Israel’s Ben-Gvir calls for assassination of PA officials if UN supports Palestinian statehood: Report
Palestinian Authority (PA) officials should be assassinated if the UN supports Palestinian statehood, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has said.
Multiple Israeli media outlets reported the far-right politician’s comment, which was made today at an Otzma Yehudit party meeting.
“If they accelerate the recognition of the Palestinian terrorist state, and the UN recognises a Palestinian state, targeted assassinations of senior Palestinian Authority officials, who are terrorists for all intents and purposes, should be ordered,” the Jerusalem Post newspaper cited Ben-Gvir as saying.
The Israeli minister added that PA President Mahmoud Abbas should be detained if the UN moves to back a Palestinian state. Israel has a solitary confinement cell “ready for him”, Ben-Gvir claimed.
His remarks came shortly before a UN Security Council vote on a Gaza ceasefire plan brought by the United States. The proposal would support the formation of an international stabilisation force.
The resolution also suggests that the UN would support a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood”, something that the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it strongly opposes.
The PA expressed its support for the US-drafted proposal on Friday.
The irony is, Palestinians do no want the PA nor Abbas either as they see it as a collaborator with Israel. Abbas' approval rating is 18% in the West Bank.
Lapid accuses Netanyahu of evading responsibility for October 7 failures
Opposition leader Yair Lapid has returned to comment on the Israeli government’s decision to establish an “independent” commission of inquiry, instead of a state commission of inquiry led by judges, to probe the failures that led to the October 7 attack in 2023.
Lapid accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of avoiding establishing a state commission of inquiry because it “will not be able to avoid the fact that he is guilty,” he said in comments carried out by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority. Before October 7, “the attack was in the air, there were threats and warnings – and Netanyahu ignored it.”
The Israeli public has long called for an investigation into what enabled Hamas fighters to breach Israeli security and kill more than 1,200 people in southern Israel more than two years ago. But Netanyahu, who has not admitted any responsibility so far, has repeatedly resisted calls for the establishment of a committee, saying he would respond to all questions once the war was over.
On Sunday, he announced the formation of a ministerial panel that will define the committee’s mandate, who will be investigated, and the timeframe to be probed, effectively giving politicians power over the process. The panel is due to deliver its decisions in 45 days.
What to expect from MBS-Trump meeting tomorrow
When Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, and US President Donald Trump sit down in the Oval Office on Tuesday, it’ll be the Saudi leader’s first visit in seven years to the White House.
Back in 2018, MBS was selling Americans his bold vision for a modern Saudi Arabia. Since then, the US-Saudi relationship has, at times, been strained, even tested. Still, the kingdom has transformed, in large part, through US investment. Last May, as he did in his first term, Trump chose Saudi Arabia for his first foreign trip. He returned with $600bn in Saudi investment for US energy, tech and defence.
The crown prince hopes to deepen commercial and defence ties with his return to Washington, by finalising a US-Saudi Defense Pact, including the sale of US F-35 fighter jets. He also aims to further investment in Saudi artificial intelligence, civilian nuclear power and infrastructure.
The leaders are expected to discuss regional stability, including countering Iranian influence. Trump will also try to convince the crown prince to join the Abraham Accords and normalise ties with Israel. But that’s unlikely, given Saudi Arabia’s insistence on the realisation of a Palestinian state.
What happens to the 'peace' plan if MBS holds off on the Abraham accords? The whole 'peace' plan charade was to keep the Arab countries in US' pocket, with the Abraham accords to expand imperial 'stability'.
