Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has urged the Biden Administration to cancel a law that deems his Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) a terror group. In an address to the annual conference of the Jewish lobby group J Street, Abbas said he looked forward to “develop[ing] and strengthen[ing]” ties with the White House, but noted that this would require “the elimination of some obstacles.”
The Palestinians severed all ties with Washington in 2017 after former president Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. PA leader Abbas, who recently entered the 17th year of his four-year mandate, called for J Street’s “assistance with the US administration and Congress to repeal all laws that block the road toward enhancing Palestinian-US relations,” including the PLO’s designation under the 1987 Anti-Terrorism Act.
The PLO, an umbrella organization that encompasses terror groups like the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, is recognized by the Arab League and the UN as the representative of the Palestinian people. But while a large part of the international community views the PLO as such, Israel and the US designated it a terrorist organization.
In his video address, Abbas claimed that the terror designation was no longer relevant because the PLO signed the Oslo Accords with Israel. If Biden were to remove the PLO from the terror list, Abbas issued a vague promise to reciprocate and strengthen ties with Washington.
Israeli ministers have expressed concern about the ongoing nuclear talks between Iran and world powers. An Israeli source, who was present at the security cabinet meeting, claimed that while the Biden Administration is aware of Israel’s positions, it does not seem to be taking them into consideration.
“The Americans want a deal at all costs and the Iranians know it,” the source was quoted as saying.
Indirect talks between the US and Iran have been held in the Austrian capital of Vienna for the past two weeks. The stated goal is for both sides to return to compliance with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran Deal.
Meanwhile, Israel’s security cabinet convened this week to discuss the Iranian threat; this, following the attack on the nuclear facility at Natanz and bombing of an Iranian ship that had been serving as a covert IRGC military base on the Red Sea. Officials have attributed both incidents to Israel. For its part, Iran is accused of targeting Israeli-owned vessels as well.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Quds Force Deputy Chief Muhammad Hussein-Zada Hejazi has reportedly died from a “heart condition,” the IRGC announced. Israel previously identified him as the man behind Iran’s project to manufacture precision-guided missiles for its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah. He was also suspected to be one of the planners of the 1994 bombing at the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people.
Tourists vaccinated against the coronavirus who enter Israel may soon be eligible to receive a so-called green passport, granting them access to hotels, restaurants and other attractions, a government official confirmed. Talks with the US and several European countries on the matter are reportedly in advanced stages. According to the unnamed official, Israeli authorities hope to finalize arrangements by the end of the month.
Last week, Jerusalem announced that it would reopen the country to vaccinated foreign tourists, more than a year after closing its borders to most international visitors due to the global pandemic. The Tourism Ministry said a limited number of tour groups would be permitted to visit the Jewish state beginning May 23.
Currently, Israelis can only enter hotels, dine indoors at restaurants and frequent event and cultural halls if they are holders of the green passport, a document that features a QR code and an ID number.
Meanwhile, the success of Israel’s world-leading vaccination drive has allowed authorities to end a mandate requiring masks to be worn outdoors. The announcement came as the country is experiencing a heatwave. Schools throughout Israel this week were also fully reopened.
Israeli parliamentarian Michael Malkiel (Shas) on Monday was set to advance legislation to hold a direct election for Israel’s next prime minister. The proposal is ostensibly meant end the country’s political deadlock, though many of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s critics say the reform would only benefit the premier.
President Reuven Rivlin two weeks ago handed Netanyahu (Likud) the mandate to form a government, after an unprecedented fourth election in two years. However, Netanyahu has thus far failed to secure the necessary support. Nevertheless, polling suggests that Israel’s longest-serving prime minister would win if a direct vote for the premiership was held.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted to its Arabic-language Twitter account a video it said was received from an Iraqi sympathetic to the Jewish state. The video paid tribute to Israel and to the victims of the Holocaust.
رسالة من عراقي تعبيرا عن تعاطفه مع دولة #اسرائيل 🇮🇱وهي واحدة من المئات التي تصلنا يوميا فيها تطلع واضح الى السلام مع اسرائيل والتخلص من المليشيات التي استنفذت طاقات العراق🇮🇶 الذي كان متفوقا في مختلف المجالات pic.twitter.com/xmF4hsvUDy
— إسرائيل بالعربية (@IsraelArabic) April 18, 2021
A hand is seen with a Star of David drawn on it, along with what appears to be the word “Jude” (Jew) inside the star.
“It is one of hundreds that we receive every day in which there is a clear aspiration for peace with Israel and getting rid of the militias that have exhausted the energies of Iraq,” the accompanying text in the Foreign Ministry’s tweet read.
Recommended Reading
- Washington Must Confront Iran Over Sensitive Nuclear Work (Andrea Stricker and Jacob Nagel, Foundation for Defense of Democracies)
- The New Blood Libel of “Medical Apartheid” (Edwin Black, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies)
- Coronavirus, Israel and the US Jewish Community (Farley Weiss, Jewish News Syndicate)
- Israeli Scientists Say They’ve Paved Way to Turn Off Brain’s ‘Hunger Switch’ (Nathan Jeffay, re-posted on NoCamels)
- Israel’s Ancient Bedouin Culture Gets New Life Online (Naama Barak, Israel21C)
