Netanyahu: We will move forward with annexation in July
J-Post

“Israel must seize the opportunity to apply sovereignty to portions of the West Bank in July, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Likud faction meeting Monday (May 25), as the settler leadership intensified its campaign against a US-supported annexation process. ‘For the first time since 1948, there is a historic opportunity to apply sovereignty in an agreed-upon fashion [with the US] as a diplomatic, sovereign act of the State of Israel in Judea and Samaria,’ he said. ‘This is an opportunity that should not be missed.’” 

Image: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the Jordan Valley community of Mevo’ot Yericho in February 2020. (Tomer Neuberg/FLASH90)

Turkey's Erdogan vows to protect Palestinians against Israel annexation
Y-Net News

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Turkey's support for the Palestinian people on Monday (May 25) during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in a video message posted on social media. ‘We will not allow Palestinian lands to be offered to anyone,’ Erdogan said in the video message addressed to American Muslims. ‘I would like to reiterate that Al Quds Al-Sharif [the Temple Mount in Jerusalem], the holy place of the three religions... is a red line for all Muslims in the world,’ he said. According to Erdogan, Turkey is the 'only voice' that defends the Palestinians today.”

Image: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slams Israeli policy at the UN General Assembly in New York, Sept ember 2019. (Reuters)

Israel plans West Bank industrial zone that would 'destroy' unique ecosystem
Haaretz

“Israel’s Civil Administration, the branch of the military responsible for civilian matters in the West Bank, has been advancing a plan to establish a large industrial zone straddling the Green Line that is expected to cause great damage to a unique ecological area. Welcomed by settler leaders, the project, called ‘Samaria’s Gate,’ is also seen as a way to facilitate a larger influx of Israeli Jews into the West Bank. But it is facing opposition from residents and environmental groups, who cite risks in store not only for nature but deep water aquifers as well.” 

Image: The area where the new Samaria's Gate industrial zone is expected to be established, May 2020. (Tomer Appelbaum)

New legislation to increase technological cooperation between Israel, US
J-Post

“New bipartisan legislation aims to increase collaboration between Israel and the US in developing defense technology. US Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced the United States-Israel Military Capability Act of 2020 last week. Peters and Cotton are both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Their legislation would enhance collaboration on the research and development of technology used for national defense.”

Image: The US Senate Session Chamber. (Wikimedia Commons)

Israeli officials confirm Palestinian Authority is ending security coordination
Times of Israel

“Israeli sources confirmed Thursday (May 20) that the Palestinian Authority is making good on its threat to end security coordination with Israel over the new Israeli government’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank. In addition to security cooperation between the Israeli military and Palestinian security forces, civil ties between Israel and the PA were also set to cease. Defense officials warned that the halting of cooperation between Israel and the PA could lead to rising violence, with more clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinians."

Image: Palestinian security forces guard at the entrance to the West Bank city of Nablus on March 23, 2020, as part of measures to contain the coronavirus. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)

Ahead of ruling on war crimes probe, ICC asks PA if Oslo Accords still in force
Times of Israel

“Three judges at the International Criminal Court on Tuesday asked the Palestinian Authority to clarify PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s statement about terminating all agreements with Israel, and whether it applies to the Oslo Accords as well. The judges — who make up the pretrial chamber tasked with ruling on whether the court has jurisdiction to open a criminal investigation into suspected war crimes committed on Palestinian territories — have given Ramallah a June 10 deadline to respond to their query. It is unclear how the Palestinians will respond, but observers say the pretrial chamber’s interest in the status of the 1993 accords puts Ramallah in a bind: If it renounces the agreement that for the first time granted it autonomy in the areas it claims for its state, and thus hands the keys back to Israel, how can it argue that Palestine is a sovereign state that can transfer jurisdiction to The Hague for a war crimes investigation?”

Image: ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda (left) with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki on the sidelines of the ICC Assembly of States Parties in The Hague, December 2, 2019 (courtesy International Criminal Court)