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Israel Lawmakers Take First Step Toward Dissolving Parliament, ABC News
Israeli lawmakers voted in favor of dissolving parliament in a preliminary vote on Wednesday, setting the wheels in motion to send the country to its fifth national election in just over three years. The motion was the first step in a series of votes before the formal disbanding of the government.
Palestinians Say Man Stabbed to Death by Israeli Settler, AP
The Palestinian Health Ministry says a man died after being stabbed by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday. Israeli police said they did not yet know the identity of the stabber. The ministry said Ali Hassan Harb was stabbed in the chest. Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, said he was 27. Israeli police said they responded to a report of “friction” between Palestinians and Israelis near the settlement of Ariel, in the northern West Bank, where the stabbing happened. They said they were investigating.
Blinken Speaks With Lapid, Vows Support for Israel Amid Political Turmoil, The Times of Israel
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke on the phone Tuesday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who promised strong support for Israel as it heads to its fifth election in under four years. Tuesday’s call was the first between the top diplomats since Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Lapid announced on Monday that they planned to disband their own government.
American Allies in the Middle East Pressure Biden To Come Up With Strategy for Containing Iran, CNN
President Joe Biden is under increasing pressure from the US’ key Middle East allies to come up with a viable plan to constrain Iran, with hopes for reviving the 2015 nuclear deal fading as Biden prepares for his first trip as President to Israel and Saudi Arabia next month.
No One Claims Responsibility Over Construction of Illegal Road in West Bank, Haaretz
An illegal road connecting two settlements in the central West Bank area was paved on Palestinian land for at least two weeks by unidentified sources.
After Terror Attacks, Israel Reinforces Part of West Bank Barrier With 9-Meter Wall, The Times of Israel
Construction work began Tuesday to upgrade a section of the West Bank security barrier, months after a series of deadly terror attacks were committed by Palestinians who illegally entered Israel, defense officials said.
Netanyahu Prepares for a Comeback in Israel’s Next Elections, The Washington Post
Shira Rubin writes, “The announcement of the Israeli governing coalition’s collapse and the preparations for a fifth election in less than four years was met with exasperation by many Israelis. But the news came as a resounding victory for Benjamin Netanyahu, who, over the past year as the head of the opposition, has been preparing for his own comeback. It is not immediately clear how that would happen, however, since polls show that most Israelis will continue to vote the way they have in the past few elections, producing a polarized, deadlocked Knesset and fragile coalition governments.”
Abbas Is Signaling a Successor. But Will Palestinians Accept Him?, +972 Mag
Omar H. Rahman writes, “The nepotistic rise of Hussein al-Sheikh, the PA’s key liaison with Israel, is emblematic of much that is wrong with the Palestinian leadership.”