On 9 July Harvard University’s Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research invited Colonel Pnina Sharvit-Baruch, former Israeli military legal adviser, to their online Humanitarian Law and Policy Forum. The stated aim was to bring “objective” discussion to the principle of distinction in international humanitarian law. Maryam Monalisa Gharavi and Dr. Anat Matar report for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about Israeli officer promotes war crimes at Harvard 

RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - A little village nestled in a valley between several hills in the Bethlehem governorate is today fighting for survival. All around Wadi Fuqin village on the outskirts of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank is the expanding and illegal Israeli settlement Beitar Illit, home to 35,000 settlers. The settlement is situated on a hill overlooking the little Palestinian village of 2,500. Read more about Settlers expand in West Bank 

For the first time since the 2005 Palestinian civil society call for BDS against institutions supporting Israeli apartheid, students from North America and Palestine came together in Ramallah to share their ideas and experiences. Consisting of eight days of travel and a four-day workshop, the student delegation spent their two weeks getting connected with the struggle in Palestine in order to better articulate the BDS movement in their respective cities. Doug Smith writes for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about Boycott apartheid: student delegation to Palestine 

Thousands of road signs are the latest front in Israel’s battle to erase Arab heritage from much of the Holy Land. Israel Katz, the transport minister, announced this week that signs on all major roads in Israel, East Jerusalem and possibly parts of the West Bank would be “standardized,” converting English and Arabic place names into straight transliterations of the Hebrew name. Jonathan Cook reports. Read more about Israel's plan to wipe Arabic names off the map 

GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) - With unemployment rates at 50 percent in Gaza, and 80 percent of Gazan Palestinians dependent on food aid hand-outs, it’s no wonder that al-Jerjowi’s business isn’t booming. After the three weeks of the Israeli air, land and sea bombardment which killed over 1,400 people, Gaza’s agricultural sector is devastated, and that includes the beef farmers. Read more about Imposing malnutrition on Gaza 

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) has been denied access to clients detained by the Internal Security Service (ISS) of the Government in Gaza. PCHR affirm that such measures violate Palestinian law and relevant international standards, including the detainees’ right to have access to legal counsel. PCHR is further concerned that access restrictions may be motivated by the desire to hide illegal practices against detainees, including torture and other forms of cruel treatment. Read more about Rights group demands access to Palestinian prisoners in Gaza 

RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s concern over an “unusually harsh statement” by the European Commission over Israel’s settlement policy indicates a growing unease between Israel and the EU. The European Commission (EC), the executive arm of the EU, said that Israel’s settlement policy in the West Bank was strangling the Palestinian economy and forcing Palestinians there to become more dependent on foreign aid. Read more about Israel and EU clash over settlements 

HeidelbergCement, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of building materials, is reportedly trying to sell its Israeli investments as it has become the target of legal action because of its activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). Adri Nieuwhof reports for EI that the move comes amid growing pressure by the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement on transnational companies profiting from Israeli occupation. Read more about HeidelbergCement tries to sell West Bank mines as legal, boycott pressures grow