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Reports: US considering denying entry to far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Biden administration is considering denying entry to Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli minister who said a West Bank village should be “wiped out,” according to multiple reports from Israeli and U.S. media.
Smotrich, who is the finance minister and the minister responsible for civilian matters in the West Bank, has requested entry to address a meeting of Israel Bonds, the main Israel investment mechanism in the United States, next Sunday in Washington D.C.
Biden administration officials told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency last week that they would not meet with Smotrich after he said the state, not private individuals, should “wipe out” Huwara, a West Bank village where a gunman recently killed two Israeli brothers and where Jewish settlers rioted in response.
Now, The Times of Israel, Axios and Israel’s Channel 12 news have all reported that U.S. officials are considering denying Smotrich entry to the country entirely.
Smotrich later walked back his statement about Huwara, saying he did not mean it literally. But that has not appeased the Biden administration: Ned Price, the State Department spokesman said Smotrich’s statement was “disgusting” and “incitement to violence.”
Price declined to comment to JTA on Sunday about whether his department was considering denying Smotrich entry.
Smotrich does not appear to have any public meetings planned outside the Israel Bonds session. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee will not meet with him, and the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations has said he agrees with Price that Smotrich’s comments were “disgusting.”
Liberal Jewish groups are planning to protest the meeting. A petition is circulating on WhatsApp asking Jews to call on Israel Bonds board members not to attend the speech, to call on Smotrich to cancel his appearance or to quit the board.
Israel Bonds works intimately with Israel’s finance ministry and has traditionally welcomed finance ministers to its events.
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The post Reports: US considering denying entry to far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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China, Saudi Arabia Agree to Strengthen Coordination on Regional, Global Matters
Flags of China and Saudi Arabia are seen in this picture, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Benmansour
China and Saudi Arabia agreed to have closer communication and coordination on regional and international issues, with Beijing lauding Riyadh’s role in Middle East diplomacy, statements following a meeting between the nations’ foreign ministers on Sunday showed.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on a three-nation tour in the Middle East that began in the United Arab Emirates and is expected to end in Jordan. He met with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud in Riyadh on Sunday.
A joint statement published by China’s official news agency Xinhua did not elaborate on what issues the countries will strengthen coordination on, but mentioned China’s support for Saudi Arabia and Iran developing and enhancing their relations.
“(China) appreciates Saudi Arabia’s leading role and efforts to achieve regional and international security and stability,” the statement released on Monday said.
The statement also reiterated both countries’ support for a “comprehensive and just settlement” of the Palestinian issue and the formation of an independent state for Palestinians.
At a high-level meeting, Wang told his Saudi counterpart that China has always regarded Saudi Arabia as a “priority for Middle East diplomacy” and an important partner in global diplomacy, a Chinese foreign ministry statement on Monday said.
He also encouraged more cooperation in energy and investments, as well as in the fields of new energy and green transformation.
The countries have agreed to mutually exempt visas for diplomatic and special passport holders from both sides, according to the joint statement.
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Report: Iran Considers Removing Hezbollah Leader Naim Qassem
Lebanon’s Hezbollah Chief Naim Qassem gives a televised speech from an unknown location, July 30, 2025, in this screen grab from video. Photo: Al Manar TV/REUTERS TV/via REUTERS
i24 News – Iran is reportedly dissatisfied with the performance of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem and is preparing to reorganize the group’s leadership, potentially removing him from his position, according to a report by Emirati outlet Erem News citing senior Lebanese diplomatic sources.
The report claims Tehran views Qassem as “unsuitable to lead Hezbollah at this critical stage,” arguing that he has failed to meet the leadership standards set by his predecessor, longtime Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
Iranian officials are said to believe Qassem lacks sufficient political acumen and hold him responsible for the deterioration in relations between Hezbollah and the Lebanese state.
According to Erem News, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to oversee preparations for restructuring Hezbollah’s internal leadership during an upcoming visit to Beirut.
The visit is intended to assess the organization’s internal climate through direct meetings with senior Hezbollah figures and influential operatives.
“The Iranian minister seeks to monitor the general climate within Hezbollah and convey an accurate picture of the internal situation to decision-makers in Tehran,” the report said, adding that the findings would be used to inform “crucial decisions regarding anticipated changes at the head of the organization, most notably the fate of Naim Qassem.”
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Iran’s Foreign Minister to Visit Russia and Belarus, Foreign Ministry Says
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi speaks during a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran, Iran, July 12, 2025. Photo: Hamid Forootan/Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Iran‘s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, will visit Russia and Belarus in the next two to three days, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Sunday.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan on Friday.