PA Denies EU Threatening to Reduce Aid to Palestinians

Head of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission Hanna Nasser delivers an official invitation to EU Representative Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff to observe the elections, last month (WAFA)
Head of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission Hanna Nasser delivers an official invitation to EU Representative Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff to observe the elections, last month (WAFA)
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PA Denies EU Threatening to Reduce Aid to Palestinians

Head of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission Hanna Nasser delivers an official invitation to EU Representative Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff to observe the elections, last month (WAFA)
Head of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission Hanna Nasser delivers an official invitation to EU Representative Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff to observe the elections, last month (WAFA)

The Palestinian Authority has denied that the European Union (EU) threatened to cut aid if the PA cancelled the elections.

Member of the Central Committee of Fatah Hussein Al-Sheikh said, "The Palestinian elections are a Palestinian decision par excellence, and stem from Palestinian national interests, to strengthen the democratic approach with the participation of all Palestinians to enshrine the legitimacy of the fund."

"All the European and other threats are rumored, unfounded, and intentional disturbances,” he added.

Israel's official broadcaster Kan said that European officials had sent a message to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stating that if the parliamentary elections scheduled for May were cancelled, Europe's support for the authority, estimated at €350 million would be cut or reduced.

According to the channel, officials and diplomats said, "The situation in which the European Union and European countries continue to pump millions into the PA without a democratic and reform process, cannot continue.”

Later on, the EU denied reports that it had threatened to reduce aid provided to the Authority if it doesn't hold elections.

"We were surprised by what was reported in some media outlets. There was no comment or statement from the EU on this subject," said the European Union spokesman in Palestine, Shadi Othman.

Elections are scheduled to take place in three phases - legislative on May 22, presidential on July 31 and National Assembly on August 31.



Biden, Macron to Declare 60-Day Ceasefire between Hezbollah, Israel on Tuesday

 Smoke and flame rise after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP)
Smoke and flame rise after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP)
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Biden, Macron to Declare 60-Day Ceasefire between Hezbollah, Israel on Tuesday

 Smoke and flame rise after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP)
Smoke and flame rise after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP)

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron will declare on Tuesday morning a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Asharq Al-Awsat learned from widely informed sources on Monday.

Washington has spoken of “cautious optimism” that the US proposal for a ceasefire could be a success. The proposal calls for Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the area between the Blue Line and Litani River in a manner that can be verified. In return Israeli forces will withdraw from the regions they occupied since they carried out their limited invasion of Lebanon.

The discussions the US government had on the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire were positive and are headed in the right direction towards a deal, the White House said on Monday.

"We're close," said White House national security spokesperson John Kirby. "The discussions ... were constructive, and we believe that the trajectory of this is going in a very positive direction. But, yeah, nothing is done until everything is done." 

The relative positivity prevailed in spite of the ongoing wide-scale military operations between Israel and Hezbollah in the South and Israel’s air raids deep in Lebanese territory. Hezbollah has also fired rockets deep in Israel, reaching Tel Aviv.

Analysts have said the intense attacks suggest that both Israel and Hezbollah are trying to maximize their leverage as diplomats conduct what they hope is a final round of ceasefire talks, reported the New York Times on Monday.

The New York Times reported on Friday that the terms included a 60-day truce during which Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters pull back from border areas and the Lebanese Army and a United Nations peacekeeping force increase their presence in a buffer zone.

But officials have also warned that the two sides may not be able to finalize a deal, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced pressure from right-wing allies not to end the military campaign.

Israel’s hard-line national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said in a social media post on Monday that the proposed deal would be a “historic missed opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah.”

Observers meanwhile told Asharq Al-Awsat that all pending issues related to the US proposal have been resolved from the Lebanese side, while Israel has some lingering reservations.

Israeli officials said Netanyahu’s security Cabinet is set to convene on Tuesday to discuss the ceasefire proposal.

Two officials confirmed the Cabinet meeting is set for Tuesday, but they said it is still not clear whether the decision-making body will vote to approve the deal.

The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were discussing internal deliberations.