Israel to continue settlement expansion following Palestine talks: Palestinian and Israeli officials agreed to take steps to calm a surge in violence during rare face-to-face talks in Jordan yesterday. In a joint statement following the meeting, the two sides said they would refrain from unilateral measures and the Israelis committed to not discuss expanding settlements for the next four months or authorize more outposts for the next six months — though the country will continue with its plans to build 9.5k new settler homes in the West Bank and will not reverse its recent decision to legalize nine outposts. Officials from Egypt, Jordan and the US also attended the talks.

Members of Israel’s far-right government are unpacking the agreement: Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich — who is also in charge of governing Israeli areas of the West Bank — wrote on Twitter following the talks: “I have no idea what they did or didn’t say in Jordan. But one thing I do know: there will be no settlement freeze. Not even for one day.” He was then joined by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who also denied that the government had agreed to freeze settlement activity.

And violence continues on the ground: Two Israelis were shot by Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank as the talks were taking place. Later, a group of settlers entered a Palestinian village and set houses and fields on fire, according to the BBC.