Today's News: Israel Plans Assault on Gaza City While Approving New Settlements in the West Bank
The West Bank decision, which reverses a two-decade freeze due to international pressure, is widely condemned as a severe blow to the viability of a future contiguous Palestinian state.
Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg (AP)
This issue takes a slightly different approach, with separate coverage of the stories involving Israeli moves in Gaza and the West Bank.
Israel’s Planned Assault on Gaza City Meets Diplomatic and Domestic Challenges
Israel Approves Settlement Project, Bisecting the West Bank and Isolating East Jerusalem
Israel’s Planned Assault on Gaza City Meets Diplomatic and Domestic Challenges
Date: August 20, 2025
Summary: Israel has initiated the preliminary stages of a major military offensive to take over Gaza City, a move that defies international condemnation and complicates ongoing ceasefire negotiations. This decision comes amidst a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, growing international pressure for a ceasefire, and significant internal challenges for Israel.
Sources
The New York Times - With Moves on West Bank and Gaza City, Israel Defies Global Outcry
CNN - As Israel begins offensive on Gaza City, an exhausted military may face a manpower problem
NBC News - Israel enters first stage of planned assault on Gaza City
The Washington Post - State Dept. fires official after internal debates over Israel
The Washington Post - Under growing Arab pressure, Hamas signals new willingness to compromise
BBC - Israeli military says first stages of assault on Gaza City have begun
Key Points
The Israeli military has begun “preliminary actions” and entered the “first stages” of a planned ground offensive to capture and occupy Gaza City, with troops already on the city’s outskirts.
This operation involves calling up approximately 60,000 new reservists and extending the service of another 20,000.
The offensive is proceeding despite a new ceasefire proposal, which Hamas has accepted, and growing international condemnation, with concerns from France, the United Nations, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) about a potential humanitarian disaster and risk to hostages.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the military to shorten the timeline for seizing control of Gaza City, which he considers one of the last Hamas strongholds.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire, with widespread hunger, displacement, and a need for increased aid, as civilians are being urged to move south from Gaza City.
The Israeli government faces internal pressure, including protests demanding an end to the war and the return of hostages, and military leaders expressing concerns about troop attrition and burnout.
Unique Highlights
CNN highlights internal Israeli military concerns, including IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir’s dismissed warnings about attrition and burnout.
NBC News includes U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee’s statement on President Donald Trump’s full support for Israel’s efforts to disarm Hamas and his view that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state would be “counterproductive.” It also references satellite imagery, suggesting people are already fleeing Gaza City ahead of the advance.
The Washington Post reveals an internal U.S. State Department dispute leading to the firing of a press officer (Shahed Ghoreishi) over language perceived as not sufficiently pro-Israel. It also details conflicts over referring to the West Bank as “Judea and Samaria” and discussions about relocating Palestinians to South Sudan.
The Washington Post also reports on Arab countries publicly favoring the disarmament of Hamas for the first time, and how other Palestinian factions met with Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya to urge acceptance of a deal.
BBC specifically names the Zeitoun and Jabalia areas as places where Israeli troops are already operating to lay groundwork for the offensive and quotes Mahmoud Bassal of the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency on the “very dangerous and unbearable” situation in those neighborhoods.
Contrasting Details
U.S. Stance on Displacement and Policy Language: NBC News features U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee supporting Israel’s actions and efforts to disarm Hamas. In contrast, The Washington Post details internal State Department disputes and the firing of an official over language that aimed to align with previous U.S. statements against forced displacement of Palestinians, indicating a tension within the U.S. government regarding public messaging on Israel.
Israel Approves Settlement Project, Bisecting the West Bank and Isolating East Jerusalem
Date: August 20, 2025
Summary: Israel has given final approval to the controversial E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, involving the construction of approximately 3,400 new housing units. This decision, which reverses a two-decade freeze due to international pressure, is widely condemned as a severe blow to the viability of a future contiguous Palestinian state, effectively bisecting the West Bank and isolating East Jerusalem.
Sources
The New York Times - Israel Approves Settlements, a Blow to Faded Hopes for a Palestinian State
BBC - Israel approves controversial West Bank settlement project
EL PAÍS - Israel gives green light to the massive settlement project that fractures the West Bank
Key Points
All articles confirm Israel’s final approval of the E1 settlement project, which involves building approximately 3,400 new housing units in the occupied West Bank.
The project is consistently described as a major blow to the prospects of a viable and contiguous Palestinian state, as it would effectively bisect the West Bank and hem in Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.
The E1 plan had been delayed for around two decades due to intense international opposition, particularly from previous U.S. administrations, indicating a significant policy shift by the current Israeli government.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key figure in the ruling coalition, openly advocates for the project as a means to “erase” or “eliminate the illusion” of a Palestinian state, stating that each new housing unit is “another nail in the coffin” of this idea.
The stance of the current U.S. administration, as articulated by its Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, is notably less critical than that of previous administrations, indicating that the decision is “for the government of Israel to make.”
Unique Highlights
BBC explicitly references an “advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice last year” (July 2024) which stated Israel’s “continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful,” and notes Prime Minister Netanyahu’s dismissal of this as a “decision of lies.”
EL PAÍS provides a timeline for construction, stating that Israeli authorities “expect to start the works in a few months, building the first houses in 2026.” It also highlights that a hearing for final objections on August 6 “was carried out without the participation of the anti-occupation groups nor the lawyers that represent the residents and the Palestinian communities.” The article extensively quotes Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli lawyer and founder of Terrestrial Jerusalem, who describes the E1 approval as the “agreement of the final judgment” and calls for “painful consequences” from the international community.
EL PAÍS is also the only source to explicitly state that “local and international groups have defined the reality on the ground as an apartheid regime that privileges Israeli Jews and oppresses Palestinians.”
Contrasting Details
US Stance on International Law: The BBC quotes U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee stating that Israeli settlements are “As a general rule, it is not a violation of international law.” In contrast, The New York Times quotes Huckabee as saying the decision is “for the government of Israel to make” and that they “would not try to evaluate the good or the bad of that,” without explicitly commenting on the legality. All other sources (The New York Times, EL PAÍS, and the BBC itself, via quotes from international bodies and countries) state that settlements are generally considered illegal under international law.
The Newsie Project uses AI to summarize, compare, and contrast the reporting of the major US and world online news sources.
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