• The Sole Confidant: Simon was the only person to whom Anthony entrusted his plans to elope with Siena and his willingness to give everything up. In the world of the Ton, where vulnerability was seen as weakness, Simon was the only safe haven where Anthony didn’t have to pretend.
• The Mirror of Trauma: Simon and Anthony shared a deep bond based on their father complexes and the pressure of their titles. Simon understood that Anthony’s obsession with Siena was an escape from the suffocating role Violet had imposed upon him.
• The Tears and the Vow: Simon was there when Anthony swore off love following Siena’s departure. He witnessed the tears Anthony would never show his mother. The “cold machine” Anthony became in Season 2 was no surprise to Simon; he knew it was a desperate armor against the pain Anthony had felt with Siena.
• The Necessary Consolation: When Anthony broke down after Siena’s final rejection, Simon was the only one who could support him both physically and emotionally. He offered the “motherly” empathy that Violet, at that moment, could not or would not provide.

1. The Tears for Siena: There is a crucial moment (in Season 1) where Anthony completely loses his emotional control, and Simon is the only witness. Anthony isn’t just crying over the stress of the duel or Daphne; he is mourning the impossibility of his love for Siena. Simon, having built a wall around his own heart, recognizes that pain and allows him the space to show that weakness.
2. The ‘Club’ Conversations: Simon and Anthony spent significant time in their gentlemen’s club. There, over glasses of brandy, Anthony spoke more openly about his longing for a life with Siena. Simon heard the conflict in Anthony’s voice: the struggle between his passion for her and the suffocating duty toward the Bridgerton name.
3. Advice from a Peer: Simon understood Anthony’s pain because he was also fighting the shadows of his own father. He saw that Anthony was ‘real’ with Siena, but he was also the realist who knew the Ton would devour them. Simon offered comfort by not judging him—something his own family (and especially Violet) did do.

• The Reputation of Performers: During the Regency, women who performed on stage—including actresses and opera singers—were frequently viewed as “immoral” or “loose women” by the upper-class “Ton”. Because they performed in public for money and were financially independent, they were seen as improper compared to the secluded, sheltered lives of aristocratic women.
• The “No-Go” Area of Marriage: A marriage between an aristocrat (like a Viscount) and a singer was considered a scandal, often seen as a mésalliance (a marriage with someone of lower social status) that would ruin his family’s reputation. This is why Lady Violet, Anthony’s mother, would have considered such a match an impossibility.
• Public Constraints: The social stigma meant that public outings were forbidden for such couples. They could not “wine and dine” in fashionable Mayfair restaurants, promenade in popular spots like Kew Gardens, or show themselves together at Almack’s.
• Isolation in Private: Due to these extreme social restrictions, their relationship was confined entirely to private spaces, most notably behind closed doors, to avoid ruining Anthony’s standing in society

Government approves a record 34 new settlements, as it acts to deepen hold on West Bank

Security cabinet decision constitutes largest number of settlements okayed by any government at one time, brings total number approved by current government to 103

The security cabinet approved the establishment of 34 new West Bank settlements in a meeting two weeks ago, The Times of Israel has confirmed.

The approval of the new settlements — brand new settlements as well as illegal ones retroactively legalized — constitutes the largest number of settlements approved by any government at one time, the Peace Now organization said.

Security cabinet meetings and their decisions are classified, and there has been no official confirmation of the decision to approve the 34 new settlements by the government.

According to the i24 News site, which first reported the story earlier Thursday, some of the slated new settlements are located in areas of the northern West Bank isolated from other Israeli settlements but deep among Palestinian population centers, albeit still within Area C of the territory where Israel has full control.

The security cabinet decision brings the total number of settlements approved by the current government to 103 since it took office in 2022.

This amounts to a 78 percent increase in the total number of government-approved settlements in the three and a half years of the current government’s tenure, said Peace Now, which strongly opposes the settlement movement.

By comparison, only six new settlements were formally approved by Israel in the 30 years between the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 and the establishment of the current government.

Only a handful of the 103 newly approved settlements have received approval through the Civil Administration’s planning processes, meaning that they have yet to be fully authorized.

But as part of its efforts to dramatically increase the number of Israelis living in the West Bank, the current government has greatly streamlined and expedited those approval processes.

According to i24, the security cabinet decision provides for the establishment of water and electricity infrastructure for the new settlements even before their approval by the Civil Administration.

At present, some 144 settlements have been authorized by both the government and the Civil Administration, according to Peace Now numbers. That figure would grow to 235 if all the 103 new settlements approved by the current government are ultimately authorized.

A map published by i24 showed that the new settlements are spread across the entire West Bank.

Ynet reported that during the security cabinet meeting in question, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir expressed deep concern that the approval of the new settlements would further stretch the IDF’s already severely strained manpower resources due to the need to provide them with military protection.

The Yesh Din organization, which campaigns against the settlements, alleged that the approval of the new settlements is designed to advance the “ethnic cleansing” of the West Bank.

It pointed to three new settlements slated to be established in the southern environs of the Palestinian city of Jenin in the northern West Bank, which it said would close Jenin off from other major Palestinian population centers.

“While we were [all] running to bomb shelters, it was urgent for cabinet members to establish dozens more new settlements in the West Bank, thereby advancing the [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich plan for ethnic cleansing of the West Bank by pushing the Palestinians into small, densely populated enclaves in Area A,” the group charged.

Peace Now accused the government of trying to establish as many facts on the ground as possible before the next elections.

“Today, it is clear to everyone, and the IDF emphasizes this again and again, that establishing settlements is harmful to security, places an abnormal burden on the IDF, and harms the possibility of resolving the conflict and reaching some kind of future security and peace,” the group stated.

Separately, Energy Minister Eli Cohen and Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council in the West Bank, announced the establishment of a professional working group to advance the construction of water and electricity infrastructure for new settlements authorized by the government in previous rounds of approvals.

Both Cohen and Dagan stated that the new development was part of a program initiated by Dagan in 2022 to bring a million Israelis to live in the Samaria region of the northern West Bank by 2050. There are presently just 49,000 Israeli residents in the area.

In a meeting earlier this month, Cohen and Dagan agreed that the new working group would be headed by the deputy director general of the Energy Ministry and the director of the Samaria Regional Council, and would also include representatives of the Electricity Company, the Mekorot national water company and the state Water Authority.

Dagan’s office declined to say exactly when the meeting took place, dating it instead to “just before Passover,” which began on the night of April 1.

Among the new settlements to be connected to water and electricity grids are Rehavam, Eibal, Homesh, and Sa Nur, all in the northern West Bank. Those settlements were approved or retroactively legalized by the government in May 2025.

“This is an historic decision. We will ensure that the new homes that are built have lights on and running water. We are applying sovereignty in law and in practice,” Cohen said, in reference to the government’s efforts to de facto annex large parts of the West Bank.

“[We have] before us the map of the ‘Plan for a Million’ in Samaria, from which we have decreed the new settlements… Based on this plan, we will fill the area together with roads, electricity, water and sewage [infrastructure], in order to bring the masses here, millions of citizens of the State of Israel, to the heart of the land, to Samaria,” said Dagan.

END

• Internationaal Recht: Het overgrote deel van de internationale gemeenschap, inclusief de Verenigde Naties (VN) en het Internationaal Gerechtshof, beschouwt de Israëlische nederzettingen als illegaal. Ze worden gezien als een schending van de Vierde Geneefse Conventie, die het een bezettende macht verbiedt om delen van de eigen burgerbevolking te deporteren of over te brengen naar het bezette gebied.
• Gebied C: De meeste nederzettingen bevinden zich in ‘Gebied C’ op de Westelijke Jordaanoever, dat onder volledige Israëlische controle staat volgens de Oslo-akkoorden.
• Standpunt VS: De Verenigde Staten hebben in het verleden hun positie gewijzigd en stelden dat nederzettingen niet per se illegaal zijn onder internationaal recht, wat afwijkt van de algemene internationale consensus.
• Economische gevolgen: Er is een voortdurende discussie over de handel met nederzettingen. Organisaties roepen op om deze banden te verbreken, omdat ze de uitbreiding van nederzettingen economisch versterken.
• Nederlands standpunt: Nederland, in lijn met de Europese Unie, beschouwt de nederzettingen als een belemmering voor vrede en illegaal onder internationaal recht.
  Centrum Informatie en Documentatie Israel +5

• Gebrek aan erkenning: De “Turkse Republiek Noord-Cyprus” (TRNC) wordt uitsluitend door Turkije erkend. De VN-Veiligheidsraad en de rest van de internationale gemeenschap beschouwen het gebied als bezet territorium van de Republiek Cyprus.
• Vierde Conventie van Genève: Volgens internationaal recht is het een bezettende macht verboden om de eigen burgerbevolking te deporteren of over te brengen naar het bezette gebied. De vestiging van Turkse kolonisten (settlers) van het vasteland naar Cyprus wordt door critici en de Republiek Cyprus daarom als illegaal beschouwd.
• VN-Resoluties: Verschillende resoluties van de Verenigde Naties, waaronder resolutie 541 (1983), verklaren de onafhankelijkheidsverklaring van Noord-Cyprus juridisch ongeldig en roepen op tot de terugtrekking van de bezettingstroepen.
• Eigendomsrechten: Het Europees Hof voor de Rechten van de Mens heeft geoordeeld dat Grieks-Cyprioten die hun eigendommen in het noorden ontvluchtten, nog steeds de rechtmatige eigenaren zijn. De overdracht van deze gronden aan Turkse kolonisten of het gebruik ervan voor nederzettingen wordt als een schending van het eigendomsrecht gezien.
• Exploitatie van grondstoffen: Ook economische activiteiten zoals olie- en gasboringen in de wateren rondom het noorden worden door de EU en de Republiek Cyprus als illegaal bestempeld omdat ze de soevereiniteit van de Republiek Cyprus schenden.
  de Volkskrant +4

De kwestie van Marokkaanse nederzettingen in de Westelijke Sahara wordt internationaal gezien als een bezetting, waarbij de verplaatsing van de eigen bevolking naar dit gebied door Marokko in strijd wordt geacht met het internationaal recht. 

De Wereld Morgen

• Bezetting en kolonisatie: Honderdduizenden Marokkaanse kolonisten zijn sinds de ‘Groene Mars’ in 1975 naar de Westelijke Sahara gemigreerd. Naar schatting vormden deze kolonisten in 2015 al minstens twee derde van de totale bevolking van het gebied (destijds zo’n 500.000 mensen).
• Volkenrechtelijke status: Veel internationale organisaties en de Sahrawi-bevolking beschouwen de aanwezigheid van Marokko als een illegale bezetting, vergelijkbaar met de situatie op de Westelijke Jordaanoever.
• Mensenrechtenschendingen: Het conflict heeft geleid tot ernstige mensenrechtenschendingen, waaronder de gedwongen onteigening en verdrijving van de inheemse Sahrawi-bevolking, en de bouw van een 2720 kilometer lange barrière (zandmuur) door Marokko.
• Economische exploitatie: Activisten en ngo’s beschuldigen Marokko van het exploiteren van natuurlijke hulpbronnen (zoals fosfaat en vis) in de bezette gebieden, wat volgens hen de bezetting financiert.
• Internationale erkenning: Hoewel Marokko het gebied als een integraal deel van het koninkrijk beschouwt en een autonomieplan heeft gepresenteerd, erkennen de Verenigde Naties de Westelijke Sahara nog steeds als een “niet-zelfbesturend gebied”.
• EU-handelsverdragen: De Europese Unie is vaker bekritiseerd omdat handelsverdragen met Marokko vaak stilletjes de bezette gebieden in de Westelijke Sahara omvatten, wat door sommigen als een schending van het internationaal recht wordt gezien. 
  Wikipedia +9