“Israeli police shot and wounded a deaf and mute Palestinian at a checkpoint between Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank on Monday morning. The Palestinian Authority’s official Wafa news agency reported that witnesses saw Israeli security guards open fire at the man as he walked the car lane of Qalandiya checkpoint, injuring him in the leg. The Israeli army closed the checkpoint and evacuated the injured Palestinian to a hospital in Jerusalem, before reopening Qalandiya for traffic, according to the news agency. In a statement, Israeli police said the man had ‘approached them suspiciously’ and did not heed calls to halt. ‘The guards fired warning shots and then when he continued to approach them, the suspect was shot in the leg, injured lightly/ moderately,’ the statement read. ‘The man age 60 did not hear or respond as he cannot hear or communicate.’” Also see: Times of Israel – Checkpoint guards shoot, injure deaf man who entered restricted area; Jerusalem Post – Disabled Palestinian shot by security guards at Qalandiya crossing

“French President Emmanuel Macron urged fresh Middle East peace talks after Israel and the UAE agreed to normalise ties in a move praised by many Western governments, including Paris, but unanimously denounced by the Palestinians. Taking to Twitter after a phone conversation with Mahmoud Abbas, Macron said he told the Palestinian leader he was determined ‘to work for peace in the Middle East’. He added: ‘The resumption of talks to reach a fair solution that respects international law remains a priority.’ The French leader had hailed the agreement announced by US President Donald Trump on Thursday as a ‘courageous decision’ by the UAE, saying it showed Dubai’s ‘desire to contribute to the establishment of a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians’.”

“An Egyptian security delegation which mediates talks between the Palestinian resistance and Israel is expected to visit the West Bank and the Gaza Strip next week, Pal Sawa news website reported on Saturday. Citing informed sources, Pal Sawa reported that the Egyptian security delegation is expected to meet with Palestinian officials in Ramallah and Gaza. This comes following the Israeli decision to tighten its siege imposed on Gaza after it stopped the entry of construction materials and industrial staff, in addition to restricting fishing zones off the Gaza coast.”

“The settlement of Homesh was evacuated 15 years ago, but local Palestinians say the settlers’ presence is actually worse than it ever was.”

“With its groves of trees, wading pools and peacocks, Omer’s Farm stands opposite a site we visited recently, where Palestinians trying to build a new village are being sabotaged by settlers. A conversation with its owners.”

“Israel Defense Force soldiers opened fire on a Palestinian who was about to throw a Molotov cocktail at Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem in the West Bank, the army said just after midnight Sunday. ‘IDF soldiers identified a terrorist who tried to throw at fire bomb at the tomb compound,’ the army said. ‘The soldiers opened fire and foiled the attack. They identified hitting (the attacker.)’ The Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing security sources, said an 18-year-old was shot in the leg and taken to a Bethlehem hospital in a stable condition.”

“A new video has surfaced showing Israel Border Police systematically beating and kicking Palestinians who were detained for crossing into Israeli territory from the West Bank. According to N12, an indictment was filed last Thursday against five Border Police officers involved in the beatings and assaults, in addition to humiliating language directed towards the Palestinian detainees. The footage from the beatings was released on Sunday night. The Border Police also aimed their weapons at the Palestinian detainees. ‘Why did you come here?’ one the of the Border Police officers can be heard saying in the video, while others show the officers frequently kicking the Palestinian detainees. In one instance, an officer can be seen beating a detainee with a rod and laughing, even forcing them to undress and return half-naked to the West Bank.”

“Following the overnight flareup on the Gaza border, Israel’s Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz launched a warning Sunday to Hamas, saying ‘If Sderot isn’t quiet, Gaza won’t be either.’ At the conclusion of a security assessment meeting with Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi, Gantz made clear that ‘every explosive balloon or rocket landing in Israel, and violating its sovereignty, holds one return address: Hamas. By launching rockets and explosive balloons, the heads of Hamas are undermining the interests of the residents of Gaza and are impairing their ability to live in dignity and security,’ the former military chief continued. ‘The IDF will respond forcefully to any violation of sovereignty until complete quiet is restored in the south. If Sderot isn’t quiet, Gaza won’t be either.’”  Also see: Al Jazeera – Israeli tanks attack Hamas targets in Gaza Strip; YNet – For 6th day straight, Israel strikes Gaza over balloon attacks; Times of Israel – IDF shells Hamas posts after arson balloon attacks, Gaza border riots

“After Gaza-based terror groups launched hundreds of explosive balloons from Gaza, Israel closed Kerem Shalom crossing, blocking fuel the power plant needs to function.” Also see: i24 News – Gaza power plant to halt activity after Israel bans gasoline supply; Middle East Monitor – Gaza’s sole electricity plant to shut down; and GIsha’s Tania Hary on Twitter – “The closure of Gaza is always cruel, but blocking fuel (inclu for Gaza’s only power plant), further restricting entrance of goods, and now completely preventing sea access for fishermen all on the backdrop of a GLOBAL PANDEMIC is vastly disproportionate & new levels of cruelty.”

“Israel’s army launched new airstrikes on Sunday against Hamas positions in Gaza and closed the fishing zone around the Palestinian enclave in response to rockets and firebombs sent into Israeli territory. The Israeli measures came after a week of heightened tensions, including clashes on Saturday evening along the Gaza-Israeli border, the army said. Dozens of Palestinian “rioters burned tires, hurled explosive devices and grenades toward the security fence and attempted to approach it,” an Israeli Army statement said. Long simmering Palestinian anger has flared further since Israel and the UAE on Thursday agreed to normalize relations, a move Palestinians saw as a betrayal of their cause by the Gulf country.”

“The Israeli supermarket and cellular service company Rami Levy is suing the United Nations Human Rights Council for defamation after it was placed on the UNHRC’s ‘blacklist’ of companies doing business in Jewish areas of the West Bank, Golan Heights and east Jerusalem. The list included 112 business entities – 94 domiciled in Israel and 18 in six other countries – which it has reasonable grounds to conclude have ties with Israeli settlements. These countries include the United States, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Thailand and Luxembourg. Rami Lev filed a NIS 280,000 suit through the NGO Shurat Hadin against the UNHRC. Shurat Hadin ‘specializes in the legal and financial war against terror.’ ‘The purpose of the list is to bring about an international boycott of these companies, with the companies including the supermarket chain ‘Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing’ and the cellular network ‘Rami Levy Communications’ under the ownership of businessman Rami Levy, which run operations in the West Bank,’ said Shurat HaDin in a statement on Monday. The suit, filed at the Jerusalem Magistrates Court on Monday, claims that operating in Judea and Samaria does not constitute a violation of Palestinians’ rights, and in fact does the opposite and ‘does good with them,’ as both Jews and Palestinians are employed equally by Rami Levy.  ‘It can be said that the plaintiff companies improve the rights of Palestinians and their financial well-being immeasurably,’ said Shurat Hadin in the suit. ‘Working and wage conditions that the plaintiff’s provide to their Palestinian workers are ten times better than the working conditions and wages that workers receive in the Palestinian Authority or in workplaces in its territory.’” Also see: i24 – Rami Levy files UNHRC lawsuit for defamation over ‘disputed territories blacklist’

“…It seems that the departure of Erdan as strategic affairs minister has provided the ministry with the opportunity to rethink its strategy. Its Director-General Ronen Manelis told the Knesset State Control Committee recently that it is shifting its focus from the BDS movement to the delegitimisation of Israel, more broadly…The ministry’s other focus is on social media. The continuing work here is about silencing voices supportive of the Palestinians by claiming that they are anti-Semitic. This includes pushing prominent social media companies to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of anti-Semitism, which widens potential accusation of anti-Semitism to criticism of Israel.”

“As the Israeli government and its proxy groups operating in the United States continue to mount coordinated campaigns against the movement for Palestinian freedom and equality, these groups have coopted the language and tools of civil rights to stifle Palestine activism on U.S. campuses. To dissuade people from engaging in Palestine advocacy or publicly criticizing Israel or Zionism, anti-Palestinian organizations frequently work to make the cost of engaging in this advocacy extremely high. For decades, these groups have made false accusations of antisemitism against activists, demanded they be removed from leadership positions, and created blacklists in an attempt to ostracize activists from academia and the workforce.”

“The prime minister noted that the provision for Israeli annexation of some areas of the West Bank was included in January’s US peace plan for ending the conflict with the Palestinians, was there because he wanted it included, and that the plan has not changed…During a later interview with Army Radio, Netanyahu denied that he was forced to reject annexation in exchange for normalization. ‘It’s not as if someone gave me a choice and told me to pick either sovereignty or normalization,’ he said. ‘Just as nobody believed I would bring a peace agreement — I will also bring the sovereignty [bid].’”

“…As for those on the Left and Right who opposed the extended sovereignty bid included in the “deal of the century” and now castigate the Israeli government for ostensibly going back on its word – they would be wise to remember that Israel is playing a long game. The sovereignty bid has been postponed, not abandoned.”

“’Suspend and cancel are two different words,’ said Bismuth. ‘Suspend is for a limited amount of time. For me, you cannot cancel something which I would say is a process. It’s a historical process and I’m talking about applying Israeli law over Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley. This is something that will happen if not today, tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow. I would say that the biggest problem we had in applying the law is the fact that there was no consensus in the Israeli government. When you make a government with Blue and White and when your Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs do not agree with that, it was very difficult for Prime Minister Netanyahu to apply Israeli law. But what did he give us instead? He gave us a peace treaty with the Emirates and probably with other countries soon, and second, we heard from Washington the word ‘suspend’. We did not hear the word ‘cancel’. So I would say let’s wait a little bit. I’m very optimistic.”

“Political commentator for Galei Tzahal, Yaakov Berdugo, told Arutz Sheva that Israel’s application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria has not been stripped from the national agenda, venturing as far as to say he believed it may be implemented in the near future. ‘The whole issue of sovereignty was brought to attention by Prime Minister Netanyahu and adopted by President Trump as part of his plan. Since the Trump Plan is still on the table and Trump is going to [win] another election I think the chances of sovereignty are very high,’ he stated. ‘Both Netanyahu and Trump are on the field and it can be said with caution that President Trump is regaining some momentum. As long as Trump has a say in it, sovereignty is alive and well,’ noted Berdugo.

“Transport Minister Miri Regev at the cabinet meeting: ‘We promised sovereignty and there will be sovereignty. I understand the constraints that without coordination with the US there will be no sovereignty, but it should be remembered that the Balfour Declaration (???) was only a declaration at the beginning. Same thing your statement Prime Minister and President Trump – will bring sovereignty.”

“The Emirates spend $20b a year on defense hardware. Now Israel stands to get in on the action.” Also see: Reuters – Israel-UAE deal could open up U.S. weapons sales to Gulf kingdom, experts say

“Sunday, the Palestinian ambassador to the UAE, Essam Masalha, arrived back in Ramallah after being withdrawn over the Gulf country’s normalization deal with Israel, with senior Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub saying ther were no plans to send him back to Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, senior officials admitted the Palestinian Authority is struggling to secure commitments by other Arab states or lead a large-scale diplomatic effort in the Arab and Muslim world to prevent more countries from following in the UAE’s footsteps. There are some talks with regional leaders, a senior Palestinian official told Haaretz, ‘but so far we haven’t been able to promote an emergency meeting of the Arab League or another move, as we did when the [U.S.] embassy was moved’ to Jerusalem.”

“The announcement that Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to normalise relations was broken in the most Trumpian way possible – via the American president’s Twitter account. The move is the culmination of a geopolitical alignment that has been covertly but steadily redrawing the map of Middle Eastern alliances. From the Gulf to the eastern Mediterranean, Israel and the UAE have found themselves on the same side as they work to contain the growing influence of Iran and increasingly that of Turkey. Perhaps just as significantly, the deal brings with it significant political wins for the leaders of all three countries, including the U.S.”

Headlines/Quick hits

Israel-UAE relations

YNet: Rivlin invites UAE’s crown prince to Jerusalem as new deal takes shape

Times of Israel: Mossad chief said heading to UAE for talks on Monday

Middle East Monitor: Israel delegation heading to UAE for talks

Jewish News Syndicate: Peace treaty with Israel likely to be signed by October, says top UAE diplomat

YNet: Netanyahu: Israel working on direct UAE flights via Saudi airspace

Middle East Monitor: UAE, Israel sign first trade agreement since peace deal

Times of Israel: Israel said to estimate UAE deal worth hundreds of millions in trade a year

Times of Israel: Top UAE tycoon confirms talks with Israir for direct flights, hails ‘great’ deal

Al Jazeera: UAE, Israeli firms sign agreement on coronavirus R&D

Middle East Monitor: Jewish spokesman: Many Emiratis want to visit Israel

Times of Israel: UAE foreign minister calls his Israeli counterpart to launch direct phone lines

Times of Israel: Israeli pop star Omer Adam said in talks to perform in UAE

Inside the UAE

Middle East Monitor: UAE arrests opponents of Israel peace deal

Al Bawaba: ‘Help Us Find Critics’: UAE Smart App Allows Reporting Residents Who Tweet Against Normalization With Israel

Next Up?

Al Bawaba: Israel to Sign Normalization Deal With Sudan Before 2021

Times of Israel: Saudi Arabia silent over UAE-Israel deal, but covert ties under focus

Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu: I have been talking to other Arab leaders apart from UAE

Jerusalem Post: Five countries that could be next to make peace with Israel

i24 News: Kushner: Peace deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia inevitable

Middle East Eye: Israel says it expects Bahrain and Oman to follow UAE in formalising ties

Breitbart: NSA O’Brien: ‘Possible’ Saudi Arabia Could Be Next to Make Deal with Israel

Times of Israel: Mossad head talks to Bahrain’s PM amid signs it could ink deal with Israel — TV

Al Bawaba: Why Might Bahrain be The Next to Normalize With Israel?

Times of Israel: Morocco said likely to be one of the next states to normalize ties with Israel

i24 News: Bahrain could normalize ties with Israel by end of the year, king’s advisor says

Palestinian reactions

Artuz Sheva: PA official: We’ll adopt ‘robust’ policy against Israel-UAE deal

Jerusalem Post: Palestinians living in the UAE uncertain over peace deal with Israel

Al Bawaba: PLO Critics: The UAE-Israel Deal Will Kill ‘Two-state Solution’, Strengthen Extremists

Times of Israel: Abbas trashes UAE deal in call with Macron, says no one speaks for Palestinians

Al Jazeera: Palestinians slam ‘traitor’ UAE for normalising ties with Israel

Middle East Monitor: PLO: Arab League chief should condemn Israel-UAE deal or resign

Middle East Monitor: Hamas, Islamic Jihad: ‘Israel-UAE must abolish shameful deal’

Middle East Monitor: Palestine-US groups reject Israel-UAE deal

Times of Israel: Erekat: Israel-UAE deal is a ‘killer’ to 2-state solution, Kushner is arrogant

Other reactions

Twitter thread from ICG’s Elham Fakhro tracking reactions from Gulf civil society actors and political groups rejecting normalisation

Breitbart: Israel-UAE Deal May Strike a Blow Against China’s Belt and Road Ambitions

Times of Israel: Gulf states condemn Iran’s threats to UAE over its normalization with Israel

Middle East Monitor: Mauritania supports ‘good judgment’ of UAE on Israel deal

Times of Israel: Luxembourg FM: UAE ‘let down’ the Palestinians with Israel deal

Al Jazeera: How the world reacted to UAE, Israel normalising diplomatic ties

Al Jazeera: Erdogan: Turkey may suspend ties with UAE over Israel deal

Middle East Eye: UAE denies Israel recognition deal aimed at pressuring Iran

Middle East Monitor: Iran holds UAE responsible for destabalising security in Gulf

Middle East Monitor: Iran’s Rouhani says UAE-Israel deal ‘huge mistake’

Middle East Eye: Iran’s Kayhan says UAE a ‘legitimate target’ after Israel deal

Al Jazeera: UAE summons Iranian diplomat over ‘unacceptable’ Rouhani speech

Al Bawaba: Kuwait Rejects Normalization With Israel

Times of Israel: Lebanese president hints at possibility of peace talks with Israel

Arab News: TWITTER POLL: UAE-Israeli deal met with mixed response

Arab News: Gargash: deal with Israel is not about Iran, dismisses Erdogan’s criticism

Al Bawaba: Boycotts and Withdrawals from UAE Cultural Award Programs in Response to Normalization with Israel

“Among Americans opposed to Israeli annexation, reactions to UAE-Israel agmt have been wildly divergent – from enthusiastic support to adamant hostility. That’s bc their apparently shared opposition to annexation reflected radically different motivations for it. Those who strongly welcome deal under which Israel suspends annexation in exchange for normalization w/UAE opposed annexation bc it unnecessarily risked upending situation in which Israel already enjoys control over Pals. They oppose annexation bc it threatens the status quo. Those who are ambivalent about deal welcome fact that annexation is off for now, but dislike that Bibi is rewarded even tho his gvt has done nothing to advance 2 state solution — & much to hurt it. They oppose annexation because it threatens chance of changing status quo. Those most strongly agst deal oppose annexation not bc it’s new but bc it isn’t — bc it merely formalizes existing reality. See only harm in rewarding Israel for keeping hidden policies annexation wld have brought to light. They oppose annexation because it is the status quo. These divergent reactions are yet another indication of an evolving debate in the US (notably among Democrats) about the Israeli-Pal conflict, where it stands and how to resolve it. The debate is likely to get more polarized over time.”

Also on Twitter

Elizabeth Tsurkov: “Emiratis can now call Israeli phone numbers, but are still blocked by their authoritarian regime from using WhatsApp, Skype and Facetime calls, which are incredibly challenging to decrypt & surveil.”

CJ Werleman: “Emiratis will be able to visit Palestine but Palestinians won’t.”

Mairav Zonszein: “Palestinians make up 20% of Israel’s population, and in all of Israel-Palestine, there are about the same number of Jews and Palestinians. Yet waving a Palestinian flag is almost treason and Israel wont’ recognize the Nakba. That the Emirati flag is being waved is truly cruel.”

Stephen Walt: “A short thread on the significance on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Israel. My take: It’s not meaningless, but neither is it a transformative, landmark event. Here’s my reasoning….”

Iyad el-Baghdadi: “ALERT: UAE government-linked verified account calling upon UAE security authorities to “monitor” the tweets of UAE residents who disagree with the UAE-Israel normalization plan, and expel them from the country. Please boost.”

Narthan Hersh: “Person educated on Israeli-Palestinian conflict: I’m not sure how the UAE-Israel agreement does anything to resolve Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians. MAGA ‘foreign policy’ people: Why do you hate Israel, terrorist?”

“On the face of it, the deal announced by President Donald Trump on the normalization of Israel-United Arab Emirates (UAE) ties was something that his administration can claim as an achievement. From the point of view of the administration’s project in the Middle East, it is. Less obvious is that the prospect of Joe Biden being the next president of the United States also had something to do with it, as uniform Democratic opposition to Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank was key in the calculus.”

“It took Netanyahu no more than a few hours to announce on Israeli television that Israel’s West Bank annexation plans would be implemented regardless of the agreement. The Trump peace plan, which was the first scheme to call for annexation and encouraged Netanyahu to go in that direction, has not been shelved because of the Emirati-Israeli deal. In other words nothing has changed…The biggest loser from this agreement is not the Palestinians, as many believe, but the two-state solution. Sadly, we are at a point where Israel does not believe it needs to end its occupation, does not believe in a credible two-state solution, and does not seem to believe it needs peace with the Palestinians. It would be prudent to think of the consequences. The misapprehension that one can further peace without the direct involvement of the Palestinians is helping to kill the very aim of the international community—a two-state solution.”

“Far from being an unprecedented breakthrough, the UAE initiative is a pale repeat of an initiative by the Saudis and by the entire Arab League already in 2002. The difference between the two is that the earlier one required Israel to accept UN decisions and international law regarding Palestinian rights, and that negotiations between the parties begin at the pre 1976 armistice internationally recognized borders, while the UAE’s offer was made contemporaneously with Netanyahu’s defiant declaration that Israel intends to annex parts of the West Bank whenever it chooses to do so. Saudi Arabia and the Arab League were in constant consultation with the Palestinians, but the UAE never even bothered to inform the Palestinians of their intentions.”

“The tripartite American-Israeli-Emirati statement that Trump read out, which was clearly based on an Israeli first draft, talks of the three states launching ‘a Strategic Agenda for the Middle East to expand diplomatic, trade, and security cooperation,’ because the three ‘share a similar outlook regarding the threats and opportunities in the region.’ This should cause most people in the region to worry, given the militaristic and authoritarian policies pursued across the region in recent years by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Emirati Crown Prince and effective leader Mohammad bin Zayed, such as in Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Qatar, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and other lands…”

“Opinion polls on Sunday gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud a slight bump after Israel’s normalization deal with the United Arab Emirates was announced, as a budget crisis threatened to topple the government and bring the country to a fourth round of elections in under two years.”

“Community says in recent years Interior Ministry downgraded status of many to mere permanent residency, citing registration errors — removing right to vote, ability to travel.”

“Sparking outrage, Israel’s coronavirus czar, Ronni Gamzu, said on Sunday that the country’s Arab community had carried out ‘almost a terror attack’ with behavior that he warned would result in hundreds of people becoming sick with COVID-19. ‘The Arab community has committed in the past fortnight, since Eid al-Adha, almost a terror attack, with hundreds of sick people,’ Gamzu said in an interview with the Ynet news site.” Also see: JNS – Gamzu sorry for saying COVID-19 in Arab sector like a ‘terrorist attack’

“After two years under house arrest, Palestinian resistance icon Raed Salah began a 17-month jail term on incitement charges. The sentence was scheduled to start in March, but was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Salah, the leader of the northern branch of Islamic Movement in Israel, was detained in August 2017 and indicted for incitement over his criticism of the erection of metal detectors at Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. He was sentenced to 28 months in prison by an Israeli court. He served 11 months in jail, half of which in solitary confinement before he was moved to house arrest.”

“A group of Democratic members of Congress introduced legislation on Friday that condemns the Israeli government’s proposed annexation of the occupied West Bank and blocks any US aid that would potentially be used to fund it. The legislation, led by Congresswoman Betty McCollum and endorsed by more than 30 progressive organisations, would reject ‘any claim by Israel of sovereignty over any part of the occupied West Bank including its airspace’. ‘I want Palestinians and Israelis to have their human rights respected, their right to self-determination realised, and a future with peace, security, equality, and justice,’ McCollum said in a statement. ‘Annexation is antithetical to these goals and will fuel instability, injustice, and an abhorrent system of apartheid. I reject Israeli annexation. I condemn annexation. And I will work to ensure the US does not support, defend, or legitimise any plan to illegally annex Palestinian lands.’ The introduction of the legislation comes a day after the United Arab Emirates and Israel announced plans to normalise relations. Under the agreement, which was brokered by President Donald Trump, Israel said it had agreed to suspend its planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank. However, speaking to reporters later in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said annexation was “still on the table” and that it was something he was ‘committed to’.”

“The Saudi Royal Court has claimed that the US court case against Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman is ‘merely public relations’, RT reported on Friday. Bin Salman has been issued a summons by the US District Court for the District of Columbia for a lawsuit by a former top Saudi intelligence agent who was allegedly targeted in a failed assassination attempt. Saad Al-Jabri, a former Saudi official who is currently residing in Canada, filed a complaint to the US courts against Bin Salman, accusing him of kidnapping his son and daughter in Saudi Arabia without charges.”