Top news stories from Israel/Palestine: December 5, 2018

What We’re Reading

BDS

Senators Working to Slip Israel Anti-Boycott Law Through in Lame Duck,

Cardin is making a behind-the-scenes push to slip an anti-boycott law into a last-minute spending bill being finalized during the lame-duck session, according to four sources familiar with the negotiations.

Opinion: Why boycotting Israel won’t end the occupation,

“The boycotts strengthen Israelis’ national coherence, which is based to a large extent on victimhood and common threats.”

Occupation/Human rights

The Court ruled on the evacuation of a Palestinian family in Silwan,

The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court ruled today that the Siyam family must evacuate its home and its adjacent office for the benefit of the settlers.

Gaza

A crack in the concrete ceiling,

The closure of Gaza by design leads to human rights violations, but women are particularly susceptible to the repercussions of limitations imposed by Israel on the movement of people and goods to and from the Strip.

Israeli politics

How might recent confrontations with Hamas influence Israeli elections?,

Israeli politicians are often accused of exploiting military operations and foreign policy decisions for electoral gains. Despite the prevalence of such accusations, it is unclear whether military operations actually result in political benefits, and if they do, who profits from them.

Rights group B’Tselem, maligned in Israel, to receive French prize,

The Jerusalem-based B’Tselem and its Ramallah-based partner al-Haq will be honored with four other groups and individuals that the selection committee deemed to have faced harassment or pressure while carrying out their work.