19 sept 2017
Israel and U.S. officials on Monday inaugurated the first permanent American military base in 1948 occupied Palestine, which will bring dozens of U.S. troops and a missile defense system to the area.
According to Israeli and US sources, the facility will include barracks and several other buildings for U.S. troops to be stationed in southern Israel, as well as systems to identify and intercept various aerial threats. It will operate under Israeli military directives.
Israeli Air Force Brig. Gen. Zvika Haimovich claimed the base is largely to serve as “a joint Israeli and American effort to sustain and enhance our defensive capabilities,” and will not bring operational changes such as training or exercises.
“It's a message that says Israel is better prepared. It's a message that says Israel is improving the response to threats,” Haimovich, the commander of Israel's aerial defense, told the Associated Press.
According to Israeli and US sources, the facility will include barracks and several other buildings for U.S. troops to be stationed in southern Israel, as well as systems to identify and intercept various aerial threats. It will operate under Israeli military directives.
Israeli Air Force Brig. Gen. Zvika Haimovich claimed the base is largely to serve as “a joint Israeli and American effort to sustain and enhance our defensive capabilities,” and will not bring operational changes such as training or exercises.
“It's a message that says Israel is better prepared. It's a message that says Israel is improving the response to threats,” Haimovich, the commander of Israel's aerial defense, told the Associated Press.
17 sept 2017
Hamas Refugee Affairs Department warned Saturday of underway attempts by the American Congress to rescind the “refugee status” from descendants of Palestinians who were displaced from their homes starting 1948 onwards.
Recently, reports have emerged on Israeli attempts to pressure the Trump-led US administration to dismantle UNRWA.
Hamas said Israel has left no stone unturned to liquidate the refugees issue and violate the right of return for 2/3 of Palestinians displaced across the occupied territories and in the diaspora.
Hamas warned of Israeli attempts to uphold the “refugee status” only for first and second-generation refugees and to merge UNRWA with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Hamas said such attempts are unacceptable, calling on the national factions and the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take serious steps so as to prop up UNRWA’s budget and push for resolutions that protect the rights of the Palestinian refugees.
Recently, reports have emerged on Israeli attempts to pressure the Trump-led US administration to dismantle UNRWA.
Hamas said Israel has left no stone unturned to liquidate the refugees issue and violate the right of return for 2/3 of Palestinians displaced across the occupied territories and in the diaspora.
Hamas warned of Israeli attempts to uphold the “refugee status” only for first and second-generation refugees and to merge UNRWA with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Hamas said such attempts are unacceptable, calling on the national factions and the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take serious steps so as to prop up UNRWA’s budget and push for resolutions that protect the rights of the Palestinian refugees.
U.S. President Donald Trump, on Friday, expressed his deep affection for Israel during a call to American Jewish leaders on the occasion of the Jewish New Year, which coincides on Thursday, announcing that peace between the Palestinians and Israelis could actually happen.
“I am proud to stand with the Jewish people and with our cherished friend and ally, the State of Israel,” he said, according to a statement published by the White House Office of the Press Secretary.
The United States will always support Israel, he said, adding, “And I can tell you on a personal basis, and I just left Israel recently, I love Israel.”
For this reason, said Trump, his administration “has successfully pressured the United Nations to withdraw the unfair and biased report against Israel.”
According to WAFA correspondence, he was referring to the U.N. Human Right Council report that exposed Israel’s violations against the Palestinian people in the territories it has occupied since 1967.
Nonetheless, Trump said, his administration continues to work to bring peace between the Palestinians and Israelis.
“This next (Jewish) New Year also offers a new opportunity to seek peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, and I am very hopeful that we will see significant progress before the end of the year,” he said. ”I think it’s something that actually could happen.”
In introducing Trump to the Jewish leaders, Jared Kushner, his Senior Advisor and son-in-law, who is an orthodox Jew, said that under the Trump administration, US relation with Israel has never been stronger.
“Under the President’s leadership, America’s relationship with the State of Israel has never been stronger, and our country’s commitment to Israel’s security has never been greater,” he said.
Kushner heads the U.S. team working on achieving peace between the Palestinians and Israel. He is jointed in this by special envoy Jason Greenblatt.
After more than 20 meetings with the two sides since taking office in January, the Trump team has not been able to bridge the wide gap between the Palestinians and Israel.
The Palestinians are not pleased with failure of the Trump administration to announce support for the two-state solution, as did previous administrations, and opposition to Israel’s non-stop settlement activity, which the Palestinians say is a major obstacle to peace.
“I am proud to stand with the Jewish people and with our cherished friend and ally, the State of Israel,” he said, according to a statement published by the White House Office of the Press Secretary.
The United States will always support Israel, he said, adding, “And I can tell you on a personal basis, and I just left Israel recently, I love Israel.”
For this reason, said Trump, his administration “has successfully pressured the United Nations to withdraw the unfair and biased report against Israel.”
According to WAFA correspondence, he was referring to the U.N. Human Right Council report that exposed Israel’s violations against the Palestinian people in the territories it has occupied since 1967.
Nonetheless, Trump said, his administration continues to work to bring peace between the Palestinians and Israelis.
“This next (Jewish) New Year also offers a new opportunity to seek peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, and I am very hopeful that we will see significant progress before the end of the year,” he said. ”I think it’s something that actually could happen.”
In introducing Trump to the Jewish leaders, Jared Kushner, his Senior Advisor and son-in-law, who is an orthodox Jew, said that under the Trump administration, US relation with Israel has never been stronger.
“Under the President’s leadership, America’s relationship with the State of Israel has never been stronger, and our country’s commitment to Israel’s security has never been greater,” he said.
Kushner heads the U.S. team working on achieving peace between the Palestinians and Israel. He is jointed in this by special envoy Jason Greenblatt.
After more than 20 meetings with the two sides since taking office in January, the Trump team has not been able to bridge the wide gap between the Palestinians and Israel.
The Palestinians are not pleased with failure of the Trump administration to announce support for the two-state solution, as did previous administrations, and opposition to Israel’s non-stop settlement activity, which the Palestinians say is a major obstacle to peace.
14 sept 2017
US administration is working to halt financial aid to Palestinians, over Palestinian Authority's long-standing practice of rewarding Palestinian terrorists who have killed Americans and Israelis; 'Peace can never take root in an environment where violence is tolerated, funded and even rewarded,' Trump reportedly told Abbas during their meeting in May.
The Trump administration is backing legislation that would suspend US financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority until it ends what critics say is a long-standing practice of rewarding Palestinians who kill Americans and Israelis.
In comments Thursday, the State Department says the administration "strongly supports" the bill. The State Department said President Donald Trump raised the issue with President Mahmoud Abbas during meetings in May. "Peace can never take root in an environment where violence is tolerated, funded and even rewarded," Trump reportedly told Abbas at the time.
The measure is named after Taylor Force, an MBA student at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee and a West Point graduate. He was visiting Israel in March 2016 when he was stabbed to death by a Palestinian. Force was from Lubbock, Texas.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the bill in early August.
The Trump administration is backing legislation that would suspend US financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority until it ends what critics say is a long-standing practice of rewarding Palestinians who kill Americans and Israelis.
In comments Thursday, the State Department says the administration "strongly supports" the bill. The State Department said President Donald Trump raised the issue with President Mahmoud Abbas during meetings in May. "Peace can never take root in an environment where violence is tolerated, funded and even rewarded," Trump reportedly told Abbas at the time.
The measure is named after Taylor Force, an MBA student at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee and a West Point graduate. He was visiting Israel in March 2016 when he was stabbed to death by a Palestinian. Force was from Lubbock, Texas.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the bill in early August.
11 sept 2017
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet the US President Donald Trump next week during a visit to New York.
Spokesman for Netanyahu's office, Ofir Gendelman, said in a statement that the Prime Minister will meet with "his friend" Trump in New York where he will also address the United Nations General Assembly.
On Sunday evening, Netanyahu left Tel Aviv for Argentina to the be the first Israeli prime minister to visit Latin America.
Netanyahu's trip, which will last until 15th September, will also include Colombia and Mexico, and from there he will head to New York.
Trump and Netanyahu have met twice in Washington and Occupied Jerusalem since the beginning of 2017.
Spokesman for Netanyahu's office, Ofir Gendelman, said in a statement that the Prime Minister will meet with "his friend" Trump in New York where he will also address the United Nations General Assembly.
On Sunday evening, Netanyahu left Tel Aviv for Argentina to the be the first Israeli prime minister to visit Latin America.
Netanyahu's trip, which will last until 15th September, will also include Colombia and Mexico, and from there he will head to New York.
Trump and Netanyahu have met twice in Washington and Occupied Jerusalem since the beginning of 2017.
7 sept 2017
Israeli occupation authorities are reducing the amount of water provided to Palestinian areas in northern Jordan Valley mostly under pretext of “water scarcity.”
Moataz Bisharat, in charge of the Jordan Valley settlements file in the Palestinian Authority, said that during the past few months, the occupation authorities started reducing water supply to Ayn Al-Bayda, Bardala and Kardala.
In an interview with Quds Press today, Bisharat claimed, accoridng to Days of Palestine, that the occupation reduced the amount of water yesterday, which significantly affected the citizens, and created a crisis for many houses and factories.
He pointed out that “there are areas and neighbourhoods that water does not completely reach.” He noted that they contacted the concerned authorities, which in turn addressed the Israeli side. “However, the occupation justified its actions, claiming there is a lack of water.”
The Palestinian official questioned the validity of the Israeli justifications. He explained: “The occupation’s actions are limited to the Palestinian communities, while the Israeli water company pumps large quantities of water to settlements and settlement outposts in the area.”
Residents held protests in the area today demanding sufficient water be pumped into the region.
Bisharat stressed: “It is impossible to radically solve the problem of water shortage, because the occupation has control of most of the geographic areas in the region. In addition, it prevents Palestinian companies from establishing wells and benefiting from groundwater.”
Palestinians have been suffering from water shortages since Israeli occupation forces took control of the water supplies in the occupied territories, and prevented Palestinians from using them.
On 13 July, the US envoy to the peace process, Jason Greenblatt, signed a bilateral agreement on water between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
Under the agreement, which was signed in Jerusalem, and attended by Israeli Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi, Palestinian Water Authority Chairman, Mazen Ghunaim, and Greenblatt, the Israeli authority pledged to increase the amount of water it annually sells to Palestinians.
The agreement is part of a joint “Naqil Al-Bahrain” project between Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Israel in order to build a 200 kilometre pipeline extending from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea and to set up a water desalination plant at Jordan’s Aqaba Port.
Moataz Bisharat, in charge of the Jordan Valley settlements file in the Palestinian Authority, said that during the past few months, the occupation authorities started reducing water supply to Ayn Al-Bayda, Bardala and Kardala.
In an interview with Quds Press today, Bisharat claimed, accoridng to Days of Palestine, that the occupation reduced the amount of water yesterday, which significantly affected the citizens, and created a crisis for many houses and factories.
He pointed out that “there are areas and neighbourhoods that water does not completely reach.” He noted that they contacted the concerned authorities, which in turn addressed the Israeli side. “However, the occupation justified its actions, claiming there is a lack of water.”
The Palestinian official questioned the validity of the Israeli justifications. He explained: “The occupation’s actions are limited to the Palestinian communities, while the Israeli water company pumps large quantities of water to settlements and settlement outposts in the area.”
Residents held protests in the area today demanding sufficient water be pumped into the region.
Bisharat stressed: “It is impossible to radically solve the problem of water shortage, because the occupation has control of most of the geographic areas in the region. In addition, it prevents Palestinian companies from establishing wells and benefiting from groundwater.”
Palestinians have been suffering from water shortages since Israeli occupation forces took control of the water supplies in the occupied territories, and prevented Palestinians from using them.
On 13 July, the US envoy to the peace process, Jason Greenblatt, signed a bilateral agreement on water between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
Under the agreement, which was signed in Jerusalem, and attended by Israeli Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi, Palestinian Water Authority Chairman, Mazen Ghunaim, and Greenblatt, the Israeli authority pledged to increase the amount of water it annually sells to Palestinians.
The agreement is part of a joint “Naqil Al-Bahrain” project between Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Israel in order to build a 200 kilometre pipeline extending from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea and to set up a water desalination plant at Jordan’s Aqaba Port.
4 sept 2017
Both Israel and the United States have threatened to cut their funding to the United Nations Human Rights Council if the Council moves ahead with its promise to publish a list of companies that do business in Israeli settlements built on Palestinian land.
The threats come in the midst of a wider crackdown on the Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions movement that was created to pressure Israel economically, in order to push the Israeli government to comply with its obligations under international law.
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Public Security Minister, issued the threat, which coincided with a similar threat by US Ambassador the the United Nations, Nikki Haley.
The current US President has issued conflicting statements about US policy toward Israeli settlements, speaking in support of settlements while in the company of Zionists, while t other times making statements more consistent with decades of US policy, which holds that Israeli settlements are in violation of past agreements and must be halted before any peace process can begin.
But despite US policy opposing settlements, the US has continually refused any measures to sanction or otherwise censure Israel for expanding settlements. The US has also criticized movements by non-governmental organizations and individuals to boycott Israeli settlement products, and to divest from Israeli companies as paet of the Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions movement.
Most recently, the US Congress has introduced a bill that would criminalize the decision by Americans to boycott Israeli companies, despite the fact that such boycotts are supported by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
The announcement by the US and Israel that they will cut funding to the UN Security Council comes after the head of the Council, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, said that he will publicly release a list of companies doing business in Israeli settlements.
The companies include Caterpillar, G4S Security and HP – all of which have contracts with the Israeli military to support its military occupation of the Palestinian Territories known as the West bank and Gaza Strip.
All Israeli settlements are considered violations of international law, and of Israel’s obligations as an occupying military power, under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The threats come in the midst of a wider crackdown on the Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions movement that was created to pressure Israel economically, in order to push the Israeli government to comply with its obligations under international law.
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Public Security Minister, issued the threat, which coincided with a similar threat by US Ambassador the the United Nations, Nikki Haley.
The current US President has issued conflicting statements about US policy toward Israeli settlements, speaking in support of settlements while in the company of Zionists, while t other times making statements more consistent with decades of US policy, which holds that Israeli settlements are in violation of past agreements and must be halted before any peace process can begin.
But despite US policy opposing settlements, the US has continually refused any measures to sanction or otherwise censure Israel for expanding settlements. The US has also criticized movements by non-governmental organizations and individuals to boycott Israeli settlement products, and to divest from Israeli companies as paet of the Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions movement.
Most recently, the US Congress has introduced a bill that would criminalize the decision by Americans to boycott Israeli companies, despite the fact that such boycotts are supported by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
The announcement by the US and Israel that they will cut funding to the UN Security Council comes after the head of the Council, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, said that he will publicly release a list of companies doing business in Israeli settlements.
The companies include Caterpillar, G4S Security and HP – all of which have contracts with the Israeli military to support its military occupation of the Palestinian Territories known as the West bank and Gaza Strip.
All Israeli settlements are considered violations of international law, and of Israel’s obligations as an occupying military power, under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
2 sept 2017
US authorities have ordered the Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh to leave the United States within three weeks.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth website, Jordan agreed to receive the 70-year-old activist and ex-prisoner accused of killing Israelis in a 1969 bombing in Tel Aviv.
In 1979, Odeh was released in a prisoner exchange deal. A few years later, she travelled to the United States and was able to get a US citizenship in 2004.
The website pointed out that a US court gave the Palestinian activist a deadline of 19th September to the leave the States.
It added that the deportation order followed several trials against Odeh either on charges of being involved in "terrorist attacks" or forging immigration papers.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth website, Jordan agreed to receive the 70-year-old activist and ex-prisoner accused of killing Israelis in a 1969 bombing in Tel Aviv.
In 1979, Odeh was released in a prisoner exchange deal. A few years later, she travelled to the United States and was able to get a US citizenship in 2004.
The website pointed out that a US court gave the Palestinian activist a deadline of 19th September to the leave the States.
It added that the deportation order followed several trials against Odeh either on charges of being involved in "terrorist attacks" or forging immigration papers.
29 aug 2017
A few days after meeting a White House delegation to discuss avenues for restarting peace talks with the Palestinians, Israeli premier Benjamin declared Monday that he would never evacuate Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which he called Samaria.
“We are here to stay forever. There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the land of Israel. This is the inheritance of our ancestors. This is our land,” Netanyahu said, addressing a large crowd of Jewish settlers at an event held in the illegal settlement of Barkan to celebrate 50 years of Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank.
"There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the land of Israel. It has been proven that it does not help peace," he said. "We have uprooted settlements. What did we get? We received missiles. It will not happen anymore,” he confirmed further.
Netanyahu was referring to Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the dismantling of settlements there after its troops faced persistent fierce resistance from the Palestinians. The next year, the popular Hamas Movement won the Palestinian legislative elections, but its rival Fatah, Israel and other foreign powers did not accept that.
"So we will not fold. We are guarding Samaria against those who want to uproot us. We will deepen our roots, build, strengthen and settle," Netanyahu told the attendees.
Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal by the international community, have been at the crux of peace talks for long years.
Successive US presidents have considered the settlements an obstacle to peace and have called for, at the least, a halt to their expansion, but current president Donald Trump seems to be less critical, in his press remarks, of Israel’s settlement construction than his predecessors.
Some political analysts accuse Trump and his right-wing administration of supporting settlement construction in camera.
“We are here to stay forever. There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the land of Israel. This is the inheritance of our ancestors. This is our land,” Netanyahu said, addressing a large crowd of Jewish settlers at an event held in the illegal settlement of Barkan to celebrate 50 years of Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank.
"There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the land of Israel. It has been proven that it does not help peace," he said. "We have uprooted settlements. What did we get? We received missiles. It will not happen anymore,” he confirmed further.
Netanyahu was referring to Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the dismantling of settlements there after its troops faced persistent fierce resistance from the Palestinians. The next year, the popular Hamas Movement won the Palestinian legislative elections, but its rival Fatah, Israel and other foreign powers did not accept that.
"So we will not fold. We are guarding Samaria against those who want to uproot us. We will deepen our roots, build, strengthen and settle," Netanyahu told the attendees.
Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal by the international community, have been at the crux of peace talks for long years.
Successive US presidents have considered the settlements an obstacle to peace and have called for, at the least, a halt to their expansion, but current president Donald Trump seems to be less critical, in his press remarks, of Israel’s settlement construction than his predecessors.
Some political analysts accuse Trump and his right-wing administration of supporting settlement construction in camera.
26 aug 2017
A US delegation led by President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner has reportedly told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that a halt in settlement construction in the West Bank is impossible, because it could bring about the collapse of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, Hebrew sources reported.
Walla Hebrew website said that the US delegation told Abbas that it would work to consolidate economic, security and diplomatic relations between Israel and the Palestinians before the talks begin.
The Palestinians, for their part, asked the US delegation to help reach a two-state solution. The delegation, however, preferred to leave that for discussion by both sides.
The US delegation, headed by Kushner and Trump's envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt, met separately on Thursday with Netanyahu and with Abbas in an effort to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace, something Trump referred to as "the ultimate deal."
Walla Hebrew website said that the US delegation told Abbas that it would work to consolidate economic, security and diplomatic relations between Israel and the Palestinians before the talks begin.
The Palestinians, for their part, asked the US delegation to help reach a two-state solution. The delegation, however, preferred to leave that for discussion by both sides.
The US delegation, headed by Kushner and Trump's envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt, met separately on Thursday with Netanyahu and with Abbas in an effort to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace, something Trump referred to as "the ultimate deal."
11 june 2017
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that he had told US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley that the UN should consider shutting down operations of its Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, Netanyahu claimed that "in various UNRWA institutions there is a lot of incitement against Israel, and therefore the existence of UNRWA perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem rather than solve it."
"Therefore, the time has come to dismantle UNRWA and merge its components with the [UN] High Commissioner for Refugees," the premier added.
UNRWA, among other UN bodies, have been the subject of considerable pressure by Israel in recent months. On Friday, Israel called on the UN to “strongly and unequivocally condemn Hamas” and formally classify the group a “terrorist organization”.
Established by the UN General Assembly in 1949, the agency exists expressly to provide aid to "Palestinian Refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, and the Gaza Strip."
Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, Netanyahu claimed that "in various UNRWA institutions there is a lot of incitement against Israel, and therefore the existence of UNRWA perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem rather than solve it."
"Therefore, the time has come to dismantle UNRWA and merge its components with the [UN] High Commissioner for Refugees," the premier added.
UNRWA, among other UN bodies, have been the subject of considerable pressure by Israel in recent months. On Friday, Israel called on the UN to “strongly and unequivocally condemn Hamas” and formally classify the group a “terrorist organization”.
Established by the UN General Assembly in 1949, the agency exists expressly to provide aid to "Palestinian Refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, and the Gaza Strip."
3 june 2017
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an order delaying the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, breaking his election promise, several reports said, according White House statement.
In doing so, Trump continues the policy of the previous three presidents and breaks an election promise he made to move the embassy to Jerusalem, the second president to break such a promise, after George W. Bush.
The waiver has been signed by every U.S. president since 1995, and it is valid for six months at a time. Former U.S. President Barack Obama signed it during the last weeks of his term, and, on Thursday, it would be half a year since he did so.
The White House said Thursday, that while Trump signed the waiver, he has no intention in breaking his campaign promise.
“No one should consider this step to be in any way a retreat from the President’s strong support for Israel and for the United States-Israel alliance,” the said in a statement.
The White House added : ”President Trump made this decision to maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, fulfilling his solemn obligation to defend America’s national security interests. But, as he has repeatedly stated his intention to move the embassy, the question is not if that move happens, but only when.”
PNN reports that, according Haaretz Israeli daily, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Trump not to sign the presidential order freezing the moving of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a week and a half ago during their meeting in Jerusalem.
According to a senior Israeli official, Netanyahu told Trump that Israel was interested in having the embassy moved and that he did not think that this would cause a deterioration in the security situation in the West Bank.
In doing so, Trump continues the policy of the previous three presidents and breaks an election promise he made to move the embassy to Jerusalem, the second president to break such a promise, after George W. Bush.
The waiver has been signed by every U.S. president since 1995, and it is valid for six months at a time. Former U.S. President Barack Obama signed it during the last weeks of his term, and, on Thursday, it would be half a year since he did so.
The White House said Thursday, that while Trump signed the waiver, he has no intention in breaking his campaign promise.
“No one should consider this step to be in any way a retreat from the President’s strong support for Israel and for the United States-Israel alliance,” the said in a statement.
The White House added : ”President Trump made this decision to maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, fulfilling his solemn obligation to defend America’s national security interests. But, as he has repeatedly stated his intention to move the embassy, the question is not if that move happens, but only when.”
PNN reports that, according Haaretz Israeli daily, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Trump not to sign the presidential order freezing the moving of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a week and a half ago during their meeting in Jerusalem.
According to a senior Israeli official, Netanyahu told Trump that Israel was interested in having the embassy moved and that he did not think that this would cause a deterioration in the security situation in the West Bank.
30 may 2017
Some members of the US Congress introduced a bill calling for condemning and imposing sanctions on countries providing support for the Palestinian resistance, especially the Movements of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The draft legislation targets the state of Qatar in particular, especially as it comes amid a fierce media campaign against it after hackers recently penetrated its national news agency website and published fabricated remarks by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The punitive legislation, which will be tabled at the Congress during its current session, says that Hamas was blacklisted as a terror group by the department of state in 1997 and demands taking punitive steps against Qatar for supporting it and hosting its leadership in Doha.
The draft law mentions Qatar five times and fiercely attacks it over its ties with groups affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, especially Hamas, which resists the Israeli occupation in Palestine.
The draft legislation targets the state of Qatar in particular, especially as it comes amid a fierce media campaign against it after hackers recently penetrated its national news agency website and published fabricated remarks by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The punitive legislation, which will be tabled at the Congress during its current session, says that Hamas was blacklisted as a terror group by the department of state in 1997 and demands taking punitive steps against Qatar for supporting it and hosting its leadership in Doha.
The draft law mentions Qatar five times and fiercely attacks it over its ties with groups affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, especially Hamas, which resists the Israeli occupation in Palestine.