Israeli Minister Wants to Resume Settlement Annexation

Israeli Minister Wants to Resume Settlement Annexation
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Israeli Minister Wants to Resume Settlement Annexation

Israeli Minister Wants to Resume Settlement Annexation

Israeli Finance Minister Israel Katz of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party said Sunday that the annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank will resume.

He told the Kan public broadcaster that the plan was already suspended before the announcement of the deal to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“The UAE is a country with great economic power, and relations with it and with other countries will create a dramatic pivot for Israel,” he noted.

The Israeli army’s Civil Administration has earlier announced approving a series of measures in favor of the settlement.

These include linking Binyamin settlement bloc, which is built lands in Ramallah villages, with Jerusalem city and the settlements located on its occupied eastern part.

Sources familiar with the Civil Administration’s decisions said this new road will add several kilometers to “Street No. 35”, stretching and linking between “Binyamin” and “Atarot” industrial zones in northern East Jerusalem.

It also includes a 600-meter long tunnel, passing under the Qalandiya checkpoint and al-Ram town, south of Ramallah, sources added.

The project maps revealed that it confiscates a few hundred dunams of Palestinian lands.

Another project on “Street No. 60” was approved by the Civil Administration and extends from "Adam" settlement to the Hizma checkpoint, northeast of Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, Palestinian sources said Palestinians may use the first street, while the second would only be passed by settlers living in “Adam, Psagot, Beit El and Ofra” settlements.

The construction of al-Walaja bypass road, south of Jerusalem, which connects Jerusalem and the Gush Etzion settlement bloc south of Jerusalem, has also been approved to expand Har Homa settlement by building 560 new housing units.

Commenting on these measures, Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher for Ir Amim, an Israeli rights group focused on Jerusalem, said although the official annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories has now been postponed, the actual annexation is dramatically progressing.

Far Right opposition MK Ayelet Shaked said these projects are “cosmetic and aim at covering up the freezing of the annexation plan to distract settlers with small prizes.”

While Likud’s Minister of Regional Cooperation Ofir Akunis said the project indicated that “the annexation is ongoing.”

“Despite the agreement with the UAE, the sovereignty issue has not been canceled, and we are working to never create a Palestinian state.”

“Israel’s sovereignty over the territories is based on our natural right,” he added, stressing that settlements in the West Bank will not be frozen but will intensify and increase.



Arab-US Coordination Aims to Resolve Sudan Crisis

Group photo at the conclusion of the Geneva talks on Sudan in August 2023. (EPA)
Group photo at the conclusion of the Geneva talks on Sudan in August 2023. (EPA)
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Arab-US Coordination Aims to Resolve Sudan Crisis

Group photo at the conclusion of the Geneva talks on Sudan in August 2023. (EPA)
Group photo at the conclusion of the Geneva talks on Sudan in August 2023. (EPA)

An Egyptian official told Asharq Al-Awsat about new Arab-American efforts to support peace efforts in Sudan. The source, who requested anonymity, said that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and the US are working together to help resolve the crisis in Sudan.

The official added that a meeting last weekend in Saudi Arabia, attended by officials from the four countries, focused on boosting efforts to end the crisis.

These four countries had previously joined US-led talks in Geneva in August, alongside the UN and the African Union, to try to end the war in Sudan. However, the talks stalled after the Sudanese government boycotted them.

The Egyptian source explained that the Saudi meeting was not part of the Geneva talks. Instead, the current group of four countries is focused on finding peaceful solutions.

The source also said more meetings are expected to continue pushing for an end to the war and for humanitarian aid to reach those in need.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been in a civil war between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), causing thousands of civilian deaths and displacing over 10 million people, both within Sudan and to neighboring countries, according to the UN.

After the war broke out, Saudi Arabia and the US hosted talks in Jeddah, leading to the signing of an agreement.

The agreement aimed to protect civilians and prevent the use of private and public facilities for military purposes. The Sudanese government insists on fully implementing the Jeddah agreement before starting direct talks with the RSF.

Former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Mona Omar said uniting the efforts of key international players will help push for a ceasefire in Sudan. She noted that conflicting approaches from African, regional, and global powers have weakened attempts to end the war.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Omar stressed that coordination between Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the US would improve the effectiveness of humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict, particularly in regions like Al-Fasher in Darfur and Gezira state, where conditions are critical.

She called for the focus of international efforts to be on “ceasefire, relief efforts, and creating a political roadmap to resolve the crisis.”