This week's postings at JfJfP.com

This last week of the summer holiday, August 24-August 30, 2015, is a chance for us to post a few of the reports and analyses which are not driven by the news timetable.

But first issues where action is required:

1. March and rally on Israel’s date with Welsh football: Stick to fair play: Wales should not play coloniser Israel

and 2. Petition: arrest Netanyahu for war crimes when he comes to London

Of the analyses, first up is the proposed programme  from the International Crisis Group (ICG), No Exit? Gaza & Israel Between Wars.

Blockading Gaza has not dislodged Hamas. In its magisterial way, the ICG addresses all the actors on what they must do to end the stasis and avoid another war. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is that the ICG treats Hamas as one of the actors – the others, in their view, being Israel, Egypt and the PNA- not a deformity to be removed.

The Water Research Institute has produced a report on future extreme shortages. The Middle East is the region where greatest water scarcity is expected – something which has not created the current conflict says the report but certainly exacerbates it. Palestine’s acute water shortage is not just due to the region but also to the profoundly inequitable water distribution between Israel and Palestine and the blockade which prevents Gaza in particular from getting the fuel it needs to treat and distribute potable water.
Water and the Palestine-Israel conflict

Lack of clean drinking water is one among many factors which is severely damaging the health of people in Gaza. A report commissioned and published by the World Health Organization, WHO, makes vivid the damage being done to people in Gaza – especially the effect on mental health – by the severe restrictions on their precarious lives.
WHO verdict on health care in Gaza

Not a report but a two-part article by Ran Greenstein on Mizrahi Jews, in particular on how political parties have made use of intra-Jewish divisions and why the Mizrahi never made common cause with the Palestinians.
Politics of Jewish divisions

Here is one we mistakenly failed to notice earlier – a symbolic 50-day fast (the length of OPE) organised by new group Women Wage Peace. In their desire for the group to be as wide and welcoming as possible – in theory it embraces Jews, Christians, Muslims but in practice is dominated by Israeli Jews – the women are reluctant to take up any political position which might alienate potential supporters. This does not go down well with the political opponents of Israeli militarism.
To go wide or deep – women’s peace work

There is a disturbing and impressive documentary to watch,  reposted from Mondoweiss, on what American Jewish children learn about Israel at Jewish Day School (and sometimes High School). Gone is the rich tradition of Jewish critical thinking; instead they are being turned out as units of hasbara production. These are the ones who got away. Presumably the rest make up the body of fearful pro-Israel loyalty.
Jewish intellectual tradition cut short

How effective this indoctrination has been will be discovered as Netanyahu launches his campaign in the US against the nuclear deal with Iran. He is expecting every American Jew – mostly Pro-Obama, Democrat voters – to be on his side.
The new test of who’s a good Jew

A disturbing report on the fate of the desperate exodus to the EU of people most of whom are Muslims (many from Palestine as well as Syria): the newer EU members from eastern Europe are citing their Christian heritage, usually Roman Catholic, to refuse to accept Muslims who, they say will not fit in.
No safe haven in Catholic EU for Muslim asylum-seekers

And a sad but predictable account of an aged and isolated Pres. Abbas trying to quash all rivals and opposition.
Abbas in ‘unfathomable panic’

And more besides.