FinPol Digest

 Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel, is important for Muslims, Jews, and Christians. The legal status of Al-Aqsa is an important flashpoint in the Israel-Palestine conflict.  The status quo of the site was formulated by Moshe Dayan, a former Israeli defense minister, in 1967. According to Israel’s 1967 status quo, Muslims are only allowed to pray at the Mosque. Non-muslims can visit the site as tourists. Reportedly, the status quo is not supported by any Israeli law. Israeli law does not prohibit Jews from praying at Al-Aqsa.  In 2015, a four-way agreement between Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and the United States (US) was established to reaffirm the 1967 status quo of the site. However, since 2017, Jews have been allowed to pray in the compound of the Mosque. According to experts, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Minister of National Security of Israel, is pressuring the Israeli government to change the status quo of the site. Israeli police have started allo...

  Israeli occupation authorities yesterday banned 12 and 13-year-old Palestinian boys from Jerusalem's Old City for ten days, Safa news agency reported. The two boys, who were identified as Izzidin Jamjoum and his cousin Anas Jamjoum, were first detained over claims that they had played with the Hanukkah menorah. Later, Izzidin's mother was summoned to the Israeli detention center in the Old City and was told that the two boys will be released on condition that they are banned from the Old City for ten days. Safa reported local sources saying that the two boys were detained as they exited Al-Aqsa Mosque. They were taken to an Israeli interrogation center and remained in custody for three hours.

Israel's defense minister held talks with the Palestinian president in the first high-level meeting between the two sides in years. The meeting between Benny Gantz and Mahmoud Abbas signaled a possible shift of direction after the complete breakdown of communication between Abbas and Israeli leaders in recent years. This communication gap came primarily under the leadership of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Backed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, Netanyahu pursued a hard-line policy toward the Palestinians. During their actions, he approved pro-Israeli policies such as moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to contested Jerusalem. Abbas halted most contacts with the U.S. and Israel during those years after seeing the cold in communication. A White House issued a statement saying Biden reiterated to Bennett his support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and underscored the importance of steps to improve the lives of Palestinians. ...

Here’s something intriguing that I want to share with what I read today. It is very nearly three years prior, at that point, US President Donald Trump made the illicit and one-sided stride of perceiving Jerusalem as Israel's assembled capital. Thusly, he and his top assistants said the US had taken Jerusalem off the arranging table. In the expressions of Trump that they don't need to discuss it any longer. But the occasions of the previous few days have underlined one clear and unquestionable certainty: Jerusalem stays at the center of the Palestinian inquiry and, likewise, the Arab-Israeli clash.  Along with this, The troubled Netanyahu has attempted to push for a significant assault to Judaize East Jerusalem in a bid to conciliate the pilgrims, however, worldwide popular assessment has betrayed Israel. In any case, that isn't sufficient; just one gathering can step in and stop this risky and unreliable misfortune, and that is the Biden organization. Neglecting to do so wi...

  Monday, November 16, 2020. EU High Representative JosepBorrell warned that planned housing projects by Isreal in the southern city of Jerusalem al-Quds could hinder the future formation of a Palestinian state. He described the construction in Jerusalem's suburbs as 'illegal' and said he was 'concerned' about Israeli plans to build more homes in the area. In many countries in the world, especially in Europe, oppose the violence and illegal settlement of  Israel  against  the Palestinian people  and their land, and call for it to be stopped and prevented. The EU has always repeated any support restoring "meaningful process" towards resolving the dispute between the two sides. Israel's construction project in the Palestinian territories further undermine hopes for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The international community has tried to bring the two sides closer,  but Israel has been illegally occupying the West Bank. Since...