Welcome to today’s daily update for Friday, August 21, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Breakdown
Israel is officially restarting a stalled project to build more than 1,200 homes in the E1 region of Jerusalem, dividing the West Bank in two.
In 1993 and 1995, the Oslo Accords – signed by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel – split the West Bank into Areas A, B, and C. Area A designates areas under Palestinian control, Area B designates joint control, and Area C, making up more than 60% of the West Bank and encircling Areas A and B, is under Israeli control.
However, under this framework, a two-state solution is completely impossible – the West Bank can never be part of a fragmented future Palestinian state. Israel claims to follow these accords during the construction of new settlements, but Palestinians regularly need to cross through Israeli territory to reach other cities.
One of the primary examples of this is East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem has been considered the capital of a future Palestinian state, despite being currently occupied by Israel. Nevertheless, a region encircling the eastern side of East Jerusalem, known as E1, connects the north and south sides of the West Bank. Another area east of the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim also connects the West Bank, but the area around it is mountainous desert and the highway traveling through the region is heavily militarized with Israeli forces.
Proponents of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine emphasize that in the event of a deal, the West Bank could still be reconnected via E1, with Palestine establishing East Jerusalem as their capital. This future state would likely encompass Ramallah and Bethlehem, connecting three major Palestinian population centers.
However, Israel’s latest settlement project threatens to eliminate that possbility altogether.
The massive development, which would construct tens of thousands of homes alongside commercial centers and businesses, would connect East Jerusalem to Ma’ale Adumim. This strip of land remains the final connection between the north and south sides of the West Bank, and the construction of an Israeli settlement on that land would essentially doom a two-state solution.
The E1 project would also encircle East Jerusalem, effectively cutting it off completely from the rest of the West Bank. This would eliminate the possibility of a Palestinian state with a center at East Jerusalem, though this was already unlikely due to its existing Israeli occupation.
The project was frozen for several years due to serious opposition from the international community, who argued in the name of Palestine and a future two-state solution.
However, the government opened bidding for 1,234 new homes in E1 yesterday, signaling that they are moving ahead with the development. Israeli settlement activists and several politicians have championed the project, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announcing that it “practically erases the two-state delusion.”
The Global Snapshot
Australia has passed a new law requiring large tech companies to pay local news outlets and journalists for the usage of their work across search engines and social media platforms. The law does not include artificial intelligence companies – rather, it focuses on companies that generate significant advertising revenue using Australian journalism. To qualify, corporations must have a significant presence in Australia and make more than A$250 million ($178 million) in local advertising revenue. If they fail to strike deals with local news outlets, companies will be forced to pay 2.5% of annual Australian ad revenue in taxes to the government – money that will then be redirected towards compensating outlets for their work. Making deals with publishers will offset those taxes at different rates, with no one agreement allowed to make up more than 25% of the company’s total offset, but the corporations can reduce these additional taxes to zero by striking the right deals.
Over 100 people have been confirmed dead after a devastating mine collapse in the Central African Republic, and dozens of others are still feared to be trapped under the rubble. The mine, located near the nation’s western border with Cameroon, was likely dug by hand and is used for gold mining – a practice that is highly unregulated in central African nations. Investigations have been launched into the reason behind the tunnel collapse and the lack of safety measures behind it, and they may find a person or entity liable for the deaths of the miners. However, locals have confirmed that the collapse itself was likely caused by recent heavy rainfall, which may have loosened the foundations of the tunnels. The death toll is expected to rise further in the coming days, but it could take even longer – rescue crews lack the necessary equipment to extract many of the bodies, forcing the process to be done with basic tools or even by hand.
Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Contrary to popular belief, only 45% of the London Underground is actually underground.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): What’s behind you doesn’t matter. (Enzo Ferrari)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Divulge (verb, dih-VULJ) - To divulge something, especially secret or private information, is to make it known.
In a Sentence: Rather than divulge the baby name we’ve chosen, we’re waiting till the little one arrives to make introductions.
Image: Libertinus / Public Domain
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