Israel, PA discuss security ties, suspension of settlement announcements

Israeli and Palestinian officials discussed the resumption of security coordination and the brief suspension of West Bank settlement announcements during a rare meeting Jordan’s King Abdullah hosted in Aqaba on Sunday.

The rare summit took place — with Egyptian and United States participation — as officials from the five governments pushed to halt the escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence and to prevent an even sharper outbreak during the month of Ramadan that begins on March 22.

The Palestinian shooting attack in the West Bank that claimed the lives of two brothers during the summit underscored the urgent need to restore calm.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich immediately dismissed the results of the summit as meaningless.

“I have no idea what they talked about or didn’t talk about in Jordan,” Smotrich tweeted.

“I heard about this superfluous conference from the media just like you. But one thing I do know: there will not be a freeze in the construction and development of settlements, not even for one day (this, on my authority).

“The IDF will continue to counter terrorism in all areas of Judea and Samaria without any limitation (we will confirm this with the cabinet). It’s very simple,” he said.

What is at issue for Israel?

At issue for Israel has been the Palestinian Authority’s failure to crack down on Palestinian terror cells, while the PA wants the IDF to halt its military raids into its cities to route out terror cells. The PA had halted security coordination with Israel in January to protest such raids.

At the Aqaba summit, officials agreed to establish a joint security committee to examine renewing the security coordination between Israel and the PA, as well as PA willingness and ability to bear responsibility for the fight against terrorism in Areas A and B of the West Bank, a high Israeli official said after the meeting.

A second joint committee will be established to promote confidence-building economic measures to benefit the Palestinians, the official explained.

What is at issue for the Palestinians?

Among the central issues for the Palestinians has been, Israel’s continued settlement activity. Israel’s security cabinet approved the transformation of ten West Bank settler outposts into nine new settlements earlier this month. Last week the Higher Planning Council for Judea and Samaria advanced plans for 7,000 new settler homes out of an anticipated package of 9,500 units that the council is expected to advance.

Israel had announced the plans in response to the terror attacks this year that occurred prior to Sunday, which had already claimed 11 lives.

According to the official, “there will be no change” in the decision to authorize nine settlements and to build 9,500 new housing units in Judea and Samaria.

Prior to the meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised the Biden administration that he would not authorize any additional settlements for six months. A senior Israeli official clarified after the Aqaba summit that “no additional decisions regarding the settlements are expected in the coming months” in a statement that appeared to reference also any additional authorizations or advancement of plans beyond the 9,400 homes.

A second summit of the officials from the five governments is expected to take place in Egypt in the coming weeks, prior to the start of Ramadan.

Israel was represented at the meeting by National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Ronen Bar, the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories Maj.-Gen. Ghasan Alyan and Foreign Minister Director-General Ronen Levy.

The PA was represented by PLO Executive Committee Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh, General Intelligence Service head Majed Faraj and Majdi al-Khaldi, a senior adviser to PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk was present on behalf of the United States.