How Israeli settlements are taking over the West Bank as Gaza war rages
Al Jazeera
Ahead of key ICJ ruling on settlements, here’s a look at how much West Bank land Israel has grabbed since October 7.
As Israel carries out a devastating war on Gaza, settlers are exploiting the lack of global attention on the occupied West Bank to expel Palestinians from their land there.
The International Court of Justice, the world’s highest court, will rule on Friday on whether Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory is illegal – a move that could outrage Israeli settlers and the broader settlement movement.
Settlers have been particularly emboldened by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, both of whom have pushed to expand settlements in the West Bank – which violate international law – since entering government in 2022.
The Hamas-led attacks against Israeli communities and military outposts in southern Israel on October 7, in which 1,139 people were killed and more than 250 people were taken as captives back to Gaza, offered a conducive political environment to steal large swaths of Palestinian land with little international pushback or outcry, experts told Al Jazeera.
According to Peace Now, a nonprofit organisation that monitors land confiscation in the West Bank, Israel has seized 23.7sq km (9.15sq miles) of Palestinian land this year while Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, in which at least 38,848 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and 89,459 wounded, goes on.
Questions raised over US knowledge of Israeli plans to strike key Iranian gasfield as Gulf region’s energy infrastructure becomes target for attack.
Heavy social media use has contributed to ‘worrying decline’ in wellbeing in Western countries, World Happiness Report says.
Doncic recorded his 11th 40-point game of the season as the Lakers beat the Rockets for the second time in three days.
Those executed were allegedly involved in the killing of two law enforcement personnel.
US spy agencies says Chinese leadership still prefers to pursue unification with Taiwan ‘without use of force’.
Stocks tumble as attacks by Israel, Iran on critical energy infrastructure exacerbate fears for global energy supplies.
Lionel Messi joins Cristiano Ronaldo in the 900-goal club as Nashville eliminates Miami from CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Women killed, 13 injured when debris from a missile, or possibly a cluster bomblet, hit a beauty salon near Hebron.
Daniel Levy, says that the US-Israel war on Iran is reckless and harms allies for Israel’s benefit.
Three women in an occupied West Bank hair salon became the first Palestinian deaths of the US-Israeli war on Iran.