West bank
Israel signals delay in West Bank annexation moves
Palestinian leaders, the United Nations, European powers and Arab countries have denounced any unilateral territorial steps planned by Israel.
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan, unveiled on 28 January, envisages Israel keeping key swathes of the occupied territory where Palestinians seek statehood. But the question of timing has opened up a rare rift between the allies.
Palestinians immediately reacted by saying Netanyahu was destroying any hopes for peace, while his electoral opponents accused him of a cynical play for right-wing nationalist votes with polls only a week away.
It was not immediately clear if all of the homes will be new construction or if some already exist and are receiving retroactive approval.
Israeli forces cut through a wire section of the barrier in Sur Baher under cover of darkness early on Monday, and began clearing residents from the area.
Netanyahu has cast Gantz as a weak leftist who would endanger Israel’s security by giving territorial concessions to the Palestinians.
Donald Trump is expected to unveil his long-awaited plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace in the coming months.
Settlers had set up two caravans at the Amona outpost last month, in what they described as a protest against a recent surge in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank.
The West Bank, which Israel has occupied for more than 50 years, saw the third Palestinian shooting in two months Thursday, with an attacker killing two Israeli soldiers near a Jewish settlement before fleeing the scene.
The flare-up came after a deadly Israeli special forces operation in the Gaza Strip on Sunday that led Hamas to vow revenge.
Hebron is holy to both Muslims and Jews, with Old Testament figures including Abraham believed to be buried there.
Tensions have been running high in the West Bank over the past week with two attacks against Israelis.
There was no formal comment from Israel, but an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity denied a cease-fire had been reached.
The United Nations and Egypt have not publicly detailed their proposals.
The Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom said that one of the men wounded was in serious condition and the other sustained light injuries.
Israel also cut the area fishing boats are allowed to operate off Gaza’s Mediterranean coast and blacklisted what it described as a pro-Hamas TV channel.
The Western-backed Palestinian Authority headed by President Mahmoud Abbas has limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank where Israel retains overall security control.
The protests tapered off around sunset when many demonstrators left border camps for the evening meal that breaks their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Israel disputes that its settlements are illegal and says their future should be determined in peace talks with the Palestinians.