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Palestinian-Americans Accuse Israel of Bias At Borders

A visa-free travel agreement paved the way for some Palestinian-Americans to land at Israel's Ben Gurion international airport © AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP/File
A visa-free travel agreement paved the way for some Palestinian-Americans to land at Israel's Ben Gurion international airport © AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP/File
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Palestinian-Americans Accuse Israel of Bias At Borders

A visa-free travel agreement paved the way for some Palestinian-Americans to land at Israel's Ben Gurion international airport © AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP/File
A visa-free travel agreement paved the way for some Palestinian-Americans to land at Israel's Ben Gurion international airport © AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP/File

A visa-free travel deal between Israel and the United States has raised hopes of easier journeys for Palestinian-Americans, but many still complain of discrimination by Israeli authorities.

The aim of the reciprocal agreement reached in July was for all Americans "to be recognized by Israel as US citizens and receive equal treatment" regardless of their origins, the US State Department said.

It paved the way for some Palestinian-Americans to finally land at Israel's Ben Gurion international airport -- which has been off limits to most of them for years -- rather than travel overland from Jordan.

However, despite progress on paper, Palestinian-Americans have complained of unequal treatment in a series of interviews AFP conducted in the United States and the Palestinian territories.

Hanna Hanania, a board member of the US Palestinian Council advocacy group, described the change at arrivals in Ben Gurion airport as an "improvement for everybody".

But, as he headed back to the US state of Virginia, he said he faced "total profiling" by Israeli officials who searched his car and insisted on seeing his Palestinian passport.

Jerusalem-born Hanania said he was also directed to a queue for additional security checks where he charged that "discrimination (was) very clear".

"Almost everybody in line one was speaking Arabic," he told AFP. "You can very clearly tell that it's mainly Palestinians or Arabs."

Israel's immigration authority did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the complaints.

More than 5,400 Palestinian-Americans have arrived in Israel since July 20, according to the Population and Immigration Authority.

Washington is now contemplating whether to admit Israel into its coveted visa waiver programme, with a decision due by September 30.

New York police officer Haidar Darwish, 38, landed in mid-August and said he was denied a three-month visa without a reason, instead being granted a month-long stay.

"This is not fair," Darwish said from the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"If they want to proceed with this visa (waiver programme), they need to treat us exactly the way they get treated when they get to the US."

Several Palestinian-Americans said they had complained about mistreatment to the US embassy in Jerusalem, which declined an AFP interview request.

In the West Bank village of Turmus Ayya, known for its sizeable American population, Abed Ijbar has sought advice from his neighbours before he returns to Tennessee later this month.

"(It's) the checkpoints from the West Bank to the airport that are driving them crazy," the 50-year-old said.

Neighbours warned Ijbar to leave hours early, recounting that they had been directed through multiple checkpoints before being searched and finally allowed to cross.

COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body responsible for civil affairs in the occupied West Bank, said security checks are conducted at crossings and anyone with a tourist visa can pass.

The visa waiver program has so far focused on those with ties to the West Bank but was on Monday extended to the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip.

Palestinian-Americans travelling to Gaza face more restrictions than those in the West Bank, under the rules announced by the US embassy.

There has been disappointment among Gazans living in the United States, who from Monday can fly to Tel Aviv but not travel onwards to the coastal territory.

Lara Abu Hamda, 18, tried unsuccessfully in July to cross from Jordan to Israel for the onward land journey to Gaza.

"I don't get it," she said. "I am American. Even though I was born in Gaza and I have a Gaza ID, why would it matter?"

Israel's immigration authority said entry has been denied to 10 Gazan-Americans, who were not yet included in the scheme, as well as three US citizens from the West Bank.

A Gazan artist living in Chicago, who requested anonymity due to security concerns, said he was held at a detention facility outside Tel Aviv airport.

He ultimately underwent thorough security checks, before being escorted to a flight without any belongings except his credit cards.

In his 30s, the artist said he was still trying to "detox from all the stress and anxiety that I've gathered in those 48 hours, being treated like a suspect".

For those living in Gaza, obtaining permission to leave through Israel is incredibly difficult.

As a result, most make the arduous and costly journey across Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

Now, another way has potentially opened for those with US citizenship.

In Gaza City, Saeed Araf Shaath said his family is "very, very excited" at the prospect of finally being able to enter Israel through the Erez crossing as Palestinian-Americans, and fly out from Ben Gurion airport.

Americans living in Gaza must still apply for a travel permit, which COGAT said allows them to travel onwards through "any international border crossing".

Shaath's 23-year-old daughter Zainah described why she wants to be able to cross through Erez and board a plane in Ben Gurion: "We need our own freedom, and to have a normal life."

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Arab World

Lebanon: Judicial Warrants Target Suspects in Hezbollah Explosives Case

Lebanon’s Military Court (National News Agency)
Lebanon’s Military Court (National News Agency)
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Lebanon: Judicial Warrants Target Suspects in Hezbollah Explosives Case

Lebanon’s Military Court (National News Agency)
Lebanon’s Military Court (National News Agency)

The investigation into a Hezbollah explosives shipment has widened, with Lebanese authorities issuing search notices for two people who went into hiding after being summoned for questioning.

Lebanese Army intelligence and the Internal Security Forces' Information Branch are also examining data extracted from phones linked to the case. Meanwhile, authorities have been unable to bring in two Hezbollah officials previously ordered to appear for questioning, as the group refuses to hand over wanted members and demands the return of the truck and its cargo.

Search notices issued as new suspects emerge

Judicial authorities have taken further action as preliminary investigations uncover new information.

A judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Judge Claude Ghanem, the government commissioner to the Military Court, had issued search notices for the wife of detainee Haitham Amhaz and the owner of the truck that transported the explosives.

The two were summoned for questioning by the Lebanese Army's Intelligence Directorate but failed to appear and went into hiding, the source said.

The source added that investigators had made progress in identifying additional people suspected of involvement in the shipment.

The move marks a new development in the security investigation, which continues to examine evidence related to the shipment and those involved in transporting it.

It also adds two names to the list of wanted individuals, while orders to bring in two Hezbollah officials known as "Sajed" and "Zulfiqar" remain unenforced.

Hezbollah refuses to hand over suspects, demands explosives returned

Despite developments in the investigation, Hezbollah continues to demand that the Lebanese state return the truck and its cargo of explosives, while refusing to allow wanted officials and members to appear for questioning.

The group has also escalated its challenge to the Lebanese state, declaring that it would treat "any attempt to arrest one of its officials or members as an Israeli act of aggression."

The judicial source said the preliminary investigation was continuing on two parallel tracks, led by Lebanese Army intelligence and the Internal Security Forces' Information Branch, despite the failure of those summoned to appear.

The source stressed that the investigation would continue regardless of whether the wanted individuals were handed over, saying the procedures would run their course.

Investigators examine phones and communications

The source said data extracted from the phones of detainees Ali al-Kurdi and Haitham Amhaz, as well as Amhaz's wife's phone, had yielded information that investigators were verifying and cross-checking against other findings.

The information remains under review, with no final conclusions or decisions on possible further action, the source said.

The examination of phone data has become particularly important because investigators have been unable to question the wanted individuals.

The source said investigators were focusing on the content of communications and the nature of the connections revealed by the data.

"Important information has undoubtedly emerged and is being examined to determine the responsibility of everyone connected in some way to this shipment," the source said.

Arab World

Baghdad Fears Armed Factions Could Join Potential US-Iran War

Two Iraqi security personnel flash victory signs in Baghdad on September 30 to mark the withdrawal of US forces (EPA)
Two Iraqi security personnel flash victory signs in Baghdad on September 30 to mark the withdrawal of US forces (EPA)
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Baghdad Fears Armed Factions Could Join Potential US-Iran War

Two Iraqi security personnel flash victory signs in Baghdad on September 30 to mark the withdrawal of US forces (EPA)
Two Iraqi security personnel flash victory signs in Baghdad on September 30 to mark the withdrawal of US forces (EPA)

Iraq's push to bring armed factions under state control faces a critical test as fears mount of renewed war between the United States and Iran, raising the prospect of militia involvement that could drag Baghdad into a regional conflict it is determined to avoid.

The concerns come amid US and Israeli reports of plans to resume strikes on Iran after the November 3 US midterm elections, with efforts to cement a ceasefire at an impasse.

The prospect leaves Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's government facing a delicate balancing act: keeping Iraq out of another war while preserving ties with Washington, even as armed factions retain military capabilities and the freedom to act independently of Baghdad, observers say.

Al-Zaidi outlined a phased disarmament plan in a September interview with The New York Times during a visit to New York, setting June 30, 2027, as the new deadline for bringing all weapons under state control. The previous deadline was September 30, 2026.

The plan begins with a 90-day period during which factions would halt attacks on US interests and neighboring countries in return for US forces refraining from targeting them. A gradual handover of weapons would follow over the next six months.

But setting a deadline has done little to settle disputes over how the plan would work. Powerful factions remain unwilling to disarm, with some insisting that foreign troops must leave first. Nor do public pledges to accept state control necessarily amount to binding commitments to surrender heavy weapons, missiles or drones.

Risks of escalation

Talib Mohammed Karim, a political science professor at Mustansiriyah University, said the scale of any US strike and Israel's role in it would largely determine how far Iraqi factions become involved.

Direct Israeli strikes on Iran, he told Asharq Al-Awsat, would make it "more serious" for some factions to shift from attacking US interests and bases in the region to striking deep inside Israel, potentially setting off retaliatory attacks and widening the conflict.

Karim said Baghdad's responsibility went beyond restraining armed factions. It must also prevent Iraqi territory from being drawn into the war and safeguard the country's sovereignty and national interests under the constitution.

Factions tied to Iran's supreme leader

Ghalib al-Daami, a media professor at Mustansiriyah University, expects any initial involvement by Iraqi factions to be indirect, most likely through attacks on US interests.

The factions have already declared their readiness to fight alongside Iran if war resumes, Daami told Asharq Al-Awsat. But openly entering the conflict could leave them in a "predicament," he said.

Abdulrahman al-Jubouri, a specialist in US affairs, said the factions do not necessarily share Baghdad's priorities, pointing to Kataib Hezbollah, whose ideology is directly tied to Iran's supreme leader.

"Al-Zaidi's position is not binding on these groups. Some say they remain committed to the truce, but they have not changed their view of the United States as an enemy," Jubouri said.

No united front among factions

Basil Hussein, head of the Kluadha Center for Political Studies, does not expect Iraqi factions to respond in unison to another US-Iran war.

Groups most closely aligned with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, particularly Kataib Hezbollah and the Nujaba Movement, could follow Tehran's calculations and expand their attacks to US interests and energy facilities across the region, Hussein told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Others, including Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib al-Imam Ali, which have declared their support for bringing weapons under state control, are more likely to stay out of the fighting. But those declarations offer no guarantee of how they would respond if the war spreads, he said.

For al-Zaidi's government, Hussein said, the stakes are especially high. Renewed fighting could hand factions resisting disarmament another reason to keep their weapons while exposing Iraq to US and regional retaliation.

Researcher and academic Abbas Abboud outlined two paths for the factions: honor an agreement with the government to place weapons first under the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and then surrender them in stages, or join attacks on US interests inside or outside Iraq.

The second path could unravel the government's central program, Abboud warned.

If the factions join Iran in a war against the United States, he said, Baghdad could face severe political and security fallout, with Iraq dragged into the fighting "against its will and political decision."

Economic strain and sovereignty

Political researcher Hani Ashour said al-Zaidi's insistence that weapons remain under state control and decisions on war and peace rest with constitutional institutions reflects Baghdad's official determination to avoid another regional conflict.

A renewed US-Iran war could upend the regional landscape, Ashour told Asharq Al-Awsat, as Iraq struggles to shield itself from the fallout while grappling with difficult economic conditions.

Ashour believes the government will not allow factions to join the fighting under any pretext, noting that several have already pledged to place their weapons under state control.

Whether Baghdad can enforce that position, however, depends on turning political pledges into action. Factions remain divided over disarmament, with the timing and terms of any handover still in dispute.

Political researcher Falah al-Mishal said government warnings against those promoting weapons outside state control were in line with al-Zaidi's government program. Under existing laws, he noted, penalties for incitement or terrorist acts can extend to the death penalty.

Arab World

Aden Governor After Escaping Airport Missile Attack: Hostilities Will Not Deter People of Yemen

Aden Governor Abdulrahman Sheikh tours Aden airport before the Houthi militia attack. (Saba)
Aden Governor Abdulrahman Sheikh tours Aden airport before the Houthi militia attack. (Saba)
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Aden Governor After Escaping Airport Missile Attack: Hostilities Will Not Deter People of Yemen

Aden Governor Abdulrahman Sheikh tours Aden airport before the Houthi militia attack. (Saba)
Aden Governor Abdulrahman Sheikh tours Aden airport before the Houthi militia attack. (Saba)

Aden Governor Abdulrahman Sheikh narrowly escaped a ballistic missile strike on Wednesday when it landed near the city's international airport shortly after he left the facility during a routine inspection tour.

Sheikh, who also serves as Yemen's minister of state, had visited Aden International Airport to inspect runway rehabilitation work before continuing to other sites across the city. Shortly after his departure, he learned of the attempt to target him.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Sheikh said he had been inspecting the third phase of the airport's rehabilitation project, carried out by the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen. Work on the runway was between 70% and 80% complete, he said.

The attack did not interrupt his schedule.

Sheikh continued his tour, inspecting public service projects and visiting various security departments.

Such threats have become part of daily life for officials in the interim capital, Aden, since the war in 2015 and the Houthi coup, forcing authorities to weigh security risks against the need to maintain services and advance reconstruction.

Sheikh said local authorities take precautions against Houthi drone and ballistic missile attacks, including avoiding prolonged stays at inspection sites and keeping official movements unannounced.

He revealed that security agencies had busted several Houthi sleeper cells in Aden and other provinces as part of efforts to protect the city and its vital facilities.

The governor insisted that attacks would not deter Yemenis from performing their duties or halt efforts to improve conditions in Aden.

Beyond security threats, Aden faces mounting pressure to provide essential services, with shortages of cooking gas, strains on electricity supplies and continued demand for medicines and medical equipment.

Sheikh described the overall situation as reassuring despite difficulties securing some basic necessities.

He attributed the cooking gas shortage to disrupted supplies from Marib province, which have been affected by the war, and rising demand that has outpaced available quantities.

Electricity remains another major challenge, with exceptional circumstances placing further pressure on the sector and threatening services that residents depend on.

Healthcare facilities also require regular deliveries of medicines and medical supplies to sustain operations and meet patients' needs.

Sheikh praised support from the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen, the Joint Forces and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, highlighting their contributions to the regular supply of medicines and medical equipment.

He said local authorities would continue to oversee development projects and maintain essential services despite security and economic challenges.

For Aden, the missile strike underscored the risks confronting a city struggling to rebuild amid persistent threats.

The attack came moments after the governor left the airport, but his inspection tour went ahead, reflecting the authorities' determination to keep reconstruction and public services moving despite the obstacles posed by the Houthis, stressed Sheikh.