"Mahmoud Abbas’s predecessor, Yasser Arafat, operated in a similar manner, appointing several deputies and preventing any of them from amassing too much power, even encouraging occasional rivalries between them," said Professor Boaz Ganor, founder and executive director of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya.
Jake Walles, the U.S. consul general and chief of mission in Jerusalem from 2005-2009, recently said that, for almost all practical matters, it makes little difference in the end whether the sign above the door reads, “U.S. Consulate” or “Palestinian Affairs Unit.”
Herzog was awarded Cyprus’s highest honor, the Grand Collar of the Order of Makarios III, as an expression of the strong friendship between the two countries.
Israeli Minister Tzachi Hanegbi: There is a “deep struggle” underway in Iran over the country’s efforts to entrench itself in Syria; Israel publicized the latest strike to strengthen these voices.
“I am in continuous contact with the other American families and all levels of the U.S. government. There is nothing behind this report," Jonathan Dekel-Chen said.
Expanding the Abraham Accords is vital. But given the administration’s desire to appease Iran, coupled with the Saudis’ unpopularity, Washington won’t pay the price to make it happen.
Rabbi Yossie Shemtov, executive director of Chabad Lubavitch of Tucson, stated: “We are determined not to be affected by this distressing incident and will continue serving the wider community.”