In Geopolitics Today: Tuesday, November 22nd
Israel to Legalize More Settlements in the West Bank, Kosovo and Serbia Fail to Resolve Dispute in EU-Mediated Talks, and other stories.
Israel to Legalize More Settlements in the West Bank
According to Israeli media reports, the incoming coalition government in the Israeli Knesset has agreed to legalise Israeli outposts in the West Bank within the first 60 days of a government being sworn in.
While Israeli settlements are larger in scale, they are supported by the Israeli government Israel’s laws. The much smaller outposts in question are small communities of Jewish settlers built on land taken from Palestinians in the West Bank, and they do not receive legal protections from the Israeli government. There are reportedly about 50 such outposts in the West Bank and it is unclear if the decision was taken to legalise all of them.
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Franco-German Alignment a Key to the EU’s Future
The war in Ukraine has turned Europe’s most powerful countries against each other like hardly ever before. Differences of long-term strategic interests have emerged between Germany and France, requiring a significant step forward in aligning the industrial policies of both powers.
The German and French economy ministers recently emphasized that industrial policy should in the future be pushed at a European level to allow EU companies to remain competitive amid soaring inflation. Both leaders called for an EU industrial policy that enables European companies to “thrive in the global competition,” especially through technological innovation.
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Iran And Russia Sign Drone Production Deal
Iran and Russia have reportedly reached an agreement to produce Iranian drones inside Russia. If confirmed, the two countries would be moving to transfer designs and key components necessary for Russia to begin production in the coming months.
Iranian drones and loitering munitions have seen use by Russian forces, primarily in conducting a series of attacks against energy infrastructure. Setting up its own assembly line for Iranian drones promises to help Russia increase its stocks of these inexpensive and effective weapons systems. If a large-scale deal is fully realized, the agreement would represent a milestone in deepening Russia-Iran ties, and could prompt additional economic, military and technologic cooperation between Moscow and Tehran.
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Colombia Begins Peace Talks with National Liberation Army Rebels
The Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) have launched peace talks aimed at ending nearly 60 years of conflict. The push for the talks came after Colombia’s new President, Gustavo Petro, came to power, and talks have been realised with the help of improving ties between Colombia and Venezuela.
The delegates gathered in Venezuela to restart a dialogue based on a willingness from both sides to “build peace based on a democracy with justice,” the representatives from said in a joint declaration. The first round will last 20 days, with diplomats from Venezuela, Cuba and Norway assisting throughout the negotiating process, while representatives from Chile and Spain will serve as international observes.
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Kosovo and Serbia Fail to Resolve Dispute in EU-Mediated Talks
Talks in Brussels between Serbian and Kosovar leaders have failed to yield a solution to the dispute over phasing out of Serbian-issued license plates in Kosovo. Kosovo authorities are expected to start issuing 150 euro fines to drivers who do not comply with a new rule requiring old Serbian license plates be replaced with new ones issued by the Kosovar government.
The two leaders’ failure to agree on a temporary solution to postpone the implementation of Kosovo’s new license plate laws may trigger social unrest and possibly violence in north Kosovo, potentially to destabilizing the volatile security situation in the Western Balkans. The European Union has increased diplomatic efforts to ease tensions and find a solution to the crisis by pushing Pristina to delay the implementation of the rules while supporting negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia.