PLO, Palestinian Factions Reject US Decision on Haniyeh

Hamas political bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh (R) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (REUTERS)
Hamas political bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh (R) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (REUTERS)
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PLO, Palestinian Factions Reject US Decision on Haniyeh

Hamas political bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh (R) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (REUTERS)
Hamas political bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh (R) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (REUTERS)

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) rejected the US decision to include Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh on its terrorism list.

Saeb Erekat, Secretary General of the PLO Executive Committee, said that the organization “rejects and condemns the American decision to include Haniyeh on the terrorism list”, and called for overcoming all divisions and achieving national unity for the sake of the Palestinian national project.

The PLO’s position posed another challenge to the United States, in light of the crisis over US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, as the organization has at previous times avoided commenting on similar decisions against Hamas.

Washington announced on Wednesday that it had included Ismail Haniyeh, on its terrorism list, along with three organizations.

“The Department of State has designated Ismail Haniyeh, Harakat al-Sabireen, Liwa al Thawra, and Harakat Sawa’d Misr (HASM) as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224,” read a media note by the State Department’s Office of the Spokesperson.

The decision sparked a wave of anger in the Palestinian territories, as many officials strongly denounced the new move. Haniyeh, for his part, was quoted as saying by his son that he has been awarded a “medal of honor” through the new US announcement.

Muhammad Haniyeh said his father told worshipers at the dawn prayer in Gaza that the US describing him as terrorist was an “honor medal.”

Hamas issued a statement in which it said that the American decision was a dangerous development that comes “in violation of the international laws, which gave the Palestinian people the right to defend themselves, resist the occupation and choose their leadership.”

“This decision demonstrates the full US bias in favor of the Israeli occupation and provides a formal cover for Israeli crimes against our Palestinian people,” the statement noted.



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.