Israeli Knesset member Dove Hannen (Democratic Front for Peace and Equality) was one of hundreds of international and Israeli peace activists who participated in the weekly anti-wall protest in the village of Bil'in on Aug. 14. Hannen was tear gassed, shot at with rubber-coated metal bullets and subjected to sound bombs by soldiers from his country's military as he marched with Palestinian villagers and internationals toward the Israeli separation wall being built on the village lands. (Ma'an News Agency, Aug. 15)

Hamas security forces in the southern Gaza border city of Rafah Aug. 14 battled armed militants of the Jund Ansar Allah ("Warriors of God"), who had earlier in the day declared the coastal strip an "Islamic emirate." Fifteen Palestinians were confirmed dead following the operation by Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades. Some 120 Palestinians, including civilians, were injured, many critically.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) again raided the West Bank village of Bil'in in the wee hours of Aug. 3, arresting seven Palestinians and one US solidarity activist. The force wearing combat paint and masks invaded several homes. Two Palestinian youths were among those arrested, as was Mohammad Khatib of the Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements. The home of another member of the Popular Committee was raided, but soldiers could not arrest him because he was not present. The raid is the latest of several that Israeli forces have carried out in Bil'in since June.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) last week announced they are conducting criminal investigations into charges of intentional misconduct by their soldiers during December and January's fighting in the Gaza Strip. In a report seeking "to place the Gaza Operation in its proper factual and legal context," the IDF said that they are currently investigating 13 allegations against IDF personnel, including pillaging Palestinian homes, mistreating detainees, and using civilians as human shields.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has ordered embassies to use a photo of Adolf Hitler's 1941 meeting with the Mufti of Jerusalem to counter international criticism over a Jerusalem settlement project, a senior official told AFP July 22. "The foreign minister ordered the distribution of the photo to all embassies abroad as a response to the Shepherd Hotel incident in order to prove a well-known point that the mufti collaborated with Hitler," the official said on condition of anonymity. Foreign Ministry staff apparently opposed the move.

The Israeli Supreme Court on July 1 ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to refile indictments on more serious charges against a soldier and an officer accused of shooting a blindfolded prisoner with a rubber bullet. Human rights groups B'Tselem, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) and Yesh Din filed suit against the IDF, saying that a charge of conduct unbecoming a soldier, the least serious military criminal sanction, did not reflect the severity of the crime.

Amnesty International July 21 accused Israeli forces of war crimes, saying they used children as human shields and conducted wanton attacks on civilians during their offensive in the Gaza Strip. The rights group also accused Hamas of war crimes, but found no evidence that the Islamist rulers of Gaza similarly used civilians as human shields during the 22-day Israeli offensive. It reiterated its call for an international arms embargo against Israel.

Bowing to pressure from President Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a major speech June 14 that he'd accept a Palestinian state—as long as it was demilitarized and recognized Israel as a Jewish state. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is now on a 10-day tour to gauge the international reaction. (Newsweek, June 16) While Netanyahu's speech has won global headlines as an historic first for the hardline prime minister, we will now see if a reciprocal move by a senior Hamas leader will receive similar media treatment...