There may be a bipartisan consensus on backing hawkish Israeli positions, but Washington has little to offer the Palestinians …
west bank
Must-Reads from Around the World, July 9, 2012
In today’s brief: an interview with the Dalai Lama, Israeli settlements under the spotlight and the mysterious deaths of U.S. forces in Africa
Palestinians Champion Jesus’ Birthplace to Boost Statehood Bid
A bid to have Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity declared a World Heritage site by Unesco may not be driven simply by cultural concerns
Why South Africa’s Decision to Rebrand Some Israeli Imports Packs a Punch
The international effort to boycott products made in Israeli settlements got a boost recently from a formidable quarter. South Africa announced it would label imports from the West Bank not “Made in Israel” but perhaps …
Jerusalem Day in the Old City: The Conflict Marches On
Sunday was Jerusalem Day in Israel, a holiday once again observed by thousands of young Jews who chanted as they marched through Arab neighborhoods conquered in the 1967 Six Day War. The tension is always highest in the narrow …
A New Season of Palestinian Protest Challenges Both Israel and Abbas
The Arab League is talking about Syria; Israel and the U.S. are talking about Iran. Nobody in the corridors of power, these days, is talking about the Palestinians. In part, that reflects the shifting geopolitical sands and the …
A Hunger Striker at Death’s Door Turns Up the Heat on Israel — and on the Palestinian Leadership
Update 2.21.2012: Palestinian detainee Khader Adnan has reportedly agreed to end his hunger strike on its 66th day, following a deal under which the Israelis have agreed to release him in April and not seek an extension of his …
“The People Are Suffocating”: West Bank Economy Struggles Under Pressure From U.S. Congress
“Does this look like the city of Ramallah?” asks Jawad Tamimi, in the doorway of his store on the main street of downtown Ramallah. The scene is very nearly normal: Sidewalks crowded with pedestrians. The aroma of roasting …
How Not to Deal with Protesters: A Death in the West Bank
The weekend offered a hard lesson in the nature of what passes for calm between Israel and the Palestinians living in the territory its army watches over. It was a lesson in two parts, one exploding in the sandy soil of the Gaza …
As the Peace Process Goes Sideways, Gaza’s Economy Remains Stifled
Israel’s grip on the Palestinian economy amounts to business as usual. Palestinians carry shekels in their pockets, and most of what they buy with the Israeli currency comes from Israel, which is said to account for at least 80% of foreign trade with the occupied territories. That is a dependence that goes unremarked until something …
Fayyad Reported Sidelined as a New Palestinian Political Era Emerges – Will Abbas Follow?
Once hailed by Western pundits as the technocrat-magician who would conjure a Palestinian state into being through irrepressible institutional competence, Salam Fayyad has been unceremoniously sidelined from his job as Palestinian Prime Minister according to a deal announced Tuesday — a sign of the collapse of the illusions …
Netanyahu’s Response to UNESCO’s Embrace of the Palestinians: Expand the Settlements
The government of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made its answer to Palestinian membership in UNESCO, and it’s an interesting one: Accelerating construction in the West Bank settlements.
Construction of some 2,000 housing units will be hastened to bring more Israelis onto Palestinian land captured by Israel in the 1967 …
Why Israel’s Netanyahu May Prefer a Waltz With Hamas to a Tango With Abbas
Tuesday’s milestone prisoner exchange does not, repeat does not portend a new peace process between Israel and Hamas. Neither side is even seeking that goal: If the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unable to agree peace terms with the moderate President Mahmoud Abbas, it’s hardly about to seek a “grand bargain” to end …
