Middle East Notes edition

These Middle East Notes focus on the debate concerning the UN recognition of the State of Palestine, continued Israeli settlement building and erosion of international support for Israel, an informative lecture in the UN by Noam Chomsky, self-censoring of U.S. media re: criticism of Israeli policies, the duty of Palestinians to resist the occupation, and other issues.

These Middle East Notes begin with Sweden’s promise to recognize the State of Palestine and end with the UK Parliament’s vote in favor of the Palestinian State. Other articles focus on continued Israeli settlement activity, the massive destruction in Gaza, the reality of Israel as a de facto binational state, and other issues.

This week’s Middle East Notes articles concern the destruction in Gaza, the present “long-term” cease-fire, continued construction of Israeli housing units on the West Bank, growing Israeli intolerance of Israelis’ criticism of their government, and other pertinent articles.

This week’s Middle East Notes consists entirely of articles related to the current crisis in Gaza.

This week’s Middle East Notes focuses primarily on the murders of the three Israeli teenagers, the two-week search for them, Israeli accusations of Hamas and Hamas’ denial of responsibility for the abduction and murder.

This week’s Middle East Notes focus on support of and opposition to the Palestinian unity government, necessity of prayer and good will to resolve the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, continuing settlement activity, opposition to the occupation, U.S. military aid to Israel, the hunger strike of Palestinians held without charges, Israeli election of a new president, implications of the kidnapping of three teenagers in Area C of the occupied territories, a recent poll showing diminishing support for West Bank settlements among the Israeli public, and other issues.

This week’s Middle East Notes focus on Pope Francis’ visit to Jordan, Palestine and Israel, U.S. responsibility for oppression of Palestinians, “occu-partheid,” struggle for survival in East Jerusalem, continued settlement building as an obstacle to peace, the June 8, 1967 attack on the USS Liberty, the unity government of Fatah and Hamas, and other issues.

This is a special issue of Middle East Notes, with articles from Pope Francis’s May 2014 visit to Palestine, Israel and Jordan.

This week’s Middle East Notes highlights concerns about the ending yet necessity of peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, security preparations for the Pope’s visit, hate crimes and “price tag” operations, responses and reactions to the possibility of a Fatah/Hamas Palestinian government, reflections on Israel’s Independence Day, the Nakba, and other issues.

This week’s Middle East Notes focus on responses and reactions to the unity arrangement between Fatah and Hamas, the collapse of the peace negotiations and Israel’s role in that collapse, Kerry’s use of the apartheid word in regards to Israel, implications of Israel as a “bi-national” state, objections to Netanyahu’s move to make Israel the national homeland of the Jewish people, “price tag” terrorism by Jewish settlers, and other issues.

This week’s Middle East Notes focus on the faltering Israeli/Palestinian negotiations, Kerry’s frustration, Israeli government obstacles, Abbas’ signing 15 UN documents, U.S. failure in using leverage to encourage fruitful negotiations, call for boycott of products from “illegal” Israeli settlements, increased settlement expansion, and the need for clear U.S. position statements on settlements, Palestinian incitement, the Jewishness of Israel, Israeli security, the terms for a peace accord, and other issues.

This week’s Middle East Notes gives attention to peace negotiations in process between Israelis and Palestinians, the controversy over recognition of the “Jewish State of Israel,” the impossibility of a bi-national State of Israel, statements from the UN on the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and recent UN Human Rights Council resolutions voted against by the U.S., the “Judaization” of Jerusalem and the West Bank, the use of boycotts to demand justice for the Palestinians, and other issues.

This week’s Middle East Notes gives attention to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, D.C., President Obama’s interview with Jeffery Goldberg, the AIPAC Conference, the debate about the effectiveness of BDS, the possible failure of the Kerry Peace Plan, the proposed visit of Pope Francis to the Holy Land, links to talks given at the National Summit to Reassess the U.S.-Israel “Special Relationship,” recently held in Washington, D.C., and other issues.

This week’s Middle East highlights the Kerry Framework for negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, U.S. academic freedom, the growth of BDS, continuing settlement development, water discrimination in the Occupied Territories, Israeli opposition to any form of Palestinian State, and other issues.

This week’s Middle East Notes focuses attention on the Kerry framework for negotiations; Israeli actions in the West Bank; influence of AIPAC and the “industrial-military-congressional” complex; the growing spread of BDS; an Australian documentary on IDF treatment of Palestinian children; and other issues.

This week’s Middle East Notes presents articles highlighting the Kerry framework for negotiations, the growing BDS movement in Europe and the U.S., continuing hardships for civilians in Gaza, settler violence on the West Bank, the separation barrier’s division of the Catholic town of Beit Jala, and other issues.

This week’s Middle East Notes highlight hopes and fears concerning the success or failure of the Kerry negotiations and the possible implications of both, reflections on Ariel Sharon and his legacy, the conflicting and conflict provoking meanings of Israel as a “Jewish State,” and other issues.