Robert Cohen appreciates the readiness of Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner to acknowledge that Jews come in many political varieties in a discussion on Radio 4′s Today programme. But showing empathy for both sides is not enough; treating ‘both sides’ as equally deserving becomes an act of political cowardice, out of step with the prophetic tradition.

This is another account of how terrifying the right-wing mob has become in Israel, baying for the blood of ‘traitors’ and Arabs and doing their best to provoke a scrum. Police offer the left-wing protesters perfunctory or no protection. This time in Haifa, described by Rann Bar-On, on July 19th.

The UN Human Rights Council has held an emergency session on the situation in Gaza. Addressing the meeting in Geneva the High Commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, warned that the failure to protect civilians from airstrikes could make Israel liable to war crimes charges. She said the blockade should be lifted and condemned Hamas for its indiscriminate attacks.

This is the first of four letters signed by public intellectuals protesting at the IDF bombardment of Gaza – and in the case of this letter from people living in Gaza at the state of siege in which they have to live – to be published this week. Between them they have drawn in many people not usually associated with protesting about the occupation.

The Lancet, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious medical journals has published a letter from 23 scientists and medical doctors, mostly from Italy, expressing their horror and dismay at the destruction Israel is inflicting on people, homes, land and infrastructure in Gaza. It condemns the perverse propaganda Israel uses to justify its military operation.

Is the popular protest against the Israeli offensive on Gaza about numbers, the disproportion between the number of Palestinian and Israeli civilians killed?s ? Or is it about the reasons for that lack of proportion – Israel’s hugely superior military, economic and political power used against a weak opponent? Is it about the morality of retribution? As many point out, neither the British nor Spanish armies bombed the towns in which IRA or Basque ETA terrorists may have been living. Letters in response to the proportionality argument.

The rally called by the Zionist Federation in support of Israel and its offensive against Gaza pulled in at best one tenth of those who marched the day before in protest at Israel’s actions. Oddly, Guardian columnist Owen Jones chides supporters of Palestinian rights for not comprehending how the corruption of occupation in Israelis is fused with the trauma of being Jewish. Feeling traumatised does not seem to have inhibited most Jews either in Israel or elsewhere from rallying against, or for, Israel’s punishment of Gaza. Philip Kleinfeld marches with one and visits the other.

The people of Gaza surely have the right to use makeshift projectiles to end a merciless seven-year-long blockade or to end Israel’s criminal bombardment of Gaza’s civilian population writes Norman FInkelstein in a critique of the failure of Human Rights Watch to designate Israel’s bombardment a war crime.

‘IDF who? ‘ ‘I defy you to stay in your home as we are going to blow it to smithereens. No time? Well have a good day, er, death.’

Link to Israeli channel TLV1 report on the Free Gaza Free Palestine demonstration in London, July 2014. Reporter Amy Racs was most interested in the Jewish groups taking part and interviewed two of our signatories on why they were there: clear reasons given including being Jewish doesn’t mean supporting Israel, arms trade, settlements and an Israeli life being worth more than a Palestinian one.

After two days of intensive shelling in the Gaza strip the number of Palestinians killed has exceeded 550 persons. Charities War Child and Defence for Children International say more children than fighters have been killed. Israel’s war aims seems to have broadened from destroying tunnels to destroying members of Hamas.

Everything that’s wrong with Hamas – sectarian, sexist, antisemitic, autocratic, militaristic – is known and endlessly repeated. Yet despite, or probably because of, the Israeli bombardment many Palestinians see them as the best leaders of resistance to the occupation – something which the PA has signally failed to provide.

The ‘deadliest day’ so far in Operation Protective Edge was Sunday July 20 when the IDF shelled the neighbourhood of Shujaiyeh. The pressure on the al-Shifa hospital and morgue became intolerable. Dr. Mads Gilbert tries to find the words. Plus reports and photos from Vice news and +972.

Israel is shelling Gaza because it can. It’s a display of its power. There is no rational reason for the bombardment. Hamas has only one aim – to survive. There are, says Larbi Sadiki, no Arab countries which will provide effective support leaving Gazans forever at the mercy of ‘ the savagery of Israel’s war machine’.

Written before Israel’s invasion of Gaza, Andrew Sullivan asks what on earth anybody expects Hamas to do, when it is clear that Netanyahu’s aim is to have a single Israeli state from the Jordan to the sea.

Between Thursday 17th and Saturday 19th July, hundreds of thousands of people round the world went out on to the streets to protests against Israel’s killing of people and destruction of homes in Gaza. BBC reports from London and Glasgow, photos of the demonstrations round the world.

The aim given by Israel for its ground invasion of Gaza is the destruction of tunnels in which people can hide, shelter and move goods including munitions without being seen from above. 27 Palestinians had been killed in this operation at the time of posting and one Israeli soldier, possibly by ‘friendly fire.’ 65,000 reservists have been called up. News coming out of Israel at the moment is in the form of live blogs two of which are reposted. here.

France’s Interior Minister has banned all pro-Palestinian demonstrations. France, world-changing pioneer of political rights including the right of free assembly? The report from the Mail Online is both anti-French and anti-Israel about an attack on pro-Palestinians by the Jewish Defence League. It and others point out how Israeli actions harm European Jews who, uniquely are held responsible for the action of a foreign state.

For 47 years Palestinians have been living with a catastrophe (the 2nd one) – and Israelis with a curse. Unlike old colonisers, Israel denies it is an occupying power or that it has any duty to protect of provide for its subjects. JfJfP signatory Prof. Avi Shlaim reviews a thorough account of failed (US) efforts to get a peace deal and the consequences of that failure. Plus a more sceptical view from The Economist.

Before the raid on the Mavi Marmara by the IDF (nine people killed) Turkey and Israel had cordial relations, with Turkey being a favourite tourist destination for Israelis. Since then, PM Erdogan has been establishing himself as a defender of moderate Islam in the Middle East. Anti-Israeli, pro-Palestinian feeling is still strong in Turkey, which tips over into antisemitism in some quarters. Can Erdogan keep the lid on it, or is he – or the Israeli press – stoking it?