Top News from Israel & Palestine: February 25, 2020

What We’re Reading

Settlements

Netanyahu banks on Trump plan to drive up pro-settler votes,

“In a bid to move the needle in his favor, PM Netanyahu has spent the final weeks of the campaign handing out political gestures to various groups in the right-wing bloc, including announcing plans to build thousands of homes across Judea and Samaria.”

Netanyahu: 3,500 housing units in E1,

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the B’Sheva Jerusalem Conference on Tuesday, announcing that he plans to authorize the construction of 3,500 housing units in the E1 area near Maale Adumim. ‘We are building Jerusalem. We are also building the outskirts of Jerusalem,’ Netanyahu said, noting, ‘I gave an immediate order to deposit building plans for 3,500 housing units in E1,’ he announced.”

Israel Government Issues Tenders for Givat Hamatos, Ending Building Freeze,

“The Israel Lands Authority issued tenders on Monday for the construction of 1,077 housing units in the Jewish neighborhood of Givat Hamatos in southern Jerusalem, a plan which had been frozen for years by the Prime Minister’s Office, initially because of pressure from the Obama administration. The construction of the neighborhood was viewed as particularly problematic because it was thought that in a future plan to divide Jerusalem, Givat Hamatos would separate two Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem – Beit Safafa and Sharafat – from the contiguity of the Palestinian part of East Jerusalem, and the two neighborhoods would be surrounded by Jewish neighborhoods.” [Also see: Times of Israel – US gave PM green light for Givat Hamatos construction 1.5 years ago – report]

Sovereignty in Hebron? 'No problem,' US ambassador says,

“The US-Israel committee working on mapping Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria met Monday in Ariel, together with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Makor Rishon‘s Hodaya Karash-Hazony asked US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman if sovereignty would be applied to the Jewish areas of Hevron, and Friedman said, ‘That’s no problem.’ Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu added: ‘Here, you received an answer. Jews have lived there for thousands of years – we’re not going to be there?’”

1,300 housing units to be approved in Judea and Samaria Wednesday,

“The Civil Administration’s Supreme Planning Council will meet Wednesday morning to approve 16 building plans in communities in Judea and Samaria, according to the left-wing Peace Now organization. Among the plans at stake are the establishment of a new industrial zone, the ‘Shomer Samaria’, near the Green Line on the Trans-Samaria Road east of Salfit and south of Qalqiliya, near the planned cemetery in Nahal Rabba. The Supreme Planning Council is also expected to finally approve the establishment of a motor park and 120 hotel rooms in the heart of the Jordan Valley. The council is also expected to discuss the regulating the town of Eli in Benjamin, which includes about 620 housing units, some existing housing units and some adding new construction. The plan was halted in 2014 following a petition to the High Court filed by Palestinian Arab village leaders and extremist leftist organizations, but about a week ago The High Court approves part of the plan. A plan for the expansion of the town of Yitzhar in Samaria, near Nablus, is also expected to be approved (details of the plan and the number of housing units have not yet been published).”

Settlement leaders: 'Netanyahu seems trying to steal credit',

“Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu yesterday promised to connect to water and electricity grid twelve young communities in Judea and Samaria, sometimes referred to as outposts, that are defined as being on the ‘regulatory horizon’. However, senior settlement figures familiar with the details explain that nothing is happening on the ground… ‘It was precisely Naftali Bennett when he took office who started pushing the issue and pushing hard, and it seems as if the Prime Minister was just trying to steal credit,’” the senior officials added.

Occupation & Human Rights

I was meant to talk about Palestinian kids at the UN. Israel forced me out,

“Last week, the government of Belgium caved in to intense Israeli government pressure and effectively disinvited me from briefing the UN Security Council in New York today. Ironically, the decision to exclude my voice as a representative of Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP), a Palestinian human rights organization, exemplifies and reinforces the message I had prepared to deliver before the Council. I was invited by Belgium’s Permanent Mission to the UN in late January to brief members of the Security Council on violations of children’s rights in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.Belgium, which holds the rotating Security Council presidency for this month, is a leader of the UN’s global agenda on children and armed conflict, and as such wanted to highlight these specific themes during the Council’s monthly meeting on the Middle East and Palestine Question. The Belgians wrote in their invitation that this focused discussion would help “to enrich the debate” on the Palestinian issue. I gladly accepted. The fact that Belgium was willing to invite a local Palestinian human rights organization like DCIP to brief the Council was commendable, as civil society space at the UN has been shrinking for years. While they urged me to be “balanced” in my statement (which I had shared with them for feedback), they understood that Palestinian children overwhelmingly and disproportionately bear the brunt of the kinds of violations they sought to highlight. Then the troubles began.”

Israeli Army Falsely Claims Video of Bulldozer Pushing Stones at Palestinians Was Doctored,

“An army spokesperson falsely claimed that a video clip of an Israel Defense Forces bulldozer pushing rocks through the West Bank village of Qaddum had been edited and sped up. Haaretz examined all three videos of the incident, and all proved authentic. None had been sped up.”

Probe Shows How Israel Police Shot Innocent Bedouin Teacher and Left Him to Die,

“After he was shot, the car being driven by Yakub Abu al-Kiyan struck police officer Erez Levy, who died at the scene; then the teacher bled to death about 10 meters away” [Also see: +972 –  New evidence reveals Bedouin citizen was left to die after police shooting]

Family of slain Palestinian demands Israel return body for burial,

“…Mohammed was shot dead on Sunday by the Israeli military, which accused him of planting an explosive device near the Israeli separation fence east of Khan Younis in the besieged Gaza Strip. Mohammed’s family denied this, saying that his presence near the fence area was peaceful. A local journalist captured the scenes that followed in a video, widely shared on social media, which showed a group of Palestinian onlookers attempting to retrieve Mohammed’s body when an Israeli military bulldozer approaches. Gunfire can be heard as the men rush away from the body, which the bulldozer then scoops up after several apparently failed attempts. The body appears to hang from the teeth of the scoop by a piece of clothing as the bulldozer turns and heads towards the fence…”

Israel hosts third international military doctrine conference,

“The IDF hosted dozens of foreign delegates last week for the third International Military Doctrine conference, focusing on mission command.The week-long conference in central Israel was put on by the IDF’s Ground Forces’ Doctrine Branch as well as the military’s Foreign relations branch, and saw 60 delegates from 30 armies including Germany, United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, Finland and the Philippines. ‘They have a great reason to come here,’ said Lt.-Col. Tsach Moshe, the head of the IDF’s Ground Force’s Doctrine Branch, told The Jerusalem Post about the conference which allowed officers from the various forces to share knowledge about common issues and threats. ‘These countries came here because they understand that the IDF is a very well experienced army…’”

“Deal of the Century”

The Trump plan threatens the status quo at al-Haram al-Sharif,

“Apart from its many other faults and its overall one-sidedness, and despite its authors’ claims to the contrary, the US plan for Israel-Palestine, unveiled at the end of January, proposes perilous changes to the historical status quo at Jerusalem’s Holy Esplanade.”

Netanyahu, Israeli officials meet with US mapping team for West Bank annexation,

“The US members of a committee formed to map out areas of the West Bank that Israel plans to annex as part of the Trump administration’s peace plan met Monday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials as they pressed ahead with the project. It was the first time that the two sides have met to work together on deciding which areas Israel will extend sovereignty to, a measure tantamount to annexation. ‘The mapping is underway to prepare the way for extending sovereignty on these territories,’ Netanyahu declared as the two delegations huddled together under temporary shelters amid pouring rain at the West Bank settlement of Ariel, where the meeting was held. ‘We will do this as soon as possible,’ the prime minister said. Asked how soon after the mapping is completed Israel will apply sovereignty, Netanyahu replied, ‘As far as we are concerned, immediately,’ and said he would bring it for cabinet approval right away…”

Abbas ‘fully supports’ Palestinian officials who meet with Israelis,

“Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday rejected the resignation of a senior Palestinian official accused of promoting normalization with Israel. Mohammed al-Madani, a veteran member of the Fatah Central Committee and head of the Palestinian Committee for Interaction with Israeli Society, submitted his resignation to Abbas after he and his colleagues faced widespread criticism from Palestinians for arranging meetings with Israelis.”

'No right-wing minister would support a Palestinian state',

“Yisrael Gantz, the head of the Binyamin Regional Council, on Monday spoke at the Besheva newspaper’s Jerusalem Conference, where he discussed the US ‘Deal of the Century’ and its implications for Judea and Samaria. ‘…The consensus of the heads of the settlement in Judea and Samaria is applying sovereignty and vigilance so that no Arab entity can begin at all here. I do not know one right-wing minister who would vote for this plan. The question is what we are emphasizing as heads of local authorities: to make sure that sovereignty is applied and that no Palestinian state is established in the territories of Judea and Samaria, in the heart of the country. That is clear. As a public, we should demand that the Prime Minister apply sovereignty regardless of the timetable of the Americans,’ Gantz concluded.”

Signs across Judea and Samaria warn of entry into 'Palestine' as per 'Deal of the Century',

“Activists from the Regavim organization last night hung signs at 33 different points across Judea and Samaria warning of imminent passage into the borders of the ‘State of Palestine’. The points are in accordance with the proposed borders of the ‘State of Palestine’ indicated on the ‘Deal of the Century’ map publicized in recent weeks. The red signs read: ‘Stop! You are entering State of Palestine’ according to the ‘Trump Peace Plan.’ The Regavim organization warns that ‘In recent days, residents of the Gaza Envelope have experienced the price of establishing a Palestinian terrorist entity. According to maps of the Deal of the Century, this model will be copied in the heart of the state and the Gaza Envelope will be duplicated with the Ramallah Envelope, Jenin Envelope, Shechem Envelope and Qalqilya Envelope. In addition, Route 60, the central route in Judea and Samaria that links communities to Jerusalem, will be transferred almost entirely to the Palestinians. This map is a catastrophe and we must not accept it.’”

Gaza

Bennett: We must ‘fundamentally change situation’ in Gaza,

“Israel is ‘preparing something’ for the terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett. In remarks made during an interview with i24 News that aired on Monday, Bennett said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi are preparing a ‘meaningful move’ that will only take place ‘on our terms and in our time.’…Regarding the latest spike in hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Bennett said that ‘this round is not the fundamental solution, we need to fundamentally change the situation there,’ adding, ‘it will take a bit of time but we’ll get it done.’”

Palestinian Islamic Jihad says its response to Israeli ‘crimes’ has ended,

“Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad indicated on Monday that they were not interested in an all-out military confrontation with Israel.The military wing of PIJ, al-Quds Brigades, announced on Monday evening that its ‘military response to the Israeli crimes”’ against its members in the Gaza Strip and Syria had ended. The group pledged to continue its ‘jihad and respond to an aggression [by Israel] on the Palestinians and their land’ if Israel pursued its ‘aggression.’ The announcement is seen by Palestinians as a sign that PIJ is not interested in expanding the latest upsurge in violence with Israel.”

Roads reopen, trains restart as shaky truce takes hold on Gaza border,

“Roads reopened and train service resumed in southern Israel on Tuesday morning as a ceasefire appeared to hold between the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Israel, following two days of intense fighting around the Gaza Strip. However, schools remained closed out of concerns that rocket fire could resume. Over the course of Sunday and Monday, terrorists in the Strip fired over 90 rockets and mortar shells at southern Israel. Some 90 percent of the projectiles heading toward populated areas were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, according to the Israel Defense Forces, though one managed to slam into a playground in Sderot, and shrapnel caused damage elsewhere. There were no serious injuries on the Israeli side.”

Steinitz: 'Gaza will always be a problem, an agreement is a temporary solution',

“Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz (Likud), who is also a member of Israel’s Diplomatic-Security Cabinet, spoke Tuesday morning about the recent rocket fire from Gaza, emphasizing that Israel will not hesitate to conduct a widescale operation to eliminate terror. In an interview with Kan Reshet Bet, Steinitz said that ‘Gaza will always be a problem. During all the years the State existed, we did not manage to end terror – there was more, or there was less, but it was always there. A complete end to terror won’t happen. In the ten years under [Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu, there have been the lowest number of people injured and killed in the entire history of the State. The temporary solution is to attempt to reach an agreement, which means quiet for us. Not running to shelters every week and attempts to kill soldiers every month. An agreement with Gaza mean – if there is quiet, we’ll let you breathe economically. If they continue firing, there won’t be an agreement. Then, we’ll have no choice, and we’ve prepared a comprehensive plan that’s also large, very tough, and very different than everything we’ve done in Gaza until now. We may also spend several weeks in Gaza and bring down Hamas’ government.’”

Hamas, Fatah trade blame for holdup on Gaza meeting,

“Palestinian archrivals Fatah and Hamas have something new to argue about. The factions appeared, briefly, to be moving closer to one another, united in their rejection of US President Donald Trump’s Mideast peace plan, dubbed the ‘deal of the century.’ But even their common condemnation of the plan that was unveiled Jan. 28 has failed so far to produce anything more than mutual blame. The PLO, which officially represents Palestinians on the world stage but does not include Hamas, had agreed to send a delegation including Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah representatives to meet with Hamas in Gaza to discuss how to confront the US plan. Palestinians say the plan heavily favors Israel; the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League agree with that assessment. But the meeting has yet to take place. Fatah says Hamas has yet to send an official invitation, but Hamas says Fatah is insisting on a bilateral meeting without the other Palestinian factions in Gaza. Hamas wants to involve the Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.”

Israel in the US Election

As Sanders Surges, Bloomberg Eyes Americans in Israel to Win Democratic Nomination,

“Although the U.S. State Department estimates that 9 million American citizens were living abroad in 2016, according to John Calvelli, the Bloomberg campaign’s director for Democrats Abroad: ‘There is a large discrepancy between the number of Americans living abroad and the number of voters in the Democrats Abroad global primary.’…Democrats Abroad will send 13 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee in July. Four years ago, Bernie Sanders won over two-thirds of the vote against his then-rival Hillary Clinton. ‘Israel has a large expat population, which means there are American voters that the Mike Bloomberg 2020 campaign is looking to reach,’ Calvelli told Haaretz… ‘Because of his commitment to fighting anti-Semitism and support for Israel, Mike and his message will resonate with Americans living there,’ he added.”

Bernie Sanders 'Lacks Understanding' of Israel, Yair Lapid Says,

“Kahol Lavan co-leader Yair Lapid, who openly aspires to be Israel’s next foreign minister, said Sunday that he was ‘very worried’ about Bernie Sanders’ frontrunner status in the race for the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination.”