Israel has largely benefited from the division of the West Bank into three areas (A, B and C) under the Oslo Accords. There are about 500,000 Jewish settlers living in the West Bank, many of whom live near the border with Israel proper. Israel's pledge to halt the annexation of the occupied West Bank under its recent normalisation deal with the UAE and Bahrain would not stop it … Palestinians should be 'happy' about normalisation, says UAE's al-Otaiba. Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, condemned the Israeli notice to seize Khirbet Deir Samaan and Deir Qala in a Sept. 6 statement. Joe Biden’s most surprising, and possibly important, answer of the debate. Why are they fighting? Since the occupation of the West Bank, Israel has launched a fierce onslaught when it comes to archaeological sites, and it has established several settlements at those sites, such as the settlement of Shiloh at the archaeological site of Tel Silon, a Canaanite city north of Ramallah, and Leshem, surrounding Deir Samaan. All rights reserved. RAMALLAH, West Bank — On Sept. 4, Israeli authorities issued an official notice in Hebrew announcing their intention to seize the archaeological sites of Khirbet Deir Samaan and Deir Qala, in the west of Salfit governorate in the northwestern West Bank, giving the residents 60 days to object to the decision. Adnan Abu Amer | Palestinian reconciliation | Sep 22, 2020, Al-Monitor Staff | Israeli-Gulf relations | Sep 17, 2020, Al-Monitor Staff | Israeli-Palestinian conflict | Sep 14, 2020, Daoud Kuttab | Israeli-Gulf relations | Sep 28, 2020, Daoud Kuttab | Palestinian reconciliation | Sep 25, 2020. Palestine politics: Could a unified leadership and elections herald a new era? How about Fatah and the Palestinian Authority? These would be called “land swaps.” No set of Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed on precisely where to draw the border. The head of the Kafr al-Deek village council, Ibrahim Issa, told Al-Monitor, “Four settlements — Leshem, Alei Zahav, Peduel and Bruchim — surround the village,” noting that over two-thirds of the village's lands are classified as Area C under the Oslo Accords. It’s home to nearly three million Palestinians, and would make up the heart of any Palestinian state.Israel took control of it … It has ruins of monasteries, water wells carved in rocks, mosaic-paved paths and water pools. What is the Israeli-Palestinian peace process? Chip in as little as $3 to help keep it free for everyone. The notice is the first step toward the full seizure of the two archaeological sites located in the villages of Kafr al-Deek and Deir Ballut, which are among the most prominent Roman and Byzantine archaeological monuments in the Palestinian territories and are 1,500 to 1,600 years old. The site is located in Area C, which is subject to full Israeli security and administrative control. Get our newsletter in your inbox twice a week. "It's a temporary suspension," he said. If Israel really annexed the West Bank in July, it would lead to a massive conflict with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan," he said. It holds a strategic position given its elevated location overlooking the Palestinian coast. Ariel sits on a 12,000-dunum (4.6 square miles) area and is inhabited by 20,000 settlers. Only England And Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters. US ambassador to Israel reiterates that controversial annexation plans have only been temporarily suspended, Archimandrite Abdullah Yulio, parish priest of the Melkite Greek Catholic church in Ramallah, joins other Palestinians as they gather to commemorate the second intifada and to protest against the Israeli normalisation deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank (AFP), Israel's West Bank annexation postponed for a year, not cancelled, says Friedman. Only England And Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters. The notice declared the appropriation of the Deir Samaan and Deir Qala sites and their restoration to serve the public, in reference to Israeli settlers, and using the sites as recreational areas and archaeological gardens for settlements. In practice, Israeli control of the West Bank means military administration of a territory full of Palestinians who aren’t exactly excited about living under Israeli authority. However, in an interview with Israel Hayom newspaper following the signing, Friedman predicted that the annexation would still take place. Everything you need to know about Israel-Palestine. © Middle East Eye 2020 - all rights reserved. The Israeli campaign to seize archaeological sites is ever-ongoing, reaching a peak July 20 when Israeli forces seized a baptismal relic from the town of Tuqu in the Bethlehem governorate; the antiquity which is 1,600 years old and weighs seven tons.