Common Grounds

Israeli parliament to vote on death penalty bill

December 27, 2017 14:42
Source: The Middle East Monitor

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171226-israeli-parliament-to-vote-on-death-penalty-bill/#.WkLPeimBLmI.facebook

Publsihed December 26, 2017

Israel’s parliament is set to vote on a draft bill that would impose the death penalty on Palestinians “involved in operations against Israeli targets”, the country’s defense minister said Monday.
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Israel in Talks With 'More Than 10 Countries' on Jerusalem Recognition,

December 27, 2017 14:51
Source: Haaretz

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.831182

By Noa Landau

Published Dec 25, 2017

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely says symbolic recognition of Jerusalem - not necessarily moving specific embassies - is at the center of ongoing talks ■ Israeli diplomats expect Honduras to be among the next countries to announce such a move
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“We Will Not Serve in Your Army!” Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem Beaten, Arrested for Refusing Draft

December 28, 2017 15:19
Source: International Middle East Media Center

http://imemc.org/article/we-will-not-serve-in-your-army-orthodox-jews-in-jerusalem-beaten-arrested-for-refusing-draft/

By Miko Peled

Published December 27, 2017

While U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement to move the Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has dangerously fueled an international powder keg, another keg is burning in the heart of that city.
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Report: 95% of new Palestinian detainees in Israel jails are youth

December 28, 2017 15:23
Source: Middle East Monitor

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171222-report-95-of-new-palestinian-detainees-in-israel-jails-are-youth/?utm_content=buffer20b2c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Publsihed December 22, 2017

Israeli mass arrests against Palestinians increased dramatically in December, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs revealed yesterday, noting that 95 per cent of the new prisoners are youths.
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Trump’s Jerusalem decision is a victory for Evangelical politics

December 28, 2017 15:31
Source: The Brookings Institution

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2017/12/15/trumps-jerusalem-decision-is-a-victory-for-evangelical-politics/

By Célia Belin

Publsihed December 15, 2017

President Trump’s announcement that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and that the American embassy will relocate, is—not surprisingly—going over badly with Arab partners, allies in Europe, and beyond. At first glance—and as many analysts have pointed out in recent days—his pronouncement appears somewhat incoherent with the administration’s stated policy of revitalizing peace talks and achieving what Trump has famously called “the ultimate deal.” It contradicts efforts to contain Iranian influence, which might benefit from Palestinian frustrations. Ever since Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, presidential candidates have promised these moves from the stump, only to realize once in office that the Jerusalem issue is a clear third rail, not to be touched. But unlike his predecessors, Donald Trump delivered.
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Imagining Palestine's children as our own

January 03, 2018 14:30
Source: +972 Magazine

https://972mag.com/imagining-palestines-children-as-our-own/132052/

By Mya Guarnieri
Published January 1, 2018

My daughter, like Ahed Tamimi, also has blonde curly hair and light eyes. Her continual detention has left me awake in the middle of the night, my stomach churning. What if it was my little girl?
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EU too divided for role in MidEast

January 03, 2018 14:48
Source: JEWS FOR JUSTICE FOR PALESTINIANS

http://jfjfp.com/eu-too-divided-for-role-in-mideast/

By Hugh Lovatt, ECFR
Publsihed December 21, 2017

Occupation and Sovereignty: Renewing EU Policy in Israel- Palestine

Policy discussion document from the think-tank, the European Council on Foreign Relations [not an EU body]
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FACT CHECK: How Much Funding Does the U.S. Give Palestinians - and What Would Happen if Trump Cuts It

January 03, 2018 15:22
Source: Haaretz

https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-1.832747

By Amir Tibon (Washington)

Published Jan 03, 2018

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has combated calls to shut down for some time, but Trump and Haley's latest threats to slash funding is the most serious threat to Palestinians yet
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Facebook Says It Is Deleting Accounts at the Direction of the U.S. and Israeli Governments

January 03, 2018 15:45
Source: The Intercept

https://theintercept.com/2017/12/30/facebook-says-it-is-deleting-accounts-at-the-direction-of-the-u-s-and-israeli-governments/

By Glenn Greenwald
Published December 30 2017

IN SEPTEMBER OF last year, we noted that Facebook representatives were meeting with the Israeli government to determine which Facebook accounts of Palestinians should be deleted on the ground that they constituted “incitement.” The meetings — called for and presided over by one of the most extremist and authoritarian Israeli officials, pro-settlement Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked — came after Israel threatened Facebook that its failure to voluntarily comply with Israeli deletion orders would result in the enactment of laws requiring Facebook to do so, upon pain of being severely fined or even blocked in the country.
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Personality blocks politics in Oslo drama

January 09, 2018 15:08
Source: JEWS FOR JUSTICE FOR PALESTINIANS

http://jfjfp.com/personality-blocks-politics-in-oslo-drama/

By Robert A. H. Cohen, Writing from the Edge/ Patheos

Published January 4, 2018

“Did you enjoy Oslo?”

As we were leaving the theatre an email dropped into my inbox inviting me to give some feedback. “Did you enjoy Oslo?” was the subject line. Hmm, tricky question. The acting was good. The dialogue was sharp and witty. But the process it depicted turned out to be a political nightmare and a national catastrophe for the Palestinian people. That didn’t stop the audience in London’s West End applauding the show with enthusiasm.
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