Israel’s Foreign Ministry threatens Gaza-bound aid flotilla
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has threatened the Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and trying to break its blockade of the Palestinian territory, warning that it will “not allow the naval blockade of Gaza to be breached”.
“Israel will not allow vessels to enter an active combat zone,” the ministry said in a statement, repeating its accusation that delivering aid to Palestinians serves Hamas’s purposes.
“We call on the ships of the Steadfastness Flotilla to dock at the port of Ashkelon and unload their cargo there,” it said, referring to an Israeli port.
Israeli army tightens restrictions in occupied West Bank
Israeli forces have tightened restrictions on movement in several areas west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The Wafa news agency reported that soldiers closed the gates at the entrances to Ni’lin, Shuqba and Deir Ammar, blocking Palestinians from crossing.
Troops also restricted the movement of vehicles and individuals across at least 10 other towns and villages in the area, creating long queues and disrupting daily life.
Israeli forces have increased the use of military gates, barriers and concrete blocks to isolate West Bank cities and governorates from one another. Military restrictions have been accompanied by settler attacks aimed at displacing Palestinians from their land.
Israel now operates about 898 checkpoints and gates across the West Bank, including 18 installed since the start of the year and 146 added after October 7, 2023, when the war in Gaza started, Wafa reported.
The restrictions have been implemented amid threats from Israeli ministers, including Netanyahu, to annex the West Bank in response to the moves by the UK, Canada and Australia to recognise a Palestinian state.
Palestine recognition represents ‘practical support’ for Gaza and West Bank
Sultan Barakat, a professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, said the recognition of Palestine goes beyond symbolism and represents “some real practical support to the cause of Palestine”.
He told Al Jazeera that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu seems “determined to strangle it at birth… he can say whatever he likes”.
“He’s determined to ethnically cleanse Palestinians, he’s determined to do all sorts of things. But at the end of the day, Israel is one state,” Barakat said. “It may be supported by the US, which is a very heavyweight state, but they’re increasingly isolating themselves.
“This is another crack added to the issue of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and we should just keep going.”
Barakat warned that Israel may respond with “further settlements and or annexations in the West Bank”, adding that “if it pushes the West Bank any further, [Netanyahu] will be risking collapsing” any of Israel’s remaining alliances.
