US condemns sanctions against far-right Israeli lawmakers
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his country condemns the sanctions imposed by the UK, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Australia against far-right Israeli politicians Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
“These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,” Rubio posted on his X account.
“The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel,” Rubio added.
The five countries imposed sanctions against the two politicians for inciting “extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights.”
Israel cancels waiver on cooperation with Palestinian banks
Israel has canceled a waiver that had allowed Israeli banks to work with Palestinian ones, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a statement on Tuesday, in a move which threatens to paralyze financing in the Palestinian territories.
The overwhelming majority of exchanges in the occupied West Bank are in shekels, Israel’s national currency, because the Palestinian Authority does not have a central bank that would allow it to print its own currency.
Smotrich’s office said in a statement the decision was taken “against the backdrop of the Palestinian Authority’s delegitimization campaign against the State of Israel internationally.”
The Palestinian financial and banking system is dependent on the regular renewal of the Israeli waiver, as it protects Israeli banks from potential legal action relating to transactions with their Palestinian counterparts, including the risk of being charged with money laundering and funding extremism.
In July, G7 countries urged Israel to “take necessary action” to ensure the continuity of Palestinian financial systems.
Israel welcomes Argentina’s President Javier Milei
Argentine President Javier Milei made his second official state visit to Israel on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the South American a “true friend,” highlighting that the Hebrew word for friend sounded similar to Javier.
Milei’s trip comes as criticism has mounted against Israel from other world leaders over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
But the Argentine president was there to support the Israeli government, with Milei telling President Isaac Herzog that “as a nation, we want to stand firm alongside you as you go through these dark days.”
“We will not yield to criticism resulting from cowardice or complicity with barbarism,” he added.
During his trip, Milei will meet with relatives of Argentine-Israeli citizens who were kidnapped by Hamas militants and taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/middle-east-updates-greta-thunberg-deported-from-israel/live-72851310
