WEEKLY UPDATE - 10.24.2025

The ceasefire holds as Israeli far-right pushes for West Bank annexation

Concerns over the durability of the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas prompted a series of high-profile visits from US officials this week. Vice-President JD Vance is the latest of many US officials to visit Jerusalem this week that included both Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off criticism that he was being babysat by US officials saying that Israel is “not a US protectorate.” The visits come after series of Israeli strikes in Gaza and Hamas efforts to reassert its control of the enclave threatened to unravel the ceasefire and far-right Israeli politicians pushed forward legislation to annex the West Bank.

On Wednesday, Israeli Parliament advanced a preliminary bill calling for the annexation of 82 percent of the West Bank. The bill narrowly passed by a vote of 25-24, in which most of the Netanyahu government abstained from voting. However, two far-right ministers in Netanyahu’s coalition, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, both voted in favor of the bill. While most of Netanyahu’ Likud party abstained from voting, Yuli Edelstein defied Netanyahu and cast the deciding vote in favor of the motion.

US officials and regional powers criticized the legislation. Vice-President Vance called it a “stupid political stunt” and added that he took insult with the measure. Marco Rubio called the move “counter-productive”. In an interview with Time Magazine, President Trump said that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank and adding that if it were to do so it would lose “all support.” Netanyahu criticized the move and blamed the opposition for attempting to sow discord between the Israeli and US governments. His statements did not acknowledge the support for the measure within his coalition and party.

Around the Region

• North Africa:

  • Tunisian protesters in the city of Gabes began a general strike on Tuesday demanding the closure of a state chemical plant claiming it is harming local residents health. Backed the UGTT, Tunisia’s largest trade union, city residents closed shops, markets, and schools escalating their calls to shutdown the state-owned factory. Residents have called for the factory’s closure for years and in 2017 the government agreed to close the factory. However the state has continued operate the factory over the years.

  • At least 40 migrants attempting to reach Europe died when their boat sank off the coast of the Tunisian coastal city of Mahdia. All those who died were from Subsaharan Africa.

• The Gulf:

  • Iraq’s PM Muhammad Shia al-Sudani said on Monday that a small group of US military advisors will remain in Iraq to help coordinate with US troops in Syria against ISIS. Over the past year, ISIS has increased its activity in eastern Syria and benefited from the precarious political situation there.

  • The Saudi royal decree appointed Sheikh Faleh bin Fawzan bin Abdullah al-Fawzan as the new Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia following the death of the previous Grand Mufti last month. The 90 year-old Fawzan previously served on the Kingdom’s Council of Senior Scholars and was mentored by Ibn Baz, a previous Saudi Grand Mufti, who died in 1999.

  • The UN reported that the Houthi militant group allowed 12 UN employees to leave Yemen on Wednesday. The report comes after the Houthis had detained the workers accusing them of spying on behalf of hostile forces.

• The Levant:

  • The Syrian government announced that it had arrested Major General Akram Salloum al-Abdullah, a former military officer accused of carrying executions at the notorious Sednaya prison. According to Syrian human rights activists, Abdullah is the highest ranking former official arrested for their role at the prison. According to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights more than 200,000 people died at Sednaya during the war.

  • On Tuesday, the UK removed its terrorist designation from the Syrian militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which helped topple the Assad regime last December. The move signals the UK will deepen its cooperation with the new Syrian government. The UK government said that it will work with Syria to dismantle the country’s chemical weapons program.

  • Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on Lebanon on Thursday killing four. According to Israel, the IDF targeted a Hezbollah training camp near the eastern border with Syria. The IDF has continued to carry out near daily strikes since reaching a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon last year.

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