Top news stories from Israel/Palestine: June 11, 2018

What We’re Reading

US-Israeli/Palestinian relations

Report: Netanyahu, White House Working to Drive Wedge Between Palestinians and Gulf States,

The Trump administration is working with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to create a rift between the Gulf states and the Palestinians, according to a wide-ranging report on Trump’s Middle East policy that was published on Monday in The New Yorker.

The Trump Administration, Peddling Israeli Extremism, Is Killing the Peace Process, Not Me,

“In dozens of meetings, Mr. Greenblatt refused to discuss substance: borders, settlements, even the two-state solution. This White House can’t come remotely close to facilitating a just and lasting Mideast peace,” writes Saeb Erekat.

Poll shows deep divide between Israeli and American Jews — on Trump,

Twin polls of Israeli and American Jews published by the American Jewish Committee on Sunday uncovered divides on all these issues, but an especially stark one about perceptions of the American president.

BDS & settlement boycotts

Banned From Israel: A Q&A With Law Professor Katherine Franke,

Franke was turned away at the Israeli border after appearing on an anonymous site targeting more than 2,000 critics of Israel.

Riverdale Private School Investigates Teacher Over Israel Comments,

Riverdale Country School instructor Shawn Redden’s job was in limbo after he engaged students in a history class following the killing of 60 Gazans by Israeli soldiers during protests in May.

FMEP Resources

Settlement Report: June 8, 2018,

The Israeli government defends a law legalizing West Bank outposts; new tax legislation in the Knesset pushes de facto annexation; and more.

Legislative Round-Up: June 8, 2018,

Everything you need to know about Middle East-related activity in the U.S. Congress.

Gaza

Gaza: The time for “humanitarian gestures” and punitive measures is up.,

“Israel must accept responsibility for its prolonged control over Gaza, recognize its legal and moral obligations towards its residents, and take action to reverse the process of decline in the Strip.”

Interview: The Palestinian who sparked March of Return with a Facebook post,

Ahmed Abu Artema, a journalist and political activist, told MEE that Palestinians want freedom just like any people under occupation.

Occupation/Human rights

Occupation: The Law Gives and the Law Takes Away,

Michael Sfard, one of Israel’s leading human rights lawyers, chronicles the evolution of the legal pillars of Israel’s military occupation of Palestinians, including deportation, settlements, torture policies and more.

Israel Admits: Jerusalem Land, Home to 700 Palestinians, Given to Settler Group Without Proper Checks,

Government lawyers admitted Sunday that a Justice Ministry unit failed to investigate significant issues before issuing a title deed for East Jerusalem land to a Jewish trust — a move that would mean the eviction of the local Palestinians.

The people behind Regavim who live in illegally built homes,

The hypocrisy of [Israeli right-wing organization] Regavim, is coming to light – today a comprehensive investigation conducted by Yedioth Ahronoth reveals the simple truth: the organization’s activists, who claim to act to enforce legal construction, live in illegally built homes.

They Thought They're Living in a Jerusalem Suburb. But Actually, They're Settlers,

“It’s obvious that the planners of this neighborhood knew very well where the Green Line runs,” Dror Etkes of Naboth’s Vineyard notes.