Syrian state media reported that Israeli air strikes in the region of Hama killed four people. In recent years, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes in Syria against suspected Iranian military deployments (Reuters)
Israel Approves New Construction in West Bank
The Israeli government approved the construction of nearly eight hundred housing units in settlements in the occupied West Bank. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel to reverse the decision, calling it a “flagrant violation under international law” (Times of Israel, Agence France-Presse)
Israel to Build Eight Hundred New Homes in the West Bank
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that a Defense Ministry panel will approve plans to construct some eight hundred homes for Jewish settlers in the Israel-occupied West Bank (Times of Israel)
Militants in Gaza Fire Rockets in “Joint Exercise”
Militant groups in the Gaza Strip fired rockets into the sea in what they said was their first joint exercise. Israeli media described the event as a show of force organized by Iran (Reuters)
Israeli Government Collapses Again
The Knesset dissolved after the parties of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz failed to reach a deal on this year’s budget. The dissolution triggers the country’s fourth elections in less than two years, set for March 23 (Haaretz)
Israel Appears Set to Hold Snap Elections in 2021
Israel could be forced to hold its fourth elections in two years after the country’s leaders failed to resolve a dispute over the budget (Reuters)
Since establishing a unity government in May after three inconclusive elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads the Likud party, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who heads the Blue and White alliance, have been unable to agree on the 2020 budget. Lawmakers in the Knesset rejected a proposal overnight to postpone the deadline to reach a deal (Haaretz)
If the two sides cannot pass a budget by tonight, the government will dissolve and elections will be automatically set for March 23 (Washington Post)
The budget dispute comes as Israel has normalized relations with several Arab nations through U.S.-brokered deals; the first direct flight from Israel to Morocco took off today (Times of Israel)
Israel Begins COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign
Around ten thousand health-care workers and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received COVID-19 vaccines yesterday as Israel kicks off its vaccination campaign. More than 170,000 people have scheduled appointments, sparking logistical concerns (Haaretz)
Palestinian Territories Wait for COVID-19 Vaccine
Though Israel is set to begin COVID-19 vaccinations next week, millions of people living in the Palestinian territories will have to wait for vaccines to be distributed by the Palestinian Authority (Associated Press)
Officials in Gaza have warned that the health-care system there is at risk of collapse due to a sharp increase in COVID-19 patients (Haaretz)
Israel Establishes Diplomatic Ties With Bhutan
The country established full diplomatic ties with Bhutan over the weekend. The deal was not linked to recent U.S.-brokered agreements between Israel and Arab countries (Times of Israel)
Morocco Agrees to Normalize Ties With Israel
Morocco will normalize relations with Israel under a deal brokered by the Donald J. Trump administration, making it the fourth Arab country to set aside hostilities with Israel in recent months. The two countries will establish full diplomatic relations, open liaison offices, and allow direct flights between them. Palestinian factions have criticized the normalization agreements, with a Hamas spokesperson saying they allow Israel to “increase its aggression” (Al Jazeera)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised “a very warm peace” between Israel and Morocco (Haaretz)
As part of the deal, the United States agreed to support Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed region of Western Sahara, where Algeria-backed separatists known as the Polisario Front have sought independence for decades (New York Times)
Palestinian Child Killed at West Bank Protest
Israeli forces shot and killed a fifteen-year-old Palestinian boy who was at a protest in the West Bank on Friday. He was the fifth Palestinian child to be killed by Israeli forces using live ammunition this year, according to the rights group Defense for Children International – Palestine (Al Jazeera)
Israeli Government Transfers Tax Revenue to Palestinian Authority
The Israeli government handed over $1.14 billion worth of backlogged tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority (PA) in a sign of thawing relations. The transfer, which usually occurs monthly, was the first since June after the PA rejected it due to Israel’s now-suspended plans to annex parts of the West Bank (Reuters)
Israel’s Netanyahu Reportedly Meets With Saudi Crown Prince
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia yesterday, according to unnamed Israeli and Saudi sources (Haaretz)
If confirmed, it would be the first known trip by an Israeli leader to Saudi Arabia and the first known meeting between the two current leaders (Wall Street Journal)
Pompeo Makes Unprecedented Visit to West Bank Settlement
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unprecedented visit to an Israeli settlement in the West Bank during a three-day trip to Israel. Pompeo also referred to the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel as anti-Semitic and said the United States would withdraw support from groups that “engage in hateful BDS conduct.” Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department announced that products made in the settlements can list Israel as their country of origin (Haaretz)
Palestinian Authority to Resume Cooperation With Israel
The Palestinian Authority announced it will resume security and civil cooperation with Israel, which it had halted in May over Israel’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Those plans were suspended pursuant to Israel’s deal to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates (Haaretz)
Top Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat Dies
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General Saeb Erekat died today after contracting COVID-19 last month. He was sixty-five. Erekat, the lead Palestinian peace negotiator, had participated in every round of negotiations with Israel since the tenure of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in the 1990s (Haaretz)
UN: Israel Forces Raze a Village in the Occupied West Bank
Israeli forces razed a village in the occupied West Bank, displacing seventy-three people, including forty-one children, according to the United Nations. It was the largest such displacement in recent years (Guardian)
Israel, Sudan Agree to Normalize Ties
Israel and Sudan agreed to normalize relations in a U.S.-brokered deal on Friday, making Sudan the third Arab country to establish ties with Israel this year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said delegations would soon meet to discuss cooperation on trade and agriculture. As part of the deal, the United States will remove Sudan from its list of countries that sponsor terrorism (Haaretz)
Israel, Sudan Reportedly Nearing Deal in Normalizing Relations
The two countries are reportedly nearing a deal to normalize relations, which would make Sudan the third Arab country to do so this year, after Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (Times of Israel)
Israeli Police Officer Could Face Trial for Shooting Palestinian Man
An Israeli police officer who killed an autistic Palestinian man in May could face trial for homicide, pending a hearing. The Israeli Justice Ministry said the man posed no danger and that the officer shot him against orders (Haaretz)
Israeli Warplanes Fire Missiles at Gaza Strip
Palestinian sources said that Israeli warplanes hit two agricultural areas in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah. However, Israeli military said that the raids hit a purported tunnel belonging to the Palestinian group Hamas and that the attack was in retaliation to a rocket fire from Gaza (Al Jazeera)
Israel, Lebanon Begin First Talks in Decades
Officials from Israel and Lebanon met today for negotiations—the countries’ first direct civilian diplomatic talks in thirty years—aimed at resolving their disputed maritime border (Haaretz)
The talks ended after roughly an hour, with an agreement to meet again in two weeks (Reuters)
Palestinian Factions Agree to First Election in Almost Fifteen Years
Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas reached a deal during reconciliation talks this week to hold the territories’ first elections in almost fifteen years (Al Jazeera)
Successive elections, which will occur in the next six months, will choose the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Palestinian Authority (PA) president, and the Palestinian National Council, senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub said. Palestinian leaders will likely meet next week to solidify the plans (Al-Monitor)
Palestinians Step Down as Arab League Chair
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said the territories would concede chairmanship of Arab League meetings over fellow members normalizing ties with Israel. Separately, two Palestinian factions—Fatah and Hamas—will meet today for reconciliation talks (Al Jazeera)
Authorities to Close Holy Sites in Jerusalem as Coronavirus Cases Rise
Authorities said Jerusalem’s holy site, which is known by Jews as the Temple Mount and Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, will close tomorrow as Israel’s coronavirus caseload soars and the country begins a second lockdown (Agence France-Presse)
Jerusalem’s Great Synagogue will be shuttered for the first time during the Jewish New Year (Agence France-Presse)