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News Topics:

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)

Prisoners

• 16.05.19 Court overturns Palestinian’s incitement conviction over poem
• 20.05.19 Two Palestinian Prisoners Continue Their Hunger Strike for 49 Days
• 22.05.19 Israel still Imposes Harsh Restrictions on Relatives of Prisoners from Gaza

West Bank

• 18.05.19 Palestinian Dies at Israeli Checkpoint While Trying to Reach Al-Aqsa (VIDEO)
• 19.05.19 Israeli courts are now complicit in 2015 arson-murder, Dawabshe family says
• 22.05.19 Netanyahu rejects plea from former security and intelligence officials not to annex West Bank
• 23.05.19 Minor among 21 Palestinians Israel detained in West Bank

Gaza

• 13.05.19 A bloody weekend in Gaza
• 15.05.19 One million face hunger in Gaza after US cut to Palestine aid 
• 15.05.19 50 Palestinians Injured as Protesters in Gaza Mark Nakba Day
• 16.05.19 Report: Israel Leads in Global Attacks on Medical Facilities, Workers
• 21.05.19 Head of Reporters Without Borders says Israel shot journalists intentionally
• 22.05.19 Gaza exit permits: Aisha’s lone journey for cancer treatment
• 22.05.19 Israel to return 65 confiscated fishing boats to Gaza

Settlers and Settlements

• 14.05.19 Israel Gives Green Light to 940 Housing Unit in East Jerusalem Settlements
• 19.05.19 Israeli Minister, Jewish Settlers Storm Al Aqsa Mosque
• 19.05.19 Israeli Forces Evict Muslim Worshippers from Al Aqsa Mosque

Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions

• 17.05.19 Germany votes to define BDS as anti-Semitic
• 20.05.19 PA: German decision against BDS ‘dangerous’

Foreign Affairs

Israel

• 14.05.19 Hundreds in Tel Aviv mark year since Gaza border killings
• 16.05.19 Netanyahu Could Form Minority amid Coalition Impasse
• 16.05.19 Facebook Busts Israeli Campaign to Disrupt Elections in African, Asian and Latin American Nations
• 16.05.19 Syria says missiles fired from Israeli-held territory at Damascus
• 21.05.19 Israeli Officials to Travel to Bahrain for ‘Peace’ Conference
• 22.05.19 Israeli Attorney General Delays Netanyahu’s Pre-Indictment Hearing
• 23.05.19 Lieberman Likely to Be Renamed Defense Minister amid Coalition Impasse

US

• 14.05.19 Can Palestinians play off Europe against the US as peace plan looms? 
• 17.05.19 Young Jews who don’t like Israel are not ‘healthy’ — leading Hillel director
• 17.05.19 Trump’s ‘deal of the century’ hasn’t a hope of bringing peace
• 19.05.19 US to reveal economic part of Palestine peace plan in Bahrain
• 20.05.19 ‘This is not a peace plan’: Palestinians shun Bahrain conference
  

  Rest of World

• 20.05.19 South Africa ANC Backs Minister on Israeli Embassy Downgrade

Legal

• 13.05.19 UNRWA: Half of Gaza’s population at risk of losing food aid by June
• 20.05.19 Israeli Army Says ‘No Evidence’ Soldiers Killed Disabled Gaza Protester in 2017
• 23.05.19 U.N. agency aiding Palestinians rejects U.S. bid to strip it of mandate
• 23.05.19 UN Palestine refugee agency faces $200m budget deficit

‘Dareen Tatour sat in prison and was put under house arrest for a poem she published on Facebook. Now an Israeli court has decide to partially overturn her conviction.’

Read the rest of the article at 972Mag

‘Two Palestinian prisoners have been on hunger for 49 days to protest their administrative detention, the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) said today.
Odeh Hroub and Hasan Awawi are having serious health issues as a result of their long strike.’

Read the rest of the article at Palestine Chronicle

‘Israeli occupation authorities are maintaining harsh restrictions for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who wish to visit relatives in Israeli jails, reported B’Tselem.

Out of more than 5,000 Palestinian prisoners, 303 are from the Gaza Strip, including some arrested before Israel’s removal of settlers in 2005.’

Read the rest of the article at Palestine Chronicle

‘A Palestinian man has died at an Israeli checkpoint while trying to reach Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers.
Sixty-three-year-old Sulieman Jamal Al-Harroub from West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil) died while crossing an Israeli military checkpoint known as 300, located north of Bethlehem, Wafa reported yesterday.’

Read the rest of the article at Palestine Chronicle

19.05.19 Israeli courts are now complicit in 2015 arson-murder, Dawabshe family says

‘Palestinian family slams Israeli plea deal in 2015 arson attack
Al Jazeera 14 May — A Palestinian family has denounced a plea deal to clear an Israeli settler from murder charges in a 2015 arson attack in which a Palestinian baby and his parents were burned alive in the occupied West Bank. Saad Dawabshe, 31, his wife, Reham, 27, and their 18-month-old son Ali were killed in the attack when settlers set on fire their home in the village of Duma in Nablus in July 2015.’

Read the rest of the article at Mondoweiss

22.05.19 Netanyahu rejects plea from former security and intelligence officials not to annex West Bank

‘Prime minister’s comments signal he will push ahead with pre-election promises of annexation as US is poised to unveil peace plan. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed an urgent call from former security and intelligence officials to halt the unilateral annexation of the West Bank, saying the occupied Palestinian territory is the “heritage of our forefathers”.’

Read the rest of the article at The Independent

23.05.19 Minor among 21 Palestinians Israel detained in West Bank

‘RAMALLAH, Thursday, May 23, 2019 (WAFA) – Israeli forces detained 21 Palestinians, including a minor, and injured another during multiple overnight raids across the West Bank, said the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS).

Israeli forces detained four Palestinians, including two brothers, after ransacking their houses in al-Mazra’a al-Sharqiya village, northeast of Ramallah.’

Read the rest of the article at Wafa News & Info Agency

24.05.19 Israeli Forces Attack Palestinian Child at Checkpoint in the West Bank

‘Israeli forces assaulted a Palestinian child in the northern West Bank village of Silat al-Harithiya, northwest of Jenin, on Friday, confirmed the child’s father.

Israeli forces, who set up a checkpoint at the Jenin-Haifa Street, pepper-sprayed Amjad Yousef Zyoud, 15, in the face and assaulted him.’

Read the rest of the article at Palestine Chronicle

‘In the early evening of 4 May, Mazouza Abu Arar was kept busy trying to make her grandchildren less afraid. They had heard the sound of explosions at various times that day.
Mazouza went into the courtyard of her home in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood. She organized a small celebration for Ramadan, which would begin the following day. Joined by members of her extended family, she distributed lanterns and sweets among her grandchildren.’

Read the rest of the article at the Electronic Intifada

15.05.19 One million face hunger in Gaza after US cut to Palestine aid

‘More than a million people in Gaza risk going hungry next month unless international donors fill a $60m (£46m) funding black hole largely created by cuts to Palestinian refugee aid by the Trump administration, a UN agency has said.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which provides food for more than 1 million people in the Gaza strip, is calling on the EU, Gulf states and large emerging economies such as Russia and China to make “firm commitments” of $60m by the middle of June to prevent hunger.’

15.05.19 50 Palestinians Injured as Protesters in Gaza Mark Nakba Day

‘Nearly 50 Palestinians in Gaza were injured by Israeli gunfire while taking part in peaceful protests to commemorate 71 years since the Nakba.
The spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qudra, said that 47 Palestinians were while taking part in the protests in the besieged Gaza Strip.’

16.05.19 Report: Israel Leads in Global Attacks on Medical Facilities, Workers

‘Israel committed the highest number of attacks on healthcare facilities, workers and vehicles last year, according to a new report authored by international human rights and medical groups.
Worldwide there were at least 973 attacks on healthcare workers and infrastructure in 2018 which killed at least 167 healthcare professionals.’

21.05.19 Head of Reporters Without Borders says Israel shot journalists intentionally

‘The director-general of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said yesterday that the Israeli army had deliberately targeted journalists in the occupied Gaza Strip.

Christophe Deloire was speaking to the Jerusalem Post, having received the Dan David Prize in Tel Aviv on behalf of the international press freedoms watchdog.

“It is a war crime to target journalists because they are journalists,” Deloire told the paper. “When Israel shot those journalists [during the Great Return March protests], it was intentional.’

22.05.19 Gaza exit permits: Aisha’s lone journey for cancer treatment

‘Israeli permit system prevents some parents from accompanying their sick children to hospitals outside of Gaza Strip. Gaza City – Last month, five-year-old Aisha came home from nursery vomiting and saying she had a headache.

Her condition deteriorated, so her family took her to hospital, where, after undergoing medical checks, they had every parent’s worst fear confirmed.

Aisha was diagnosed with brain cancer.’

22.05.19 Israel to return 65 confiscated fishing boats to Gaza

‘Israel announced yesterday that it would return 65 confiscated fishing boats to fishermen in the Gaza Strip, the Wafa news agency reported.

This comes after NGOs Gisha – Legal Centre for Freedom of Movement, Adalah – The Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, and Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights filed a petition on behalf of Gaza fisherman Abdel Ma’ati Habil whose boat was confiscated by the Israeli occupation’s navy in September 2016.’

14.05.19 Israel Gives Green Light to 940 Housing Unit in East Jerusalem Settlements

‘Israel’s Local Planning and Building Committee of the Jerusalem Municipality has approved two new construction plans in the occupied city which include 940 housing units, media sources revealed today.

19.05.19 Israeli Minister, Jewish Settlers Storm Al Aqsa Mosque

‘Israeli Minister of Agriculture, Uri Ariel, headed today a group of extremist Israeli settlers in a provocative tour of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem.
Ariel and dozens of settlers stormed the Islamic holy compound in groups, only hours after Israeli police forcibly evicted hundreds of Muslim worshippers from the holy site.’

Read the rest of the article at Palestine Chronicle

19.05.19 Israeli Forces Evict Muslim Worshippers from Al Aqsa Mosque

‘Israeli forces forcibly evicted hundreds of Muslim worshippers from the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem, on Saturday night.
Israeli police prevented them from keeping an all-night worship vigil in it, according to local sources.’

17.05.19 Germany votes to define BDS as anti-Semitic

‘Germany today voted to define the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as anti-Semitic, becoming the first major European parliament to do so.
The German parliament – known as the Bundestag – this afternoon voted to accept a motion defining BDS as anti-Semitic.

The motion, “Resist the BDS Movement – Fighting Antisemitism,” was sponsored by the Bundestag’s two largest parties – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian-Democratic Union and the Social Democrat party – as well as the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party.’

Read the rest of the article at Middle East Monitor

20.05.19 PA: German decision against BDS ‘dangerous’

‘Palestinian Authority (PA) said yesterday that it sees the German decision to class BDS anti-Semitic “very dangerous”, Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported yesterday .
In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, the PA said that this decision proves that Israel still imposes its agenda on representatives of European nations, adding that it is “blackmailing” the German parliament through its historic mistake related to the Holocaust.’

Read the rest of the article at Middle East Monitor

14.05.19 Hundreds in Tel Aviv mark year since Gaza border killings

‘Israelis and Palestinians commemorate a year since Israeli troops killed over 60 Palestinian demonstrators in a single day during the Great March of Return. Some protesters call to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest taking place in Tel Aviv.’

Read the rest of the article at 972Mag

16.05.19 Netanyahu Could Form Minority amid Coalition Impasse

‘Recently re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering forming a minority government, an unprecedented move in Israeli politics.
Since Israel’s general election on 9 April, Netanyahu has been engaged in coalition talks with a number of right-wing political parties.’

Read the rest of the article at Palestine Chronicle

16.05.19 Facebook Busts Israeli Campaign to Disrupt Elections in African, Asian and Latin American Nations

‘Facebook said Thursday it banned an Israeli company that ran an influence campaign aimed at disrupting elections in various countries and has canceled dozens of accounts engaged in spreading disinformation.’

Read the rest of the article at Haaretz

18.05.19 Syria says missiles fired from Israeli-held territory at Damascus

‘Syrian air defences have targeted projectiles coming from “occupied territory”, a reference to Israel and the Palestinian territories, and brought some of them down, Syrian state television reported.
Loud blasts echoed across Damascus late on Friday, residents said, shortly before the television news bulletin that reported the incident.’

Read the rest of the article at Al Jazeera

21.05.19 Israeli Officials to Travel to Bahrain for ‘Peace’ Conference

‘Israeli officials will travel to Bahrain for next month’s “peace” conference, where the first stage of the US’ “deal of the century” is set to be revealed.

Speaking to Israel’s Channel 13 yesterday, a senior Israeli official revealed that the US has invited Israeli delegates to attend the meeting, which is to be held in the Bahraini capital Manama on June 25-26.’

Read the rest of the article at Palestine Chronicle

22.05.19 Israeli Attorney General Delays Netanyahu’s Pre-Indictment Hearing

‘Israel’s Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has agreed to delay Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s indictment hearing until October, bowing to months of pressure from the latter’s legal team.

Mandelblit announced today that the hearing will now be held on October 2-3, three months later than the July date previously mandated by the attorney general.’

Read the rest of the article at Palestine Chronicle

23.05.19 Lieberman Likely to Be Renamed Defense Minister amid Coalition Impasse

‘Far-right party Yisrael Beiteinu’s Avigdor Lieberman is expected to be renamed as Defense Minister, ending weeks of deadlock in talks to form a new ruling coalition in Israel.

According to local media, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to hand the defense portfolio back to Lieberman, just six months after he suddenly resigned from the post after a spat about Israel’s policy in the besieged Gaza Strip.’

Read the rest of the article at Palestine Chronicle 

14.05.19 Can Palestinians play off Europe against the US as peace plan looms?

‘Against the gloomy backdrop of repeated diplomatic setbacks under the Trump administration, talks on Israeli settlements at the UN this month offered a brief ray of sunshine for the embattled Palestinian officials who showed up in New York.’

Read the rest of the article at Mondoweiss

17.05.19 Trump’s ‘deal of the century’ hasn’t a hope of bringing peace

17.05.19 Young Jews who don’t like Israel are not ‘healthy’ — leading Hillel director

‘Here in Jerusalem, we await publication of Donald Trump’s “deal of the century”, which is expected to be released in the coming weeks. The US president has promised it will bring an end to a century-long conflict between Israelis and our Palestinian neighbours.

But the Trump administration’s vision for peace looks doomed only to further entrench the occupation, as a recent remark from Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s Middle East peace envoy, demonstrated.’

Read the rest of the article at The Guardian

17.05.19 Trump’s ‘deal of the century’ hasn’t a hope of bringing peace

‘Here in Jerusalem, we await publication of Donald Trump’s “deal of the century”, which is expected to be released in the coming weeks. The US president has promised it will bring an end to a century-long conflict between Israelis and our Palestinian neighbours.

But the Trump administration’s vision for peace looks doomed only to further entrench the occupation, as a recent remark from Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s Middle East peace envoy, demonstrated.’

Read the rest of the article at The Guardian

19.05.19 US to reveal economic part of Palestine peace plan in Bahrain

‘US announces June conference to encourage investment in Palestinians as first part of ‘deal of the century’ peace plan.
The United States will co-host an economic “workshop” with Bahrain to encourage investment in the occupied Palestinian territories “that could be made possible by a peace agreement”, the White House said on Sunday.’

Read the rest of the article at Al Jazeera

20.05.19 ‘This is not a peace plan’: Palestinians shun Bahrain conference

‘US officials set to unveil the first part of Trump’s long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan in Manama next month. The Palestinian leadership has not been consulted about a US-led conference in Bahrain next month in support of Washington’s Middle East peace plan, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said.’

Read the rest of the article at Al Jazeera

20.05.19 South Africa ANC Backs Minister on Israeli Embassy Downgrade

‘South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party has backed the country’s Minister of International Relations, Lindiwe Sisulu, who has come under attack for her role in downgrading South Africa’s embassy to Israel.’

Read the rest of the article at Palestine Chronicle

13.05.19 UNRWA: Half of Gaza’s population at risk of losing food aid by June

‘The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced on Monday its fears that some 1 million Palestinians in Gaza — half of the territory’s population — “may not have enough food” come June.
In a statement, the agency, which is responsible for providing humanitarian relief to some 6 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, said that 1 million Gazans who rely on food aid from UNRWA are at risk of going hungry if the agency does not secure at least $60 million in emergency funding in the next month.’

Read the rest of the article at Mondoweiss

20.05.19 Israeli Army Says ‘No Evidence’ Soldiers Killed Disabled Gaza Protester in 2017

‘An investigation by the Israeli army has found “no evidence” that it killed disabled Palestinian Ibrahim Abu Thuraya, who was shot dead during a protest in the Gaza Strip in December 2017.
The Israeli army’s criminal investigation division on Friday closed its probe into the killing of 29-year-old Abu Thuraya, claiming he was killed in a “violent riot” in the besieged Gaza Strip.’

Read the rest of the article at Palestine Chronicle

23.05.19 U.N. agency aiding Palestinians rejects U.S. bid to strip it of mandate

‘GAZA (Reuters) – The head of the United Nations agency that has supported Palestinian refugees for seven decades hit back on Thursday at a U.S. proposal to have host countries take over the services it provides across the Middle East.’

Read the rest of the article at Reuters

23.05.19 UN Palestine refugee agency faces $200mn budget deficit

‘The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)’s budget deficit currently stands at $200 million, according to an agency official.

At a Thursday press conference in Gaza City, UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl vowed the agency would nevertheless “continue to provide services to Palestinian refugees as mandated by the UN”.’

Read the rest of the article at Anadolu Agency

21.05.19 Video: Gaza sweet factory integrates deaf workers

‘This sweet factory in Gaza is run by workers who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The Hanan Sweet Factory produces Arab candies and desserts in Gaza City.

“At first I thought it would be difficult, I didn’t know how I would communicate with him,” Muhammad al-Ghazali, the owner of the factory, told The Electronic Intifada about hiring the first worker.

“But when he came to work I found he had high concentration and very good talent.”’

Read the rest of the article at the Electronic Intifada

23.05.19 Illegal cannabis production in West Bank rises as economy tanks

‘Drug raids in West Bank rise by 30 percent as struggling Palestinians turn to growing cannabis for Israeli market. Palestinian police say illegal drug production is increasing across the occupied West Bank, much of it destined for use inside Israel.

As Palestinians face worsening economic conditions, more are turning to cultivating cannabis for some desperately needed cash.’

Read the rest of the article at Al Jazeera

24.05.19 Palestine Opens First-Ever Solar Power Station

‘According to Palestinian officials, the first of four planned solar panel plants has been inaugurated as part of a project which aims to reduce dependence on Israeli power sources.

Palestine’s first-ever solar power station is aiming to produce 7.5 megawatts (MW) of electricity from its Noor Jericho Photovoltaic Solar Park location.’

Read the rest of the article at Palestine Chronicle

13.05.19 NGO Exposes Eurovision Tourists to Israeli Occupation

‘Israeli NGO “Breaking the Silence” has called on Eurovision goers to experience “the full picture” of Israel’s occupation by taking a tour to the West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil).
The group yesterday erected a giant billboard on a highway between Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport and Tel Aviv – where this year’s Eurovision Song Contest is being held – in a bid to highlight Israel’s now 52-year-old occupation of the Palestinian territories.’

Read the rest of the article at Palestine Chronicle

14.05.19 ‘Music of dead, bombed-out buildings must be heard’ — Gaza artists hold anti-Eurovision concert in building destroyed by Israeli attack

‘At the front gate of the residential Al-Qamar building, which was flattened by an Israeli air strike a week ago, a Palestinian band arrives with their instruments. They sweep away small stones and building remnants as they prepare to start their concert. The concert in Gaza is being held at the same time as a similar concert was starting just 70 kilometers away in Tel Aviv’s Charles Clore park to kick off the week-long Eurovision song contest.’

Read the rest of the article at Mondoweiss

16.05.19 I’m a Eurovision fan, but as a gay man and a Palestinian I can’t support it this year

‘It’s hard not to love Eurovision: it’s camp, kitsch fun and I’m a sucker for power ballads and dance floor bangers. In recent years, I have been swept up in the excitement. But as the son of a Palestinian refugee and as a gay man, I simply cannot bring myself to take part in the revelries this year.’

Read the rest of the article at The Guardian

18.05.19 Madonna makes call for Israel-Palestine unity at Eurovision

‘In her much-anticipated and politically contentious performance at Eurovision in Israel, Madonna made an apparent call for peace in the region.
As she and guest star Quavo sang the lyrics “Not everyone is coming to the future / Not everyone is learning from the past”, a pair of her dancers – one wearing a costume bearing a Palestinian flag, another with an Israeli flag – embraced as they climbed a set of stairs at the climax of the performance.’

Read the rest of the article at The Guardian

19.05.19 No, Madonna, you Eurovision performance will do nothing wounds wrought by Israeli apartheid

‘In the last few years of his life my father suffered from dementia. It was hard to talk to him about his likes and dislikes because he didn’t always remember what they were. Along with his deteriorating health he gradually began to lose interest in almost everything, but his love of music persisted. He was a dedicated audiophile who spent years building a special listening room.’

Read the rest of the article at The Independent

19.05.19 Eurovision vs Globalvision: An artistic response

‘Bethlehem and London – Palestinian, Israeli and international artists have come together to put on a series of concerts as an alternative to the Eurovision Song Contest held in Tel Aviv, amid protests calling for a boycott of the music competition.’

Read the rest of the article at Al Jazeera

19.05.19 Roger Waters Slams Eurovision And Its Host Israel

‘Pink Floyd’s bassist Roger Waters took to Twitter on Saturday to criticise the Eurovision competition and its host country Israel, who he has been an outspoken critic about for years. Waters referred to the Eurovision competition as “bulls**t” in what he described as ‘apartheid’ Tel Aviv, of which he said he disapproved.’

Read the rest of the article at TeleSur

20.05.19 Eurovision turns out to be a big hit for Palestine

‘It was the result that nobody predicted: the winner of Eurovision 2019 is… Palestine!
Despite the organisers describing the Eurovision Song Contest as a non-political event, the issue of Palestine took back, front and centre stage in Tel Aviv over the weekend, which may make Israel come to regret its weaponisation of culture and the whitewashing of its discrimination against the Palestinian people.’

Read the rest of the article at Middle East Monitor