Hours after Jordan hosted a meeting between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the Red Sea city of Aqaba, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank would continue. The summit, which was also attended by Egypt and the United States, was called to discuss steps to de-escalate tensions in the Palestinian territories. The Jordanian foreign ministry published the closing statement of the Aqaba summit, saying that both Israel and the Palestinian National Authority had agreed to “immediately work to end unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months”.
However, Netanyahu tweeted that there would be “no freeze” with regards to settlement construction. This was confirmed by a number of top ministers in Israel, including National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, who said that Israel would authorise nine settlement outposts in the coming months and approve 9,500 settlement units in the occupied West Bank. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also stated that there would be “no freeze on construction and development in settlements”.
The Aqaba summit was the first of its kind since the US-sponsored talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority collapsed in 2014 over Israel’s refusal to halt the settlement constructions and release Palestinians imprisoned before 1993. This occurred amid escalating tensions across the occupied territories following Israeli military raids in Palestinian towns. On Sunday, a Palestinian gunman shot dead two Israeli settlers who were driving through the Palestinian town of Huwara near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. In response, settlers burned dozens of Palestinian homes and cars, and a Palestinian medic was shot dead by a settler.
In response to the Aqaba summit, Palestinian political parties held an emergency national meeting in Gaza City and condemned the participation of the Palestinian Authority in the talks. Suhail al-Hindi, a senior member of Hamas movement, said that the Aqaba meeting “aims to bring the Palestinian people to their knees” through security understandings that target the Palestinian uprising in the occupied West Bank. Maher Mezher, a member of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), said that the factions are required to provide all forms of support for the resistance in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
At least 62 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank since the start of this year, according to Palestinian figures. Eleven Israelis have been killed over the same period. The violence follows what has been the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2005 – violence that has continued since Netanyahu returned to power in December. He leads an alliance with ultra-Orthodox and extreme-right parties and has promised to continue Israeli settlement expansion in the Palestinian territory.
The Aqaba summit was called to discuss steps to de-escalate tensions between Israel and Palestine, yet Netanyahu’s declaration that there would be no freeze on settlement construction is indicative of his government’s refusal to halt settlement expansion. This was confirmed by a number of top ministers in Israel, including National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, who said that Israel would authorise nine settlement outposts and approve 9,500 settlement units in the occupied West Bank. In response, Palestinian political parties held an emergency national meeting in Gaza City and condemned the participation of the Palestinian Authority in the talks.
The violence follows what has been the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2005 – violence that has continued since Netanyahu returned to power in December. He leads an alliance with ultra-Orthodox and extreme-right parties and has promised to continue Israeli settlement expansion in the Palestinian territory. In response, Palestinian factions have called for unified national leadership to strengthen Palestinian resistance and provide all forms of support for the resistance in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
It is clear that Netanyahu’s government is unwilling to halt settlement construction and de-escalate tensions between Israel and Palestine. The Aqaba summit has done little to bring about peace between these two nations as Netanyahu’s government continues to pursue its policy of expansionism and disregard international law.