Wednesday, June 5, 2019

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian farmland in Jalud near Nablus, causing 400 olive trees to be burned down. The same group of settlers also attacked a school in Jalud with stones. Elsewhere, a Palestinian was struck by a bullet fired during an Israeli military drill in ‘Ayn al-Rummana near Jenin. Separately, in Yasuf near Nablus, 15 Israeli settlers attacked the home of a Palestinian family by throwing stones, causing damage to a vehicle and the house. (HA, WAFA, WAFA 6/5; HA 6/12)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed a new Justice Minister, Amir Ohana. Haaretz reported that Ohana was appointed because he supports changes that would grant Netanyahu immunity in the legal cases he is facing. (HA 6/5)

U.S. House representatives and senators reintroduced a bipartisan bill to allocate $50 million to invest in the Palestinian economy and programs promoting Israeli-Palestinian relations. The bill was first introduced in October 2018; the reintroduced bill is more detailed about where the funding would be directed. The bill also mentions support for a 2-state solution. According to Axios, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer and other Israeli officials have been lobbying senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to remove language about a 2-state solution. (Axios, HA 6/5)