Israel Concerned about US Dealing with Palestinian Authority as State

Houses are seen in the Jewish settlement of Itamar, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank June 15, 2020. (Reuters)
Houses are seen in the Jewish settlement of Itamar, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank June 15, 2020. (Reuters)
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Israel Concerned about US Dealing with Palestinian Authority as State

Houses are seen in the Jewish settlement of Itamar, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank June 15, 2020. (Reuters)
Houses are seen in the Jewish settlement of Itamar, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank June 15, 2020. (Reuters)

Political sources in Tel Aviv have voiced concern over the United States dealing with Palestine “as if it were a state.”

This was revealed in the US State Department’s “2020 Fiscal Transparency Report,” in which it assesses countries that receive US assistance and whether they meet the minimum fiscal transparency requirements, as well as means of fighting corruption in these states.

The name mentioned in the US list did not specify Palestine and did not refer to it as a state, it instead referred to it as the “Palestinian Authority” (PA).

The list included the PA as one of other 64 states that do not meet the minimum fiscal transparency requirements, compared to 76 countries that do, according to Washington.

This has prompted the ruling right-wing in Israel to respond with concern about the list even though Washington, of course, has not officially recognized Palestine as a state.

According to Israel’s Maariv newspaper, Israeli officials have expressed concern and shock over the document, saying they know how things are run in the US.

“Nothing is coincidental in the US administration,” the officials noted.

They stressed that the mere listing of the PA as one of 141 assessed countries is considered a message that reflects a new American approach that considers it a state.

The Israeli government still suffers sharp differences among the parties over US President Donald Trump's so-called Deal of the Century Middle East peace proposal and the annexation plan it includes.

The plan stipulates annexing about 30 percent of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, most notably parts the Jordan Valley, the northern Dead Sea and lands on which settlements are built, and imposing Israel’s sovereignty over these areas.

Blue and White party’s Minister of Science and Technology Izhar Shay slammed Friday the unilateral annexation, stressing that “it does not serve Israel’s security and strategic interests.”

He expressed support for Trump’s “peace plan,” noting that it includes all the elements needed for a stable and secure peace and ensures Israel’s existence for many years as a Jewish democratic state.

It also provides Palestinians with a full-fledged, demilitarized state dedicated to achieve safety and well-being.

He, however, criticized its unilateral implementation, stressing that ignoring the Palestinians will cause irreversible damage.

“It will undermine stability in the Middle East, affect the peace treaty with Jordan and may cause casualties among Israelis, harm the economy and diminish Israel's international position,” Shay said.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.