Israel's allies impose sanctions on ministers over West Bank violence
A group of Western nations allied with Israel announced sanctions Tuesday against two far-right ministers they say have incited violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank.
Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway all said in a statement that they were taking measures against Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir — both ultranationalist settler leaders and members of Israel's coalition government.
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New York Times
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New York Times
33 minutes ago
- New York Times
Pentagon Is Reviewing Deal to Equip Australia With Nuclear Submarines
The Trump administration is reviewing whether a security pact between the United States, Britain and Australia meant to equip Australia with nuclear submarines is 'aligned with the president's America First agenda,' a U.S. defense official said on Wednesday. When the deal was reached under President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s administration in 2021, it was billed as crucial for countering China's growing military influence in the Asia Pacific. Now, its review appears to reinforce President Trump's skeptical and transactional approach to longstanding alliances, including demands that allies spend more on their own defense. The Pentagon official said the review would ensure that the pact, known as Aukus, met 'common-sense, America First criteria,' including ensuring that U.S. forces are at 'the highest readiness,' that allies are doing their part, and that 'the defense industrial base is meeting our needs.' The review was first reported by The Financial Times. Australia's defense minister, Richard Marles, said both Australia and Britain had been notified about the review and that all three nations were still committed to the deal. 'We've been aware of this for some time. We welcome it,' Mr. Marles said in a radio interview with ABC Melbourne on Thursday, Australia time. 'It's something which is perfectly natural for an incoming administration to do.' Australia sees the Aukus agreement as central to its defense strategy in the coming decades in a region increasingly shaped by China's assertive military posturing. Nuclear submarines can travel much farther without detection than conventional ones can and would enable the Australian Navy to greatly extend its reach. Under the pact, Australia is scheduled to receive secondhand Virginia-class nuclear submarines from the United States in the 2030s while scaling up the capacity to build its own, using a British design. But there has been concern in both Washington and Canberra about whether the United States can build new submarines to replenish its fleet quickly enough for the older ones to be transferred to Australia. Elbridge Colby, the U.S. under secretary of defense for policy, said during his Senate confirmation hearing in March that he was skeptical about the pragmatic feasibility of the deal. The Financial Times reported that Mr. Colby was heading up the Pentagon review. 'So if we can produce the attack submarines in sufficient number and sufficient speed, then great,' Mr. Colby said at the hearing. 'But if we can't, that becomes a very difficult problem.' Even before the review was announced, concern and anxiety had been building in Australia over whether it could continue to depend on its longstanding relationship with the United States, given the Trump administration's treatment of allies. Mr. Marles, the Australian defense minister, said in the radio interview that he was confident the Aukus deal would proceed because 'it's in the interests of the United States to continue to work with Australia.' Michael D. Shear contributed reporting from Washington.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
WATCH: Top Dem says he has 'never heard' his fellow party members call LA riots 'peaceful'
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Wednesday that he had no recollection of his fellow Democratic Party colleagues referring to the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles as "peaceful." "What do Democrats mean when they say the riots in L.A. are peaceful?" Durbin was asked by a reporter outside the Capitol. "I never heard them say that," Durbin responded, leading the reporter to ask Durbin whether he condemned the ongoing anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, which some have said amount to riots. "I condemn violence, whether it's in the Capitol or in L.A.," Durbin shot back before being ushered away out of earshot. The No. 2 Democrat in the Senate may not have heard any of his fellow party members use the word "peaceful" in their descriptions of the ongoing chaos in Los Angeles, but that doesn't mean they have not. "A lot of these peaceful protests are being generated because the President of the United States is sowing chaos," Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said on Sunday's "Meet the Press" on NBC. Just the day before, President Donald Trump called on thousands of National Guard troops to go to Los Angeles to help quell the ongoing chaos, which has included attacks on law enforcement, property damage and looting. "The vast majority of protesters and demonstrators are peaceful," Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said on MSNBC. "They're passionate." Rep. Nanette Barragán, a Democrat who represents California's 44th Congressional District, said on CNN's "State of the Union" program on Sunday that "We are having an administration that's targeting peaceful protests." Conservative critics also fired back after former Vice President Kamala Harris referred to the ongoing chaos as "overwhelmingly peaceful." "The country really dodged a bullet in November," Fox News contributor Guy Benson posted on X in response to Harris' social media post. In another post, Benson added, "Their official position is that they're appalled by what's happening in Los Angeles…because of Trump and ICE, not the violent rioters. In its current form, this party cannot be salvaged." Meanwhile, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got heat for describing the situation in Los Angeles as "peaceful." "California Governor Newsom didn't request the National Guard be deployed to his state following peaceful demonstrations. Trump sent them anyway. It's the first time in 60 years a president has made that choice," Clinton posted on X. "Trump's goal isn't to keep Californians safe. His goal is to cause chaos, because chaos is good for Trump." While there were initially examples of some peaceful protests at the start of this nearly weeklong chaos, by the start of the weekend, property destruction and violence broke out and devolved into a situation that became increasingly violent over the next few days. Several officers were injured during the riot, which included rocks and other projectiles thrown at them, and dozens of people were arrested related to the protests and rioting. Looting has also been an issue, as has property damage, and on Tuesday evening Democrat Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass instituted a citywide curfew. In a rare intraparty dissent, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., criticized his own party this week for failing to adequately condemn the violence in Los Angeles. "This is anarchy and true chaos," the Pennsylvania Democrat said in a Monday post on X alongside a picture of cars that had been destroyed by fire. "My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings and assaulting law enforcement." "I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations and immigration," Fetterman added. "But this is not that."
