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The Guardian
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Speaker Mike Johnson visits occupied West Bank to support Israeli settlers
Mike Johnson became the highest ranked US official to visit the occupied West Bank on Monday, the Republican House speaker drawing measures of praise and condemnation for his trip in support of Israeli settlements amid a worsening starvation crisis in Gaza. The excursion followed Johnson's arrival in Israel on Sunday on an unannounced visit with other Republican lawmakers, and his meeting with Israeli defense minister Israel Katz and foreign minister Gideon Saar. Johnson's visit to the West Bank is the highest profile by a senior US political figure since then secretary of state Mike Pompeo went to Psogat in November 2020 during the final months of Donald Trump's first presidency. It is a private trip hosted by a pro-Israel advocacy group, an Axios report said, and not an official congressional delegation. The outlet said Johnson traveled with fellow Republican representatives Michael McCaul, Nathaniel Moran and Michael Cloud of Texas, and Claudia Tenney of New York. Johnson told Israeli settlers on Monday that Israel was the 'rightful owner' of the contested Palestinian territory, according to a report published on the pro-Palestinian website Common Dreams, and separately, Marc Zell, the chair of Republicans Overseas Israel. Common Dreams quoted Johnson as saying that 'the mountains of Judea and Samaria are the rightful property of the Jewish people' and that the territory was at 'the front line of the state of Israel, and must remain an integral part of it'. 'Even if the world thinks otherwise, we stand with you,' he reportedly added, an apparent reference to recent proclamations by France and the UK that they would recognize a Palestinian state if Israel did not commit to a ceasefire in Gaza. His visit was immediately condemned by the Palestinian foreign ministry, which issued a statement calling Israel's annexation of the West Bank a 'blatant violation of international law'. Johnson's stance in support of the settlers, it said, 'undermines Arab and American efforts to stop the war and [the] cycle of violence, while flagrantly contradicting the declared US position on settlements and settler violence'. According to a post on X by Zell, Johnson also said the US should use the 250th anniversary of its independence next year 'to remind the American people of its Judeo-Christian foundations that were formed here in the land of Israel'. Johnson's trip comes as pressure builds on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the growing hunger crisis in Gaza, which some critics have called a genocide orchestrated by Israel. It also comes shortly after a Palestinian American from Florida was killed in the West Bank by Israeli settlers while visiting family. The Trump-appointed ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called the killing a 'terrorist attack'. Johnson is expected to meet Netanyahu before returning to the US on Sunday.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Speaker Mike Johnson visits occupied West Bank to support Israeli settlers
Mike Johnson became the highest ranked US official to visit the occupied West Bank on Monday, the Republican House speaker drawing measures of praise and condemnation for his trip in support of Israeli settlements amid a worsening starvation crisis in Gaza. The excursion followed Johnson's arrival in Israel on Sunday on an unannounced visit with other Republican lawmakers, and his meeting with Israeli defense minister Israel Katz and foreign minister Gideon Saar. Johnson's visit to the West Bank is the highest profile by a senior US political figure since then secretary of state Mike Pompeo went to Psogat in November 2020 during the final months of Donald Trump's first presidency. It is a private trip hosted by a pro-Israel advocacy group, an Axios report said, and not an official congressional delegation. The outlet said Johnson traveled with fellow Republican representatives Michael McCaul, Nathaniel Moran and Michael Cloud of Texas, and Claudia Tenney of New York. Johnson told Israeli settlers on Monday that Israel was the 'rightful owner' of the contested Palestinian territory, according to a report published on the pro-Palestinian website Common Dreams, and separately, Marc Zell, chair of Republicans Overseas Israel. Common Dreams quoted Johnson as saying that 'the mountains of Judea and Samaria are the rightful property of the Jewish people' and that the territory was at 'the front line of the state of Israel, and must remain an integral part of it'. 'Even if the world thinks otherwise, we stand with you,' he reportedly added, an apparent reference to recent proclamations by France and the UK that they would recognize a Palestinian state if Israel did not commit to a ceasefire in Gaza. His visit was immediately condemned by the Palestinian foreign ministry, which issued a statement calling Israel's annexation of the West Bank a 'blatant violation of international law'. Johnson's stance in support of the settlers, it said, 'undermines Arab and American efforts to stop the war and [the] cycle of violence, while flagrantly contradicting the declared US position on settlements and settler violence'. According to a post on X by Zell, Johnson also said the US should use the 250th anniversary of its independence next year 'to remind the American people of its Judeo-Christian foundations that were formed here in the land of Israel'. Johnson's trip comes as pressure builds on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the growing hunger crisis in Gaza, which some critics have called a genocide orchestrated by Israel. It also comes shortly after a Palestinian American from Florida was killed in the West Bank by Israeli settlers while visiting family. The Trump-appointed ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called the killing a 'terrorist attack'. Johnson is expected to meet Netanyahu before returning to the US on Sunday. Solve the daily Crossword
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Speaker Mike Johnson visits occupied West Bank to support Israeli settlers
Mike Johnson became the highest ranked US official to visit the occupied West Bank on Monday, the Republican House speaker drawing measures of praise and condemnation for his trip in support of Israeli settlements amid a worsening starvation crisis in Gaza. The excursion followed Johnson's arrival in Israel on Sunday on an unannounced visit with other Republican lawmakers, and his meeting with Israeli defense minister Israel Katz and foreign minister Gideon Saar. Johnson's visit to the West Bank is the highest profile by a senior US political figure since then secretary of state Mike Pompeo went to Psogat in November 2020 during the final months of Donald Trump's first presidency. It is a private trip hosted by a pro-Israel advocacy group, an Axios report said, and not an official congressional delegation. The outlet said Johnson traveled with fellow Republican representatives Michael McCaul, Nathaniel Moran and Michael Cloud of Texas, and Claudia Tenney of New York. Johnson told Israeli settlers on Monday that Israel was the 'rightful owner' of the contested Palestinian territory, according to a report published on the pro-Palestinian website Common Dreams, and separately, Marc Zell, chair of Republicans Overseas Israel. Common Dreams quoted Johnson as saying that 'the mountains of Judea and Samaria are the rightful property of the Jewish people' and that the territory was at 'the front line of the state of Israel, and must remain an integral part of it'. 'Even if the world thinks otherwise, we stand with you,' he reportedly added, an apparent reference to recent proclamations by France and the UK that they would recognize a Palestinian state if Israel did not commit to a ceasefire in Gaza. His visit was immediately condemned by the Palestinian foreign ministry, which issued a statement calling Israel's annexation of the West Bank a 'blatant violation of international law'. Johnson's stance in support of the settlers, it said, 'undermines Arab and American efforts to stop the war and [the] cycle of violence, while flagrantly contradicting the declared US position on settlements and settler violence'. According to a post on X by Zell, Johnson also said the US should use the 250th anniversary of its independence next year 'to remind the American people of its Judeo-Christian foundations that were formed here in the land of Israel'. Johnson's trip comes as pressure builds on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the growing hunger crisis in Gaza, which some critics have called a genocide orchestrated by Israel. It also comes shortly after a Palestinian American from Florida was killed in the West Bank by Israeli settlers while visiting family. The Trump-appointed ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called the killing a 'terrorist attack'. Johnson is expected to meet Netanyahu before returning to the US on Sunday.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Democrats demand answers as Palantir faces heat over Trump deals to build massive American data hub
A group of Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Palantir's CEO Alex Karp on Monday, asking for answers about huge government contracts the company got. The lawmakers are worried that Palantir is helping make a huge database of Americans private information, which might break U.S. laws, according to reports by the Associated Press and New York Times. Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York wrote the letter and was signed by Senators Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, Ed Markey. They pointed to a New York Times report that said Palantir got hundreds of millions of dollars in new government contracts during Trump's second term, as per the report by Common Dreams. According to the letter, Palantir employees are working inside the IRS to help build a single, searchable database of taxpayer records. This private taxpayer data could be shared across the government, even when it's not related to tax stuff, which is likely illegal under U.S. law. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Домашен мини електротрион - лесно рязане на всякакъв вид дърво Murreice Научете повече Undo Palantir's tools were reportedly chosen for this project by a group called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is led by Elon Musk. Several people in DOGE are said to be former Palantir employees. Why lawmakers are alarmed The lawmakers called the mega-database plan a 'surveillance nightmare', saying it could help Trump spy on people he sees as enemies. They warned that Palantir's software could be used in domestic spying that violates Americans' rights, according to the report by Common Dreams. Live Events The letter listed Trump's past actions that they believe show he misused power, including threatening to arrest the governor of California, using National Guard troops for immigration raids without approval, sending Marines to Los Angeles against local wishes, and calling the press 'the enemy of the people'. Palantir's controversies The lawmakers said Palantir also helped with ICE deportation operations and deadly military actions carried out by the U.S. and its allies. The letter didn't mention Palantir's role in Project Nimbus, a cloud deal with Israel's military, Amazon, and Google, which some say is linked to human rights abuses, as stated in the report by Common Dreams. But the lawmakers did say that other big companies like IBM, Cisco, and Honeywell have also been part of human rights abuses in places like Nazi Germany, apartheid South Africa, China, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. They asked the CEO to provide a full list of Palantir's government contracts. The amount of money for each and the federal agencies involved. Whether Palantir has any limits when it comes to working with groups that violate human rights, as reported by Common Dreams. FAQs Q1. Why are Democrats asking questions about Palantir? Because they think Palantir is helping build a big database of Americans' private info that might break U.S. laws. Q2. What do they want from Palantir's CEO? They want details about the company's government contracts and whether it follows human rights rules.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
No Kings protest against Trump birthday military parade: These groups are behind the mobilization of people
As US president Donald Trump is set to celebrate his 79th birthday, which is also Flag Day and the 250th anniversary of the army, with a grand military parade in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, millions of Americans nationwide are set to mount the streets for the "No Kings" protest on the same day, as per a report. Trump's Birthday Parade Faces Nationwide 'No Kings' Protest The organisers of the No Kings protest expect millions of people to turn out for protests which are planned in about 2,000 cities and towns across the United States to show their disapproval of the intensifying authoritarianism of Trump, as per a Common Dreams report. Who's Behind the "No Kings" Movement? According to the report, many groups together have formed the "No Kings" day of mobilisation, which include groups like Indivisible, American Federation of Teachers, the American Civil Liberties Union, Public Citizen, MoveOn, 50501, Stand Up America, Common Defense, Human Rights Campaign, League of Conservation Voters, and more than 100 others. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like War Thunder - Register now for free and play against over 75 Million real Players War Thunder Play Now Undo Why Are People Protesting? Veteran organiser Paul Rogat Loeb has asked participants of the "No Kings" protest to carry American flags as he said, "The 14th is also Flag Day and the 250th anniversary of the Army. The flag can't replace protest signs. But it complements and amplifies them," as quoted by Common Dreams. He also added, "The flag represents the imperfect but essential mechanisms of democracy that Trump's regime so profoundly threatens, ones that allow us to keep working for justice," as quoted in the report. Economist and former labour secretary Robert Reich wrote in a social media platform X (previously Twitter) post, "On June 14, 2025, we will be demonstrating across this country against our wannabe king and his decision to destroy the constitutional rights that Americans fought long and hard to secure," adding, "As we protest, we build solidarity. From that solidarity, we feel less alone and build courage for the work ahead," quoted Common Dreams. Live Events While author and climate organiser Bill McKibben pointed out that the No Kings protests will "allow people everywhere, from many different backgrounds, to join in what till now has always been the basic American message: No Kings. Not George, Not Elon, not Don," as quoted in the report. FAQs Is this a violent protest? No. Organizers have emphasized nonviolence. Volunteers have been trained in de-escalation, and events are coordinated with local partners to ensure safety and peace. Will protests only be in big cities? No. It will happen in major cities and in small towns and rural communities too.
