Tuesday, March 14, 2017

In the West Bank, IDF troops patrol nr. Nablus, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths; 1 Palestinian is injured. They conduct further patrols nr. Hebron and Ramallah; and arrest 9 Palestinians during late-night raids nr. Hebron, Ramallah, and Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Palestinian schools go on strike to protest the closure of al-Nukhba School on 2/23 and the Jerusalem Municipality’s 12/2016 decision to align its vacation calendar with the Israeli school calendar. Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian home under construction in Issawiyya as well as 2 rooms in a Palestinian home in Silwan; arrest 7 Palestinians during raids in Hizma and Issawiyya; and shut down a dept. of the Arab Studies Society in Bayt Hanina because of alleged affiliation with the PA (it will be reopened on 3/16). Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats nr. Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. In West Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently disperse Palestinians protesting Israeli demolitions of Palestinian property outside the finance ministry’s headquarters; there are no serious injuries. In s. Israel, the Israel Land Authority (ILA) demolishes crops in a Bedouin-owned field nr. Beersheba. (HA, MNA, PLONAD, TOI, WAFA 3/14; PCHR 3/16; MNA 3/17)

The Israeli Knesset approves amendments to the Basic Law barring politicians from running for office if they are known to “support terrorism,” if they do not recognize Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, or if they incite racism or support armed resistance against Israel. In response, Joint List MK Ahmad Tibi says “there is a tendency in recent Knessets in which MKs from the right wing compete with themselves over which bill they can present to exclude authentic representatives of the Arab population.” (KNE, WAFA 3/15)

PA pres. Abbas meets with U.S. special representative for international negotiations Greenblatt in Ramallah. Abbas tells him that “under [U.S.] pres. Trump’s leadership a historic peace deal is possible,” according to a U.S. statement. Meanwhile, Israeli PM Netanyahu comments on his 3/13 meeting with Greenblatt, saying that “we’re in a process, but it’s a process of mutual dialogue, authentic and honest in the positive sense.” The process is “not yet visible to the media,” he adds. (MNA, NYT, HA, TOI 3/14)