Macron defies Israeli and US opposition to French plan to recognize Palestine at the United Nations
25/07/2025
US quits Gaza ceasefire talks, accuses Hamas of lacking 'good faith'
Middle East
25/07/2025
US 'strongly rejects' French plan to recognise Palestine, Saudis hail 'historic decision'
France
25/07/2025
France records more deaths than births
France
25/07/2025
French President Macron says France will recognize Palestine as a state
France
24/07/2025
Gaza: 'War is far-ranging and it needs to stop for those in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel as well'
Middle East
24/07/2025
Protests against the Gaza war in Tel-Aviv outside US embassy
Middle East
24/07/2025
Gaza war: As world leaders seek 'durable' solution, '100 Palestinians each day find theirs in death'
Middle East
24/07/2025
Macrons sue Candace Owens over claims that Brigitte Macron is a man
France
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Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
European dockworkers demand halt to arms shipments to Israel
European dockworkers are calling on EU governments to halt arms shipments and withdraw diplomatic support for Israel. They stress that international treaties state that weapons should not be exported to war zones where human rights are violated. 'Over the past two years, we've seen an increase in the movement of weapons through civilian ports,' says Josè Nivoi, a key figure in the Genoese dockworkers' movement. 'We've filed a number of legal complaints. An excuse they often use is that they frame it as a private transaction rather than a state-to-state arms transfer — as if they were trading bananas.' For years Nivoi has collected evidence about arms cargo loads in the port as a union manager. Dockworkers accuse authorities of deliberately keeping silent about controversial shipments. 'In Italy, Law no. 185 of 1990 in principle prohibits the transit and shipment of weapons to countries at war. We are calling for civilian ports not to be used to move arms.' In 2024, Italy announced that it had suspended shipments of military equipment to Israel, while honouring contracts signed before 7 October 2023. This translates into over €6 million in weapons, ammunition, maintenance and spare parts. Facts and figures on Israel's weapons' imports Israel imports almost 70% of its arsenal from the US, the world's largest arms exporter. Germany is Israel's second supplier. Since 7 October 2023, it has exported 485 million euros worth of weapons. Italy ranks third, supplying less than 1%. The UN Arms Trade Treaty and the European Common Position state that human rights violations and war crimes should prevent such sales. The EU Council Common Position is legally binding but it lacks enforcement. Member states can interpret it differently. Following the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands have halted or restricted exports. There's little scrutiny over Hamas' weapons, mostly from Iran, which has not signed the UN arms trade treaty. Why does Israel receive military support from EU countries? The EU recently found that Israel is breaching its human rights obligations in Gaza. So why does Israel still receive military support from European countries? Giorgio Beretta, one of the most authoritative Italian analysts on the arms trade and a long-standing voice of the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network, explains that treaties are voluntary and then each country must commit to them. 'The regulations are sound. The problem lies in their enforcement, because there is always a wide margin of discretion,' says Giorgio Beretta of the Permanent Observatory on Small Arms, OPAL. Beretta says the information provided to national governments, which are responsible for ensuring weapons are not used to commit human rights violations, is often too vague. 'A general category might be indicated, such as 'aircraft' or 'naval vessels', but there's a big difference between aircraft used for ground attacks and aircraft used for rescue. By the time a parliament reviews exports, the weapons have often already been delivered.' In May, the EU announced a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement after finding Israel in breach of the trade deal's human rights clause, citing violations in Gaza and the West Bank. By July, the EU had postponed any actions, let alone any sanctions, including a possible arms embargo — yet again exposing its deep-rooted divisions over Israel.
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
France's Macron says EU-US trade deal 'not the end of it'
France 's President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday the European Union had not been "feared" enough in negotiations with the United States towards a trade deal, pledging to be "firm" in follow-up talks. "It's not the end of it," Macron told ministers during a cabinet meeting, according to participants. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen clinched the framework accord with US President Donald Trump on Sunday after dashing to Scotland as the August 1 deadline loomed for steep levies that threatened to cripple Europe's economy. EU exports are now set to face tariffs of 15 percent on most products – higher than customs duties before Trump returned to the White House, but lower than his threatened 30 percent. The EU also committed to buy $750 billion of liquefied natural gas, oil and nuclear fuels from the United States split equally over three years, and pour $600 billion more in additional investments in the United States. "Europe does not see itself enough as a power yet. To be free, you have to be feared. We were not feared enough," Macron said. "France has always held a stance of being firm and demanding. It will continue to do so," he added. The European Union could obtain "new exemptions" in follow-up talks to firm up the deal in details, he said. He however said that negotiations had been held in "difficult circumstances" and that the deal at least "offered visibility and predictability" in the short term. "It preserved French and European interests" in important exporting sectors including aviation, he added. French Finance Minister Éric Lombard told reporters later on Wednesday that the EU's negotiating strategy with the US had not been vigorous enough. "There is the issue of the negotiation method, which within the European Union ... has perhaps not been as energetic or vigorous in certain phases, and this is what the President of the Republic said when he stated that we must improve our ability to be feared and to carry weight in negotiations," Lombard said after a meeting at the finance ministry.
Euronews
5 hours ago
- Euronews
Macron says the EU-US trade deal's not yet done, and calls for more ne
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the EU Commission to rebalance EU's trade relationship with the US, particularly in the services sector, just days after a deal was reached between EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump. 'To be free, one must be feared. We haven't been feared enough,' Macron said during a meeting of the French council of ministers, French media reported, calling for 'relentless efforts to rebalance trade, particularly in the services sector.' 'This is not the end of the story, and we will not stop here,' the French president added, as the EU Commission is still negotiating exemptions to the 15% US tariffs on EU imports agreed on 27 July. Since the beginning of the tariff war with the US, France has consistently favoured a hardline approach, brandishing the threat of the anti-coercion instrument — an EU tool that allows foreign companies to be denied access to public procurement, licenses, or intellectual property rights. The tool would enable the EU to target US services, where the bloc runs a trade deficit with the US, unlike in goods. Countermeasures The EU has also adopted a package of countermeasures worth €95 billion targeting US products, but these were suspended until 4 August. The Commission is now awaiting a US executive order confirming that a 15% blanket tariff will apply to imports of EU goods as of 1 August. 'Of course the measures are there,' an EU official said, adding: 'They have been approved by the member states. So if there was a need, we could always bring them back on Tuesday [4 August]. But that is not the assumption from which we start this next phase in transatlantic relations.' The French President acknowledged that negotiations with the US had been difficult, and welcomed exemptions secured for the aerospace sector, considered strategic for Paris. France also hopes that the Commission will manage to negotiate an exemption for wine and spirits, which represent France's leading export market to the US. 'We are continuing to negotiate with the Americans so that, if possible, spirits, perhaps wine, and other sectors can be exempted. It's a work in progress," French Economy Minister Éric Lombard told French radio on Wednesday. On top of aircraft, Von der Leyen on Sunday announced that zero-for-zero tariffs will apply to certain chemicals, generic drugs, semiconductor-making equipment, some agricultural products (but with the exclusion of all sensitive products like beef, rice, ethanol, sugar or poultry), some natural resources and critical raw materials.
