logo
US policy shifts on Syria, Yemen, Iran

US policy shifts on Syria, Yemen, Iran

Al Jazeera18-05-2025

The US-Israeli plan to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, amid the use of starvation as a weapon of war, enables Israel to 'force the ethnic cleansing of a huge part of Gaza's population', argues Matt Duss, the executive vice president of the Center for International Policy.
United States President Donald Trump visited the Middle East, which saw a shift in US policy on Yemen, Iran, and Syria.
Duss tells host Steve Clemons that the Democratic Party would be wise to learn from Trump's foreign policy. 'The Democrats have completely left the antiwar, pro-diplomacy, pro-peace lane open for Donald Trump to fill,' he says.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump deploys troops to Los Angeles to quell protests against ICE raids
Trump deploys troops to Los Angeles to quell protests against ICE raids

Al Jazeera

timean hour ago

  • Al Jazeera

Trump deploys troops to Los Angeles to quell protests against ICE raids

United States President Donald Trump is deploying 2,000 National Guard troops to the city of Los Angeles, where a continued immigration crackdown has led to protests and clashes between authorities and demonstrators. The White House said in a statement on Saturday that Trump was deploying the Guardsmen to 'address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester' in California. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, objected to the move and said in a post on X that the move from the Republican president was 'purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions'. More soon…

Israel kills more than 70 in Gaza, including 16 in bombing family building
Israel kills more than 70 in Gaza, including 16 in bombing family building

Al Jazeera

time6 hours ago

  • Al Jazeera

Israel kills more than 70 in Gaza, including 16 in bombing family building

Israeli raids across Gaza have killed at least 75 Palestinians, with rescuers scrambling to find dozens of bodies under the rubble after the bombing of a residential building in Gaza City described by the enclave's civil defence as a 'full-fledged massacre'. Palestinian Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basel told Al Jazeera that the military gave 'no warning, no alert' before Saturday's strike on the house in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City that left at least 16 people dead, including women and children. 'This is truly a full-fledged massacre … a building full of civilians,' said Basel, who added that approximately 85 people were believed to be trapped under the rubble. 'We woke up to the strikes, destruction, yelling, rocks hitting us,' said Hamed Keheel, a displaced Palestinian at the site, noting that the attack had taken place on the second day of the Eid al-Adha festival. 'This is the occupation,' he said. 'Instead of waking up to cheer our children and dress them up to enjoy Eid, we wake up to carry women and children's bodies from under rubble.' Local resident Hassan Alkhor told Al Jazeera that the building belonged to the Abu Sharia family. 'May God hold the Israeli forces and [Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahu accountable,' he said. The Israeli military said afterwards that it had killed Asaad Abu Sharia, the leader of the Mujahideen Brigades, who it claimed had participated in the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023, according to a report in the Times of Israel published Saturday. Hamas confirmed the killing in a statement shared on Telegram, saying that Abu Sharia's brother, Ahmed Abu Sharia, had also been assassinated in the attack, which it said was 'part of a series of brutal massacres against civilians'. Also on Saturday, Israeli forces killed at least eight Palestinians waiting near an aid distribution site run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in southern Gaza's Rafah, the latest in a series of deadly incidents around the group's operations that have killed 118 people and left others missing in less than two weeks. Gaza resident Samir Abu Hadid told the AFP news agency that thousands of people had gathered at the al-Alam roundabout near the aid site. 'As soon as some people tried to advance towards the aid centre, the Israeli [forces] opened fire from armoured vehicles stationed near the centre, firing into the air and then at civilians,' Abu Hadid said. One woman told Al Jazeera her husband had been killed in the attack after going to the aid point to get 'a handful of rice for our starving children'. 'He said he felt he was walking towards death, I begged him not to leave. He insisted to find anything to feed our children,' she said. The GHF, a shadowy United States-backed private group engaged by Israel to distribute aid under the protection of its troops and security contractors, began operations in late May, replacing existing networks run by the United Nations and charities that have worked for decades. Critics say the group does not abide by humanitarian principles of neutrality, claiming that its operations weaponise aid, serving Israel's stated aims of ethnically cleansing large swaths of Gaza and controlling the entire enclave. GHF said on Saturday that it was unable to distribute any humanitarian relief because Hamas issued 'direct threats' against its operations. 'These threats made it impossible to proceed today without putting innocent lives at risk,' it said in a statement. Hamas told the Reuters news agency that it had no knowledge of these 'alleged threats'. The United Nations, which has refused to cooperate with the GHF, has warned that most of Gaza's 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade, with the rate of young children suffering from acute malnutrition nearly tripling. As Israel continued its attacks amid the looming famine, it emerged that health authorities had recorded more than 300 miscarriages over an 80-day period in the enclave. Expectant mothers face an increased risk of miscarriage and premature births, with basic medical supplies such as iron supplements and prenatal vitamins impossible to obtain. Brenda Kelly, a consultant obstetrician at Oxford University Hospital, told Al Jazeera that Gaza was 'losing a future generation of children', alluding to a 'staggering rise' in stillbirths, miscarriages and pre-term births. 'What we're seeing now is the direct fallout of Israel's weaponising of hunger in Gaza – impacting babies' growth and growth restriction is one of the leading causes of miscarriages and stillbirth,' she said. Severe malnutrition among pregnant women is compounded by severe stress and psychological trauma, as well as repeated displacement and a lack of safe shelter, she said. Those babies that do survive face heightened health risks. 'We know that famine experienced in-utero has lifelong consequences for children who then go into adulthood with much higher risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, as well as mental health disorders,' she said.

AESC pauses $1.6 bn SC battery plant amid ‘uncertainty'
AESC pauses $1.6 bn SC battery plant amid ‘uncertainty'

Qatar Tribune

time6 hours ago

  • Qatar Tribune

AESC pauses $1.6 bn SC battery plant amid ‘uncertainty'

Agencies A Japanese company has halted construction on a $1.6 billion factory in South Carolina to help make batteries for electric BMWs, citing 'policy and market uncertainty.' While AESC didn't specify what those problems are, South Carolina's Republican governor said the company is dealing with the potential loss of federal tax breaks for electric vehicle buyers and incentives for EV businesses as well as tariff uncertainties from President Donald Trump's administration. 'What we're doing is urging caution — let things play out because all of the these changes are taking place,' Gov. Henry McMaster said. AESC announced the suspension in construction of its plant in Florence on Thursday, 'Due to policy and market uncertainty, we are pausing construction at our South Carolina facility at this time,' the company's statement said. AESC promised to restart construction, although it didn't say when, and vowed to meet its commitment to hire 1,600 workers and invest $1.6 billion. The company said it has already invested $1 billion in the Florence plant. The battery maker based in Japan also has facilities in China, the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Germany. In the U.S., AESC has a plant in Tennessee and is building one in Kentucky. The statement didn't mention any changes with other plants. The South Carolina plant is supposed to sell battery cells to BMW, which is building its own battery assembly site near its giant auto plant in Greer. BMW said the construction pause by AESC doesn't change its plans to open its plant in 2026. AESC has already rolled back its South Carolina plans. They announced a second factory on the Florence site, but then said earlier this year that their first plant should be able to handle BMW's demand. That prompted South Carolina officials to withdraw $111 million in help they planned to provide. The company is still getting $135 million in grants from the South Carolina Department of Commerce and $121 million in bonds and the agency said a construction pause won't prompt them to claw back that offer. South Carolina is investing heavily in electric vehicles. Volkswagen-owned Scout Motors plans to invest more than $4 billion and hire 10,000 people for a plant to build its new electric SUVs scheduled to open in 2027. The state has for decades made big bets on foreign manufacturers like BMW, Michelin and Samsung that have paid off with an economic boom this century, but there is uneasiness that Trump's flirtation with high tariffs might stagger or even ruin those important partnerships.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store