Israel makes rare concessions

> Goodwill gestures to Palestinians came at Trump’s request

TEL AVIV: Israel on Sunday authorised a few economic concessions to the Palestinians requested by Donald Trump, hours before the US president begins a visit in which he hopes to revive peace talks frozen since 2014.

As well as the concessions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet – a forum of senior ministers – voted to establish a committee to examine legalising outposts built without formal approval in the occupied West Bank.

“The security cabinet has approved economic measures that will ease daily civilian life in the Palestinian Authority after (Trump) who arrives tomorrow, asked to see some confidence building steps,” the cabinet statement said.

“These are concessions ahead of Trump’s visit that do not harm Israel’s interests,” an Israeli diplomatic source said.

The concessions include the building of two industrial zones at Jalameh in the northern West Bank and Tarqumiyeh in the south and would keep the Allenby Bridge crossing that connects the West Bank and Jordan open 24 hours a day.

It said it would also ease restrictions on Palestinian construction in areas where it retains overall control at places that abut Palestinian urban areas.

Among the main bones of contention between Israelis and Palestinians are Netanyahu’s insistence that the Palestinians recognise Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people and the Palestinians calling for a halt to Israeli settlement building in the West Bank.

The committee to examine legalising Israeli outposts would work for three years, although its exact mandate was still to be defined, the statement said.

Over decades, settlers have built scores of hilltop outposts without receiving government approval.

Most countries consider all Israeli settlements to be illegal.

Israel disagrees, citing historical and political links to the land – which the Palestinians also assert – as well as security interests.

The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, which Israeli forces and settlers left in 2005, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Trump began his first international trip since taking office in January with a visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday. – Reuters