crossings

The island has been split since 1974, when Turkiye invaded and seized the northern part after a coup by the Greeks.

Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders have agreed ⁠to open two ⁠new border crossings, coordinate emergency responses, and share archival materials as part of a United Nations-backed effort to resume ⁠peace talks on the divided island.

Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman jointly met with United Nations special envoy Maria Angela Holguin on Monday in the UN-controlled buffer zone that splits the island. The agreement is the first concrete sign of detente between the rivals after nearly a decade of deadlock.

The UN said in a statement that Monday’s meeting was “positive” and that the two leaders would talk again in the coming weeks in the presence of outgoing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“We are continuing this effort with absolute seriousness and one single goal: resuming the talks before the ‌end ‌of the secretary-general’s term,” at the end of the year, Christodoulides told reporters after the meeting.

Guterres began a new drive to try to resolve the more than five-decade-old conflict in the summer, suggesting new crossings could build trust and confidence. However, the two sides have since been disagreeing ‌over the ground rules for talks.

The move would bring the number of open crossings on the divided Mediterranean island to 11, according ⁠to media in Cyprus.

Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkiye invaded and seized the northern part in response to a coup instigated by the then-military government in Greece.

A previous power-sharing administration of Greek and Turkish Cypriots had fallen apart in 1963, and a UN Peacekeeping Force has monitored a 180km (112-mile) ceasefire line which splits the two sides since.

Only Turkiye recognises the northern part of the island as an independent republic. Ankara maintains more than 35,000 troops on Cyprus.

Decades of talks have repeatedly failed to reunify Cyprus, with the last official round collapsing in 2017. Greek Cypriots are against Ankara having any hands-on involvement; Turkish Cypriots say it is essential.

Last year, the north elected its first pro-unification leader since 2020, generating renewed hope.

Israel says it will close all land crossings with the occupied West Bank when it holds a general election on Tuesday.

Israel has said it will close all land crossings with the occupied West Bank on the day of its general election next week.

The Israeli army said in a statement early on Sunday that it would bar Palestinian workers from entering most areas of the West Bank from Sunday through Monday, and a full closure of crossings into and out of the territory will be enforced on Tuesday, the day of the Israeli vote.

The announcement comes a day after Israeli army imposed a lockdown in Hebron and displaced thousands of Palestinians from their homes.

It has conducted hundreds of raids since Friday’s attack by two Palestinian gunmen on an Israeli army reserve base, which killed two Israeli soldiers. The two Palestinians were also killed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a “full lockdown” of the occupied West Bank following the attack, while Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that “about 2,000” people had been displaced.

“They will not be allowed to return to their neighbourhood until we’ve finished dealing with all the Hamas issues in Hebron,” Katz said in an interview with public broadcaster Kan.

‘Complete blockade’

Hebron’s Mayor Yousef al-Ja’bari told Al Jazeera that the city of Hebron and several neighbouring villages were under a complete blockade.

He also said on Saturday that 2,200 people had been forced from their homes by Israeli troops and raids.

The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, has called for international pressure on Israel to protect Hebron’s residents, who said soldiers announced forced evacuation orders over loudspeakers late at night, leaving them with no time to prepare and few places to go.

The PA called Israel’s actions “collective punishment”, citing the demolition of homes, forced displacement of entire neighbourhoods, and the “closure and siege of Palestinian cities”.

About 200,000 Palestinians live in the city of Hebron, and a further 600,000 in Hebron governorate, making it the West Bank’s most populous area.

The Israeli military has said the operation will last several days.

But Netanyahu suggested bigger action was coming, saying he was planning an operation on a scale not seen since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving prime minister, is facing a tight race for a new term in Tuesday’s vote, and analysts say he is trying to capitalise on ongoing regional military conflicts and national security fears to anchor his re-election campaign.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said about 2,000 residents had been displaced by the operation, which has led to at least one whole street appearing to have been flattened, according to footage shared online.

Even before the entry and exit bans on workers were announced by the IDF on Sunday, the military had cordoned off the city, heavily restricting the movement of its 200,000 residents.

It is common for Israeli forces to demolish the homes of Palestinians who are suspected of carrying out attacks on Israelis in the West Bank – a practice Israeli rights groups have criticised as collective punishment.

Friday’s shooting came during a tense time for the region, just days ahead of Israel’s election taking place on Tuesday.

In an interview with Israel’s i24 television channel released on Saturday, Netanyahu threatened a “very big surprise” for the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the territory.

Hebron Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari said the operation was being “driven by the elections” and that Netanyahu and his ministers were attempting to secure the votes of the far right and the settlers.

On Saturday, thousands gathered in Tel Aviv for a large anti-government demonstration.

The protest was organised by the October Council, a group founded by the families of victims and hostages taken by militants on 7 October 2023, to demand accountability for the failure to prevent the Hamas-led attack.

“Three days before the election, we will hold the culminating event marking three years of struggle to uncover the truth, demand accountability, and establish a state commission of inquiry,” the October Council wrote on X ahead of the rally.

The gathering saw the participation of the leaders of the four main opposition parties, including Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief of staff who is neck and neck with Netanyahu.