One would think that the security of Israeli civilians in an Israeli-controlled area of Israel-occupied Palestine would be Israel's responsibility.

But nope, apparently it's the responsibility of a nation five thousand, eight-hundred and sixty-four miles away.

Going after Kerry is one dumb move.

They want to ensure the US/EU change it's stance on Palestinian unity agreement..so
obvious it is laughable. Was it the US that forced Bibi to negotiate with Hamas
to get their soldier back? Nope..but somehow, in the upside down world of the
right winged assholes..this makes sense.

And as far as I can tell, part of the point of cramming a bunch of new colonists into Palestine is to try to maximize the number of bloody shirts Likud will have to wave around once something snaps.

snip* An official at the EU delegation in Tel Aviv told The Jerusalem Post that strong reaction was expected later on Monday.

Nevertheless, the length of time it took Brussels to issue a statement left Israeli officials wondering.

“Maybe they didn’t know about it,” one diplomatic official said caustically, contrasting the time it took the EU to condemn the kidnappings with the rapidity in which they regularly condemn announcements of Israeli construction beyond the Green Line. A source in the Prime Minister’s Office said that they, too, were taking note of who was condemning the kidnappings.

The EU has applauded the recent Hamas-Fatah unity moves, saying it was an important step toward intra-Palestinian reconciliation necessary for there to be a two-state solution.

http://www.jpost.com/Pillar-of-Defense/Jerusalem-miffed-at-EU-silence-over-kidnapping-359503

The Israeli crackdown on the West Bank as seen from the Qalandiya checkpoint

Office workers, labourers, students and the elderly often pass through Qalandiya checkpoint near East Jerusalem on a daily basis. They are often placed far away from the violence of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Yet that distance has become notoriously smaller as they are often made the subject of punishment for a crime in which they had no involvement or knowledge.

The kidnapping on Thursday night of three Jewish religious school students: Gil-Ad Shaer,16, Eyal Yifrach, 19, and Naphtali Fraenkel, hitchhiking in Gush Etzion (south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem) can be felt right across Israel and Palestine including the Qalandiya checkpoint.

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) response, dubbed ‘Operation Bring Back Our Boys’ has seen about 150 people arrested. The sweeping arrests began in Hebron on Friday and have continued into the wider Judea area. Most of the arrested were members of Hamas, including its leadership.

Whist Israel has the right and duty to seek the safe return of the young boys, it has unfortunately taken the position ‘that what is relevant is not where the attack took place, but where the attack originated, and that the terrorists set out from areas under PA control.’ Thus every Palestinian will ostensibly be held responsible until the boys are safely returned or found.

As a result not only has Hebron, and the greater Judean region come under an increased IDF presence in recent days, but even remote places have come under greater surveillance. This is not to say that the lack of proximity to Gush Etzion wholeheartedly rules out any given location. However the IDF must only act if and where it has reliable information that requires them to expand their increased sphere of presence. A case in point here is the Qalandiya checkpoint.

Every day I make the journey from Ramallah to East Jerusalem for work. Being less than 20 kilometres in distance it would ideally take about 20 minutes to get to work. However that is not the case, the trip is made to last about an hour each way by the checkpoint.

http://mondoweiss.net/2014/06/crackdown-qalandiya-checkpoint.html

Thankfully.

who will be the winner?