Itamar Ben-Gvir Unveils Settlement Expansion Plans, Targets Gaza and West Bank Displacement Policies

Itamar Ben-Gvir announced controversial plans for new settlement expansion in occupied territories and alleged displacement policies targeting Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, while also referring to potential settlement activity in Lebanon during a public event in Jerusalem marking the anniversary of Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem.

The Daily Times said Ben-Gvir stated that the government supports policies encouraging migration from Gaza and the West Bank and backs settlement expansion in Lebanon, and it said he declared that Israel would act firmly against individuals it considers attackers.

Al-Jarida Asharq

The Daily Times also described the situation in Gaza as highly volatile, saying there were continued violations of ceasefire arrangements that began in October 2025 and that hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured during ongoing military operations.

In the same reporting, the Daily Times said tensions remained high in Lebanon, where ceasefire agreements have also been repeatedly violated, leading to thousands of reported casualties since March 2025.

The Daily Times further said Ben-Gvir highlighted strict measures imposed on Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, including limitations on food, education and communication facilities, and referenced legislation passed in March allowing the death penalty for certain prisoners.

Saudi Arabia condemned what it called “repeated provocative practices” by Israeli authorities at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, accusing Israeli officials of entering the mosque courtyards under police protection and raising an Israeli flag inside the compound.

The Madhyamam report said the remarks followed visits to the compound this week by far-right Israeli ministers, and it said on Thursday Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa courtyards as thousands of Jewish nationalists marched through the Old City for Jerusalem Day.

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Madhyamam quoted Saudi Arabia urging the international community to halt practices that breach international law and to hold Israeli authorities accountable for what it called ongoing violations against Islamic holy sites and civilians in the State of Palestine.

In a separate account, Asharq Al-Awsat English said Saudi Arabia urged the international community “to put an end to such practices that violate international laws and norms, and to hold the Israeli occupation authorities accountable” for serious and ongoing violations against Islamic holy sites and innocent civilians in the State of Palestine.

Asharq Al-Awsat English also said the latest incident involved an Israeli official storming the Mosque under police protection and another official raising the Israeli flag in the Mosque compound.

A communique from a meeting highlighted the Palestinian people’s resilience and institutions in defending Jerusalem (Al-Quds) and its holy sites, and it called for Israel to end its practices of escalation and aggression in all occupied Palestinian territories and to lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.

“Saudi Arabia has condemned “repeated provocative practices” by Israeli officials at Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem”

Asharq Al-Awsat English

Le360 said the communique stressed the need to end measures that undermine security and peace and jeopardize the two-state solution, while warning against the consequences of the persistent absence of political horizons and against economic pressure on the Palestinian people and the Palestinian National Authority.

Le360 also said participants rejected illegal Israeli practices aimed at altering the legal and historical status of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque and condemned these practices as a flagrant violation of international law and of Israel’s responsibility as an occupying power.

The communique set out that the Al-Aqsa Mosque, with an area of 144 dunams, is a place of worship reserved for Muslims and that visits by non-Muslims are organized by the Department of Islamic Waqfs under the Jordanian Ministry of Waqfs and Holy Places.

Le360 said the committee includes Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the State of Palestine, Qatar, Egypt, Tunisia (as President of the Arab Summit), and Algeria, and it added that the United Arab Emirates and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States will also participate, with the meeting described as the fourth of the committee formed by the Arab League's Ministerial Council last year.