Netanyahu Welcomes Reported U.S. Plan to Label Muslim Brotherhood a Terror Group
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised former U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday after reports surfaced that Trump intends to categorize the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization formally. Netanyahu said Israel had already banned parts of the movement and is moving toward a full designation, calling the Brotherhood a force that undermines stability across the Middle East and beyond.
Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, publicly backed Trump’s reported move, describing it as the correct approach to confronting extremist groups.
While Trump has not announced the step on his social media accounts, Just the News reported that he confirmed to the outlet that he plans to issue the designation, adding that it would be done “in the strongest and most powerful terms” and that final paperwork is underway.
Florida Rep. Randy Fine called the expected decision “tremendous news,” saying it could be used to target organizations he described as linked to Muslim Brotherhood ideology, including CAIR and Students for Justice in Palestine.
Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott unveiled state-level designations naming both the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as terrorist and criminal organizations. Abbott said their actions promote extremist ideologies aimed at imposing hardline Islamic rule and destabilizing societies, adding that they are barred from holding property interests in Texas going forward.
EU Countries Commit $92 Million to Palestinian Authority, Tie Aid to Reforms
A group of European Union member states pledged €80 million (about $92 million) in new support for the Palestinian Authority following a donor meeting in Brussels. According to Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica, the funds are tied directly to reforms the P.A. has promised to carry out.
Officials said the EU’s priority is to reinforce governance, stabilize the P.A.’s finances, strengthen public services, and lay groundwork for effective future administration over Palestinian territories. Brussels reiterated its long-standing demands, including ending payments to convicted terrorists and removing antisemitic material from textbooks. EU leaders also pressed Israel to release more than $2 billion in tax revenues currently withheld.
The European Union remains the P.A.’s largest financial backer and is pushing forward with elements of the U.S.-brokered plan involving Hamas. That plan envisions an International Stabilization Force in Gaza, local policing, and a Board of Peace chaired by Donald Trump. The Palestinian Authority would assume control of Gaza after meeting reform benchmarks during a transitional period.
EU officials say they hope to train roughly 3,000 police officers selected from current P.A. personnel in Gaza. Brussels is also advocating for the transitional governing committee to be composed largely of Fatah members loyal to P.A. chief Mahmoud Abbas.
EU foreign policy head Kaja Kallas emphasized that Palestinians must lead the political process, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed support for a future Palestinian state built around a reformed and functioning P.A.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected any return of the P.A. to Gaza. He has argued that the P.A.’s long-term goals mirror Hamas’s aims, though pursued in stages. Speaking earlier this year about the international effort, Netanyahu expressed deep skepticism that meaningful reform would ever take place.
Israel Eliminates Hezbollah’s No. 2 Military Commander in Beirut Strike
Israel’s military announced it carried out a targeted airstrike in Beirut on Sunday that killed Haytham Ali Tabatabai, widely identified as Hezbollah’s “chief of staff” and second-in-command. The strike hit the group’s stronghold in the Dahiyeh district and marked Israel’s first attack in the Lebanese capital since July.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he approved the operation based on recommendations from senior defense officials, calling Tabatabai a longtime operative responsible for major attacks against Israelis and Americans. The U.S. government has offered a $5 million reward for information on him since designating him a global terrorist in 2016.
According to the IDF, Tabatabai joined Hezbollah in the 1980s and held a series of top military roles, including command of the elite Radwan Force and oversight of Hezbollah operations in Syria. During the last war, he led the group’s operations division and helped direct efforts to rebuild its military capacity.
The strike, part of what Israeli officials referred to as “Black Friday,” took place nearly a year after a ceasefire meant to halt cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah. Since that truce, Israel has continued targeted operations to prevent the Iranian-backed group from rebuilding its infrastructure in Lebanon.
Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hezbollah that Israel will continue to respond aggressively to threats from the north, saying the country will not return to the pre–October 7 security environment.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack and urged international powers to intervene. Netanyahu, speaking hours before the strike, said Israel is continuing operations on multiple fronts to prevent Hezbollah from restoring its ability to threaten Israeli civilians.
