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Palestinian Authority Demands Activating Role of Int’l Quartet

Israeli PM Bennett (C) and FM Lapid (L) during a cabinet meeting on Sunday. (AP)
Israeli PM Bennett (C) and FM Lapid (L) during a cabinet meeting on Sunday. (AP)
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Palestinian Authority Demands Activating Role of Int’l Quartet

Israeli PM Bennett (C) and FM Lapid (L) during a cabinet meeting on Sunday. (AP)
Israeli PM Bennett (C) and FM Lapid (L) during a cabinet meeting on Sunday. (AP)

The Palestinian Authority has called for activating the role of the International Quartet, which has been almost frozen for several years.

“We demand that the role of the International Quartet be activated, and we support the Russian invitation for a ministerial-level meeting for this committee,” announced member of the Fatah Central Committee and Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein al-Sheikh.

Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for activating the work of the Quartet on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Moscow is working to organize a meeting of the Quartet, which includes the US, Russia, European Union and UN, at the level of foreign ministers.

A Palestinian source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington does not want to launch any initiatives of any kind at this time and prefers to wait, fearing that pressure will cause the collapse of the government in Israel.

The source emphasized that attempts to revive the Quartet have been in place for a long time, without success.

He added that the PA officially requested the revival of the Quartet and confirmed its willingness to engage in negotiations under its sponsorship but has not received an answer.

The Quartet was formed in 2002 to sponsor the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, but it ended because the parties believed its role was ineffective.

The Trump administration refused to activate its role unless the Palestinians agreed to a peace solution according to his so-called “deal of the century” proposal.

The committee held its first meeting on March 24 after Joe Biden assumed the presidency. It called for resuming meaningful negotiations based on a two-state solution in line with international resolutions.

The PA is counting on a more active US role amid attempts to strengthen the authority politically and economically.

The ruling coalition in Israel, meanwhile, appears so far unqualified to take major steps. At the moment, the government is focused on approving a new budget in November before making political proposals.

Israeli officials on Sunday predicted that PM Naftali Bennett’s government may collapse after the approval of the budget due to American demands related to the Palestinians.

Israel Hayom newspaper reported that the Biden administration had postponed all requests regarding Israel’s contribution to the Palestinian issue until after the government approves the budget.

A right-wing source told the newspaper some of the demands the White House is expected to make could lead to the government’s resignation. These demands include plans to reopen an embassy to the Palestinians in Jerusalem, in what would offer de facto recognition of Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian state.

This development could spark sharp criticism from right-wing members of the coalition, leading to the government’s demise. The official said that as soon as the budget is approved, disagreements would rise, making it harder to overcome internal tensions.

Members of the coalition, such as Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, want to launch negotiations with the Palestinians. Bennett and Gideon Saar, however, do not believe in negotiations or the Palestinians’ right to a state.

Israeli analyst Yoni Ben Menachem said Bennett is not interested in the return of negotiations with the PA.

The government could also face external opposition, as the coalition is expected to be met with fierce criticism from the parliament, which is likely to witness sharp divisions over proposed laws.

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Arab World

Palestinians Decry Israeli Push for Control over Ancient West Bank Sites

Pillars and archaeological remains in the ancient village of Sebastia, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Pillars and archaeological remains in the ancient village of Sebastia, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
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Palestinians Decry Israeli Push for Control over Ancient West Bank Sites

Pillars and archaeological remains in the ancient village of Sebastia, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Pillars and archaeological remains in the ancient village of Sebastia, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

An Israeli bill that would extend civil control over ancient sites in the West Bank has drawn criticism from Palestinians and Israeli rights groups who say it is tantamount to annexation of occupied land and would expand Jewish settlements.

The "Heritage Authority in Judea and Samaria" bill passed one of three votes by Israel's parliament in May, but it is unclear whether the final vote will be held before parliament disperses ahead of an election expected by October 27.

The bill would bring management of Roman, Byzantine and Crusader-era sites under Israeli Ministry of Heritage management and allow related "expropriation and purchase of real estate" in the West Bank, which Israel calls by its Hebrew biblical name, Reuters reported.

That in effect would strip away oversight of some ancient sites from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which under the 1990s Oslo peace accords has exercised limited self-rule in parts of ‌the West Bank, ‌territory Israel captured in a 1967 war.

The PA's tourism minister, Hani Al-Hayek, said "control over these ‌antiquities ⁠is intended to ⁠expand control and expand settlements in these areas, deep inside Palestinian territories."

Israel says the bill's purpose is to protect ancient sites.

VILLAGE NEAR ANCIENT SEBASTIA SITE FACES LAND CONFISCATION

Peace Now, an Israeli settlements watchdog, said the bill "constitutes an annexationist measure in every respect" and would lead to broad-scale confiscation of Palestinian land.

Using archaeology to expand settlements is not a new practice, but the scope of the Israeli government's measures has been unprecedented, Peace Now said.

One example is the Palestinian village of Sebastia in the northern West Bank where residents, many of whom trace their roots to the land back centuries, rely heavily on tourism to a nearby archaeological site.

The ancient site in ⁠Sebastia has ruins from the 9th-century B.C. Israelite kingdom as well as Roman, Byzantine, Crusader ‌and Ottoman remnants, archaeologists say. It is on a tentative list for inclusion as ‌a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In late 2025, Israel announced a plan to seize about 1,800 dunams (445 acres) at the site, which it ‌said was meant to develop the area, affecting around 5,000 olive trees growing in the village groves, village officials said.

"They ‌are incorporating areas containing water resources, roads and antiquities, leaving us as residents without any resources. It is part of settlement expansion," said Sebastia Deputy Mayor Nizar Kayed.

Business had already been suffering since late 2023 with tourism dropping because of war in the region, said Nahed Sakha, whose Sebastia restaurant is on land slated for confiscation.

"It seems that the Israeli plan (is) to isolate the archaeological site from the people," Sakha said.

ISRAEL CITES ‌ANCIENT TIES TO THE LAND

Israeli parliament member Zvi Sukkot, who has been key in advancing the new bill, says extending Israeli control over the sites is meant to safeguard ⁠ancient remnants dating back to biblical ⁠times.

"There's nothing here that changes the legal status of Judea and Samaria," he told Reuters.

"There are many people who are bothered by our desire to prove the ties between the people of Israel and this land," he said. "All the stories of the Bible, all our history, the people (of Israel) were born in Judea and Samaria."

Sukkot is a member of the pro-settler Religious Zionism party. Like many in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, he opposes the creation of a Palestinian state and advocates annexation of the West Bank.

UN bodies and most countries view Israel's settlements as illegal under international law, violating the Fourth Geneva Convention provision barring the transfer of civilian population into occupied territory.

Israel rejects this view, saying the West Bank, which it captured in the 1967 war, is disputed territory. It cites security needs and biblical and historical ties to the land.

But the new bill has also caused concern among legal officials in Israel's defense establishment and Israeli scientists.

In an open letter to Netanyahu and Sukkot, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities called for it to be scrapped.

"This will undoubtedly lead to an immediate deterioration in Israel's international relations in the field of archaeology, and it will also have an impact on other areas of science and research," the academy said.

Arab World

Israel Says One Soldier Killed in Lebanon after Vehicle Overturned

Israeli soldiers carrying the coffin of a soldier killed in southern Lebanon during his funeral in Kfar Saba, Israel, on Sunday (dpa)
Israeli soldiers carrying the coffin of a soldier killed in southern Lebanon during his funeral in Kfar Saba, Israel, on Sunday (dpa)
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Israel Says One Soldier Killed in Lebanon after Vehicle Overturned

Israeli soldiers carrying the coffin of a soldier killed in southern Lebanon during his funeral in Kfar Saba, Israel, on Sunday (dpa)
Israeli soldiers carrying the coffin of a soldier killed in southern Lebanon during his funeral in Kfar Saba, Israel, on Sunday (dpa)

An Israeli military official ‌said ‌on Thursday a ‌soldier ⁠was killed in ⁠southern Lebanon after a vehicle ⁠had ‌overturned.

The official ‌described the ‌incident ‌as an accident, Reuters said.

Earlier, the ‌military said a soldier ⁠had ⁠died during "operational activity".

The pace of violence in Lebanon has eased recently, but Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stressed that his forces would remain in southern Lebanon.

“We have stated that, in any case, we will not withdraw, and up to this moment — and this is a diplomatic achievement — there has been no US request for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon,” Katz said in an interview during a conference of local leaders in Tel Aviv.

Israel and Lebanon are currently holding US-mediated talks in Washington aimed at reaching a diplomatic solution to the conflict, including the disarmament of Hezbollah and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Since April, Lebanon has engaged in direct talks with Israel under US pressure, with the aim of ending the latest war between Hezbollah and Israel.

Lebanese authorities have stressed their determination to keep Lebanon’s file separate from negotiations involving Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer.

On Wednesday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed that “the negotiations in Washington are separate from the meetings held in Switzerland last week between the United States and Iran, which were followed by Qatar and Pakistan.”

Arab World

Iraqi Judiciary Applies ‘Terrorism Provisions’ to Drones

People watch as smoke billows from an oil warehouse in the Kani Qirzhala area on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike, on April 1, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
People watch as smoke billows from an oil warehouse in the Kani Qirzhala area on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike, on April 1, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Iraqi Judiciary Applies ‘Terrorism Provisions’ to Drones

People watch as smoke billows from an oil warehouse in the Kani Qirzhala area on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike, on April 1, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
People watch as smoke billows from an oil warehouse in the Kani Qirzhala area on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike, on April 1, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council has instructed the country’s courts to apply the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Law to anyone who manufactures, uses, or possesses drones for unlawful purposes, while a security official said the directive is aimed specifically at curbing the activities of armed factions.

In a brief statement on Wednesday, the Council said it had directed the competent courts to enforce Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005 against “anyone who manufactures, uses, or possesses drones employed for purposes contrary to the law.”

The law is Iraq’s principal legal framework for prosecuting terrorist crimes that threaten national unity and public safety, carrying penalties of up to the death sentence for perpetrators, instigators, planners, and financiers.

The directive comes amid months of government efforts to bring all weapons under state control and dismantle armed groups operating outside official security institutions.

An Interior Ministry security official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the judicial directive is “exclusively linked to armed factions” and is intended to increase pressure on them. He said the measure places drone-related offenses under terrorism statutes even though Iraqi law permits the use of officially licensed drones, indicating that it is directed at attacks carried out - or potentially to be carried out - by armed factions.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official described drones as one of Iraq’s most serious security challenges because they are easy to transport and operate, while the country lacks effective counter-drone capabilities, a weakness exposed during recent attacks.

Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28, armed factions have carried out hundreds of attacks, many involving drones, against civilian and military targets.

Kurdish sources say cities in the Kurdistan Region alone have come under more than 800 attacks by Iran-aligned factions, ostensibly because of the presence of US forces and Iranian Kurdish opposition groups.

The factions have also launched dozens of drone attacks against vital assets in several Gulf states and Jordan, prompting those countries to issue a joint statement on March 25 condemning the attacks and urging Baghdad to take immediate action to halt operations by Iran-backed armed groups.

Iraq has long permitted drones for civilian, commercial, and official security purposes, provided operators obtain prior approval from the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority and the relevant security agencies.

In early February, the authority introduced new regulations governing licensing, operating requirements, legal obligations, and approved uses, including media production, filmmaking, advertising, tourism, protection of oil and energy pipelines and public utilities, agriculture, environmental monitoring, border security, and official Interior Ministry thermal-drone operations against smugglers.

Drone manufacturing is also “common in Iraq,” according to Ahmed al-Janabi, a software and telecommunications engineer, though primarily for civilian and service-related uses. He said drone components are widely available on Iraqi markets and enter the country through multiple routes, including smuggling networks from Iran via Sulaymaniyah.

Specialized import offices also supply drones, often disguising component shipments. While authorities routinely confiscate unauthorized drones and impose relatively light prison sentences on violators, al-Janabi said the key change is that such offenses are now prosecuted under the Anti-Terrorism Law.