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Israel Forces German FM to Choose Between Entering Ramallah, Quarantine

German FM Heiko Maas addresses a press conference in Berlin on October 17, 2019. (File photo: AFP)
German FM Heiko Maas addresses a press conference in Berlin on October 17, 2019. (File photo: AFP)
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Israel Forces German FM to Choose Between Entering Ramallah, Quarantine

German FM Heiko Maas addresses a press conference in Berlin on October 17, 2019. (File photo: AFP)
German FM Heiko Maas addresses a press conference in Berlin on October 17, 2019. (File photo: AFP)

The Israeli government warned Germany's foreign minister that if he visits Ramallah during a trip to the region this week, he would not be allowed into Israel without going into quarantine for 14 days first.

Heiko Maas was scheduled to meet with Palestinian leaders in Ramallah.

The move, which was denounced by Knesset member Tamar Zandberg, has also raised eyebrows inside the Hebrew state since the Ministry of Health in Tel Aviv did not take a decision to impose a quarantine on those entering Ramallah.

More so, many Israeli citizens and politicians enter the Palestinian city daily without being subject to any quarantine.

Meretz lawmaker Zandberg asked Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi on Tuesday to reverse the government's decision and allow Maas to visit the West Bank on his upcoming visit.

In a letter, Zandberg argued “there was an intention to sabotage his meetings with the Palestinian leadership, using the excuse that a visit to Ramallah will require him to quarantine in Israel… even though he was supposedly meant to do so upon his arrival from Germany.”

She called the decision “ridiculous” and called on Ashkenazi to allow Maas to visit the West Bank.

Maas, who arrived in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning, had decided to hold only video consultations with Palestinians to avoid two weeks if isolation in an Israeli coronavirus hotel.

The German Foreign Minister will leave from Tel Aviv to Amman to meet with Jordanian officials.

According to Israeli sources, "Germany, a friend and ally of Israel, decided to increase its intervention to stop the plan to annex portions of the West Bank, because this plan has negative consequences and harms all parties, and will not help to save the peace process."

These sources said that Germany decided to make clear to Israel and the US administration that the unilateral annexation of areas in the West Bank is an uncalculated adventure that could significantly undermine regional and international stability.

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Lebanon: Mysterious Evacuation Calls Renew Fears of Israeli Strikes

A Lebanese soldier secures participants during a marathon in Beirut last week (AP)
A Lebanese soldier secures participants during a marathon in Beirut last week (AP)
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Lebanon: Mysterious Evacuation Calls Renew Fears of Israeli Strikes

A Lebanese soldier secures participants during a marathon in Beirut last week (AP)
A Lebanese soldier secures participants during a marathon in Beirut last week (AP)

A wave of anonymous phone calls urging residents to evacuate buildings in southern and eastern Lebanon sparked fresh panic on Saturday over potential Israeli attacks. Though the threats later proved to be unfounded and traced to local sources, the incident unfolded amid heightened tensions and the continued presence of Israeli military aircraft in the skies above South Lebanon.

According to local media reports, Lebanese citizens in the town of Tammine in the Bekaa Valley (eastern Lebanon) received phone calls urging them to evacuate a residential building. Security forces immediately launched an investigation into the origin of the calls, while residents evacuated the building as a precaution.

After coordination with Lebanese security agencies, authorities confirmed the caller was Lebanese and the threat lacked credibility. Legal measures were initiated against the individual responsible for the hoax threat.

Security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the calls were made from within Lebanese territory, and the numbers are being tracked using technical means. “We are monitoring these calls and pursuing those responsible,” a source said.

This incident is the latest in a series of similar events. Over the past few months, especially during the expanded conflict along the Lebanon-Israel border, hundreds of Lebanese citizens have received anonymous calls warning of imminent strikes, spreading fear across communities.

Lebanese authorities have arrested around 20 individuals linked to these threats. Security officials noted that during periods of active conflict, Lebanon’s military intelligence identified coordinated foreign campaigns - some linked to Israel - aimed at inciting fear among the population.

“These calls were part of organized external efforts, and in some cases, the Lebanese army’s intelligence managed to trace and neutralize them by blocking digital access points used to relay such messages,” a security source explained. “They were indeed causing panic among residents.”

Residents, particularly in southern Lebanon, say they have no choice but to treat such calls seriously. Israel has occasionally issued official warnings ahead of attacks, as seen in two incidents in Beirut’s southern suburbs after a ceasefire agreement took effect. However, in other instances, Israeli aircraft have carried out strikes without warning, further fueling concern among civilians and prompting widespread caution.

Saturday’s panic was further heightened by intensified Israeli aerial activity over southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported low-flying Israeli fighter jets over the villages and towns of Tyre district, as well as over Jezzine and the eastern sector of the south.

Local activists also reported Israeli drones flying at low altitude above the Litani River basin. One drone reportedly dropped two sound bombs over the Wadi al-Asafir area in the town of Khiam.