Times letters: Iran and the prospect of regime change
There are good reasons why previous US presidents have restrained Israel from taking military action against Iran. Netanyahu will no doubt continue to exploit the White House to advance his own agenda. But I disagree with your leading article (' Reckoning', Jun 14; letters, Jun 16) that he is doing the international community a favour.
Edward Chaplin
Cambridge
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Reuters
42 minutes ago
- Reuters
State Department softens criticism of some Trump partner countries in scaled-back human rights report
WASHINGTON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration has scaled back a key U.S. government report on human rights worldwide, dramatically softening criticism of some countries that have been strong partners of the Republican president, such as El Salvador and Israel, which rights groups say have extensive records of abuses. Instead, the U.S. State Department in its widely anticipated 2024 Human Rights Report sounded an alarm about the erosion of freedom of speech in Europe and ramped up criticism of Brazil and South Africa, countries Washington has clashed with over a host of issues. Any criticism of governments over their treatment of LGBTQI rights, which appeared in Biden administration editions of the report, appeared to have been largely omitted. Washington referred to Russia's invasion of Ukraine mainly as the "Russia-Ukraine war." The report's section on Israel was much shorter than last year's edition and contained no mention of the severe humanitarian crisis or death toll in Gaza. Some 61,000 people have died, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, as a result of Israel's military operations in response to an attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas in October 2023. The report was delayed for months as Trump appointees altered an earlier State Department draft dramatically to bring it in line with "America First" values, according to government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The report introduced new categories such as "Life" and "Liberty," and "Security of the Person." "There were no credible reports of significant human rights abuses," the 2024 report said about El Salvador, in sharp contrast with the 2023 report that talked about "significant human rights issues" and listed them as credible reports of unlawful or arbitrary killings, torture, and harsh and life-threatening prison conditions. Washington's bilateral ties with El Salvador have strengthened since Trump took office, as the administration has deported people to El Salvador with help from President Nayib Bukele, whose country is receiving $6 million from the U.S. to house the migrants in a high-security mega-prison. Critics said the report was politically driven. "The report demonstrates what happens when political agendas take priority over the facts," said Josh Paul, a former State Department official and director of nongovernmental organization A New Policy. "The outcome is a much-abbreviated product that is more reflective of a Soviet propaganda release than of a democratic system." State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the report was restructured to improve readability and that it was no longer an expansive list of "politically biased demands and assertions." Bruce declined to respond to specific questions about countries and did not say why a list of rights abuses in El Salvador was removed. The Trump administration has moved away from the traditional U.S. promotion of democracy and human rights, seeing it as interference in another country's affairs, even as it criticized countries selectively, consistent with its broader policy towards a particular country. One example is Europe, where Trump officials repeatedly weighed in on European politics to denounce what they see as suppression of right-wing leaders, including in Romania, Germany, and France, and accused European authorities of censoring views such as criticism of immigration. For decades, the State Department's congressionally mandated Human Rights Report has been used as a blueprint of reference for global rights advocacy. This year's report was prepared following a major revamp of the department, which included the firing of hundreds of people, many from the agency's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, which takes the lead in writing the report. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in April wrote an opinion piece that said the bureau had become a platform for "left-wing activists," saying the Trump administration would reorient the bureau to focus on "Western values." In Brazil, where the Trump administration has clashed with the government, the State Department found the human rights situation declined, after the 2023 report found no significant changes. This year's report took aim at the courts, stating they took action undermining freedom of speech and disproportionately suppressing the speech of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, among others. Bolsonaro is on trial before the Supreme Court on charges he conspired with allies to violently overturn his 2022 electoral loss to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Trump has referred to the case as a "witch hunt" and called it grounds for a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods. In South Africa, whose government the Trump administration has accused of racial discrimination towards Afrikaners, this year's report said the human rights situation significantly worsened. It stated that "South Africa took a substantially worrying step towards land expropriation of Afrikaners and further abuses against racial minorities in the country." In last year's report, the State Department found no significant changes in the human rights situation in South Africa. Trump, earlier this year, issued an executive order that called for the U.S. to resettle Afrikaners, describing them as victims of "violence against racially disfavored landowners," allegations that echoed far-right claims but which have been contested by South Africa's government.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Israel bombards Gaza City; Hamas leader visits Cairo in bid to salvage ceasefire talks
CAIRO, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Israeli planes and tanks kept bombarding eastern areas of Gaza City overnight, killing at least 11 people, witnesses and medics said on Tuesday, with Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya arriving in Cairo for talks to revive a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan. The latest round of indirect talks in Qatar ended in deadlock in late July with Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas trading blame over the lack of progress on a U.S. proposal for a 60-day truce and hostage release deal. Israel has since said it will launch a new offensive and seize control of Gaza City, which it captured shortly after the war's outbreak in October 2023 before pulling out. Hamas' meetings with Egyptian officials, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, will focus on ways to stop the war, deliver aid, and "end the suffering of our people in Gaza," Hamas official Taher al-Nono said in a statement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to expand military control over Gaza, expected to be launched in October, has increased a global outcry over the widespread devastation, displacement and hunger afflicting Gaza's 2.2 million people. It has also stirred criticism in Israel, with the military chief of staff warning it could endanger surviving hostages and prove a death trap for Israeli soldiers. It has also raised fears of further displacement and hardship among the estimated one million Palestinians in the Gaza City region. Foreign ministers of 24 countries including Britain, Canada, Australia, France and Japan, said on Tuesday the humanitarian crisis in Gaza had reached "unimaginable levels" and urged Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the enclave. Israel denies responsibility for hunger in Gaza, accusing Hamas of stealing aid. It says it has taken steps to increase deliveries, including pausing fighting for parts of the day in some areas and announcing protected routes for aid convoys. A Palestinian official with knowledge of the mediated ceasefire talks said Hamas was prepared to return to the negotiating table, and the leaders who were visiting Cairo on Tuesday would reaffirm that stance. "Hamas believes negotiation is the only way to end the war and is open to discuss any ideas that would secure an end to the war," the official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters. However, the gaps between the sides appear to remain wide on key issues, including the extent of any Israeli military withdrawal and demands for Hamas to disarm. A Hamas official told Reuters on Tuesday the Islamist movement was ready to relinquish Gaza governance on behalf of a non-partisan committee, but it would not relinquish its arms before a Palestinian state is established. Netanyahu, whose far-right ultranationalist coalition allies want an outright Israeli takeover of all of Gaza, has vowed the war will not end until Hamas is eradicated. On Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry said that 89 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli fire in the past 24 hours. Witnesses and medics said Israeli bombardments overnight killed seven people in two houses in Gaza City's Zeitoun suburb and another four in an apartment building in the city centre. In the south of Gaza, five people, including a couple and their child, were killed by an Israeli airstrike on a house in the city of Khan Younis and four others by a strike on a tent encampment in nearby coastal Mawasi, medics said. The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports of the latest bombardments and that its forces take precautions to mitigate civilian harm. Separately, it said its forces had killed dozens of militants in north Gaza over the past month and destroyed more tunnels used by militants in the area. Five more people, including two children, have died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the territory's health ministry said. The new deaths raised the number of deaths from the same causes to 227, including 103 children, since the war started, it added. Israel disputes the malnutrition fatality figures reported by the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Gunmen posing as Gaza aid workers killed in IDF strike, says Israel
A group of militants posing as aid workers in Gaza have been killed in an Israeli strike, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday. 'Five armed terrorists' were driving in a vehicle marked with the insignia of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a US-based charity founded by chef José Andrés, they said. Israeli forces confirmed with WCK that the men had 'no affiliation with the organisation' before carrying out the drone strike over the weekend. WCK, whose staff have previously been killed by Israel, confirmed to The Telegraph that the men and vehicle were not affiliated with the aid organisation. The IDF released footage of the men – dressed in yellow vests, with some appearing to handle guns – using a car clearly marked with the WCK logo near Deir al-Balah in the centre of the Strip. The military said it 'eliminated' the five armed men as they 'posed a threat to our troops'. It could not confirm whether the men were connected to Hamas. 'The terrorists deliberately affixed the emblem and wore yellow vests in an attempt to conceal their activity and avoid being targeted, cynically exploiting the status and trust afforded to aid organisations,' the IDF said. Responding to the strike, the WCK said: 'We strongly condemn anyone posing as World Central Kitchen or other humanitarians, as this endangers civilians and aid workers. The safety and security of our teams are our top priority.' It comes amid a global outcry over Israel's targeting of a prominent Al Jazeera correspondent and five other journalists in a strike on Sunday. The IDF accused Anas al-Sharif of leading a Hamas terror cell and carrying out rocket strikes against Israel – a claim Al Jazeera has strongly denied. On Tuesday, the IDF said the 28-year-old had received a salary from Hamas amid growing calls for Israel to provide clear evidence of Sharif's affiliation with the terror group. The UN and other rights groups have condemned the targeting of media workers. At least 192 journalists have been killed in the Gaza conflict, the Committee to Protect Journalists said. WCK, a relief group founded in 2010 that has worked in conflict zones from Haiti to Ukraine, has been providing meals to civilians in Gaza since the start of the war. In April 2024, Israel faced international condemnation when it targeted a WCK convoy, killing seven of its aid workers, including three British men. The IDF said the strike had been a mistake and opened an investigation. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, called it a 'tragic' accident. The IDF later admitted to a 'serious failure' and sacked two senior military officers. Last November, an Israeli strike on a WCK vehicle killed three of its aid workers. The IDF claimed one of the employees was part of the Hamas attack on Oct 7. At the time, the WCK said it had 'no knowledge that any individual in the vehicle had alleged ties to the October 7 Hamas attack'.
