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EU Sounds Alarm Over Israel’s ‘Continuously Increasing Settlement Expansion’, The Times of Israel
The European Union accused Israel on Wednesday of undermining prospects for a two-state solution by expanding West Bank settlements and Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. In a report, the bloc’s mission to the Palestinians criticized the “continuously increasing settlement expansion on occupied Palestinian territories.” The report charged that in 2021, the number of settlement units advanced in East Jerusalem more than doubled, from 6,288 the previous year to 14,894.
Russian and Israeli Planes Hit Syria in Separate Strikes, Kill at Least 10, The Washington Post
At least 10 people were killed in Syria overnight and this morning, following Israeli strikes on the capital in the south and Russian strikes in the northwest of the country. Syrian state news agency SANA reported Israeli strikes coming from the disputed Golan Heights shortly after midnight Friday, killing three soldiers, wounding seven others and causing material damage.
WhatsApp Inventor Makes Record-breaking $2m Donation to AIPAC, Haaretz
Jan Koum, the Ukrainian-born Jewish inventor of WhatsApp, donated a record-high $2 million to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s campaign on the Democratic primaries in June. Koum, whose net worth is estimated at between $9.8 billion and $13.7 billion, is considered among the richest people in the world. His gift doubles the previous high donations to AIPAC’s United Democracy Project Super PAC from mega-donors Haim Saban, Paul Singer and Bernard Marcus.
Israel Aims To Stop Russian Move Against Jewish Nonprofit, AP
Israel’s prime minister on Thursday said he would send a delegation to Moscow in hopes of halting a Russian order to shutter the operations of a major nonprofit organization that promotes Jewish immigration to Israel.
Israel’s Top Court Postpones Eviction of Palestinian Family in East Jerusalem, Haaretz
Israel’s High Court of Justice partially granted a petition by a Palestinian family in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan on Thursday to postpone their eviction until a further hearing. The verdict, echoing a similar ruling on East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, seems to block off a favored strategy for Jewish settler groups to acquire land in East Jerusalem – evicting Palestinian families by claiming property owned by Jews before 1948.
Palestinians ‘Not Excited’ About Israel’s Offer to Use Ramon Airport, The Jerusalem Post
The Palestinian Authority is not excited about Israel’s offer to allow Palestinians to travel abroad through the Ramon Airport, located in the Timna Valley in southern Israel. Musa Rahhal, spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Transport and Communications, said that the PA is officially opposed to the idea because it is a unilateral move on Israel’s part and “reinforces the policy of apartheid against the Palestinians.”
Israel Must Take the Abraham Accords to the Palestinians, The Jerusalem Post
Yaakov Katz argues, “Ignoring a problem is not a strategy. It might feel good in the short term and appear like some sort of victory, but it does not mean that the problem has gone away. It hasn’t. And while it might not be seen, it is, indeed, just around the corner. Israel is now at a unique moment in time when it can take steps that can improve its security, improve its relations with the Palestinians, and even improve the chances for a long-term resolution when one will be possible…”
Gaza Has Been Under Siege for 15 Years. It Can’t Go On, Haaretz
Yasser Khatib writes, “Following my many visits, I have come to an unequivocal opinion: We must end the siege. We have to engage in the necessary dialogue with the authorities there and find a solution. In the final analysis, people are suffering in this situation. Israel has imposed a siege on the Gaza Strip for the past 15 years, with devastating consequences on the lives and health of its inhabitants.”