Israel pledged to halt new settlement projects during a summit in Aqaba on Sunday, according to a joint communiqué released after the meeting, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to deny there would be a halt to construction across the Green Line.
Israel agreed to “stop discussion of new settlement units for four months and outpost approval for six months,” the statement said after the five-party meeting.
A senior official confirmed that Israel had told its interlocutors that there would be no further settlement announcements in the coming months.
But hours after the joint statement was released, Netanyahu tweeted that “construction and permitting in Judea and Samaria will proceed according to the original planning and construction plan without modification,” using the biblical term for the West Bank.
“There is and will be no freeze,” he continued.
National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi also insisted that “there is no change in Israeli policy.”
Then-Minister for Settlements Affairs Tzachi Hanegbi in Gush Etzion, West Bank, December 24, 2020. (Gershon Elinson/Flash90)
“In the coming months, Israel will approve nine outposts and approve 9,500 new housing units in Judea and Samaria,” he said in a statement. “There is no settlement freeze or change in the status quo on the Temple Mount, and there is no restriction on IDF activities.”
The senior official said that the Israeli delegation, led by Hanegbi and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, stressed at the meeting that recognition of nine West Bank outposts will continue, as will construction of 9,500 new West Bank housing units.
According to the joint reading, Israel and the Palestinian Authority have also agreed to de-escalate tensions and prevent further violence ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The two sides agreed to “immediately work to end unilateral measures for a period of 3 to 6 months,” according to the meeting’s pick.
A regional security commission will be set up to prevent an escalation of violence ahead of Ramadan, a senior Israeli official announced after the summit. Egypt will host the next summit in Sharm El Sheikh ahead of the holy month which begins at the end of March.
The commission will seek to resume security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israel and will examine the ability of PA forces to fight terrorism in the West Bank.
A Palestinian faces an Israeli military vehicle during a raid in the West Bank city of Nablus February 22, 2023. (Zain Jaafar / AFP)
The summit, hosted by Jordan’s King Abdullah in Aqaba on the Red Sea coast, was attended by Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan and the US amid rapidly escalating violence in the West Bank.
On Sunday, when the talks took place, two Israeli brothers were killed in a terrorist attack in the northern West Bank of Huwara. In response, settlers rioted later that evening, with Palestinians claiming one person was killed and dozens injured.
Eleven Palestinians were killed and more than 80 injured in a firefight on Wednesday when Israeli forces raided the West Bank city of Nablus to apprehend terrorists. Palestinian terrorist groups said at least seven of those killed were their agents. Three others were confirmed to be civilians.
In this December 10, 2020 file photo released by the Royal Hashemite Court, Jordan’s King Abdullah II delivers a speech during the opening of the extraordinary session of the 19th Parliament in Amman, Jordan. (Yousef Allan/The Royal Hashemite Court via AP, file)
A separate committee to deal with confidence-building economic measures between Israel and the Palestinians will also be established, according to the Israeli official.
coalition dissatisfaction
To forestall Netanyahu’s rush to deny a settlement freeze, far-right members of his ruling coalition rejected the summit’s outcome.
Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, who is also a defense minister, tweeted that he had “no idea” what was said at the “superfluous summit” in Jordan. He promised that settlement construction would not be stopped for a day.
“What happened in Jordan (if it happened) will stay in Jordan,” agreed National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
Religious Zionism leader MK Bezalel Smotrich (standing), one of the main proponents of a law repealing the Supreme Court, along with Otzma Yehudit leader MK Itamar Ben Gvir at a Supreme Court hearing March 27, 2019 .(Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
But senior US officials stressed the importance of the talks.
“Today’s meeting in Aqaba is a positive step for Israelis and Palestinians,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted. “It is crucial that the parties take steps to de-escalate tensions and restore calm.”
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement: “We recognize that this meeting was a starting point and that much remains to be done in the coming weeks and months to build a stable and prosperous future for Israelis and Palestinians alike . Implementation will be crucial.”
Israeli security forces gather at the entrance to the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem after a knife attack on February 13, 2023. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
The summit also aimed to strengthen Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation and cement agreements reached earlier this week on steps the two sides would take to de-escalate tensions, a Palestinian source familiar with the matter said.
A nearly year-long Israeli counter-terrorist offensive in the West Bank has claimed the lives of over 200 Palestinians – the vast majority in clashes with Israeli forces but some in more questionable circumstances – including 60 dead since the beginning of the year, straining already fractured ties.
The campaign was launched last year to curb a spate of deadly attacks on Israelis: 31 were killed in 2022, and this year alone 11 have been killed in Palestinian terrorist attacks in East Jerusalem – 10 civilians and a border policeman – in addition to the two brothers were killed on Killed in Huwara Sunday.
Jacob Magid and agencies contributed to this report.