Israeli settlers attack aid trucks again; Pope calls Gaza every night; Al Awda Hospital hangs by a thread; demand for ICC to investigate Palestinian prisoner abuse; punishing Spain for recognizing Palestine; Israeli policy to drive out pastoral communities; Colombian embassy coming to Ramallah; Netanyahu invited to speak to Congress; Nikki Haley; more.
In yet another land grab, Israel has approved the annexation of prime Palestinian land near Bethlehem. Palestinians have no say in the matter.
Author Amira Hass, a Jewish Israeli, pressed the Israeli government for an explanation for the sharp increase in refusals to allow Palestinians access to their land that was cut off by the Separation Wall. The response appears to be little more than a runaround; official reasons given for denial of permits have often been dismissive: the plot of land in question is “too small to cultivate” or the request was “fraudulent.”