Soldier accounts of Gaza assault:

"The soldier was quoted as saying that the rabbis had “brought in a lot of booklets and articles,” adding, “their message was very clear: We are the Jewish people, we came to this land by a miracle. God brought us back to this land, and now we need to fight to expel the non-Jews who are interfering with our conquest of this holy land.”[....] “From above they said it was permissible, because anyone who remained in the sector and inside Gaza City was in effect condemned, a terrorist, because they hadn’t fled. I didn’t really understand. On one hand they don’t really have anywhere to flee to, but on the other hand they’re telling us they hadn’t fled so it’s their fault.”" (NYT)

"“What’s great about Gaza — you see a person on a path, he doesn’t have to be armed, you can simply shoot him. In our case it was an old woman on whom I did not see any weapon when I looked. The order was to take down the person, this woman, the minute you see her."[...] "Shoot and don’t worry about the consequences,” was the message from the top commanders, he said.[...]“The army believes that a weak spot of Israeli deterrence is its strong commitment not to kill civilians, and there has grown the sense that it might have to temporarily overcome that weakness in order to restore deterrence.”" (NYT)

On recent protests:

"The Tuesday protest was conducted under heavy police protection and with the sanction of the Supreme Court, on free-speech grounds. Israeli police had opposed the gathering because of the potential for violence. The protest was organized by followers of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, who championed removing Arabs from Israel by force if necessary. [...]"The goal of the march is to make clear to a bunch of unrulies in the Arab sector who is the owner of the state of Israel," said Itamar Ben-Gvir, a former Kach activist and an organizer of the demonstration. "Some parts of this sector do not understand that this is the state of Israel and this is a Jewish state."" (WashPost)

"Israeli authorities broke up a series of Palestinian cultural events in Jerusalem on Saturday, disrupting a children's march and bursting balloons at a schoolyard celebration.

Israel said the cultural events violated a ban on Palestinian political activity in the disputed city, but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas criticized the crackdown." (The Canadian Press)

 On Israel's recent PR blitz:

"But in the weeks since its Gaza war, and as it prepares to inaugurate a hawkish right-wing government, it is facing its worst diplomatic crisis in two decades.

Examples abound. Its sports teams have met hostility and violent protests in Sweden, Spain and Turkey. Mauritania has closed Israel’s embassy.

Relations with Turkey, an important Muslim ally, have suffered severely. A group of top international judges and human rights investigators recently called for an inquiry into Israel’s actions in Gaza. “Israel Apartheid Week” drew participants in 54 cities around the world this month, twice the number of last year, according to its organizers. And even in the American Jewish community, albeit in its liberal wing, there is a chill. [...]

Global opinion surveys are being closely examined and the Foreign Ministry has been granted an extra $2 million to improve Israel’s image through cultural and information diplomacy.

“We will send well-known novelists and writers overseas, theater companies, exhibits,” said Arye Mekel, the ministry’s deputy director general for cultural affairs. “This way you show Israel’s prettier face, so we are not thought of purely in the context of war.”" (NYT)