On GPS: The revolution that reshaped the Middle East
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CNN
25 minutes ago
- CNN
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has ‘lost the plot,' New Zealand leader Luxon says
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Wednesday that his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu has 'lost the plot' and that Israel's planned occupation of Gaza City is 'utterly unacceptable.' Luxon's comments come as his conservative coalition government weighs whether to join other members of the Five-Eyes security alliance, Australia, Britain and Canada, in moving to recognize a Palestinian state; and as international condemnation and anger builds over Israel's recent decision to expand its war to take control of Gaza City, the throttling of aid and mass starvation in the enclave. Luxon, who leads the right-leaning National Party, said Netanyahu is 'not listening' to the international community's demands for 'unfettered' humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza. 'I think Netanyahu has gone too far. I think he has lost the plot. And I think what we are seeing overnight with the attack on Gaza City is utterly, utterly unacceptable,' Luxon said, in some of his strongest comments against Israel's actions in Gaza to date. Netanhayu's office has not yet responded to Luxon's comment. Israel has continued its intense aerial attacks on Gaza this week and Netanyahu's planned military takeover of Gaza City, expected to force up to a million people to leave the city, has been widely condemned. 'We have said a forcible displacement of people and an annexation of Gaza would be a breach of international law,' said Luxon. Chaotic scenes continue to emerge from Gaza, with violence and starvation deepening amid Israel's tight control of aid to the territory. At least 227 people – including 103 children – have died from malnutrition since the beginning of the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Foreign ministers from dozens of countries on Tuesday jointly said that suffering has reached 'unimaginable levels' and 'famine is unfolding before our eyes' as they demand that Israel allow more aid into Gaza and permit humanitarian organizations to operate there. Luxon is not the only western leader to openly criticize Israel's Prime Minister in recent days. On Tuesday, Australia's leader Anthony Albanese said he had spoken to Netanyahu but found him to be 'in denial' about the human cost of the war in Gaza. 'He (Netanyahu) again reiterated to me what he has said publicly as well, which is to be in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people,' Albanese told Australia's public broadcaster ABC. Earlier this week, Australia announced it would move to recognize Palestinian statehood at the United National General Assembly meeting in September, leaving New Zealand as the only member of the Five Eyes security alliance, except the United States, not to pledge to do so. French President Emmanuel Macron has also said France will recognize a Palestinian state in an announcement to the United Nations General Assembly in September. 'The urgent need today is to end the war in Gaza and to rescue the civilian population,' said Macron in a July statement, reiterating calls for an immediate ceasefire, access to humanitarian aid for the population of Gaza, the release of all hostages and the demilitarization of Hamas. Washington has found itself increasingly at odds with key western allies over Israel and how the war in Gaza is being conducted. Both Israel and the US have condemned moves to recognize a Palestinian state. Luxon announced Monday that New Zealand would consider its position on recognizing a Palestinian state over the next month, prompting fierce criticism at home for what is considered by some to be a lack of action on Israel. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who went on to lead the United Nation's Development Program after exiting domestic politics, lambasted Luxon's coalition government on Tuesday for not moving quickly enough. 'We now really seem to stand for nothing except you know, somehow wanting to save our own skin in a tariff war,' she told New Zealand's public broadcaster RNZ on Tuesday. 'I think it's really quite a humiliating position for New Zealand to be in.' On Wednesday, Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was kicked out of Parliament for refusing to apologize for comments she made suggesting coalition lawmakers grow a spine and support a bill to sanction Israel. 'If we find six of 68 government MPs (members of Parliament) with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history,' said Swarbrick Tuesday.
CNN
28 minutes ago
- CNN
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has ‘lost the plot,' New Zealand leader Luxon says
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Wednesday that his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu has 'lost the plot' and that Israel's planned occupation of Gaza City is 'utterly unacceptable.' Luxon's comments come as his conservative coalition government weighs whether to join other members of the Five-Eyes security alliance, Australia, Britain and Canada, in moving to recognize a Palestinian state; and as international condemnation and anger builds over Israel's recent decision to expand its war to take control of Gaza City, the throttling of aid and mass starvation in the enclave. Luxon, who leads the right-leaning National Party, said Netanyahu is 'not listening' to the international community's demands for 'unfettered' humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza. 'I think Netanyahu has gone too far. I think he has lost the plot. And I think what we are seeing overnight with the attack on Gaza City is utterly, utterly unacceptable,' Luxon said, in some of his strongest comments against Israel's actions in Gaza to date. Netanhayu's office has not yet responded to Luxon's comment. Israel has continued its intense aerial attacks on Gaza this week and Netanyahu's planned military takeover of Gaza City, expected to force up to a million people to leave the city, has been widely condemned. 'We have said a forcible displacement of people and an annexation of Gaza would be a breach of international law,' said Luxon. Chaotic scenes continue to emerge from Gaza, with violence and starvation deepening amid Israel's tight control of aid to the territory. At least 227 people – including 103 children – have died from malnutrition since the beginning of the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Foreign ministers from dozens of countries on Tuesday jointly said that suffering has reached 'unimaginable levels' and 'famine is unfolding before our eyes' as they demand that Israel allow more aid into Gaza and permit humanitarian organizations to operate there. Luxon is not the only western leader to openly criticize Israel's Prime Minister in recent days. On Tuesday, Australia's leader Anthony Albanese said he had spoken to Netanyahu but found him to be 'in denial' about the human cost of the war in Gaza. 'He (Netanyahu) again reiterated to me what he has said publicly as well, which is to be in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people,' Albanese told Australia's public broadcaster ABC. Earlier this week, Australia announced it would move to recognize Palestinian statehood at the United National General Assembly meeting in September, leaving New Zealand as the only member of the Five Eyes security alliance, except the United States, not to pledge to do so. French President Emmanuel Macron has also said France will recognize a Palestinian state in an announcement to the United Nations General Assembly in September. 'The urgent need today is to end the war in Gaza and to rescue the civilian population,' said Macron in a July statement, reiterating calls for an immediate ceasefire, access to humanitarian aid for the population of Gaza, the release of all hostages and the demilitarization of Hamas. Washington has found itself increasingly at odds with key western allies over Israel and how the war in Gaza is being conducted. Both Israel and the US have condemned moves to recognize a Palestinian state. Luxon announced Monday that New Zealand would consider its position on recognizing a Palestinian state over the next month, prompting fierce criticism at home for what is considered by some to be a lack of action on Israel. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who went on to lead the United Nation's Development Program after exiting domestic politics, lambasted Luxon's coalition government on Tuesday for not moving quickly enough. 'We now really seem to stand for nothing except you know, somehow wanting to save our own skin in a tariff war,' she told New Zealand's public broadcaster RNZ on Tuesday. 'I think it's really quite a humiliating position for New Zealand to be in.' On Wednesday, Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was kicked out of Parliament for refusing to apologize for comments she made suggesting coalition lawmakers grow a spine and support a bill to sanction Israel. 'If we find six of 68 government MPs (members of Parliament) with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history,' said Swarbrick Tuesday.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
State Senate Minority Leader John Braun announces bid for Congress
Aug. 12—The top Republican in the Washington state Senate has announced a bid to represent southwest Washington in the U.S. House of Representatives. State Sen. John Braun will challenge Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, of Skamania, to represent Washington's 3rd Congressional District. Braun enters the race with the backing of Republican Rep. Michael Baumgartner, Braun's former colleague in the state Legislature. Braun, who has served in Olympia since 2013, was selected as Senate minority leader in 2020. Braun is a U.S. Navy veteran and president of Braun Northwest, a family-owned manufacturer of emergency vehicles based in Lewis County. "Whether in the Navy, running a small business, or serving in the state legislature, I've always focused on solving tough problems, clearing roadblocks, and helping others succeed," Braun said in a statement Tuesday. "In Congress, I'll bring that same approach — working to lower costs for families, support American manufacturing, and expand opportunities for family-wage jobs here at home." In his announcement, Braun cited his 31 years of service in the U.S. Navy, which included serving as the director of the U.S. Navy Submarine Force Reserve Component. "Members of Congress take an oath to defend our country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I take that oath seriously. I'll work to secure our borders and maintain a strong national defense — because peace is best preserved through strength," Braun said in a statement. Braun represents the 20th Legislative District, which includes Lewis County and parts of Thurston, Cowlitz and Clark counties. Braun's announcement Tuesday gives Republicans a high-profile candidate in a district that is one of their top targets in the 2026 midterms. Gluesenkamp Perez was a political newcomer when she won the seat in 2022 by 2,629 votes over Republican nominee Joe Kent, and subsequently defeated Kent again in her 2024 re-election bid. Kent has since been confirmed as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center in the Trump administration. While in Congress, Gluesenkamp Perez has repeatedly earned national headlines for her success in a red-leaning district, particularly with Republicans finding success on the top of the ticket. Despite Gluesenkamp Perez's re-election, the district has continued to lean Republican, with voters supporting Donald Trump in each of his three presidential campaigns. Following the announcement, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Lindsay Reilly said that Braun "has proven time and again that he's out for himself and his donor friends. "Voters know Braun is nothing more than a suit in Olympia who works for special interests like Big Pharma, not for working people," Reilly said. "He's a swamp creature who will be more of the same in D.C., championing the status quo that's left too many Southwest Washington families behind." Before Gluesenkamp Perez, the district was represented for 12 years by Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler. The Cook Political Report rates the district as one of 18 "toss-up districts" in the country, which they classify as those where "either party has a good chance of winning."
