Israel Contemplates Major Financial Aid to Palestinian Authority After US Request

Israel mulls over extensive economic packages, including tax cuts and industrial zones, to uplift the struggling Palestinian economy

By Mohammad Al-Kassim/The Media Line

According to Israeli media, the Israeli government is deliberating on providing “huge” financial measures to the Palestinian Authority to ease the dire economic situation, at the request of the US government.

The conservative daily Israel Hayom reported on Sunday that Israel began providing economic aid to the PA by reducing taxes imposed on fuel by 50%.

According to the daily newspaper, the tax is now 1.5%, instead of 3%, as was the case based on previous economic agreements between Israel and the PA.

That step is expected to inject about $22 million (80 million shekels) annually into the Palestinian treasury.

Another step being discussed is increasing the number of work permits Israel provides to Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza to work inside Israel. The paper also reports that Israel has substantially increased transfers of taxes collected on behalf of the PA so far in 2023.

Other steps discussed recently include the approval of a new industrial zone in Tarqumiyah, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, a move long supported by Israeli security officials, and the extension of operating hours at the Allenby/King Hussein border crossing with Jordan.

The liberal Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Monday that “there are talks with Qatar about transferring financial aid to the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.”

Some in Israel say the fear of an escalation along the borders with the Gaza Strip may harm the normalization talks and are pushing for economic package to help maintain calm.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a decision to reduce the fuel tax on the Palestinian Authority a few months ago, and it was approved by the far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, under the pretext of Netanyahu’s commitment to the American government.

The Biden Administration has been applying significant pressure on the Israeli government to improve the economic situation of the PA, for fear that it is on the verge of economic collapse.

Prof. Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, told The Media Line that these reports were credible given the PA’s desperate financial need, but he downplayed its connection to the normalization talks underway.

“They are in my view connected primarily to the escalation in violence in the West Bank this year,” says Inbar.

“The defense establishment has always been in favor of easing the lives of the Palestinians because they believe less economic difficulties mean less terrorism,” says Inbar.

The Biden Administration has been working relentlessly to secure a historic normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and as part of those efforts, the US has reportedly placed considerable pressure on Netanyahu’s government to take “steps toward bolstering the PA,” which include letting Riyadh send funds to Ramallah.

Late last August, The Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Arabia had proposed resuming financial aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Riyadh’s monthly payment of approximately $20 million to the Palestinians was suspended in 2021 due to concerns about the Palestinian Authority’s inefficiency and allegations of widespread corruption.

Saudi Arabia has historically been a steadfast supporter of the Palestinian cause, both diplomatically and financially.

Inbar says the Palestinian issue “is not the sole driving force behind normalization talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel.”

“I think Saudi Arabia is flexible on the Palestinian issue; it’s a secondary issue. The Saudis’ most important demands are toward America and not toward Israel. The Palestinians have always been a side dish,” says Inbar.

Appeasing the PA and securing Palestinian approval is considered crucial to the United States, as it would eliminate what the US government sees as a significant obstacle, paving the way for substantive discussions aimed at a landmark agreement.

Dr. Nasr Abdel Kareem, professor of finance and economics in the Graduate Studies Department at the Arab American University in Ramallah, told The Media Line that news of the PA’s financial demise is “greatly exaggerated.”

“The issue that the PA is facing severe challenges to its economy is not new, and the PA has been able to deal with these difficulties.”

Abdel Kareem insists that financial needs will not persuade Palestinians to accept a normalization deal that circumvents their political rights and ambitions.

Palestinians believe that Saudi Arabia is committed to the Palestinian cause.

“This potential normalization deal obviously is important to the Americans, Israelis, and Saudis but it doesn’t mean the Palestinians will welcome breadcrumbs for them to accept it,” says Abdel Kareem.

Abdel Kareem says securing Palestinian approval is vital, but dangling the dollar sign is the wrong way; rather, the Biden Administration should use its might to revive the stalled peace process.

“President Biden made many promises during his campaign, and he has hardly delivered on any of them. He should use the US influence and exert pressure on Israel to reach a political resolution. We don’t need money, we want to end the occupation,” says Abdel Kareem.

Such a normalization deal would be considered groundbreaking—potentially eclipsing even the impact of the Camp David peace treaty signed between Israel and Egypt in 1978—and could significantly influence other Arab and Muslim nations, encouraging them to follow suit.

Honoring Gandhi: How International Day of Nonviolence Highlights Peaceful Approaches in Global Conflicts

By Lana Ikelan/The Media Line

October 2 marks the International Day of Nonviolence, established by the UN General Assembly in 2007. This day pays homage to the principles of Mahatma Gandhi, a man whose philosophy of total nonviolence or ahimsa has significantly impacted the struggle for civil rights and social justice around the globe.

Who Was Gandhi?

Born on October 2, 1869, Mohandas Gandhi was an ideological and political leader who became the face of India’s fight for independence from British colonial rule. Throughout his life, he witnessed India suffering under British rule and saw how injustice pervaded the society. In response, he pioneered satyagraha, defined as resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, a philosophy firmly founded on ahimsa.

Gandhi was not just a leader in India; he also led peaceful protests in South Africa and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom worldwide.

Renowned Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore first called Gandhi “Mahatma” or “Great Soul.” In India, he’s also affectionately known as Bapu, meaning “father” in Gujarati, as he is considered the father of the nation. His legacy as one of the world’s leading civil rights activists of the 20^th century continues to grow, even 75 years after his assassination on January 30, 1948, by Hindu nationalist Nathuram Godse.

The UN and Nonviolence

On June 15, 2007, the UN General Assembly recognized Gandhi’s lasting impact by designating his birthday as the International Day of Nonviolence. The UN sought to honor Gandhi’s legacy and emphasize the “universal relevance of the principle of nonviolence,” aiming to establish a global culture rooted in peace, tolerance, and understanding.

Nonviolence in the MENA Region

The philosophy of nonviolence isn’t just historical rhetoric; it holds immediate relevance, particularly in conflict-prone regions like the Middle East and North Africa. The Council on Foreign Relations’ Global Conflict Tracker reports an escalation in hostilities in numerous areas, such as Israel, where discrimination has increased under a far-right government, and in the West Bank, where violence has spiked over the past year. Other examples include the escalating violent extremism in the Sahel, ongoing civil conflict in Libya, and increasing instability due to terrorism in Pakistan.

The Global Conflict Tracker operates a program known as the Center for Preventive Action (CPA). This initiative focuses on conflict monitoring, status updates, and developing preventive strategies. It also offers a glimmer of hope by highlighting regions where nonviolent methods like negotiation and conflict resolution have been successfully employed. To that end, the CPA provides examples of regions that have successfully employed nonviolent strategies, such as negotiation and conflict resolution, to diminish hostilities. Yemen’s war serves as a prime example. Over the past year, Saudi Arabia and Iran have been working toward a political settlement to end the conflict. Another case is the conflict in Ethiopia, where the Tigrinya leadership has agreed to a cease-fire and signed an agreement to prevent further violence.

A Timely Reminder

This morning, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) commemorated Gandhi’s philosophy by tweeting about the need to advocate for peaceful practices to mitigate global conflicts. In a world teetering on the brink, Gandhi’s principles remind us that “in a gentle way, you can shake the world.”

Today, as we observe the International Day of Nonviolence, the enduring wisdom of Gandhi serves as a powerful reminder that peaceful activism remains a viable path toward resolving even the most stubborn of conflicts.

Lana Ikelan is a recent graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an intern in The Media Line’s Press and Policy Student Program.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Parliament’s environment committee on Monday delayed its decision on whether to accept former Dutch foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra as the EU’s next head of climate change policy, the chair of the committee said.

“The [committee] coordinators just decided to suspend their final decision on the nomination of the climate designate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra until tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm,” EU lawmaker Pascal Canfin said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

(Reporting by Kate Abnett)

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday panned U.S. military aid to Ukraine, suggesting it was “irrational,” and stepped up criticism of the war effort as he urged Washington to devote more resources to helping Latin American countries.

Lopez Obrador has long called on the United States to devote more funds to helping economic development in Central America and the Caribbean in order to ease migratory pressures.

During his regular daily press conference, Lopez Obrador criticized the U.S. Congress for not freeing up money for the region, before making reference to wrangling last week on a stopgap funding bill that stripped out further aid for Ukraine.

“I was just looking at how now they’re not authorizing aid for the war in Ukraine,” he said. “But how much have they destined for the Ukraine war? 30 to 50 billion dollars for the war. Which is the most irrational thing you can have. And damaging.”

“So they do have to modify their strategy and learn respect. It’s not the time for them to ignore Mexican authorities,” Lopez Obrador added.

The Ukrainian embassy in Mexico declined to comment. The U.S. State Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The leftist Lopez Obrador has sought to keep Mexico neutral in the war, and criticized Western military aid for Kyiv. He has also proposed peace talks to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Two weeks ago the president defended the presence of a Russian military unit in a weekend parade marking Mexico’s independence day, following sharp criticism that his country had given a platform to forces that invaded Ukraine.

Nonetheless, his government has backed some major U.N. resolutions criticizing Russia’s role in the conflict.

(Reporting by Dave Graham; Editing by Deepa Babington, Jonathan Oatis and Bill Berkrot)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Parliament’s environment committee on Monday delayed its decision on whether to accept former Dutch foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra as the EU’s next head of climate change policy, the chair of the committee said.

“The [committee] coordinators just decided to suspend their final decision on the nomination of the climate designate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra until tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm,” EU lawmaker Pascal Canfin said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

(Reporting by Kate Abnett)

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a virtual meeting with Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arevalo on Monday, following Washington concerns that Guatemalan authorities have been trying to undermine the transfer of power to Arevalo.

THE TAKE

The United States has expressed “grave concern” over what it regards as “continued efforts to undermine Guatemala’s peaceful transition of power” and has imposed visa restrictions on those who it sees as undermining democracy.

Arevalo, a 64-year-old anti-graft crusader, recorded a landslide win in August and is due to take office in January. He has repeatedly complained of a “coup d’état” and persecution by prosecutors against him and his party, Movimiento Semilla.

KEY QUOTES

“The Secretary (Blinken) expressed support for Guatemala’s peaceful political transition to President-elect Arevalo,” the State Department said in a statement after the Monday virtual meeting.

“He also expressed solidarity with the Guatemalan people as they face continued efforts to impede a democratic transfer of power.”

CONTEXT

Guatemala’s Public Ministry raided the Supreme Electoral Tribunal on Friday for at least 20 hours to seize boxes holding tabulations from election voting. It has alleged party registration flaws that Semilla denies.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva has said the events raise concerns about the electoral process and rule of law, while the Organization of American States has warned of constitutional violations.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a virtual meeting with Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arevalo on Monday, following Washington concerns that Guatemalan authorities have been trying to undermine the transfer of power to Arevalo.

THE TAKE

The United States has expressed “grave concern” over what it regards as “continued efforts to undermine Guatemala’s peaceful transition of power” and has imposed visa restrictions on those who it sees as undermining democracy.

Arevalo, a 64-year-old anti-graft crusader, recorded a landslide win in August and is due to take office in January. He has repeatedly complained of a “coup d’état” and persecution by prosecutors against him and his party, Movimiento Semilla.

KEY QUOTES

“The Secretary (Blinken) expressed support for Guatemala’s peaceful political transition to President-elect Arevalo,” the State Department said in a statement after the Monday virtual meeting.

“He also expressed solidarity with the Guatemalan people as they face continued efforts to impede a democratic transfer of power.”

CONTEXT

Guatemala’s Public Ministry raided the Supreme Electoral Tribunal on Friday for at least 20 hours to seize boxes holding tabulations from election voting. It has alleged party registration flaws that Semilla denies.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva has said the events raise concerns about the electoral process and rule of law, while the Organization of American States has warned of constitutional violations.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)

By Bruno Kelly

MANAUS (Reuters) – The carcasses of 120 river dolphins have been found floating on a tributary of the Amazon River since last week in circumstances that experts suspect were caused by severe drought and heat.

Low river levels during a severe drought have heated water in stretches to temperatures that are intolerable for the dolphins, researchers believe. Thousands of fish have died recently on Amazon rivers due to a lack of oxygen in the water.

The Amazon river dolphins, many of a striking pink color, are unique freshwater species found only in the rivers of South America and are one of a handful of freshwater dolphin species left in the world. Slow reproductive cycles make their populations especially vulnerable to threats.

Amid the stench of decomposing dolphins, biologists and other experts in white personal protective clothing and masks worked on Monday to conduct autopsies on each carcass to determine the cause of death.

The scientists do not know with total certainty that drought and heat are to blame for the spike in dolphin mortality. They are working to rule out other causes, such as a bacterial infection that could have killed the dolphins on a lake formed by the River Tefé before it runs into the Amazon.

At least 70 of the carcasses surfaced on Thursday when the temperature of Lake Tefé’s water reached 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit), more than 10 degrees higher than the average for this time of the year.

The water temperature fell off for a few days but rose again on Sunday to 37 C (99 F), worried experts said.

Environmental activists have blamed the unusual conditions on climate change, which makes droughts and heat waves more likely. Global warming’s role in the current Amazon drought is unclear, with other factors such as El Nino at play.

“We have documented 120 carcasses in the last week,” said Miriam Marmontel, a researcher at the Mamirauá environmental institute that focuses on the mid-Solimões river basin.

She said roughly eight of every 10 carcasses are pink dolphins, called “botos” in Brazil, which could represent 10% of their estimated population in Lake Tefé.

The boto and the gray river dolphin called the “tucuxi” are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species

“10% is a very high percentage of loss, and the possibility that it will increase could threaten the survival of the species in Lake Tefé,” Marmontel said.

Brazil’s Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) has rushed veterinarians and aquatic mammal experts to rescue dolphins that are still alive in the lake, but they cannot be moved to cooler river waters until researchers rule out a bacteriological cause of the deaths.

(Reporting by Bruno Kelly; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Brad Haynes and Jonathan Oatis)

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations Security Council on Monday authorized a foreign security mission to Haiti, a year after the Caribbean country asked for help to fight violent gangs that have largely overrun its capital Port-au-Prince.

“More than just a simple vote, this is in fact an expression of solidarity with a population in distress,” Haiti’s Foreign Minister Jean Victor Geneus told the council. “It’s a glimmer of hope for the people that have for too long been suffering.”

The 15-member council adopted a resolution, drafted by the United States and Ecuador, that authorizes the so-called Multinational Security Support mission “to take all necessary measures” – code for use of force.

China and Russia abstained from the vote, wary of authorizing the blanket use of force under Chapter 7 of the founding U.N. Charter. The remaining 13 members voted in favor.

“We have stepped up to create a new way of preserving global peace and security, answering the repeated calls of a member state facing a multi-dimensional crisis amid alarming spiraling gang violence,” said senior U.S. diplomat Jeffrey DeLaurentis.

The Security Council also expanded a U.N. arms embargo to include all gangs – a measure China wanted. Haitian officials have said guns used by gangs are believed to be mostly imported from the United States. The embargo previously only applied to specific individuals.

“This is a very important decision. If the council had taken this step at an earlier time, the security situation in Haiti might not have deteriorated to what it is today,” China’s U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun told the council after the vote.

The response to Haiti’s request for help was delayed due to a struggle to find a country willing to lead a security assistance mission. Kenya stepped forward in July with a pledge of 1,000 police. The Bahamas then committed 150 people, while Jamaica and Antigua and Barbuda are also willing to help.

ELECTIONS

Following the council’s approval on Monday, it was not immediately clear how quickly a force could be deployed.

“Today’s vote is only the first step. Now, the work of getting the mission off the ground begins,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement.

While not sending any troops, the U.S. government hopes to provide $100 million to back the multinational mission with logistical and financial assistance, that could include intelligence, airlift, communications and medical support.

Countries have been cautious of supporting the unelected administration of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has said fair elections cannot be held with current insecurity. Haiti has been without any elected representatives since January.

The Security Council stressed an “urgent need” for Haiti to make progress toward “transparent, inclusive, and credible electoral processes and free and fair elections.”

The security assistance mission, while approved by the U.N. Security Council, is not a United Nations operation.

U.N. peacekeepers were deployed to Haiti in 2004 after a rebellion led to the ouster and exile of then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Peacekeeping troops left in 2017 and were replaced by U.N. police, who left in 2019.

Haitians are wary of an armed U.N. presence. The Caribbean country was free of cholera until 2010, when U.N. peacekeepers dumped infected sewage into a river. More than 9,000 people died of the disease, and some 800,000 fell ill.

The council resolution adopted on Monday asks the countries taking part in the security mission “to adopt appropriate wastewater management and other environmental controls to guard against the introduction and spread of water-borne diseases.”

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols, additional reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

By Jack Queen and Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A defiant Donald Trump attacked New York’s attorney general and the judge overseeing his civil fraud trial as it began on Monday, with a state lawyer accusing the former president of generating more than $100 million by lying about his real estate empire.

Attorney General Letitia James is seeking at least $250 million in fines, a permanent ban against Trump and his sons Donald Jr and Eric from running businesses in New York and a five-year commercial real estate ban against Trump and the Trump Organization.

Testimony in the Manhattan courtroom began following opening statements, with Donald Bender, a partner at Mazars USA and longtime accountant for Trump’s businesses, as the state’s first witness.

Trump told reporters before the trial began that the case was a “scam,” a “sham” and a political vendetta by James, and during a lunch break called the Democrat “a corrupt person, a terrible person. Driving people out of New York.”

He was equally unsparing of the judge, Arthur Engoron, calling him a partisan Democrat who is using the case to interfere with the 2024 presidential election, where Trump holds a big lead for the Republican nomination.

“This is a judge that should be disbarred,” Trump told reporters. “This is a judge that should be out of office.”

Trump’s election campaign used the start of the trial for fundraising, saying he was defending his family and reputation from New York Democrats it called “corrupt tyrants.”

The case concerns accusations by the attorney general that Trump inflated his assets and his own net worth from 2011 to 2021 to obtain favorable bank loans and lower insurance premiums.

‘MONA LISA PROPERTIES’

James has accused Trump of materially overvaluing assets including his Trump Tower penthouse apartment in Manhattan, his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and various office towers and golf clubs, and inflated his own fortune by as much as $2.2 billion.

“This isn’t business as usual, and this isn’t how sophisticated parties deal with each other,” Kevin Wallace, a lawyer from James’ office, said in his opening statement. “These are not victimless crimes.”

Christopher Kise, a lawyer for Trump, countered in his opening statement that Trump’s financials were entirely legal.

“He has made a fortune literally being right about real estate investments,” Kise said. “There was no intent to defraud, there was no illegality, there was no default, there was no breach, there was no reliance from the banks, there were no unjust profits, and there were no victims.”

Alina Habba, another lawyer, separately told Engoron that Trump’s assets were “Mona Lisa properties” that could fetch premium prices if Trump sold them.

Trump wore a dark blue suit, a brighter blue tie and an American flag pin on his lapel in court.

As he entered, he called the case “a continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time.”

James said her office was ready to prove its case.

“The law is both powerful and fragile,” she said. “No matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law.”

SIX CLAIMS

Engoron is hearing evidence without a jury.

Last week, the judge found Trump, his adult sons and 10 of his companies liable for fraud, describing in scathing terms how the defendants made up valuations.

He said these included valuing the Trump Tower apartment as if it were three times its actual size and worth $327 million, and estimating that Mar-a-Lago was worth up to $739 million though its assessed value was no more than $28 million.

The judge canceled business certificates for companies controlling pillars of Trump’s empire, and said he would appoint receivers to oversee their dissolution.

Trump responded at the time by calling Engoron “deranged.”

The trial will review six additional claims including falsifying business records, insurance fraud and conspiracy, and address how much in penalties the defendants should pay.

Before opening arguments, Engoron described himself as a generalist on the law. “One thing I know a lot about is the definition of fraud,” he said.

MANY LEGAL WOES

Wallace played an excerpt from a deposition where Michael Cohen, who had been Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer but has since turned against his former boss, said the goal was “to attain the number that Mr. Trump wanted.”

Kise countered that just because people disagree about valuations does not mean one valuation must be fraudulent.

“They are not designed to be absolutes,” he said.

In his testimony, Bender said he relied on information provided by Trump and his companies when compiling Trump’s personal financial statements.

“The original numbers come from the Trump Organization, and any changes that would have been made at the end would have been approved by the Trump Organization,” Bender said.

Trump frequently spoke with Habba while Bender was on the stand. Bender is expected to resume his testimony on Tuesday.

The trial is scheduled to run through early December.

More than 150 people including Cohen could testify, though much of the trial may be a battle of experts opining on financial documents.

Trump also faces several other legal headaches, which have been a financial drain, and made him the first sitting or former U.S. president to be criminally charged.

He has been criminally charged in Washington over his efforts to undo his loss in the 2020 presidential election, in Georgia over moves to reverse election results there, in Florida over his handling of classified documents upon leaving office, and in New York over hush money payments to a porn star.

Trump has denied all wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen and Jack Queen in New York; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Nick Zieminski and Grant McCool)