“The Military Advocate General is to seek a sentence of three months’ community service for an Israeli soldier who shot and killed an innocent Palestinian, as part of a plea bargain signed with the solider. The 23-year-old victim, Ahmad Manasra, was helping a man who had been shot by the same soldier and seriously wounded. The soldier who killed Manasra was charged with negligent homicide, but was not charged for wounding the other man, although the first shooting is mentioned in the indictment. According to an eyewitness, the soldier fired six bullets at Manasra.”

“To pressure Palestinians and force them to back down from their decision to stop security coordination, Israel is refusing to recognize more than 24,000 Palestinian newborns while preventing their movement through crossings as well as their travel abroad.”

“A Palestinian youth was shot dead by Israeli police for allegedly stabbing a border guard in Jerusalem late Monday, Anadolu reports. According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, the border guard sustained a moderate injury and was hospitalized. The Palestinian Red Crescent said police did not allow its crews to reach the Palestinian as he laid on the ground bleeding near Bab Hutta, one of the gates leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City, according to Wafa News Agency.” Also see: Times of Israel – Border guard moderately hurt in Old City stabbing; assailant shot dead; Arutz Sheva – Watch: Footage of stabbing attack in Jerusalem

“Shin Bet says Mahmoud Nawajaa was arrested last month for ‘security offenses,’ not over his role in boycott movement.” Also see: i24 News – Israel releases prominent Palestinian BDS activist

“Chaos prevails in the West Bank amid the proliferation of weapons, which embarrasses the Palestinian Authority that seems unable to curb this spread of arms that upped crime rates.”

“Some Palestinian officials believe Emirates-backed Mohammad Dahlan, a former top security official to PA President Abbas, was involved in the move to normalize ties.”

“The Hamas terror group reportedly told Egyptian mediators visiting the Gaza Strip that violence on the border with Israel will continue unless a new understanding is formed on conditions in the Palestinian enclave. Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper reported Tuesday that Hamas officials told the Egyptian delegation that ‘Palestinian patience has run out.’ Palestinian sources told al-Akhbar that an earlier ceasefire agreement from 2018 included a number of understandings that have yet to be implemented. These include expanding the Gaza fishing area to 20 nautical miles, setting a new power line to the coastal enclave with Qatari financing and converting the Gaza power plant to run on natural gas.” Also see: i24 News: Hamas says balloon bomb attacks to continue until new deal with Israel reached: report

“The Israeli occupation forces yesterday completely closed the Gaza Strip’s fishing zone due to the alleged breach of the security truce.”

“IDF says it hit terror group’s underground infrastructure; move comes after Egyptian mediators leave Strip after bid to reduce tensions.” Also see: Jerusalem Post – Israeli airstrikes hit Hamas targets near Rafah crossing in Gaza

“Mediators move on to Israel, after apparently failing to to get results with Hamas; arson balloons continue, causing 20 fires, including in kindergarten.” Also see: Arab News – Egyptian security delegation arrives in Gaza to help calm Israel border tensions

“IDF aircraft bomb sites belonging to the Hamas terrorist group for a fifth night in a row after arson balloons set more Israeli farmland ablaze.”

“Gaza rapper Abdel-Rahman Al-Shantti may only be 11 years old but his rhymes on war and hardship in the Palestinian enclave have reached thousands of people, conveying in English what he calls ‘a message of peace and humanity.’ A video of Al-Shantti rapping outside his school in Gaza City, surrounded by classmates wearing matching uniforms, has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on social media and was even shared by the popular British rapper Lowkey.”

“‘Soon the day will come when we will officially apply Israeli law to Samaria, to the Binyamin Region, and to Judea. In the meantime, we are applying sovereignty on the ground.’ He emphasized: ‘We need to build in every place, we must give every girl and boy in Samaria the same full rights as children in Tel Aviv have. We must protect the families who are here and who are fulfilling Zionism. We will annex through deeds, not with words, not with announcements, not with promises.’”

“Israel has not given up on plans to apply sovereignty to settlements in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, despite its historic agreement to normalize ties with the United Arab Emirates, former US Special Representative for Middle East Affairs Jason Greenblatt said Tuesday. Speaking to Army Radio, Greenblatt stressed that the deal calls on Israel to “postpone” its plans to declare sovereignty.” Also see: Former US envoy Jason Greeblatt says still supports, expects sovereignty [“I think it’s important to look at the word that was chosen by the three parties and the official statement, which is the word ‘suspend.’”]

“The US administration is examining the possibility of issuing a document that would commit future governments to President Donald Trump’s peace plan, Israel Hayom has learned. The idea has been presented to senior White House officials and is under discussion. At this stage, it is still unclear how understandings between Israel and the US about the Trump plan would be made binding. One possibility would be to issue a memorandum of understanding that would state that would state that the Trump plan is the only solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Another option would be to issue a binding document in the style of the Bush Letter, which promised that settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria would never be evacuated.”

“Health Minister Yuli Edelstein [Likud] personally pledged to work against any initiatives to create a Palestinian state in Area C of the West Bank during a visit the Barkan Industrial Park in Samaria.Such a thing ‘will not be and will never  happen,’ he said. ‘A Palestinian state will not be created on our territory in Judea and Samaria.”

“Some Israeli officials signalled they want approval from the US before pushing for annexation of the occupied West Bank.”

“Oded Revivi, mayor of Efrat, a suburban settlement outside of Jerusalem, said he expects the proposal to revive. He noted that annexation remains an official provision of the Trump plan and said that hundreds of settlements in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem will eventually have to be woven into the legal fabric of the country. “Sooner or later, it will come back,” Revivi said. Pausing annexation was a reasonable price for having normal relations with the UAE, he said. But he added, ‘What is meant by ‘short term,’ ‘long term,’ ‘temporary,’ all of these things are very flexible.’”

“The official annexation was blocked, which is important, apparently more out of internal American considerations than of feelings of empathy held by Bin Zayed or Otaiba towards the fate of the Palestinians. The settlers are furious. Do they really believe their own whining propaganda, posing as victims in the face of Netanyahu’s relinquishing of formal annexation, or is this moaning and self-pity part of a calculated tactic? I tend to believe the latter, but even if I’m wrong, the result is the same. The gradual steps of de facto annexation, some of them covertly galloping forward, some done openly, step by step and therefore hardly noticeable, are taking place incessantly.”

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the United Arab Emirates is a democracy and, along with Israel, one of the most advanced societies in the world. While Israel has democratic elections, the UAE is a federation of seven constituent monarchies…Speaking of the ‘tremendous’ benefits of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Netanyahu said they ‘bring together Israel and the leading Arab state, I would say the leading country in the world, and these two democracies, these two advanced societies, perhaps the most advanced societies in the world, are now helping each other.’”   Also see: Times of Israel – Netanyahu to UAE TV on annexation: Top priority now is expanding circle of peace

Quick hits:

Middle East Monitor: Palestine PM: Netanyahu’s remarks about ‘peace for peace’ an illusion

Arab News: Israel will import from UAE free zones, Netanyahu says

Arab News: Israel invites Abu Dhabi crown prince to Jerusalem

Jerusalem Post: Israeli travel agency signs deal to sell packages to UAE’s Rixos hotels

Times of Israel: Mossad chief lands back in Abu Dhabi for talks on normalization

Middle East Eye: Kushner says it’s in Saudi Arabia’s economic interests to normalise ties with Israel

Israel Hayom: Did UAE bid to normalize ties with Israel steal Saudi Arabia’s thunder?

Israel Hayom: Bahrain says UAE-Israel agreement boosts chances of peace

Al-Monitor: Is Oman next in line to normalize relations with Israel?

Middle East Monitor: Controversial UAE cleric apologises to Israelis for past remarks

Middle East Monitor: PLO: Arab League, OIC dissolved and will never convene

Jerusalem Post: Israeli mobile company sings deal with UAE counterpart

Al Bawaba: UAE, Israeli Stem Cells Centres Ink Collaboration Agreement

Times of Israel: Israel, UAE teams may join forces to grow strawberries, blueberries in desert

Jerusalem Post: Kuwait’s anti-Israel rhetoric in spotlight after UAE deal

First bump in the road?

Jerusalem Post: Has Bibi given up Israel’s military edge for normalization with the UAE?

i24 News: Israel-UAE normalization will allow US to sell F-35 jets to Abu Dhabi: report

Reuters: Israel opposes any F-35 sale to UAE despite their warming ties

YNet: Exclusive – UAE-Israel clears way for F-35 sales to Gulf state

Times of Israel: Defense Minister: It’s not good for Israel if other countries get F-35

Jerusalem Post: Ashkenazi: Not aware of any security promises made to UAE

i24 News: Gantz: Israel’s regional military edge must remain intact

Times of Israel: Netanyahu denies reports UAE deal includes okay for sale of advanced US jets

Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu: UAE agreement did not include US selling F-35s

The Palestinian Factor

Middle East Monitor: Hamas claims UAE-Israel deal opportunity for Palestinian unity

Arab News: Kushner slams Palestinians, critics of UAE-Israel peace deal

Middle East Monitor: Palestine cancels participation in Dubai’s Expo

“By hinging U.S. leverage on de jure annexation, Democrats are giving Israel the green light to proceed with other crimes against Palestinians.”

“US President Donald Trump said Monday that his 2017 decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognize the city as the capital of Israel was done for evangelical Christians. ‘And we moved the capital of Israel to Jerusalem,’ Trump said speaking at a rally held at an airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, apparently referring to his decision move the embassy from Tel Aviv. ‘That’s for the evangelicals.’ Jerusalem has been Israel’s capital since its founding in 1948, although much of the international community does not recognize it as under the initial UN Partition Plan, Jerusalem was to be an international city.” [Watch video here.]

“US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner has criticised the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, accusing them of rejecting peace. In an interview with CBS TV, Kushner said certain powers in the Middle East do not want peace. ‘You have a lot of people in the region who A. want to be stuck in the past. They want to cause instability. They want the region to be stuck in old conflicts. President Trump has refused to allow those people to dictate the agenda,’ he said. ‘These are people, you know, Hamas and people in Gaza, they’ve had the same business plan for the last ten years. And the international community has been stupid enough to allow them to get away with it.’ He continued to say that ‘the people of Gaza… are held captive now by their leaders in Hamas’, while ‘unfortunately, the Palestinian people are hostages to very poor leadership, but we can’t allow that to hold the whole region back.’”

“The US Department of Energy (DOE), the Israel Ministry of Energy, and the Israel Innovation Authority are calling on companies, research institutes, and universities to apply for funding for projects developing tools and technology in the field of cyber security for critical energy and physical infrastructure. The funding is part of the US-Israel Center of Excellence in Energy, Engineering and Water Technology initiative for cooperation in finding tech solutions to challenges facing the energy, water, cybersecurity and fossil fuel sectors.”