Top news stories from Israel/Palestine: December 12, 2017

What We’re Reading

Palestinian politics

Where Does the PLO Leadership Go After Jerusalem?,

“Freeing Palestinian minds from the unmistakable, disastrous failure of the Oslo era requires that Palestinian leaders immediately and simultaneously take three important steps,” writes Amjad Atallah.

Abbas weakens, support for armed action increases after Jerusalem announcement,

More than 90% of Palestinians view the US recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel as a threat to Palestinian interests and the largest percentage demands a strong response that includes a return to an armed intifada, according to a new poll.

US-Israeli/Palestinian relations

Jerusalem: After 30 Years of Hope and Failure, What’s Next for Israel/Palestine?,

“Donald Trump’s declaration on Jerusalem seems to have completely disqualified the United States from its role as a broker,” writes Hady Amr.

Don’t Be Fooled By the Muted Reaction to Trump’s Jerusalem Gambit,

“Trump’s Jerusalem gambit is ill-timed, ill-conceived, ill-considered and unmoored from any real strategy that would advance U.S. national interests, peace or security,” writes Aaron David Miller.

Opinion: Embassy move is an act of humiliation against Abbas,

“It is also hard to see the Palestinian president agreeing to participate in negotiations headed by an American president who humiliated him so,” writes Elhanan Miller.

How Trump energizes deniers of Palestinian independence,

“Taking their cues from the American president, right-wingers like Bret Stephens argue that the Palestinians don’t deserve a state. Here’s why they’re wrong,” writes Dahlia Scheindlin.

Did Saudi Arabia Just Try To Give the West Bank to Israel?,

“Confident of Saudi support for the Gaza option and its historic agreement to strategic collaboration with Washington, Egypt, and Israel independent of progress on Palestine, Trump can be forgiven for assuming a Saudi carte blanche in his effort to remake the Middle East, with recognition of Israel’s sovereignty in Jerusalem at its center,” writes Geoffrey Aronson.

Papa John's, McDonald's, and Pizza Hut are being boycotted in Saudi Arabia because of Trump's Jerusalem announcement,

Iconic American chains including McDonalds, Papa John’s, Pizza Hunt, and Burger King are the targets of a new Saudi Arabian social media campaign that aims to punish the administration of President Donald Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

New York City Bomber Tells Police He Carried Out Attack Due to Israeli Actions in Gaza, Report Says,

The perpetrator behind the attempted suicide bombing in New York City on Monday told investigators that he was motivated by Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip, CNN reported.

Israeli politics

[PDF] The 2017 Israeli Foreign Policy Index - Key Findings,

Key findings: Israelis are feeling good about their country’s relationship with the US, think a breakthrough in relations with Arab states is possible apart from an Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and more.

Occupation/Human rights

Palestinian shot by soldiers wasn’t carrying a knife, IDF finds,

The army on Tuesday launched an investigation after soldiers shot a Palestinian who they said appeared to pull a knife out of his pocket, though no such weapon was recovered at the scene.

Gaza

'Mishandled explosives' kill 2 Palestinians in Gaza,

At least two Palestinians have died in an explosion in Gaza, which Palestinian group Islamic Jihad now says was caused by the men mishandling explosives. The group said the explosion was an accident, according to the Associated Press. Earlier in the day, the Palestinian Health Ministry and local media blamed the deaths on an Israeli air raid.