Latest news with #peaceDeal
Japan Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Macron weighs recognition of Palestinian state as Gaza toll mounts
French President Emmanuel Macron is leaning towards recognizing a Palestinian state, but diplomats and experts say such a move may prove a premature and ineffective way to pressure Israel into moving towards a peace deal with the Palestinians. They say it could deepen Western divisions — not only within the already-divided European Union but also with the United States, Israel's staunchest ally — and would need to be accompanied by other measures, such as sanctions and trade bans, if recognition were to be anything more than a symbolic gesture. French officials are weighing up the move ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting from June 17 to 20, to lay out the parameters for a road map to a Palestinian state while ensuring Israel's security. If Macron went ahead, France, home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities, would become the first Western heavyweight to recognize a Palestinian state, potentially giving greater momentum to a movement hitherto dominated by smaller nations that are generally more critical of Israel. "If France moves, several (European) countries will follow," Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said. Macron's stance has shifted amid Israel's intensified Gaza offensive and escalating violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and there is a growing sense of urgency in Paris to act now before the idea of a two-state solution vanishes forever. "We must move from words to deeds. Faced with facts on the ground, the prospect of a Palestinian state must be maintained. Irreversible and concrete measures are necessary," Macron's Middle East adviser Anne-Claire Legendre told delegates at a preparatory meeting in New York on May 23. Diplomats caution that while Macron now favors the move, he has yet to make a final decision, and things could change — including a potential Gaza ceasefire accord — before mid-June. However, his diplomats are scrambling to ensure the best conditions are in place for him to make the decision, including full assessments at the U.N. conference on the reform of the Palestinian Authority, disarming Hamas or future reconstruction. Israeli lobbying Israeli officials have spent months lobbying to prevent what some have described as "a nuclear bomb" for bilateral relations. The idea that France, one of Israel's closest allies and a G7 member, could recognize a Palestinian state would certainly infuriate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron at joint news conference in Jerusalem on Oct. 24, 2023. | Pool via REUTERS When the U.K. and Canada joined France this month to say they could impose concrete measures on Israel and commit to recognizing a Palestinian state, Netanyahu issued a firm rebuke, accusing the leaders of the three countries of antisemitism. Diplomats say Canada and the U.K. remain lukewarm for now about recognition, suggesting the priority is to make a difference on the ground — something that may dampen Macron's ambitions. According to two sources familiar with the matter, Israel's warnings to France have ranged from scaling back intelligence sharing to complicating Paris' regional initiatives — even hinting at possible annexation of parts of the West Bank. Whether that would materialize seems unlikely, given the likely international fallout fueling one of Israel's greatest fears: deepening isolation, particularly with regard to Europe, its key trade partner. "(But) the reaction will be negative across the board (in Israel)," Tamir Hayman, Executive Director at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) said, adding that it would feed an ultraright narrative in Israel that the world is against it. "It would be useless and a waste of time." Shifting French views Macron strongly backed Israel after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. But he has steadily sharpened his language against Israel over its actions in Gaza, where the death toll among Palestinians has risen to more than 50,000, according to Palestinian health officials. "We need to move towards recognition. Over the next few months, we will," Macron said during an interview on April 9. French President Emmanuel Macron (left) shakes hands with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto during their meeting at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday. | AFP-JIJI Even then, he hedged, setting vague conditions and saying he aimed to build momentum with a coalition backing France while nudging Muslim states toward recognizing Israel. However, there are no indications for now that any new Muslim or Arab states are ready to move towards normalizing ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia, the ultimate prize for Israeli normalization, is in no position for any rapprochement given the anger in many Muslim countries over events in Gaza. "Regional peace begins with recognizing the state of Palestine, not as a symbolic gesture, but as a strategic necessity," Manal Radwan, an adviser to the Saudi foreign minister, said in New York on Friday. She did not mention the possibility of recognizing Israel. Macron's critics argue that recognition should come as part of negotiations towards a two-state solution — not before — and warn that an early move could weaken incentives for Palestinians to engage. Underlining divisions within the EU, one European diplomat said: "It is our view that this recognition would not be helpful now or encourage more action within the member states." Others say recognition must be twinned with other measures such as a Europe-wide ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territories and specific sanctions on Israeli officials. French officials say they will not be swayed by such criticism or by the Israeli pressure. "If there is a moment in history to recognize a Palestinian state, even if it's just symbolic, then I would say that moment has probably come," said a senior French official, adding that Macron may also want to leave a trace in history before his presidential mandate expires in 2027.
Al Arabiya
6 days ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Macron's shift on recognizing Palestinian state: A historic move or premature gamble?
French President Emmanuel Macron is leaning towards recognizing a Palestinian state, but diplomats and experts say such a move may prove a premature and ineffective way to pressure Israel into moving towards a peace deal with the Palestinians. They say it could deepen Western splits, not only within the already-divided European Union, but also with the United States, Israel's staunchest ally, and would need to be accompanied by other measures such as sanctions and trade bans if recognition were to be anything more than a symbolic gesture. French officials are weighing up the move ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting between June 17-20, to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security. If Macron went ahead, France, home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities, would become the first Western heavyweight to recognize a Palestinian state, potentially giving greater momentum to a movement hitherto dominated by smaller nations that are generally more critical of Israel. 'If France moves, several (European) countries will follow,' Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told Reuters. Macron's stance has shifted amid Israel's intensified Gaza offensive and escalating violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and there is a growing sense of urgency in Paris to act now before the idea of a two-state solution vanishes forever. 'We must move from words to deeds. Faced with facts on the ground, the prospect of a Palestinian state must be maintained. Irreversible and concrete measures are necessary,' Macron's Middle East adviser Anne-Claire Legendre told delegates at a preparatory meeting in New York on May 23. Diplomats caution that while Macron now favors the move, he has yet to make a final decision, and things could change - including a potential Gaza ceasefire accord - before mid-June. However, his diplomats are scrambling to ensure the best conditions are in place for him to make the decision, including full assessments at the UN conference on the reform of the Palestinian Authority, disarming Hamas or future reconstruction. Israeli lobbying Israeli officials have spent months lobbying to prevent what some have described as 'a nuclear bomb' for bilateral relations. The idea that France, one of Israel's closest allies and a G7 member, could recognize a Palestinian state, would certainly infuriate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When Britain and Canada joined France this month to say they could impose concrete measures on Israel and commit to recognizing a Palestinian state, Netanyahu issued a firm rebuke, accusing the leaders of the three countries of antisemitism. Diplomats say Canada and Britain remain lukewarm for now about recognition, suggesting the priority is to make a difference on the ground, something that may dampen Macron's ambitions. According to two sources familiar with the matter, Israel's warnings to France have ranged from scaling back intelligence sharing to complicating Paris' regional initiatives - even hinting at possible annexation of parts of the West Bank. Whether that would materialize seems unlikely, given the likely international fallout fueling one of Israel's greatest fears: deepening isolation, particularly with regard to Europe, its key trade partner. '(But) the reaction will be negative across the board (in Israel),' Tamir Hayman, Executive Director at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) told Reuters, adding it would feed an ultra-right narrative in Israel that the world is against it. 'It would be useless and a waste of time.' Shifting French views Macron strongly backed Israel after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack, which killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. But he has steadily sharpened his language against Israel over its actions in Gaza, where the death toll among Palestinians has risen to more than 50,000, according to Palestinian health officials. 'We need to move towards recognition. Over the next few months, we will,' Macron said during an interview on April 9. Even then, he hedged, setting vague conditions and saying he aimed to build momentum with a coalition backing France while nudging Muslim states toward recognizing Israel. However, there are no indications for now that any new Muslim or Arab states are ready to move towards normalizing ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia, the ultimate prize for Israeli normalization, is in no position for any rapprochement given the anger in many Muslim countries over events in Gaza. 'Regional peace begins with recognizing the state of Palestine, not as a symbolic gesture, but as a strategic necessity,' Manal Radwan, an adviser to the Saudi foreign minister, said in New York on Friday. She did not mention the possibility of recognizing Israel. Macron's critics argue that recognition should come as part of negotiations towards a two-state solution - not before - and warning that an early move could weaken incentives for Palestinians to engage. Underlining divisions within the EU, one European diplomat said: 'It is our view that this recognition would not be helpful now or encourage more action within the member states.' Others say recognition must be twinned with other measures such as a Europe-wide ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territories and specific sanctions on Israeli officials. French officials say they will not be swayed by such criticism or by the Israeli pressure. 'If there is a moment in history to recognize a Palestinian state even if it's just symbolic then I would say that moment has probably come,' said a senior French official, adding that Macron may also want to leave a trace in history before his presidential mandate expires in 2027.
Reuters
6 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Macron navigates rocky path to recognising Palestinian state
PARIS, May 28 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron is leaning towards recognising a Palestinian state, but diplomats and experts say such a move may prove a premature and ineffective way to pressure Israel into moving towards a peace deal with the Palestinians. They say it could deepen Western splits, not only within the already-divided European Union, but also with the United States, Israel's staunchest ally, and would need to be accompanied by other measures such as sanctions and trade bans if recognition were to be anything more than a symbolic gesture. French officials are weighing up the move ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting between June 17-20, to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security. If Macron went ahead, France, home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities, would become the first Western heavyweight to recognise a Palestinian state, potentially giving greater momentum to a movement hitherto dominated by smaller nations that are generally more critical of Israel. "If France moves, several (European) countries will follow," Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told Reuters. Macron's stance has shifted amid Israel's intensified Gaza offensive and escalating violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and there is a growing sense of urgency in Paris to act now before the idea of a two-state solution vanishes forever. "We must move from words to deeds. Faced with facts on the ground, the prospect of a Palestinian state must be maintained. Irreversible and concrete measures are necessary," Macron's Middle East adviser Anne-Claire Legendre told delegates at a preparatory meeting in New York on May 23. Diplomats caution that while Macron now favours the move, he has yet to make a final decision, and things could change - including a potential Gaza ceasefire accord - before mid-June. However, his diplomats are scrambling to ensure the best conditions are in place for him to make the decision, including full assessments at the UN conference on the reform of the Palestinian Authority, disarming Hamas or future reconstruction. Israeli officials have spent months lobbying to prevent what some have described as "a nuclear bomb" for bilateral relations. The idea that France, one of Israel's closest allies and a G7 member, could recognise a Palestinian state, would certainly infuriate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When Britain and Canada joined France this month to say they could impose concrete measures on Israel and commit to recognising a Palestinian state, Netanyahu issued a firm rebuke, accusing the leaders of the three countries of antisemitism. Diplomats say Canada and Britain remain lukewarm for now about recognition, suggesting the priority is to make a difference on the ground, something that may dampen Macron's ambitions. According to two sources familiar with the matter, Israel's warnings to France have ranged from scaling back intelligence sharing to complicating Paris' regional initiatives - even hinting at possible annexation of parts of the West Bank. Whether that would materialise seems unlikely, given the likely international fallout fuelling one of Israel's greatest fears: deepening isolation, particularly with regard to Europe, its key trade partner. "(But) the reaction will be negative across the board (in Israel)," Tamir Hayman, Executive Director at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) told Reuters, adding it would feed an ultra-right narrative in Israel that the world is against it. "It would be useless and a waste of time." Macron strongly backed Israel after Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. But he has steadily sharpened his language against Israel over its actions in Gaza, where the death toll among Palestinians has risen to more than 50,000, according to Palestinian health officials. "We need to move towards recognition. Over the next few months, we will," Macron said during an interview on April 9. Even then, he hedged, setting vague conditions and saying he aimed to build momentum with a coalition backing France while nudging Muslim states toward recognising Israel. However, there are no indications for now that any new Muslim or Arab states are ready to move towards normalising ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia, the ultimate prize for Israeli normalisation, is in no position for any rapprochement given the anger in many Muslim countries over events in Gaza. "Regional peace begins with recognising the state of Palestine, not as a symbolic gesture, but as a strategic necessity," Manal Radwan, an adviser to the Saudi foreign minister, said in New York on Friday. She did not mention the possibility of recognising Israel. Macron's critics argue that recognition should come as part of negotiations towards a two-state solution - not before - and warning that an early move could weaken incentives for Palestinians to engage. Underlining divisions within the EU, one European diplomat said: "It is our view that this recognition would not be helpful now or encourage more action within the member states." Others say recognition must be twinned with other measures such as a Europe-wide ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territories and specific sanctions on Israeli officials. French officials say they will not be swayed by such criticism or by the Israeli pressure. "If there is a moment in history to recognise a Palestinian state even if it's just symbolic then I would say that moment has probably come," said a senior French official, adding that Macron may also want to leave a trace in history before his presidential mandate expires in 2027.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
‘Does he know anything?': Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev on Trump's plans to legitimise Russian annexation
When Mustafa Dzhemilev read the news about Donald Trump's plan for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, he could not believe his eyes. Part of the US administration's peace plan, say recent reports, would involve Washington recognising annexed Crimea as legitimate Russian territory, among other concessions to the Kremlin that Trump hopes might stop Russia's war on Ukraine. 'The whole world knows what happened in Crimea … It would be such a damage to the reputation of the US that it will be hard for them to recover. It would be shameful,' said Dzhemilev, a Soviet-era dissident turned Crimean Tatar political leader, in an interview at his office in Kyiv. Back in March 2014, during the Russian annexation, Dzhemilev was asked for his public declaration of support for Moscow's takeover by Vladimir Putin himself. The Russian president spoke by telephone to Dzhemilev, promising money and support for the Crimean Tatar community in exchange for his backing. 'He explained how we'll be so happy under Russian rule,' Dzhemilev said, recalling the conversation with disdain. Dzhemilev turned down the deal, saying that after centuries of oppressing the Crimean Tatars, the Russians were unlikely to change, and telling Putin the best thing he could do was remove his troops from the peninsula. A month later, when returning to Crimea from Kyiv, he was stopped at the new Russian frontier and told he was banned from entering. He has lived in exile in Kyiv ever since. Unlike government officials, who are required to moderate their opinions of the Trump administration for the sake of diplomatic nicety, the 81-year-old Dzhemilev pulls no punches. He talks quietly yet with a sharp turn of phrase and a dark sense of humour, pausing every few minutes to light a fresh cigarette or answer his mobile phone, set to a barking dog ringtone. 'We are in a situation where the head of the US administration, the president, is now a person who feels no emotions, in whose head there is only deal-making … To say the things he says, to say Ukraine shouldn't have started this war. Have they been keeping this man in the dark for the last years? Does he know anything? Has he read anything?' He recalled an interview with Trump's Russia envoy, Steve Witkoff, who failed to remember the names of all the regions he believed Russia had a reasonable claim to. 'That's a diplomat from the United States of America? I've seen a lot of stupid diplomats in my life, but one like him, that's a first,' he said. This is not Dzhemilev's first exile. In May 1944, when he was six months old, Joseph Stalin had the entire Crimean Tatar population rounded up and deported to Soviet Central Asia on cattle wagons, accusing them of collaboration during the Nazi occupation. Tens of thousands died on the journey. The Crimean Tatars had been the majority of the population in Crimea until the first Russian annexation, under Catherine the Great in the 18th century. In the intervening years, Russians had begun to dominate, and after Stalin's deportation every single Crimean Tatar was removed. From exile, Dzhemilev and other dissidents campaigned for a return. He received the first of many jail sentences in 1966 for refusing to do his military service, saying he could not fight in the army of the country that had stolen his homeland. It was not until 1989 that Crimean Tatars were officially allowed to return, where they found a very different Crimea and a local population that often viewed them as intruders. Many of their houses had been seized and their villages destroyed. Dzhemilev was elected chair of the Mejlis, the informal parliament of the Crimean Tatars, in 1991. During the early years of Ukrainian rule, Crimean Tatars were often accused of being separatists, wanting their own homeland in Crimea. In the end, they turned out to be some of Ukraine's fiercest defenders in the region. Since the annexation, Russia has launched multiple waves of persecution and arrests against the community, which is estimated to number around 250,000, or about 10% of the population of Crimea. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion Many Crimean Tatars have agreed to work with Russian authorities, but Dzhemilev insists that most have done so only under pressure. He conceded, however, that 11 years of Russian rule had made an impact. Children who were in kindergarten at the time of the annexation will soon be old enough to be mobilised into the Russian army, having had a decade of schooling in the Russian curriculum. 'Of course, this has an effect on some people's consciousness,' he said. Still, he believes that many Crimean Tatar families will ensure their children do not lose sight of their history, and is heartened by one of his own earliest memories, as a young schoolboy in 1953, when it was announced on the radio that Stalin had died. 'Everyone was crying, but not the Crimean Tatars. The first thing my dad said was, 'Finally, the dog has kicked it',' he remembered. A relative came by with some onions, in case crying on demand was required. Dzhemilev spent a total of 15 years in prisons and camps during the Soviet period, after seven different court cases. 'The biggest single sentence I got was three years. By today's Russian standards I guess they would have shot me 10 times. They are destroying the lives of people by giving them 17 or 20 years for some small thing that was overheard,' he said. There was a moment, in late 2022 and 2023, when Ukraine's army was on the offensive against the Russians and anything seemed possible, including Kyiv winning back Crimea. Dzhemilev recalled how, at the end of 2023, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, came to visit him, suggesting he record a New Year's Eve address that Ukrainian hackers could show on television channels in Crimea, replacing Putin's. In the address, Dzhemilev announced that 2024 would be the final year of Russian rule and advised recent arrivals to return to Russia. That did not happen. 'It seems the liberation of Crimea has been postponed,' he conceded. If the US does recognise Crimea, Dzhemilev hopes international leaders will put some kind of pressure on Russia to give guarantees to the Crimean Tatars. He has called on Turkey to push for the creation of an international monitoring group to work in Crimea, and for members of the Mejlis to be given the freedom to travel to Crimea with immunity from prosecution under Russian law. He was due to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at a diplomatic forum in Antalya in April to put the request to him in person. The pair have met several times before, but this time Erdoğan cancelled the meeting, citing a packed schedule, and sent a deputy instead, Dzhemilev said: 'One of his aides said to me that it wasn't really about time, it was because this is a person who likes to be able to fulfil people's requests. And he knew more or less what I was going to ask, and he knows he won't be able to fulfil it.' Dzhemilev's biography has a sad symmetry to it: decades of exile culminating in a return home, only for another exile to begin. He dismissed any personal hardship, noting that his years in the gulag had made him accustomed to being far from home. 'Personally, I am quite comfortable, I have no complaints. But the fact that our people fought to return home after the 1944 deportation for half a century and now are once again in a forced deportation, that is quite awful,' he said.
Russia Today
7 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Targeting Russian trade partners can help rebuild US reputation
US Senator Lindsey Graham has claimed that his plan to hit Russian trade partners with 500% tariffs would help President Donald Trump push Moscow towards a peace deal with Ukraine. At the same time, this would rebuild America's reputation after the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan under Joe Biden, Graham said. Graham, a longtime foreign policy hawk and Trump ally, is backing legislation that would impose a 500% tariff on countries that buy Russian energy, uranium, and other raw materials – measures aimed chiefly at India and China. The senator linked the situation to Afghanistan in an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal on Monday, described as 'a message' to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'America's shameful withdrawal from Afghanistan didn't merely damage our reputation; it set in motion aggression across the world,' the South Carolina Republican wrote. 'If the US continues to lead decisively on bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to an end, that could change. Mr. Trump can restore our reputation – and end the bloodbath.' Biden's handling of the 2021 exit from Afghanistan, which included the swift collapse of American-trained local forces and the Taliban's return to power in Kabul, has remained a frequent line of attack from Republicans. Critics have warned that Trump could make a similar blunder as he seeks to mediate an agreement between Moscow and Kiev. The president has claimed that the Ukraine conflict would not have broken out had he been in office instead of Biden. Graham's commentary responded to a recent editorial from the Wall Street Journal's board, which urged Trump not to distance himself from the conflict. 'It's pure fantasy to imagine that Mr. Trump can 'walk away' and let Mr. Putin win without damaging consequences,' the newspaper wrote, accusing Trump of 'acting like the war is someone else's problem.' Kiev and its European backers have called for additional sanctions after Moscow rejected a Ukrainian demand for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire – an idea viewed in Russia as an attempt by Kiev to gain unilateral military advantage. Russian officials are currently working on a peace framework that could set the stage for an eventual halt in fighting.
