Top news stories from Israel/Palestine: December 19, 2017

What We’re Reading

Palestinian politics

Abbas says Palestinians to seek full United Nations membership,

The Palestinians will seek full membership in the United Nations and join 22 international organizations in response to US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in remarks at the start of a meeting with senior Palestinian leaders in Ramallah on Monday night.

Trump’s Jerusalem move accelerates Fatah succession war,

“It is clear that [Abbas] has become a liability for the movement, and we believe he understands this full well,” a top Fatah official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.

Palestinians slam US veto on Jerusalem resolution,

The Palestinian ambassador to the UN has rejected a US veto in the United Nations Security Council that called for a resolution against President Donald Trump’s recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

US-Israeli/Palestinian relations

Trump, Jerusalem, and the Future of Palestine,

What does Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel mean for the future of Palestine and the Palestinians, and what does it reveal about US policy? Al-Shabaka policy analysts examine these questions and recommend ways for Palestinian civil society and leaders to safeguard Palestinian rights in the face of such a setback.

Biased Mediators: The End of Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks, and How It Happened,

“All should join Palestinians in saying “good riddance” to any future American-dominated efforts. The reasons are too many to list here, but the most obvious is owing to the flawed supposition that the United States could in practice succeed in spite of its pro-Israel bias (or as some wrongly believed, because of it),” writes Clayton Swisher.

Despite failing, UN Jerusalem bid paints Israel, US as alone against the world,

If Trump’s move was meant to cement international legitimacy for Jerusalem’s status as Israel’s capital, the world body is proving there’s nothing of the kind.

The Trump team’s surprising comments on who owns the Western Wall, explained,

A week after President Donald Trump’s historic recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a top aide said there was no way Israel would not control the Western Wall.

Mike Pence again delays Israel trip,

Pence’s spokeswoman, Alyssah Farah, said Monday that the trip would now take place in January. She said the delay was so the Trump administration could preside over a much-anticipated tax overhaul favored by Trump. Pence might be needed to cast the deciding vote in the closely divided Senate.

Occupation/Human rights

Nablus: Qusra village sees no end to settler violence,

Qusra has seen a stark rise in settler attacks since the early 2000s, when Israeli authorities established the Esh Kodesh settler outpost near the village, Mohammed Awad, chairperson of Qusra’s local council, told Al Jazeera.

The angry Arab: Covering Donald Trump's Jerusalem move,

“The coverage perpetuates all kinds of stereotypes in terms of how one sees the violence on one side – the Palestinian side ignoring the daily violence inherent in an occupation,”

Jerusalem Court Calls Arrest of Palestinian Suspected of Planting Explosive Device 'Dramatization',

The Jerusalem Magistrate Court dismissed charges on Tuesday against a 20-year-old Palestinian student accused of planting an explosive device alongside the separation barrier and throwing explosive devices at security forces.

Using Israeli data, study finds rubber bullets cause significant fatalities,

Researchers who looked at reports from several countries find weapons cause deaths in 3% of cases, permanent disabilities in 15%.

Israeli politics

Attorney general expected to oppose death penalty for terrorists,

Avichai Mandelblit has previously argued against a main line of reasoning behind the new Yisrael Beytenu bill: that executions deter attacks.