In Israeli Settlements, Money Is on Annexation Real Estate Boom

With its 20,500 residents, its university and its city status, the Jewish settlement of Ariel has been tipped as one of the areas likely to be included in a first wave of Israeli annexations taking advantage of US President Donald Trump's support | AFP
With its 20,500 residents, its university and its city status, the Jewish settlement of Ariel has been tipped as one of the areas likely to be included in a first wave of Israeli annexations taking advantage of US President Donald Trump's support | AFP
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In Israeli Settlements, Money Is on Annexation Real Estate Boom

With its 20,500 residents, its university and its city status, the Jewish settlement of Ariel has been tipped as one of the areas likely to be included in a first wave of Israeli annexations taking advantage of US President Donald Trump's support | AFP
With its 20,500 residents, its university and its city status, the Jewish settlement of Ariel has been tipped as one of the areas likely to be included in a first wave of Israeli annexations taking advantage of US President Donald Trump's support | AFP

In the Jewish settlement of Ariel, Perri Ben Senior can't wait for Israel to annex this part of the occupied West Bank, hoping it will be a boon for her real estate firm.

With its 20,500 residents, a university, and shopping centers, Ariel has been tipped as one of the settlements likely to be included in a first wave of Israeli annexations taking advantage of support from US President Donald Trump.

A controversial peace plan unveiled by Trump in January promised US backing for Israel to annex swathes of the West Bank, including Jewish settlements considered illegal under international law.

Speaking at her real estate agency, Ben Senior said she hoped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would forge ahead with implementing Trump's plan.

"It will raise the price of apartments and land because there will be more demand," she anticipated.

Elsewhere in the West Bank, other agents have seen a leap in sales since annexation began dominating headlines after the launch of the US plan.

Daniel Wach, whose real estate business is in the Eli settlement a short distance from Ariel, told AFP he has done "as much business in the past two months as the last few years".

"We closed six deals in the past 10 days in Alfei Menashe," another nearby settlement.

"The houses have been on the market for many months, so I asked the families why do you want to buy now," he said.

"They fear the prices are going to get higher because of the decision of the government" to annex the territory, he said.

- 'A normal place' -

If Israel does annex any parts of the West Bank, those areas will become subject to Israeli civilian law, rather than the military law currently in place.

"It's another reason to come to Judea and Samaria because now they are considered as normal citizens of Israel, it's a normal place now," Wach said, using the Israeli term for the West Bank.

While the details of the plan remain obscure, many assume that annexed lands will not become part of the future Palestinian state, which is also part of Trump's plan.

Currently, "people are afraid to buy in the territories because they say to themselves: 'What if tomorrow we give the territories back? Who will reimburse me? What about the house I bought?" said Ben Senior.

Since the Oslo accords of the 1990s, which were meant to lead to the formation of a Palestinian state, the population of Israeli settlements in the West Bank has more than tripled to 450,000.

In addition to those making their home in the West Bank for religious or ideological reasons, many Israelis have been drawn to the settlements by their housing costs, which are significantly lower than Israel's expensive real estate market.

- Opportunity -

Just 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) west of Alfei Menashe, on the other side of the "green line" between Israel and the West Bank, lies Kfar Saba.

There, a seven-room apartment on 200 square meters of land would cost around 4.5 million shekels ($1.3 million, 1.1 million euros), Wach said.

A similar property in Alfei Menashe would cost around half of that, he said.

"Immediately after annexation, the prices will jump around 10 to 15 percent up, and in around five, six, seven years from now, it'll go around 30 percent up, not less."

Zeev Epstein, who recorded a record number of sales last month, shares Wach's optimism.

"Annexation will make a big difference, said Epstein, whose real estate firm Harei Zahav (Hebrew for golden mountains) deals exclusively in Israeli settlements," he told AFP.

"It's gonna be a big market, we'll need to get ready, work hard for this opportunity."

While Netanyahu has yet to make any concrete annexation moves, despite being able to do so from July 1 under the US plan, Wach can already feel a certain momentum.

"When Israel decides this place is ours, the common reaction is -- ah, finally!" he said.



Egypt Says It Held Calls with US Witkoff, Regional Counterparts

 Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
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Egypt Says It Held Calls with US Witkoff, Regional Counterparts

 Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate calls to discuss proposals for regional de-escalation with ‌US Envoy ‌Steve Witkoff ‌and ⁠regional counterparts including Iranian ⁠Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the ministry said in a ⁠statement on ‌Sunday.

Egypt, ‌Türkiye and ‌Pakistan have ‌emerged as active intermediaries in the crisis, with ‌Islamabad recently hosting a meeting to ⁠discuss ⁠regional de-escalation and proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.


Hezbollah Says Targeted Israeli Warship with Cruise Missile

A man checks his phone on a beach as smoke rises from Israeli artillery shells on Qlaileh village, visible from Tyre city, south Lebanon, March 28, 2026. (AP)
A man checks his phone on a beach as smoke rises from Israeli artillery shells on Qlaileh village, visible from Tyre city, south Lebanon, March 28, 2026. (AP)
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Hezbollah Says Targeted Israeli Warship with Cruise Missile

A man checks his phone on a beach as smoke rises from Israeli artillery shells on Qlaileh village, visible from Tyre city, south Lebanon, March 28, 2026. (AP)
A man checks his phone on a beach as smoke rises from Israeli artillery shells on Qlaileh village, visible from Tyre city, south Lebanon, March 28, 2026. (AP)

Hezbollah on Sunday said it had targeted an Israeli warship with a cruise missile off the Lebanese coast, the first such claim by the group since the start of the Middle East war.

In a statement, the Iran-backed group said it targeted the vessel 68 nautical miles off the Lebanese coast, claiming the warship was "preparing to launch attacks on Lebanese territory".

Israeli warships have been used on several recent occasions to launch strikes on Lebanon.


IMF Hails Yemen’s Reforms, Supports its Recovery Path

The light of the setting sun illuminates some clouds in the sky over Sanaa, Yemen, 30 March 2026. (EPA)
The light of the setting sun illuminates some clouds in the sky over Sanaa, Yemen, 30 March 2026. (EPA)
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IMF Hails Yemen’s Reforms, Supports its Recovery Path

The light of the setting sun illuminates some clouds in the sky over Sanaa, Yemen, 30 March 2026. (EPA)
The light of the setting sun illuminates some clouds in the sky over Sanaa, Yemen, 30 March 2026. (EPA)

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Saturday resumed Article IV consultations with the Yemeni legitimate government after 11 years.

Reflecting the country’s improved institutional performance, this development is an important indicator of restoring channels of cooperation with international financial institutions and boosting confidence in the reform path being taken by the government.

“The renewed consultation reflects enhanced institutional capacity and data production,” the IMF said in a statement.

It positively noted the government’s efforts to achieve the minimum economic stabilization despite the extraordinary circumstances the country is going through.

The Fund said Yemen’s economy is gradually emerging from the deep recession following the suspension of oil exports in 2022, with the pace of contraction moderating and fiscal and external pressures easing. However, it warned that the war in the Middle East is expected to weigh on Yemen’s economy this year, while risks to the outlook remain substantial.

IMF directors affirmed the authorities' commitment to revenue mobilization and fiscal governance enables the delivery of essential public services.

They noted that a market-based exchange rate supports Yemen’s economic recovery and social stability.

Directors said that engagement with creditors to support a comprehensive debt treatment is also essential to restore debt sustainability.

Meanwhile, the prioritization of essential spending is expected to weigh temporarily on the fiscal balance, the IMF said, but over time will help protect the most vulnerable.

The Yemeni government welcomed the approval of the IMF’s Article IV consultation results after an 11-year pause - an important step restoring international engagement and confidence in its reform agenda to strengthen financial management, transparency and fight corruption, despite the war outcomes and the suspension of oil exports as a result of Houthi attacks.

The government reaffirmed its commitment to continue implementing a comprehensive reform program in various sectors, and to work in coordination with international partners to alleviate human suffering and achieve economic stability.

It then noted the adoption of the 2026 general budget as part of efforts to revive state institutions.

Despite the positive indicators, the IMF said the challenges facing Yemen's economy remain large and complex amid the ongoing war, institutional fragmentation and lack of financial resources.

The IMF stressed that the risks surrounding the future outlook remain high, especially in light of regional developments and their potential impact on the global economy.

It said inflation, fluctuating exchange rates and rising import costs will cause major pressure on the economy, requiring the adoption of balanced precautionary policies to maintain monetary and financial stability.

From 2027 onward, the IMF said the economy is expected to begin regaining momentum as inflation declines, real incomes recover and remittances and non-oil exports expand under the authorities’ Agriculture Plan.