Barely hours after Jordan hosted a gathering between Israel and the Palestinian Authority within the Crimson Sea metropolis of Aqaba, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned the constructing of Israeli settlements within the occupied West Financial institution will proceed to go forward.
Sunday’s assembly, which was additionally attended by Egypt and america, was referred to as with a purpose to focus on steps to de-escalate tensions amid surging violence within the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Jordanian overseas ministry printed the closing assertion of the Aqaba summit, saying: “The Authorities of Israel and the Palestinian Nationwide Authority confirmed their joint readiness and dedication to instantly work to finish unilateral measures for a interval of 3-6 months.”
“This contains an Israeli dedication to cease dialogue of any new settlement items for 4 months and to cease authorisation of any outposts for six months,” it added.
The contributors agreed to satisfy once more in Egypt’s resort metropolis of Sharm el-Sheikh subsequent month for additional talks.
Nonetheless, after the assertion was introduced, Netanyahu tweeted that there “is not going to be any freeze” on the subject of settlement building.
“The constructing and authorisation in Judea and Samaria will proceed in keeping with the unique planning and constructing schedule, with no change,” he mentioned, utilizing the biblical time period for the West Financial institution.
Underneath worldwide regulation, settlements inbuilt occupied territories are thought-about unlawful.
Plenty of high ministers in Israel additionally confirmed that the Israeli authorities is not going to briefly halt the announcement of latest unlawful settlement items.
In a assertion on Sunday evening, Israeli Nationwide Safety Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, who headed the Israeli delegation on the summit, mentioned that Israel will authorise 9 settlement outposts within the coming months and can approve 9,500 settlement items within the occupied West Financial institution.
“Opposite to experiences and tweets concerning the assembly in Jordan, there isn’t any change in Israeli coverage,” Hanegbi mentioned.
“There isn’t a settlement building freeze or change in the established order on the Temple Mount, neither is there any restriction on IDF exercise,” he continued, referring to the Israeli military.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who additionally holds a place within the defence ministry, said on Twitter that he had “no clue what they talked or didn’t discuss in Jordan”.
“The one factor I do know: there is not going to be a freeze on building and improvement in settlements, not even for at some point,” mentioned Smotrich, who himself lives in a settlement within the occupied West Financial institution and has beforehand referred to as for the expulsion of Palestinian residents of Israel.
Nationwide Safety Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who additionally lives in an unlawful settlement within the occupied West Financial institution and has publicly referred to as for violence towards Palestinians, mentioned on Twitter: “What occurred in Jordan (if it occurred), will stay in Jordan.”
Escalating tensions
The Aqaba summit was the primary of its variety because the US-sponsored talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority collapsed in 2014 over Israel’s refusal to halt the settlement constructions and launch Palestinians imprisoned earlier than 1993.
The assembly got here amid escalating tensions throughout the occupied territories following Israeli navy raids in Palestinian cities.
On Sunday, a Palestinian gunman shot useless two Israeli settlers who have been driving by way of the Palestinian city of Huwara close to the occupied West Financial institution metropolis of Nablus.
Settlers then descended upon Huwara, and underneath the safety of the Israeli military, burned dozens of Palestinian houses and vehicles. A Palestinian medic was additionally shot useless by a settler.
Smotrich referred to as for “putting the cities of terror and its instigators with out mercy, with tanks and helicopters”.
Utilizing a phrase that requires a extra heavy-handed response, he mentioned Israel ought to act “in a manner that conveys that the grasp of the home has gone loopy”.
The Palestinian armed group Islamic Jihad heralded the killing of two Israelis as a “heroic operation”.
“It sends a powerful message to the Aqaba summit that our [Palestinian] resistance is current,” mentioned Islamic Jihad, which had joined Hamas and different armed teams in opposing the Jordan talks.
The violence follows the deadliest 12 months for Palestinians within the West Financial institution since 2005 – violence that has continued since Netanyahu returned to energy in December.
He leads an alliance with ultra-Orthodox and extreme-right events and has promised to proceed Israeli settlement enlargement within the Palestinian territory.
Palestinian factions condemn Aqaba summit
In Gaza Metropolis, Palestinian political events – aside from Fatah – held an emergency nationwide assembly coinciding with the Aqaba assembly, and condemned the participation of the Palestinian Authority within the talks.
Suhail al-Hindi, a senior member of Hamas motion, mentioned that the Aqaba assembly “goals to convey the Palestinian folks to their knees” by way of safety understandings that focus on the Palestinian rebellion within the occupied West Financial institution.
Al-Hindi mentioned the Aqaba summit, very similar to earlier rounds of talks, “seeks to strengthen Israeli safety away from Palestinian rights”.
Maher Mezher, a member of the leftist Well-liked Entrance for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), mentioned the Aqaba summit doesn’t symbolize the Palestinian folks.
Mezher mentioned that the factions are required to supply all types of help for the resistance within the occupied territories of the West Financial institution and Jerusalem, and that members of the motion should work collectively “to strengthen the steadfastness of its folks to confront the racist Israeli insurance policies which might be escalating at a excessive charge in the course of the reign of Netanyahu’s authorities”.
Within the closing joint assertion, the factions mentioned the PA mustn’t guess on guarantees from the US or the Israeli authorities, and referred to as on a unified nationwide management to be shaped to strengthen Palestinian resistance.
At the least 62 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military fireplace within the occupied West Financial institution because the begin of this 12 months, in keeping with Palestinian figures.
Eleven Israelis have been killed over the identical interval.
Maram Humaid contributed reporting from Gaza. Zena Al Tahhan contribued reporting from Jerusalem.
