Israel bans PA’s Jerusalem affairs minister from entering West Bank

Ashraf Al-Awar, the Palestinian Authority’s minister for Jerusalem affairs. (WAFA)
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Updated 15 January 2026
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Israel bans PA’s Jerusalem affairs minister from entering West Bank

  • Ashraf Al-Awar has 72 hours to appeal the decision
  • He was previously banned for 6 months last year

LONDON: Israeli authorities issued a six-month ban on Ashraf Al-Awar, the Palestinian Authority’s minister for Jerusalem affairs, preventing him from entering the occupied West Bank.

The ministry said on Thursday that Israeli authorities issued Al-Awar a ban decision after summoning him for interrogation at the Al-Maskubiya detention center in Jerusalem.

He has 72 hours to appeal the decision, which is part of Israeli policy targeting Palestinian leaders from Jerusalem and restricting the work of national institutions in the city, according to the ministry.

In early 2025, Israel banned Al-Awar from entering the West Bank for six months.


Iran’s foreign minister heads to Muscat for nuclear talks with US

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. (File/AFP)
Updated 06 February 2026
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Iran’s foreign minister heads to Muscat for nuclear talks with US

  • Iran will engage in ‌the talks “with authority ‍and with ‍the aim of reaching a fair, ‍mutually acceptable and dignified understanding on the nuclear issue,” a spokesperson said

TEHRAN: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has departed for the Omani capital ​Muscat at the head of a diplomatic delegation for nuclear talks with the US due to be held on Friday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson said.
The US and Iran ‌have agreed ‌to hold ‌talks ⁠in ​Oman ‌on Friday, officials for both sides said, even as they remain at odds over Washington’s insistence that negotiations must include Tehran’s missile arsenal and Iran’s vow to discuss ⁠only its nuclear program.
Iran will engage in ‌the talks “with authority ‍and with ‍the aim of reaching a fair, ‍mutually acceptable and dignified understanding on the nuclear issue,” the spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Thursday.
“We hope the ​American side will also participate in this process with responsibility, ⁠realism and seriousness,” Baghaei added.