Slovenia Sanctions Two Israeli Ministers Over Treatment of Gaza
The government in Ljubljana sanctioned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for 'genocidal' statements regarding Palestinians, according to Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon.
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Los Angeles Times
8 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
How the E.U. trade deal wards off more escalation but could raise costs for companies and consumers
U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have announced a sweeping trade deal that imposes 15% tariffs on most European goods, warding off Trump's threat of a 30% rate if no deal had been reached by Aug. 1. The tariffs, or import taxes, paid when Americans buy European products could raise prices for U.S. consumers and dent profits for European companies and their partners who bring goods into the country. Here are some things to know about the trade deal between the United States and the European Union: Trump and von der Leyen's announcement, made during Trump's visit to one of his golf courses in Scotland, leaves many details to be filled in. The headline figure is a 15% tariff rate on about 70% of European goods brought into the U.S., including cars, computer chips and pharmaceuticals. It's lower than the 20% that Trump initially proposed, and lower than his threats of 50% and then 30%. The remaining 30% is still open to further decisions and negotiations. Von der Leyen said that the two sides agreed on zero tariffs on both sides for a range of 'strategic' goods: Aircraft and aircraft parts, certain chemicals, semiconductor equipment, certain agricultural products and some natural resources and critical raw materials. Specifics were lacking. She said that the two sides 'would keep working' to add more products to the list. Additionally, EU companies would purchase what Trump said was $750 billion (638 billion euros) worth of natural gas, oil and nuclear fuel over three years to replace Russian energy supplies that Europe is seeking to exit in any case. Meanwhile, European companies would invest an additional $600 billion (511 billion euros) in the U.S. under a political commitment that isn't legally binding, officials said. Brussels and Washington will shortly issue a joint statement that frames the deal but isn't yet legally binding, according to senior officials who weren't authorized to be publicly named according to European Commission policy. The joint statement will have 'some very precise commitments and others which will need to be spelled out in different ways,' a senior European Commission official said. EU officials said that the zero tariff list would include nuts, pet food, dairy products and seafood. Trump said that the 50% U.S. tariff on imported steel would remain. Von der Leyen said that the two sides agreed to further negotiations to fight a global steel glut, reduce tariffs and establish import quotas — that is, set amounts that can be imported, often at a lower rate or tariff-free. Trump said that pharmaceuticals weren't included in the deal. Von der Leyen said that the pharmaceuticals issue was 'on a separate sheet of paper' from Sunday's deal. And von der Leyen said that when it came to farm products, the EU side made clear that 'there were tariffs that could not be lowered,' without specifying which products. The 15% rate removes Trump's threat of a 30% tariff. But it effectively raises the tariff on EU goods from 1.2% last year to 17% and would reduce the 27-nation's gross domestic product by 0.5%, said Jack Allen-Reynolds, deputy chief eurozone economist at Capital Economics. Higher tariffs, or import taxes, on European goods mean sellers in the U.S. would have to either increase prices for consumers — risking loss of market share — or swallow the added cost in terms of lower profits. The higher tariffs are expected to hurt export earnings for European firms and slow the economy. Von der Leyen said that the 15% rate was 'the best we could do' and credited the deal with maintaining access to the U.S. market, and providing 'stability and predictability for companies on both sides.' German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the deal which avoided 'an unnecessary escalation in trans-Atlantic trade relations' and said that 'we were able to preserve our core interests,' while adding that 'I would have very much wished for further relief in trans-Atlantic trade.' Senior French officials on Monday criticized the accord. Strategy Commissioner Clément Beaune said that the deal failed to reflect the bloc's economic strength. 'This is an unequal and unbalanced agreement,' he said. 'Europe didn't wield its strength. We are the world's leading trading power.' While the rate is lower than threatened, 'the big caveat to today's deal is that there is nothing on paper, yet,' said Carsten Brzeski, global chief of macro at ING bank. 'With this disclaimer in mind and at face value, (the) agreement would clearly bring an end to the uncertainty of recent months. An escalation of the U.S.-EU trade tensions would have been a severe risk for the global economy,' Brzeski said. 'This risk seems to have been avoided.' Asked if European carmakers could still sell cars at 15%, von der Leyen said the rate was much lower than the current 27.5%. That has been the rate under Trump's 25% tariff on cars from all countries, plus the preexisting U.S. car tariff of 2.5%. The impact is likely to be substantial on some companies, given that automaker Volkswagen said that it suffered a 1.3 billion-euro ($1.5 billion) hit to profits in the first half of the year from the higher tariffs. Mercedes-Benz dealers in the U.S. have said they were holding the line on 2025 model year prices 'until further notice.' The German automaker has a partial tariff shield, because it makes 35% of the Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold in the U.S. in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but the company said that it expects prices to undergo 'significant increases' in coming years. Before Trump returned to office, the U.S. and the EU maintained generally low tariff levels in what is the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world, with around 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in annual trade. Together the U.S. and the EU have 44% of the global economy. The U.S. rate averaged 1.47% for European goods, while the EU has averaged 1.35% for American products, according to the Bruegel think tank in Brussels. Trump has complained about the EU's 198 billion-euro ($232.5 billion) trade surplus in goods, which shows Americans buy more from European businesses than the other way around, and has said that the European market isn't open enough for U.S.-made cars. However, American companies fill some of the trade gap by outselling the EU when it comes to services such as cloud computing, travel bookings and legal and financial services. And about 30% of European imports are from American-owned companies, according to the European Central Bank. McHugh and McNeil write for the Associated Press.
The Hill
8 minutes ago
- The Hill
The Latest: Trump meets Starmer and disagrees with Netanyahu's claim of no starvation in Gaza
Israeli strikes killed at least 34 Palestinians before U.S. President Donald Trump met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday in Scotland, where they confirmed plans to discuss Gaza. A day after Israel eased aid restrictions due to a worsening humanitarian crisis, Trump said he disagreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement that there was no starvation in Gaza. Israel on Sunday announced a pause in military operations in certain areas for 10 hours daily to improve aid flow. Alongside the measures, military operations continued. Israel had no immediate comment about the latest strikes, which occurred outside the declared time frame for the pause between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Aid agencies welcomed the new measures but say they are insufficient. Images of emaciated children have sparked global outrage. Most of Gaza's population now relies on aid and accessing food has become increasingly dangerous. Here is the latest: Planes from Jordan and UAE airdrop humanitarian aid into Gaza Two planes from the Jordanian and UAE Air Force airdropped 17 tons of humanitarian aid in Gaza on Monday, Jordan's military said. The aid packages come as hunger continues to soar across the strip. The airdrops took place for the second day as Israel faces increasing pressure over Gaza's humanitarian crisis. However, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, warned that airdrops are 'expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians.' The 17 tons of airdropped aid amounts to less than one aid truck carrying food, based on the World Food Programme's calculation of nearly 19 tons per truck. On Sunday, 180 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza, according to the Israeli military body in charge of overseeing humanitarian aid. Israeli settlers torch cars in Christian West Bank village, Palestinians say Palestinian residents of the Christian village of Taybeh in the Israeli-occupied West Bank say Israeli settlers torched two cars and left graffiti overnight. It was the latest in a series of recent settler attacks on the village near Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is headquartered. Taybeh is the only entirely Christian village in the Muslim-majority West Bank and home to a brewery popular with tourists and foreign diplomats. The Israeli military said it sent forces to the village after receiving a report that suspects had set fire to Palestinian property. It said it has opened an investigation. The West Bank has seen a rise in settler violence since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza triggered the war there. UK leader to discuss Gaza peace plan with Trump Starmer plans to discuss a U.K.-led peace plan for Gaza with Trump Monday in Scotland. Starmer's spokesman, Dave Pares, said Britain supports Trump's efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, and the plan aims 'to turn a ceasefire into lasting peace.' The plan was discussed by Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday. Starmer will discuss it with allies 'including the U.S. and Arab states' and at an emergency meeting of his Cabinet later this week, Pares said. Details of the plan have not been made public. Starmer is under growing pressure to follow France in recognizing a Palestinian state, a move both Israel and the U.S. have condemned. The British leader says the U.K. supports statehood for the Palestinians but it must be part of a wider plan for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Pares said 'it's a matter of when, not if' Britain recognizes Palestinian statehood. U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy is attending a conference on a two-state solution at the United Nations in New York this week. Trump disagrees with Netanyahu's claim there is 'no starvation in Gaza' Asked if he agreed with Netanyahu's remarks about hunger in Gaza, Trump said, 'I don't know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry.' Starmer, standing next to Trump, said, 'We've got to get that ceasefire,' in Gaza and called it 'a desperate situation.' Trump confirmed he and Starmer would talk about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Egypt president calls on Trump to assist in ending Gaza war Egypt's leader on Monday called on Trump to help stop the war in Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the strip's desperate population. In a televised speech, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said the American leader is 'the one who is able to stop the war, deliver the aid and end this suffering.' 'Please, make every effort to stop this war and deliver the aid,' el-Sissi said, addressing Trump. 'I believe that it's time to end this war.' He described conditions inside Gaza as 'tragic' and 'intolerable.' Newborn dies after mother killed A newborn died Monday afternoon, hours after she was delivered in a complex surgery following the killing of her mother in Gaza, a hospital said. Soad al-Shaer, who was seven months pregnant, was one of 12 Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike that struck a house and neighboring tents in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis, Nasser hospital said. Her fetus survived after the surgery, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. The newborn was taken to Nasser hospital, where she was placed in an incubator and was breathing with assistance from a ventilator, footage from The Associated Press showed. She died several hours later, the hospital announced. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Deaths related to malnutrition reported Fourteen Palestinians have died of malnutrition-related causes in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, the territory's Health Ministry said on Monday. They include two children, bringing the total deaths among children from causes related to malnutrition in Gaza to 88 since the war started on Oct. 7, 2023, the ministry said In a statement.
Time Magazine
9 minutes ago
- Time Magazine
Trump Describes Gaza ‘Starvation' Crisis as ‘Real'
President Donald Trump on Monday appeared to break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his claim that there is no starvation in Gaza, calling the images of malnourished children 'real' and announcing that the United States will establish 'food centers' inside Gaza to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis amid Israel's aid blockade. 'We're going to set up food centers, and we're going to do it in conjunction with some very good people,' Trump told reporters while at his Turnberry resort in Scotland, where he is meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 'We're going to supply funds… and we're going to spend a little money on some food. Other nations are joining us.' Trump said the facilities would be open-access, with 'no boundaries' and 'no fences,' and framed the effort as a direct response to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. 'That's real starvation stuff,' he said. 'I see it, and you can't fake that. So, we're going to be even more involved.' The announcement marked a shift in tone from the President, who has largely avoided directly pressuring Israel throughout the past 21 months of war that has turned Gaza into what aid officials now describe as a zone of famine. On Monday, however, Trump acknowledged that Israel 'has a lot of responsibility' for the limits on aid entering Gaza—even as he continued to blame Hamas for the collapse of ceasefire negotiations and the failure to release hostages. 'I'm looking for getting people fed,' Trump said. 'Right now, to me, that's the number one position, because you have a lot of starving people.' Asked whether he agreed with Netanyahu's claim that there is 'no starvation' in Gaza, Trump replied, 'I don't know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry.' Netanyahu on Sunday denied that Palestinians in Gaza face starvation and accused Hamas of stealing humanitarian aid, a claim that U.S. officials have since contradicted. 'There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza,' Netanyahu said. Trump's remarks come as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate at a pace that United Nations officials now warn could be irreversible without a sustained ceasefire and unfettered access for aid. More than 147 people, including 88 children, have died of starvation and malnutrition since the conflict began, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. At least 14 of those deaths occurred in the last 24 hours alone, it said. The Israeli military began a near-total blockade of Gaza in March, cutting off food, fuel, and humanitarian supplies. In May, Israel reopened crossings under a new set of restrictions, but aid organizations say the flow remains far below what is needed to stave off mass starvation. The UN's World Food Programme said last week that it had requested permission for 138 convoys to collect aid from the border holding area, but only 76 were approved. Once aid enters Gaza, WFP trucks can face delays of up to 46 hours before being cleared to move through Israeli-designated corridors, further complicating efforts to reach civilians in need. On Monday, U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher warned that the coming days would be 'make or break' for humanitarian operations. 'We have a plan,' Fletcher told BBC Radio 4's Today. 'We can reach everyone in Gaza in the next couple of weeks with our aid, with lifesaving aid. We can save as many survivors as possible.' Still, he added, 'Ultimately, we need a ceasefire. These pauses are a good step in the right direction, but stopping the conflict is key.' Trump did not directly criticize Israeli policy but said he had spoken with Netanyahu and suggested that Israel may need to reconsider its approach. 'I told Bibi that you have to maybe do it a different way,' Trump said. Asked whether a ceasefire was still possible, he said, 'Yeah, a ceasefire is possible, but you have to get it, you have to end it.' On Sunday, Trump said the U.S. had already provided $60 million in humanitarian assistance but complained about not receiving enough thanks. 'You know, we gave $60 million two weeks ago and nobody even acknowledged it, for food,' he said. 'And you really want at least someone to say 'thank you'. No other country gave anything. It makes you feel a little bad when nobody talks about it.'
