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New pressure on University of Johannesburg to sever Israel ties (Mail & Guardian, 24/09/10)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Unisa vice-chancellor Barney Pityana and author Breyten Breytenbach have added their voices to calls for the University of Johannesburg to sever academic ties with Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Why Mitchell Said ‘No’ to Hamas (Information Clearing House, 24/09/10)
One key difference between Hamas and its rival, the Fatah movement in the West Bank, is that Hamas is accountable to a much more complex set of priorities and expectations. While Fatah is effortlessly co-opted, Hamas remains confined by ideological standards and the stringiest political space. Although, on one hand this represents Hamas' greatest strength, on the other it shows just how truly arduous is its political undertaking. / The difference is relevant in light of the resumption of talks between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, followed by another round of talks in the Middle East. Both once more raised the question: can Israel and Fatah achieve peace without Hamas' involvement?

Conscientious objector Omer Shoshan Imprisoned (New Profile, 22/09/10)
Conscientious objector Omer Shoshan was sentenced to 20 days of imprisonment after refusing to continue his military service in the Israeli army.

Time for disengagement (Haaretz, 12/09/10)
After the (limited ) success of the disengagement from Gaza, the time has come for another disengagement - that which will release Israel from the chains of the corrupting influence of wealthy Jewish men.

West Bank settlements seek to revolutionize image with a new kind of tour (Haaretz, 12/09/10)
Samaria Regional Council's new strategy: forget politics and bring as many media personalities and opinion-makers as possible to see the region.

The one-state solution: An option that should be taken off the table (972 Magazine, 10/09/10)

The Story of Yanun (photos and sound by Tore Sveen, 09/10)

A Threat From Within - Poverty in the Jewish State (Forward, 27/09/10)
In May, when Israel was invited to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a 31-nation club of the world’s most elite, developed economies, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz called it “a badge of honor.” Indeed, it is. [...] But the “start-up nation” narrative hides another story: Poverty in Israel is more widespread than in any of the other OECD countries, worse than even Turkey and Mexico. Almost one in five Israelis live in poverty, according to OECD guidelines; for children, the rate is nearly one in three.

Aslan says 2-state solution is dead, and Indyk calls him a liar (Mondoweiss, 23/07/10)
“The future of relations with the Muslim world” was the UN-sponsored event hosted at the New York Times building in central Manhattan on 21 July. Filled with journalists from Egypt, China and Turkey and the foreign policy establishment, roughly 150 people came to hear Roger Cohen, Joe Klein, Martin Indyk, Reza Aslan, Dalia Mogahed and Marc Lynch chew over issues related to Barack Obama’s Cairo speech in 2009 and efforts to re-engage the Muslim world. The general consensus was that Obama had failed, even if his intentions were noble.

A new party of good tidings (Haaretz, 23/07/10)
The time has come for an Israeli party, a Jewish-Arab party, that will carry the banner of total commitment to equality, without a trace of discrimination and racism. Writes Avraham Burg.

Sri Lankan ambassador: We back Israel's war on terror (Ynet, 21/07/10)
Donald Perera, who served as Sri Lankan chief of staff during offensive that ended in Tamil rebels' surrender after more than 30 years, is enjoying a change of pace in Israel. In interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, he recalls seeing body of rebel leader Prabhakaran, says IDF needs public's support to successfully eradicate terror. 'Citizens must realize struggle will exact a heavy price,' he adds.

Boycott becomes them (Haaretz, 04/07/10)
Cancelling vacations in Antalya, protests and boycotting Turkish goods have become symbols of the "just struggle" against the bad guys.

Nocturnal Terror in Silwan (Israel: The Only Democracy in the Middle East? blog, 02/07/10)
Another night sets in on Silwan. Just two days ago, hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian demonstrators marched together along the narrow streets of the neighborhood, to support the local residents, facing the municipality’s plan to demolish 22 houses. But here, as anywhere in east Jerusalem, happenings do not cease for a moment.

Yediot: Hebron Brigade commander cancels UK study trip for fear of arrest (Coteret blog, 02/07/10)
The IDF was forced to cancel the departure of the outgoing Hebron Brigade commander, Col. Udi Ben-Moha, to study in the UK. Yedioth Ahronoth has learned that the army feared that Ben Moha would be arrested upon landing due to suspicion of involvement in war crimes in the territories.

Burrowing Through a Blockade (New York Times op ed, 02/07/10)
One useful place to mull Israel’s siege of Gaza is from inside an 800-foot-long smugglers’ tunnel burrowing under the Egyptian border.

Palestine Solidarity: One Woman’s Journey (The Indypendent, 02/06/10)
Last New Year’s Eve, Debbie Mardon did not celebrate with noise makers or confetti — instead, she headed to Cairo’s main square to participate in the Gaza Freedom March with her daughter Jenna Bitar, 18, and son Joel, 23.

I too did not speak out (Haaretz, 04/06/10)
In Israel too, it is merely a matter of time until they reach me, and you as well. Just as German pastor Martin Niemoller said about the Nazi period.

Jewish anti-siege activists prep for July voyage (Ma'an News Agency, 05/06/10)

TA: Thousands protest Gaza blockade (Jerusalem Post, 05/06/10)
Leftists rally against occupation, blame government of “drowning Israel."

IDF Admits It Doctored the Audio Tapes (Free Gaza Movement, 06/06/10)
The IDF admitted today in a press release that it doctored audio footage from its exchanges with the Gaza flotilla in order to paint the flotilla passengers as anti-Semites.

Taking Gaza seriously (Haaretz, 25/05/10)
Blockading Gaza has caused nothing but distress. Limiting imports of fruit, vegetables and cement will not succor Gilad Shalit, and the Hamas regime remains strong.

The Palestinian economic boycott of the settlements (Bitter Lemons, 24/05/10)

MESS Report / Palestinian villagers trapped by permanent red light (Haaretz, 24/05/10)
Israel's defense establishment is not permitting residents of the Palestinian village of Sheikh Sa'ad, southeast of Jerusalem, to leave the town in their cars. There are even restrictions on walking out of the village, a privilege reserved for residents with Israeli identity cards.

Israelis' ideal state: A country without criticism (Haaretz, 23/05/10)
Let us imagine the dream-country of most Israelis - without criticism, neither from within nor from without. It speaks in one voice and is eternally united, with devotion and cohesion; all-Jewish, that goes without saying.

Palestinian Roads: Cementing Statehood, or Israeli Annexation? (The Nation, 30/04/10)
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has staked his political credibility on securing a Palestinian state by 2011 in the entire West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, a program enthusiastically embraced by the international community. Ambitious PA plans include roads and other infrastructure across the West Bank, with funds provided by the United States, Europe and other donors.

The charge: Arabs (Haaretz, 13/05/10)
While it may be true that Israeli Arabs enjoy more rights than most of the world's Arabs, they are worse off than most of the world's Jews.

Will failure to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict mean a new Cold War in the Middle East? (Foreign Policy, 11/05/10)
Is a new Cold War taking shape in the Middle East? It is not hard to understand why skeptics believe it may be. President Dmitry Medvedev visited Syria on Monday, the first ever visit by a Russian or Soviet head of state. Syrians are excited. They are hoping that Russia will resume its old role as armorer and advocate of those states prepared to "defend Arab rights" and resist U.S. hegemony.

To be or not to be a pariah state (Foreign Policy, 08/05/10)

Report: Zionist group bans Goldstone from grandson's bar mitzvah (Haaretz, 15/04/10)

B'Tselem strongly condemns execution of two Palestinians in Gaza Strip (B'Tselem, 15/04/10)

If it were up to the people, Anat Kamm would be executed (Haaretz, 15/04/10)
The whole country is seething over the Anat Kamm affair, and only one man will decide how it can end: the director of the Shin Bet security service, Yuval Diskin. If Diskin determines that Kamm and Haaretz journalist Uri Blau should be punished severely, that is what will happen. If he decides they should be forgiven - so it will be.

Israeli Public's Support for Dismantling Most Settlements Has Risen to a Five-Year High (World Public Opinion, 15/04/10)

13 Reasons Why Liberal Zionists Should Give Guarded Support to the BDS Movement (The Magnes Zionist, 15/04/10)

Killing blamed on Hamas traitor as passport showdown looms (The Independent, 22/02/10)
Hamas last night vigorously denied that a renegade from its own ranks helped set up the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel room last month, a shock claim made by Dubai's police chief, as echoes from the killing and its investigation continued to resound in the Middle East and Europe.

Gaza, living in the dark (France 24, 22/02/10)
Gaza survives on a minimal amount of electricity, leaving residents without power for the most part of the day. No television is one thing; no street lighting and hospital equipment is another.

Meir Dagan: the mastermind behind Mossad's secret war (Times Online, 21/02/10)
Beit Sahour: a new struggle (The New Statesman, 21/02/10)
A small piece of Palestinian land, targeted by settlers, highlights the main phenomena in the Israeli occupation.

Gaza Fishermen Fight to Keep a Way of Life Alive (truthout, 21/02/10)
Once upon a time, this little strip of land (just 139 square miles, about twice the size of Washington, DC) was a potentially booming resort and fishing capital, with 25 miles of beautiful coastline and beaches and a Mediterranean seaport teeming with sardines and shrimp. / This is the Gaza Strip. But it's not a fairy tale and there is no happy ending. However, there are plenty of heroes and villains.

How I escaped Mossad's clutches (The Telegraph, 20/02/10)
Israel’s secret intelligence service is ruthless but reckless because it doesn’t care about international opinion, says Peter Hounam, who was imprisoned by them.

Scandinavian financial institutions drop Elbit due to BDS pressure (Electronic Intifada, 19/02/10)
Despite Israel's oppressive tactics against it, the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement has marked additional victories with many institutional investors divesting from or blacklisting Israeli military contractor Elbit Systems. One of the largest Dutch pension funds told The Electronic Intifada today that it is selling off its shares in Elbit.

A Quadruple Heads-Up (Half & Half blog, 29/01/10)
So I got to thinking, maybe it would be useful for some Half & Half readers if I dropped some names and gave you a heads-up about some people, who in my eyes are the next superstars in Israeli politics. People you’ve probably never heard about – but who have at least hinted on various occasions that they want to reach the top of the pyramid.

What One Hand Giveth, the Other Hand Taketh Away (Gaza Gateway, 27/01/10)
Haiti, op-eds and articles have praised Israel’s important provision of relief and also attempted to hold up a mirror to the country, showing closure-devastated Gaza just over our shoulder. Some in Israel asked, how is it that aid is rushed half a world away when children are living in half-destroyed homes just an hour’s drive from Tel Aviv? Others argued that Israel’s positive actions in Haiti should stand alone, even if the Israeli government over-publicized the efforts.

B'Tselem investigation raises grave suspicion that the killing of the three Palestinians in Nablus on 26 December 2009 was unlawful (B'Tselem, 27/01/10)

Settlers attack Palestinians to avenge West Bank outpost demolition (Haaretz, 27/01/10)

Israelis To Move Security Barrier At Site of Palestinian Protests (Forward, 27/01/10)
Two-and-a-half years after a Supreme Court order, Israel’s army is preparing to adjust the route of the long security barrier it has constructed on the West Bank at a key flashpoint where a fence cuts off Palestinian villagers from their own land.

The Commodification Of Gaza (Global Voices, 27/01/10)
Exiled is a blogger who recently left Gaza - and he is in no hurry to return. In this translation of a recent post of his, we hear his opinions about political propaganda and self-interest, the tunnels to Egypt and the planned steel fence, and the nature of the outside world's concern for the Gaza Strip.

Perfect Symmetry (Bernard Avishai Dot Com, 27/01/10)
Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Late last year, in early October, Sidra and I visited Poland for the first time, and among our stops, inevitably, we visited Auschwitz-Birkenau. Walking the pathway, smack down the middle of the camp, I decided not to write about the experience until today, not out of any sense of decorum, but because I knew I would need some time to see what faded and what stuck. Four months seemed about the minimum one needed to let first impressions ripen.