Azerbaijan to Open Representative Office in Ramallah

The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, with Azeri Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov (dpa)
The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, with Azeri Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov (dpa)
TT

Azerbaijan to Open Representative Office in Ramallah

The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, with Azeri Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov (dpa)
The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, with Azeri Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov (dpa)

The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, sent a letter to the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, confirming his country's desire to boost bilateral ties and open a representative office soon, according to sources in the Palestinian presidency.

The message was delivered by Azeri Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, who was at the Palestinian presidency in Ramallah on Thursday.

The sources said that Abbas briefed Bayramov and his accompanying delegation on the latest developments in the Palestinian territories, especially since Azerbaijan heads the Non-Aligned Movement.

The President referred to Palestine's keenness to boost the solid historical relations with Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan recognizes the State of Palestine, which has an embassy in Baku.

The Foreign Minister conveyed the greetings of Aliyev, stressing his country's desire to improve brotherly ties.

Baku will soon open its representative office in Palestine, provide 25 scholarships for Palestinian students, and build a school in Nablus with Azeri funding.

Before concluding his visit to the region, Bayramov laid a wreath at the tomb of the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and visited his museum.

The Director General of the Yasser Arafat Foundation, Ahmed Suboh, and the director of the Yasser Arafat Museum, Mohammad Halayqa, briefed the Azerbaijani Minister and his accompanying delegation on the details of the shows at the museum.

Bayramov asserted the close historical ties between Azerbaijan and Palestine, lauding the efforts of Arafat in consolidating them.

Earlier, Bayramov opened an Azeri embassy in Tel Aviv and met with several Israeli officials, led by President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.

He confirmed that Israeli-Azeri relations had moved to the highest cooperation and strategic and security partnership stages.

Netanyahu stressed that there are common regional challenges between Israel and Azerbaijan in light of the regional security challenges and Iran's threat to regional stability.



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)
TT

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.