Argentina's embassy to move to Jerusalem in 2026, President says
Javier Milei, who made the announcement in the Knesset, has been supportive of Israel amid the war in Gaza and votes in its favour at the UN
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The National
an hour ago
- The National
UN adopts resolution demanding Gaza ceasefire, aid access and release of hostages
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Thursday calling for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, days after the US vetoed a similar measure in the Security Council. A total of 149 countries voted in favour while 12, including the US, Israel and Argentina, opposed the resolution. And 19 countries abstained. The resolution, presented by Spain, demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas, the return of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. It underscored the need for accountability to ensure Israel's adherence to international law but stopped short of explicitly calling for sanctions. In addition, it 'strongly condemned any use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and the unlawful denial of humanitarian access', and further stressed the obligation to avoid depriving Gaza's civilians of basic survival needs, 'including by wilfully impeding relief supplies and access'. Before the resolution's passage, Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour declared the measure's language to be the 'strongest to date' but stressed that words must now turn into decisive action. 'Israel's continuing defiance of international law, UN resolutions and global condemnation demands an immediate response,' Mr Mansour said. He urged member states to stamp their national authority: 'Use the tools available to you, each and every one of you. 'No arms, no money, no trade to support the oppression, ethnic cleansing and land theft against Palestinians." While General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, they serve as a significant indicator of global opinion. Previous UN calls to end the war between Israel and Hamas have gone unheeded. Unlike the Security Council, where permanent members such as the US have the power of veto, the General Assembly operates on a majority vote. There has been increasing international pressure over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where thousands have been killed and millions face severe shortages of food, water and medical supplies. With the vote taking place days before an international conference at the UN aimed at reviving two-state negotiations, the text also reiterated the General Assembly's 'unwavering commitment to the two-state solution … where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace and security". The vote comes more than 77 years after the General Assembly's 1947 resolution partitioned British-ruled Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. Israel declared independence in 1948, sparking a war with neighbouring Arab nations, while Palestinian statehood remains unrealised. The US is now urging countries to boycott next week's UN conference, co-sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia. When asked by The National about Israel's attendance in next week's summit, Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon said 'absolutely not". "We will not take part in this conference," he said. 'I was very happy to see that the United States decided also not to participate in this circus." Mr Danon also took aim at French President Emmanuel Macron. 'When Mr Macron arrives at the UN, I will ask him if he has solved all the problems in France and Europe. If he thinks coming here and pushing this conference will actually be constructive, it's not constructive.' He also criticised the resolution for not demanding the immediate release of the 55 hostages still being held, not condemning Hamas 'for the atrocities' it committed on October 7, and not holding the militant group accountable. In October 2023, the General Assembly called for an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza, with 120 votes in favour. By December 2023, support grew significantly, as 153 countries voted to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. Later that month the assembly increased its call, adopting a resolution, with 158 votes in favour, demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire.
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Posturing or potential strikes? Iran tensions ramp up ahead of nuclear talks
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that an Israeli strike on Iran "may very well happen', as he confirmed that the US was evacuating some US officials and their families from the region. The US is evacuating non-essential US embassy staff and their dependents from the embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. Other reports said the US was evacuating some staff from embassies in Bahrain and Kuwait, but the embassy in Bahrain denied a change in its posture on Thursday. Trump on Thursday said the risk of "massive conflict" led the US to draw down staff in the region. CBS News reported on Thursday that Israel is prepared to launch an attack on Iran's nuclear sites, and that US officials have been discussing how the US could assist Israel without taking a direct role. The report said options could include aerial refuelling or intelligence-sharing. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The steady drumbeat of leaks raises questions about whether a strike could take place in the future, or if the Trump administration is trying to put pressure on Iran ahead of a sixth round of nuclear talks scheduled to be held in Oman on Sunday. A US diplomat at one of the embassies restricting travel said the orders they have received were not out of the ordinary during flare-ups in local tensions. 'These steps don't necessarily mean military action is imminent. Still time for talks, it takes time to move people out. But these are steps that it would make sense to take as part of preparations, and to show seriousness. Provides important leverage in nuclear talks,' Danial Shapiro, a former US ambassador to Israel, said on X on Wednesday. 'Might help, could blow it' Trump himself toys publicly with the idea that the threat of an Israeli strike may help the US's negotiating position. "I don't want them going in, because I think it would blow it,' Trump said, referring to Israel, before quickly adding, "Might help it actually, but it also could blow it." In some ways, the reports that Israel is "poised" to strike Iran are redundant. By Trump's own admission, Israel has been lobbying him for months to bomb Iran. One senior US official recently told Middle East Eye on the condition of anonymity that the Trump administration has been impressed by plans Israel shared with it that lay out unilateral strikes against Iran's nuclear programme without direct American involvement. The plans were discussed in April and May with CIA director John Ratcliffe, MEE reported. 'The Israelis have pinpointed everything they can take out that supports Iran's nuclear sites down to the water supply and power generation, etcetera,' the US official told MEE, referring to a process called Target Systems Analysis, by which militaries assess specific nodes to attack that support a bigger main target. Trump says Iran's proposal 'unacceptable' as Tehran touts intel on Israeli nukes Read More » Israel has also discussed combining cyberattacks and precision military strikes. Iran's nuclear facilities are buried deep in fortified bunkers in the Natanz desert and inside a mountain called Fordow. Analysts say Netanyahu has refrained from attacking Iran in defiance of Trump because he wants to share political responsibility if the strikes go wrong and preserve an American backstop in the likely case of Iranian retaliation. On Thursday, Axios reported that Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, told some Republican Senators that the administration fears Iran could retaliate against an Israeli strike with ballistic missiles, causing a 'mass casualty event". The article did not mention that Israel is widely understood to have its own arsenal of nuclear weapons. The Iranians have kept pace with Trump and upped their own rhetoric. During past flare-ups, Iranian officials have sent signals that they could shut down the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf, where 30 percent of the world's oil transits, and have leaked that they could bomb US bases in Gulf states if attacked. Iran has now clearly stated that threat. "All its [the United States] bases are within our reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation we will target all of them in the host countries," Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said on Wednesday. "God willing, things won't reach that point, and the talks will succeed," the minister added. Israel and Iran had two unprecedented exchanges of fire in October and April 2024. The US came to Israel's defence, shooting down missiles and drones in an attack Iran had carefully telegraphed beforehand. IAEA tensions Ahead of the talks on Sunday, tensions have also been rising with the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Diplomats said the IAEA's board of governors adopted a resolution condemning Iran's "non-compliance" with its nuclear obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The resolution was carried by 19 votes in favour out of 35. The resolution could lay the groundwork for European countries to invoke a "snapback" mechanism, which expires in October. This mechanism would reinstate UN sanctions eased under a 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by then-US president Barack Obama. Iran's nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, said the resolution was "extremist" and blamed Israeli influence. In response to the resolution, he said Iran would launch a new enrichment centre in a secure location. The issue of whether Iran will be able to enrich uranium on its territory has become the main roadblock to nuclear talks with the US. Trump has insisted Iran will not be allowed to enrich any uranium.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Israel 'could very well' strike Iran, Donald Trump says
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Israel may well strike Iran but stressed that he had cautioned against an attack while nuclear talks with Tehran continue. Mr Trump's comments come as the US has authorised the departure of non-essential personnel from Iraq and elsewhere as fears grow that Israel may attack Iran's nuclear sites. 'I don't want to say imminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen,' Mr Trump told reporters at the White House. The prospect of military action in the Middle East comes as the US-Iran nuclear talks appear to be stalled over whether Tehran would be able to continue to enrich uranium in any capacity. Mr Trump this week said he was less confident a deal could be reached, and Tehran on Wednesday threatened to hit US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out. But Mr Trump on Thursday said the US and Iran are 'fairly close to a pretty good agreement'. 'We've had very good discussions with Iran. It's got to be better than pretty good, though, but it's got to be – I prefer an agreement, as long as I think there is an agreement, I don't want [Israel] going in, because I think that would blow it,' Mr Trump said. In another sign that a strike on Iran may not be imminent, US special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff plans to travel to Oman on Sunday for a sixth round of talks with Iran. 'Discussions are expected to be both direct and indirect, as in previous rounds,' a source said. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed to Iranian news outlet Tasnim that a delegation from Tehran would attend the talks. Tehran on Wednesday threatened to hit US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out, and if it were attacked over its nuclear programme, amid mounting speculation that Israel could strike the country's uranium enrichment sites. Further fuelling tension, Iran on Thursday said it has built and will activate a third nuclear enrichment plant, after the UN's atomic watchdog agency censured Tehran for failing to comply with non-proliferation obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. The US State Department has begun preparing to evacuate non-essential staff from the American embassy in Baghdad. At the same time, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth authorised the departure of military dependents from locations across the region. The US embassies in Kuwait and Bahrain have not changed their staffing levels, the State Department said. Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations on Thursday said in an advisory note that the situation in the Middle East remains 'highly volatile'. The UKMTO has advised ships to use caution when passing through the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz.
