Nablus

Palestinian protesters fed up with Israeli settlements going up on Palestinian-owned land are trying a new tactic. They’re building settlements, out of tents and shacks, first. So far they haven’t lasted but, really, that’s not the point.

Palestine’s economy suffers under the weight of the long-running Israeli occupation. And while it’s resumed growth, that growth is tied to foreign aid. Economists say to achieve true stability, it needs a vibrant private sector economy — and that requires a peace agreement with Israel.

Samer Issawi had been on a hunger strike for more than 200 days while in an Israeli prison. Issawi is one of the nearly 5,000 Palestinians being jailed in Israeli prisons for various charges. The World’s Matthew Bell reports.

At first glance, the Palestinian economy appears to be booming: People are out on the streets, and small shops are packed. But the territory is under Israeli military control, and heavily dependent upon international aid.

The World’s Matthew Bell reports that the Israeli government has announced new Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank. The announcement came after five members of an Israeli family were stabbed to death over the weekend in a West Bank settlement.