Slippery Slope

An IDF inquiry found that teenagers from Yitzhar tied up and hit a Palestinian man shot by one of the members of the settlement’s emergency squad. A senior officer with the Judea and Samaria Division said that the justification for shooting was a borderline case – the Palestinian carried a knife but was too far away from the settlers to present a clear and immediate threat.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud)  is considering a plan for moving five houses scheduled for demolition at Ulpana Hill to a military area at the Bait El settlement. Following his announcement right-wing MKs said they will re-submit a law proposal that would allow settlers to keep any structure built on Palestinian private land if the owner fails to contest the building within four years of construction on the site. Unnamed persons within the IDF commented that Netanyahu’s plan is impractical.

(Hebrew)

An asylum seeker from Sudan was badly hurt in a fight in south Tel Aviv.

(Hebrew)

A report by the NGO Anynimous for animal rights found that 18 years after the animal protection law was passed, there has been no visible change in protecting animals in Israel and that the Ministry of Agriculture avoids issuing directives that will protect poultry, cows and fish.

(Hebrew)

A petition filed by the Mossawa Center for Arabs citizens’ rights, in collaboration with the National Committee for the Heads of Arab Local Authorities asks the High Court of justice to direct the Ministry of Culture and Sports to allocate equal budgets to the Arab sector. The petitioners claim that the Ministry of Culture and Sports ignores recommendations issued by State Comptroller’s Office, which reported in 2008 that Arab-Israeli cultural institutions are under-budgeted. The report called on the Culture and Sports Ministry to conduct a need survey and prepare a multi-year plan to remedy the problem.