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US says Palestinian state should come via talks, not unilateral recognition
U.S. President Joe Biden believes a Palestinian state should be achieved through negotiations, not unilateral recognition, the White House said on Wednesday after Ireland, Spain and Norway said they would recognize a Palestinian state this month, Reuters reported.
Washington’s reaction appeared to signal U.S. dismay that the three European nations announced an intent to proceed with unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, which does not exist in practice.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told a regular news briefing each country could make its own decision on recognition of a Palestinian state, but that Biden thinks direct negotiations by the parties is the best approach.
“President Biden believes that a two-state solution that guarantees Israel’s security and also a future of dignity and security for the Palestinian people is the best way to bring about long-term security and stability for everyone in the region,” Sullivan said.
“President Biden … has been equally emphatic on the record that that two-state solution should be brought about through direct negotiations through the parties, not for unilateral recognition.”
Sullivan had been asked if the United States was concerned that other nations might follow suit in recognizing a Palestinian state. He said the U.S. would communicate its consistent position to partners “see what unfolds.”
WAR IN GAZA
Decades of U.S. efforts have failed to achieve a “two-state solution” with Israel living alongside a Palestinian state encompassing the West Bank, ruled by the Palestinian Authority (PA), and Gaza, ruled by the Hamas Islamist movement since it seized the coastal strip from the PA in a brief 2007 civil war, read the report.
Israel began an offensive in Gaza after Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since then, health officials in the Hamas-run enclave say.
Israel is now attacking Rafah in southern Gaza, saying it wants to root out Hamas militants. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled Rafah since the start of the assault, and the main access routes for aid into Gaza have been blocked, Reuters reported.
Sullivan said he was briefed on Israeli plans to minimize civilian harm in Rafah during a weekend visit to the region, and Washington will track whether the assault causes widespread death and destruction or is more precise and proportional.
“We now have to see what unfolds from here,” he said.
He said aid was flowing in from a pier in Gaza, and that it was wrong for Israel to withhold funds from the West Bank.
The Biden administration also hopes to broker an arrangement leading Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalize relations. As part of that process, Saudi Arabia has demanded the Gaza conflict end and a path to a Palestinian state, something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be likely to find hard to accept.
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UN official warns Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis could threaten regional stability and security
A senior United Nations official has warned that Afghanistan’s deepening humanitarian crisis could have consequences beyond the country’s borders, potentially affecting regional security, stability and migration routes.
Bruno Lemarquis, the UN Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said on Friday that the country was at a “difficult crossroad” more than five years after the Islamic Emirate returned to power.
He said relative stability and security were being undermined by a fragile economy, restrictions on fundamental rights and growing humanitarian needs.
Lemarquis described restrictions on women and girls as “severe and sweeping,” saying they continue to face barriers to education, employment and participation in public life.
He noted that more than 2.6 million girls have been deprived of secondary education since 2021, while female university enrollment currently stands at zero.
The UN official also highlighted the impact of the mass return of Afghan migrants, saying approximately 6.7 million Afghans have returned to the country since 2020, many of them forcibly expelled from neighbouring countries, particularly Pakistan and Iran.
He said the large-scale returns were placing additional pressure on Afghanistan’s already overstretched public services, stressing that returnees urgently need legal documentation, protection and employment opportunities.
Lemarquis also raised concerns over a reported increase in opium poppy cultivation, citing a UN report that found production had risen by 330 percent in 2025 following a sharp decline after the 2022 ban imposed by the Islamic Emirate.
He said efforts to prevent poppy cultivation must be accompanied by viable alternative livelihoods for farmers.
Meanwhile, humanitarian needs in Afghanistan are expected to rise further in 2027 amid mass returns, regional instability and extreme weather risks associated with El Niño.
However, international humanitarian funding has continued to decline. According to Lemarquis, assistance reached $2 billion in 2023, fell to $1 billion in 2025 and has amounted to only $570 million so far in 2026.
He warned that funding shortages were threatening essential services, with around 40 percent of primary healthcare facilities expected to close between 2025 and 2026, potentially affecting 700 of the country’s 1,900 health posts.
Describing the consequences as “very, very, very significant,” Lemarquis urged the international community not to turn its back on Afghanistan.
“And there is a saying in Afghanistan that is ‘What is happening in Afghanistan is not staying in Afghanistan,’” he said.
“The consequences could go beyond the Afghanistan border, potentially affecting regional security, regional stability and migration pathways.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry says it is reviewing reports that the Trump administration plans to deport Afghans through Pakistan, adding that it is consulting relevant stakeholders to find a mutually acceptable way forward.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks at a press conference on Friday, saying Islamabad remained committed to close coordination with its allies and partners.
“We will continue to act in accordance with our international obligations and established protocols,” Khan said.
He added that the matter was under consideration and that all relevant aspects were being carefully examined in consultation with concerned stakeholders.
Pakistan-based Bank Alfalah has completed its exit from Afghanistan after 20 years of operations, transferring its local banking business to Ghaznfar Bank, the lender said in a notice to shareholders on Friday.
The bank said the transaction was completed on November 5 after the signing of final agreements, approval from the State Bank of Pakistan and Da Afghanistan Bank, and fulfilment of other required conditions.
The deal allows Bank Alfalah to sell and transfer its operations in Afghanistan to Ghaznfar Bank, following approval from the regulatory authorities in both countries.
“Bank Alfalah has accordingly ceased its banking operations in Afghanistan and will complete the closure of its Afghanistan branches in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements,” the notice said.
Bank Alfalah began operating in Kabul in 2005, offering both conventional and Islamic banking services.
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