The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced Aug. 11 that it will conduct an investigation into the May flotilla incident, in which Israeli forces raided several Turkish ships bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip. The investigatory commission will operate under the office of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and will prepare a report to be presented to the UN panel established earlier this month to investigate the incident.

In two raids week, personnel of the Israel Lands Administration, backed up by a large police contingent, demolished the homes of some 300 residents in the "unrecognized" Bedouin village of al-Arakib in the Negev. Most of them—Israeli citizens, including many children—were left homeless. No assistance or compensation was offered by Israeli authorities. In the second police action Aug. 3, the entire village was bulldozed, with many of the residents' cattle, trees and belongings lost. Al-Arakib, which had about 40 homes, was one of 45 Bedouin villages not recognized by Israeli authorities.

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.