Not just supplies

Israel has a weapons wish list for the US government

Israel's Defense Minister Joav Galant is to come to Washington next week with a long wish list of US weapons. According to a report, it is not just about supplies, but also long-term requirements such as additional F-35 and F-15 fighter jets.

The media report referred to two Israeli and US officials. According to them, Israel wants to receive fighter jets and other weapons systems from the USA more quickly. Defense Minister Joav Galant has already spoken to his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on the phone. Galant had recently committed himself in a letter to the US government to only use US weapons in accordance with international law.

The USA is Israel's most important ally. However, as more and more civilians are dying and famine is threatening parts of the embattled Gaza Strip, the USA is now stepping up its pressure on Israel. On Friday, the UN Security Council will vote on a resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza war.

Jewish settlement in the West Bank(Bild: APA/AFP/AHMAD GHARABLI)

800 hectares of land confiscated
Meanwhile, Israel's government has announced that it has confiscated 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank. The area in the Jordan Valley has been declared "state territory", said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. This is said to be the largest confiscation of Palestinian territory since 1993.

"This is another dramatic and important step for the settlements in the Jordan Valley, Judea and Samaria," said Smotrich. He himself lives in a settlement in the West Bank and is also responsible for civil affairs in the West Bank in the right-wing religious government.

Israel's military took control of and occupied the West Bank in 1967 during the Six-Day War. Despite international criticism, dozens of settlements have been built in the Palestinian territory in recent decades, which the UN classifies as illegal under international law. Around three million Palestinians and more than 490,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank.