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Al Mayadeen
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
Israeli settlement expansion surges by 40% under Netanyahu
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are enduring a significant surge in settler attacks and an exponential expansion of illegal settlement outposts. According to Israeli media on Friday, there has been a 40% rise in the number of settlements under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Israeli Channel 12 reported that the West Bank has witnessed a boom in settlement activity since the formation of Netanyahu's government at the end of 2022. The number of settlements increased from 128 to 178, accompanied by extensive demolitions of Palestinian homes. This expansion directly affects Palestinian communities through land confiscation and home demolitions. The channel emphasized that these measures aim to entrench Israeli control over the area and dismantle the viability of the so-called two-state solution. Settler violence has also intensified. On June 28, three Palestinians were killed and seven others injured during a deadly settler assault on the town of Kafr Malik in the central West Bank. Meanwhile, two days prior to the Channel 12 report, 14 ministers from Netanyahu's Likud Party and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana signed a letter urging the Prime Minister to annex the occupied territory immediately, as the Israeli political right intensifies pressure for full annexation. This includes efforts to legalize existing outposts and accelerate settlement construction in strategic areas. The channel noted that the scale and speed of settlement expansion are unprecedented. Meir Deutsch, CEO of the far-right Regavim movement, remarked, "No government has ever encouraged settlement as much as this one." He added that "Israel is managing Judea and Samaria as the homeowner for the first time since the state's establishment (1948/Palestinian Nakba)."According to Channel 12, at least 50 new settlements have been announced since the current government assumed office. Of these, 19 were pre-existing, seven were grazing farms, 14 were neighborhoods within other settlements, and 10 existed only on paper. Construction in existing settlements has reached record levels in the past two and a half years, particularly since early 2025. A total of 41,709 settler homes have been approved, exceeding the total from the previous six years combined. By the end of 2024, the number of illegal settlement outposts reached 214, with 66 established during the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza. This represents a 300% increase compared to the two years prior. Most of these outposts are farming settlements occupying approximately 787 square kilometers, primarily in central and eastern West Bank. The rise in settlement activity is matched by a demographic increase. Between 2013 and 2023, the settler population in the West Bank grew by 38%, rising from 374,000 to 517,000, according to data from the Yesha settlement council. Read more: IOF demolish 1,000+ homes, turn West Bank camps into 'lifeless zones'
UPI
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
On This Day, July 13: Live Aid concerts raise $125M for famine relief
1 of 5 | Singer Bob Geldof, pictured in 2005 at the Live 8 Concert in Hyde Park in London, organized the benefit concert Live Aid held July 13, 1985, in London and Philadelphia. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI | License Photo July 13 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1863, opposition to the Federal Conscription Act triggered New York City riots in which at least 120 people died and hundreds were injured. In 1898, Guglielmo Marconi was awarded a patent for wireless telegraphy -- the radio. In 1943, one of the largest tank battle in history -- which happened as part of the Battle of Kursk -- ended along the Eastern Front in the Soviet Union when German dictator Adolf Hitler redeployed his troops to the south. In 1960, Democrats nominated Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts for president against GOP Vice President Richard Nixon. John F. Kennedy (R) and Richard Nixon debate on October 21, 1960. UPI File Photo In 1977, a state of emergency was declared in New York City during a 25-hour power blackout. In 1985, musicians and celebrities gathered at arenas in London and Philadelphia to hold a 16-hour Live Aid concert, raising more than $125 million in famine relief for Africa. In 1992, Yitzhak Rabin became Israel's new prime minister, ending the hard-line Likud Party's 15-year reign. Rabin embraced Israeli-Palestinian relations and helped establish peace between Palestinians and Jordanians. He faced criticism for his views and in 1995 was assassinated. In 1998, Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto resigned, a victim of the country's economic woes. In 2005, a judge in New York sentenced former WorldCom Chief Executive Officer Bernard Ebbers to 25 years in prison for his part in what was described as the largest fraud in U.S. corporate history. File Photo by Monika Graff/UPI In 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department announced a plan to save major government-backed mortgage companies known as Fannie Mac and Freddie Mac with billions of dollars in investments and loans. In 2013, neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman was acquitted in the 2012 shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in a gated community in Florida. The case provoked a national debate on "stand your ground" laws and racial profiling. In 2019, Simona Halep became the first Romanian to win a Wimbledon singles title after beating Serena Williams. In 2024, Donald Trump was grazed on the ear by a bullet during a presidential campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, also killed a member of the audience and injured two more. Law enforcement shot and killed Crooks. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI
Roya News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
West Bank witnesses 40% surge in 'Israeli' settlements under Netanyahu's rule
A recent report from 'Israel's' Channel 12 reveals an unprecedented escalation in 'Israeli' settlement construction across the West Bank since the formation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in late 2022. The channel indicates a substantial 40 percent increase in the number of settlements, which has grown from 128 to 178, coinciding with a dramatic rise in the demolition of Palestinian residences. This disclosure comes on the heels of a letter signed by 14 Likud Party ministers, including Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, calling on Netanyahu to immediately annex the occupied territory. While 'Israeli' authorities have often shown minimal concern regarding settler violence against Palestinians, recent assaults targeting 'Israeli' soldiers and police officers have drawn considerable attention from across the 'Israeli' political spectrum. Just last week, a violent settler attack on June 28 in Kafr Malik, a town in the central West Bank, resulted in the deaths of three Palestinians and left seven others injured. According to Channel 12, the concerted efforts behind the establishment of dozens of new settlements, the rapid pace of illegal outpost creation, the development of strategic roads, and extensive Palestinian building demolitions are all designed to consolidate Jewish control over the area, thereby effectively dismantling the prospect of a two-state solution. "No government has ever encouraged settlement as much as this one," stated Meir Deutsch, CEO of the hardline Regavim movement, as quoted by the channel. He further asserted, "Israel is managing Judea and Samaria as the homeowner for the first time since the state's establishment (1948/Palestinian Nakba)." The report details the announcement of at least 50 new settlements in the West Bank since the current government assumed power. Research data suggests that 19 of these newly recognized settlements were already in existence, seven are now designated as grazing farms, 14 are new neighborhoods integrated into existing settlements, and 10 exist purely as plans on paper. In parallel with the creation of these new settlements, construction within existing West Bank settlements has shattered previous records over the past two and a half years, intensifying significantly since early 2025. The channel indicated that permits for 41,709 settler homes have been approved—a figure that exceeds the total recorded during the six years preceding Netanyahu's current administration. By the end of 2024, the number of illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank had climbed to 214, with 66 of these emerging during the Israeli war in Gaza. The channel also highlighted a nearly 300 percent increase in outposts during the current government's first two years, in comparison to the previous two-year period. The majority of these newly established illegal outposts are agricultural, seizing vast areas of land. These grazing lands now reportedly encompass approximately 787 square kilometers, primarily concentrated in the central and eastern West Bank. The report also pointed to a corresponding rise in the settler population. Data from the West Bank settlements council Yesha indicates that between 2013 and 2023, the number of settlers increased by 38 percent, from 374,000 to 517,000.
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First Post
04-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Qatar-Saudi boost to US proposal drives Israel-Hamas ceasefire, hostage talks to a breakthrough
The latest ceasefire proposal is a joint diplomatic effort by the US, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. While mediators from Qatar and Egypt are central to the talks, Hamas is expected to deliver its official response on the ceasefire deal soon read more Relatives and supporters of hostages held in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas protest for the release of all hostages outside the headquarters of the Likud Party, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Reuters As US President Donald Trump declared a breakthrough in Gaza ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas earlier this week, Qatar and Saudi Arabia worked behind the scenes to chart out the deal. The two Gulf countries have been wearing the mediator hat since the war began in 2023 and were behind the successful execution of the temporary truce in January. Now, as another ceasefire proposal gains momentum, focus is back on Qatar, Saudi and the US on how soon it can be implemented. It's a race against time as more and more people lose their lives in Gaza. Yesterday, at least 70 people died as a result of Israeli airstrikes in the Palestinian region. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The latest ceasefire proposal is a joint diplomatic effort by the US, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. While mediators from Qatar and Egypt are central to the talks, Hamas is expected to deliver its official response on the ceasefire deal soon. What would the truce entail? A Palestinian source familiar with the mediated negotiations told AFP that 'there are no fundamental changes in the new proposal' under discussion compared to previous terms presented by the United States. The source said that the new proposal 'includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees'. Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants in October 2023, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27, the Israeli military says, are dead. Hamas has also promised not to hold public hostage handover ceremonies, a major demand from Israel and the US after the events drew widespread condemnation from observers across the world. Hamas considers truce deal Hamas is reportedly satisfied with the plan's language, especially US guarantees about continued negotiations to end the war. It said that it was 'conducting national consultations to discuss' the proposals submitted in negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt. Trump on Tuesday urged Hamas to accept a 60-day ceasefire, saying that Israel had agreed to finalise such a deal. Hamas said in a statement that it was studying the latest proposals and aiming 'to reach an agreement that guarantees ending the aggression, achieving the withdrawal (of Israeli forces from Gaza) and urgently aiding our people in the Gaza Strip'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Netanyahu vows to uproot Hamas On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to eradicate Hamas if talks fail. Israel has agreed to a partial withdrawal and increased humanitarian aid, but is not committing to a permanent end to the conflict. Netanyahu has come under strong pressure to get the hostages back after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire with Palestinian militant group Hamas that could lead to their release. 'I feel a deep commitment, first and foremost, to ensure the return of all our abductees, all of them,' Netanyahu told inhabitants of the Nir Oz kibbutz, the community that saw the most hostages seized in the 2023 Hamas attacks that sparked the war. With inputs from agencies
Russia Today
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Israeli ministers call on Netanyahu to annex West Bank
A group of Israeli ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party have called on him to annex the West Bank before the end of the month. A total of 15 cabinet ministers, as well as the parliamentary speaker, Amir Ohana, signed a letter arguing that the creation of a Palestinian state in the area would pose an 'existential threat' to Israel and its settlement policy. The move should be made before the end of the parliament's summer session on June 27, the letter released on Wednesday stated, adding that West Jerusalem should seize the moment following the weakening of Iran and its allies in the region in the recent conflicts with Israel. 'The October 7 massacre proved that the doctrine of settlement blocs and the establishment of a Palestinian state in the remaining territory is an existential danger to Israel. It's time for sovereignty,' the ministers wrote, referring to the 2023 attack by the Gaza-based Hamas militant organization, which led to the latest conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself not a member of the Likud Party, praised the initiative and claimed that the Israeli Settlement Administration in the West Bank would be ready to follow a government order and establish West Jerusalem's control over the West Bank at any moment. 'On the day he [Netanyahu] gives the order, the Settlement Administration under my leadership is ready … to implement the application of sovereignty immediately,' said the minister, who also holds a position within the Defense Ministry on issues related to the West Bank. The authors of the petition also argued that it was the right moment for such a move because of the 'strategic partnership, backing and support of the US and President Donald Trump.' The development came ahead of Netanyahu's meeting with Trump scheduled for next week. They are expected to discuss a potential Gaza ceasefire and a hostage deal with Hamas. During his first presidential term, Trump moved the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, sparking waves of international condemnation in both cases. Before the letter's release, Justice Minister Yariv Levin made a similar call, drawing condemnation from Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Riyadh called it a 'violation of legitimate international resolutions,' while Cairo urged the international community to intervene. Israel seized the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 War and has been actively building settlements there – something that is widely regarded as illegal by the international community. West Jerusalem moved closer to its annexation in 2020 but dropped the idea at the time in exchange for normalization of relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
