Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The United States and Israel are close to an agreement on Trump's peace plan for Gaza, according to reports from the American news website Axios. Axios correspondent Barak Ravid reported in a post on the Axios website that the United States and Israel are very close to an agreement on President Trump's proposal to end the war in Gaza. This reportedly follows talks between Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. According to the aforementioned American official, Hamas has not yet agreed to the plan. Trump had previously stated that he hoped to finalize the peace plan and present it in a meeting with Netanyahu on Monday. According to the Belgian newspaper Newsblad in Brussels, which indicated that the matter is pending verification of this information,
The newspaper also reported, under the headline "Five NGOs File Sanctions File with the European Union Against the World Zionist Organization," that a coalition of five human rights organizations submitted a sanctions file to the European Union on Monday against the World Zionist Organization, its settlement division, and Israeli Minister Orit Struck. The newspaper indicated that the coalition... The group, which includes 11.11.11, Euro-Mediterranean Rights, the International Federation for Human Rights, PAX, and the Rights Forum, claims that the dossier demonstrates how the World Zionist Organization (WZO) and the Israeli minister systematically contribute to the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, the confiscation of Palestinian land, and violence against civilians in the West Bank. The coalition is now calling on Europe to end these oppressive practices. "The colonization of the West Bank goes far beyond individuals," says William Staes of 11.11.11. "Europe must ultimately target the structures behind the occupation."
The WZO dossier is the first in a series of sanctions dossiers the organizations will submit in the coming months.
Netanyahu held a lengthy meeting in New York with the US president's envoys, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff, to discuss Trump's 21-point plan to end the war on Gaza. Meanwhile, the Israeli army is intensifying its airstrikes on the 724th day of the war in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian media reported raids on the Al-Daraj neighborhood, the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, and the Bin Al-Sameen area south of Khan Yunis, in addition to the detonation of car bombs in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood and artillery shelling of the Al-Shati refugee camp, resulting in several deaths and injuries.
According to the Brussels-based Euronews website, the Israeli Prime Minister's meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday is of great importance, especially after the Republican leader called on the world to anticipate an "exceptional" event in the Middle East and talked about the imminent announcement of a deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu held a lengthy meeting in New York with the US President's envoys, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff, to discuss Trump's 21-point plan to end the war on Gaza. Haaretz quoted an informed source as saying that the differences between the two sides had narrowed, while Yedioth Ahronoth indicated that Tel Aviv was "very close to reaching an understanding" after Netanyahu proposed amendments to the plan.
The Times of Israel also revealed that Witkoff worked to persuade Netanyahu to agree to the proposal despite his opposition to its conditions, explaining that the latter's objections to some points were related to the disarmament of Hamas and the role of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza after the war.
Before arriving at the White House, Netanyahu met with leaders of settlements in the West Bank on Sunday evening and promised to raise the issue of applying Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank during his meeting with Trump, but he acknowledged that he "faces a complex reality on this matter."