Boris Johnson: Israel’s planned annexation breaches international law
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday that Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank would “amount to a breach of international law.”
West Bank
US Democrats push letter to unify party behind anti-annexation message to Israel
House Democrats have put together a letter that they hope will unite their entire caucus in warning Israel against annexation of part of the West Bank.
Israel Builds New Road Linking Jewish Settlements in West Bank to Jerusalem
Israel has started construction of a major ring road that will connect Jewish settlements in the West Bank to Jerusalem, Reuters reported exclusively Monday. Israeli officials say the road will ease traffic congestion and will benefit Palestinian West Bank residents as well as Israelis. Palestinians have criticized the road as a hindrance to making East Jerusalem the capital of a future state and for cutting Palestinian neighborhoods off from each other.
EU urges US to join new Israeli-Palestinian peace push, rejects Trump plan
European Union foreign ministers on Monday urged the United States to join a new effort to breathe life into long-stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but they rejected US President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan as the basis for any international process.
IDF girds for West Bank annexation fallout, including possible new terror ‘war’
Just over two weeks before a possible Israeli annexation of some as-yet unspecified portion of the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces is preparing for a wide range of scenarios for potential regional fallout — up to and including a large-scale wave of terror attacks — while still not being told exactly what the government has in mind.
US May Approve Unilateral Israeli Annexation of a Few Settlement Blocs in West Bank
Given Palestinian rejection of the Trump peace plan, the US may support Israel in the unilateral annexation of a few settlement blocs in the West Bank, World Israel News (WIN) reported Thursday. Under the Israeli coalition government agreement, Prime Minister Netanyahu can ask the Knesset to vote on annexation proposals starting July 1. However, the agreement stipulates that any such proposal must have US backing.
Israel High Court Strikes Down Law that Legalized Unlawful Settler Homes in West Bank
On Wednesday, Israel’s High Court of Justice struck down a law passed in 2017 to retroactively legalize settler houses built illegally on Palestinian-owned land in the West Bank, CBN News reports. The law was frozen from the time it passed in order for petitions against it to be heard.
Israel says It Will Pursue Annexation “Responsibly”
Israeli foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi said Wednesday that Israel will act “responsibly” in pursuing plans for annexing parts of the West Bank, Israel Hayom reported. Responding to German and EU concerns that unilateral annexation would jeopardize a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Ashkenazi said annexation plans would be carried out “in dialogue with our neighbors.” The statements were made at a press conference in Jerusalem with German foreign minister Heiko Maas.
Palestinian Authority Submits Counter-Plan for Demilitarized Statehood Along 1967 Borders
Having rejected outright the Trump Peace Plan presented in January, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has now sent a counter-proposal for statehood to the diplomatic Quartet (UN, US, Russia and EU) that is mediating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Times of Israel reports.
Palestinians To Declare State If Israel Annexes West Bank Part
The Palestinian prime minister says his government will declare a new Palestinian state, perhaps as early as next month, if Israel goes ahead with plans to annex parts of the West Bank.
Palestinian official warns Abbas willing ‘to let PA collapse’ to foil Israel’s sovereignty bid
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas plans to run his administration to the ground to prevent Israeli from pursuing its plan to apply sovereignty to large parts of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, a senior Palestinian official told The New York Times on Monday.
Netanyahu vows all settlements will be annexed July 1, but other lands may wait
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told settler leaders on Sunday that he still intends to annex all West Bank settlements on the July 1 date that is the earliest allowed by his coalition deals, but he acknowledged that annexing other lands allocated to Israel under the Trump peace plan will likely take more time, several participants in the meeting told The Times of Israel.
PLO Says It Will Continue Payments to Terrorists
The Palestinian Authority announced Monday it will continue paying monthly salaries to terrorists in prison, WND reports. In violation of recent Israeli law, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) said the salaries would continue to be paid through local banks in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).
Highly unlikely the US will approve Israeli plans to start unilateral annexation of parts of the West Bank on July 1
It is highly unlikely the US will approve Israeli advancement of plans to unilaterally annex parts of the West Bank on July 1, a well-placed source told the Times of Israel (TOI) Wednesday. A central condition of US approval is that a joint US-Israel mapping committee must conclude its work on delineating the exact borders of the territory Israel would annex. According to the TOI source, it could take the committee weeks, if not months, to complete this task.
Netanyahu say Right-Wing MKs Will Be Asked to Vote Only on Annexation, Not On a Palestinian State At This Time
As he prepares to ask the Knesset to vote on a plan for Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained Thursday that MKs will only have to vote on the issue of sovereignty, not on the issue of a Palestinian state, the Jerusalem Post reports.
PLO Confirms it is Ending All Agreements With Israel, Including on Security
In response to Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank, on Wednesday Palestinian leaders reconfirmed their decision to terminate all agreements and security cooperation with the Israeli and US governments, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Palestinians Warn Israel Of “Serious Consequences” Over West Bank Annexation
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) warned Israel on Wednesday of “serious consequences,” if the Jewish state continues its attempts to annex parts of the West Bank and Jordan Valley. “There would be consequences for this measure on the economic and political Palestinian-Israeli relationship,” said PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat.
European Leaders Asked Netanyahu Not to Annex Parts of the West Bank Unilaterally
A number of European heads of state recently wrote to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asking him not to proceed with plans for unilateral annexation of parts of the West Bank, Israel’s Channel 13 reported Tuesday. French President Emmanuel Macron made the request of Netanyahu “in a spirit of friendship.”
Jerusalem Is ‘Red Line’ for Muslims, Turkey’s Erdogan Declares in Eid Message Attacking Israel
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has attacked the Israeli government’s plan to annex parts of the West Bank and declared that the issue of Jerusalem was a “red line” for Muslims around the world.
Quartet talks Israeli-Palestinian peace amid PA push to replace Trump plan
The Palestinian Authority’s push to replace the US as the sole broker for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process failed to yield immediate results as a Quartet video conference on the matter ended without any conclusions.