UNSC: Israeli housing plans ‘imperiling’ two-state solution
The United Nations Security Council issued a non-binding presidential statement on Monday condemning Israeli housing plans in Judea and Samaria.
Judea
Israeli officials double down on settlement construction, rebuke US criticism
Two ultranationalist Israeli Cabinet ministers on Tuesday defiantly dismissed a growing chorus of global condemnation of new Israeli settlement construction in Judea and Samaria, instead promising to double down and legalize dozens of wildcat outposts.
Major offensive in Judea and Samaria may be necessary in 2023
Large-scale Israeli military operations in Judea and Samaria, commonly known as the West Bank, may become necessary this year following an escalation in Palestinian terrorism in recent days, a former defense official says.
Israel: New right-wing government announces top priority is Jewish settlement expansion in West Bank
In a move that will be widely condemned, Israel’s new right-wing coalition government announced Wednesday that its top priority is to expand Jewish settlements in the disputed areas of the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and east Jerusalem, DW reports.
Secret document reveals: EU will help Arabs take over Area C
A document drafted by the European Commission in Eastern Jerusalem calls for helping the Palestinian Authority actively take control of land in Area C, which is supposed to be under full Israeli control under the Oslo Accords.
Israel: Archaeologists uncover ancient silver coins they say prove Book of Maccabees happened
Archaeologists digging near the Dead Sea in Israel have unearthed a box of 2,200-year-old silver coins which they believe offer the first physical proof of a story told in the apocryphal Book of 1 Maccabees, that Jews did indeed flee to the Judean Desert to escape persecution from Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.
Israel: Archaeologists unearth 2,000 Judean villa with ‘mikvah’
Archaeologists in Jerusalem’s Old City have unearthed a 2,000-year-old Judean villa with its own Jewish ritual bath (‘mikveh’), overlooking the site of the Biblical temples, the Associated Press reports.
IDF unveils new Judea and Samaria security fence
The IDF continues its efforts to strengthen the Judea and Samaria security barrier as part of the IDF’s recent counterterrorism activities. The construction of the barrier which began in April constitutes a significant step in Operation “Break the Wave” and the ongoing efforts to thwart and prevent terrorism as well as strengthen the Judea and Samaria security barrier. This operation led to significant progress in the construction of the security barrier in the Judean Desert, and also led to a significant decrease in the number of illegal infiltrations into Israeli territory.
Knesset defeats two bills to apply sovereignty to West Bank settlements
The Knesset on Wednesday defeated two motions to apply sovereignty to West Bank settlements, brought forward by members of the opposition just hours after the parliament took its first initial vote to disperse.