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Russia Calls on Israel to Drop Annexation Plans

A demonstrator holds a Palestinian flag in front of Israeli forces during a protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, near Tulkarm June 5, 2020. (Reuters)
A demonstrator holds a Palestinian flag in front of Israeli forces during a protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, near Tulkarm June 5, 2020. (Reuters)
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Russia Calls on Israel to Drop Annexation Plans

A demonstrator holds a Palestinian flag in front of Israeli forces during a protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, near Tulkarm June 5, 2020. (Reuters)
A demonstrator holds a Palestinian flag in front of Israeli forces during a protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, near Tulkarm June 5, 2020. (Reuters)

Russia has joined other friends of Israel in calling on it to go back on its plans to annex parts of the West Bank.

First secretary at the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv said the unilateral plans worry Moscow because they contradict with international law.

“Moscow has informed Israeli officials during several meetings held in recent weeks that the annexation will make Palestinian regions unlivable” in an independent state according to the 1976 borders, he added.

The United States’ so-called Deal of the Century peace proposal cannot eliminate the United Nations resolutions that designates the framework of the peace process, he stressed.

He described Israeli-Russian relations as “excellent”, adding that dialogue between the two parties was ongoing at the highest levels.

Diplomatic sources in Tel Aviv had revealed that friends of Israel in the European Union who had stood against taking punitive measures against it should it go ahead with annexation, said they have advised the Israeli government to halt its plans because they threaten to escalate tensions in Mediterranean and southern European nations.

They revealed that they have so far succeeded in thwarting efforts by Ireland, Luxembourg and others to impose economic sanctions against Israel. Sanctions must be the last resort, they explained.

Israeli media reported that four European leaders had recently warned Tel Aviv against annexation. They are French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

Macron was reported as advising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against taking “unilateral decisions,” warning that such moves would destabilize the Middle East. Dialogue lies with the Palestinians alone and the fair and balanced solution will grant Israelis peace, security and stability.

The annexation is creating deep divisions within Israel itself as Netanyahu has been vague about his plans. His new Defense Minister Benny Gantz has reportedly complained of his actions.

Political sources have wondered about what the PM’s annexation entails, is it the entire West Bank or just part of it? Does it include the Jordan Valley? What about the Israeli settlements? Will he coordinate with the Palestinians as Gantz has been demanding?

Gantz had gone so far as to meet with US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, to inquire about the plans.

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Arab World

Bittersweet Homecoming for Gazans Returning to North

A displaced Palestinian child plays with a kitten in a car on Salah al-Din road in Nuseirat as people make their way to the northern part of the Gaza strip on January 28, 2025. (AFP)
A displaced Palestinian child plays with a kitten in a car on Salah al-Din road in Nuseirat as people make their way to the northern part of the Gaza strip on January 28, 2025. (AFP)
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Bittersweet Homecoming for Gazans Returning to North

A displaced Palestinian child plays with a kitten in a car on Salah al-Din road in Nuseirat as people make their way to the northern part of the Gaza strip on January 28, 2025. (AFP)
A displaced Palestinian child plays with a kitten in a car on Salah al-Din road in Nuseirat as people make their way to the northern part of the Gaza strip on January 28, 2025. (AFP)

Columns of Palestinians carrying what belongings they could headed to north Gaza on Tuesday for a second straight day, after Israel permitted their passage in accordance with an ongoing ceasefire.

"I'm happy to be back at my home," said Saif Al-Din Qazaat, who returned to northern Gaza but had to sleep in a tent next to the ruins of his house.

"I kept a fire burning all night near the kids to keep them warm... (They) slept peacefully despite the cold but we don’t have enough blankets," the 41-year-old told AFP.

On Monday, Israel allowed hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans to return to their homes in the north.

Although the crowds had thinned somewhat by Tuesday, thousands of men, women, and children were still seen heading north, fully aware they had little waiting for them but the rubble of their homes.

In central Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp, children waved at Egyptian soldiers manning checkpoints along the route as vehicles laden with mattresses, bags and other belongings made their way north.

For many, the journey marked not just a return home but a confrontation with the harsh realities of more than 15 months of war in the densely populated territory of 2.4 million people.

Mona Abu Aathra managed to travel from central Gaza to Gaza City, though she has yet to assess the full extent of the war's impact on her home.

Her hometown, Beit Hanoun, was among the areas hardest hit by a months-long Israeli military operation which continued right up to this month's ceasefire.

"We returned to Gaza City with nothing, and there's no drinking water. Most streets are still blocked by the rubble of destroyed homes," the 20-year-old told AFP.

Despite the devastation, Abu Aathra expressed relief at being reunited with her family.

"It’s the first night we’re together again, me, my mother and my father. Last night, we gathered with my three brothers who were here in Gaza City."

The Hamas government press office said 300,000 people returned north on the first day of returns on Monday. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) put the figure at 200,000.

The returns had been due to begin on Saturday, but Israel delayed the start, accusing Hamas of reneging on the terms of the ceasefire by failing to include woman civilian Arbel Yehud among the Israeli hostages released at the weekend.

After Hamas agreed to release Yehud and two other hostages by Friday, Israel opened the corridor on Monday morning.

Mahmoud Kashko, who had decided not to return north on Monday, said he had been swept up in the collective momentum on Tuesday.

"I was hesitant to return to Gaza City, but when I saw hundreds of thousands of people coming back, I decided to return," he told AFP.

"I arrived at my home today. Of course, it's destroyed like most people's homes."

Others were still waiting to see how the ceasefire unfolds.

Another Gaza City resident, Hamouda al-Amsi, explained that his younger brother Amer and his family decided to remain in their tent at a displacement camp in the south.

"They don’t want to return to Gaza City yet because there are no houses, tents, water or food there," Amsi said.

"It's the same across the territory — there are no basic necessities for life."

Although aid deliveries have increased since the ceasefire began, the territory’s needs remain overwhelming.

The World Food Program said it distributed more food in the first four days of the ceasefire than in the entire month of December.

But OCHA said that those returning north would need other essential supplies too, like drinking water, shelter equipment and hygiene kits.

Amsi refused to be put off.

"We will rebuild our homes, and life will return to how it was before (the Hamas attack of) October 7, (2023)," he said confidently.