“As Israel continues to push US-backed plans to annex parts of the West Bank in July, Washington on Thursday issued a security alert advising its citizens to execute extra caution when traveling to the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, anticipating potential violence. The US Embassy in Jerusalem advised US citizens to ‘maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.’ It warned that ‘violence can occur with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, government checkpoints, markets and shopping facilities or government facilities.’ ‘US citizens should carefully consider risks to their personal safety and security when considering visits to sites and events that are potential targets,’ it added.”

“In two weeks time, while Israel is still in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout, the IDF Central Command will be placed on high alert – preparing for armed conflict with the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian security forces, local terror cells and large numbers of demonstrators. Anything is possible given the anticipated announcement by the Israeli government that it is annexing parts of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley.”

“No clashes reported between Israeli troops and Palestinian security forces during arrest operation, hinting at continuing tacit coordination.”

“Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz has reiterated that using military force against the occupied Gaza Strip is still an option, Israeli Public Broadcaster Kan reported today. ‘I visited the Southern Command [of the Israeli army] in the Gaza periphery,’ Kan reported Gantz saying, ‘using military forces is still an option on the table.’ He added: ‘I want to make clear to everyone in the region that using military forces is not separated from our commitment to regain our prisoners and missing persons in the hands of Hamas.’ Gantz continued: ‘We want to continue maintaining a high level of security in the south, continue our efforts to regain the [missing] soldiers and maintain the safety of the interests of the people living in that area.’”

“Palestinian officials said on Wednesday they are planning to step up their efforts to thwart Israel’s intention to apply sovereignty to parts of the West Bank…the PLO Executive Committee ‘confirmed’ PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s recent announcement on renouncing all agreements and understandings with Israel and the US.The committee said that the Palestinians will continue to work in the international arena to urge countries to take ‘punitive measures’ against settlements and their products.The Palestinians will also continue to ‘pursue Israeli officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the crimes of settlement, annexation and assaults on Christian and Islamic religious sites,’ the committee added, calling on Arab states to review their relations with the US administration and Israel in light of the ‘annexation’ plan.”

“Israel could use violence to annexation large parts of the occupied West Bank and Jordan valley, PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat warned today. Speaking to Palestine Radio, Erekat said that Israel’s ideology is based on imposing new realities on the ground and reinforcing the occupation in order to undermine negotiations and the peace process and reach a state of chaos. He said that he is afraid that after the Palestinian leadership’s decision to freeze agreements with Israel, including security cooperation, Israel would resort to field violence.”

“Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet leader Mohammad Shtayyeh on Wednesday called on countries in the European Union to hurry up and recognize a Palestinian state. Speaking through Zoom with a number of members of the European Parliament, Shtayyeh explained that recognition of the ‘State of Palestine’ is important to maintain the two-state solution and to fight the Israeli annexation plan.”

“The International Criminal Court at The Hague requested the Palestinian Authority on Tuesday to provide clarification regarding Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ recent declaration that he is ending all agreements with Israel and the U.S., which may have ramifications for questions of international jurisdiction in the Palestinian territory. ‘The Chamber requests Palestine to provide additional information on this statement, including on the question whether it pertains to any of the Oslo agreements between Palestine and Israel, by no later than 10 June 2020,’ the ICC prosecutor wrote.”

“With the word ‘annexation’ grating international ears and ‘sovereignty’ proving hard to swallow, the Foreign Ministry believes that the less politically charged term ‘applying Israeli law’ could pave the diplomatic way for Israel’s historic territorial bid.” Also see: Jerusalem Post – Mixed messages on West Bank sovereignty leaves diplomats flailing

“…Annexation, by definition, contravenes international law, which prohibits the acquisition of territory by force. It is also an explosive device, the world believes, that will incinerate the last surviving hopes for a two-state solution which, the world maintains, is still the only one possible. In the eyes of the world it is no coincidence that these two nationalist, ethnocentric and slightly megalomaniac leaders, who defy the law and fight it, who disdain human rights and the international order, who are belligerent on the inside and out, are the ones on the verge of a decision to carry out a destabilizing, potentially dangerous and definitely unilateral annexation of parts of the West Bank. On the contrary, such a decision, which entails thumbing their nose at all their rivals, critics and enemies with just one stroke, is right up Trump and Netanyahu’s alley.”

“…If they see fit to meet and accept about 10 stringent conditions – including Israeli sovereignty west of the Jordan River, preserving a united Jerusalem, refusing to accept refugees, not uprooting Jewish communities, and Israeli sovereignty in large swathes of Judea and Samaria, etc. – the [diplomatic] process will move ahead. They need to acknowledge that we control security in all areas. If they consent to all this, then they will have an entity of their own that President Trump defines as a state. There are those who claim and – an American statesman told me: ‘But Bibi, it won’t be a state.’ I told him, call it what you want. At the heart of the Trump plan are foundations we have only dreamed about. All the things we are being criticized about from the right – and what am I? These are things for which we fought for many long years and we’ve finally achieved them. Then they come with the criticism.”

“In interviews, PM also rebuffs settler complaints, saying his annexation plan won’t mention Palestinian state, any settlement freeze will also apply to Palestinians in Area C.” Also see – Tweet from lawyer Michael Sfard in response to Netanyahu comments (translated from Hebrew): “The gap between the number of Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley that the Prime Minister has named (2) and the number of communities that actually exist (47) – represents the number of villages and villagers that with annexation would be displaced from this area forcibly. This is a very small purge.”]

“…he warned that the door may close on annexation given that it may happen as early as July 1. If the Palestinians wait too long ‘and annexation happens, then it happens,’ he said. ‘But they (Trump, Friedman, Kushner) are also, like me, people who are dedicated to not only resolve the conflict but to help the Palestinian people. And I know them to be people who — if President Abbas or Saeb Erakat called to say they are ready to talk — would at a moment’s notice sit down and talk.’”

“Despite announcements by the prime minister on the annexation of the Jordan Valley beginning in July, the army has not been instructed to create a related document on the required procedures.”

“…Yamina Party head Naftali Bennett has long opposed the Trump plan because it also allows for the creations of a demilitarized Palestinian state. Bennett has long argued Israel must apply sovereignty to all of Area C, while the Trump plan allows Israel to annex only half of Area C, effectively 30% of the West Bank.He had in the past said he would support any sovereignty plan that was good for Israel, including the Trump plan. Now that he has understood the Trump map, however, Bennett said he does not believe it is in Israel’s best interest.’The map is not good for Israel. It must be corrected. For example the map would apply Israeli law to over a quarter of a million Palestinians,’ Bennett told reporters on Wednesday.”

“A senior US official slammed Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan on Thursday night, strongly denying his claim that the Trump administration had told Israel that once sovereignty was applied over portions of the West Bank, Israel would need to waive its right to the rest of that territory, including in Area C, which is now under Israeli rule…the US official blasted Dagan. ‘This is a complete lie and whoever is spreading it is doing great damage to Israel, the US and the Jewish people,’ the official said. Dagan, like many in the leadership of the Yesha Council, is in the midst of a campaign against Trump’s sovereignty map, which offers Israel 30% of the West Bank in Area C…The understanding had been that Israel could expand its hold on the 70%, should the Palestinians fail to come to the negotiating table within a four year period.”

“In effort to thwart deal, West Bank mayors lobby right-wing MKs with blown-up map showing proposal’s 15 envisioned enclave settlements surrounded by large red Palestinian state.”

“With West Bank annexation appearing to be almost a certainty, its opponents have looked for a ray of hope in day-after scenarios, as they ponder whether a Knesset sovereignty vote can be reversed.For two leading left-wing attorneys, that chance seems slim to nonexistent, both for legal and geopolitical reasons, unless it comes within the context of a major peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. ‘I cannot imagine reversing annexation without a comprehensive agreement. I do believe that annexation is reversible, but in a framework of an alternative permanent-status agreement,’ said attorney Michael Sfard, who often represents the left-wing groups Peace Now and Yesh Din in cases before the High Court of Justice.”

“Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi tells UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov the Israeli plan to apply sovereignty to Judea and Samaria ‘will kill the two-state solution,’ warns ‘world will not be able to remain silent in the face of institutionalized apartheid.’”

“Process may take years, but officials and analysts accusing Israel of killing option for future Palestinian state have started calling for a unitary state with equal rights for all.”

“On the occasion of Jerusalem Day—celebrated from May 21-22, and just weeks ahead of Israel’s proposed application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria—Israel’s Christian allies took the opportunity to voice their support for a united capital of Jerusalem and for Israel’s sovereignty in the Jewish state.”

“Israeli occupation authorities today forced a Palestinian resident of Jerusalem to demolish the extension at his home, Jordan’s Assabeel newspaper reported. The house, which is owned by the Siyam family, is located in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan, the newspaper said. The extension, which consisted of three rooms, was ordered to be demolished over claims it was built without the necessary – and impossible to obtain for Palestinians – licenses. The owner of the house, Nasser Siyam, said that the house was built over more than 90 years and the extension became necessary due to the expansion of the family. He said that the Israeli municipality in the city refused to issue the needed licenses and said it would force the family to pay high fines, up to 150,000 shekels ($42,830), if they did not demolish the extension themselves.”

“The former head of the Defense Ministry body responsible for enforcing the rules relating to illegal land use in the West Bank planted an olive grove on Palestinian land while serving in the position, and has maintained the illegal trees to this day, The Times of Israel has established. David Kishik-Cohen held the senior position of head of the Supervision Unit in the Civil Administration from 1984 to 2007. He was fired amid allegations he had been involved in authorizing the establishment of a quarry owned by his wife outside the Kochav Hashahar settlement without reporting the conflict of interest.”

“Israeli settlers seized more Palestinian land yesterday belonging to the townspeople of Deir Dibwan and Rammun near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The Jewish settlers were protected by Israeli security forces during their raid. The Head of Deir Dibwan municipality, Mansour Mansour, told Wafa news agency that dozens of illegal colonial-settlers stormed the area and seized around 47 dunams of land. He said that they then used bulldozers to raze all structures on the land. The soldiers prevented residents from having access to their land and forced them to leave. The settlers were allowed to continue with their destruction of Palestinian homes. Meanwhile, a house being built by Ibrahim Benniya in the Furush Beit Dajan area was demolished because it did not have the necessary permit from the Israeli occupation authorities. Such permits are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain.”

“Israeli occupation forces yesterday announced the destruction of ten wells in the town of Az-Zawiya, west of Salfit in the north of the West Bank. The Palestinian News Agency (Wafa) quoted local sources as saying that occupation forces handed over demolition notices to owners of the water wells in the western region of the town.”

“The Palestinian Authority accused Israel on Tuesday of infringing on freedom of worship following restrictive measures imposed on services at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. Israel has imposed restrictions on the religious services of all faiths, as part of the limitations placed on public gatherings due to COVID-19. The P.A.’s Wafa news agency claimed that the ‘Israeli occupation forces’ prevented Palestinians from attending morning prayers at the Ibrahimi Mosque, the Arabic name for the Cave of the Patriarchs. According to the report, the Israel Defense Forces has set up checkpoints, tightened its inspections along the roads leading to the site and prevented groups of more than 50 people from entering the mosque or gathering outside the compound.”

“Critics believe that the project is controversial and would touch on political sensitivities, as well as ruin the view, and are fighting to prevent both from being constructed.”

“In the last few months, due to the coronavirus pandemic, millions of people around the world experienced for the first time the difficulties and frustrations of living under state-imposed rules and regulations that restrict their freedom of movement.  For me, however, the lockdown was nothing new. I am used to living under shifting sets of rules which define where I can go and what I can do. Why? Because I am a Palestinian living under Israeli occupation. I grew up in the occupied West Bank, so checkpoints and curfews have always been a part of my daily life. Last year, Israel made my prison even smaller by barring me from leaving the West Bank for any reason. The Israeli authorities refused to give any justification for the ban beyond ‘security reasons’, and denied that the move has anything to do with my job as Amnesty International’s Israel/Palestine Campaigner. I learned about the ban in the worst possible way, when I was denied a permit to accompany my mother to her chemotherapy appointments in occupied East Jerusalem last September. While I was frantically reapplying for permits, my mother was getting sicker. I was only a 15-minute drive away from the hospital, but my desperation to be with my mother was no match for Israel’s rigid enforcement of the permit system. My mother passed away on Christmas Eve before I could ever see her again.”

“Today I filed a formal application with the IRS to cancel the tax exempt status of Wespac Foundation, the fiscal sponsor of Students for Justice in Palestine. ‘What is a fiscal sponsor?’ you may ask. A fiscal sponsor is a vehicle by which an organization which lacks its own tax exemption can solicit tax deductible contributions. If it surprises you that an organization like SJP has the same ability as a Church or Museum to receive tax deductible contributions, that should answer your question. At least on paper, the donations are funneled through Wespac.In my application, I allege that various of Wespac’s fiscal sponsorees are engaged in improper discrimination and that Wespac is not exercising adequate oversight over these various organizations.”

“The Jerusalem Post can confirm that German politician Olaf in der Beek resigned from the German-Palestinian Society on Tuesday because the organization’s advisory board did not reject the antisemitic boycott campaign against the Jewish state.”

“Censored documents in Israel’s State Archives reveal disturbing truths about the military restrictions imposed on Arab city dwellers during the War of Independence.”