Top news stories from Israel/Palestine: December 10, 2018

What We’re Reading

Occupation/Human rights

In Gaza protests, Israeli troops aim for the legs,

Of the 10,511 protesters treated at hospitals and field clinics in Gaza so far, at least 6,392, or roughly 60 percent, have been struck in the lower limbs, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Israel's Top Court Slams State Rail Company for Dumping Waste on Private Palestinian Land,

A High Court of Justice panel took Israel Railways to task at a hearing on Monday for turning a site near the West Bank settlement of Nili into a dump site in 2011 and not clearing it since.

Gaza farmers fear another season of herbicide spraying by Israel,

It is once again that time of year when farmers who cultivate land near Gaza’s perimeter fence nervously glance up at the sky, tensing up at any sound of a motor. Twice a year, Israel sends planes to spray chemical herbicides on and near the border, which are carried by the wind sometimes deep into the Gaza Strip, destroying crops that are the sole source of income for hard-working farmers.

US-Israeli/Palestinian relations

The 'Holy Land Five' and the fight to delegitimize Palestine advocacy,

Five Palestinian-American men are serving time for providing aid to Palestinian refugees. Their conviction 10 years ago spurred broader efforts to criminalize Palestine advocacy in the United States.

Haley: After UN vote on Hamas failed, Trump suggested fund cuts as retribution,

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has said that following Washington’s failure to pass a UN resolution condemning Hamas at the General Assembly this week, President Trump suggested cutting funds to countries who did not cooperate and asked: “Who do you want me to yell at?”

Palestinian politics

Abbas says he’ll soon dissolve PA parliament, which hasn’t met in a decade,

74 of the 132 PLC members are affiliated with Hamas; the last elections for the PLC were held in 2006.

BDS

Pro-Palestinian groups claim victory as New England police pull out of training program in Israel,

Two New England police departments withdrew from a seminar in Israel last week following a public backlash from pro-Palestinian activists.

JDCA, J Street lock horns over anti-BDS bill,

The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) and J Street have locked horns over the prospective passage of an anti-BDS bill before the end of the Congressional session.