Tel Aviv advances de facto annexation of occupied West Bank with massive settlement expansion

Israel’s genocidal finance minister holds significant authority over the West Bank Civil Administration, allowing him to expand illegal settlements freely

News Desk, The Cradle,

JUN 3, 2026

(Photo credit: Reuters)

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced a new and major illegal settlement project in the occupied West Bank on 3 June, which aims to see the construction of around 2,000 houses on Palestinian land. 

According to the minister, 1,006 housing units will be in a new settlement near the occupied holy city of Jerusalem.

Over 920 are planned near occupied Nablus and another 234 near the city of Hebron. “We are continuing to build the Land of Israel in practice,” Smotrich said. 

The settlements will “strengthen our hold on the land, reinforce Israel’s security, and establish clear facts on the ground that prevent the creation of an Arab terror state in the heart of the country.”

Smotrich holds significant authority over Israel’s Civil Administration in the occupied territory. 

In the summer of 2023, around six months after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government came to power, significant portions of the Civil ​Administration in the West Bank – an Israeli military body – were placed under Smotrich’s authority. 

This gave the minister free rein to swiftly expand illegal settlements. 

Smotrich’s announcement on Wednesday comes as Tel Aviv is also moving to seize private Palestinian land around an archeological site in the occupied West Bank.

The Civil Administration announced on 2 June that it has started to expropriate 320 dunams (about 80 acres) of land for the “preservation and development” of the Herodium – a massive fortress complex built between 23 and 15 BC. 

“[The expropriation] is being advanced in accordance with the law, following comprehensive professional assessments conducted by the Civil Administration’s Staff Officer for Archaeology and Staff Officer for Nature Reserves,” the administration said in a statement. 

“Their findings pointed to an urgent need to regulate the area and promote preservation efforts at the site in order to prevent damage to archaeological remains of unique historical and cultural significance,” it added. 

Since Netanyahu’s government took office in late 2022, Israeli authorities have accelerated plans for the de facto annexation of the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. 

In February, the Israeli government approved a land registration process allowing Israel to claim territory in the occupied West Bank as “state property” if Palestinians cannot prove ownership.

A few weeks later, dozens of new illegal settlements were approved.

Middle East Eye (MEE) released an investigation in May detailing the “New Nakba” that has escalated against the Palestinian communities of occupied East Jerusalem since 7 October 2023.

According to the investigation, 20,000 Palestinian-owned homes are currently under Israeli demolition orders across occupied East Jerusalem.

Israel is also moving forward with plans to steal large amounts of Palestinian-owned property near Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Tel Aviv is openly working to establish continuity between illegal settlements in order to solidify its control over the West Bank and the city of Jerusalem, and block any prospect of Palestinian statehood.

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Israel is building more military posts in Gaza, satellite imagery shows

 An investigation by Al Jazeera’s Open Source Unit has identified 40 distinct Israeli military outposts entrenched within Gaza.

 

Israeli soldiers occupy a military position overlooking the “Yellow Line” in the central Gaza Strip, May 26, 2026 [Ariel Schalit/AP Photo]

By Al Jazeera Staff

Published On 3 Jun 2026

Israel was supposed to fully withdraw its troops from Gaza as part of the ceasefire signed in October. Instead of pulling back, Israeli forces are quietly cementing permanent, heavily fortified military posts across the besieged enclave, according to satellite imagery analysed by Al Jazeera.

An investigation by Al Jazeera’s Open Source Unit, analysing satellite data up to May 2026, has identified 40 distinct Israeli military outposts entrenched within Gaza. Crucially, the analysis proves that eight of these bases were constructed entirely from scratch after the October 2025 truce went into effect, with one site still undergoing active construction.

(Al Jazeera)

This physical entrenchment mirrors the increasingly overt territorial ambitions of Israel’s leadership. Speaking at a recent conference, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed directives to permanently seize the vast majority of the Strip.

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Israeli forces have pulled back to the “Yellow Line”, which refers to the buffer and military zones comprising some 60 percent of the enclave’s territory.

“We are currently squeezing Hamas; we now control 60 percent of the territory,” Netanyahu stated, before addressing a crowd member who shouted for complete annexation: “Let’s go step by step. First of all, 70. Let’s start with that.”

Desecration and new constructions

The satellite analysis exposes a systematic effort to build a sustainable, long-term military infrastructure rather than temporary observation posts.

The newly established installations are strategically dispersed: Two in northern Gaza, two in the central region, one east of the Netzarim Corridor, and three in the southern city of Khan Younis.

In one of the most glaring examples of this spatial takeover, Israeli forces established a new military base directly atop the ruins of the Eastern Cemetery in Khan Younis.

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Satellite images show that engineering works on the bulldozed burial ground began in November 2025. By May 18, 2026, the site was fully equipped with vehicle staging areas and repetitive structures, likely used for troop housing and operational meetings.

A similar pattern of rapid militarisation is visible in northern Gaza. In Beit Lahiya, an area that appeared completely clear in October 2025 photos, satellite imagery captured the sudden onset of engineering works by mid-November.

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US is fighting Israel’s war

 Zahid Hussain, The Dawn, June 3, 2026

‘IT’S the tail that is wagging the dog’ aptly describes the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The reality is that America is fighting Israel’s war. The Zionist state not only acts as a spoiler but also effectively dictates the terms of war and peace in the region. A recent example of this is Israel’s military escalation in Lebanon, which has not only complicated diplomatic efforts to resolve the US-Iran conflict, but has also broadened the theatre of war.

Despite President Donald Trump’s claims of having halted the conflict, the war continues. Israeli forces have occupied a significant portion of Lebanon, and relentless bombings have devastated Beirut, effectively undermining the US-brokered ceasefire.

Incensed by Israel’s blatant violation of the ceasefire, Iran has suspended its back-channel negotiations with the US and warned that it could “completely block” the Strait of Hormuz, aggravating tensions. Tehran asserts that any peace talks are directly linked to a ceasefire in Lebanon and Israel’s withdrawal from the region. Additionally, Iran has threatened to strike Israel if the war in Lebanon is not halted. Hours later, Trump stated that he had urged Israel to cease its offensive; however, there are no signs of an end to the hostilities.

Last week, Israel captured the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle and its strategic ridge in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces used the castle, also known as Qalaat al-Shaqif, as a base during their two-decade occupation of southern Lebanon that ended in 2000.

Israel’s latest military escalation is not limited to Lebanon; it extends to Gaza.

It marks Israel’s deepest incursion into the country in 26 years, and there appears to be no end to its aggression, which has received Washington’s approval. The conflict with Iran has now effectively been extended to the Levant. Israel entered Lebanon under the pretext of combating Hezbollah, the pro-Iran group based in southern Lebanon. Last year, Israel killed nearly all of the group’s senior leaders, including its head.

While Israel claimed to have completely dismantled Hezbollah’s structure, recent retaliatory attacks by the group indicate that, despite these setbacks, it remains capable of fighting back. Additionally, Israel has incurred significant casualties from its invasion, with reports indicating that 26 soldiers have been killed thus far.

Hezbollah was formed in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which aimed to dismantle the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. The group quickly emerged as a powerful resistance movement and a dominant force in Lebanese politics. Its resistance efforts ultimately led to Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, ending Tel Aviv’s occupation of the southern region in 2000.

Although Hezbollah receives backing from Iran, it has maintained its political independence. The ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran has involved Hezbollah militarily against Israel. A ceasefire in April temporarily halted hostilities, but Israel’s recent aggression has effectively ended this truce. Despite suffering losses among its commanders in recent weeks, Hezbollah remains capable of fighting back without external assistance.

Israel has issued displacement orders and evacuation warnings for approximately 14 to 15 per cent of Lebanon’s territory. Additionally, Israeli forces continue to occupy specific strategic locations in southern Lebanon. As a result of the ongoing conflict, more than one million people have been displaced within the country, including over 300,000 children, further aggravating the humanitarian crisis.

Israel’s latest military escalation is not limited to Lebanon; it extends to Gaza. Israel has not complied with the ceasefire agreement reached last year, nor has it withdrawn its forces to the designated area in the occupied territory. The Israeli military continues to conduct strikes and seize territory despite a ceasefire with Hamas. More than 1,000 people have been killed in ongoing Israeli bombings after the truce.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Ne­­tanyahu ordered the military to extend its control to 70pc of the Gaza Strip. Under the cea­sefire agreement reached last October, after two years of intense conflict, Israel was left with control over 53pc of the enclave until the time an administration was established under the Board of Peace, with the approval of the Security Council.

Netanyahu recently boasted at a conference that Israel had expanded its grip on Gaza, stating, “We are now in 60pc of the territory”. He said: “My directive is to move to — take it step by step — first of all 70. Let’s start with that.” The audience called for him to take over 100pc of the territory. Many of Netanyahu’s right-wing supporters view the current situation in Gaza as ‘mission incomplete’ or ‘mission failure’. Their preference is for Israel to expand its area of control, even resume military action in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s remarks come at a time when Gaza’s rehabilitation plan has stalled; in fact, it never started. According to media reports, there are no funds available for the Board of Peace’s (BoP) executive board to initiate rebuilding efforts. It is estimated that around $70 billion is needed to rehabilitate the enclave, which has been devastated by Israel’s two-year military campaign. The project was supposed to take 10 years to complete, but Israel’s plan for military occupation makes Gaza’s restoration impossible.

Earlier this year, Trump formally launched the BoP at the World Economic Forum in Davos, describing it as one of the “most consequential” international organisations ever created. Mem­ber states pledged $7 billion for its Gaza “relief package”, and Trump promised an additional $10bn in US funding. However, so far, the fund established by the World Bank has received no contributions. Israel’s recent move to re-establish military control over the war-ravaged enclave has rendered the entire project redundant.

Trump expanded the BoP’s scope beyond the Security Council’s authority, which had limited its jurisdiction to Gaza. Only 25 countries have signed on, while others refused to be a part of the board, suspecting it was an attempt to undermine the UN.

The war in Iran has not only effectively derailed the so-called Gaza rehabilitation plan but has also exposed the BoP as a cover for America’s imperialistic agenda. A critical question now is whether America can extricate itself from this war, which it initiated at Israel’s behest and has since become entangled in.

The writer is an author and journalist.

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BBC probe reveals Iranian strikes heavily damaged at least 20 US military bases in West Asia

 Tehran’s precision strikes on US military sites caused tens of billions in damage

News Desk, The Cradle

JUN 1, 2026

(Photo credit: Eliza Gkritsi)

A BBC Verify investigation of satellite imagery and video analysis published on 1 June reveals that Iranian military strikes successfully damaged at least 20 US military sites across West Asia since the start of the US-Israeli war of aggression on the Islamic Republic.

Findings suggest that the scale and precision of Iranian retaliatory strikes had been significantly more extensive and accurate than US officials had previously acknowledged, with some independent analysts suggesting as many as 28 bases may have been affected.

The targeted facilities are spread across eight Gulf countries, namely Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain, and Oman. 

Material losses include three Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries, which cost approximately $1 billion each and are centerpieces of the regional defense network.

Expert analysis further identifies the destruction or damage of at least 42 aircraft, including F-35 fighter jets, MQ-9 Reaper drones, and a $700-million E-3 Sentry surveillance plane.

According to military analysts, Iran achieved these results by evolving its tactics from high-volume barrages to “smaller, more precisely targeted salvos” designed to concentrate fire on high-value infrastructure. 

This shift reportedly exploited a degree of “early-war complacency” within the US military, which failed to relocate aircraft even after facilities like Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia had already come under fire.

In a statement addressing the strikes, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei declared that West Asia is no longer a “safe place” for US bases. 

While the White House previously claimed Iran’s military capabilities were nearly eliminated, the Pentagon’s own estimates now place the cost of the war at $29 billion, much of which is dedicated to equipment repair and replacement of the heavily depleted weapons stocks.

Former military officials warn that the damaged defense systems cannot be “quickly or easily replaced,” adding that the heavy consumption of air defense interceptors during the conflict has left remaining US facilities across the Gulf increasingly vulnerable to future Iranian precision strikes. 

Although the US has attempted to limit public scrutiny by requesting restrictions on satellite imagery, the visible “smoking craters” and destroyed hangars shown in the BBC report tell a different story.
On Sunday night, Iran said it had launched strikes on a US air base in Kuwait in retaliation for US attacks on Iranian military targets over the weekend in violation of the ceasefire.

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Europe’s new strategy to hide the rot in Israeli society is to scapegoat Itamar Ben-Gvir

European governments are finally being forced to condemn Israel as its crimes have become impossible to ignore. But they are scapegoating National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir rather than confronting the system he represents.

By Qassam Muaddi, Mondoweiss, May 30, 2026

Gathering in support of Israel in front of theAC European Parliament in Brussels in the wake of the October 7 attacks, October 11, 2023. (Photo: European Parliament Flickr Account. Creative Commons License CC-BY-4.0: © European Union 2023 – Source: EP)

The brutal treatment of activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla for Gaza by Israeli forces during their detention in international waters last week triggered a wave of international condemnation, including from many European and other Western countries.

Italy, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Poland, and Greece summoned Israeli ambassadors or envoys to condemn the treatment of activists detained during the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla. The UK said it was “appalled” by the images of the activists’ detentions. These reactions, however, centered around one figure: Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who had posted a video of himself overseeing and encouraging the mistreatment of the activists.

The focus on Ben-Gvir was so singular that France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, included in his condemnation post on X a claim that other Israeli officials had rejected Ben-Gvir’s actions.

That much is true: across the Israeli political spectrum, Ben-Gvir became the convenient scapegoat to draw attention away from the entirety of Israeli politics, which differs very little from Ben-Gvir when it comes to the treatment of Palestinians. But the outrage in Israel wasn’t at the treatment itself, but rather the fact that Ben-Gvir revealed it to the world, causing an international embarrassment. The difference is that Ben-Gvir doesn’t care about the PR problem he’s created, while other Israeli officials do.

So do European politicians. That is why EU governments, in being forced to condemn Israeli conduct, have taken great pains to direct their opprobrium at a specific part of the Israeli system, rather than the system itself. They have repeatedly deployed this tactic in recent weeks, which appears to have become a common doctrine for responding to Israeli violations when they become impossible to ignore.

Two weeks ago, the European Union greenlit the sanctioning of Israeli groups and individuals implicated in settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. The decision, which followed years of failed attempts, sanctioned only five groups and four individuals, despite the fact that the settler movement in the West Bank, including its most violent factions, is part of official state policy, openly sponsored by ministers with public budgets.

Another example is when several European countries issued a joint statement last week condemning the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The statement, signed by France, the UK, Italy, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and the Netherlands, characterized settlement expansion as “illegal” and called on Israel to halt it. It then added that the signatories “opposed” those who call for the annexation of the West Bank, including members of the Israeli government. The statement stressed the signatories’ commitment to the two-state solution.

The statement made no mention of the fact that in the past two years, the Israeli Knesset passed two bills with an overwhelming majority, one in 2024 rejecting a Palestinian state, and one in 2025 allowing the government to annex the West Bank.

A new-old pattern

This increasingly repeated pattern of individualizing Israeli policies when condemning them contrasts with the older pattern of either ignoring Israeli practices or outright justifying them as “self-defense.” But is this a new paradigm in Western politics, and will it lead to a larger change of policy toward Israel?

According to Roula Shadid, co-director of the Palestinian Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD), “part of the change in Western discourse towards Israel is the global mobilization in solidarity with Palestinians since October 2023.” Shadid points to a gap between the official discourse of Western governments and the awareness expressed by solidarity movements, noting that “when we talk with diplomats and political actors, they admit that Israeli policies are more structural than they admit publicly, but they have political reasons to maintain their criticism of Israel under a certain ceiling.”

For Shadid, the fragmenting of Israeli policies, pinning them on individual ministers or settler actors, is a reflection of how Israel has fragmented Palestinian reality on the ground. “Israel has imposed a different set of conditions for Palestinians in Gaza from those in Jerusalem or in the West Bank, and Palestinian leadership is also fragmented, which makes room for Western actors to treat different issues separately,” Shadid told Mondoweiss, adding that this forecloses any treatment of Israeli policies as one coherent whole.

In Europe, particularly, governments have for many years invested in the political paradigm created by the Middle East peace process, according to Shadid. “Countries invested politically and financially in the two-state solution project, which in essence is the administration of occupation, and this makes them insist on clinging to the narrative that there is a peace process underway that needs to be saved from a few extremists,” she explained.

Shadid considers that limited condemnations of parts of the Israeli system give Western countries “the ability to continue business as usual with Israel, while containing the increasing demands and legal obligations to dissociate from violations of Palestinian rights.” She also thinks this policy is short-lived.

“Western governments might hope this moment passes, and then recycle their image and go back to business as usual,” she said. “There will be obstacles, because Israel will increase its aggression, its regional wars will continue to expose its colonial project further, and awareness will continue to rise globally about this reality, and so will pressure coming from citizens.”

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Israeli prison guards ‘gang raped, tortured’ dozens of Palestinian detainees, UN probe finds

Violations by Israeli guards consisted of rape, including with objects, gang rape, shooting genitals, touching breasts and genitals, strip and cavity searches, and forced nudity

News Desk, The Cradle,

MAY 29, 2026

(Photo credit: WAFA)

The UN has documented dozens of cases of torture, rape, and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees by Israeli prison guards and interrogators, Haaretz reported on 29 May, citing a new report issued by the office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“Violations consisted of rape, including with objects, gang rape, attempted rape, physical violence to the genitals, instances of targeted shooting of the genitals, touching of breasts and genitals, strip and cavity searches conducted without apparent security justification, forced nudity and threats of rape,” the report said.

The UN identified 31 victims from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including 14 men, seven women, nine children, and one girl.

According to the report viewed by Haaretz and other western media outlets, Israeli prison personnel subjected nine victims to rape and gang rape, in some cases repeatedly.

In most cases, the torture and sexual violence were carried out during the interrogation of Palestinians at military camps and detention centers, such as the Sde Teiman base and the Etzion detention center, as well as in Israeli prisons, including Megiddo, Ofer, Ramla, HaSharon, Shatta, Nafha, and Damon, and the Gush Etzion police station.

At other times, Israeli security forces tortured Palestinians at checkpoints and during military operations in the occupied West Bank.

The report says that some instances of abuse were filmed or photographed by the Israeli perpetrators, including when one victim was raped.

Female detainees were subjected to threats of rape, forced nudity, unwanted physical contact, and humiliating strip searches carried out without apparent security justification.

Men and boys were subjected to rape or attempted rape, including five male victims who suffered “severe rectal bleeding or swelling for multiple days or weeks and, in some cases, without receiving medical treatment.”

Secretary-General Guterres urged the Israeli government to “immediately cease all acts of sexual violence” and implement reforms to prevent abuse moving forward.  

Israel has claimed – without evidence – that members of Hamas participating in the 7 October 2023 attack on Israeli military bases and settlements carried out mass rapes against Israeli women. However, the new UN report said it had not received information from Israel on any indictments involving sexual violence against Palestinians detained over their alleged role in the attack.

Meanwhile, an hour-long documentary aired on Israeli television this week, revealing that Israelis living in the Gush Etzion settlement south of Jerusalem admitted their Jewish religious leaders have for decades gang-raped local children and filmed the acts to create child pornography.

The television report, “No longer in denial: Gush Etzion admits to ritual abuse,” revealed that the rapes were carried out as part of a religious ritual.

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𝐈𝐫𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐈𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬

Iran International, May 29, 2026, 13:41 GMT+1

Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran gains concessions through military pressure rather than dialogue, casting negotiations with Washington as a way to make the United States accept realities created on the battlefield.

“We take concessions not through talks, but with missiles; in negotiations, we only make them understand this,” Ghalibaf said on X.

Ghalibaf, who is also parliament speaker, said Tehran would not rely on guarantees or verbal commitments in any possible agreement with Washington.

“We have no trust in guarantees or words; only actions are the measure,” he said. “No action will be taken before the other side acts.”

He also linked any agreement to future military readiness, saying the side that prepares better after a deal would ultimately benefit most.

“The winner of any agreement is the one who prepares better for war from the day after,” Ghalibaf said.

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