Days after Israel bombs Hamas gathering in Qatari capital, Egypt revives plan to create a Joint Arab Force, modeled after NATO, to defend Arab states from attack.

By World Israel News Staff

Egypt is pushing for the formation of a united Arab military force after Israel’s airstrike on a gathering of senior Hamas terrorists in Qatar last week.

According to a report by the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is seeking support among Arab leaders for a decade-old plan to form a pan-Arab military organization modeled after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The plans for a Joint Arab Force date back to March 2015, after a civil war broke out in Yemen. The force was envisioned at the time both as a mechanism for maintaining regional stability — by creating a broad coalition to confront rebel forces and terrorist groups — and as a means of creating a pan-Arab collective defense, deterring attacks by Israel and other non-Arab states.

The plans were shelved in 2016 after no agreement could be reached regarding the mandate of the new force, its finances, its command structure, and the levels of troop contributions by member states.

However, Egypt is now looking to revive the plan, using anxiety across the Arab world following Israel’s airstrike in Doha to rekindle interest in an Arab equivalent of NATO.

A report by the state-owned United Arab Emirates newspaper The National cited unnamed sources who said that multiple Arab states are now considering the Egyptian proposal.

El-Sisi raised the subject with multiple Arab leaders over the past few days ahead of a two-day summit in Doha, during which Arab and Muslim representatives are expected to hold talks on the Egyptian proposal.

The plan, as envisioned by Egypt, would place the new Joint Arab Force’s headquarters in Cairo, which is also home to the Arab League’s headquarters.

The new force would include all 22 member states of the Arab League.

An Egyptian commander would be given control of the force initially, with control then rotating on a regular basis, giving officers from each member state an opportunity to command the joint force.

Each member state would be required to contribute troops and funds based on its size, wealth, and current military capacity. Egypt, for example, would provide some 20,000 troops for the new joint force.

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First pan-Arab rebuke of Hamas comes in joint declaration backing two-state plan.

By David Brummer, World Israel News

The Arab League has issued its first-ever condemnation of the October 7 attacks, calling on Hamas to disarm and step aside from Palestinian leadership.

In a move hailed by France as “historic and unprecedented,” the 22-member bloc joined the EU, along with 17 other countries, in signing the so-called “New York Declaration.”

The seven-page document criticizes violence by all sides but makes specific mention of Hamas’ role in launching the assault that triggered the current Gaza war.

It also condemns Israeli strikes against civilians and infrastructure in Gaza.

Signatories include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon—nations that have often taken opposing stances on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“For the first time, Arab countries and those in the Middle East condemn Hamas, condemn October 7, call for the disarmament of Hamas, call for its exclusion from Palestinian governance,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

For the first time, the entire Arab League has condemned the October 7th attack and called on Hamas to release all hostages and lay down its arms. pic.twitter.com/kqFyFyJvzy

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 30, 2025

The declaration supports the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state, unified under the Palestinian Authority and incorporating both Gaza and Judea and Samaria. It rules out any post-war political role for Hamas and frames peace as only achievable through diplomacy, not violence.

“War, occupation, terror and forced displacement cannot deliver either peace or security. Only a political solution can,” the statement reads.

The document will be submitted for further discussion at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

It envisions a two-state solution in which a future Palestinian state lives “in peace and security alongside Israel.”

The move is notable for its inclusion of Arab League members like Syria and Lebanon, which do not have ties with Israel and have historically aligned with rejectionist positions. It also reflects a growing consensus among moderate Arab nations seeking stability and future normalization with Israel.

Still, Israeli officials responded with skepticism.

“There are those in the world who fight terrorists and extremist forces,” said Israeli UN envoy Danny Danon.

“And then there are those who turn a blind eye or resort to appeasement.”

While the declaration stops short of laying out mechanisms for Hamas’s disarmament, its political message is clear: the group’s role in Palestinian leadership is increasingly untenable, even in the Arab world.

Talks will continue in the lead-up to September’s UN assembly, where the push for a two-state framework will likely intensify.

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Arab League Sec.-Gen. Ahmed Aboul Gheit stated that Arab states reject President Trump’s plan, arguing that historically, no population was forced to leave their homes while rebuilding, even during World War II.

Arab League Sec.-Gen. Ahmed Aboul Gheit Rejects Trump’s Gaza Relocation Plan, Adds: I Acknowledge the Right to Resist Occupation but the October 7 Attack Took a “Wrong Turn,” Leading to the Destruction of Gaza, Death of 1,200 Israeli Civilians pic.twitter.com/LmSmy0sqVO

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) March 10, 2025

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Egyptian “day after” plan for Gaza missing critical details, such as how Hamas will be ousted from power.

By World Israel News Staff

The Hamas terror group will no longer govern the Gaza Strip, which will instead by run by an international coalition of Arab, Muslim, and Western countries, according to an Egyptian plan for the coastal enclave set to be unveiled on Tuesday.

Egypt, which has staunchly refused President Donald Trump’s request for the country to accept Gazan refugees, said it has drafted an alternative plan for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Strip.

According to a Reuters report, the plan is missing numerous critical details that are necessary for its implementation.

The plan does not specify how Hamas will be persuaded to step down, nor does it specify how the Strip will be governed without the terror group in control.

“There will be no major international funding for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gaza if Hamas remains the dominant and armed political element on the ground controlling local governance,” an introduction to the plan reads.

The document also does not state who should pay for the reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

The Arab League is expected to hold a special summit focused on the future of Gaza, with the meeting to be held in Egypt later on Tuesday.

The summit was called after Trump said that the U.S. would encourage the emigration of Gazans from the territory, which would then come under American control during the rebuilding process.

In a statement to Reuters, a senior Hamas official said that the terror group was not in contact with Egypt regarding the proposal.

“The day after in Gaza must only be decided by the Palestinians,” Sami Abu Zurhi said. “Hamas rejects any attempt to impose projects or any form of non-Palestinian administration, or the presence of any foreign forces on the land of the Gaza Strip.”

An anonymous Palestinian Authority official told Reuters that “we agreed with the Egyptians on a committee made of Palestinian experts that will help the Palestinian Authority in running the Gaza Strip for six months. The committee is made of Palestinian experts and coordinates with the PA, and doesn’t answer to non-Palestinian bodies.”

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The move could ‘threaten the region’s stability, risk expanding the conflict, and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence among its peoples,’ the statement said.

By JNS

Arab countries and the Palestinian Authority published a joint statement on Saturday rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Gazans to Egypt and Jordan.

The foreign ministers of those countries and Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates published the statement following a summit meeting in Cairo, according to the Associated Press.

The statement also represents the official position of the Arab League, a regional organization with 22 member states, the document said.

“We affirm our rejection of [any attempts] to compromise Palestinians’ unalienable rights, whether through settlement activities, or evictions or [annexations] of land or through vacating the land from its owners … in any form or under any circumstances or justifications,” the statement read.

The move could “threaten the region’s stability, risk expanding the conflict, and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence among its peoples,” the text continued.

Last week, Trump said he had asked Jordan’s King Abdullah II to take in more Palestinians from Gaza, where entire neighborhoods have been destroyed during the 15 months of fighting between Hamas and Israel.

“I said to him that I’d love you to take on more, because I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now and it’s a mess, it’s a real mess,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.

“It’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there, so I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing in a different location where I think they could maybe live in peace for a change,” he continued.

He added that he had also asked Egypt to take in Gazans.

The proposal was immediately rejected by Egypt and Jordan, with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi saying: “Our refusal of displacement is a steadfast position that will not change. Jordan is for Jordanians, and Palestine is for Palestinians.”

Palestinians currently account for more than 70% of the population of Jordan, which is ruled by the Hashemite royal house, whose origins are in the Arabian Peninsula.

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The Arab League also criticized Iran for rhetoric it believed was ‘fueling strife among the Syrian people.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The Arab League has cautioned Iran to avoid actions that could aggravate tensions in Syria, AFP reports.

Iran had a history of backing Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, which collapsed on December 8th.

During nearly a decade of civil war, Iran provided military support to prop up the Assad regime.

At the beginning of the civil war, then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent Islamic Republican Guard Corp (IRGC) terrorists to fight alongside Assad’s troops.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a top aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Al Khameini, said Iran would only withdraw its “military advisers” from Syria when the country wanted it to.

However, the Arab League on Thursday sought to limit Iran’s interference in Syria’s affairs and emphasized the importance of Syria’s sovereignty.

The League warned Iran that it should “Confine the possession of weapons to the state, disband all armed groups, and reject any foreign interventions that threaten stability.”

It also criticized Iran for rhetoric it believed was “fueling strife among the Syrian people.”

On Sunday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei commented on Assad’s downfall, forecasting the rise of a “strong and honorable movement” in Syria, while asserting that the country’s youth “have nothing left to lose.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei denied Iran was meddling in Syria’s affairs. He said his country was committed to “supporting Syria’s territorial integrity and national unity, along with the establishment of an inclusive political system.”

The new regime in Syria under Abu Muhammad al-Julani has declared that it will not permit Iranian planes to enter its airspace, according to Walla.

Initially, the decision was limited to planes used for military purposes, such as transferring weapons or moving troops. However, on Sunday, it became evident that the ban extended to all Iranian aircraft.

Security sources say this is the most decisive declaration of Syria’s independence and repudiation of the “Axis of Evil” headed by Iran. Iranian planes require access to Syrian airspace to transport supplies to terror proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

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Leader of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea said Lebanon should deploy its army to Hezbollah strong points and end the war with Israel, emphasizing the rift between Lebanese civilians and Hezbollah.

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In the midst of fighting on the Israel-Lebanon border and with full-scale war looming, Arab League ends recognition of Hezbollah as a terror group.

By World Israel News Staff

The League of Arab States, better known as the Arab League, has ceased to recognize the Iran-backed, Lebanon-based Hezbollah organization as a terrorist group, a League spokesman said over the weekend.

The Arab League, an umbrella organization representing 22 Arab states across North Africa and the Middle East, had recognized Hezbollah as a terrorist group since March 11th, 2016, when 20 member states blacklisted the Lebanese organization. Only Iraq and Lebanon declined to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

The move to blacklist the Shi’ite group Hezbollah was initiated by Saudi Arabia, the Sunni Muslim rival of Hezbollah’s largest patron, Iran.

On Friday, the Beirut-based Al-Akhbar outlet reported that Arab League Assistant Secretary General Hossam Zaki met with Lebanese MP Mohammad Raad, lawmaker representing Hezbollah, informing him that the League had dropped the terrorist designation.

“The League decided to lift the terrorist tag from Hezbollah, as the party plays a crucial role in present politics and the future of Lebanon,” Zaki was quoted as telling Raad.

Zaki hinted that the League’s decision to drop the terrorist designation was at least partially motivated by Hezbollah’s ongoing conflict with Israel, and the looming possibility of a full-blown war between Israel and Lebanon.

“The military escalation in the south poses a severe challenge to security and stability not only in Lebanon, but also across the Middle East, especially if the conflict spills over,” Zaki said.

On Saturday, Zaki confirmed publicly that the Arab League had lifted the terrorist designation.

“In previous Arab League decisions, Hezbollah was designated as a terrorist organization, and this designation was reflected in the resolutions, leading to the severing of communication based on these decisions,” Zaki told the Egypt-based Al-Qahera News.

“The member states of the League agreed that the label of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization should no longer be employed.”

“The designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization no longer applies,” Zaki continued, saying that “the Arab League does not maintain terrorist lists and does not actively seek to designate entities in such a manner.”

Twenty-three countries around the world, including several Arab League member states, the United States, U.K., France, Canada, and Germany, recognize part or all of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, as does the European Union.

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad strode into the Arab League summit in Jeddah, relishing the clearest recognition yet that he has won his war for Syria. He was embraced by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Also in attendance was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. As always, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was on the agenda with the appearance of PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

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The bid by the two countries to move toward a new chapter is a glaring example of how things have changed in the region over the past decade.

By Associated Press

Tunisian President Kais Saied met Tuesday with Syria’s chief diplomat and said his country wants to boost bilateral cooperation and preserve “historical ties of brotherhood” with Damascus, the official TAP news agency reported.

Diplomatic relations between Syria and Tunisia have been cut since 2012 during the civil war that followed President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on mass protests against his rule. Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad’s three-day visit to Tunisia is meant to help restore relations, the Tunisian Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Mikdad had a meeting Monday evening with his Tunisian counterpart Nabil Ammar shortly after his arrival.

President Saied stressed Tunisia’s willingness to intensify cooperation in a range of bilateral issues and on the common cultural bonds, TAP reported.

The bid by the two countries to move toward a new chapter is a glaring example of how things have changed in the region over the past decade: Tunisia was the birthplace of the Arab Spring pro-democracy movements that spread as far as Syria in 2011, and was long among Assad’s strongest critics. But today, Tunisia’s leadership is swinging back toward authoritarianism and is allying anew with Assad’s Syria.

Earlier this month, the Tunisian president ordered the appointment of an ambassador to Damascus, after the Syrian government’s decision to reopen its embassy in Tunis and appoint an ambassador.

In February, Saied announced his decision to raise the level of Tunisian diplomatic representation in Damascus and said that the crisis facing Assad’s government was “an internal matter that concerns only the Syrian people.” The move was made at the same time Tunisia was sending urgent humanitarian aid to Syria following the earthquake that killed tens of thousands there and in neighboring Turkey.

Mikdad’s visit to Tunisia is the second leg of a trip that began in Algeria, one of the few Arab countries that maintained diplomatic relations during Syria’s civil war.

It comes as influential Tunisian Islamist leader Rached Ghannouchi was detained after a police search in a move denounced by his supporters as a stepped-up effort by the president to quash Tunisia’s opposition. Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahdha party, is the most prominent critic of Saied.

Last week, Mikdad also traveled to Saudi Arabia.

Syria was widely shunned by Arab governments over Assad’s 2011 crackdown on protesters and was ousted from the Arab League. However, in recent years, as Assad consolidated control over most of the country, Syria’s neighbors have begun to take steps toward rapprochement.

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Britain already refused to apologize in 2017 on the 100th anniversary of the document affirming Jewish rights to Israel, then called Palestine.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The Arab League revisited an old grievance Tuesday when it called on the United Kingdom to apologize for the issuance 104 years ago of the Balfour Declaration, Xinhua News reported Wednesday.

The union of Arabic-speaking African and Asian countries said that Britain should “correct the historical mistake and bear its legal and ethical responsibility towards the Palestinian people.”

The historic document, its statement claimed, “was the beginning of the Palestinian tragedy that caused compulsory deportation of the real owners of lands, while most heinous crimes have been going against the Palestinian people.”

The League also called for Britain to now recognize alongside Israel the “state of Palestine” in the area of the Palestinian Authority (PA), with eastern Jerusalem as its capital.

Included among the 22 states in the League are all the Arab countries who have either made peace or normalized relations with Israel – Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, the UAE, Yemen, Morocco and Sudan.

The League’s demand echoed the Joint List’s MK Osama Saadi, who on Tuesday denounced the “cursed Balfour Declaration” from the Knesset podium.

The Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government on November 2, 1917 during World War I announcing its formal support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in what was then the enemy-held Ottoman Empire territory of Palestine. It was written by Foreign Secretary, later Lord, Arthur Balfour, in close consultation with leading British Zionists Lord Lionel Rothschild and Chaim Weizmann, who eventually became the first president of Israel.

It was the first time a major world power had declared it was in favor of giving Jews some kind of control in their ancient homeland, even though the Declaration intentionally left vague if an actual state was intended. It also specifically called for doing nothing “which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.”

This isn’t the first time such an expression of regret has been called for. In 2017, with the centenary celebration of the document in both Israel and England, the Palestinians and their supporters demanded that the British apologize. Ramallah also demanded financial compensation, besides recognition for their “state.”

PA President Mahmoud Abbas wrote an op-ed for a British paper, The Guardian, in which he vilified Israel, refused to recognize any Jewish connection to the land, and said that Britain should “recognize” the “mistake” of the Declaration with “humility and courage.”

The UK Foreign Office refused, saying, “The Balfour Declaration is an historic statement for which HMG (her Majesty’s Government) does not intend to apologize. We are proud of our role in creating the State of Israel.”

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The island state of Comoros will be the fifth signatory to the Accords if negotiations are successful. 

By Donna Rachel Edmunds, World Israel News. 

Last year’s historic Abraham Accords initiative looks set to grow, with Comoros, Qatar, Tunisia, Oman, and Malaysia all being touted Monday as possible additional signatories.

On Monday, a senior diplomatic source revealed that Israel is already in talks with Comoros, a Muslim-majority island state located between Madagascar, and Mozambique and Tanzania on the east coast of Africa.

Comoros, which is an Arab League member, is the only Arab state that lies entirely in the southern hemisphere.

Following an introduction brokered by the United States, bilateral talks have continued between Comoros and Israel aimed at achieving a normalization agreement. Sources in Jerusalem have indicated that, at this time, it is unclear if the effort will be successful, but if it is, the island state will be the fifth signatory to the accords.

A spokesman at The Foreign Ministry told Israel Hayom: “Israel does not comment on the issue of other countries that may join the peace treaty.”

The Abraham Accords Declaration, signed on September 15 2020 by Israel, the United States, The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain not only paved the way for normalization agreements between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco respectively, but have also led to flourishing new relationship between the states, most notably between Israel and the UAE.

Visiting the UAE, Israel’s Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Frej told Emirati website Erem News that Qatar, Tunisia, Oman, and Malaysia could soon follow suit in joining the Accords with normalization agreements of their own, according to Israel Hayom, although Qatari sources have recently ruled out the prospect until the Palestinian situation can be resolved.

“Every Arab country in the Middle East, even the hostile countries, we have direct and indirect relations with them. I see on the far horizon that all the countries of the Middle East will be within a union,” said Frij, a Meretz MK.

The Accords were a “historical event and a turning point in the whole region,” which had “led to movement and dynamism at the commercial, strategic, and political levels, after a period of stagnation,” Frij continued.

The minister added that he had met with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed during his recent visit, and that the pair had held discussions on the role Arab-Israelis can play in forging a successful relationship between the two states. Arab-Israelis “must have a positive role, as a bridge to link Israel’s relations with the region,” he said.

Some 250,000 Arab-Israelis have already visited the UAE over the last six months.

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Arab League and Palestinian Authority fume as another country opens an embassy to Israel in Jerusalem.

By World Israel News Staff

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit and the Palestinian Authority Foreign Ministry both issued angry condemnations of the Czech Republic Saturday after the European country became the latest nation to open an embassy in Israel’s capital city of Jerusalem.

In a statement issued in Cairo, Aboul-Gheit slammed the Czech move as being a “violation of international law and the established European policy on this issue.”

On Thursday, visiting Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi held a ceremony to officially open the Jerusalem office of the Czech embassy, joining Hungary as the second European country to open an embassy in Jerusalem.

“This act does not help peace and violates Palestinian rights in the occupied city. The status of Jerusalem is one of the final solution issues that are negotiated and cannot be determined in advance through unilateral actions,” the Arab League said in a statement posted on its Facebook page,” adding that “this fact is not affected by the actions of some countries that chose interests over principles.”

In Ramallah, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry called the decision of the Czechs “a blatant attack on the Palestinian people and their rights,” the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, adding the office had opened despite Palestinian demands for the “Czechs to retract their dangerous decision.”

After the ceremony, Babis tweeted that the opening was the fulfillment of the promise made during a 2018 visit to Israel by Czech President Miloš Zeman to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel.

“It is a great honor for me and, above all, another important step in the friendly relations between our two countries,” Babis said.

“I am happy to see that the changes in the Middle East are based on a recognition of the reality and historical truth that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel,” said Ashkenazi. “The Czech Republic is a close friend of Israel, and we work together in many different fields.”

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Without referring to Iran by name, Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that “some regional powers are interfering in the affairs of the Arab region.”

By World Israel News Staff and AP

The secretary-general of the 22-member Arab League Aboul Gheit referred without name to Iran in an address before the the United Nations Security Council at the beginning of the week.

Aboul Gheit said that “some regional powers are interfering in the affairs of the Arab region” by adversely affecting “the security of international maritime navigation routes which are a lifeline for international trade,” a reference to freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf and Iran’s mounting aggression in and around the waterway.

“It has also become apparent that this interference perpetuates existing conflicts and further complicates them,” he said, without directly citing Iran’s support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, and for terror groups in the region, such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, and the Houthis in Yemen.

Aboul Gheit said the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts and crises have created “a dangerous mix that has taken a heavy toll on the peoples of the region,” pointing to 10 years of civil war in Syria, Yemen’s war entering its seventh year and “entrenched divisions in Libya.”

Aboul Gheit also expressed hope Monday that the Biden administration will change U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies and focus on the so-called two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate, an approach that has so far failed to solve the decades-old conflict.

During the Trump administration, Israel signed peace agreements with four Muslim-majority states, the first deals of their kind in a quarter century.

According to Aboul Gheit, the two-state approach “has been marginalized by the main mediator in the peace process,” a reference to the United States.

This “encouraged the Israeli government” to permit Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria to grow, a step the Arab League and the Palestinian Authority (PA) oppose.

He spoke a day after Israeli authorities advanced plans to build nearly 800 homes in Jewish communities, in a last-minute surge of approvals before Trump leaves office Wednesday and Joe Biden is inaugurated. Palestinian leaders predictably denounced the Israeli action.

The Palestinians claim all of Judea and Samaria as part of a future independent state. They claim that letting Jews live in Judea and Samaria blocks their dream of independence.

“We look forward to the new American administration rectifying policies and processes that are not useful and engage in a fruitful political process with the support of influential regional and international parties,” he said.

On Syria, Aboul Gheit said five countries are interfering militarily and the “security situation remains tumultuous and precarious, especially in the northwest, northeast and south.” This not only undermines prospects of a political settlement but also has equally serious humanitarian repercussions, with 90% of Syrians living in poverty, he said.

“I am convinced that a genuine solution would start with a minimal level of international consensus, which is still lacking,” and would require some regional parties to reduce their involvement in Syria, Aboul Gheit said. “Those regional parties continue to view Syria land as spoils of war or use it to settle scores”

In Yemen, the Arab League chief said the situation “is as dangerous, especially the humanitarian situation,” with some Yemenis on the bring of starvation.

He strongly backed efforts by U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths to get agreement between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government on a joint declaration calling for a cease-fire and confidence-building measures.

He said the Saudi-negotiated agreement on a new Cabinet “is a positive sign that the fragmentation and division are coming to an end,” which “paves the way for negotiations on a comprehensive solution.”

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Iran hasn’t paid its United Nations dues in two years and was penalized by having its voting rights revoked.

The post WATCH: Iran stiffs UN on dues for 2 years, loses voting rights appeared first on World Israel News.

The Palestinians showed their displeasure with the new spirit of peace in the Middle East.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

True to form when not getting their way, the Palestinians have chosen to walk away from their current chairmanship of Arab League foreign minister meetings, Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki announced at a Ramallah press conference on Tuesday.

“Palestine has decided to concede its right to chair the League’s council [of foreign ministers] at its current session. There is no honor in seeing Arabs rush towards normalization during its presidency,” Maliki said.

The Palestinians were going to head the meetings for the next six months, Reuters reports.

The impetus for the Palestinian departure was the recent peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which Bahrain also joined.

The UAE’s deal with Israel “created a deep crisis in the Arab League,” Maliki said, followed “by a similar collapse by the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

If those two deals hasn’t depressed the Palestinians enough, some five to six more are expected to come. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear the first two were just the start. Trump said even the Palestinians would come to the table, though none would be more surprised than themselves if that prediction becomes reality, given their behavior.

The Palestinian leadership, which has embraced rejectionism, cut off official ties with the U.S. in December 2017 after Trump announced he would move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, a promise he delivered on in May 2018.

The Palestinians have absorbed a number of diplomatic blows since Trump took office, including one at the Arab League itself when the body recently refused to condemn the UAE-Israel deal after being asked to do so by al-Maliki.

Earlier, Trump had cut funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which the U.S. administration said was helping to perpetuate rather than solve the conflict.

Trump also recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and Israel’s right to settle in Judea and Samaria, areas claimed by the PA for a future Palestinian state. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Nov. 2019 said there was nothing illegal “per se” about Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria.

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