Latest news with #CeasefireNegotiations
CBC
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
France plans to recognize Palestinian statehood. Will Canada do the same?
When French President Emmanuel Macron shared his plans to formally recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September, he said there was " no alternative." "We must build the state of Palestine, ensure its viability and ensure that by accepting its demilitarization and fully recognizing Israel, it contributes to the security of all in the Middle East," he wrote in French on Thursday, noting that it is up to the French, along with the Israelis, Palestinians and European and international partners, to prove that peace in the region is possible. Macron's intention to recognize a Palestinian state would be largely symbolic. However, it is notable in that France is the first major Western country to change its position on the issue since Ireland, Norway and Spain did last year. But a turnaround on Palestinian sovereignty from Canada might not be forthcoming. In a social media post on Friday, Israel Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa'ar wrote that he spoke with Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and warned against "strong diplomatic attacks by certain countries against Israel" during ceasefire negotiations. He said actions such as France's would encourage Hamas to harden its stance in the Israel-Hamas war. "Unilateral steps by France and other countries will only push Israel to take steps of its own," Sa'ar wrote. "The French initiative harms the chances of achieving a hostage deal and ceasefire. It won't promote stability in the region." That hasn't stopped elected officials in the U.K. from capitalizing on the moment. Friday, 221 British MPs — about one-third of the U.K. House of Commons — sent a joint letter calling for the country's prime minister and foreign secretary to recognize a Palestinian state. Carney criticizes Israel Hours after Macron's social media post, Prime Minister Mark Carney made a statement condemning Israel for its "denial of humanitarian aid" to civilians in Gaza. Rather than address Macron's intentions explicitly, Carney noted that Anand would take part in a high-level UN conference in New York next week, co-hosted by France, on the implementation of a two-state solution. WATCH | Macron to recognize Palestinian state in September: France will recognize a Palestinian state, Macron says 8 hours ago Carney also described the mass starvation in Gaza ensuing from the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict as Israel's "failure to prevent the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster" across the region. More than 100 advocacy groups have been warning of hunger spreading in Gaza as ceasefire negotiations stall. Israel, which controls all supplies entering Gaza, denies it is responsible for food shortages and accused the groups of "echoing Hamas propaganda." Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) rejected Israel's request to withdraw arrest warrants it had issued in November 2024 for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza. Canadian governments previously said they would acknowledge a Palestinian state only after a negotiated peace agreement between Israel and Palestinian leadership. Still, there have been some steps toward Canada possibly acknowledging Palestinian sovereignty. Canadian MPs last year signed an open letter in support of recognizing a Palestinian state. In November 2024, a Canadian parliamentary foreign affairs committee began to study a motion, which called for the federal government to find the quickest way toward recognizing Palestinian statehood. And in May 2024, former prime minister Justin Trudeau suggested that Canada might acknowledge Palestinian sovereignty before the end of peace negotiations, with the aim of pushing forward a two-state solution.
ABC News
14-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Donald Trump says US will send Patriot missiles to Ukraine as Putin 'bombs everybody in the evening'
US President Donald Trump has said he will send Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine, saying they are necessary to defend the country. The announcement comes amid a diplomatic flurry set for Monday, with the US special envoy starting his latest trip to Ukraine and Mr Trump set to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Washington. Mr Trump did not reveal the number of Patriots he planned to send to Ukraine, but said the US would be reimbursed for their cost by the European Union. "We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need, because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin really surprised a lot of people," Mr Trump said. Mr Trump has grown increasingly disenchanted with Mr Putin because the Russian leader has resisted the US president's attempts to negotiate a ceasefire between his country and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked for more defensive capabilities to fend off a daily barrage of missile and drone attacks from Russia. Moscow's offensive on Ukraine has lasted for more than three years, with attacks intensifying this northern summer and US-led negotiations so far yielding no success in ending the fighting. The White House has done a U-turn from an announcement earlier this month that it would pause some arms deliveries to Kyiv, instead announcing a new deal which would involve NATO paying the US for some of the weapons it sends to Ukraine. "We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment," Mr Trump said. "They are going to pay us 100 per cent for that, and that's the way we want it. Mr Trump plans to meet Mr Rutte to discuss Ukraine and other issues this week. Last week, Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was "close to reaching a multi-level agreement on new Patriot systems and missiles for them". Mr Trump has repeatedly voiced displeasure with Mr Putin in recent days. On Sunday, he hinted he might finally be ready to toughen sanctions as momentum grows for a deterrent package in the US Congress. When he first returned to the White House in January, Trump insisted he could work with the Russian leader to end the war, holding off on hiking sanctions, unlike European allies. But Russia has, for months, refused a ceasefire proposed by the US and Kyiv. When asked about whether he would announce any sanctions against Russia, Mr Trump responded: "We're going to see what we will see tomorrow, OK?", before repeating plans to meet with Mr Rutte. Earlier on Sunday, US senators touted a bipartisan bill that would arm Mr Trump with "sledgehammer" sanctions to use against Russia. The sanctions bill would allow the president "to go after Putin's economy, and all those countries who prop up the Putin war machine," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told CBS News. "It would give President Trump the ability to impose 500 per cent tariffs on any country that helps Russia," Mr Graham said, adding that those could include economies that purchase Russian goods like China, India or Brazil. "Without a doubt, this is exactly the kind of leverage that can bring peace closer and make sure diplomacy is not empty," Mr Zelenskyy said about the proposed bill in a post on X. Mr Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal were also due to meet Mr Rutte on Monday night. Mr Blumenthal told CBS News they would also discuss the legally thorny issue of unlocking frozen Russian assets in Europe and the US for access by Ukraine. "The $US5 billion [$7.62 billion] that the United States has also could be accessed, and I think it's time to do it," said Mr Blumenthal. Wires
Washington Post
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Israel says ‘extensive' ground operations underway in Gaza Strip
Israeli forces have started 'extensive' ground operations in northern and southern Gaza, the military said Sunday, as airstrikes across the territory killed nearly 100 people and flagging ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas were underway in Qatar. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the ground maneuvers were part of Operation Gideon's Chariots, a military offensive that Israeli leaders have described as including a potential long-term occupation of the Gaza Strip.
