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UN ready to support Palestinian elections, new envoy tells Security Council January 27, 2021
Al-Walaja, a Palestinian village in the West Bank. courtesy UNRWA/Marwan Baghdadi
NEW YORK Palestinian elections scheduled for later this year will be a crucial step towards unity, the new UN envoy in the region, Tor Wennesland, said on Tuesday in his first briefing to the Security Council.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree earlier this month announcing parliamentary and presidential elections will be held starting in May, marking the first vote across the Occupied Territories in 15 years.
Wennesland, special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, has joined UN Secretary-General António Guterres in welcoming the development.
Potential Robert Malley Tap for Iran Envoy Sparks Firestorm
25 Jan 2021
The Biden administration’s rumored appointment of former national security official Robert Malley as special envoy to Iran has sparked an outcry, with critics saying the move would only benefit the ayatollahs and would send a “chilling signal” the new American administration does not care about Tehran’s regional terror nor its human rights infractions.
Under former President Barack Obama, Malley, then a national security official, was one of the most enthusiastic proponents of the fIran deal. He was also initially kicked off of Obama’s first presidential campaign after reports emerged he had met with members of the Hamas terror group.
Israelis Hope Biden Builds on Trump Plans, Palestinians Reject Deal of the Century
On 1/26/21 at 3:43 PM EST
As President Joe Biden settles into office, he is already contending with entrenched rival interests in an Arab-Israeli conflict that has evolved significantly since he left office as former President Barack Obama s vice-president just four years ago.
A large factor in this transformation are two initiatives pioneered by President Donald Trump: The Vision for Peace launched almost exactly one year ago, and the Abraham Accords that have taken shape since last summer. Both relied on the close relationship forged between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.