Israelis have reacted furiously to an allegation in a Swedish newspaper that its soldiers have killed Palestinians in order to harvest their organs. Aftonbladet, Sweden’s largest-circulation daily newspaper, carried the headline: “Our sons are plundered for their organs”. Government officials and commentators in Israel described the report as anti-Semitic and libellous. Read more here
The word nakba, Arabic for the “catastrophe” of the 1948 war, has been removed by Israel’s education ministry from a school textbook for Arab children. The ministry has said it does not want to undertmine the legitimacy of the state or promote Arab extremism. Israeli and Palestinian activists are calling the move “nakba denial”. Read more here
Al-Jazeera has resumed its broadcasts in the West Bank, after a ban on it was lifted by the Palestinian Authority. Last week’s ban came after a guest on the station accused Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas of collaborating with Israel to have Yasser Arafat killed. Read more here
Farouk Hosny Egypt’s culture minister, and candidate to lead Unesco, the UN’s cultural arm, has expressed “solemn regret” over a May 2008 pledge to burn Israeli books in Egyptian libraries. Read more here