A hugely controversial Israeli settlement project, with a bypass road that closes off the occupied West Bank to Palestinians, has cleared planning hurdles and is open to bids. Thousands of homes are to be built in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, in a move that will effectively divide the West Bank. In doing so, it will “bury the idea of a Palestinian state,” said Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich.

What is E1?
First proposed in the 1990s but frozen by pressure from the U.S. until now, E1 covers the tract of desert between East Jerusalem and the large Israeli settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim. “It would be the last link in a chain of building projects that will slice the West Bank in half, and sever it” from East Jerusalem, which “Palestinians hope one day will be the capital of their independent state,” said The Telegraph.

The new project proposes 3,401 housing units and a dual-use bypass road that is “designed as a sealed transit corridor for Palestinian vehicles,” said The Guardian. This provides Israel with a “pretext to bar Palestinians from existing roads in the planned settlement area.” Israeli politicians have named the planned bypass “sovereignty road.” Its opponents call it “apartheid road.”

Is it legal?
The Palestinian authorities and much of the international community have repeatedly called all Israeli settlements illegal. But this has not stopped their rapid expansion in the West Bank since Israel seized control of the territory in 1967.

E1 falls outside the Green Line, which distinguishes Israel from Palestine in the eyes of the international community. This means that, although Israel has military and civil control of the area, granted by the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, it is not sovereign Israeli territory.

Despite the International Court of Justice repeatedly ruling that Israel’s settlements should be withdrawn, “there is no sign of that happening,” said Reuters. And “by linking up with other Israel-controlled areas,” the E1 settlement “would go still further.”

That is the “real concern right now,” said The Independent, as several countries, including Mexico, France and the U.K., formally recognized the Palestinian state last year. “Without concrete action,” recognizing statehood is ultimately “pointless, as there won’t be anything left to be a state.”

A month after Australia’s social media ban for kids under 16 took effect, debates have reignited over the effectiveness of such a sweeping measure in keeping children safe online. Almost five million social media accounts belonging to Australian teenagers have been deactivated or removed, according to the government. This announcement was the first metric since the laws’ rollout, which is “being closely watched by several other countries” weighing whether the regulation can be a “blueprint for protecting children from the harms of social media, or a cautionary tale,” said The New York Times. 

‘Not for a 12-year-old to fix’
If there is anything “more ridiculous than taking a corporate failure and throwing it to the individual to solve, by self-discipline reinforced by legislation,” it is “doing so to under-16s,” said Zoe Williams at The Guardian. If a corporation is “selling radical misogyny and methods for self-harm,” that is “not for a 12-year-old to fix by turning off their phone and taking up crochet.” You could “make the case for government intervention,” but only if it had “time on its hands after tackling the problem at source.”

Envisioning a “better digital life” should not “just focus on children,” but also on “workplaces and adult social norms,” said Jay Caspian Kang at The New Yorker. Everyone needs to “put down the phones and make efforts to move the public square away from private technology companies that incentivize cheap engagement.” Without “parallel changes in parenting practices and wider cultural norms,” bans can “simply push use underground rather than remove it,” therapist Laura Gwilt said at Huff Post. 

Parents can ‘only do so much’
Australia’s approach to protecting children from the dangers of social media “may seem ham-fisted to critics,” but it “sure beats what some elected leaders in D.C. are doing,” which is “nothing,” said Kathleen Parker at The Washington Post. Australia’s social media ban is “an incredibly bold, life-affirming move” that you can only imagine tech companies fought hard against, Robin Abcarian said at the Los Angeles Times. This generation of children is “unwittingly being used as lab rats for the effects of technology on the brain.”

Coco Gauff practices her serve in Melbourne ahead of the start of the Australian Open on Sunday. The U.S. tennis star is leading a prize money dispute between players and the Grand Slam tournaments — despite the Australian Open announcing a record 16% prize-pot hike this year.
William West / AFP / Getty Images

Far from the neon lights of Tokyo, temples and shrines of Kyoto and the Osaka street food scene is Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost — and westernmost — prefecture. Here, expect a slower pace, where the hardest decision you’ll make is which beach to visit.

What to know 
Okinawa is Japan’s sole subtropical region, attracting visitors seeking white sand beaches and swaying palms. Of the 160 or so islands, about 40 are inhabited, and the locale comes by the nickname “Caribbean of the Sea” honestly, said Travel and Leisure.

Popular spots include the jungle-filled Iriomote Island and Miyako Island, where travelers can swim and kayak through the turquoise waters. Going island hopping is easy, thanks to ferries and flights that connect through Naha Airport. Pack light and consider leaving the jacket at home.

Hit the water
Aharen Beach and Tokashiku Beach on Tokashiki Island are two of the “most sought-after” spots for diving because of the marine life, said Travel and Leisure. Cape Higashi Henna on Miyako Island is where the Pacific Ocean meets the East China Sea and boasts more than 200 plant and flower species and views from its lighthouse that will "take your breath away,” the BBC said.

Dive into dining 
Seafood is fresh and plentiful, with skipjack tuna, tiger prawns and sea grapes (green caviar) regularly appearing on menus alongside Okinawan staples like goya champuru, a stir-fry containing bitter melon, and rafute, or braised pork belly. The “iconic” Okinawan taco rice was created in the kitchen of King Tacos, a chain specializing in “hybrid cuisine born out of the long intermingling of American, Japanese and Okinawan culinary traditions,” said The Wall Street Journal.