Annexation? Most U.S. evangelicals have other things on their mind right now
Haaretz

“The streets of the capital saw many protests over the past week, and most of them were larger and noisier than the one that took place between Capitol Hill and the White House on Sunday afternoon (June 7). Yet despite the fact that this particular demonstration attracted only about 1,000 people, in terms of political significance it could turn out to be just as important. What stood out about this particular demonstration was that its organizers and most participants were evangelical Christians – a group that is usually associated with the right wing in U.S. politics. These evangelicals, however, were protesting against police violence and carrying ‘Black Lives Matter’ placards.” 

Image: A protester holding a sign saying "Annex This" at an anti-annexation demonstration in Tel Aviv, June 6, 2020. (Tomer Appelbaum)

‘As a Jew of Color, I Need More People in My Community to Speak Up’
Haaretz

“Sitting on the stoop of his apartment building in Crown Heights early last week, Yehudah Webster took out his cellphone and began recording himself. Being a community organizer for the group Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, he had been conducting virtual meetings from his apartment all day and stepped out for some much-needed air. ‘I feel like I’m drowning. I feel like I wanna run away from my own existence,’ he said from behind his face mask. 'I’ve had enough; black people have had enough.’”

Image: A placard stating "Silence Kills" during a "Black Lives Matter" demonstration, June 7, 2020. (Frank Augstein/AP)

High Court nixes law aimed at legalizing settler homes built on Palestinian land
Times of Israel

“The High Court of Justice on Tuesday (June 9) struck down on constitutional grounds divisive legislation passed by the Knesset in 2017 that would have allowed the state to expropriate private Palestinian land where thousands of illegal settler homes have been built. In an 8-1 decision, the top legal body ruled that the Regulation Law ‘was unconstitutional and ordered it nullified,’ saying it ‘violates the property rights and equality of Palestinians, and gives clear priority to the interests of Israeli settlers over Palestinian residents [of the West Bank],’ a statement from the court said.” 

Image: Mariam Hammad, of nearby Silwad, points to a piece of land in the West Bank she says belongs to her but was taken by Israelis to build the outpost of Amona, November 2016. (Raphael Ahren/Times of Israel)

Jordanian FM says annexation will lead to ‘confrontation and anarchy’
Times of Israel

“Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday (June 4) warned against Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank, saying the move would lead to ‘confrontation, anarchy and hopelessness.’ Safadi made the statements to an international summit discussing the Islamic State, Channel 13 reported. ‘As part of the war on terror, we must act quickly to prevent Israel from annexing one-third of occupied Palestine and the consequences of this decision,’ Safadi said. ‘Instead, negotiations must be resumed in order to achieve piece on the basis of a two-state solution.’”

Image: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi delivers his speech during a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, conference, in Rome, March 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The Palestinian plan to stop annexation: remind Israel what occupation means
NY Times

“Israel's Energy Minister on Thursday (June 4) appeared to temper the government's enthusiasm for the Trump administration's Middle East peace proposal, saying that the Jerusalem has never promised to embrace every aspect of Washington's plan. ‘We didn’t announce that we’re adopting the Trump plan, but rather parts of it, including the part that lets us extend Israeli law to settlements and the Jordan Valley,’ Yuval Steinitz (Likud) told Army Radio. Steinitz, one (of) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's closest allies, made the comments amid growing complaints from right-wing activists, especially settler leaders, over the prospect of establishing a Palestinian state."

Image: Part of the proposed annexation, Maale Michmash. (Oded Balilty/Associated Press)

'Everybody's getting along here': how 'Hotel Corona' united Israelis and Palestinians
NPR

“Baruch Shpitzer, the reception manager at the Dan Jerusalem Hotel, prides himself on making tourists feel at home in his sprawling 9-story hotel and spa, built into a cliffside and featuring panoramic Old City views. In March, though, his hospitality skills were put to the test. His reception desk was encased in plexiglass. His new arrivals were sometimes delivered by ambulance. None of them was staying at his hotel by choice. ‘We speak to them to get them out from the shock that they're in when they're coming into the hotel,’ Shpitzer says. The guests, as he called them, came from many walks of life — Israeli Jews, Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel, Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, religious, secular — but all had one thing in common: They were among thousands of COVID-19 patients the Israeli military quarantined in hotels throughout the country.”

Image: Aysha Abu Shhab (right) and Noam Shuster-Eliassi (second from right) with other COVID-19 patients quarantined by the Israeli military at the Dan Jerusalem Hotel, which became known as "Hotel Corona." (Noam Shuster-Eliassi)