Starmer to have key Gaza meeting with Trump during state visit
Sir Keir intends to press Donald Trump for a ceasefire in Gaza and to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians, amidst growing calls for the UK to recognise Palestine as a state.
Donald Trump confirmed that the meeting would address the existing trade deal between the US and UK, and also extensively discuss Israel.
The mini-summit follows a bilateral meeting between Donald Trump and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, where a trade deal was agreed.
The meeting takes place against a backdrop of intensifying debate over the Middle East crisis, including a public disagreement between Sir Bob Geldof and Kemi Badenoch regarding aid to Gaza.
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The Independent
14 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump threatens Canada trade deal over support for Palestinian state
President Donald Trump has warned that Canada 's support for Palestinian statehood would make cutting a trade deal with its northern neighbor 'very hard.' As Trump's self-imposed tariff deadline looms, the president blasted Canadian President Mark Carney 's decision to join the U.K. and France in announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September. 'Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine,' Trump wrote on Truth Social early Thursday morning. 'That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh' Canada!!!' Carney announced Wednesday that Canada has 'long been committed to a two-state solution' that would see would see an independent Palestinian state 'living side by side' with the state of Israel. The move would further isolate the U.S. from key allies as international pressure grows over the starvation crisis in Gaza, fueled by Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid. Just hours earlier, the U.S. Senate rejected two resolutions introduced by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders to block arms sales to Israel. While the measures failed, more than half of Senate Democrats supported them, signaling a growing shift in Washington's stance toward the war in Gaza. Before Carney's announcement, both the U.S. and Israel had previously criticized similar declarations by France and Britain, saying that they reward Hamas and do not help efforts to achieve a ceasefire. As Trump threatened to blow up trade talks with Canada, his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Israel on Wednesday, the White House confirmed to The Independent. Witkoff could also travel to Gaza and visit the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid centers, a U.S. official told Axios. The White House has not publicly confirmed the report. Trump's warning to Canada comes hours before he is set to reinstate his 'Liberation Day' tariffs on Friday for countries that have not struck trade deals with the U.S. The president has often pressured allies to change policies by threatening higher tariffs or stonewalling trade negotiations. Trump set an August 1 deadline for Canada to reach a trade deal with the U.S., with the two nations embroiled in an on-again, off-again trade war for months. Failing to do so would mean Canada could be slapped with a 35 percent tariff for goods that don't comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. Carney previously hinted last week that the Canadian government is in no rush to finalize a deal by Trump's deadline, noting the objective is 'not to reach a deal, whatever it costs.' Countries including the U.K., South Korea, and Japan, as well as the European Union trading bloc, have recently finalized trade deals, with specific rates to be applied for the goods they sell to the U.S. Meanwhile, the rest of the world stands in limbo, with Trump being clear that those who do not reach deals by the deadline will face higher levies.
The Independent
14 minutes ago
- The Independent
Minister denies Starmer's promise to recognise Palestine could breach international law
A government minister has denied that plans to recognise Palestine are in breach of international law, after an influential group of peers wrote to the attorney general to warn against the move. Some 38 members of the House of Lords, including some of the UK's most eminent lawyers, wrote to Lord Hermer warning that Sir Keir's pledge may be unlawful as the territory may not meet the criteria for statehood under the Montevideo Convention, a treaty signed in 1933. But business minister Gareth Thomas denied that the UK would be in breach of international law, pointing out that the UK is not signed up to the Montevideo Convention. 'I respect the views of those lawyers, but in the end, recognition of a state is a political judgment, and we've been very clear that our judgment is that the Palestinians have an inalienable right to statehood,' he told Sky News. He added: 'I don't think we are in breach of international law. We're not signed up to the Montevideo Convention. We're clear what needs to happen. 'And as I say, the fact that so many other countries have either already recognised the state of Palestine, or are joining our efforts to recognise the state of Palestine, I think is very significant.' It comes after Sir Keir Starmer issued Israel with an ultimatum, pledging to recognise Palestine if Benjamin Netanyahu's administration fails to take steps to end the war in Gaza by September. The UK will only refrain from recognising Palestine if Israel allows more aid into Gaza, stops annexing land in the West Bank, agrees to a ceasefire, and signs up to a long-term peace process over the next two months. Hamas must immediately release all remaining Israeli hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and 'accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza,' Sir Keir also said. But in their letter to Lord Hermer, the peers said Palestine 'does not meet the international law criteria for recognition of a state, namely, defined territory, a permanent population, an effective government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states'. There is no certainty over the borders of Palestine they said, and no single government, as Hamas and Fatah are enemies. Lord Hermer has previously insisted that a commitment to international law 'goes absolutely to the heart' of the government's approach to foreign policy. In their letter, seen by the PA news agency, the peers added: 'You have said that a selective, 'pick and mix' approach to international law will lead to its disintegration, and that the criteria set out in international law should not be manipulated for reasons of political expedience. 'Accordingly, we expect you to demonstrate this commitment by explaining to the public and to the government that recognition of Palestine would be contrary to the principles governing recognition of states in international law.' Among the respected lawyers to have signed the letter are Lord Pannick, who represented the previous government at the Supreme Court over its Rwanda scheme, as well as KCs Lord Verdirame and Lord Faulks. Some of parliament's most prominent Jewish voices, including crossbench peer Baroness Deech, Labour's Lord Winston and the Conservatives' Baroness Altmann, have also put their name to the letter. The peers' intervention follows condemnation of Sir Keir's announcement by Emily Damari, a British-Israeli woman who was held captive by Hamas for more than a year. The PM is 'not standing on the right side of history' after his pledge to recognise a Palestinian state, she said. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, claimed it 'rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism'. But ministers have insisted the step is important and is not an example of gesture politics. 'This is about the Palestinian people. It's about getting aid to those starving children,' transport secretary Heidi Alexander said on Wednesday morning. Asked directly whether the release of hostages by Hamas is an explicit condition of Palestinian recognition, Ms Alexander told BBC Radio 4: 'We will be making an assessment in September and we expect Hamas to act in the same way as we expect Israel to act.' She later added: 'We're giving Israel eight weeks to act. If they want to be sat at the table to shape that enduring peace in the region, they must act.' Sir Keir had been coming under pressure from MPs to recognise statehood, and last week more than 250 cross-party members signed a letter calling on him to act. Elsewhere on Wednesday, Palestine Action's co-founder won a bid to bring a High Court challenge over the group's ban as a terror organisation. Huda Ammori is challenging Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws, announced after the group claimed responsibility for action in which two Voyager planes were damaged at RAF Brize Norton on June 20.
BBC News
15 minutes ago
- BBC News
Verifying drone strikes in Ukraine and tracking government housing pledge
Update: Date: 09:29 BST Title: Thursday on BBC Verify Live Content: Tom EdgingtonBBC Verify live editor Welcome to today's BBC Verify Live. Right now our verification team are reviewing images and videos coming out of Ukraine following reports that at least six people were killed and more than 50 injured after drones struck Kyiv overnight. We'll bring you what we've found shortly. An investigation, led by our disinformation expert Olga Robinson, has revealed that the identities of British public sector workers have been cloned using AI by a Russian-linked disinformation campaign. Our fact-checking team, meanwhile, has been taking a closer look at the impact of President Trump's tariffs and how they're already impacting Americans. And later this morning our data team will be updating the BBC Verify housing tracker, which looks at the latest details around the number of new homes being built in England against the government's target to deliver 1.5m by the end of the current Parliament.
