Monday, May 4, 2026
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Saudi Arabia, in swift response to Trump, says no ties with Israel without Palestinian state

By
​Center for Near East Policy Research
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Saudi Arabia said it would not establish ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state, contradicting President Donald Trump’s claim that Riyadh was not demanding a Palestinian homeland when he said the U.S. wants to take over the Gaza Strip.
In a shocking announcement, Trump said on Tuesday the United States would take over the war-ravaged enclave after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere and develop it economically. He was speaking at a joint press conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that its stance towards the Palestinians is not negotiable.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom’s position in ‘a clear and explicit manner’ that does not allow for any interpretation under any circumstances, the statement said.
Any proposed displacement of Palestinians is a highly sensitive matter among both Palestinians and Arab countries.
As fighting raged in the Gaza war, Palestinians feared they would suffer from another “Nakba”, or catastrophe, the time when hundreds of thousands were dispossessed of their homes in the war at the birth of the state of Israel.
When it comes to Saudi policy in the Middle East, the stakes are high for both Trump and Israel.
The United States had led months of diplomacy to get Saudi Arabia, one of the most powerful and influential Arab states, to normalise ties with Israel and recognise the country.
But the Gaza war, which began in October 2023, led Riyadh to shelve the matter in the face of Arab anger over Israel’s offensive.
Trump would like Saudi Arabia to follow in the footsteps of countries like the United Arab Emirates, a Middle East trade and business hub, and Bahrain which signed the so-called Abraham Accords in 2020 and normalised ties with Israel.
In doing so, they became the first Arab states in a quarter century to break a longstanding taboo.
Establishing ties with Saudi Arabia would be a grand prize for Israel because the kingdom has vast influence in the Middle East, the wider Muslim world, and it is the world’s biggest oil exporter.

Mahmoud Abbas opposes Trump’s solution for Gaza

By
​Center for Near East Policy Research
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FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas adjusts his glasses as he listens during a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (not pictured), in the West Bank city of Ramallah, May 25, 2021. Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday responded to US President Donald Trump’s proposal that the US control Gaza and encourage permanent emigration of its residents.

“We will never allow harm to our nation’s rights, for which we have fought for many decades, and for which we have sacrificed much to fulfill,” he said.

“These statements express a gross violation of international law, and the peace and stability in the region will not be accomplished without the founding of a Palestinian state with eastern Jerusalem as its capital, within the borders of June 4, 1967, on the basis of a two-state solution.”

Abbas also stressed that, “The Palestinian nation will never give up on its land, rights, and holy places, and that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the land of the State of Palestine, alongside the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem which is occupied since 1967.”

“The Palestinians’ legitimate rights are not up for negotiation, and the Palestine Liberation Organization is the legitimate and only representative of the Palestinian nation, and no one else has the right to make decisions about the future of the Palestinian nation.”

Abbas also called on United Nations Secretary General António Guterres and the UN Security Council to “take responsibility and act urgently to protect the Palestinian nation and preserve its rights, including the right to self-determination and remaining in their homeland.

New Regavim Video Exposes the Destruction of the Judean Desert Ecosystem

By
​Center for Near East Policy Research
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Tractors instead of gazelles, cement bags instead of rock hyraxes: This is what the Wye- designated nature reserve in the Judean Desert looks like after years of destruction and massive illegal construction by the Palestinian Authority.

*Regavim: “The Judean Desert has more concrete than mountain goats – a dubious achievement, courtesy of the Palestinian Authority. In a historic move, the State of Israel has reclaimed enforcement in the reserve. We expect – we demand – substantial action to restore the fragile desert ecosystem, which has suffered too long from the Palestinian Authority’s rampant illegal construction.”*

The Regavim Movement, in collaboration with the Gush Etzion and Har Hebron Regional Councils, released a video this morning highlighting the harsh reality of the nature reserve placed under jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority in the context of the Wye River Agreement (part 3 of the Oslo Accords). The film, a parody of National Geographic-style nature documentaries, was produced in an effort to increase pressure on law enforcement authorities to save and rehabilitate the nature reserve. The video shows the desert landscape trampled by massive construction, extensive roadworks and infrastructure development, illustrating the absurdity of a reality where concrete structures grow in place of desert flora and fauna.

The “National Catastrophic” satirical documentary is Regavim’s response to the decision taken this past June by Israel’s Political and Security Cabinet, restoring Israeli enforcement in the Nature Reserve in light of the Palestinian Authority’s massive violations of the Wye Agreement and decimation of the unique desert ecosystem. Following this decision, Major General Avi Blut signed implementation orders and, last month, the first targeted enforcement action was taken against illegal construction elements erected after the order was signed.

Nonetheless, in the weeks after this enforcement action, Regavim’s field coordinators documented new development and construction work in the northern part of the reserve, near Nahal Kidron, as well as massive construction in the southern part, near the village of A-Zwadin, including road paving, electrical infrastructure and construction of multi-story structures.

Moshe Shmueli, Field Coordinator for Regavim: “There is no vacuum. Wherever Israeli authorities are absent, hostile elements fill the void. After too many years of systematic destruction of the Judean Desert’s natural resources, there’s no time to lose – we must correct this immediately.”

Yaron Rosenthal, Head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council: “The Judean Desert is being systematically destroyed by the Palestinian Authority, with little response from environmental groups. We, who cherish the desert, and the nature, our environment and the Land of Israel, are committed to countering this damage and safeguarding our desert from further harm.”

Eliram Azoulai, Head of the Har Hebron Regional Council: “At this very moment, the Judean Desert is under assault. Illegal construction is both an environmental and a security risk. I urge the Defense Minister to take swift action to stop the illegal activity in the nature reserve and IDF firing zones. We are committed to preserving this beautiful landscape and ensuring the safety of our communities.”

 

Witkoff Meets PLO Leader Who Vowed to Spend “Last Penny” Financing Terror

By
​Center for Near East Policy Research
-

Fresh from his success of implementing the Biden plan and saving Hamas, Steven Witkoff, acting as Trump’s Middle East Envoy, went to Saudi Arabia, homeland of the 9/11 hijackers, and met with a top PLO leader.

Hussein Al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the PLO Executive Committee and head of the General Authority of Civil Affairs, who is apparently the leading candidate to replace ‘Abbas,

The meeting between Witkoff and Hussein al-Sheikh took place amid efforts by the Trump administration to end the war in Gaza and push for a Saudi-Israeli peace deal that includes a path toward a Palestinian state.

Hussein al-Sheikh isn’t just an Abbas adviser, he’s a possible successor to the aging PLO tyrant (or at least he was until he was recorded badmouthing Abbas) to run the Palestinian Authority.

And Al-Sheikh has a vision. Terror and more terror.

According to a MEMRI report, Sheikh claimed the Palestinians would spend every single dime they have on the so-called martyrs (dead terrorists) and their families as well as imprisoned terrorists.

Sheikh said, “I would like to reassure you of our firm and unwavering commitment: Our martyrs, prisoners, and their families are where we cross the line.”

He added, “Even if we have one penny left, it will be spent on the families of the martyrs and prisoners…They are our purest, most permanent, loftiest, and most precious jewel.”

In English, Al-Sheikh is referring to the ‘Pay-to-Slay’ program under which the PLO funds terror by providing payments to imprisoned terrorists or the families of dead terrorists.

Al-Sheikh also claimed that “our arms are open to” Hamas and bragged of the PLO’s role in defending the fellow Islamic terrorist group with which it had signed a unity agreement under the aegis of Communist China.

“Even as the world talked and demanded that Hamas be designated as a terror organization, who stood up the world? Was it not Abu Mazen who stood in front of the UN and declared, ‘No, Hamas is not a terror organization?’” al-Sheikh says, referring to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

“The real terrorism is the Israeli occupation. The real terrorism are the settlements. The real terrorism is the crime being committed against the Palestinian people. We’ve done our homework… and know very well what our priorities are and how to defend our internal front,” al-Sheikh adds.

The Saudis are proposing some sort of deal under which Al-Sheikh gets a terrorist state in Israel to run. Witkoff ought to be asked why he’s pulling America into nation-building terrorist states.

That’s not America First. That’s Jihad First.

Arab Language Expert: UNRWA-Funded Schools Label Israel a ‘Foreign Entity’ that Must be Removed Arab Language Expert: UNRWA-Funded Schools Label Israel a ‘Foreign Entity’ that Must be Removed Play Video Arab Language Expert: UNRWA-Funded Schools Label Israel a ‘Foreign Entity’ that Must be Removed

By
​Center for Near East Policy Research
-

Israel has officially banned the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating in eastern Jerusalem due to evidence that employees of UNWRA were also Hamas members. Some of them helped to carry out the October 7th massacre and used UNRWA facilities.

But UNRWA’s connection to violence and hatred of the Jews goes back decades before October 7th, 2023. Funded by Western nations, UNRWA has been involved in planting that hatred deep in the hearts and minds of Palestinian children and indoctrinating them to hate the Jewish people.

“If you say that Jews are enemies of God’s prophets, they are enemies of God,” Arab-language expert Dr. Groiss told CBN News. “In a traditional society like the Palestinian one, enemies of God should be killed. And if the Jews are also described as devil aides, so they are all devil’s aides, and this has had an impact on Palestinian kids’ minds.”

Groiss, of The Center for Near East Policy Research LTD., spent more than 30 years as an Arabic-language journalist. He has read and studied all the Palestinian Authority textbooks and teachers’ manuals from cover to cover. Those are the books used in UNRWA schools and taught by UNRWA teachers.

“If Israel took the Palestinian land and it’s a foreign entity, and Jews have no past in this country and no holy places, the Western Wall is an Islamic holy place – al-Buraq – there is no other way than to fight them and get them out of the country, by this way or another way. And this is what they teach the children in UNWRA schools,” Groiss stated.

To watch the full CBN News interview with Dr. Groiss, click here.

LAST EPISODE! What’s Next for Israel and the Jewish people | Caroline Glick In-Focus

By
​Center for Near East Policy Research
-

Goodbye for now, and thank you!

In this last episode of Caroline Glick’s In-Focus, Caroline takes stock of the last year and a half of Israel’s war for survival.

We’ll discuss where the war stands, where Israel stands and what awaits us on the eve of PM Netanyahu’s critical visit to Washington on Feb 4. Join us for this final podcast…until next time!

 

Steven Witkoff, US Middle East envoy, forced Israel to release thousands of convicted killers. ASK – Was Witkoff vetted for a possible Qatar conflict of interest?

By
​Center for Near East Policy Research
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Background:

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjk8nbfdke

https://imra.org.il/story.php?id=74302

https://israelbehindthenews.com/?s=+Witkoff

https://israelbehindthenews.com/2025/01/20/it-wasnt-a-deal-it-was-a-crime

https://www.jns.org/the-Art-of-the-deal-or-the-rout-of-the-real/

https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/01/30/palestinian-authority-has-paid-506-million-shekels-to-terrorists-being-released-in-the-current-exchange/

Report: Trump envoy told Netanyahu to make hostage deal or ‘we pack up and leave’

By
​Center for Near East Policy Research
-
Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed his nominee for Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to relay a “stark message” to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week: “Make the deal,” the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
Witkoff, who arrived in Israel from Qatar last Saturday to meet with the prime minister, told him “the president has been a great friend of Israel and now it’s time to be a friend back.”
“I would say that the president is exasperated,” Witkoff told reporters last week. Trump warned there would be “all hell to pay” if a deal was not reached.
According to a source familiar with the conversation who spoke to The Journal, Witkoff told Netanyahu that choices had to be made and Israel’s negotiators needed the authority to make decisions, adding, “If Netanyahu didn’t want to work that way, everyone should just pack their bags and go home.”

Netanyahu reportedly instructed the negotiating team—comprising the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet, an IDF representative and a political advisor—to travel to Qatar for intensive talks to finalize the deal.
Witkoff delivered the same message to Qatari and Egyptian mediators when he met with them a day earlier, saying, “The diplomatic back and forth must end.”

Officers by Day Terrorists by Night

By
​Center for Near East Policy Research
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  • Survey published 100 days after the outbreak of Iron Swords War found approximately 82% of Arabs in Judea and Samaria support the massacre of October 7. (AP, Palestinian poll shows a rise in Hamas support and close to 90% wanting US-backed Abbas to resign, https://bit.ly/3UZiNi8.)
  • Support for Hamas among Arabs in Judea and Samaria rose from 12% in September 2023 to 44% in November – December 2023. (Ibid.)
  • According to the official spokesman for the PA security system Colonel Talal Dweikat and senior PA official Jibril Rajoub PSF staff constitute 12% of all Palestinian terrorists incarcerated in Israel. (Moshe Elad, “The Method: Policemen by Day, Terrorists by Night,” Makor Rishon (Hebrew) 20 September 2023 https://bit.ly/3IoQi67.)
  • Fatah spokesman Hasin Hama’il boasted about the high number of PSF officers in Israeli prisons and stressed that “the PSF do not arrest Munadhilin, to the contrary, members of the PSF are the very ones involved in the fight against the occupation.” (Hasin Hama’il, Fatah spokesman, in an interview on 12 November 2023 https://bit.ly/3Pa53xo – beginning 03:35.)
  • Western governments including the US, Canada, Australia, Britain, France, the European Union, and Jordan, under the leadership of the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, General Keith Dayton, began to rebuild the Palestinian Authority’s security apparatus, providing professional training and weapons. (Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night Palestinian Authority Security Forces Officers’ Involvement in Terrorism, Regavim February 2024. Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night)
  • From the day the PSF was founded, and even more so in recent years, at the very same time that they hold positions in the Palestinian Authority’s security apparatus, ostensibly tasked with preserving order and security and preventing terrorism, many PSF officers hold parallel positions in movements defined as terrorist entities, either civil or military, such as the AL Aksa Martyrs Brigades (the military arm of Fatah). They do not hesitate to resort to armed confrontation with Israel; rather than upholding public order and preventing terrorism, they themselves carry out acts of terrorism against Israeli civilians and members of Israel’s security forces, exploiting the skills and weapons provided by western benefactors. (See Dr. Moshe Elad, “The Method: Cops by Day, Terrorists by Night (Hebrew),” Makor Rishon 22 September 2023 (https://www.makorrishon.co.il/opinion/669515/). Dr. Elad served as the Ministry of Defense Advisor for Arab Affairs, Commander of Military Coordination in the Territories, and Civil Administration’s Military Governor of the Jenin and Bethlehem Regions.)
  • In September 1996, soon after the formation of the PSF, dozens of Palestinian Police officers initiated the Western Wall Tunnel riots, using their weapons to engage in street battles against the IDF; 17 Israeli soldiers were killed. (Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night Palestinian Authority Security Forces Officers’ Involvement in Terrorism, Regavim February 2024. Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night)
  • In September 2000, hundreds of PSF officers used weapons provided by western governments to actively fight against Israeli security forces and carry out countless terror attacks against the citizens of Israel. They documented their battles, and reveled in the “ferocity” and bravery of the Security Forces fighters. (See a Facebook post and video posted on “Palestine: Heaven on Earth”, titled “Ferocious fighters of the Security Forces in the Al Aksa Intifada, 2000” dated 6 January 2017 (https://bit.ly/3T5AJoP).)
  • Documents seized by the IDF in 2002 proved that “Force 17” fighters and Palestinian Police officers were engaged in extensive fighting against IDF forces in the early 2000’s, particularly around Ramallah and Jenin. (Elior Levy, “Documents seized during ‘Guardian of the Walls’ prove: The PA supported terrorism and terrorists (Hebrew),” Ynet, 6 January 2017 (https://bit.ly/3Tpxbiq). Facebook post and video of the 4moltqa Youth Forum, highlighting “Very rare video [of] the heroes of the security services and national security killing Zionist soldiers, Netzarim settlement.” (https://bit.ly/3wQ6Ukl).)
  • After the “Al Aqsa Intifada” the Shin Bet classified the Palestinian Preventive Security Service as a terrorist entity! (Yishai Shenrav, “The dismissive attitude toward rockets fired from Jenin is reminiscent of the early 2000s”, (Hebrew), Makor Rishon 14 August 2023 (https://bit.ly/3V1Xn3W).)
  • Behind the illusory display of security coordination and the facade of security, we find more and more officers and members of the PSF taking a significant role in encouraging and supporting terrorism:
    • Ostentatious military funerals for terrorists who were not PSF staff, organized and attended by the PSF; senior PSF officers pay condolence calls to honor the memory of terrorists killed while attempting to murder Israelis; (Tamer Alkilani, a terrorist from the Lions’ Den, was killed in Nablus in October 2022. Senior PSAF officials, including the governor of Nablus district, the deputy commander of the Nablus region, and the commanders of the PASF, paid a condolence visit to the mourners tent. Ibrahim Navlesi fired at IDF positions and at worshipers at Josef’s Tomb (and wounded Shomron Brigade Col. Roi Zweig). After a six-month manhunt, he was eliminated in August 2021 by the IDF. The commander of the PASF and the commander of the Nablus region awarded his mother a PASF badge of honor as a token of appreciation for her firm stance, “a model and a symbol for emulation.” Muhammad Elaraishi, a Fatah activist, was killed in October 2022 after clashes with the IDF in Nablus. According to the instructions of the commander of the Nablus region of the PASF, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Salama Laaraishi, an official military funeral was held for the terrorist. Wasim Khalifa, a Fatah operative, was killed in August 2022 after violent clashes with the IDF near Josef’s Tomb. He was given an official military funeral in which PASF operatives in the Nablus district participated. Military funerals were also held for Adel Daoud and Amjad Abu Aliya, who were killed (in two different incidents) after throwing Molotov cocktails at IDF soldiers. Their bodies were carried by operatives of the PASF. Abu Mazen called Abu Aliya’s father to console him. Also see, “The Palestinian Authority and Fatah have adopted a policy of full solidarity with Palestinians killed while carrying out terrorist attacks against Israel or in confrontations with Israeli security forces,” 17 November 2022. The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (https://bit.ly/49W2yXa).)
    • Senior PA officials take pride in the “shahid” (martyrs), wounded and imprisoned members of the PSF; (Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night Palestinian Authority Security Forces Officers’ Involvement in Terrorism, Regavim February 2024. Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night)
    • Children and other family members of PSF staff and officers are actively involved in terrorism, alongside PSF officers who personally carry out murderous attacks against Israel. (Ibid.)
    • PSF officers disrupt Israeli security forces’ operations in Judea and Samaria; (“The heroes of the PASF block the IDF from entering Jenin” (https://bit.ly/3T4Spkq); “The heroes of the PASF in Hebron” (https://bit.ly/435pFwk); “Members of the security services in Hebron intercept the occupation forces and prevent them from advancing towards the city” (https://bit.ly/3wKsl6D); “The security services prevent the occupation forces from storming the Wadi al-Hariya area in the city of Hebron” (https://bit.ly/3V7Db0z); “IDF forces on an operation in the village of Bidya in western Samaria were blocked by Palestinian policemen armed with Kalashnikov rifles. The incident is even more serious because the village is in Area B where the Palestinian Authority has no security jurisdiction according to the Oslo Accords, and any Palestinian activity in the village requires IDF approval. The location – only two kilometers from the Israeli communities of Etz Ephraim and Barkan.” (https://bit.ly/49ENY6F).)
    • After the outbreak of the war on October 7th, Fatah commanders serving in the PA security apparatus in Jenin issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Abu Mazen, demanding that he declare a total and open confrontation against Israel “by any and all means,” otherwise they would declare a military revolt. (David Israel, “Blinken Doesn’t Blink as Abbas Submits Wish List Spelling the End of the Jewish State,” Jewish Press 1 December 2023 (https://bit.ly/49MM5oU).)
  • In December 2020, the identification of PSF personnel with terrorist activists was so high that armed AL Aksa Martyrs Brigades militants released a statement in the name of the AL-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades warning against targeting the PSF! (Alarabiya Palestine on Facebook, 13 December 2020 (https://bit.ly/49H8kfR).)
  • In September 2022, the situation was so dire that Israel issued a severe warning to the PA regarding participation of PSF personnel in acts of anti-Israel terrorism. (See Yoni Ben Menachem, “The Terrorism of the Palestinian Authority’s Security Forces,” (Hebrew), News1, 18 September 2022 (https://bit.ly/3wGHMMZ) and Orit Perlov and Udi Dekel, “Chaos in the Palestinian Authority,” Institute for National Security Studies, 18 September 2022 (https://bit.ly/49LfxLN).)
  • Since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority, members of its security apparatus have been directly and actively involved in terrorism against Israeli citizens and the IDF. Two particularly glaring incidents – the events of the Western Wall Riots and the Second Intifada – saw Palestinian Authority Security Forces at the height of their involvement in acts of terrorism. (Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night Palestinian Authority Security Forces Officers’ Involvement in Terrorism, Regavim February 2024. Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night)
  • The PA not only does not eschew or denounce the “PSF terrorists” within its ranks, it glorifies the memory of those killed in the act of terrorism and lauds them at ostentatious military funerals, gushing official condolence visits, memorials in public institutions and more. This conduct is one aspect of the support offered by the PA to terrorists, an aspect that is also expressed in the payment of salaries to imprisoned terrorists and the families of terrorists killed while committing their barbaric crimes. (Ibid.)
  • All told, we identified 46 “PSF terrorists” who were killed during the period covered by this study (2020-present) in the course of committing terrorist attacks targeting Israeli citizens, Israeli security personnel and IDF soldiers and were posthumously crowned as “martyrs.” (Ibid.)
  • Between 2021 and 2023, at least 25 “PSF terrorists” were arrested by Israeli security forces due to involvement in terrorism. At least 7 “PSF terrorists” were wounded in the course of carrying out terror attacks against Israeli citizens and IDF forces in this period. It should be noted that our study considers those who were killed or apprehended, and does not take into account those who escaped perpetrated attacks but escaped justice. (Ibid.)
  • In other words, Regavim research identified a total of 78 PSF terrorists who were active during the period covered by this study. It is clear that these data underestimate the phenomenon, and cannot be considered a definitive tally of the extent of “PSF terrorists” in the period we have examined. (Ibid.)
  • As noted, according to PSF Spokesman Colonel Talal Dweikat, “Speaking for the Fatah Movement and for the Palestinian Authority Security Forces for some 30 years, the PSF has sacrificed more than 2000 martyrs,” meaning terrorists who were killed in the course of committing attacks or battles with IDF forces. (Ibid.)
  • Earlier research: https://israelbehindthenews.com/category/special-reports/foreign-military-aid-to-the-palestinian-authority-special-reports/

 

Amichai Chikli: Uncovering The Not-so-secret War Against The West | The Caroline Glick Show

By
​Center for Near East Policy Research
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