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Israeli Delegation to Visit the US Sunday to Discuss Iran Sanctions

Israeli Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi speaks at a memorial ceremony on Jerusalem's Mount Herzl national cemetery on April 11, 2021.
Israeli Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi speaks at a memorial ceremony on Jerusalem's Mount Herzl national cemetery on April 11, 2021.
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Israeli Delegation to Visit the US Sunday to Discuss Iran Sanctions

Israeli Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi speaks at a memorial ceremony on Jerusalem's Mount Herzl national cemetery on April 11, 2021.
Israeli Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi speaks at a memorial ceremony on Jerusalem's Mount Herzl national cemetery on April 11, 2021.

Senior Israeli intelligence and military officials are expected to travel to Washington on Sunday for talks with US officials on the Iranian danger and the potential harm in returning to the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.

An Israeli security official said Friday that the trip aims to limit tension between Israel and the administration of Joe Biden on Iran’s nuclear program.

He said the Israeli delegation would request from Washington some amendments when discussing a deal with Iran, mainly not to lift all sanctions.

Israel also wants the US to include a clause in the new deal that will allow inspectors to visit Iranian nuclear sites without prior warning.

Political sources said that due to disputes in Tel Aviv between Netanyahu and the military leadership, a decision was taken to divide the Israeli delegation to Washington into two independent groups.

The military delegation shall include army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, Mossad head Yossi Cohen and the army’s military intelligence directorate head, Maj. Gen. Tamir Haymen.

A political delegation including Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben Shabbat and Ambassador of Israel to the US Gilad Erdan is expected to arrive in Washington on Monday to launch an international campaign against Iran’s policies and its plans to dominate the Middle East.

The sources said the military delegation is scheduled to meet with a number of top US defense officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, head of the US Central Command Kenneth McKenzie, and head of the US Special Operations Command Richard Clark.

The Israeli news site Walla quoted a security official as saying that the timing of Kochavi’s visit to Washington is extremely important because an agreement between the US and Iran could be signed in a week.

“Therefore, this is our last endeavor to reveal to the US administration the military situation in the Middle East and the repercussions such deal would have on the region,” the news site said.

The official confirmed that in Washington, the Kochavi delegation’s discussions would focus on the nuclear deal and Iran’s role in the Middle East, especially in Syria and Lebanon.

Kochavi will give sensitive information about the nuclear deal, in addition to Hezbollah’s efforts to improve the precision of its missiles and the current cooperation between the Lebanese party and other organizations, he added.

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Trump Administration Cancels Travel for Refugees Already Cleared to Resettle in the US

An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
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Trump Administration Cancels Travel for Refugees Already Cleared to Resettle in the US

An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)

Refugees who had been approved to travel to the United States before a deadline next week suspending America's refugee resettlement program have had their travel plans canceled by the Trump administration.

Thousands of refugees who fled war and persecution and had gone through a sometimes yearslong process to start new lives in America are now stranded at various locations worldwide. That includes more than 1,600 Afghans who assisted America's war effort, as well as relatives of active-duty US military personnel.

President Donald Trump paused the refugee resettlement program this week as part of a series of executive orders cracking down on immigration. His move had left open the possibility that refugees who had been screened to come to the US and had flights booked before the Jan. 27 deadline might be able to get in under the wire.

But in an email dated Tuesday and reviewed by The Associated Press, the US agency overseeing refugee processing and arrivals told staff and stakeholders that "refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice."

There are a little more than 10,000 refugees from around the world who had already gone through the lengthy refugee admission process and had travel scheduled over the next few weeks, according to a document obtained by the AP. It was not immediately clear how many of those had been set to arrive by upcoming deadline.

Among those are more than 1,600 Afghans cleared to come to the US as part of the program that the Biden administration set up after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Many veterans of America's longest war have tried for years to help Afghans they worked with, in addition to their families, find refuge in the US. Many were prepared for a suspension of the resettlement program but had hoped for special consideration for the Afghans.

"The Trump administration’s early pause of refugee flights is alarming, leaving thousands of Afghan allies in fear and uncertainty," said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts. "We are ready to partner to fix this and urge clear communication with impacted families. Let’s honor our promises and uphold America’s values."

There is a separate path — the special immigrant visa program— specifically for Afghans who worked directly with the US government. VanDiver's group said that program, set up by Congress, did not appear to be affected at this time.

Trump's order signed Monday had given the State Department a week before it began to halt all processing and traveling. It appears the timing was moved up, though it was not immediately clear what prompted the change.

The State Department referred questions to the White House.

Agencies that help refugees settle and adjust to life in America have argued that this is the type of legal immigration that Trump and his supporters say they like and have pointed to the stringent background checks and sometimes yearslong wait that refugees endure before setting foot in America.

"This abrupt halt to refugee admissions is devastating for families who have already endured unimaginable hardship and waited years for the chance to rebuild their lives in safety," Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refuge, one of the 10 US resettlement agencies, said in a statement Wednesday.

"Refugees go through one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the world, and many are now seeing their travel canceled just days, or even hours, before they were set to begin their new lives in the United States," she said. "It’s utterly heartbreaking."

Refugees are distinct from people who come directly to the US-Mexico border with the goal of eventually seeking asylum. Refugees must be living outside of the US to be considered for resettlement and are usually referred to the State Department by the United Nations.

While the resettlement program has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, the first Trump administration also temporarily halted resettlement and then lowered the number of refugees who could enter the country annually.