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AsiaOne
an hour ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Trump officials told Congress Israel agreed to match $39m for GHF, sources say, World News
WASHINGTON — Senior Trump administration officials told Congress this month that Israel agreed to match a US award of US$30 million (S$38.92 million) to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, a previously unreported contribution to the controversial armed private aid operation. Aside from the US contribution, which the US State Department announced in June, the sources of the foundation's funding have been opaque — GHF does not disclose its donors. Israel faces intensifying international pressure over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and its promotion of GHF's aid operation, which has distribution sites only in southern Gaza and has been called dangerous and ineffective by aid groups and the United Nations - claims the group denies. Aryeh Lightstone and Charles Leith, aides to Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, briefed US Senate and House of Representatives committees on July 8 and 9 about the GHF operation, according to the two sources. They told the congressional committees that Israel had agreed to match the $30 million that the US awarded to GHF in June, enough to fund the organisation through the end of July, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Lightstone and Leith did not respond to a request for an interview and the White House referred questions to the State Department. Donors "have pledged or disbursed tens of millions of dollars to GHF," a State Department spokesperson said, without identifying those donors. "The United States has pledged tens of millions of dollars," the spokesperson continued, adding that the US aid "does not come close to encompassing the total amount of help the administration has given the people of Gaza since January 2025." The Israeli government did not respond to requests for comment. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US had dispensed US$60 million for Gaza humanitarian aid. The State Department, however, has made no other announcements beyond the US$30 million approved for the GHF in June. A third source familiar with the matter said some US officials believe Trump likely was conflating the US and Israeli funds. Lightstone and Leith told Congress the hope was that by August, other donors would see GHF's success and contribute to its operation, allowing the foundation to double its distribution sites from four to eight, according to the sources. Reuters could not verify whether Israel had disbursed the US$30 million to GHF, which uses private for-profit US military and logistics firms to transport aid into the Palestinian enclave for distribution to its sites. Speaking on Wednesday to the Hudson Institute think tank, GHF Executive Chairman Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore, a former evangelical adviser to the White House during Trump's first term, said that as a private US charity, the foundation did not have to disclose its donors. He indicated that GHF required more money. "The biggest problem is just we need more of it, and US$30 million is not going to get it done," he said, in an apparent reference to the US contribution. GHF said in an email to Reuters that it was focused on distributing as much food as was safely possible and was continuing to press the Israeli government to allow it to open additional distribution sites, including in northern Gaza. It declined to comment on its donors or funding. Starvation in Gaza GHF has been criticised by the United Nations, aid groups and others over what they say is an unsafe aid distribution model and a breach of humanitarian impartiality standards, allegations that GHF denies. [[nid:720803]] Israel alleges that the UN-led aid system that has traditionally served the residents of Gaza has let Hamas-led militants loot aid shipments intended for civilians. Hamas denies the accusation. A recent US government internal analysis found no evidence of systematic theft of US-funded aid by Hamas. Starvation has been spreading in Gaza, and a hunger monitor on Tuesday said a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding and immediate action is needed to avoid widespread death. In his Wednesday remarks, Moore denied that famine is developing. "That's made up. There's not a famine. There's acute hunger. There's not enough food in the Gaza Strip," he said. Gaza health authorities have been reporting increasing deaths from hunger-related causes and images of emaciated Palestinian children have drawn international condemnation. Trump this week declared that many people were starving, contradicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said there was no starvation in the densely populated coastal enclave, largely destroyed by Israel's military offencive that has killed over 60,000 people according to Gaza health officials. Trump promised to set up new food centres and said the top priority in Gaza was feeding people. Gaza's food stocks have been running out since Israel, at war with Palestinian militant group Hamas since its fighters killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages back to Gaza in October 2023 according to Israeli tallies, cut off all supplies to the territory in March. That blockade was lifted in May but with restrictions that Israel says are needed to prevent aid being diverted to militant groups. Israel says it has no aim to starve Gaza. This week it announced steps to allow more aid in, including pausing fighting in some locations, air-dropping food and offering more secure routes. [[nid:720753]]
The Mainichi
an hour ago
- Business
- The Mainichi
US, S. Korea reaffirm commitment to N. Korean denuclearization
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday reaffirmed with his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun their countries' "resolute commitment" to the complete denuclearization of North Korea. During a meeting in Washington, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said the top diplomats also voiced "serious" concern about North Korea's deepening military cooperation with Russia, while welcoming a trade agreement between Washington and Seoul. The meeting, the first between them since the launch of the new South Korean administration in June, took place just a day after the longtime allies announced the deal. U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will travel to the White House for a meeting within the next two weeks. The last-minute trade agreement before Friday's expiration of a monthslong pause on Trump's so-called reciprocal tariffs included a lowered 15 percent tariff on cars and other goods from South Korea in exchange for its promise to import more American products and invest heavily in the United States. Rubio and Cho discussed efforts to advance the shared prosperity of the two countries, including by "strengthening supply chains and collaborating on critical and emerging technologies," in addition to underscoring the unwavering strength of the alliance that has a history of more than 70 years, Bruce said in a statement. They also stressed that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is an essential element of security and prosperity for the international community and discussed the importance of continuing to strengthen the countries' trilateral cooperation with Japan, she said.
The Hill
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump's Ukraine weapons plan shifts cost to European NATO allies
NewsNation's Kellie Meyer asked State Department Deputy Spokesperson Thomas Pigott about President Trump's proposal for European allies of the U.S. to cover the cost of American weapons for Ukraine. Although the outline of the plan is relatively straightforward, the details remain to be determined. READ MORE:
4 hours ago
- Politics
Witkoff and Huckabee head to Gaza as Trump comes up with a plan for aid
As global concern over the hunger crisis in Gaza intensifies, Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee are set to visit an aid distribution site there, according to the White House. 'Special Envoy Witkoff and Ambassador Huckabee will be traveling into Gaza on Friday to inspect the current distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday. Leavitt also said that immediately following the visit, Witkoff and Huckabee would brief Trump in order to 'approve a final plan for food and aid distribution into the region.' The president hinted at a new plan to address humanitarian concerns in Gaza on Monday following a meeting with United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 'We're going to set up food centers and where the people can walk in and no boundaries. We're not going to have fences,' Trump said. He later added that he expected European nations to work with the U.S. on the initiative, and that he expected the plan to be operational 'very soon.' But so far, both the White House and the State Department have declined to elaborate on the president's comments or provide a basic framework for the new plan. The Trump administration and Israel have backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial American non-profit now charged with distributing most aid that is allowed to enter Gaza. The GHF -- with Israel's approval and despite rejection from the United Nations -- took over most of the aid distribution system in Gaza on May 27, after an 11-week Israeli blockade on all supplies from entering the strip. Israel has long accused Hamas of stealing aid provided by the U.N. -- formerly the main distributor -- and others to fund its militant activity -- claims which Hamas denies. Earlier this month, more than 160 charity groups and NGOs called for the GHF to be shut down, claiming that more than 500 Palestinians had been killed while seeking aid from the organization and that its distribution locations 'have become sites of repeated massacres in blatant disregard for international humanitarian law.' But the administration has shown no signs of backing away from the GHF, which it has repeatedly touted as the only organization working in Gaza that is able to ensure aid doesn't benefit Hamas. The U.S. has pledged $30 million toward GHF's efforts in Gaza and a U.S. official told ABC News on Wednesday that the money was expected to be distributed to the group within the coming days -- a sign of the administration's continued confidence in the organization. As of now, GHF operates only four distribution sites across Gaza. Trump administration officials have always maintained that its operations could be scaled up, but there's no indication the administration has played any direct role in planning for its expansion. Ahead of his visit to Gaza, Witkoff met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. Following their discussion, an Israeli official told ABC News that the two had agreed to several tenets related to bringing the war in Gaza to a resolution, including that it was time to consider a ceasefire framework that would free all Israeli hostages, that Hamas must disarm, and that Israel and the U.S. should work together to increase the flow of aid into Gaza even as the conflict continues. Witkoff's visit to Gaza of Friday will mark his second trip to Gaza this year. In late January, when the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that was negotiated in part by both the Biden and Trump administrations was still in place, Witkoff became the first high-level U.S. official to enter Gaza in more than a decade when he toured an area of the Gaza Strip that was still occupied by the Israeli military.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
US imposes visa sanctions on Palestinian Authority officials, PLO members
. The U.S. imposed sanctions on Palestinian Authority officials and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization on Thursday, accusing them of undermining peace efforts with Israel even as other Western powers moved toward recognition of Palestinian statehood. The State Department said it would deny visas for travel to the U.S. by those it was targeting, although it did not name any specific individuals. "It is in our national security interests to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace," the State Department said in a statement. The State Department said the two Palestinian organizations had "taken actions to internationalize" their conflict with Israel, including through the International Criminal Court, and said both had continued "to support terrorism." The PA and PLO serve as representatives for the Palestinian people and have long pushed for recognition of a Palestinian state by international organizations and foreign nations. The two groups had no immediate comment on the U.S. move. There are signs of a growing diplomatic divide over Palestinian statehood between Washington and three fellow Group of Seven allies. Late on Wednesday, Canada said it planned to recognize the State of Palestine at a meeting of the United Nations in September, ratcheting up pressure on Israel as starvation spreads in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza . France said last week it would back Palestinian statehood and Britain said on Tuesday it would do the same at September's U.N. General Assembly meeting if the fighting in Gaza had not stopped by then. U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted that recognition of Palestinian statehood would wrongly reward Hamas, the militant group that is battling Israel in the Gaza Strip. Since returning to office in January, he has been vague about his position on a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel has denounced the moves by France, Britain and Canada. 'MORAL DISTORTION' Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, in a post on X, thanked the U.S. for its "moral clarity" in sanctioning the Palestinian officials, saying the action "also exposes the moral distortion of certain countries that ran to recognise a virtual Palestinian state while turning a blind eye to its support for terror and incitement." State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott declined to say whether Thursday's U.S. action was linked to or in retaliation for the three countries' plans to recognize the State of Palestine. Asked about the timing, he told a regular media briefing that the sanctions resulted from a report to Congress from a twice-a-year review of Palestinian compliance with their commitments. It was not immediately clear how the U.S. visa ban would affect Palestinian diplomats. Under the 1947 U.N. "headquarters agreement," the U.S. is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the U.N. in New York. But Washington has said it can deny visas for security, terrorism and foreign policy reasons. Pigott said waivers of the visa sanctions could be considered on a case-by-case basis. The U.S. sanctions follow an international conference this week at the U.N., hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, that aimed to work towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel and the U.S. boycotted the event. Also on Thursday, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a bid to salvage Gaza truce talks and tackle a humanitarian crisis in the enclave, where a global hunger monitor has warned that famine is unfolding. The Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's offensive has killed more than 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins and displaced nearly the entire population.
