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...

Israeli soldiers shut down a non-violent protest in Hebron June 6, declaring the area a "Closed Military Zone" and harassing international peace activists and Palestinians. The protest was against the expansion of the illegal Susya settlement of south of Hebron, which has recently added several trailer homes outside the initial settlement boundaries. Verbal clashes and heated arguments erupted as troops barred protesters from entering the area—though the soldiers claimed the area was closed because they feared violence from settlers against the protesters. (Ma'an News Agency, June 6)

The legislative committee of the Israeli cabinet on May 31 rejected a bill that would make a declaration of allegiance to a "Jewish, Zionist and democratic" Israel a prerequisite to the issuance of a national identity card. The measure was proposed last week by Knesset member David Rotem of the Israel Beytenu party, which was the only party to vote in favor of the bill. Israel Beytenu spokesman Tal Nahum criticized the vote and said that the party would continue to pursue this and similar measures. Abe Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League, told the New York Jewish Week last week that the proposal was discriminatory, aimed at only the Arab minority.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed at a ceremony marking the occupation and annexation of East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War this week that Jerusalem would "forever" remain Israel's capital. "Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. It has always been, will remain so forever and will never be divided," Netanyahu said before thousands of supporters waving Israeli flags. Hundreds of Palestinians and Israeli left-wing activists held a protest sit-in at the Old City's Damascus gate, chanting "No to occupation, yes to peace."

It made the New York Times May 21, when Israeli security forces "dismantled" a small Jewish outpost in the West Bank—in what was seen as a gesture by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to President Obama three days after their meeting in Washington. No arrests were made at the "illegal" outpost—Maoz Esther, is in the Ramallah region—where at least four families lived in a couple of concrete structures and several temporary shacks. Hours after security forces withdrew, residents set about rebuilding the demolished structures. Israel's YNet quotes settlers who vowed to make the outpost larger. MK Michael Ben Ari (National Union) also arrived at the scene and nailed a mezuzah to the wooden structure being raised by the settlers, stating: "It's my duty as a legislator."

From Israel's YNet, April 21:

A museum commemorating the Holocaust was inaugurated on Tuesday in the Palestinian village of Na'alin, which has become a symbol for the struggle against the separation fence.

Hamas authorities should end the systematic detention, torture, and execution of political opponents and suspected Israeli collaborators in the Gaza Strip, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report issued April 20. HRW said at least 32 Palestinians have been killed and several dozen more maimed in a wave of violent persecution since the start of the recent Israeli military offensive in December.