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Palestinian Authority’s Terror Support, Lack of Credibility Undermine UN Conference on Statehood, Experts Warn
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, Sept. 26, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
The Palestinian Authority has demanded that Hamas disarm and vowed to implement internal reforms ahead of a United Nations conference this month on Palestinian statehood — a move that experts say is unlikely to succeed given the PA’s lack of credibility and support for terrorism against Israel.
In a letter delivered Monday to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, co-chairs of the upcoming UN summit, PA President Mahmoud Abbas made a series of what France described as “concrete and unprecedented commitments” intended to secure international trust.
The upcoming conference, scheduled for June 16–18, will focus on advancing efforts toward international recognition of a Palestinian state in order to reach a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
According to Ahmad Sharawi, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank, the French- and Saudi-backed plan is fundamentally flawed because the international community will be trusting in the PA “an entity that has been promising but not delivering since 2006.”
“Despite its condemnations of the [Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel] and Hamas’s refusal to release hostages, individuals within the PA’s bureaucratic and security system are implicated in terrorist activity against Israel, they spew anti-Israel rhetoric publicly, they celebrate individuals who commit terror against Israel, and continue their pay-for-slay policy which encourages more Palestinians to kill Israelis,” Sharawi told The Algemeiner.
The PA, which has long been riddled with accusations of corruption, has also maintained for years a so-called “pay-for-slay” program, which rewards terrorists and their families for carrying out attacks against Israelis. Under the policy, the Palestinian Authority Martyr’s Fund makes official payments to Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, the families of “martyrs” killed in attacks on Israelis, and injured Palestinian terrorists. Reports estimate that approximately 8 percent of the PA’s budget is allocated to paying stipends to convicted terrorists and their families.
Abbas had announced plans to reform the system earlier this year, but the PA has continued to issue payments, with top officials saying they will not deduct any of the funds.
Nonetheless, the PA is trying to position itself to play a leading role in Gaza once the current Israel-Hamas war ends. Abbas reportedly announced that the PA is “ready to invite Arab and international forces to be deployed as part of a stabilization/protection mission with a [UN] Security Council mandate.”
In an effort to secure international support, Abbas also wrote that “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza, and must hand over its weapons and military capabilities to the Palestinian [Authority] Security Forces.”
However, Sharawi explained that the PA “is not trusted by either Israel or the Palestinian people as a competent entity for governance.”
“The Gazan population sees the PA as collaborators with Israel and if they do end up governing Gaza, then it would look as if they came on top of Israeli tanks and thus it is expected that the popular sentiment will lead to the rise of other militias or a resurgence of a Hamas insurgency,” Sharawi told The Algemeiner.
A poll released last month by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) found that, if an agreement is reached to end the Gaza war, only 40 percent of Palestinians (46 percent in Gaza and 37 percent in the West Bank, where the PA exercises limited self-governance) “support the return of the PA to managing the affairs of the Gaza Strip and providing for the requirements of daily life and responsibility for reconstruction,” while 56 percent oppose it. The poll also showed that, among the Palestinian people in both Gaza and the West Bank, just 23 percent are “satisfied” with the PA’s performance, while an even smaller 15 percent expressed satisfaction with Abbas and a mere 24 percent did so for Abbas’s ruling Fatah party.
Despite the PA’s lack of support among the Palestinian people, Macron said last month that recognizing “Palestine” was “not only a moral duty but a political necessity.” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned France’s announcement, stating that such a move would only reward terrorism in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre.
Reuters reported that US President Donald Trump’s administration is discouraging governments around the world from attending next week’s conference on a possible two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, describing the event in a diplomatic cable as “anti-Israel” and “counterproductive.”
In his letter, Abbas also reportedly reaffirmed his commitment to long-promised administrative reforms, stating that he intends to hold presidential and general elections “within a year” under international supervision. Abbas was elected to a four-year term in 2005, and the PA has not held elections since then.
According to Sharawi, Abbas’s latest reform — appointing Hussein al-Sheikh as his vice president and potential successor — illustrates how the PA speaks of change yet continues to maintain the same entrenched inner circle.
“The challenge in trusting the PA is that the international community would be legitimizing an entity that is solely run by an executive council composed of Abbas and his affiliates who block any attempt of passing laws … and an incompetent security force that is unable to confront the threats made by groups like Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the areas they control,” Sharawi told The Algemeiner.
In an apparent shift from previous remarks, Abbas in his letter also condemned the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, calling it “unacceptable.”
Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), an Israel-based nongovernmental organization, dismissed Abbas’s supposed criticism of the Hamas onslaught against the Jewish State, calling it “two-faced” and accusing him of hypocrisy.
“It took Abbas 20 months to figure out that Oct. 7 rape, beheading, torture, and murder of 1,200 is merely ‘unacceptable.’ What’s truly unacceptable is thinking that Oct. 7-defender Mahmoud Abbas has a gram of decency in him,” PMW wrote in a statement.
Last week, the NGO called on France and Saudi Arabia to cancel the upcoming conference unless Abbas publicly denounces Hamas terrorist attacks.
“As Western leaders plan to meet at the UN on June 17 to give PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas a present of recognition of a Palestinian state, Abbas continues to prove how unworthy the PA is of being a state,” PMW said in a statement on Sunday.
In the past, Abbas praised Hamas for achieving “important goals” with the Oct. 7 onslaught, describing the attack — the deadliest single-day massacre against the Jewish people since the Holocaust — as one that “shook the foundations of the Israeli entity.”
Other PA officials, including Mahmoud al-Habbash, Abbas’s adviser on religious and Islamic affairs, have similarly praised Hamas’s atrocities, describing them as “legitimate resistance.”
Ahead of next week’s UN summit, Abbas’s promises seek to counterbalance the PA’s history of corruption and its hardline anti-Israel policies, including the notorious “pay-for-slay” program.
According to The Guardian, recognition of a Palestinian state at the upcoming conference will be tied to several conditions, including a truce in Gaza, the release of hostages taken by Hamas, reform of the PA, economic recovery, and an end to Hamas’s terrorist rule in the war-torn enclave.
The post Palestinian Authority’s Terror Support, Lack of Credibility Undermine UN Conference on Statehood, Experts Warn first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israeli Cruise Ship Targeted Again as Pro-Palestinian Protests Escalate in Greece
Greek riot police clash with pro-Palestinian protesters near the port of Rhodes during a demonstration targeting an Israeli cruise ship. Photo: Screenshot
Pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with Greek riot police on Monday on the island of Rhodes as they attempted to block an Israeli cruise ship from docking at the island’s main port.
The MS Crown Iris — operated by Israeli cruise line Mano Maritime — was once again targeted by anti-Israel activists this week.
Demonstrations against the war in Gaza took place during the ship’s scheduled stop on the island, where more than 600 passengers were set to disembark.
According to videos circulating on social media, riot police can be seen confronting a group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered near the dock, who shouted antisemitic slogans like “Freedom for Palestine.”
As authorities worked to control the crowd, tensions escalated and brief clashes broke out.
Ένταση στο λιμάνι της Ροδου με την άφιξη Ισραηλινών τουριστών, πολλες προσαγωγές.
Συνελήφθη υποψήφια βουλευτής της Πλεύσης ελευθερίας. pic.twitter.com/gAPnUnxu1A
— Ακροκεντρώος (@akrokentrwos_2) July 28, 2025
However, unlike a previous incident, passengers were able to disembark from the cruise ship without any major interruptions.
Last week, approximately 1,600 Israeli passengers expecting a peaceful stop on their cruise were unable to disembark from a ship docked on the island of Syros after a pro-Palestinian protest erupted at the port, raising safety concerns.
Around 300 protesters had gathered at the dock to protest against the war in Gaza, while Syros Port Authority police guarded the area and intervened to prevent violence until the ship departed.
Amid the large anti-Israel protest, the cruise company chose to divert the ship to Limassol, Cyprus.
In videos circulating on social media, protesters were seen waving Palestinian flags and holding banners with slogans such as “Stop the Genocide” and “No AC [Air Conditioning] in Hell,” while chanting antisemitic slogans.
Since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents have surged to alarming levels across Europe. This recent incident appears to be just one of the latest in a wave of anti-Jewish hate crimes that Greece and other countries have witnessed in recent months.
Earlier this month in Athens, a group of pro-Palestinian activists vandalized an Israeli restaurant, shouting antisemitic slurs and spray-painting graffiti with slogans such as “No Zionist is safe here.”
The attackers also posted a sign on one of the restaurant’s windows that read, “All IDF soldiers are war criminals — we don’t want you here,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
Last month, an Israeli tourist was attacked by a group of pro-Palestinian activists after they overheard him using Google Maps in Hebrew while navigating through Athens.
When the attackers realized the victim was speaking Hebrew, they began physically assaulting him while shouting antisemitic slurs.
The post Israeli Cruise Ship Targeted Again as Pro-Palestinian Protests Escalate in Greece first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Ritchie Torres Says Netanyahu Has Done ‘Irreparable’ Harm to Democratic Party Relationship With Israel
US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) standing at the US Capitol in February of 2023. Photo: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), one of Israel’s most vocal supporters in Congress, delivered pointed criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, saying the longtime leader has “done harm” to Israel’s relationship with the Democratic Party and called for an end to the war in Gaza.
“If you’re a Democrat, and if you’re a Democrat of color and if you’re a Black Democrat, you take immense pride in Barack Obama. He represents one of the greatest achievements in politics. We take great pride in his presidency,” Torres said in an interview with . “To see a foreign leader visibly disrespect him in the manner that Bibi Netanyahu did, I feel did irreparable damage to the relationship with the Democratic Party.”
Torres offered a gloomy assessment of Netanyahu’s relationship with the Democratic party, arguing that “the damage may be irreparable.” He also cautioned that support for the Jewish state is rapidly “eroding” according to various polls.
Furthermore, Torres stated that despite his strident support for Israel, he does not “consider myself having a good relationship with the Israeli government.”
Torres said that Netanyahu “made a terrible mistake” in establishing a cozy relationship with President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, arguing that the Israeli premier politicized the US-Israel relationship. The progressive lawmaker said that there is a “legitimate perception that the present Israeli government is just aligned with the Republican Party.”
The remarks represent a notable shift from Torres, a New York Democrat who has historically defended Israel amid bipartisan divisions over the war. While maintaining his commitment to Israel’s security, Torres said Netanyahu’s government has failed to articulate a clear endgame in Gaza and warned that the ongoing military campaign is undermining both humanitarian values and strategic interests.
“There’s a real need to end the war, secure the release of the hostages, bring humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in distress.”
Torres cited prominent Israeli journalists and media figures that have warned that Gaza has approached “catastrophic” levels of hunger and that famine might be looming without a rapid policy shift.
Torres’s comments come amid growing pressure from the Democratic base on centrist and progressive Democrats alike to take a firmer stance on Israel’s military operations, which have resulted in the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Israel launched its campaign following the October 7 Hamas attack that killed approximately 1,200 people and took over 200 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
Torres’s comments underscore a growing divide within the Democratic Party over the U.S.-Israel relationship. While the party remains broadly supportive of Israel’s right to defend itself, a significant faction ,including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) condemned the war in Gaza and called for a suspension of U.S. military aid to Israel.
The post Ritchie Torres Says Netanyahu Has Done ‘Irreparable’ Harm to Democratic Party Relationship With Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israeli Defense Firm Lands Huge Deal With Germany
An Elbit Systems Ltd. Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is seen at Elbit’s drone factory in Rehovot, Israel, June 28, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Orel Cohen
On Monday, Elbit Systems Ltd., a military contractor based in Israel, announced it had received a $260 million government contract from Germany to spend six years installing Directional Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM) self-protection systems for defending Germany’s A400M aircraft fleet.
The contract is just the latest in a string of blockbuster deals between Israeli defense firms and international militaries. Israeli defense exports to Europe jumped to 54% of overall defense exports last year, up from just over 33% in 2023, according to the Israeli media outlet Globes.
Elbit’s defense system works to counter infrared-guided missiles, with a focus on mobile anti-aircraft weapons. It offers the ability to track missile threats as they happen and also provides automatic protection without needed human action.
Other countries which have deployed the system include Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Brazil. In February, Morocco announced plans to purchase 36 Atmos 2000 self-propelled artillery systems from Elbit, making Israel the country’s third largest weapons supplier.
“This contract further strengthens Elbit Systems’ position as a leading global provider of DIRCM solutions,” Elbit president and CEO Bezhalel Machlis said. “Our systems are already trusted by numerous air forces and defense organizations around the world, and we are proud to support Germany in enhancing the protection of their strategic air assets. Our successful collaboration with Airbus DS on this important program is highly valued, and we are pleased that our advanced self-protection systems will contribute to the safety and operational readiness of the German A400M fleet.”
The announcement prompted Elbit’s share price to jump 1 percent on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE).
Since Israel’s 12-day war against Iran, Israel’s financial markets have been buoyed by significant foreign investment and renewed investor confidence. Over the past year, the TASE has repeatedly broken past its all-time highs, despite Israel’s multi-front wars.
On Friday, Germany announced that it would not join France in recognizing a Palestinian state. A government spokesperson said “Israel’s security is of paramount importance to the German government” and that “the German government therefore has no plans to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.”
On Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the country had no plans to sanction Israel and that “for now, we want to await the foreign minister’s trip and the talks that will be held with the Israeli government in the coming days.”
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