Three journalists were among eight injured on June 20 in the West Bank town of Beit Jala as locals and internationals gathered to protest the continued construction of Israel's separation wall. Border guards at the site, near the 18th century Cremisan winery and monastery, beat protesters with batons, and fired sound bombs, tear-gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets, witnesses said. (Ma'an News Agency, June 21)

Israeli authorities will allow limited deliveries of aid, commercial merchandise and fuel into the besieged Gaza Strip through Kerem Shalom crossing, the besieged Palestinian enclave's border officials were told June 20. Gaza officials were told to expect between 81 to 91 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial goods via the southern terminal. Limited quantities of industrial diesel and domestic-use gas will be pumped through the same terminal, officials said. However, Gaza's sole bulk goods crossing, the northern Karni terminal, will remain closed. The numbers remain the same as previous weeks, despite an Israeli government decision announced June 17 for a "liberalization" of the siege, increasing the number and variety of goods they would permit into the Strip. (Ma'an News Agency, June 19)

From Amnesty International, June 16:

Israeli authorities must stop demolitions of Palestinian homes
Amnesty International has called on the Israeli authorities to end house demolitions which leave thousands of Palestinians living in daily fear of eviction from their homes.

With appalling blatancy, Israel's "amen chorus" on Capitol Hill is proposing use of the Armenian genocide—specifically, the threat of US recognition of it as genocide—as political ammo against Turkey in the wake of the deadly Israeli naval attack on a Turkish-organized "Free Gaza" aid flotilla. From the Jerusalem Post, June 17:

The Israeli Navy opened fire on an armed squad of five Palestinians wearing diving suits and supposedly on their way to attack Israeli targets, the IDF said June 7. An army source told the daily Haaretz that at about 4:30 AM, naval commandos identified and fired on a boat carrying five armed Palestinians heading north from waters off the Nuseirath refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Sources in Gaza reported that four Palestinians were killed. Hamas later confirmed the deaths and said a fifth Palestinian was missing—although conflicting reports from Gaza claimed at least two of the five-member squad survived. Other Palestinian sources told Haaretz that the militants were members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. (Haaretz, June 7)

Marking the anniversary of the 1967 seizure of the West Bank and Gaza, some 15,000 Israeli leftists and peace activists marched in Tel Aviv June 5 to mark "43 years of occupation," while also protesting the recent IDF raids on Gaza-bound aid ships. A heavy police presence did not prevent right-wing counter-protesters from attacking the march. A smoke grenade was hurled at the protestors outside the Tel Aviv Museum, and counter-protesters tried to attack leftist activist Uri Avnery, snatching a banner he was carrying.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced June 5 the seizure without resistance of the Gaza-bound aid ship Rachel Corrie. The Israeli military says soldiers boarded the Rachel Corrie from the sea rather than from helicopter, in contrast to the deadly raid on an aid convoy five days ago. The ship has been taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod. Israel says it will question those on board at the port and transfer the aid to the Gaza Strip by land after checking the cargo for banned items.

From Boycott!—"Supporting the Palestinian BDS [boycott, divestment, sanctions] call from within"—June 4:

Israelis call on the world's governments and civil society organizations:
Gaza and MV Rachel Corrie Need Your Backing Now!
We are Israeli citizens and residents, Palestinians and Jews. We work in our society to raise the voices of conscience and dissent in light of the hostility, self-righteousness and racism which dominate it, but these efforts are not sufficient. In the wake of our government's deadly attack on the Free Gaza aid ships, including the MV Marmara, and due to the continued cruel and illegitimate Israeli siege on the Gaza strip—we call on the world's governments and civil society organizations to take concrete and immediate steps in pressuring Israel to refrain from interfering with the ship MV Rachel Corrie, currently on route to Gaza, or any future vessel, sailing from international waters to the waters of the besieged Gaza strip.