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Israel and Syria agree to ceasefire, says US ambassador to Turkey

Israel and Syria agree to ceasefire, says US ambassador to Turkey

Sky News6 days ago
Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire, the US ambassador to Turkey has said.
Several hundred people have reportedly been killed this week in the south of Syria in violence involving local fighters, government authorities and Bedouin tribes.
As the violence escalated in the southern province of Sweida, Israel launched airstrikes, including attacks on Wednesday on the defence ministry in Damascus and a target near the presidential palace.
Benjamin Netanyahu's government said it aimed to protect Syrian Druze - part of a small but influential minority that also has followers in Lebanon and Israel.
In a post on X, the US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, said Israel and Syria had agreed to a ceasefire supported by Turkey, Jordan and others.
"We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity," Barrack said in a post on X.
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MPs urge UK to immediately recognise Palestinian state
MPs urge UK to immediately recognise Palestinian state

BBC News

time30 minutes ago

  • BBC News

MPs urge UK to immediately recognise Palestinian state

The UK should immediately recognise the state of Palestine, a majority of MPs on the Commons foreign affairs committee have said. It comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces fresh calls from within Labour's ranks to make the move, amid warnings of mass starvation in Gaza, and after France indicated it would be doing so within months. In a new report, the Labour and Lib Dem MPs on the select committee argue that statehood is an "inalienable right" that should "not be made conditional".But their two Tory colleagues said a state of Palestine should only be recognised as part of a long-term political solution to the conflict in the Middle East, echoing the Labour government's position. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday evening that his country would officially recognise a Palestinian state at a UN meeting in Keir has previously said the UK should reserve recognition of Palestinian statehood for when it would have the "greatest impact" - without specifying when this would in a report published on Friday, the committee said the government should make the move "while there is still a state to recognise". "An inalienable right should not be made conditional," the report adds."The government cannot continue to wait for the perfect time because experience shows that there will never be a perfect time."That section of the report was backed by all six Labour MPs who voted, including chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry, and the two Lib Dems on the was not endorsed by its two Conservative members, Aphra Brandreth and Sir John Whittingdale, who said the UK should only back the move as part of a wider two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian is not unusual for select committees to be split on controversial issues but they will normally try to speak with one Tory MPs on the foreign affairs committee made an unsuccessful attempt to change the report to reflect their views, arguing that recognition should accompany the release of hostages taken by Hamas in October 2023, and the creation of Palestinian authorities without Hamas 60 MPs reportedly called for the UK to immediately recognise Palestine in a letter earlier this month, with London major Sir Sadiq Khan also making the call on Wednesday. In a statement on Thursday evening condemning "unspeakable and indefensible" conditions in Gaza, Sir Keir said statehood was an "inalienable right".He reiterated his call for a ceasefire in the conflict, adding this would "put us on a path" towards recognising a Palestinian Secretary Jonathan Reynolds had earlier said Labour ministers were "deeply committed" to recognition, but they wanted it to be "meaningful," adding: "At the minute, there is not a Palestinian state there". 'Not listening' Most countries - about 139 in all - formally recognise a Palestinian state, although many European nations - and the United States - say they will only do so as part of moves towards a long-term resolution to the Ireland and Norway formally took the step last year, hoping to exert diplomatic pressure to secure a ceasefire in currently has limited rights to participate in the work of the UN, and is also recognised by various international organisations, including the Arab argue recognition would largely be a symbolic gesture unless questions over the leadership and extent of a Palestine state are addressed their report, the MPs acknowledged that the Israeli government "is not listening to the UK," and was only "sporadically" listening to the United States, by far its most significant military to the BBC on Tuesday, former UK Foreign Office boss Lord McDonald argued recognition itself "doesn't really amount to very much," adding that a Palestine state lacked defined borders or an "agreed government". Aid distribution call The report comes after the UK and 27 other countries condemned the "drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians" seeking food and water in foreign ministry rejected the countries' statement, saying it was "disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas".In the rest of their report, which was endorsed unanimously, the MPs called for a UN-led system to distribute aid in Gaza, replacing the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in place since also said the UK should justify how "allowing indirect exports" of British parts for F-35 fighter jets used by Israel complies with the UK's obligations under international UK says it does not export the parts directly to Israel, but rather to manufacturing centres abroad as part of a global programme, and it cannot prevent Israel from obtaining the components. Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Sir Keir Starmer under pressure from MPs to formally recognise a Palestinian state after report led by Dame Emily Thornberry
Sir Keir Starmer under pressure from MPs to formally recognise a Palestinian state after report led by Dame Emily Thornberry

Daily Mail​

time4 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Sir Keir Starmer under pressure from MPs to formally recognise a Palestinian state after report led by Dame Emily Thornberry

Britain should recognise a Palestinian state, fly injured Gaza children to the UK for treatment and help dismantle an Israel-backed aid system blamed for hundreds of civilian deaths, MPs say today in a bombshell report. In a sweeping set of recommendations, the Foreign Affairs Committee has called on the Government to take urgent action as it declared the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank 'intolerable'. The committee - made up of seven Labour members, two Liberal Democrats and two Tories - is ramping up pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to recognise Palestine as a state, warning that waiting for the 'perfect time' has become an excuse for inaction. It said: 'The now recognise the state of Palestine while there is still a state to recognise. An inalienable right should not be made conditional. 'The Government cannot continue to wait for the perfect time because experience shows that there will never be a perfect time, and in hindsight it is possible to see times when it should have occurred.' It said the Israeli government 'is not listening' to the UK and only sporadically to the US, adding: 'Pressure must be exerted for this conflict to end and for hostages to be released.' Health secretary Wes Streeting was the latest minister calling for action yesterday after nearly 60 Labour MPs signed a letter earlier this month. And business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told LBC: 'We are deeply committed to the recognition of Palestine as a state, that was part of our manifesto, but obviously we want that to be meaningful.' It comes as aid agencies warn Gaza is close to famine, saying 113 people have starved to death in the last week. Yesterday, news agencies AP, AFP and Reuters said their journalists in Gaza are close to starvation. Israel has said the claims are 'cynical' lies peddled by Hamas as part of a pressure tactic amid the ongoing hostage negotiations. The Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Dame Emily Thornberry, said the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, established with US funding, had failed catastrophically and must be replaced with a UN-led system. It said the organisation had directly contributed to the deaths of hundreds of civilians, citing UN figures showing that 875 people have been killed while seeking food. The report said: 'The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation system has led to the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of civilians and a fraction of the required aid arriving into Gaza. It must be replaced by a UN-led system operating on humanitarian principles.' MPs demanded that the UK and US governments press Israel to open all border crossings for unrestricted access to food, medical supplies, shelter materials and other humanitarian aid. They said the UK must support the medical evacuation of critically ill children from Gaza to the UK, including safe transport, fast-tracked visas and emergency medical care. And they condemned Israel's ban on foreign journalists entering Gaza, calling it 'a breach of internationally recognised norms'. They said ministers must press for immediate, independent and unrestricted access for journalists to report on the war, the humanitarian crisis and the conduct of military operations. The current conflict in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's brutal invasion of Israel on October 7 2023, when 1,189 people were killed and another 251 taken hostage into Gaza. The MPs also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, and support for international efforts to collect evidence for future prosecutions of those involved in hostage-taking and war crimes.

Israel-Palestine two state solution explained: From interim government to risk of 'explosion'
Israel-Palestine two state solution explained: From interim government to risk of 'explosion'

Daily Mirror

time6 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Israel-Palestine two state solution explained: From interim government to risk of 'explosion'

The two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine crisis is favoured by the West, including Britain the US - but what might that entail and what could be the process? The Israel-Palestine tension has raged for decades and it will take giant diplomacy to create peace. ‌ The two-state solution, in which Israel would live side-by-side with an independent Palestinian state, is the model favoured by the West, including Britain, the US and EU. But what might that entail and what could be the process? ‌ Step 1: A 60-day ceasefire is declared in which both sides negotiate for permanent peace – but a threat of all-out war remains. Ten hostages are handed over, with the corpses of 18 more, and jailed Palestinians are exchanged. ‌ Step 2: Remaining Hamas men step aside or are allowed to flee via Egypt, possibly to travel to Lebanon, forever looking over their shoulder for Mossad's kill squads. Reconstruction of Gaza begins, costing at least £50billion and taking 10 to 15 years. ‌ Step 3: An interim government takes over Gaza with heavy security and arms to avert a fresh war and keep a lid on crime gangs – and a year later, an organisation such as the Palestinian Authority takes over. Step 4: It may be months, possibly years, before some hostages are released in exchange for safe passage for Hamas gunmen. They may be used as leverage. Now negotiations would be under way for a two-state solution. Step 5: Middle Eastern negotiators, Israel, the US and European leaders thrash out how the two states might exist as neighbours and what to do with 700,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank. How much of the West Bank and, if anything, of East Jerusalem should Palestine get? Step 6: At their closest the West Bank and Gaza are 30 miles apart. They may be joined by a secure rail or roadwork, either an elevated roadway or a tunnel. Because of belligerents such as Hezbollah, Iran and Yemeni Houthis, plus remaining Hamas fighters, at any time all of this could explode.

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