Settlements

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Israeli settlers blamed for attack on Palestinian mayor as West Bank roils

The Israeli military recently laid siege to Tulkarm, a center of militant activity, as Palestinian officials report daily attacks by settlers.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attends a press conference at the Spanish Embassy in Beijing on April 11, 2025, after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Spain recalls Israel envoy, imposes sanctions as rift over Gaza deepens: What to know

Israel accused Spain of antisemitism after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a package of sanctions over its Gaza war policies.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and Foreign Affairs Minister of the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

UAE says Israel’s West Bank annexation push a ‘red line': What to know

There are growing indications that the Israeli government is seeking to annex the Palestinian territory, but the UAE is becoming increasingly critical of the plan.

Representatives of prominent families in Hebron attend a gathering.

Israel arrests Hebron mayor, launches West Bank crackdown: What to know

Israeli forces carried out a series of raids across the West Bank, arresting several Palestinians, including the mayor of Hebron, amid reports of the possible dissolution of the Palestinian Authority.

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UK bans Israeli officials from major defense fair: What to know

A K9A2 Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH) from Hanwha is seen on day one of the Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) fair at ExCel on Sept. 12, 2023 in London, England.

Israel's Smotrich to approve E1 settlement plan that 'buries idea of Palestinian state'

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

At least 4 Palestinians killed in West Bank as Israeli settler violence rises: What to know

Palestinian Fawzya Ishreiteh clears burnt belongings in the living and kitchen area of her family house after a reported attack overnight by Israelis from a nearby settlement, in Susya south of Hebron city in the occupied West Bank on June 25, 2025. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and violence there has soared since the start of the Gaza war in 2023. The West Bank is home to about three million Palestinians, but also some 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that are illegal under internatio

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Last Updated: June 10, 2025, 12:11 pm

UK, Australia, Canada sanction Israel’s Ben-Gvir, Smotrich for inciting violence

(L to R) Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israeli far-right lawmaker and leader of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish power) party, and Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli far-right lawmaker and leader of the Religious Zionist Party, attend a rally with supporters in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on Oct. 26, 2022.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett meets with Emirati Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, Dec. 13, 2021.

The Takeaway: Did Israeli PM help break deadlock over US weapons sale to UAE?

Also: The Gulf and climate; Syrian refugees return from Belarus; Israel expands Golan settlements; Egypt wants assurances on gas pipeline; China-Ethiopia ties unsettle Egypt; Iran threatens sanctions on US; Building Sharjah … all in less than 1,200 words!

Andrew Parasiliti

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Joe Snell

By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn , Joe Snell

Herzog mosque

Israel settlement expansion risks escalation in Hebron

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s November 28 visit to the Tomb of the Patriarchs has highlighted a seemingly pro-settler approach to government policies in the already tense city.

A picture shows machinery working on the tarmac of the former Atarot airport (Jerusalem International Airport), which has been closed to civilian traffic since the breakout of the second Palestinian intifada (uprising) in 2000, near the village of Qalandia between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Israel-annexed east Jerusalem on November 25, 2021.

Jerusalem construction plan rattles Israeli government

The government of Naftali Bennett would like to shelve plans for constructing the Atarot Jerusalem neighborhood on the other side of the Green Line, yet it is facing a hard-core Jerusalem municipality that is adamant to advance the plan.

NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Israel halts meetings as Belgium labels West Bank settlement products

The Belgian decision to label West Bank settlement products was made as Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll is visiting the country and ahead of a scheduled meeting with Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Sochi on Nov. 23, 2021.

Abbas seeks Putin’s help to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace process

The Palestinian Authority is trying to urge Russia to play a more effective role in the peace process through its position in the international Quartet and to call for an international peace conference. But there are still no serious indications of Russia’s responsiveness.

Itmar Ben-Gvir (C), member of Israel's Knesset (parliament) and head of the one-man far-right "Jewish Power" (Otzma Yehudit) party.

Israeli ministers take stand against settler violence

Left-wing members of the government held a conference at the Knesset dedicated to what they consider a significant increase in violence by West Bank settlers.

Israeli, Palestinian and foreign activists, hold a banner that reads in Arabic and Hebrew:"Stop the expulsion of families", during a demonstration against Israeli occupation and settlement activity in the Palestinian territories and east Jerusalem, near the Israeli police checkpoint at the entrance of the Shiekh Jarrah neighbourhood, on June 11, 2021.

Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah reject deal with settlement organization

Palestinians in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah are declining a deal that would leave them in their homes for 15 years on the condition that they pay token rent to an Israeli settler organization.

A general view taken on March 3, 2020, shows Palestinian farmers working in an agricultural field.

Palestinians say no to work in settlements

A local Palestinian organization launched a project titled “No to Work in Settlements” with the aim of employing Palestinian women entrepreneurs in the Palestinian Jordan Valley, away from their work in Israeli settlements.

Muslim cemetery

Israel demolishes Muslim cemetery near Al Aqsa Mosque to build park

The Israeli authorities have bulldozed parts of the Yusufiya cemetery near Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to build a park.

US President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Oval Office at the White House, Washington, Aug. 27, 2021.

Disagreement between Bennett, Biden escalates

With Israel advancing the construction of 3,200 housing units in West Bank settlements, it seems that the honeymoon between Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and US President Joe Biden is over.

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli coalition torn over construction in West Bank settlements

The advancement of plans for the construction of hundreds of housing units in West Bank settlements has created a serious rift among Israel’s coalition partners.

meeting france

Israel takes security issues to France

The series of visits by Israeli security officials to Paris in recent months can only mean France is open for dialogue with the new government.