&w=3840&q=100)
Israel in talks with South Sudan over plans to relocate Palestinians from Gaza: Report
Palestinians, displaced by the Israeli offensive, shelter in tents, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, August 1, 2025. File Image/Reuters
Israel is in discussions with South Sudan about a plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to the East African nation, The Associated Press reported, citing multiple officials.
The talks form part of Israel's broader strategy to encourage mass emigration from Gaza, which has been left in ruins after a 22-month military offensive against Hamas.
If enacted, the proposal would transfer people from one conflict-scarred, famine-threatened region to another, a move raising significant human rights concerns.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Netanyahu backs 'voluntary migration'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he supports what he calls 'voluntary migration', in line with Donald Trump's earlier vision of relocating much of Gaza's population. Israel has floated similar proposals with other African states.
Speaking to i24 TV on Tuesday, Netanyahu argued civilians should be allowed to leave before the military targets remaining Hamas fighters, though he made no direct reference to South Sudan.
Palestinian leaders, rights organisations, and much of the international community have rejected the idea, describing it as a plan for forced expulsion that would violate international law.
Potential political gains for South Sudan
For South Sudan, such a deal could bolster ties with Israel and possibly improve relations with Trump, who raised the relocation idea in February before appearing to step back from it.
Joe Szlavik, head of a US lobbying firm working with South Sudan, said South Sudanese officials had informed him that an Israeli delegation is expected to visit to assess the feasibility of setting up camps for Palestinians, likely funded by Israel.
Regional opposition and earlier relocation talks
South Sudan, which remains under US sanctions and subject to a travel ban, hopes closer ties with Trump could lead to the easing of restrictions. The country, facing severe economic strain, has already accepted eight deportees from the US, a move some interpret as an attempt to curry favour.
Israel's connection to South Sudan dates back to its independence struggle, when Mossad is reported to have assisted rebels against Sudan's Arab-led government.
While some Palestinians may wish to leave Gaza temporarily to escape war and worsening hunger, most reject any permanent resettlement from what they regard as their homeland.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
2 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Harvard and Trump administration are nearing settlement including a $500 million payment
WASHINGTON: Harvard University and the Trump administration are getting close to an agreement that would require the Ivy League university to pay $500 million to regain access to federal funding and to end investigations, according to a person familiar with the matter. The framework is still being sorted out with significant gaps to close, but both sides have agreed on the financial figure and a settlement could be finalized in coming weeks, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Harvard declined to comment. The agreement would end a monthslong battle that has tested the boundaries of the government's authority over America's universities. What began as an investigation into campus antisemitism escalated into an all-out feud as the Trump administration slashed more than $2.6 billion in research funding, ended federal contracts and attempted to block Harvard from hosting international students. The university responded with a pair of lawsuits alleging illegal retaliation by the administration after Harvard rejected a set of demands that campus leaders viewed as a threat to academic freedom. Details of the proposed framework were first reported by The New York Times. A $500 million payment would be the largest sum yet as the administration pushes for financial penalties in its settlements with elite universities. Columbia University agreed to pay the government $200 million as part of an agreement restoring access to federal funding, while Brown University separately agreed to pay $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations. Details have not been finalized on where Harvard's potential payment would go, the person said. The Republican president has been pushing to reform prestigious universities that he decries as bastions of liberal ideology. His administration has cut funding to several Ivy League schools while pressing demands in line with his political campaign. None has been targeted as frequently or as heavily as Harvard, the richest US university with an endowment valued at $53 billion. More than a dozen Democrats in Congress who attended Harvard cautioned against a settlement on Aug. 1, warning the university it may warrant 'rigorous Congressional oversight and inquiry.' Capitulating to political demands, they said, would set a dangerous precedent across all of higher education.
Indian Express
2 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Daily Briefing: Tariffs, talks and tightropes
Good morning, Let me take you back to 2004 for a moment. You're in the theatre, watching Shah Rukh Khan's Main Hoon Na, and just when you thought the movie was over, it cuts to another song and dance sequence. One by one, not just the cast but even the usually behind-the-scenes crew appear on screen, dancing to 'Ye Fizaein'. Three years later, Farah Khan would do it again with Om Shanti Om, asking crew members to walk down the red carpet. It's all a bit silly, but wildly entertaining. These end-credit sequences also serve a bigger purpose of interrogating the way films — and capitalism itself — are structured. Contributing writer Aamatullah Rajkotwala writes in the latest 'Fresh Take' that these end-credit scenes challenge the capitalistic tendency of 'commodity fetishism', when a product is valued more than the labour which produced it. Do we then dare call Farah Khan an accidental Marxist? On that note, let's get to today's edition. In the next two weeks, India will engage key partners Russia and China. On August 21, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Moscow to meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, paving the way for President Vladimir Putin's potential visit to India. Crucially, Putin is set to meet US President Donald Trump in Alaska tomorrow. New Delhi will watch their talks closely. If Putin and Trump reach a framework for ending the war in Ukraine, India could avoid the additional 25 per cent US tariff linked to its Russian oil purchases. On August 18, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit India for talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in China later this month, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to attend. Tightrope: These engagements are part of New Delhi's multi-alignment foreign policy, but it will be careful not to be seen as part of an 'anti-Western' grouping. India has often portrayed itself as non-Western, and not anti-Western. Beijing has been seeking an India-Russia-China trilateral meeting, but New Delhi has so far refused to participate. Trumponomics: These geopolitical churnings gained urgency in the face of Trump's steep tariffs. Trump has raised duties on all trading partners, pushing the average import tariff to 15–20 per cent from 3 per cent in January. While the broader economic impact is yet to show, inflationary signs are emerging. How has the US avoided the worst of Trumponomics? Read my colleague Anil Sasi's report. Pak hand: Amid New Delhi's strained ties with Washington DC, Pakistan has improved its relationship with the US under Trump. Army Chief Syed Asim Munir has visited the US twice on high-level trips in less than two months. While Pakistan's army has long exercised de facto control over the country's governance, Munir's emergence as Pakistan's numero uno figure on the international stage is unprecedented. The first batch of Agniveers, part of the new Agnipath recruitment scheme, is set to complete their four-year term by 2026-end. Sources have told The Indian Express that discussions are underway to increase the retention of Agniveers after their performance in Operation Sindoor was found to be 'excellent'. Why does the Army want more manpower, and what could be the potential changes for Agniveers? Read our report. Drug bust: Mephedrone, a synthetic drug, has emerged as a key challenge for enforcement agencies in recent years. In the last five years alone, investigators have seized mephedrone worth Rs 9,522 crore from Maharashtra. At the heart of the drug network, which stretches to the UAE and Turkey, is believed to be mastermind Salim Dola, a wanted figure in the narcotics trade and linked to the Dawood Ibrahim gang. The Mumbai Crime Branch says it is closer than ever to apprehending Dola. Here's how they connected the dots to reach the drug lord. Balancing act: The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) finds itself in an uneasy position in its alliance with the BJP and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. Recent moves by the Deputy Chief Minister, Pawar, including support of the Qureshi community against self-styled cow vigilantes and questioning orders to shut meat shops on Independence Day, are seen as efforts to project the NCP as unwaveringly secular. Zeeshan Shaikh explains what necessitates Pawar's balancing act, and whether it has worked. 🎧 For more on the cow vigilante issue in Maharashtra, tune in to today's '3 Things' podcast episode. Mounting troubles: Can a mountain of coal go missing? Authorities in Meghalaya are faced with a bizarre problem. Almost 4,000 metric tonnes — that's 40 lakh kilograms — of illegally mined coal in the South West Khasi Hills district has gone missing. Was it 'swept away by heavy rain' as excise minister Kyrmen Shylla suggested? The issue, at the centre of a political firestorm, even reached the Meghalaya High Court, which formed a one-member panel to monitor coal mining in the state. Imagine the Indian government, the American CIA and the British MI5 working together. No, this isn't the plot of a Netflix thriller. In the late 1950s, the trio teamed up to carry out a clandestine operation to spy on the communists in Kerala. I leave you with this column by Paul McGarr, author and lecturer, that has fascinating details on the operation. That's all for today, folks! Until tomorrow, Sonal Gupta
Indian Express
2 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Trump revokes Biden-era order on promoting US economic competition
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday formally revoked a 2021 directive issued by his predecessor Joe Biden to promote competition in the US economy, the White House confirmed. The official order states: 'By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Revocation. Executive Order 14036 of July 9, 2021 (Promoting Competition in the American Economy), is hereby revoked.' The statement also clarifies that the revocation does not impair existing legal authorities of federal agencies, and will be implemented in accordance with applicable laws and 'available appropriations', and does not create any 'enforceable rights.' Biden's 2021 order was designed to stop unfair corporate practices. His administration said these included things like excessive airline fees and large mergers that raise prices for consumers. The policy was a major effort supported by advisers connected to Senator Elizabeth Warren, who helped set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) during Barack Obama's presidency. The CFPB is a government agency meant to protect people from unfair treatment by banks, credit card companies, and other lenders. Trump has long opposed the CFPB and announced plans to reduce its staff by 90%. Consumer advocates say cutting back the agency's work has already cost Americans about $18 billion in extra fees and lost compensation from corporate wrongdoing, according to a June study by the Student Borrower Protection Center and the Consumer Federation of America. As reported by Reuters, the DOJ welcomed Trump's decision, saying it fits with its 'America First Antitrust' approach. Antitrust laws are designed to prevent companies from getting too much market power and blocking fair competition. The DOJ said this new direction would focus on encouraging free markets and avoid what it called Biden's 'overly prescriptive and burdensome approach.' It also plans to simplify the review process for mergers under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and bring back more targeted consent decrees – legal agreements used to stop or prevent certain business practices without a trial. Meanwhile, Hannah Garden-Monheit, who directed competition policy under Biden, accused Trump of abandoning protections for small businesses and workers. 'This shows President Trump's claim he would 'Make America Competitive Again' was a sham. Instead of enforcing the competition laws, he's throwing Main Street businesses and workers under the bus while doing favors for the rich and powerful,' she said, as per Reuters. (With inputs from Reuters)
