PA Seeks Preventing ‘Third Intifada’ in West Bank

Demonstrators clash with Palestinian security forces in Nablus in the West Bank last month (Reuters)
Demonstrators clash with Palestinian security forces in Nablus in the West Bank last month (Reuters)
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PA Seeks Preventing ‘Third Intifada’ in West Bank

Demonstrators clash with Palestinian security forces in Nablus in the West Bank last month (Reuters)
Demonstrators clash with Palestinian security forces in Nablus in the West Bank last month (Reuters)

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is seeking to curb confrontations in Jenin and Nablus from spilling over to other cities in the West Bank. Total chaos erupting in the West Bank threatens to further weaken and undermine the PA.

Palestinian security services raised the level of alert after receiving higher instructions to maintain order in Palestinian cities, camps, and villages in all areas of the West Bank, a well-informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

According to the source, who requested anonymity, Palestinian orders to tighten security came to prevent the events in Jenin and Nablus from turning into a third intifada.

“The Palestinian leadership does not want to be dragged into the chaos that Israel seeks. It clearly does not want a devastating third intifada,” said the source.

The PA accuses Israel of seeking to rattle the situation further by storming houses in Jenin and Nablus to kill and arrest armed Palestinians and activists. Israeli politicians and military officials who spoke to the media had encouraged expanding confrontations.

Israeli officials argued that the PA was helpless in the West Bank and that militants could launch a third intifada that is stronger and more dangerous on Tel Aviv.

“In Israel, they are using inflammatory speech and encouraging chaos in a clear way,” the source told Asharq-Al-Awsat.

“Israel wants to present the PA as a mere security agent instead of a national project with the goal of establishing the state,” they added.

Not only Israel is seeking to undermine the PA, but also Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and rivals of President Mahmoud Abbas within the Fatah movement.

They are taking advantage of the opportunity to undermine or weaken the PA by financing armed groups in Jenin and Nablus. Moreover, these groups are also inciting Palestinian youth to join the confrontation.



US Imposes Sanctions on Yemen Bank, Citing Support to Houthis

Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, DC, US, August 29, 2020. (Reuters)
Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, DC, US, August 29, 2020. (Reuters)
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US Imposes Sanctions on Yemen Bank, Citing Support to Houthis

Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, DC, US, August 29, 2020. (Reuters)
Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, DC, US, August 29, 2020. (Reuters)

The United States unveiled sanctions Thursday on a Yemen bank, including its key leaders, citing its support for Houthi militants in that country.

The designation of the International Bank of Yemen (IBY) complements a government effort "to stop Iran-backed Houthi attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea," said the US Treasury Department.

The Houthis launched an armed coup in 2014, seizing control of the capital Sanaa and other several provinces.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted shipping lanes using missiles and drones in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where a brutal war has raged since October that year.

"Financial institutions like IBY are critical to the Houthis' efforts to access the international financial system and threaten both the region and international commerce," said Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender in a statement.

The official said the US government was "committed to working with the internationally recognized government of Yemen."

Thursday's action follows a designation in January of the Yemen Kuwait Bank for Trade and Investment.

In a separate statement, the US State Department added that Washington was "committed to disrupting Houthi financial networks and banking access."

Besides the IBY, key leaders targeted in Thursday's actions are Kamal Hussain Al Jebry, Ahmed Thabit Noman Al-Absi and Abdulkader Ali Bazara, the Treasury Department said.

As a result of sanctions, property and interests in property of designated individuals in the United States are blocked and must be reported.