US Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib doubled down on their criticisms of the Israeli government for denying them entry to the country, with Omar hinting that Congress should reconsider the billions of dollars in annual military aid given to Israel.

Social media networks were flooded with odes to Palestinian grandmothers over the weekend, as Palestinians from across the diaspora shared photos and stories of their family matriarchs with the hashtag #MyPalestinianSitty.

The long term political ramifications of Netanyahu’s decision to deny entry to Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar remain to be seen. What is clear, however, is that the latest efforts by the Israeli premier to quash the growing BDS movement have backfired.

Palestinians are joining the chorus of international condemnation facing Israel for barring entry to US Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. “We are extremely disappointed and saddened that Rashida and her colleagues won’t be coming to visit us in Palestine,” Muhammad Tlaib, 44, a cousin of Congresswoman Tlaib and former mayor of her hometown in the West Bank, Beit Ur al-Fauqa, told Mondoweiss. “We wanted to show Rashida how proud we are of her and how much we appreciate her dedication to fighting Trump’s racism against the Palestinian people, and her efforts to fight against the occupation.”

Israeli forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and sound bombs into crowds of Palestinian worshipers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque as they celebrated the first day of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Israeli politicians and leaders of the settler movement are calling for annexation of the occupied West Bank after the body of an off-duty Israeli soldier was found on the side of the road early Thursday morning in the southern West Bank. 

Israel has advanced plans for more than 2,300 illegal settlement units deep in the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now has reported. These new units come just one week after the Israeli security cabinet announced it would be approving 715 permits for Palestinian construction in Area C of the West Bank, a move that was largely seen as a policy shift towards extending Israel’s sovereignty in the territory. 

One week after an internal report citing widespread ethics violations within the UNRWA administration was leaked to the press, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland have temporarily suspended their funding for the Palestinian refugee agency pending further investigation of the matter.

Last week Israel said it was approving 700 Palestinian building permits in the West Bank in what is being viewed as a move to further extend its sovereignty in the occupied territory and perhaps prepare for annexation. Now, the PA is pushing back saying that they will start issuing building permits in areas controlled by Israel.

A federal judge in Canada ruled on Tuesday that wines made in Israeli settlements in the West Bank cannot be labelled as “Products of Israel.” The activist who filed the suit, Dr. David Kattenburg, is celebrating the ruling as a huge win for Palestine activism in Canada and around the world.