West Bank

NOVANEWS Inclusion of Jordan Valley, northern Dead Sea and area surrounding Ariel in ‘Zionist illegal settlement blocs’ whose takeover the administration is advancing, would prevent establishment of Palestinian state with territorial contiguity. Haaretz The IDF Civil Administration is taking steps to increase state-ownership of West Bank lands, an internal military document reveals. The policy enables increased construction not only around settlement blocs like Ariel, Ma’aleh Adumim and Gush Etzion, but also in strategic areas like the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea. Until now it was not known that the administration, which is a military agency, was charged with distinguishing between the blocs Israel is demanding to annex as part of a final-status agreement and the rest of the settlements...

NOVANEWS   Norwegian FM says ‘it is perfectly legitimate’ for Palestinian president to turn to the UN with a proposal for statehood. Norway, host of the 1993 Palestinian-Israeli peace accords, said on Monday it was “perfectly legitimate” for Palestinians to take their case for statehood to the United Nations for voting in September. “We will consider very carefully the proposed text that’s to be put forward by the Palestinians in the coming weeks,” said Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas beside him at a press conference. “Norway believes it is perfectly legitimate for the Palestinian president to turn to the United Nations with such proposals,” Stoere said, adding that continued negotiations with Israel will be required in any ca...