Netanyahu under little pressure to reach ceasefire deal
While mediators are hoping a new round of ceasefire negotiations this week could lead to a long-sought deal, there may be little to discuss as the basic parameters remain unchanged, said Abdullah al-Arian, associate professor of history at Georgetown University in Qatar.
“We know what the parameters of the agreement look like. … We’ve seen acceptance, at least on the Palestinian side, of the parameters, especially those that were laid out by US President Joe Biden back in May. And of course, we’ve seen nothing but Israeli rejection since then,” al-Arian told Al Jazeera.
He added that while the US has publicly lobbied for a ceasefire, it has done nothing to pressure Israeli leaders to reach an agreement.
“If anything, [Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu] is under more pressure from members of his own government not to accept the ceasefire proposals,” said al-Arian.
Israeli captive families demand Gaza deal, call for march
The group representing the families of Israeli captives still held in Gaza has urged the Israeli negotiating team heading for mediated talks to keep working until a ceasefire and exchange deal is in place.
The families also announced that they will demonstrate and march in Tel Aviv, with speeches also planned for family members.
The Last Chance March 🇮🇱
We stand united, urging the negotiation team: do your utmost at the mediators' summit.
DON'T STOP until the deal is sealed!
Bringing back the hostages is bringing back hope.
📍 We will gather at the entrance to Independence Hall in Tel Aviv and march… pic.twitter.com/aAsINXfp7Q
— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) August 14, 2024
12 arrested at ultra-Orthodox protest against military draft
At least 12 people have been arrested after hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews protested in northern Israel against being drafted into the military.
Demonstrators gathered near the Michve Alon military training base, according to national broadcaster Kann, after they were summoned to report to a recruitment centre.
Israeli police said in a statement that the protesters “blocked traffic routes and lit a fire near the gates” of the military base, according to the Times of Israel.
The demonstration also reportedly turned violent, with participants throwing objects at police and soldiers guarding the base.
There have been many Haredi protests against conscription since the start of the war on Gaza, with this image showing a protester clashing with an Israeli police officer on a horse at Tel Hashomer recruitment base, in Ramat Gan on August 5
Israel releases blueprint for new West Bank settlement
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says Israel has published plans for a proposed settlement in the occupied West Bank, framing it as a response to growing global recognition of Palestinian statehood.
“No anti-Israel or anti-Zionist decision will stop the development of the settlement,” said Smotrich, who heads a pro-settler party and himself lives in an Israeli settlement. “We will continue to fight against the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state. This is the mission of my life.”
Smotrich said the new 60-hectare (150-acre) settlement, called Nachal Heletz, will form part of the Gush Etzion settlement cluster and connect the region with nearby Jerusalem.
In June, Israel announced it was going to legalise five outposts in the West Bank, seize huge swaths of Palestinian land and establish three new settlements, which are illegal under international law.
