Israel Surpasses 1,000 Demolitions in the Occupied West Bank Since Joe Biden Took Office, The Intercept
The rate of Israel’s destruction of Palestinian-owned properties in the occupied West Bank is accelerating at a rapid pace under U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, according to data from the United Nations’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. This week, the U.N.’s tally of demolitions carried out since Biden’s inauguration eclipsed 1,000.
Diplomats Reconvene in Vienna for Iran Nuclear Talks, AP
Diplomats from Iran and world powers reconvened in Vienna on Monday to seek a deal reviving Tehran’s 2015 nuclear accord, with pressure mounting for results soon. Among them was Iran’s chief negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, who returned to Vienna after consultations with his government in Teheran over the weekend. The other parties to the agreement are Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. The United States has participated indirectly in the talks because it withdrew from the accord in 2018 under then President Donald Trump. President Joe Biden has signaled that he wants to rejoin the deal.
Israel to Join UN Condemnation of Russian Invasion, Al Monitor
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said today that Israel will join the UN General Assembly resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Israel has a moral responsibility to both condemn Russia and give humanitarian assistance, said Lapid, adding that “Israel was and is on the right side of history.” He noted that three planes will leave Israel for Ukraine today and tomorrow with humanitarian aid.
Israeli Headed for Border Killed in Ukraine in Apparent Case of Mistaken Identity, Haaretz
An Israeli man was shot to death Monday by Ukrainian soldiers, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed. Roman Brodesky, 42, who had been living in Ukraine for the past few years, was driving in a convoy of vehicles making its way to the border with Moldova. The information Israel received indicates that Ukrainian soldiers took him out of his vehicle at a roadblock 95 kilometers south of Kyiv and shot him, apparently in a case of mistaken identity.
More than 5,000 Ukrainians Inquire about Moving to Israel, Al Monitor
The Jewish Agency said Monday that more than 5,000 Ukrainians have inquired about moving to Israel after Russia launched an invasion of their country. The agency, created in 1929 before Israel was established, processes Israeli immigration for Jews in the diaspora. A spokeswoman told AFP that the agency has set up a hotline following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week to assist Jews wanting to immigrate.
Israel Has Some Leverage Over Russia, if It Is Only Willing to Use It, Haaretz
Anshel Pfeffer writes, “Israel’s fear of Putin is greatly exaggerated, and if its leaders were capable of overcoming it they would realize that they actually do have some leverage…For that to happen, though, Israelis need to see through the image Netanyahu has built of Putin as an omnipotent genius that Israel must never cross. The chances of that happening in the near future are remote. Bennett seems as awestruck of Putin as Netanyahu was. It would probably be best for Israel not to put itself in the position of mediator. Besides, as a country that has avoided negotiations over ending its own occupation, it might be a little awkward to try to resolve another one.”
Depriving Water from Palestinians Is Israel’s Own Degradation – opinion, The Jerusalem Post
Tuly Flint, Israeli general coordinator of Combatants for Peace, writes, “MK Benny Gantz, I am calling on you to pay attention to the reality on the ground and witness what your army and other security forces under your command are being asked to do. For whom and for what are they fighting? Is this the way you want to see IDF soldiers behaving? I am calling on you to come to Hebron Hills, to the Jordan Valley, to the Kane River and see the theft that is being committed in your name by the army that you, as the minister of defense, are responsible for. Give residents who live under the army’s control access to water. Stop the injustice that is taking place every single day by the forces you command.”