Canada, Britain, France talk of recognising Palestinian state. The significance explained
As the humanitarian crisis spreads in war-ravaged Gaza following Israel's restrictions on food and other aid, the announcements by these countries raise questions about what the recognition of a Palestinian state would mean and what it can actually do
Canada on July 31 joined Britain and France in saying that it plans to recognise the state of Palestine at a meeting of the United Nations in September, ratcheting up more pressure on Israel as starvation spreads in Gaza .
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The Wire
2 hours ago
- The Wire
The US Has Junked the 'Rules-Based Order'. Here's What it Means for the World
Rights This is a most dangerous time for the world and, in particular, for those countries which need a few more decades of stability and global cooperation to pull themselves out of poverty. President Donald Trump arrives, followed by a bagpiper band, at the opening ceremony for the Trump International Golf Links golf course, near Aberdeen, Scotland, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin. The United States has 34 crore people (the size of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar combined). Americans represent four per cent of the global population and they are the biggest beneficiaries of what the US called the ' rules-based order '. This order, imposed by the United States and its European allies after the Second World War, seeks global cooperation through institutions like the United Nations and also the World Trade Organisation. Americans refer to their president, unironically, as the 'leader of the free world'. America's per capita income is almost $90,000, according to one of the institutions of the 'rules-based order', the International Monetary Fund. India's per person income is less than 1/30th, at under $3,000. The US economy has surged over the last few decades because its companies have sent their products — like aircraft, phones and computers — and services — like social media companies — around the world, where they dominate. Even with the recent downward revision in their jobs numbers, the US is running at what is referred to as full employment, meaning that joblessness is around four per cent, which is optimal. This means that from the standpoint of income and jobs, the US is in a very good place, particularly when compared to nations like India, where poverty and joblessness, particularly in the absence of regular, salaried employment, are a serious problem. And yet the US is unhappy with the world, which it says is 'ripping it off', in the words of US President Donald Trump. He has reversed this theft, as he sees it, by making it more difficult for countries to export their products into the US. America is India's largest export market, and a 25% tariff on our goods will weaken demand, hurting our exporters. There is no getting around that fact. If the tariffs remain, our interests will be harmed, no matter who ultimately pays the tariff. There is no meaningful debate inside America's democracy of whether the actions taken by President Trump harm the global rules-based order and its friends and allies, to say nothing of poorer nations. What the US has done is tear up the system where tariffs existed, but were used under a system of WTO rules and regulations that could be appealed. The US has disregarded that, and weakened the system that for decades has served it well. In doing so it is damaging the rest of the world. There is a second disregarding of the rules-based order and that is the American enabling of the genocide in Gaza. Ever eager to free the world from tyranny and despotism through war, the US has protected Israel while it massacres and starves thousands of Palestinians, and wages illegal war on Iran. The majority of the world's nations have called for an end to the horror in Gaza, through their vote in the United Nations General Assembly, but the US has used its veto to allow this 21st century holocaust to continue. Like in the matter of the tariffs, the US is telling the world that it is leaving the rules-based order and prefers to use its strength to extract, and even extort, what it can from the world. There are a few things that we can take away from these actions. One is that America has now set a new precedent. The next nation that becomes powerful will have an example of how to behave with weaker nations, and that 'might is right' is as legitimate as a 'rules-based order'. There is today quite weak resistance to this from the Global South, and the fissures inside BRICS, which we need not go into here, have helped American bullying. The second is that we should seriously consider what the benefit of our personalised style of diplomacy has been. We have thrown away decades of institutional consensus on matters like Palestine, for a hug with the Israeli leader. All the honours we have bestowed on the US President, whether in rallies here or there, and indeed encouraging Indian Americans to vote for him, have not produced any benefit or even mercy. Emperors do not listen to anything other than the voice inside their head but this must be said nonetheless. The last thing that we should consider is what is agitating the US at this point in time. Why is it, given the wealth and power it has and its comfortable economic situation, that the US is going through this spell of madness? The answer is to be found in the rise of the Global South, and in particular, the rise of China. If things continue as they have been for the last 30 years, in a decade or two the US will for the first time in more than a century not be the largest economy in the world. This is unacceptable to what is called 'the West'. It will not be able to continue doing what it has done for centuries in North America, in Australia, in South Africa, or what it is doing today in Palestine. As the rest of the world grows equal to the West, its ability to control and dominate is slipping. It has given up on the 'rules-based order' for this reason, and is resorting to pure might. This is a most dangerous time for the world and, in particular, for those countries which need a few more decades of stability and global cooperation to pull themselves out of poverty. Aakar Patel is the chair of Amnesty International India. He posts on X @aakar_patel. 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The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Israel to allow gradual and controlled entry of goods to Gaza through local merchants
Israel will allow gradual and controlled entry of goods to Gaza through local merchants, COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, said on Tuesday (August 5, 2025). 'This aims to increase the volume of aid entering the Gaza Strip, while reducing reliance on aid collection by the U.N. and international organisations,' the agency said. On Sunday (August 3, 2025), Hamas said it was prepared to coordinate with the Red Cross to deliver aid to hostages it holds in Gaza, if Israel meets certain conditions, after a video it released showing an emaciated captive drew sharp criticism from Western powers. Palestinian and U.N. officials said Gaza needs around 600 aid trucks to enter per day to meet the humanitarian requirements - the number Israel used to allow into Gaza before the war. The Gaza war began when Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures. Israel's offensive has since killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials who do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants. According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Hamas, thus far, has barred humanitarian organisations from having any kind of access to the hostages and families have little or no details of their conditions.
New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Israel to partially resume private goods trade in Gaza amid deepening famine
JERUSALEM: Israel will partially reopen private sector trade with Gaza to reduce its reliance on humanitarian aid, the defence ministry civil affairs agency for the Palestinian territories said Tuesday. "As part of formulating the mechanism, a limited number of local merchants were approved by the defence establishment, subject to several criteria and strict security screening," COGAT said. Israel has been fighting Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza for 22 months and imposed a total blockade on March 2, partially lifted in May to allow a US-backed private agency to open food distribution centres. Aid convoys and airdrops by Arab and European militaries resumed last month, as UN-mandated expert reports warned famine was unfolding in the war-torn territory. The COGAT statement said private sector deliveries would be paid for by monitored bank transfers and be subject to inspections by the Israeli military before entering Gaza, "to prevent the involvement of the Hamas terrorist organisation." Permitted goods under the new mechanism will include food staples, fruit, vegetables, baby formula and hygiene products, COGAT said.
