In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian man in Susiya. Israeli forces made Jiftlik a temporary military zone and seized an irrigation system, 2 bulldozers, 1 tractor, and 1 water tank. 21 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Bayt Umar, Hebron, al-Fawar refugee camp, Ramallah, Jericho, Nablus, and Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were arrested. The Israeli Jerusalem municipality ordered some 200 Palestinian-owned industrial buildings in Wadi al-Juz to be evicted and demolished. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions to level land. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/1; JP, WAFA 6/2; PCHR 6/4)
Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz said he had instructed the Israeli army’s chief of staff to accelerate the army’s preparations for “the upcoming diplomatic changes in the Palestinian area.” Defense Minister Gantz was referring to the potential fallout from Israel’s upcoming plans to annex parts of the West Bank. (HA, REU 6/1)
UAE’s minister of foreign affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted that “[c]ontinued Israeli talk of annexing Palestinian lands must stop. Any unilateral Israeli move will be a serious setback for the peace process, undermine Palestinian self determination & constitute a rejection of the international & Arab consensus towards stability & peace.” The tweet comes after the PA on 5/21 rejected COVID-19-related aid flown directly from the UAE to Tel Aviv. The direct flight was seen as another step toward normalizing ties between the UAE and Israel. (AJ, HA, REU 6/1)
U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a podcast that the U.S. government would make announcements this week “push[ing] back against what the ICC is up to.” The ICC is currently investigating possible war crimes committed by the U.S. in Afghanistan and by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories. (HA 6/2)
The World Bank warned that the Palestinian economy could shrink up to 11 percent in the coming year, citing COVID-19’s impact on the tourism industry and PA-enhanced spending on health. (HA 6/1)