In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolished 10 structures in a Bedouin community north of Jericho. 10 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Ramallah, Birzeit, Jalazun refugee camp...
In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolished 8 structures in a bedouin village north of Ramallah and delivered demolition notices for 2 houses near Bethlehem. 11 Palestinians were arrested in and...
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In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolished 10 structures in a Bedouin community north of Jericho. 10 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Ramallah, Birzeit, Jalazun refugee camp, al-Khadir, Bayt Fajjar, and al-‘Arub refugee camp; during the raid in al-Khadir, 2 minors who were arrested were injured by rubber-coated bullets. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family started demolishing their own house in Jabal Mukabir, displacing 5. 7 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in the Old City and Shu‘fat. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/7; PCHR 6/10)
A settler leader moved his office to the Evyatar settlement outpost near Beita after Israel told the settlers they would have to leave the outpost within 8 days. 42 Israeli settler families have moved to the outpost since 5/3. 1 member of the Knesset from Shas, Moshe Arbel, also brought construction materials to the settlement outpost. (HA, HA 6/7)
Israel’s attorney general Avichai Mendelblit said he would not intervene in the eviction case against Palestinian families in Shaykh Jarrah. PeaceNow called Attorney General Mendelblit’s decision “a cynical attempt to evade responsibility,” and said the evictions are based on “laws that [discriminate] between Israelis and Palestinians.” (AJ, HA 6/7)
PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met with the emir of Qatar Shaykh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Doha. (WAFA 6/7)
The Knesset passed a bill that would allow the Shin Bet to place citizens of Israel in West Bank prisons, in the 1st of 3 votes. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel criticized the bill for being unconstitutional and for the Knesset to pass legislation about the West Bank. Joint List lawmakers warned that the bill only would apply to Palestinian citizens of Israel. (HA 6/10)
Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. and UN, Gilad Erdan, visited the Associated Press headquarters in New York, meeting with AP’s president and CEO Gary Pruitt “to restore the relations between Israel and the Associated Press” in the wake of Israel’s air strike demolishing AP’s offices in Gaza on 5/15. Ambassador Erdan justified the air strike that demolished the high-rise by alleging that Hamas was using an office in the 14-story building to jam the Iron Dome missile defense system. AP said it had not been shown any evidence to back Israel’s claim. Hamas denied the Israeli claim, saying, “Israel is trying to whitewash its black image.” (ALM, AP, HA, REU 6/8; MEMO 6/10)
Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) asked secretary of state Antony Blinken, during a house foreign affairs committee hearing, where victims of Israeli crimes should seek justice, if the U.S. opposes investigations by the ICC. Secretary Blinken said in his response that Israel does provide the mechanism of accountability without further elaborating. (AJ, AP, HA 6/10)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolished 8 structures in a bedouin village north of Ramallah and delivered demolition notices for 2 houses near Bethlehem. 11 Palestinians were arrested in and around Tulkarm, Jenin, Bethlehem, and Ramallah; during the raid in Tulkarm, 2 Palestinians were shot by Israeli forces using rubber-coated bullets; during the raid near Jenin, 1 Palestinian was shot by live ammunition. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian-owned home was demolished in Silwan and 1 Palestinian family demolished their own home in Sur Bahir to avoid exorbitant Israeli demolition fees. 4 Palestinians were arrested. In Gaza, Hamas authorities initiated a 48-hour curfew after 4 members of the same family tested positive for the COVID-19 virus on 8/24; these were the 1st people to test positive in Gaza outside of designated quarantine facilities. Israeli forces attacked buildings east of Rafah, causing damage; incendiary balloons were sent toward Israel, causing fires. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/25; PCHR 8/27)
Both PA president Mahmoud Abbas and PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met separately with the British foreign secretary Dominic Raab in Ramallah. President Abbas told Secretary Raab peace cannot be achieved by bypassing the Palestinians through normalization of relations with other Arab countries. (WAFA, WAFA 8/25)
Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz and the defense minister of the UAE Mohammed al-Bawardi spoke during a phone call where the 2 discussed shared security interests. (HA, REU 8/25)
U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo spoke to the Republican National Convention from Jerusalem while on an official trip to the Middle East. Secretary Pompeo’s performance at the Republican National Convention was a violation of the Hatch Act and a congressional investigation was initiated shortly after his speech was broadcasted. In his speech, Pompeo touted U.S. president Donald Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, saying “this very city of God, Jerusalem, the rightful capital of the Jewish homeland.” Secretary Pompeo also met with the prime minister of Sudan Abdalla Hamdok to discuss normalizing ties between Sudan and Israel, among other issues. A Sudanese spokesperson said that the transitional government was not mandated to normalize ties with Israel. (AJ, HA, HA, HA, HA 8/25; HA 8/27)
The Democratic candidate for vice president Kamala Harris said in a call with Jewish supporters that a Biden administration will not condition U.S. military aid to Israel. (HA 8/26)
The director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, Matthias Schmale, called on Israel to start allowing fuel into Gaza as Gaza’s only power plant had remained closed for 1 week due to lack of fuel as Israel blocked the entrance of fuel to Gaza. (WAFA 8/25)
