[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Occupation, Intervention and Law and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the O.I.L. Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each biweekly roundup to OIL@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every other week.]
Palestine-Israel News
Gaza Conflict: Palestinian Death Toll Reaches Two Hundred Seventy-Four Amid Fierce Fighting, Harriet Sherwood, Peter Beaumont, Ian Black
The Guardian reports on the Israeli ground assault of Gaza and provides live updates.
Hamas Says Israeli Soldier Captured; Gaza Death Toll Jumps, Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Allyn Fisher-Ilan
Reuters reports on Hamas claims of capturing Israeli soldier Shaul Aron and rising Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza.
Massacre in Shejaiya, Sharif Abdel Kouddous
The Nation provides an account of an Israeli assault of Shejaiya, a poor neighborhood in Gaza where nearly ninety Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in one day.
Parisian Police Mull Ban on pro-Palestine Protests, Massoud Hayoun
The Paris police has announced it is considering a ban on pro-Palestinian protests, citing a desire to "avoid disrupting public order."
Palestinian UN Envoy Hopes for Cease-Fire Soon, Associated Press
The Associated Press interviews Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour regarding a potential ceasefire deal between Palestinian officials, Israel and Egypt.
Palestine-Israel Opinion
How the West Chose War in Gaza, Nathan Thrall
Thrall argues in The New York Times that current conflict in Gaza is a consequence of Israeli and Western attempts to obstruct the April 2014 Palestinian reconciliation agreement.
Hamas Did Not Reject a Ceasfire, Israel Did, Ali Abunimah
The proposed ceasefire between Israel, Egypt, and Hamas would amount to a meaningless return to the status quo of Israeli siege of Gaza, writes Abunimah for his blog on Electronic Intifada.
On "Human Shielding" in Gaza, Nicola Perugini, Neve Gordon
Perugini and Gordon, writing for Al Jazeera English, call Israeli attempts to accuse Hamas of using Palestinians as human shields a poorly masked attempt to justify striking civilian targets.
On the Gaza Border, Ben Ehrenreich
Writing for the Los Angeles Review of Books, Ehrenreich reports his impressions the Israeli assault of the Gaza Strip from the Israeli town of Sderot.
Conflict Apps, Noah Kulwin
Kulwin, writing for The Awl, discusses the popularity in the United States of an iPhone application sending alerts of rockets fired into Israel, arguing the app "commodifies" the pain of the conflict and mutes the Palestinian experience of Israeli aggression in Gaza.
A Plague on One House, Greg Shupak
The rhetoric blaming escalating conflict in Gaza on "both sides" of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict conceals decades of Israeli aggression, writes Shupak for Jacobin.
Erasing Palestine as a Political Entity, Yitzhak Laor
Writing in Haaretz, Israeli poet Laor highlights the long arc of Israeli colonialism within which the current round of violence is nested.
Why Our Black Political Class is Paralyzed and Silent on Gaza Massacres and Israeli Apartheid, Bruce Dixon
Writing in Black Agenda Report, Dixon discusses the silence of many black academics and politicians and public figures about the nature of the Israeli government and its actions, historical and current
US Detention
Pentagon Plans to Send Six Guantanamo Detainees to Uruguay, Associated Press
Pentagon officials have notified Congress of a plan to transfer six Guantanamo Bay detainees to Uruguay, where Uruguayan President Jose Mujica has said their freedom of movement will not be restricted.
Guantanamo Bay Nurse Refuses to Force-Feed Prisoners, Associated Press
A US Navy nurse has refused to force-feed detainees on hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay, reportedly calling the act criminal, according to British human rights group Reprieve.
Revealed: The Hunger Strikes of America's Most Secret Foreign Prisoners, Spencer Ackerman
Ackerman, writing for The Guardian, reports on a number of hunger strikes undertaken by detainees at Bagram and other US military prisons in Afghanistan.
Gulf
Bashing the Wrong People, The Economist
The Economist argues anti-terrorism laws recently passed in Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates are increasingly being used to stifle dissenting activists.
Saudi Rights Lawyer Jailed for Fifteen Years, Al Jazeera English
AJE reports on the sentencing of Waleed Abulkhair, a human rights lawyer in Saudi Arabia to be imprisoned for fifteen years for "inciting public opinion" and "undermining judicial authorities."
Qatar to Buy Patriot Missiles in $11 Billion Deal, AFP
Senior Pentagon officials have announced Qatar plans to buy $11 billion worth of US Patriot missiles and Apache attack helicopters.
Iraq
The One Hundred Ninety Fourth State, Robin Wright
Wright reports on the current bid for Kurdish independence from Iraq for The New Yorker.
Mass Executions, Torture and Child Soldiers: UN Reports 'Terrible' War Crimes in Iraq, Russia Today
A UN report reports violence in Iraq has reached a fever pitch, with nearly 5,000 Iraqis killed in 2014 alone and reports of ISIS carrying out systemic executions in the country.
The Iraq Washington Built, Dahr Jamail
Current violence and civil unrest is the legacy of decades of US militarist policies towards Iraq, writes Jamail for The Nation.
Iran
Iran Eliminates Sensitive Stockpile under Interim Nuclear Deal, Fredrik Dahl
Reuters reports Iran has removed a stockpile of enriched uranium gas, as part of a deal with six world powers reached in late 2013.
Iran's Oil Exports Have Fallen by Half Since Sanctions Were Imposed, Kevin Drum
Drum reports on the economic impact of sanctions against Iran, including a fifty percent fall in oil exports and Iranian currency losing nearly a third of its value.
Iranians Join Kerry in Hinting that Nuclear Talks May be Extended, Paul Richter
The White House and Tehran have indicated a willingness to extend their negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program past an impending deadline.
Other Conflict
Heavy Clashes Erupt over Tripoli Airport, Reuters
Tensions between rival militias in Libya came to a head at Tripoli International Airport, resulting in a standoff killing four people and displacing thousands.
UN Asks Europe to Take Syrian Refugees as Region Saturated, Tom Miles
UNHCR has urged European governments, home to four percent of Syrian refugees, to take in more as counties neighboring Syria reach a "saturation point" of refugees.