The new Israeli government is taking pragmatic steps to ease the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank, despite having no internal agreement on an ultimate goal.

I wonder what Uri Avnery would think about this.

Almost a thousand women are running for seats in Iraq's legislature.

*Koch Network Fights to Stop Medicaid Expansion in Remaining States.*

China wants to join the TPP.

China often does not really obey trade agreements it signs. I suspect that China thinks this one would be beneficial only because it expects to disobey. China may also protect Chinese workers from the full harm of the treaty, by disobeying it.

Thugs in California are suing over the new vaccination requirement, and some have threatened to resign.

In the specific case of thugs, the threatened resignations are a great opportunity to get rid of right-wingers, many of whom would be inclined to violate the human rights of blacks, protesters, and homeless people. Maybe not all of them would do that, and many of them will not have done anything that would be grounds to fire them. But if they resign, no grounds are needed to accept their resignation.

It would, however, be useful to make it more difficult for anyone who has quit in protest against public safety to rejoin later.

There should be no religious exemptions from precautions for public safety. Your right to practice your religion does not include activities that endanger other people.