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The Jerusalem District Planning Committee advanced a plan for the development of a controversial Jewish neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem on Monday afternoon.
The project, known as Givat Shaked, is located on the northwest edge of the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Safafa, adjacent to the Green Line, and will include 700 housing units. According to a source on the planning committee, the plans are still to be resubmitted to the committee before final approval, which is almost certain to be granted.
The land for Givat Shaked was expropriated by the government of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, sparking an international uproar. The project was then frozen by Rabin and was not advanced until December of last year, when the district committee green-lit the neighborhood.
The district planning committee had initially been scheduled to vote on approval for Givat Shaked just a few days after US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel, but was postponed, ostensibly in order not to create tensions with the White House.
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The United States on Monday said that it “welcomed” the Israeli military’s probe into the circumstances surrounding Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’s death. Israel’s investigation concluded that there was a “high probability” that the Al Jazeera journalist was killed by an Israeli soldier in May, albeit accidentally.
“We welcome Israel’s review of this tragic incident, and again underscore the importance of accountability in this case, such as policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
Today Israel Defense Forces stated there is a high possibility that Shireen Abu Akleh was accidentally killed by IDF gunfire. We underscore the importance of accountability, such as policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
— Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) September 5, 2022
The IDF concluded that no rules of engagement were broken during the operation that resulted in Abu Akleh’s death. “The soldier could not see her and could not see she was a journalist,” a senior Israeli security official stated.
“The United States has made it a priority to mitigate and respond to civilian harm caused by military operations,” Price continued, adding: “The Department of Defense recently underscored the need to improve its own assessments and practices to ensure civilian harm mitigation and we will continue to share best practices with our military partners and allies around the world.”
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Israel’s army said on Monday that security forces have arrested more than 1,500 Palestinians across the West Bank since launching a counterterrorism operation in response to a string of deadly attacks on civilians earlier this year.
“In view of a serious increase in the scope of attacks in the [army], several months ago, the [army] embarked on Operation Break the Wave and significantly increased its activities to counterterrorism,” said Israel’s Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi.
Between mid-March and early May, 19 people were killed in a series of terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank, prompting the Israeli army to launch Operation Break the Wave.
“Part of the increase in terrorism stems from the exhaustion of the Palestinian security mechanisms leading to a lack of governance in certain areas of [the West Bank], and these are fertile ground for the growth of terrorism” Kochavi continued.
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US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides said on Monday that the Biden Administration is committed to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and that its commitment to Israel’s security is “ironclad.”
Speaking to journalists in Jerusalem, Nides emphasized: “We stand by Israel to make sure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon. That is also in our national security interest, and we’ve repeated that over and over again.” He reiterated previous pledges made to Israel by US President Joe Biden, saying that “We will never tie Israel’s hands in the event that Israel needs to defend itself,” adding: “We understand the aggression of Iran and we will never tie Israel’s hands.”
Nides noted that Biden had made this “very clear” to Prime Minister Yair Lapid during a recent conversation between the two leaders.
However, Nides qualified, “We would like a diplomatic solution” to the Iranian nuclear issue, “but only under the conditions the president laid out with our European colleagues.” “There’s many gaps and conditions,” Nides said of the ongoing negotiations that “have not been resolved yet.”
Relatedly, Mossad chief David Barnea arrived in Washington and was slated to meet with senior US officials involved in the Iran nuclear deal negotiations to present Israel’s position on the matter.
Barnea’s visit is one more Israeli effort in a long line of attempts to stop the US from signing an agreement with Iran.
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Members of a high ranking body of the European Parliament have called on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to crack down on antisemitic textbooks in Palestinian schools it funds and manages.
Citing a July report on the problem by Israeli education watchdog Impact-se, EU Committee on Foreign Affairs member Reinhard Bütikofer on August 31 said he is “weary of having to go back to the same conversation year after year.”
“I think it is an easy task to make sure that no antisemitic material will ever be financed,” Bütikofer told UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini, adding: “So, please — work on the problem[s] instead of insulting those that raise them.”
Educational material for Palestinian students provided by UNRWA promotes jihadi violence and incites antisemitism, Impact-se’s report found.
EU leaders noted that UNRWA receives much of its money from European taxpayers. A substantial portion of it is earmarked for education.
Recommended Reading
- What Must Israel Learn From Abu Akleh Killing? – Analysis (Seth J. Frantzman, Jerusalem Post)
- Palestinians Must Break With Their Violent Past and Present (Alex Nachumson, Jewish News Syndicate)
- Jewish Frontman of Rock Band Counting Crows Reminisces About Working in Israeli Kibbutz (Shiryn Ghermezian, Algemeiner)
- Israeli Wine Is Zionist Wine (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom)
- Rare First Temple Period Ivories Discovered in Jerusalem (Jewish News Syndicate)
