If you follow this issue, this name will sound familiar. Around 200 leading industry figures have now signed a petition calling for his release from Israeli prison, with the hope that the Palestinian prisoner will become the leader of a future Palestinian state. Among the signatories to the petition you will find names that haven't escaped notice around the world, such as British actors Sir Ian McKellen and Benedict Cumberbatch, musician Sting, and also Jewish actresses Miriam Margolyes – known mainly from the Harry Potter film series – and Hannah Einbinder, joining actors who have already expressed their anti-Israel views over the years, Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem.

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In light of the clear support of Hollywood's stars for Barghouti, one can only wonder – who does Hollywood want to crown as "Palestinian Mandela" and the future leader of a Palestinian state?

15-year-old Fatah operative 

Born in a village near Ramallah in 1959, Marwan Barghouti joined the Fatah terrorist movement under the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) at the mere age of 15. Israeli authorities detained him for the first time at 19, and he served a two-year prison sentence for his involvement as an operative in a Fatah unit that executed a terrorist attack. During the first intifada of the late 1980s, Barghouti gained political prominence in the West Bank by directing Palestinian clashes with Israeli forces. He enrolled at BirZeit University to study History and Political Science, but his campus political work for Fatah, and his involvement in establishing Fatah's youth movement, triggered another imprisonment and subsequent deportation to Jordan.

Barghouti returned to Judea and Samaria in 1994, enabled by the terms of the Oslo Accords. He supported the Oslo Accords and even engaged in dialogue with Israeli political figures, an approach that significantly differed from his previous behaviour within Fatah. He began positioning himself against Yasser Arafat, then-leader of Fatah, particularly over disagreements with the Palestinian Authority. At the same time, he seized the opportunity to consolidate his power further within Fatah, whether through participation in mass demonstrations or by aiding and promoting terrorists from the Tanzim – Fatah's ground forces, who pioneered terrorist strikes against Israel during the Second Intifada, which he led in 2000.

When the second intifada erupted that September, he was directing marches toward Israeli checkpoints and provoking riots against Israeli soldiers. His compelling speeches aimed at urging Palestinians to use violence to drive Israel from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. During intensifying violence, Fatah spawned a new terrorist branch designated the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, which conducted strikes against Israelis – including a March 2002 suicide bombing that claimed 30 lives.

Israeli authorities accused Barghouti – still commanding the Tanzim – of holding a prominent position in the Brigades, and Israeli forces arrested him in April 2002 by tracking his phone. Israel charged him with terrorist organization membership and dozens of murder counts for ordering deadly attacks, with courts convicting him of five charges in 2004 and imposing five life sentences plus 40 years.

The court found Barghouti accountable for a June 2001 attack in Ma'ale Adumim that resulted in the death of Greek monk Tsibouktsakis Germanus, a January 2002 kidnapping and murder of American citizen Yoela Hen, a March 2002 attack at Tel Aviv's Seafood Market restaurant that killed three individuals, Eli Dahan, Yosef Habi, and Salim Barakat, and a car bombing in Jerusalem.

The connection to Hamas 

Despite two decades of imprisonment, Barghouti has preserved much of his political power – including playing a key role in facilitating negotiations between Hamas and Fatah in February 2007 prior to Fatah's bloody ouster from the Gaza Strip, and securing election to Fatah's party leadership in absentia in 2009.

Throughout negotiations between Hamas and Israel since October 7, Hamas has repeatedly demanded Barghouti's release, despite his membership in the rival Fatah organization. Hamas' demand for his release connects to debates about Gaza's "day after" – Mahmoud Abbas' succession as the president of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas' future involvement in Palestinian political affairs. Since Abbas is unpopular among Palestinians, and Hamas is looking to extend its reach to the West Bank, Barghouti, who, according to polls, has garnered significant support from Palestinians, has become Abbas' natural successor.

Last March, Fadwa Barghouti began campaigning for her husband, hoping he might replace Abbas as president. Her campaign, which included meetings with high-ranking officials in the Arab world and the US, has also received support from pro-Palestinian Hollywood stars, as Barghouti is portrayed as a leader who will "unify" the Palestinian people in both Gaza and the West Bank.

Hamas previously attempted to secure Barghouti's release during negotiations for the return of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped in 2006. Still, even then, Israel firmly refused, and the deal was carried out with the release of over 1,000 security prisoners in exchange for Shalit. To this day, this deal continues to stir controversy in Israeli society. Given the risks associated with freeing Barghouti, his release remained off the table during the Iron Swords negotiations as well.

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The Authority's commitment to reforms didn't stem from goodwill, but from financial distress. Unlike the past, the Europeans decided to stop serving as an "open wallet" and conditioned continued aid – hundreds of millions of euros – on meeting commitments.

The Palestinian representatives, unaccustomed to such criticism, committed to establishing a transparent fund that would reflect the transfer of money and to stop payments to terrorists. But they also understand that supervision over them has grown – not only from Israel, but also from the Europeans, whose credibility toward the Authority now lies on the table.

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According to the memo obtained by the New York Post, all visas issued to Palestinian officials before July 31 are to be revoked, and no new visas will be granted, including to Abbas himself.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the decision was taken "in accordance with US law and national security interests." He added, "Secretary Rubio is revoking the visas of senior Palestinian Authority and PLO officials ahead of the General Assembly. To be considered serious partners for peace, the Palestinians must reject terrorism, abandon lawfare campaigns at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice in The Hague, and halt unilateral moves toward recognition of a Palestinian state."

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the sanctions were imposed due to "unilateral declarations of statehood, glorification of violence, encouragement of antisemitism and material support for terrorism, including paying salaries to terrorists."

The memo further noted that Abbas had planned to announce a "constitutional declaration" at the Assembly, including a proclamation of Palestinian independence. Washington views the move as a deliberate escalation, particularly after last month's "Two States Conference" hosted by France and Saudi Arabia at the UN, with a follow-up session planned during the upcoming General Assembly. Several Western countries, including the UK, France and Canada, have already indicated their intention to recognize a Palestinian state at the session.

US officials fear that boosting the Palestinian Authority's international legitimacy would also be seen as a political victory for Hamas and could reward terrorism. The State Department memo warned that the planned French-Saudi conference would serve as a "propaganda victory for Hamas" and undermine Washington's ability to shape cease-fire talks and post-war arrangements in Gaza.

The move sets a precedent: this is the first time the US has blocked an entire foreign delegation from attending the UN's high-level week. However, it is not the first time Washington has barred a Palestinian leader. In 1988, the Reagan administration denied a visa to PLO chairman Yasser Arafat due to his ties to terrorism. The decision drew protests and ultimately led the UN to relocate its meeting to Geneva, where Arafat addressed the Assembly.

Despite the sweeping restrictions, the State Department clarified that the Palestinian UN mission will continue to operate under special exemption as required by the host country agreement, allowing diplomatic staff to work in New York. However, senior political figures will not be included.

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In an unusually sharp tone, Abbas demanded that Hamas release all hostages held in Gaza, specifically calling out the case of Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American hostage. "Why haven't you released the American hostage?" Abbas asked during his speech, referencing Alexander's dual citizenship.

Continuing his remarks, Abbas rejected the notion that the deaths of over 200,000 residents of the Gaza Strip could be dismissed as a mere "tactical loss," a phrase reportedly used by those he accused of causing what he called "the Nakba of division", referring to the violent political and territorial split between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

Abbas stated that Hamas must "end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority." He added that the organization should transform into a political party that abides by the laws of a future Palestinian state and respects international legitimacy. "We are working with Egypt and the United Nations to organize an international conference in Gaza," he said.

He punctuated his attack by cursing Hamas leadership, calling them "sons of dogs", a rare public outburst that underscores the depth of intra-Palestinian tensions.

However, Abbas also turned his criticism toward Israel, accusing it of waging a "war of extermination" in Gaza. "Our top priority is to stop Israel's war of annihilation and to ensure the occupation withdraws from the entire Strip," he said. He argued that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu benefits politically from the ongoing conflict, saying, "As long as the war continues, Netanyahu remains in power."

Abbas concluded by praising the resilience of the Palestinian people in Gaza, stating, "Our people stand firm, reject forced emigration and will not allow themselves to be pushed out of the Strip."

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The plan included a complex solution for Jerusalem, proposing split capitals and international oversight of religious sites. A committee of trustees, including representatives from Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United States, would have administered the "holy basin" area containing the Old City.

During the September 16, 2008 meeting in Jerusalem, Olmert urged Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to sign the agreement. "In the next 50 years, you will not find one Israeli leader that will propose to you what I propose to you now. Sign it! Sign it and let's change history!" Olmert recalls saying during the meeting.

According to Rafiq Husseini, Abbas's chief of staff at the time, the Palestinians viewed the proposal skeptically due to Olmert's political situation as he was involved in a corruption scandal and had already announced that he was planning to resign. "Of course, we laughed. It is unfortunate that Olmert, regardless of how nice he was... was a lame duck. We will go nowhere with this," Husseini says in the documentary.

The proposal would have required evacuating numerous Jewish settlements throughout the West Bank and Jordan Valley, a potentially more significant undertaking than the 2005 Gaza withdrawal. However, the plan never progressed after Abbas declined to sign without consulting experts.

Ehud Olmert has revealed publicly for the first time the map of the peace offer that Mahmoud Abbas rejected in 2008 (the picture on the right is Abbas' sketch of it.

Abbas rejected this ridiculously generous offer and now there will never be a Palestinian state in any borders. pic.twitter.com/dmJpFDt5W6

— Saul Sadka (@Saul_Sadka) February 24, 2025

In the following months, escalating tensions led to Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu's subsequent election victory in February 2009 effectively ended prospects for implementing the proposal.

The revelation comes at a time when the two-state solution appears increasingly remote. Since the Oslo Accords signing in 1993, which saw Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat shake hands at the White House, multiple peace initiatives have failed to achieve lasting results.

Abba Eban's 1973 observation about how the Palestinians "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity" has become a recurring theme in Israeli-Palestinian relations, though the documentary suggests the reality is more complex than simple rejection.

The previously unseen map joins other unrealized peace proposals, including the 2001 Taba negotiations, which briefly showed promise before being overtaken by regional violence and political transitions.

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The Jerusalem District Court rejected today (Sunday) an appeal by Tareq Abbas, son of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), in a defamation lawsuit against Middle East expert Dr. Reuven Berko. Abbas, who sought damages of NIS 500,000 ($141,000) regarding a television interview given by Berko, will now be required to pay legal expenses of NIS 20,000 ($5,640).

The case centered on an Arabic language interview where Dr. Berko discussed Tareq Abbas' business activities. Berko asserted that he owns multiple companies and characterized the Abbas family as "full of money." He further stated that "without security coordination, their presence in the Authority's territory would be short-lived," and claimed that Abbas' family members "arrived here with nothing and became millionaires."

In a detailed verdict, Judge Ram Winograd, Vice President of the District Court, found that the lawsuit relied solely on edited portions of the original interview, downloaded from a Gaza news site. "The alteration of how statements were made, and potentially their sequence and substance, prevents the court from evaluating the publication as a whole," the judge wrote.

A crucial aspect of the ruling addressed Tareq Abbas' allegation that the statements portrayed him as collaborating with Israel. The court firmly rejected this claim, stating that Israeli courts do not consider statements about cooperation with Israel as defamatory. Judge Winograd stated: "This claim cannot be sustained as an Israeli court cannot view such expressions as defamation."

The proceedings revealed that contrary to Abbas' initial assertion, the interview was not aired on an Israeli channel but was distributed through a Gaza news site. Berko maintained that in the complete interview, he had actually commended the Abbas family, and his statements were presented without proper context.

Judges Shoshana Leibowitz and Tamar Bar-Asher concurred with Judge Winograd's decision. Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president of the "Shurat HaDin" organization representing Berko, commented: "This is another failed attempt at silencing by Abu Mazen's [Mahmoud Abbas] son. Let all those who wish us harm and try to intimidate our rights, especially in these days, know that justice is on our side, and it will ultimately come to light."

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In a recent speech before the Turkish parliament, Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas honored the assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, praying for his soul and calling him a "martyr."

The organization Haniyeh led is an American-designated terror organization that perpetrated the worst massacre against Jews since the Holocaust and is still holding eight Americans captive, among an unknown number of other surviving hostages. Those kidnapped have been raped, male and female, tortured and executed while in custody.

According to a recent article published by the Council of Foreign Relations, the United States is "the largest single country humanitarian donor to the Palestinian people." The US has handed over $5 billion to the Palestinians since the PA came into existence 30 years ago.

How have the Palestinians thanked America?

This spring, Abbas disparaged his major benefactor, saying Washington "has violated all international laws and abandoned all promises." According to Axios, he wants to "reevaluate" relations with America. Please, Mr. Abbas, return the money to the American people so we can give it to a more grateful recipient.

America is at war with radical Islamism, whether we acknowledge it or not. Our Middle East experts have claimed for years that the PA, as opposed to the more religiously oriented Hamas, is a secular alternative for the Palestinian people. This has not been true for a very long time.

Here are Abbas's words at a Palestinian university: "In the name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate … Allah the Supreme spoke the truth. We will continue to stand firm and carry out Ribat [religious war for Muslim control] in Jerusalem and its surroundings until Judgment Day. Then the believers will rejoice in the victory of Allah."

The language of the PA, the PLO, and Fatah, all headed by Abbas, has been blatantly Islamist, as well as anti-American, despite being portrayed as secular by everyone from the media to the halls of Congress and mainstream think tanks.

This month, Abbas said, "We are implementing Sharia Law – Victory or Martyrdom." There should be no doubt that the PA is immersed in jihadist rhetoric and to burnish its image, it needs to resort to public support of Hamas, eulogizing its terrorists and leaders.

Dead Palestinian terrorists are called "martyrs" by the PA and it pays those martyrs' families hundreds of millions of dollars a year to reward and incentivize more terrorism against Israeli civilians. Funding them is in direct violation of American law. The Taylor Force Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation, was supposed to end funding to the PA until it stops this hideous practice.

The PA diverts this money to Hamas terrorists, including those who have committed acts of terror in Gaza since Oct. 7. American taxpayer money has rewarded terrorists who have our fellow citizens' blood on their hands.

The Biden administration cannot ignore the Palestinian president saying: "America is the Plague, and the Plague Is America." Is this any different from Iran saying "Death to America"?

It is hard to understand how anti-Israel progressives are silent about the PA presiding over a society of misogyny and killing LGBTQ Palestinians, which should offend every American's sensibility. I guess the designated victim can do no wrong.

Yet, in the "day after" scenario wished for Gaza, a so-called reformed PA is expected to rule Gaza, Judea and Samaria and eventually become the governing body for the Biden administration's desired Palestinian state.

Too many American presidents have put their heads in the sand, parroting the international community's desire for a two-state solution, without peeking behind the curtain to see that the PA, Fatah and PLO are not secular, do not want to reconcile with a Jewish state, and are corrupt and hated by the Palestinian people, making them likely to fail, paving the way to an Iran-dominated Palestinian state.

The PA, since its founding over 30 years ago after the Oslo Accords, never prepared its people to accept a Jewish state as a neighbor. Its school curriculum is blatantly antisemitic and echoed in mosques, speeches and PA media. Is this in American interests or a foundation for regional stability? Palestinians under the control of the authoritarian Abbas government overwhelmingly supported Hamas's actions on Oct. 7.

To move towards Palestinian self-sufficiency on a path to independence, America needs strategic patience instead of pushing for immediate solutions. The latter is a poor strategy that has sabotaged our diplomatic initiatives for more than half a century.

The PA is, at best, a temporary tool to confront Hamas, which would be more than happy to again throw Fatah, PLO and PA leaders off 10-story buildings as they did in the 2007 coup in Gaza.

So, how should we respond to Abbas's continual disrespect for the United States, support for terrorism and jihadist rhetoric?

Our next administration needs to stop whitewashing the PA If new leadership cannot be found, the US must be willing to wait as long as it takes for real change without forcing premature resolutions that are bound to fail.

Our problem is failing to acknowledge that this is not about an occupation of Judea and Samaria but about Israel's very existence. The "nakba" would never have happened if the Palestinians and Arab states had accepted two states for two peoples instead of starting a war to exterminate Jews in their indigenous homeland.

America can be helpful when we realize the core issue is the dominant Palestinian view that Israel has stolen all of the land from the "River to the Sea." We must deal with this reality instead of sweeping it under the rug. Begin by helping Palestinians from the ground up economically, allowing them to develop a realistic horizon and vision for Palestinian independence.

Scapegoating is a Palestinian national sport. America the "plague" is just another variation, allowing incompetent leadership to deflect attention from its failures. The only question is, will the US ignore the insults as we usually do or will we put our foot down and begin insisting on civil behavior towards us as a beginning towards ending the indoctrination of hate and the worship of violence these leaders promote for their own citizens?

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Tareq Abbas, the son of the Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, against Middle East expert Dr. Reuven Berko following a television interview. Judge Orna Sandler-Eitan ordered Abbas's son to pay Dr. Berko NIS 30,000 and determined that the interview did not take place on Israeli Channel 14 as claimed in the lawsuit. Additionally, some of Berko's alleged quotes were not made by him, but by the Gazan channel where the interview was actually broadcasted from.

In 2019, Abbas filed a defamation lawsuit against Dr. Reuven Berko following a television interview in which Berko discussed the Abbas family's wealth, noting that they arrived in Israel "destitute." He also stated that without security coordination with Israel, their presence in the Palestinian Authority territory would be short-lived. According to Abbas, Dr. Berko portrayed him as a "greedy, corrupt person... willing to sacrifice everything for his pocket and wants" - claims the lawsuit, adding that the interview was conducted on Channel 14.

Berko's lawyers, Abraham Moshe Segal and Avraham Gaz from the "Shurat HaDin" organization led by attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, argued that the interview did not broadcast on Israeli television and thus "was not published in a widely viewed medium." Court-ordered checks by representatives of Channels 12, 13, and 14 revealed that the interview did not broadcast on these channels, but rather on a Gazan channel. The judge watched the interview with the assistance of the court's Arabic-language interpreter. "During the hearing, it became clear to the court and the defendant, for the first time, that the publication was edited and contained no less than four 'jumps,'" according to the judge.

The judge wrote that the main issue revealed by watching the interview was that a central part of Berko's alleged quotes were not said by him. "Against the defendant's image, a red caption appeared at the bottom of the screen stating: 'Zionist researcher: Abbas's stay depends on security coordination with Israel, and his sons became millionaires.' The connection between these two parts of the sentence, suggesting that the plaintiff is corrupt, was created by the editor of the Gazan news channel. Furthermore, the mentioned statement was not made by the defendant," the judge noted.

The judge added that "a review of the publication, as translated by the court's interpreter, shows that the defendant referred to the plaintiff family's wealth and also mentioned that they were previously destitute. The defendant also said that 'without security coordination, their stay in the Palestinian Authority is short-lived.' None of these statements constitutes defamation." The judge further stated that "the Gazan news channel published the statements for its own reasons and that this 'interpretation' - not the defendant's words - defamed the plaintiff." The judge dismissed the lawsuit and ordered Abbas to pay Berko NIS 30,000 in legal expenses.

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, President of the "Shurat HaDin" organization, stated, "This was an absurd and unfounded lawsuit intended to intimidate free speech in Israel from the very begining. The lawsuit should have been dismissed outright, but I welcome the court's ruling that brought justice to light."

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a scathing attack on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Sunday, demanding an apology for his refusal to accept an invitation to speak before the Turkish parliament in Ankara.

"Mahmoud Abbas, who didn't show up despite our invitation to address the parliament, owes us an apology. Let's see if he'll agree to come now," Erdogan said during a charity event.

The Turkish president's remarks expose the growing rift between Ramallah and Ankara, following Turkey's unified stance with the Hamas terrorist organization, the PA's political rival. Erdogan has also repeatedly hosted senior Hamas officials since Oct. 7.

In the same speech, he condemned the United States for allowing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress. "We all witnessed the shameful spectacle in the House of Representatives. Frankly, we are embarrassed for humanity in light of what we saw there. They rolled out the red carpet for someone like Netanyahu and applauded him until their hands were sore."

Erdogan reiterated his unfounded claim that Israel "destroying" the Gaza Strip, Israel "will turn its gaze to Turkey."

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President Joe Biden and his envoys in Israel are failing in their attempts, employing strong efforts – at least outwardly – to transform the Palestinian Authority and establish what they call a "renewed Palestinian Authority" from the ground up. Much of what is currently happening between Israel and the US, including President Biden's overt threat to suspend offensive weapons shipments to Israel, is linked to Biden's political survival plan, whose position vis-à-vis Former President Donald Trump is not promising, to put it mildly.

The outlines of the American plan are quite clear: Israel will effectively halt the war and settle for a symbolic operation in Rafah. Only then, the Americans believe, will a prisoner exchange deal finally move forward. It will last four months. Afterward, members of the renewed Palestinian Authority will be introduced into Gaza, as a prelude to what will eventually become a Palestinian state in the West Bank as well. Israel is requested to cooperate with this plan, and the carrots the administration is dangling are twofold.

The first carrot is the expulsion of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his terrorist gang from Gaza – it's still unclear how – which will provide Israel, to some extent, with the image of victory it desires. In this context, and assuming Israel limits itself to Rafah as demanded by the US, the Americans are prepared to provide the IDF with "sensitive intelligence information that will assist the IDF in locating the whereabouts of Hamas leaders and finding the organization's hidden tunnels," apparently in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the CIA chief discussed this with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their visits to Israel. 

The second carrot is normalization with Saudi Arabia. To be fair, it's worth noting that Biden's obsession with a Palestinian state – the cornerstone of his administration's plan – is not merely a rescue operation from his dire political straits against Trump. Biden has held this belief for many years, going back to his time as a Senator and his tenure as vice president under President Barack Obama, who himself is still involved behind the scenes in the current administration's policies.

However, there are two small problems with this plan. First, what suits the US does not necessarily suit Israel. A Palestinian state, particularly now, is not only a security threat to Israel but also puts a nail in the coffin of having the Jews resettle in their historical homeland, at least for the foreseeable future. It also directly rewards the murderers and perpetrators of the Oct. 7 massacre and could embolden Palestinians in the West Bank to replicate such an event against Israel's population centers.

Second, it is gradually becoming apparent to the Biden administration as well, though it does not admit it, that there is no truly "renewed" Palestinian Authority. To a large extent, it is renewed in appearance only. This is evident from the high number of incidents in which Palestinian Authority officers and security personnel are involved in terrorist activities or firing on Israel Defense Forces operating against terrorism. It is no less evident from those appointed as district governors and ministerial staff in Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' new government. Anyone observing them (recently done by entities such as the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, Palestinian Media Watch, The Regavim Movement, and HaKol HaYehudi newspaper) learns that at best, they are deeply rooted in the old establishment; at worst, they support terrorism.

Abbas' new "technocratic government" has 23 ministers, down from 26 in the previous government led by Mohammad Shtayyeh. It includes ministers representing the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and east Jerusalem. Seven ministers are from Gaza but are currently based in Ramallah, 14 are from the West Bank, and two are from east Jerusalem.

"The heroic prisoners"  

However, an examination conducted by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center revealed that the new government under the authority of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa consists of independent and technocratic figures only partially, contrary to his statements. At least four of the ministers are prominent members of the Fatah movement, headed by Interior Minister Ziad Hab Al-Reeh. At least two of them – Hab Al-Reeh himself and Minister of State for Emergency Relief Basil Nasr al-Kafarna – were previously detained by Israel. Two other problematic ministers highlighted by Palestinian Media Watch are the new minister for religious affairs, Mohammed Najm, and the new minister for women's affairs, Mona al-Khalili.

It turns out that al-Khalili views the deadliest terrorist attack in the country's history until the Oct. 7 massacre – the 1978 Coastal Road massacre in which 37 Israelis were murdered – as a "high-quality resistance operation." Among the victims were 12 children and American photographer Gail Rubin. Al-Khalili also believes that choosing Dalal Mughrabi – a revered figure in both the old and renewed Palestinian Authority – as the commander of this attack shows the esteem Fatah has for the role of women.

Just ten days after the Oct. 7 atrocities, Itamar Marcus of Palestinian Media Watch noted that "the organization headed by al-Khalili honored the murderous terrorists, while she herself referred to them as "heroic prisoners." This occurred as she sat behind honor banners displaying images of Ibrahim Hamed – responsible, among other attacks, for the Café Moment and Spiel club bombings that killed 53, Akram Hamed – who murdered two people, and Marwan Barghouti – involved in the killing of five people." Marcus also recounted how she denied Israel's right to exist within any borders, referring to it as "a 75-year occupation" – essentially branding Israel's existence since its founding as an occupation.

Another problematic figure is Najm. He is notorious for his role as an instigator during the Second Intifada, in which more than 1,100 Israelis were murdered. Among other things, he addressed Muslims and called out: "Oh servants of Allah, Oh you through whom Allah squeezes and torments the Jews." Najm even stated that the Jews "are characterized by arrogance, conceit, haughtiness, unruly behavior, disloyalty, and treachery," and concluded, unsurprisingly, with "Allah turned them into apes and pigs," quoting the relevant verse from the Quran. The new minister of religious affairs also portrayed Israel during those years as an inherent evil that could not be reformed, destined only for torment and punishment. Has Najm changed since the Second Intifada? Has he expressed remorse or retracted his views of Jews in this way? There is no indication of that.

"A Sea of shahids"  

On August 10, 2023, Mahmoud Abbas announced the retirement of 8 out of the 11 district governors under his authority appointed by him through a presidential decree. In mid-March 2024, after the Oct. 7 massacre, the appointment process for eight new district governors was completed.

However, it turns out that this new group of eight is also composed of veteran Fatah members, "graduates" of the First Intifada, aged 40-60, some of whom were imprisoned in Israeli jails and some still hold senior positions in Fatah. At the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, they say that six out of the eight (governors of Hebron, Bethlehem, Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Tubas) previously served as deputy district governors, and that "most of the chosen governors are hostile to Israel and tend to refer to this in their statements."

For example, the governor of Nablus, Maal Mahmoud Abu al-Rab, has often spoken out in recent years against the actions of Israeli security forces in Jenin and against harm to Palestinians. He even called for the emergence of a "real force that would deter Israel from its actions in Jenin." The governor of Tubas, Ahmed al-Asaad, participated a few years ago in a rally marking the 56th anniversary of Fatah's establishment. He said there that the movement is the pioneer of "sacrifice operations" and "martyr superstars." Fatah, according to him, is a "sea of shahids," and its road to Jerusalem is built on the sacrifices of those martyrs. A few days after the massacre, Abu a-Rab even organized a rally in support of Gaza and Abbas.

The governor of Jericho, Husain Jadallah Husain Hamayil, a doctor of education administration and a bachelor's degree holder in psychology – formerly a Fatah spokesman – has frequently engaged in incitement and praise for martyrs on his Facebook page. Members of Regavim, who reviewed his posts there, even found understanding for the massacre on Oct. 7. Muhammad Taha Hassan Abu Alia, the governor of Bethlehem and formerly the Fatah secretary in Bethlehem, served four years in an Israeli prison in the 1980s due to his membership in the organization. Hassam Abu Hamdah, the governor of the Qalqilya district, has often attacked Israel's treatment of "Palestinian prisoners" – terrorists – in prisons. While the governor of Hebron, Khaled Abd al-Aziz Taha Dudeen, has often spoken about the "suffering of Hebron's residents from the 'occupation'" and "attacks by settlers," briefing many foreign diplomats on these issues.  

If the Americans deem this a "renewed" Palestinian Authority, one wonders how they would characterize the current one. Their attempt to engage Abbas' circle and collaboratively explore alternatives – replacing the monthly payments to murderous terrorists and "shahids'" families with credit incentives or even startup grants – is faltering. The money persists in flowing to the killers and their kin, embodying the perverse principle "the more you kill, the more you profit." Akin to its predecessor, Abbas' touted "technocratic government" proves utterly incapable of meeting the bare minimum ask – condemning the abhorrent, Nazi-esque massacre of Oct. 7.

Abbas himself has added fuel to the fire in recent weeks, refusing to meet with Blinken during his recent visit to the country. This happened after the US rejected outright a plan presented to it by the PA and four other Arab countries – Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Among the provisions of the plan are a complete halt to the war in Gaza and a full withdrawal of the IDF from the strip one month after a ceasefire is declared, as well as immediate recognition of a Palestinian state – including its admission to the UN.

A senior Fatah member and the Iranians

Even the fact that alongside security cooperation with Israel, almost every week more and more Palestinian officers and security personnel are found to be involved in terrorism against Israel does little to dissuade the US from trying to sell Israel on the idea of a "renewed" Palestinian Authority.

Dozens of armed terrorists (according to a report by "The Arab World 301" on Telegram), identified with Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and the Jundallah terror group, recently participated in the funerals of the terrorists Omar al-Awfi, a Palestinian Authority officer killed by Israeli sniper fire in Tulkarm camp, and Tamer Faqha.

To this must be added the lists published by Fatah or the Palestinian Authority, in which they take pride in their contribution to the roster of "shahids" fighting against Israel. The latest list already contained over 80 such names. The most prominent recent attacks carried out by officers and police from the Palestinian Authority forces, who are trained and funded in part by the US, include the shooting attack perpetrated by Abu Rida al-Sa'di in the Jordan Valley area (late March), in which three were wounded; the shooting attack at a junction in the Binyamin area near Jerusalem, carried out that same month by Barakat Mansour, formerly an officer in Abbas' Presidential Guard  (in this incident, which developed into a pursuit, one soldier was killed and six more were wounded); and the attack in which two people were murdered at the gas station near the Eli settlement the month prior, perpetrated by Muhammad Manasrah, a Palestinian police officer from the Kalandia camp near Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, the flawed notion remains unchanged. The Israeli security forces are suppressing the fact that the Palestinian Authority and Fatah are not only partners assisting Israel in combating terrorism but are also perpetrators and instigators of terrorism themselves. The recent attacks in the West Bank and the unceasing war the IDF is waging against terrorist organizations are again highlighting a disturbing fact: Distinguishing between Hamas' terrorism and Fatah's is becoming increasingly difficult by the day. Fatah and its Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades are carrying out attacks and are involved in terrorism. Many senior Fatah officials, including the movement's district secretaries closely linked to the Palestinian Authority, also support Fatah's involvement in terrorism.

To this one can add another disturbing fact: a senior Fatah official – not from Hamas, is responsible, according to the Shin Bet security agency, for smuggling advanced combat equipment from Iran into Judea and Samaria. His name is Munir Maqdah. He is a resident of Ain al-Hilweh in Lebanon and of Palestinian origin. Among the weapons recently seized, which Maqdah was involved in smuggling, were fragmentation charges, Iranian anti-tank mines, anti-tank missiles, 25 hand grenades, 16 RPGs, and 50 pistols.  

Since Operation Guardian of the Walls, more than 120 members of the Palestinian security forces have been killed while attempting to carry out attacks, and in 2023-2024, over 150 attacks and attempted attacks can be attributed to Palestinian police officers and members of the Palestinian Authority's security apparatus. Even in terms of counterterrorism and arrests, the situation echoes a familiar tune: not only Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives are being neutralized or arrested, but also hundreds of Fatah members. More and more joint terrorist networks of rival groups such as Fatah, Hamas, PIJ, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine are being exposed, necessitating a reassessment of our relationship with the PA and its security forces, at least in terms of different scenarios and preparedness for them.

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