Biden extends Trump's decree banning investments in some Chinese companies

US President Joe Biden extended by one year the validity of the decree banning US investments in some Chinese companies that Washington considered to pose a threat to US national security.

A statement published by the White House in this regard, on Friday, said that Biden believes that China “is using American capital to its advantage in order to provide resources and means to develop and modernize its armed forces, intelligence, and other security services.”

He added that this "allows China to directly threaten American territory and American forces abroad."

She noted that investing in assets that provide financing to a number of Chinese companies still represents “an exceptional risk to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.”

It is noteworthy that the decree prohibiting American investors from investing in a number of Chinese companies that Washington says are linked to the Chinese army, was signed by former US President Donald Trump on November 12, 2020.

The list of companies in which investment is prohibited includes 59 companies, 11 of which were added to the list after Joe Biden assumed the US presidency in 2021.

The White House: This is not the right time for Tel Aviv to withhold funds from the Palestinian Authority

The Israeli newspaper "Jerusalem Post" said that a senior White House official said during a press conference on Saturday that "the time is not right for Tel Aviv to withhold funds from the Palestinian Authority."

The senior White House official added that exactly the opposite should happen.

He stated that steps must be taken to increase stability in the West Bank.

He stated in his statements that "Hamas is the enemy of the Palestinian Authority, and this is our opinion."

On Thursday, the Israeli Ministerial Council for Political and Security Affairs (the expanded cabinet) took a decision to deduct the clearance funds collected by Tel Aviv on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and allocated to the Gaza Strip, prisoners, and the funds allocated to the families of those affected by Palestinian operations .

He also decided to cut off all communications with Gaza, indicating that there would be no more Palestinian workers from Gaza.

The cabinet confirmed that the workers who were in Israel on the day the war broke out would be returned to Gaza.

It is noteworthy that the Minister of Finance and Minister in the Ministry of Defense, Bezalel Smotrich, had sent a letter to Netanyahu in which he said that he had decided to freeze the transfer of clearing funds, which are tax funds that Tel Aviv collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and transfers monthly, which was opposed by the security services and the Minister of Defense, Yoav. Gallant, to avoid the possibility of escalation in the West Bank.

The war has entered its 29th day since the start of Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood,” as the Israeli army continues to bomb the Gaza Strip in light of international fears of the expansion of the conflict in the Middle East.

American intelligence analyst: American forces in Syria and Iraq are suffering casualties and Washington is keeping this secret

Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson confirmed that American soldiers are being killed due to continuous attacks on American force bases in the Middle East.

He said that every American base in Iraq and Syria is subjected to artillery bombardment.

He added: "They are constantly exposed to drone attacks as well. The American army has suffered casualties, but they do not disclose them."

A senior Pentagon official told reporters last Monday that, “During the period from October 17 to 30, US and coalition forces were attacked no less than 14 times in Iraq and 9 times in Syria .”

He pointed out that the attacks were carried out using drones and missiles, adding that many of these attacks were successfully responded to by American forces. He did not mention anything about casualties and human losses.

It is noteworthy that the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" announced more than once in the recent period that it was targeting American sites in Iraq and Syria.