Biden’s Administration to Prevent Further Escalation In Israeli-Palestinian Tensions

A banner welcoming the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018 (Reuters)
A banner welcoming the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018 (Reuters)
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Biden’s Administration to Prevent Further Escalation In Israeli-Palestinian Tensions

A banner welcoming the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018 (Reuters)
A banner welcoming the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018 (Reuters)

Tel Aviv is anticipating the policy of the new US President Joe Biden’s administration towards the Palestinian cause.

Israeli media quoted US sources as saying that the priority set by the new administration regarding Palestine is to focus on preventing damages that may result from decisions taken by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

According to the state-owned Kan 11 television news channel, an official in Biden’s administration said the US “will seek to prevent Netanyahu from escalating the situation with the Palestinians and destabilizing the situation on the ground.”

In closed-door discussions, officials said the US administration is currently aware that it will not be able to take major steps on the Palestinian issue, the official noted, affirming that its main target now is to maintain regional calm and avoid shocks.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu released a video message in which he congratulated Biden on his inauguration as the 46th US president.

“Congratulations President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on your historic inauguration. President Biden, you and I have had a warm personal friendship going back many decades. I look forward to working with you to further strengthen the US-Israel alliance, to continue expanding peace between Israel and the Arab world and to confront common challenges, chief among them the threat posed by Iran.”

The future US moves on the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are not considered an urgent matter for the Israeli government, said Ynet’s senior Israeli defense analyst and veteran military correspondent Ron Ben-Yishai.

“This issue is less influential and doesn’t pose a threat to the interests of the United States and its allies in the region.”

He pointed out that the US demands for the Israeli side would be limited to refraining from taking unilateral steps that would undermine any “possible future Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.”

This includes halting settlement expansion and granting legitimacy to informal settlement outposts, Ben-Yishai explained.



Hezbollah Backs New Lebanese Government Ahead of Confidence Vote

Hezbollah members during the funeral of the party's Secretary-General Hashem Safieddine in the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in southern Lebanon on February 24, 2025 (Reuters)
Hezbollah members during the funeral of the party's Secretary-General Hashem Safieddine in the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in southern Lebanon on February 24, 2025 (Reuters)
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Hezbollah Backs New Lebanese Government Ahead of Confidence Vote

Hezbollah members during the funeral of the party's Secretary-General Hashem Safieddine in the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in southern Lebanon on February 24, 2025 (Reuters)
Hezbollah members during the funeral of the party's Secretary-General Hashem Safieddine in the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in southern Lebanon on February 24, 2025 (Reuters)

Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc on Tuesday gave its support to Lebanon's new government, which in a ministerial statement ahead of a confidence vote vowed a state monopoly on arms and the country's neutrality.

"We give our confidence to the government," said Mohammed Raad, the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, expressing hope the new administration would "succeed in opening the doors to real rescue for the country", AFP reported.

"We are keen on cooperating to the greatest extent to preserve national sovereignty and its stability and achieve reforms and take the state forward," Raad told a two-day parliamentary session that began on Tuesday and will culminate in a vote of confidence in the new government.

The ministerial statement, an outline of the new government's work plan that was read out by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, vowed to extend "state sovereignty across all its territories exclusively with its own forces".

It also committed to deploy the army "in internationally recognized Lebanese border areas", and emphasized the need to work to implement a commitment by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on "the state's duty in monopolising the bearing of weapons" and "deciding on war and peace".

The ministerial statement noted the need to take "all the necessary steps to liberate all Lebanese territories from Israeli occupation".

Israel has maintained its troops in five "strategic" points along the shared border despite the ceasefire deal requiring its forces to withdraw completely.

Raad said the aim of the latest war was "to finish with Hezbollah... and end its resistance presence" against Israel, adding, "That attempt failed".

The new government has pledged to create a fund for rebuilding damaged and destroyed areas and is hoping for foreign assistance with the reconstruction effort, with the country mired in a five-year economic crisis.

The ministerial statement also pledged to adopt a "foreign policy that works to make Lebanon neutral from axis conflicts" and ensure "Lebanon is not used as a platform for attacking" Arab and friendly countries.