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It’s time for the Conference of Presidents to kick out Mort Klein, The Forward
Abe Silberstein writes, “The United States Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and assembly, as it should, and the ZOA is entitled to operate any way it wishes and promote whatever horrific views it wants. It is up to anti-racist members of the Conference of Presidents if they want to continue legitimizing them. ”
German FM warns Israel against West Bank annexation plans, AP
Germany’s foreign minister on Wednesday warned Israel that its plan to begin annexing parts of the West Bank would violate international law, but he declined to say how Germany or Europe would respond.
Netanyahu to initially annex 3 settlement blocs, not Jordan Valley — officials, Times of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will initially announce the annexation of three West Bank blocs, but not the Jordan Valley or other settlement areas, according to top Israeli officials speaking on condition of anonymity.
PA submits ‘counter-proposal’ to US plan, providing for demilitarized Palestine, Times of Israel
The Palestinian Authority has sent the diplomatic Quartet a plan for Palestinian statehood in response to the US Mideast proposal, which sees parts of the West Bank being annexed by Israel, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said Tuesday. “We submitted a counter-proposal to the Quartet a few days ago,” he said, referring to the group mediating the conflict, made up of the United Nations, United States, Russia and European Union. Shtayyeh said that the PA’s plan provides for the creation of a “sovereign Palestinian state, independent and demilitarized” with “minor modifications of borders where necessary.”
Annexation Violates Oslo Accords, Says Israel’s Former Negotiator, Haaretz
“Unilaterally annexing West Bank areas will violate the Oslo Accords,” he told Haaretz on Tuesday. “Article 31 (8) of the 1995 Israel-PLO Interim Agreement states that the ‘status of [the West Bank and the Gaza Strip] will be preserved during the Interim Period.”
At a time of racial strife, liberal groups say no room at communal table for a leader whose tweets inflame, JTA
Black Lives Matter “is a Jew hating, White hating, Israel hating, conservative Black hating, violence promoting, dangerous Soros funded extremist group of haters,” ZOA President Mort Klein tweeted on Saturday.
Israeli court strikes down law legalizing settlement homes, AP
Israel’s highest court on Tuesday struck down a contentious law that sought to retroactively legalize thousands of West Bank settlement homes built unlawfully on private Palestinian land.
Settler leaders say Gantz warned them not to get too greedy on annexation, Times of Israel
“What’s being offered to you, take. As for the rest, you can deal with it later,” the settler leaders quoted Gantz as saying during their meeting with him at the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division Headquarters in the central West Bank settlement of Beit El.
Palestine says it will declare statehood if Israel annexes West Bank, The Guardian
Palestine will declare statehood over all of the West Bank and Gaza, with Jerusalem as its capital, and push for global recognition if Israel goes ahead with plans to annex land it occupies, the Palestinian prime minister has said.
Relative of Murdered Palestinian Family Describes ‘Hell’ of Aftermath at Israeli Killer’s Hearing, Haaretz
Relatives of the victims testified Tuesday at the sentencing hearing for Amiram Ben-Uliel, an Israeli convicted of murdering three members of the Dawabsheh family in the 2015 arson attack on their home in the West Bank village of Duma.
Maximum sentence requested for Jewish settler in Duma arson case, Al Jazeera
The lawyer for relatives of a murdered Palestinian family who were firebombed inside their house by a Jewish settler has requested the maximum sentencing, as the years-long case nears its end.
Israeli day care center rescinds reserved spot for baby after learning he has 2 fathers, JTA
A day care center in central Israel rescinded a reserved spot for a 4-month-old baby after its director learned that he has two fathers.
Jews came to America to escape darkness. For African Americans, America was darkness, The Forward
Shira Telushkin writes, “We live in a different America, one that offered us a haven. We fled to America and away from the lands of our greatest horrors, while the Black community was forced to overcome their greatest horrors among the people who wrought them.”
For Netanyahu, despite mounting opposition, annexation is already paying off, Times of Israel
Haviv Rettig Gur writes, “Theories abound to explain the PM’s move to claim parts of West Bank: a campaign tactic, a legacy bid, an opportunity granted by Trump. All are true, but that’s not the full story.”
‘You can’t reconcile a nation that’s never been equal.’ Three black pastors reflect on this moment., The Forward
Each of the three pastors stressed different things about this moment. For Pastor Hawkins, the focus is the role of the church in fighting racism. Pastor Williams finds himself bridging the gap between the New York Police Department and his community. And for Pastor Bumpus, it was all about repentance.
Ahead of possible annexation, German FM comes to Israel with a delicate mission, Times of Israel
Raphael Ahren writes, “Maas’s meetings here will not all be to Jerusalem’s liking, as the main issue on the agenda is a major sticking point in bilateral relations: the planned annexation of the Jordan Valley and all settlements across the West Bank.”
Annexation? Most U.S. Evangelicals Have Other Things on Their Mind Right Now, Haaretz
Amir Tibon writes, “The Trump administration knows evangelical support is key to his reelection, but experts say green-lighting Israeli annexation of settlements may not be enough to sway them.”