A viable Palestinian state remains far off, despite growing international clamor
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First France, then the United Kingdom, and now Canada.
Three of the world's most powerful Western nations have added their economic and geopolitical clout to calls for a Palestinian state, an idea already endorsed by more than 140 other countries.
The moves have many motives, from a sense of frustration with Israel, to domestic pressure, to outrage over the images of starving Palestinians. Whatever the reason, Palestinians have welcomed the announcements as a boost for their cause. The Israeli government has rejected the calls, describing them as tantamount to rewarding terrorism.
US President Donald Trump meanwhile seems increasingly frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, particularly over the starvation in Gaza that the Israeli leader denies, but has disturbed Trump.
Trump wants regional peace, as well as the accolades – namely a Nobel Peace Prize – for making it happen. He wants Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel, expanding the Abraham Accords he cemented between Israel and several other Arab states during his first term. But Riyadh has been firm that this cannot happen without an irreversible path to a Palestinian state.
But the latest moves by US allies France, Britain and Canada – while in many ways largely symbolic – have left Washington increasingly isolated over its backing for Israel.
Palestinian statehood could help bring an end to a war that has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza since Hamas's brutal October 7 attack killed around 1,200 people in Israel almost two years ago, as well as bring home the hostages still being held in Gaza.
But one of the toughest challenges is imagining what it looks like, because a modern Palestinian state has never existed before.
When Israel was founded in the aftermath of World War II it quickly gained international recognition. That same period, for Palestinians, is remembered as al-Naqba, or 'the catastrophe' – the moment when hundreds of thousands of people fled or were forced from their homes.
Since then, Israel has expanded, most significantly during the 'Six Day War' of 1967, when Israel turned the tables on a coalition of Arab states and gained East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinian territory has meanwhile only shrunk and splintered.
The closest to what a future Palestinian state may look like was hashed out in a peace process in the 1990s which came to be known as the Oslo Accords.
Roughly speaking, the Palestinian state envisaged in Oslo, agreed to by both Palestinian and Israeli negotiators, would be based on Israel's 1967 borders. The broad outline of Oslo was to have some land trades, a little bit given in one place for the removal of an Israeli settlement, in a negotiated process.
The historic handshake on the White House lawn by Israel's then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat hosted by then-US president Bill Clinton remains one of the triumphs of modern diplomacy. Rabin's assassination by a far-right fanatic in 1995 robbed Israel of its peacemaker leader.
And while the framework of Oslo lived on in negotiations and academia, there is little initiative now. What was on offer back then is no longer realistic.
In recent years, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank have expanded massively, often with the encouragement of the Israeli government, threatening the chances of creating a contiguous Palestinian state in the region.
Then there is the question of who would govern a future Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, is distrusted by many Palestinians who view it as weak or corrupt.
Even without all these complications, Netanyahu won't accept a Palestinian state, which he has recently claimed would be 'a launch pad to annihilate Israel.'
Some members of his cabinet are far more hard-line, not only refusing to countenance an independent state but wanting to annex the territory.
These ministers propping up Netanyahu's government have said they would starve Palestinians in Gaza rather than feed them, and would collapse the coalition if he so much as suggested giving in to the growing international pressure on Israel.
Netanyahu has shown no intention of backing down, and will wear whatever France, the UK, and any others force on him as a badge of honor.
Without a partner in the Israeli government, recognition of a Palestinian state will fall flat, and could even entrench Netanyahu further.
It would be a big price to pay if the outcome were Israel making the possibility of a Palestinian state all the more distant.
But at the same time, with a growing number of angry ex-partners in the international community who are likely to increase their pressure on Trump to shift his position, it is Israel that may find itself disadvantaged, however strongly it protests.
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The White House documentation released Thursday also confirmed some of the parameters of recent deals including 19%-20% rates on a range of Southeast Asian nations and an unchanged 10% rate on the United Kingdom. Dozens of other nations also saw their tariff rates upped to 15% from 10% — in line with deals sketched out in recent days that included that headline 15% tariff rate on Europe, South Korea, and Japan. But some nations were not included in Tuesday's release — those omitted included many nations with which the US currently has a trade surplus — who therefore are set to see their rates remain at 10%, in a surprise relief for some after comments from Trump in recent days suggested 15% would be his new minimum. Read more here. 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The White House documentation released Thursday also confirmed some of the parameters of recent deals including 19%-20% rates on a range of Southeast Asian nations and an unchanged 10% rate on the United Kingdom. Dozens of other nations also saw their tariff rates upped to 15% from 10% — in line with deals sketched out in recent days that included that headline 15% tariff rate on Europe, South Korea, and Japan. But some nations were not included in Tuesday's release — those omitted included many nations with which the US currently has a trade surplus — who therefore are set to see their rates remain at 10%, in a surprise relief for some after comments from Trump in recent days suggested 15% would be his new minimum. Read more here. Trump extends Mexico's current tariff rates President Trump said he would extend Mexico's current tariff rates for another 90 days to allow for more time for negotiations. Mexico was facing tariffs of up to 35% on certain goods beginning on Friday. The reprieve came after Trump talked with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Imports from Mexico will still be subject to other tariffs, namely duties on metals and cars. President Trump said he would extend Mexico's current tariff rates for another 90 days to allow for more time for negotiations. Mexico was facing tariffs of up to 35% on certain goods beginning on Friday. The reprieve came after Trump talked with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Imports from Mexico will still be subject to other tariffs, namely duties on metals and cars. Brazil sees 35.9% of exports to US facing steeper tariff: Sources Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Trump: Tariffs are making 'America great and rich again' President Trump hit Truth Social again on Thursday posting that tariffs are making America "great and rich again." "ONE YEAR AGO, AMERICA WAS A DEAD COUNTRY, NOW IT IS THE 'HOTTEST'COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!," Trump posted. 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The US president also had a message for Washington's federal appeal court judges, who Trump will be meeting today in order to defend his tariffs. "To all of my great lawyers who have fought so hard to save our Country, good luck in America's big case today. If our Country was not able to protect itself by using TARIFFS AGAINST TARIFFS, WE WOULD BE 'DEAD,' WITH NO CHANCE OF SURVIVAL OR SUCCESS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" On the eve of Trump's tariff deadline the US president unleashed a flurry of surprises. With news of deals with Thailand, Cambodia and rumours of deals with Taiwan. Unless trading partners reach an agreement by tomorrow, many will face higher tariffs. What's in the US-EU trade deal depends on who is doing the talking Yahoo Finance's Washington correspondent Ben Werschkul looks into the detail of the US-EU trade deal: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Washington correspondent Ben Werschkul looks into the detail of the US-EU trade deal: Read more here. Trump back in court Thursday to defend the tariffs he plans to impose Friday US president Trump has already started to defend tariffs via his social media app Truth Social. Trump who will be meeting with US federal appeal court judges today posted that tariffs are making "America great and rich again." "To all of my great lawyers who have fought so hard to save our Country, good luck in America's big case today. If our Country was not able to protect itself by using TARIFFS AGAINST TARIFFS, WE WOULD BE 'DEAD,' WITH NO CHANCE OF SURVIVAL OR SUCCESS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump added. Yahoo Finance's senior legal reporter Alexis Keenan breaks down President Trump's face-off with the federal appeals court judges over his tariffs: Read more here. US president Trump has already started to defend tariffs via his social media app Truth Social. Trump who will be meeting with US federal appeal court judges today posted that tariffs are making "America great and rich again." "To all of my great lawyers who have fought so hard to save our Country, good luck in America's big case today. If our Country was not able to protect itself by using TARIFFS AGAINST TARIFFS, WE WOULD BE 'DEAD,' WITH NO CHANCE OF SURVIVAL OR SUCCESS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump added. Yahoo Finance's senior legal reporter Alexis Keenan breaks down President Trump's face-off with the federal appeals court judges over his tariffs: Read more here. Pakistan and US reach a trade agreement to develop oil reserves and reduce tariffs The US and Pakistan have announced that they have reached a trade agreement that would allow Washington to develop Pakistan's untapped oil reserves and lower tariffs for the South Asian country, officials from both nation's said on Thursday. AP reports: Read more here. The US and Pakistan have announced that they have reached a trade agreement that would allow Washington to develop Pakistan's untapped oil reserves and lower tariffs for the South Asian country, officials from both nation's said on Thursday. AP reports: Read more here. EU wine, spirits to face 15% US tariff from August 1: EU official Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Trump tariff surprise triggers implosion of massive copper trade Bloomberg reports: The global copper market is reeling from its biggest shock yet in a year of policy surprises, violent price swings and unprecedented trade dislocation. President Donald Trump went ahead with 50% tariffs on copper imports, but exempted refined metals that are the mainstay of international trading. The move triggered a record plunge for US prices, after an unprecedented period of fat profits for traders who hurried metal to America before the levies kicked in. A large premium for New York futures over London evaporated. 'This has badly deviated from market expectations,' said Li Xuezhi, head of research at Chaos Ternary Futures Co., a unit of a commodities hedge fund in Shanghai. Those betting on higher US prices have 'wasted all their efforts' and global copper flows will return to normal, he said. Read more here. Bloomberg reports: The global copper market is reeling from its biggest shock yet in a year of policy surprises, violent price swings and unprecedented trade dislocation. President Donald Trump went ahead with 50% tariffs on copper imports, but exempted refined metals that are the mainstay of international trading. The move triggered a record plunge for US prices, after an unprecedented period of fat profits for traders who hurried metal to America before the levies kicked in. A large premium for New York futures over London evaporated. 'This has badly deviated from market expectations,' said Li Xuezhi, head of research at Chaos Ternary Futures Co., a unit of a commodities hedge fund in Shanghai. Those betting on higher US prices have 'wasted all their efforts' and global copper flows will return to normal, he said. Read more here. Lutnick: US made trade deals with Thailand and Cambodia Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here.
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- Yahoo
Talks held over making Trump first US president to be given Freedom of the City of London
Talks have been held over giving Donald Trump the Freedom of the City of London during his state visit in September, in a highly symbolic move. According to a source, the proposal to give President Trump the honour was made because it would give the Corporation the opportunity to meet the US leader and make the case for free trade and against tariffs at the ceremony. It would also be a way of marking the UK receiving the first of the Trump trade deals with questions still over tariffs on steel. The president would helicopter in from Windsor Castle to the US ambassador's Winfield House residence in Regent's Park for the ceremony. The Independent was told: 'It would be an important honour for the president just as our countries prepare to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next year. 'More importantly it would be the perfect opportunity for the City to address the importance of free trade and the issues of tariffs. 'The symbolism of being allowed to herd your sheep across the bridge and not pay taxes is very important all things considered.' But while the president was understood to be keen on the idea of receiving the honour, the Freedom Applications Sub (Policy & Resources) Committee chaired by Sir William Russell, half brother of the actor Damian Lewis, has not been persuaded. According to sources the sub committee was warned that the award would be 'too controversial'. The Corporation rarely gives government leaders the honour and had to withdraw it from Myanmar'ss Aung San Suu Kyi after criticism of her government being involved with persecution of the Rohingya. However, the official explanation is that President Trump has not been in government long enough. A spokesperson said: 'By convention, only Heads of State or Government who have served a minimum of seven years in office are eligible to be considered for the Honorary Freedom. 'The decision to grant the Honorary Freedom rests solely with the Court of Common Council – our highest decision-making body – not with any individual elected member.' The last head of government to be awarded the Honorary Freedom was Baroness Margaret Thatcher, who was recognised after serving 10 years as prime minister. The Honorary Freedom has never been awarded to a sitting US president, although Dwight Eisenhower received it after the Second World War for his role as commander in chief of the allied forces. According to a source, the City may change its mind if there is a request from the government which has not been made yet. It means that the US president is facing a second snub in his state visit. It follows a decision not to ask him to address a joint sitting of the Houses of Parliament with the state visit happening the day after parliament rises for the conference season recess. This is despite the fact that when Pope Benedict came on a state visit in 2010 he was given the honour of addressing Parliamentarians in Westminster Hall even though it was the day after recess had begun. Trump's state visit - the first time an individual has been granted a second state visit - will take place between 17 and 19 September. It will include a state banquet hosted by the King with the president staying at Windsor Castle.
Bloomberg
6 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Canada Weighs Retaliation Cost as Analysts Warn Hitting Back Isn't Worth It
Canada's decision to retaliate against US tariffs earlier this year appears to be driving a divergence in how President Donald Trump is dealing with America's neighbors. Until this week, Canada and Mexico received similar treatment in White House trade actions. Each was subject to a 25% base tariff, with a large exemption for goods shipped under the North American free trade pact known as USMCA.
