What to Expect from the Netanyahu-Trump Meeting

What We’re Reading

US-Israel relations

What to Expect from the Netanyahu-Trump Meeting,

“This week Prime Minister Netanyahu will make his first visit to the White House since President Trump took office. Both men will want to present a strong unified front and ensure the meeting goes well,” writes Ilan Goldenberg.

Opinion: Trump is just what Netanyahu needs to annex the West Bank,

“His ideological proximity to the new U.S. president will allow Netanyahu to advance plans for the de facto annexation of the West Bank. Now all he needs is Trump’s approval,” writes Menachem Klein.

For Kushner, Israel Policy May Be Shaped by the Personal,

When Mr. Trump ran for president, his son-in-law’s stances on Israel helped shape the campaign.

Israeli settlements

Opinion: Israel wants settlements, not peace,

“With each new settlement, the prospect of peace and the formation of a Palestinian state become even more unattainable,” writes Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah.

Israeli anti-occupation group refuses to be the army's 'useful idiot',

As Israel’s crackdown on anti-occupation groups broadens, the head of B’Tselem explains why the NGO no longer cooperates with state institutions.

Amona Express: Settlers build new outpost in northern West Bank,

Israeli settlers have established a new settlement outpost in the Jordan Valley, likely the first since the illegal outpost of Amona was demolished and in the shadow of a recently-passed law that retroactively legalizes Israeli outposts.

U.N. defers report on companies with Israeli settlement ties,

A U.N. report on establishing a database of companies with business ties to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank has been delayed, the U.N. Human Rights Council said on Monday.

Israeli politics

Netanyahu non-committal on Palestinian statehood as he heads to U.S.,

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sidestepped a question on whether he still supports the creation of a Palestinian state as he left for the United States on Monday on his first visit since President Donald Trump took office.

Build in settlements to punish Palestinians, top minister urges,

Gilad Erdan says a ‘clear price’ must be paid for not recognizing Israel as a Jewish state; at largely right-wing confab, only Herzog champions two-state solution.

Palestinian politics

Hamas decries Abbas overreach in setting local elections for spring,

Hamas is digging its heels in over an amendment to the elections law that creates a new judicial body for electoral matters by refusing to participate in local Palestinian elections this spring.

Hamas military hardliner elected group's Gaza chief: Officials,

Yahya Sinwar has previously been known for rejecting any compromise with Israel.

Gaza

Qatar’s Gaza envoy hails his ties to Israel, says PA is stalling on solution to Gaza power shortage,

Qatar’s special envoy to Gaza, Muhammad al-Amadi, said that he maintains “excellent” ties with various Israeli officials, and that in some case it is Palestinian officials who are holding up efforts to better the lives of residents of the Strip.