The Independent reports that Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank has increased since Donald Trump entered the White House as campaigners claim a fresh surge in new construction is on the way. Figures compiled from official government sources by the anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now show an increase in building in 2018 while also recording thousands of plans for additional future development. Last week the EU and others criticised Israel’s approval of more than 2,000 new homes in the West Bank as “illegal under international law”.

The Times reports that Benny Gantz poses a threat to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The former head of the Israeli army is rising in the polls and seen as a steady and unifying figure in an era of divisive and corrupt politics, General Gantz, 60, has rebuffed past invitations from various political parties to enter the fray. Now, his Israel Resilience Party has surged into second place in the polls with 13 per cent. PM Netanyahu’s Likud is comfortably ahead with 23 per cent but polls suggest that the Prime Minister’s bloc of right-wing and religious parties could lose its absolute majority in elections in April.

Reuters and the Telegraph report on the US withdrawal from Syria. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States would get out of Syria slowly “over a period of time” and would protect the US backed Kurdish fighters in the country as Washington draws down troops. Trump did not provide a timetable for the planned military exit from Syria, which he announced last month against the advice of top national security aides and without consulting lawmakers or US allies participating in anti-Islamic State operations. The decision prompted Defence Secretary Jim Mattis to resign. Trump said on Wednesday he had essentially fired Mattis, whose letter of resignation was seen as a sharp rebuke to the Republican president. The Telegraph reports that Donald Trump has defended his controversial decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, saying the country was nothing but “sand and death”.  The US president said: “Syria was lost long ago. It was lost long ago. We’re not talking about vast wealth. We’re talking about sand and death. I’m getting out, we’re getting out of Syria. Look, we don’t want Syria.” He added: “The Kurds, our partners are selling oil to Iran. I’m not thrilled about that, I’m not happy about it at all.” However, Trump said he did want to “protect” US-backed Kurdish fighters in the country as Washington draws down its 2,000 troops, which would happen “over a period of time”. During a 95-minute Cabinet meeting at the White House the President also lambasted European allies for not taking a bigger role in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. He singled out Germany, saying it was “paying one per cent” of GDP on defence, and “should be paying four per cent”. Trump added that he “didn’t care” if he was not personally popular in Europe. He said: “I shouldn’t be popular in Europe. I want Europe to pay. I don’t care about Europe. I’m not elected by Europeans, I’m elected by American taxpayers, frankly.” The Independent reports that the cabinet meeting was held with a Game of Thrones-style poster about sanctions against Iran on the table in front of President Trump. The poster in the photo looks like a photo Trump tweeted in November 2018 that references the popular HBO television show Game of Thrones when announcing his plans to reinstate sanctions against Tehran. The image was a montage of the president with the words “Sanctions are coming,” a direct reference to the show’s House Stark famous motto “winter is coming.”

Reuters reports that a convoy of Syrian Kurdish fighters has pulled out of the flashpoint area of Manbij in northern Syria, close to territory controlled by Turkey, Syria’s defence ministry said on Wednesday. Some 30 km (20 miles) from the Turkish border, the town occupies a critical spot on the map of the Syrian conflict, near the junction of three separate blocks of territory that form spheres of Russian, Turkish and – for now – US influence.

The Mail Online via AFP reports that clashes between jihadists and rebels in north-western Syria have killed almost 50 people over two days. Clashes flared on Tuesday between Al-Qaeda-linked coalition Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and an alliance of rebel groups in western Aleppo province. On Wednesday the fighting spread to the neighbouring province of Idlib, the country’s last opposition bastion, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “The fighting intensified and spread to the north and southeast of Idlib province,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Britain-based Observatory. He said that 48 people have been killed. “According to information, approximately 400 Kurdish fighters have left Manbij so far,” the Syrian defence ministry said. Their departure was in line with an agreement “for the return of normal life to the area of northern Syria,” it said. The ministry showed a video of dozens of vehicles travelling along an unmade road carrying armed fighters, some waving the flags of the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia and its female counterpart the YPJ.

The Telegraph and the Guardian report on Netflix’s decision to remove an episode of Hasan Minhaj’s ‘Patriot Act’, a satirical comedy show critical of Saudi Arabia, after having been asked to do so by Saudi officials. The Telegraph reports that Netflix has been accused of “cowardice.” Human rights activists said Netflix was at risk of “facilitating the Kingdom’s zero-tolerance policy on freedom of expression and assisting the authorities in denying people’s right to freely access information. Saudi Arabia’s censorship of Netflix using a cyber-crime law comes as no surprise and is further proof of a relentless crackdown on freedom of expression in the Kingdom,” said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International’s Middle East campaigns director. The Guardian reports that Hasan Minhaj has spoken out after Netflix removed the episode. Minhaj tweeted: “Clearly, the best way to stop people from watching something is to ban it, make it trend online, and then leave it up on YouTube.” He added: “Let’s not forget that the world’s largest humanitarian crisis is happening in Yemen right now,” and urged fans to donate to the relief effort of the International Rescue Committee.

Yediot Ahronoth features an interview with Labour leader Avi Gabbay in which he says: “I learned in my neighbourhood that if somebody hits you, you hit back”. Gabbay adds: “At a certain stage I realised that we weren’t going to get anywhere with this partnership with Tzipi Livni, and if she doesn’t contribute to victory, and if she isn’t a real partner to the path, if she has no loyalty and if she doesn’t honour agreements—there’s no point to it. There was no loyalty.” Gabbay said that Livni refused to rule out joining a Netanyahu-led government.

Hahadashot reports a poll broadcast last night that finds the Likud has increased its support at the expense of Yesh Atid and other parties. Israel Hayom’s poll tells a different story and shows that the Likud has lost support, whereas Yesh Atid and other parties have gained ground. Israel Hayom’s poll puts Shas beneath the electoral threshold, a result that would cost Netanyahu his solid coalition of right wing and Haredi parties and facilitate a “blocking majority” that could deny Netanyahu the premiership. Both polls have a 4% margin of error.

Kan Radio News reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s close associates are trying to secure a merger between Kulanu and the Likud. Senior officials close to Netanyahu reached out to Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon last week and implored him to merge his party with the Likud. It is believed that the Likud’s proposal includes a promise to reappoint Kahlon as finance minister after the elections, as well as reserved slots for his people on the joint list. Kulanu issued a statement saying that the party had been established as an alternative to the Likud, after it lost its principles and values and would run independently, increase its strength and continue to win for the sake of all of Israel’s citizens.

Hahadashot News reports that talks are being held to merge three Ultra-Orthodox parties —Shas, Agudat Yisrael and Degel Hatorah (the latter two merged to form United Torah Judaism).

Israel Hayom reports that former Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi has told confidantes that if he runs in the elections, he would join Likud. In private conversations with friends and politicians, Ashkenazi said that he would prefer to join the Likud, rather than join Gantz, Yaalon, Gabbay or Lapid. Ashkenazi does not want to lead a party. If he does join, he believes that the correct course of action is to start out small.

Israel Hayom adds that former Defence Minister and Chief of Staff, Moshe Yaalon, yesterday registered his new party: Telem adding that it has the same name as a party established by Former Defence Minister and Chief of Staff Moshe Dayan in 1981.

All the Israeli media are reporting clashes between police and young people as two mobile structures in the illegal outpost of Amona are being demolished. The outpost was evacuated two years ago, but the young people returned to protest recent Palestinian terrorist attacks in the West Bank.

Yediot Ahronot and Haaretz report on statements by US President Trump that Iran will do what it wants in Syria. Trump made the remarks during a conversation with reporters at the end of a cabinet meeting in the White House. He said: “Iran is pulling people out of Syria, but they can frankly do whatever they want there.”

Maariv reports that a decision by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s about whether to indict Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected in February.

Haaretz reports that the Trump administration has barred Israeli law enforcement agencies from questioning former US Secretary of State John Kerry and former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, over allegations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu illegally received lavish gifts from Arnon Milchan. The Israeli Justice Ministry had approached American authorities requesting that it be allowed to question Kerry and Shapiro, both of whom served under former US President Barack Obama, in an effort to get a fuller picture of the circumstances under which Netanyahu is suspected of helping Milchan obtain a ten-year US visa, after a previous visa was revoked.

Yediot Ahronoth reports that the Shin Bet have been conducting an investigation for the past month into alleged acts of Jewish terrorism in the northern West Bank. After a significant development in the investigation, three teenagers were arrested on Monday, and they have not been allowed to meet with their lawyers. There is a gag order on the investigation.

Maariv reports that a Pink Floyd cover band is to defy Roger Waters and plans to perform in Israel.