Tension prevailed on both sides of the border after Israeli forces resumed routine activity in the area where deadly clashes took place Aug. 4 between Israeli and Lebanese soldiers. The Israeli forces managed to cut down the tree which ignited the skirmishes, Israel's Army Radio reported. The army said it had the right to remove trees if they hinder visibility and make Israeli forces vulnerable to attacks. Armored vehicles were stationed in the area to protect Israeli machinery used to cut down the tree which ignited the clashes. Israel and Lebanon blame each other for the brief exchange of fire that left one Israeli soldier, two Lebanese troops, and a Lebanese journalist dead.

An illegal Israeli settlement outpost erected near the larger Kiyrat Arba settlement in Hebron was evacuated by Israeli forces on the morning of Aug. 5, sparking violence from squatters. The outpost, a collection of wood buildings and tents in Hebron's al-Buwayra area, was taken down and more than a dozen settlers removed from the area, who proceeded to torch Palestinian lands, witnesses said.

From Amnesty International, June 21:

Amnesty International has today called on the Israeli authorities to stop the demolition of Palestinian homes and other buildings in the West Bank, after a further 74 were destroyed in the Jordan Valley earlier this week.

The Israeli Supreme Court on July 18 issued a 90-day injunction against the enforcement of a law preventing the prosecution of 400 protesters arrested during the 2005 Gaza disengagement. The law, passed in January, prevents the prosecution or suspends the sentences of those who were arrested for protesting Israel's 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Israel's Knesset on July 13 voted to revoke parliamentary privileges from Arab MK Hanin Zuabi (Balad) due to her participation in the Gaza aid flotilla that was attacked by the Israeli military in May. Thirty-four lawmakers voted to strip Zuabi's privileges and 16 voted against, after heated debate. Zuabi responded to the vote by saying, "It's not surprising that a country that strips the fundamental rights of its Arab citizens would revoke the privileges of a Knesset member who loyally represents her electorate."

An Israeli military probe found insufficient intelligence and planning in the May 31 raid on several Turkish ships bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip in a report released July 12, but also concluded that no punishments were necessary. The Eiland Commission, which was formed last month to investigate the raid, was composed of professionals outside of the chain of command for the flotilla raid and had been assigned to study the outcomes of the incident and "establish lessons." The commission declassified some sections of its findings, which concluded that the Israeli Navy failed to sufficiently consider the possibility that its troops could encounter violent resistance.

A few years ago it was only voices such as Scott Ritter and the ever-dependable Counterpunch that employed right-wing nationalist rhetoric about how the United States has surrendered its sovereignty to Israel, complete with sentimental invocation of the sullying of Old Glory. Liberals at places like the New Republic warned that the radical right was reviving propaganda about a "Zionist Occupation Government" (ZOG). But now it is Dana Milbank in the Washington Post July 7, commenting on Obama's meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, who mainstreams such odious verbiage:

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced July 6 that several Israeli soldiers will face disciplinary action for their role in the 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. The announcement was made following an independent Israeli investigation into the conflict, as well as the allegations contained in the Goldstone report.