US pays $725 million to UN as Abbas seeks Erdogan's help
The Trump administration initiates a partial payment to the UN while reportedly barring Mahmoud Abbas from speaking at the General Assembly.
US pays $725 million to UN as Abbas seeks Erdogan's help — The Trump administration has initiated a process to transfer $725 million to the United Nations, according to an August 4 State Department notification letter to Congress seen by Reuters.[^1] The payment is a fraction of the more than $4 billion the UN said in May it was owed by the United States.[^1] Eugene Chen, a former UN official, told Reuters such a transfer would help pay UN salaries for a period, but might not cover them all: 'It keeps the ship afloat a little longer.'[^1] The 80-year-old institution has been undergoing a decisive reform and cost-cutting exercise known as 'UN80' amid its financial crisis.[^1] Meanwhile, American sources told ynet that the Trump administration intends to again prevent Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas from coming to New York to address the UN General Assembly next month.[^2] Abbas has turned to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and asked him to intervene and persuade President Donald Trump in an attempt to reverse the decision.[^2] The dilemma pits US leverage over the PA against Abbas's need for a diplomatic platform. Separately, the Eritrea-flagged Sibu 1 was boarded on Thursday by six armed individuals off the coast of Yemen and diverted toward Somalia, according to the UKMTO.[^3] The Sibu 1 was at least the 13th vessel attacked this year off the coast of Somalia or in the Gulf of Aden, compared to only five such attacks in all of 2025.[^3] The incident underscores rising maritime insecurity in the region, even as NATO's top commander, US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, convened a videoconference on Wednesday 19 August 2026 to facilitate possible allied contributions to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.[^4] Israeli society's fraying seams: homelessness, blood feuds, and academic exclusion — Ori Shoham, founder-CEO of the NGO HomeBase, reported that the State of Israel officially recognizes approximately 3,500 street dwellers, with 1,500 in Tel Aviv and 300 in Jerusalem.[^1] The OECD reported a larger figure of 3,900 homeless individuals in 2024.[^1] Government aid includes two monthly stipends totaling NIS 1,900, yet