






Israel has said it will establish 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, including the legalisation of outposts already built without government authorisation, after a security cabinet vote held in secret last week.
Israel occupied the West Bank, capturing it from Jordan, in the six-day war of 1967. Since then, successive governments have tried to permanently cement Israeli control over the land, in part by declaring swathes as “state lands”, which prevents private Palestinian ownership.
The motion was said to have been put forward by the far-right defence minister, Israel Katz, and the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in the West Bank settlement of Kedumim, which is considered illegal under international law.
Katz said the settlement decision “strengthens our hold on Judea and Samaria”, using the biblical term for the West Bank, “anchors our historical right in the Land of Israel, and constitutes a crushing response to Palestinian terrorism”.
He added it was also “a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel”.
…
Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/29/israel-new-settlements-occupied-west-bank-palestinian-state


This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Wednesday that his country will work to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which is currently besieged by Israel.
The Japanese Prime Minister’s office said in a statement that Ishiba received the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, in Tokyo.
Ishiba stressed “Creating an environment in which aid is possible is extremely important,” expressing his respect for UNRWA’s support for Palestinian refugees.
Lazzarini, in turn, expressed his gratitude to Ishiba for the Japanese government’s efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The two sides reiterated their commitment to continuing cooperation to support Palestinian refugees.
According to the UN, through deliberate starvation in order to achieve forced displacement, Israel has pushed 2.4 million Palestinians to the brink of famine by closing the Gaza Strip’s crossings to humanitarian aid, particularly food, since 2 March.
READ: Israeli settlers storm UNRWA headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Israel has received 940 aircraft and vessels loaded with US weapons and military equipment since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday, Anadolu reports.
“The 800th aircraft in the comprehensive military equipment and weapons airlift operation that commenced immediately following the (Gaza) war has landed in Israel this morning,” the ministry said in a statement.
During the airlift, the ministry said, over 90,000 tons of military equipment have been delivered to Israel via 800 flights and approximately 140 maritime shipments.
The procured and transported equipment includes munitions, armored vehicles, individual protective equipment, and medical supplies, according to the ministry.
READ: Several injured by Israeli fire as starving Gazans storm US aid distribution facility in Rafah
The latest arrival of US weapons comes amid reports of strained relations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing over 54,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against defenseless civilians in the enclave.
BLOG: Humanitarian aid serves violent interests
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.