“Now, it seems, the Knesset wants me to choose,” writes Peter Beinart. “Either stop visiting Israel or stop opposing the occupation. In a variety of ways, that’s the deal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been offering American Jews for close to a decade now. Embrace Israel at the cost of your principles or embrace your principles at the cost of Israel.”

“Israeli lawmakers took a cue from the White House Monday night and passed a travel ban. This one will target advocates of boycotts against Israel, Israeli settlements or Israeli institutions,” writes Daniella Cheslow.

A Knesset panel approved for second and third reading a bill initiated by MK Amir Ohana (Likud) that will annul civil-service positions in nongovernmental organizations that are funded mainly by foreign governments.

Israeli lawmakers gave an initial okay to a controversial bill limiting the use of loudspeakers for religious purposes during a stormy vote on the measure in the Knesset Wednesday.

The United States is in discussion with Israel about holding back on settlement construction, acting State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said Tuesday.

US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, tweeted after her talks with Palestinian UN ambassador Riyad Mansour that the Palestinians should “meet with Israel in direct negotiations rather than looking to the UN to deliver results that can only be achieved through the two parties”.

On Tuesday, Republican Jeff Fortenberry and Democrat Joe Crowley introduced HR 1221, “International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace Authorization Act of 2017,” a new legislation that will establish an international fund sponsoring people-to-people dialogue and joint economic development between Israelis and Palestinians. ALLMEP estimates that it will need about $200 million to sufficiently fund grassroots organizations to bring Israelis and Palestinians together to create a culture of peace.

Over the past twenty years, Israel has taken measures to guarantee a nearly blanket exemption from its obligation under international law to pay compensation to Palestinians harmed by its security forces. In a new report released today (Wednesday, 8 March), B’Tselem traces the development of this practice and illustrates how it has led to a major drop in the number of claims for damages Palestinians filed in recent years.

“The reality in the West Bank is one that resembles a prison, where the prisoners are held for as long as humanly possible. Their release will carry a price — and Israelis are not willing to pay it,” writes Noam Sheizaf.

Women in Gaza are stepping up as family breadwinners, breaking cultural norms as they strive to make ends meet.

“Hamas leader Sanwar is not operating in a vacuum. In order for him to make a decision to attack Israel, there is a need for a radical development that will make it unequivocally clear that ‘both Gaza and myself have nothing to lose.’ At this time, however, both he and the Gazans have a lot to lose,” writes Moshe Elad.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum issued the accusation after the PA rejected solutions on Tuesday put forward by Hamas to solve the ongoing energy crisis in the Strip.