US lawmakers question security coordination with Palestinian Authority (PA) due to the deteriorating security situation in the occupied West Bank. Republican Senator Rick Scott expressed doubts about the future of security ties, accusing the PA of allowing terrorists to operate in the area.
Republican Congressman Doug Lamborn also criticized the PA’s failure to stop radicalization. The bipartisan support for security assistance to the PA is now under pressure, and any support to Palestinians cooperating with Israel faces challenges, especially within the Republican party.
The PA’s popularity has declined over the years due to corruption, authoritarianism, and security cooperation with Israel.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has limited public support, and the Biden administration has shifted towards the Trump administration’s Abraham Accords plan, emphasizing normalization of ties with Israel by Arab states without a permanent resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The PA’s control over the occupied West Bank is also being questioned, evident in the recent scorn faced by Abbas during his visit to the Jenin refugee camp after an Israeli offensive.