Via the Alternative Information Center, May 6:

Joint report of B'Tselem with HaMoked—Center for the Defence of the Individual, Summary
Utterly Forbidden: The Torture And Ill-Treatment Of Palestinian Detainees
In recent years, Israel has openly admitted that ISA (formerly the General Security Service [Shin Bet]) interrogators employ "exceptional" interrogation methods and "physical pressure" against Palestinian detainees in situations labeled "ticking bombs". B'Tselem and HaMoked—Center for the Defence of the Individual have examined these interrogation methods and the frequency with which they are used, as well as other harmful practices. The report's findings are based on the testimonies of 73 Palestinian residents of the West Bank who were arrested between July 2005 and January 2006 and interrogated by the ISA. Although it is not a representative sample, it does provide a valid indication of the frequency of the reported phenomena.

From AlJazeera, May 7:

Two Palestinian were killed and four wounded during clashes between rival factions in Lebanon's main refugee camp of Ein el-Helweh.

A thoroughly uncritical May 6 AP account of the controversial Dead Sea "recovery" program portrays the new progress on the project as a straightforward victory for diplomacy in the interests of ecology. Some excerpts:

GHOR HADITHA, Jordan — Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Arabs are slowly pushing through the tangle of their disputes and suspicions in a race to save a biblical and ecological treasure, the Dead Sea.

Combatants of Hamas’ military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have ended their five-month truce with Israel, firing 61 mortars and 30 rockets into Israel [April 24]. The group described the attack as in response to Israel having failed to respect the cease-fire, having killed nine Palestinians over the weekend. [AlJazeera, April 24] Palestinian interior minister Hani al-Qawasmi submitted his resignation on Monday after the failure of his administration to stem the increasing lawlessness gripping the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh refused to accept al-Qawasmi’s decision, who has agreed to remain in his post for the time being. [The Guardian, April 23]

Tucked away on the April 21 letters page of the UK Guardian, 130 British doctors are calling to boycott the Israeli Medical Association. Dr. Derek Summerfield, who wrote a scathing report on Israeli war crimes in the Oct 16, 2004 British Medical Journal, makes the call along with colleagues in the form of a letter supporting the UK National Union of Journalists' (NUJ) decision to boycott Israeli goods:

Marijuana is not kosher for Passover, Israel's pot-friendly Green Leaf Party says, advising Jews who observe the holiday's special dietary laws to take a break from smoking the weed. The Party, which has made several unsuccessful attempts to win election to the Knesset on a legalization platform, announced that products of the cannabis plant have been grouped by rabbis within a family of foods such as peas, beans and lentils that is off-limits to Ashkenazi Jews during Passover. But it said the rabbinical ban for the holiday beginning at sunset Monday could be a blessing in disguise. "Logic dictates that if the rabbis say cannabis is non-kosher for Passover, it is apparently kosher during the rest of the year," Michelle Levin, a spokeswoman for the party, told YNet news.

Did you happen to catch this one? What a sad story. This Miss Israel contest really does represent the culture of narcissism and objectification, as well as an oppressive colonialist state. But young Ms. Fares seems to have had few other options—and those opposing her choice seem to also represent something rather oppressive. From the Toronto Globe & Mail, March 15:

We've noted before in the US anti-war movement's factional jockeying, how the sectarian-controlled International ANSWER has used Palestine as a "wedge issue" against the more legitimate United for Peace & Justice (UFPJ) coalition—which really has been timid around the question. Now, at long last, UFPJ is seriously addressing Palestine. The Forward may not be happy about this, but we are. Daniel Treiman writes, Feb. 2: