Middle East crisis

West Bank
Plan Could Divide Jerusalem and West Bank: “Buries Idea of Palestinian State”

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has approved a plan that would divide East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, Reuters reports. The decision “burys the idea of a Palestinian state,” according to Smotrich.

The plan, to expand Ma’ale Adumim in the occupied West Bank, would effectively split the Palestinian territory in two.

In a statement, Smotrich said he would hold a press conference later today where he would present a plan to build 3,400 homes for Israeli settlers between the existing settlement in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The settlement would divide the West Bank and prevent the development of a Palestinian metropolis connecting East Jerusalem with Bethlehem and Ramallah, which Palestinians have long hoped would be the basis for a future state, the Times of Israel reports.

In 2012, Israel froze the construction plans due to objections from the United States, European allies and other countries. 

EU urges Israel to scrap settlement plans

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is urging Israel to scrap the settlement plans in the occupied West Bank that far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich presented earlier today. According to Smotrich, the plans will “bury the idea of a Palestinian state” and divide the Palestinian territory into two parts.

Israel’s decision “further undermines the two-state solution and is contrary to international law,” Kallas said in a statement according to AFP.

The plans, which are expected to be approved by the government next week, have been met with strong criticism, including from the UN. 

Gaza war
Mossad chief in Qatar for talks on Gaza

The head of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, David Barnea, has traveled to Doha, Qatar, to discuss the war in Gaza.

In Doha, he will meet with the country's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin al-Thani. The meeting comes after a delegation from Hamas traveled to Cairo for new talks on a ceasefire.

The meeting in Doha is the first of its kind since Israel's security cabinet decided to expand the offensive in Gaza.