Gantz Working on Trust-Building Measures with Palestinian Authority

Arab World

July 25th, 6:27am

Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat

Israel’s Minister of Defense Benny Gantz arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, June 27, 2021. (Reuters)

Israel’s Minister of Defense Benny Gantz said he discussed with US officials the means to strengthen the Palestinian Authority (PA). “This morning I met with US Embassy in Israel Charge d’Affaires Michael Ratney. We discussed the importance of economic and social initiatives to strengthen the PA, as well as trust-building measures to benefit the security of the region,” he tweeted. “In the face of increasing security threats, the unwavering bond between the US & Israel is vital. We will continue to work together to address local & regional challenges,” he added. Gantz’s statements confirm Israel’s efforts to ease the crisis confronted by the PA. US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israel and Palestinian Affairs, Hady Amr, warned Israeli authorities on Friday that the PA was facing an unprecedented “difficult and dangerous” situation, both economically and politically. Amr urged Israel to take necessary steps to ensure the PA is strengthened. After returning from Ramallah last week, Amr described never having seen the semi-autonomous government “in a worse situation.” He told the Israeli officials that the combination of the financial and political crises puts the PA in a very precarious situation, especially in wake of the death of prominent activist Nizar Banat in custody in June. “It is like a dry forest waiting to catch on fire,” he said. Amr said the Palestinian administration could not afford to pay salaries because of the economic crisis, and the political turmoil in Palestine led to instability and a dangerous situation. Meanwhile, Palestinian Civil Affairs Minister Hussein Al-Sheikh apologized for Banat’s murder. In an interview with the Media Line, Sheikh said: “I, in the name of President Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] and in the name of the Palestinian Authority, from the first day gave our apologies in this matter and we consider it a tragedy. What happened can’t ever be acceptable even in the time of lawlessness, but this might happen in any country in the world. A mistake like this can happen in America, in France, in any other country in the world.” He added: “There is no other way to deal with this and to attempt to right this wrong. Only by learning from what happened and following the right procedures of law and order, we can judge then who had a hand in this case.” “I repeat again, unfortunately, such a thing might happen in any country, in most democratic countries in the world, but certainly, I repeat and say, it is a tragic and unfortunate incident. We apologize for what happened and wish to learn lessons from it.” An outspoken critic of the PA, Banat intended to run in parliamentary elections before they were postponed earlier this year.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3097001/gantz-working-trust-building-measures-palestinian-authority