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U.S. Asks Israel To Avoid Actions That Could Create Tensions Ahead of Biden Visit, Axios
The U.S. asked Israel to refrain from any actions in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem that could create tensions ahead of President Biden’s next month, four Israeli, U.S. and Palestinian officials told Axios. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is frustrated over recent contentious Israeli moves in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and furious about the U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel To Allow 2,000 More Palestinian Workers To Enter From Gaza, The Times of Israel
Israel raised the quota of work permits for Gaza Palestinians to 14,000 on Thursday, expanding a policy that defense officials view as a means of maintaining quiet on the country’s southern front. An additional 2,000 permits were added to the quota, according to Israel’s military liaison to the Palestinians.
Lapid: Biden’s Visit Could Improve Israel’s Ties With Saudi Arabia, Axios
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said in a briefing with reporters Wednesday that President Biden’s trip to the Middle East next month could lead to a warming of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which don’t have official ties.
Israeli Court Finds Gaza Aid Worker Guilty on Terror Charges, AP
An Israeli court on Wednesday found a Gaza aid worker guilty of several terrorism charges in a high-profile case in which his employer, independent auditors and the Australian government say they have found no evidence of wrongdoing.
IDF to Carry Out Live-fire War Games Around Several Palestinian Villages Under Threat of Eviction, Haaretz
The IDF is slated to conduct a live fire military exercise in the rural South Hebron Hills area of the West Bank next week, the first such exercise in over a year on the heels of a High Court of Justice decision that rejected Palestinian residents’ claims to the land in favor of the military’s declaration of the region as a closed military training area.
Opposition Previews Plans To Remake Composition of the Supreme Court, The Times of Israel
On Sunday, the religious-right opposition previewed legislation to remake the Supreme Court justice appointment process and transfer complete control to elected officials. While it is unlikely to progress to law in the current Knesset, the bill — awaiting its preliminary reading on the Knesset floor — is a harbinger of intention to change the court’s character should the Likud-led opposition bloc return to power.
Why the Abraham Accords Fall Short, Foreign Affairs
Zaha Hassan and Marwan Muasher note, “The Abraham Accords and the regional development projects they hope to foster will not bring economic relief to the donor-dependent Palestinians. That is because the accords do nothing to alleviate Israeli restrictions on Palestinian movement and their access to land and natural resources. According to the World Bank, these Israeli policies cost the West Bank economy billions of dollars every year. The biggest obstacle to Palestinian economic development isn’t a lack of capital or ingenuity; it is the occupation.”
The Orthodox Nationalist Army, Haaretz
Yossi Klein argues, “The division of the army into superiors and inferiors is serving the religious right. It will teach the combat soldiers to hate the arrogant [intelligence unit] people and at the same time they will become loyal voters.”