Israel Clears Final Settlement Hurdle  01/07 06:16

   

   JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel has cleared the final hurdle before starting 
construction on a contentious settlement project near Jerusalem that would 
effectively cut the West Bank in two, according to a government tender.

   The tender, which seeks bids from developers, would clear the way to begin 
construction of the E1 project.

   The anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now first reported the tender. 
Yoni Mizrahi, who runs the group's settlement watch division, said initial work 
could begin within the month.

   Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has 
been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to U.S. 
pressure during previous administrations.

   The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement 
construction in the West Bank to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.

   A controversial project

   The E1 project is especially contentious because it runs from the outskirts 
of Jerusalem deep into the occupied West Bank. Critics say it would prevent the 
establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state in the territory.

   Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician who 
oversees settlement policy, has long pushed for the plan to become a reality.

   "The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but 
with actions," he said in August, when Israel gave final approval to the plan. 
"Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in 
the coffin of this dangerous idea."

   The tender, publicly accessible on the website for Israel's Land Authority, 
calls for proposals to develop 3,401 housing units. Peace Now says the 
publication of the tender "reflects an accelerated effort to advance 
construction in E1.

   Israel and Syria resume U.S.-brokered talks in Paris

   Syrian and Israeli officials met Tuesday in Paris for U.S.-mediated talks 
intended to broker a security agreement to defuse tensions between the two 
countries. A joint statement issued after the meeting said it "centered on 
respect for Syria's sovereignty and stability, Israel's security, and 
prosperity for both countries."

   It said the two sides have agreed to establish a joint communication cell 
"to facilitate immediate and ongoing coordination on their intelligence 
sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement, and commercial 
opportunities under the supervision of the United States." The cell would serve 
as a platform to address disputes and "prevent misunderstandings," it said.

   In December 2024, insurgents led by Syria's now interim President Ahmad 
al-Sharaa ousted the country's longtime autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, in a 
lightning offensive.

   Al-Sharaa said that he has no desire for a conflict with Israel. But Israel 
was suspicious of the new Islamist-led leadership and quickly moved to seize 
control of a formerly U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria set up under 
a 1974 disengagement agreement. Israel has also launched hundreds of airstrikes 
on Syrian military facilities and periodic incursions into villages outside the 
buffer zone, which have sometimes led to violent confrontations with residents.

   Syrian officials have said their priority in the talks is the withdrawal of 
Israeli forces and a return to the 1974 agreement. Israeli Prime Minister 
Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement Tuesday that Israel "stressed 
the importance of ensuring security for its citizens and preventing threats on 
its border" and of protecting the Druze minority in Syria, which also comprises 
a substantial minority in Israel.

   U.N. says aid groups have enough food for Gazans for the first time in two 
years

   The United Nations said that aid groups have enough food on hand to sustain 
people in Gaza for the first time since the war began more than two years ago.

   "The January round is the first since October 2023 in which partners had 
sufficient stock to meet 100% of the minimum caloric standard," U.N. 
spokesperson Stphane Dujarric said Monday.

   More aid has been reaching Gaza since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas 
took effect on Oct. 10.

   However, the flow of humanitarian aid remains challenging amid Israel's 
recent decision to revoke the licenses of more than three dozen organizations, 
including such prominent groups as Doctors Without Borders, the Norwegian 
Refugee Council and Oxfam.

   The European Union's foreign policy chief on Tuesday called on Israel to 
lift the restrictions to avert deaths from exposure, hunger and a lack of 
medicines, as thousands of displaced Palestinians return to what is left of 
their homes.

   "To deliver aid rapidly, safely and at the scale required, international 
NGOs must be able to operate in a sustained and predictable way," Kaja Kallas, 
the EU's top diplomat, said in a statement from the 27-nation bloc, referring 
to non-governmental organizations.

   Israeli troops fire at university protesters in West Bank

   The Palestinian Red Crescent said Tuesday that 11 people were injured during 
an Israeli raid at a university in the West Bank.

   The president of Birzeit University, speaking at a press conference, said a 
group of about 20 Israeli military vehicles had stormed the gate and entered 
the campus. Video obtained by The Associated Press confirmed their presence on 
campus.

   "Unfortunately, targeting the university is a recurring event," said Talal 
Shahwan, the school's president, who said the forces displayed "clear 
brutality."

   Israeli officials said military and border troops were sent to break up an 
anticipated gathering and soon found themselves facing a crowd of hundreds of 
people, some allegedly throwing rocks at them from rooftops.

   They said they used targeted fire toward the "main violent individuals."

   Foreign journalists press Israel for entry into Gaza

   A group representing major international media organizations on Tuesday 
criticized the Israeli government's latest refusal to allow foreign journalists 
into Gaza, despite a three-month ceasefire.

   Israel has barred the foreign media from entering Gaza since the war erupted 
on Oct. 7, 2023.

   The Foreign Press Association has asked Israel's Supreme Court to end the 
ban. After months of delays, the Israeli government this week told the court 
that it remains opposed to allowing international journalists into Gaza, citing 
security reasons.

   The FPA, which represents dozens of major media organizations, including The 
Associated Press, expressed "its profound disappointment" with the government's 
position and said it hoped judges would soon end the ban.