Top news stories from Israel/Palestine: May 14, 2019

What We’re Reading

Occupation/Human rights

Palestinian-American lawmaker says Israeli policies pushed her to one-state view,

The Israeli government “gave up” on the two-state solution, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in the US Congress, charged in an interview published Friday.

Israel Okays Major West Bank Settlement Roads, Seizing Large Tracts of Palestinian Land,

Civil Administration approves two roads leading to isolated settlements, in a move activists say is “part of the government’s ongoing surrendering to settlers’ demands.”

Anti-occupation billboard greets Eurovision visitors to Israel,

An anti-occupation billboard aimed at visitors coming to Israel for the Eurovision Song Contest is now featured on the road from Ben Gurion Airport to Tel Aviv. The billboard was put by Sunday by Breaking the Silence, a group of Israeli combat veterans who oppose Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. Eurovision is being held this week in Tel Aviv.

Israeli Right-wing NGO Doxxes Dozens of Left-leaning Academics,

Im Tirtzu publishes contact information of some 80 faculty members which it claims expressed anti-Israeli opinions or refused to serve in the military.

US-Israeli/Palestinian relations

Israel TV: US won’t oppose extension of Israeli law to all West Bank settlements,

Imminent US peace plan will recognize that all Israeli-settled areas in West Bank ‘will remain in Israeli hands under a permanent accord,’ Channel 12 news claims.

Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi says US turned down her visa request,

Hanan Ashrawi, the longtime Palestinian spokeswoman and commentator, said the Trump administration turned down her request for a visa to visit her family.

Evangelicals and Empty Promises: A Year After Trump’s Embassy Move, Only One Country Has Followed U.S. to Jerusalem,

12 months ago, President Donald Trump broke one of the international community’s greatest taboos. However, despite Benjamin Netanyahu’s best efforts to leverage the historic moment, Guatemala is the only other state to have followed suit. Here’s why.

Israel & the EU

Opinion: Britain needs to recognise Palestine as an independent state,

“It’s time to get off the fence and resolve this most toxic of global conflicts in the only way possible,” writes Ian Black.