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Unreported: Mahmoud Abbas Traveled to Russia to Cement Ties with Putin and China
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attend a ceremony to sign an agreement of comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2025. Photo: Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has unequivocally aligned itself with the anti-American axis led by China and Russia. This is a deceitful betrayal of the United States and Western European nations, whose billions in aid have kept the PA out of financial collapse and sustained its very existence.
This fundamental alliance was on full display during PA leader Mahmoud Abbas’ participation in a major event held in Moscow on May 9, during which he warmly embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin as seen in the picture below.
The official PA daily was proud to report that Abbas’ attendance was at the “official invitation” of Putin, and “he also participated in the official dinner that Putin held in honor of [world] leaders” [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 10, 2025].
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 9, 2025]
The event was the 80th Moscow Victory Day Parade, celebrating Nazi Germany’s surrender in World War II. The combination of Abbas, Moscow, and the Nazis is highly ironic, given that Abbas previously was in Moscow as a student, where he wrote a doctoral thesis on his Holocaust denial.
Abbas met with both Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the event, warmly shaking hands with them and stressing the PA’s “strategic partnership” with their countries.
In his meeting with Xi, Abbas thanked the Chinese leader for the important “strategic partnership between the State of Palestine and its friend the People’s Republic of China.”:
Abbas expressed to the Chinese president his gratitude and appreciation for China’s positions that support our Palestinian people and its just cause in the international forums. He also gave thanks for the humanitarian aid and development aid that China presents to the Palestinian people.
The president emphasized the importance of the strategic partnership between the State of Palestine and its friend the People’s Republic of China. [emphasis added]
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 10, 2025]
Speaking with Putin, the PA chairman not only thanked Russia for its support, but also urged it to “develop” further bilateral ties “in various fields”:
During his meeting with … Putin … the president praised the historical relations between Palestine and Russia. He expressed his appreciation for Russia’s fixed positions in favor of the Palestinian people and its just rights …
He also discussed with his Russian counterpart the strengthening of the historical ties of friendship between the two states and ways to develop them in various fields, in a way that serves the interests of the two peoples. [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 9, 2025]
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 11, 2025]
This overt embrace of the anti-US axis further solidifies a position that has been repeatedly reiterated by the PA. For example, during a visit to Russia in May 2024, Abbas’ advisor Mahmoud Al-Habbash called for a “new multipolar world order” comprised of “the Islamic world, Russia and China.”
In a similar vein, in a meeting with the Chinese ambassador this April, Fatah General Commissioner for Arab and China Relations Abbas Zaki called China the “savior of humanity” against the threat of “the Zionist-American alliance.”
Given Abbas’ call to further “develop” ties with Russia and China, it can only be assumed that the PA will continue to take a more pronounced position in support of America’s opponents. Abbas already displayed this stance when he recently cursed America, saying: “May their father be cursed.”
The author is the Founder and Director of Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article first appeared.
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Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy
Thomas Barrack at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., November 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
i24 News – Lebanon’s daunting social, economic and political issues would not get resolved unless the state persists in the efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy behind so much of the unrest and destruction, special US envoy Tom Barrack told The National.
“You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn’t move, it’s going to be Bilad Al Sham again,” he said, using the historical Arabic name for the region sometimes known as “larger Syria.”
The official stressed the need to follow through on promises to disarm the Iranian proxy, which suffered severe blows from Israel in the past year, including the elimination of its entire leadership, and is considered a weakened though still dangerous jihadist outfit.
“There are issues that we have to arm wrestle with each other over to come to a final conclusion. Remember, we have an agreement, it was a great agreement. The problem is, nobody followed it,” he told The National.
Barrack spoke on the heels of a trip to Beirut, where he proposed a diplomatic plan for the region involving the full disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese state.
The post Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a cultural forum dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 11, 2024. Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Scherbak/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian leadership that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, the Axios website reported on Saturday. The Russian strongman also relayed the message to his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, the report said.
Iranian news agency Tasnim issued a denial, citing an “informed source” as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard.
Also on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that “Any negotiated solution must respect Iran’s right to enrichment. No agreement without recognizing our right to enrichment. If negotiations occur, the only topic will be the nuclear program. No other issues, especially defense or military matters, will be on the agenda.”
The post Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool
i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is attending at least one meeting with Israeli officials in Azerbaijan today, despite sources in Damascus claiming he wasn’t attending, a Syrian source close to President Al-Sharaa tells i24NEWS.
The Syrian source stated that this is a series of two or three meetings between the sides, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also in attendance, along with Ahmed Al-Dalati, the Syrian government’s liaison for security meetings with Israel.
The high-level Israeli delegation includes a special envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as security and military figures.
The purpose of the meetings is to discuss further details of the security agreement to be signed between Israel and Syria, the Iranian threat in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollah’s weapons, the weapons of Palestinian militias, the Palestinians camps in Lebanon, and the future of Palestinian refugees from Gaza in the region.
The possibility of opening an Israeli coordination office in Damascus, without diplomatic status, might also be discussed.
The source stated that the decision to hold the meetings in Azerbaijan, made by Israel and the US, is intended to send a message to Iran.
The post Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan first appeared on Algemeiner.com.