team, told Al-Monitor.

BDS and Settlement boycotts

Meet the Owner of Canary Mission’s Anonymous Anti-Palestinian Blacklisting Website,

Canary Mission has exploited its anonymity to smear college students with impunity. The Grayzone has obtained documents identifying the owner of the malicious anti-Palestinian organization’s web domain.