Akiva Eldar – Al-Monitor – The takeover of the corporation of the State of Israel is being executed in incremental fashion, using legislation and sanctions, making it a little less democratic, a little more Jewish. The plethora of laws and sanctions make a mockery of Israeli democracy. Viewed separately, each of these initiatives is a yawn; taken together, this accumulation of legislation should make every Israeli lose sleep.-rh
Ramzy Baroud – Dissident Voice – Corruption in Israeli society has become particularly endemic after the occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza in 1967. The idea that ordinary Israelis can move into a Palestinian house, evict the family, claim the house as their own, with the full support of the military, the government and the court, exemplifies moral corruption to the highest degree. It was only a matter of time before this massive corruption racket – military occupation, the settlement enterprise, the media whitewashing of Israeli crimes – seeped back into mainstream Israeli society, which has become rotten to the core. While Israelis might have ‘gotten used’ to their own corruption, Palestinians have not, because the price of Israel’s moral corruption is too high for them to bear.-rh
Sheren Khalel – Mondoweiss – Israeli police forces entered Zahwat al- Quds school in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday, arresting the principal of the school as well as three teachers in front of students, before closing down the school and instructing parents to find alternative facilities for their children, according to Palestinian official media, Wafa.The events in East Jerusalem came one day after Israeli forces detained several teachers in the southern Hebron Hills on their walk to school, again in the presence of their students.-rh
Shlomi Eldar – Al-Monitor – Next week, the Knesset`s Interior Committee will debate a proposed piece of legislation by Minister for Public Security Gilad Erdan, which would expand the authority of civilian security guards. According to the proposal, security guards will be given powers similar to the police in that they will have the right to detain suspects, demand that they identify themselves and even use force to prevent them from entering crowded spaces such as shopping malls and public transportation. Erdan claims that the purpose of the law is to increase civilians` sense of safety in recreation centers and offices that provide services to citizens.-rh
IMEMCnews – The Israeli government is currently preparing a blacklist of local and international organizations and activists who call for boycotting Israeli institutions, products and events, local media sources revealed yesterday. On Sunday, the Israeli Ministerial Committee on Legislation passed a law against activists who encourage the international boycott of Israel, under which they are likely to be sued or fined.-rh
Shafik Mandhai – Aljazeera – Ruba Salih from the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) was set to oversee Wednesday`s event featuring Palestinian BDS activist, Omar Barghouti, but organisers say they were forced to cancel her participation hours before it was due to start after the university intervened citing concerns over her neutrality. Palestinian activists say the incident highlights the increasingly restrictive atmosphere for critics of Israel on campuses across the UK.-rh
Military Court Watch – Detention figures: The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) continues to experience difficulties in providing accurate and timely information regarding the number of Palestinian children in its detention facilities in accordance with an outstanding Freedom of Information application (FOI application). According to the IPS, as of 30 June 2017, 318 Palestinian children were held as “security prisoners” in Israeli detention facilities. This represents a 4 percent decrease compared with the previous month and an annual decrease of 17 percent compared with 2016. Out of 318 children, 10 were girls, representing 3 percent. There is currently no available data relating to age breakdown, administrative detention or the percentage of children transferred to prisons inside Israel in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.-rh
Ayelett Shani – Middle East Transparent – Mohammed Mansour, who treats Gaza victims of sexual assault, describes the dystopian nightmare that Palestinians are living.-rh
Samidoun – Washington, D.C., November 14, 2017—Members of Congress on Tuesday introduced a bill prohibiting U.S. financial support of abuses against Palestinian children in the Israeli military detention system, putting violations under the magnifying glass of U.S. taxpayers.-rh
Jason Ditz – Antiwar.com – On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that the most recent ceasefire announcement did not involve any commitment for Russia to force Iran out of Syria, saying that Iran can maintain a legitimate presence in Syria. This isn’t sitting well with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who urged the world to unite and force Iran out of Syria at all costs. Now, he’s saying Israel is prepared to act alone to ensure Iran has no permanent presence there.-rh
