ATHENS (IPS) - Activists are being confronted by Israeli authorities days before the international “Freedom Flotilla II — Stay Human” sets sail towards the Gaza Strip in an attempt to break the naval blockade Israel has imposed since 2007. Read more about Activists determined to sail despite sabotage, threats 

A French court ruling on the construction of a light rail network to service illegal Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem betrays a lack of understanding about how the project abets the Israeli occupation. Daniel Machover and Adri Nieuwhof comment. Read more about French court decision on Jerusalem light rail must be challenged 

Paul Murphy, a member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Ireland’s Socialist Party, is bound for Gaza as part of the second Gaza Freedom Flotilla. The Electronic Intifada correspondent David Cronin interviews Murphy about the flotilla and the EU’s role in the siege. Read more about MEP joining flotilla tells EI: EU's honest broker image "a sham" 

Israeli military forces have demolished 27 houses in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank over the last two weeks, rendering more than 140 Palestinians homeless. The state of siege in the Jordan Valley has particularly impacted women. Read more about "Now it's all gone": Women cope with siege in Jordan Valley 

All too aware of how bad association with war crimes is for business, the diamond industry has taken pains to evade questions about its connections with Israel’s human rights abuses — and so far has escaped scrutiny from watchdog organizations. Read more about The diamond industry's double-standard on Israel 

As the second Gaza Freedom Flotilla, made up of some 10 ships carrying 1,000 activists from 20 countries, gets ready to sail for the besieged Gaza Strip, Israeli authorities are stepping up their threats. Read more about Israel escalates pressure, threats against flotilla 

Israel’s decision to deny seven-month-old Nouralden Issa Abbassi a Jerusalem identification card — and by extension block his right to access public health services and education — has left his family anxious and concerned for the future. Read more about Jerusalem baby denied rights by Israeli apartheid 

Why is The Netherlands deepening its economic and political ties with Israel just when Israel is escalating its attacks on Palestinian rights and flouting international law with impunity? Adri Nieuwhof comments on the Dutch government’s lurch away from a commitment to human rights. Read more about Netherlands embraces Israel tighter, squeezing out human rights