—Turkey blocks NATO accession talks for Finland and Sweden
—Russian soldier pleads guilty at murder trial in Ukraine
—Ukrainian and Russian officials say peace negotiations have stagnated
—Finland and Sweden submit NATO membership applications
—This article was last updated at 22:25 UTC/GMT

This live updates article has been closed. For the latest on the war in Ukraine, please click here.

Zelenskyy says the war will be long in nightly address

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sought to prepare the Ukrainian public for a long war in their country during his nightly video address late Wednesday.

He told the Ukrainian people, “Kherson, Melitopol, Berdyansk, Enerhodar, Mariupol and all our cities and towns that are under occupation, under temporary occupation, should know that Ukraine will return.”

He said however the length of time that would take is dependent on battlefield conditions.

“We are trying to do it as soon as possible. We are committed to driving out the occupiers and guaranteeing Ukraine real security,” Zelenskyy said from Kyiv.

Ukraine extended martial law and the mass mobilization by 90 days until August 23.

UN chief hopeful about talks on Ukraine, Russia grain and fertilizer exports

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was in “intense contact” with Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, the United States and the European Union to try and restore Ukrainian grain shipments and revive Russian fertilizer exports.

“I am hopeful, but there is still a way to go,” he told a food security meeting at the UN hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “The complex security, economic and financial implications require goodwill on all sides.”

The war in Ukraine has further fueled already-soaring global prices for grains, cooking oils, fuel, and fertilizer.

At a separate meeting earlier, German Development Minister Svenja Schulze accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “using hunger as a weapon.”

She announced plans to launch a global food security alliance. “The terrible consequences of Russia’s war go far beyond Ukraine,” Schulze warned.

On Wednesday, the World Bank also announced an additional $12 billion (€11.5 million) in funding for projects to address the global food security crisis, bringing the total to $30 billion.

Russia closing Canada’s CBC Moscow bureau

Russia has withdrawn the visas and press credentials of Canada’s CBC and Radio Canada journalists and is shutting the organization’s Moscow bureau.

“With regret, we continue to notice open attacks on the Russian media from the countries of the so-called collective West who call themselves civilized,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

The move comes after Ottawa banned Russian state TV station Russia Today (RT).

In a statement, the CBC and its French-language unit Radio Canada said they had operated a bureau in Moscow for 44 years and were “deeply disappointed” by the decision.

Several other news outlets have lost their credentials and accreditation since the start of the war, while DW was told to clear out its Moscow bureau shortly before the invasion of Ukraine.

US reopens embassy in Kyiv

The United States reopened its embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.

In February, the embassy was closed, and diplomatic personnel “temporarily relocated” to Lviv in western Ukraine.

“The Ukrainian people, with our security assistance, have defended their homeland in the face of Russia’s unconscionable invasion, and, as a result, the Stars and Stripes are flying over the embassy once again,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Secretary Antony Blinken@SecBlinken

United States government official

The Stars and Stripes fly again over Embassy Kyiv. I can announce that we have officially resumed Embassy operations in Ukraine’s capital. We stand proudly with the government and people of Ukraine as they bravely defend their country from Putin’s brutal invasion. Slava Ukraini!

Many western countries, including Germany, France and the United Kingdom have reopened their embassies in Kyiv over the past month, after Russian troops pulled back from the city to focus on an offensive in the east of the country.

Prominent Austrians call for national debate on country’s neutrality

A group of prominent Austrians has written an open letter urging the country to engage in a “serious, nationwide discussion about the future of Austria’s security and defense policy.”

They called for this discussion to take place without blinkers. Acknowledging that they themselves were of different opinions on specific issues like neutrality and non-alignment, a deeper EU defense policy or Austria joining NATO, they said they agreed on one thing: “We are united in the conviction that the status quo of our security policy is not only unsustainable but dangerous for our country,” they wrote.

The group includes military and economic experts, as well as former ambassadors.

“We are now unprepared, and this is the worst security crisis in Europe since 1945,” they wrote.

Since the start of the war, Chancellor Karl Nehammer has struck a delicate balance with regard to Austria’s position. He has maintained that the country has no plans to change its security status, while at the same time declaring that military neutrality doesn’t necessarily mean moral neutrality.

Austria has strongly condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

European Commission starts work on joint defense spending

The European Commission urged member countries to replace stockpiles of arms sent to Ukraine.

The Commission is offering €500 million ($526 million) over two years to countries willing to work in groups to replenish their stocks.

It is part of a new plan under which the EU would play a more significant role in coordinating increased military spending amongst its members.

“We need to spend more on defense, and we need to do it in a coordinated way,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

A joint procurement taskforce would coordinate spending to replace stockpiles of arms sent to Ukraine in the short term. It would also help countries phase out Soviet-era equipment and improve air and missile defense systems.

The commission eventually wants the task force to lay the groundwork for a bigger joint procurement program in the future.

Czechs to get German tanks as it arms Ukraine

Germany would donate 15 tanks to the Czech armed forces.

It is part of a program under which Berlin aimed to help countries pass their stocks of Soviet weaponry to Ukraine.

“The exchange is another good example of how we are helping Ukraine in its brave fight against Russian aggression,” Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said.

Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said the move showed Germany’s appreciation of her country’s military help to Ukraine.

The Czechs have given Ukraine Soviet-era heavy weapons worth at least $130 million (€124 million). Prague has not disclosed the exact equipment, though local media reports suggest it had sent Soviet-made T-72 tanks and other heavy technology to Ukraine.

The Czech Republic also talked to Germany about purchasing up to 50 more new Leopard A7+ tanks.

Ukrainian refugees employed to help with Oktoberfest preparations

Ukrainian refugees have been pictured making and decorating gingerbread hearts at the ‘Zuckersucht’ bakery in Aschheim near Munich in Germany, for Oktoberfest.

Maria, a refugee from Mykolaiv in Ukraine, decorates gingerbread Oktoberfest hearts

Over the weekend, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wrote on Twitter that around 2,000 refugees were arriving in Germany each day, down from 15, 000 at the start of the war.

She added that many more were returning to their country across the Polish-Ukrainian border.

Refugees from Ukraine will be able to receivebasic welfare benefits in Germany as of June 1.

US and Russia contradict each other over sanctions impact

The US Treasury Secretary said sanctions against Russia had an enormous impact, but Russia said its economy was showing resilience.

“Russia is experiencing recession, high inflation, acute challenges in their financial system, and (an) inability to procure the material and products they need to support their war or their economy,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters ahead of a meeting of G7 finance ministers in Bonn, Germany.

Russia Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, though, was confident that inflation in Russia would slow down further.

Without directly commenting on Yellen’s remarks, Reshetnikov said Russia had withstood the first hit from sanctions, and it is impossible to isolate the country from abroad.

Turkey blocks NATO accession talks for Finland and Sweden — sources

Turkey has blocked the start of NATO accession talks for Finland and Sweden, diplomatic sources told DW on condition of anonymity.

Sources told DW’s Teri Schultz, currently on assignment in Stockholm, that NATO’s governing body could not decide as planned to start the accession process for the two candidate members as Turkey objected.

Teri Schultz@terischultz
Not yet, Nordics.

#NATO ambassadors discussed the Finnish and Swedish membership bids this morning and could have approved opening negotiations, but #Turkey blocked the decision.

Finland and Sweden submitted their bids to join the military alliance earlier on Wednesday.

Turkey claims that both Sweden and Finland have provided a refuge for Kurdish groups it labels “terrorists,” and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Ankara will not approve the expansion.

Erdogan reiterated his objections on Wednesday, during a speech to lawmakers from his party, saying that “we cannot say yes” to Finland and Sweden’s bid until they return “terrorists” to Turkey.

Russian soldier pleads guilty of murder at Kyiv trial

Vadim S., a 21-year-old Russian tank commander held in Ukraine, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to killing an unarmed civilian.

After his convoy was hit, the defendant and four other fleeing soldiers are alleged to have stole a car from outside the village of Chupakhivka in the early days of the invasion.

He is accused of attacking the 62-year-old, who was riding past them on a bicycle, to prevent him from reporting their presence.

“One of the military servicemen ordered the accused to kill a civilian so that he would not report them. The man died on the spot just a few dozen meters from his home,” Ukrainian prosecutors said.

The soldier is charged with war crimes and premeditated murder and could face a life sentence.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that it had not been informed about the case.

“We still have no information. And the ability to provide assistance due to the lack of our diplomatic mission there is also very limited,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry says it is expelling scores of diplomats from several European countries in a retaliatory move to their expulsions of Russian diplomatic personnel.

Moscow said it was expelling 34 “employees of French diplomatic missions” in a tit-for-tat move.

In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said 27 employees of the Spanish embassy in Moscow and the Spanish Consulate General in Saint Petersburg “have been declared personae non-gratae.” Meanwhile, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian news agencies that 24 Italian diplomats had also been expelled, also in an apparent retaliatory move.

A diplomatic source told the AFP news agency the French diplomats had been given two weeks to leave the country. The announcement comes in response to France kicking out 35 Russians with diplomatic status in April.

The French Foreign Office said the step had “no legitimate basis.” In a statement, it said that “the work of the diplomats and staff at [France’s] embassy in Russia… takes place fully within the framework of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic and consular relations.” Paris expelled the Russian staff in April on suspicion of being spies.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Wednesday condemned Russia’s expulsions of the various nations’ diplomats. “This is clearly a hostile act,” he said.

EU proposes up to €9 billion in more aid to Ukraine

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed extra aid to Ukraine this year of up to nine billion euros ($9.5 billion).

Speaking in a broadcast statement, von der Leyen said the fund would help the country cope with the ravages of war.

The Commission president said it was time to think about rebuilding Ukraine whenever the war ends. She added that the EU had “a strategic interest in leading this reconstruction effort”.

Speaking in a broadcast statement, von der Leyen said the EU also intends to mobilize up to €300 billion of investment by 2030 to end the bloc’s reliance on Russian oil and gas.

The investments will include €10 billion for gas infrastructure, €2 billion for oil, and the rest for clean energy, von der Leyen told reporters.

Ukraine calls for Azovstal fighters to be exchanged

Ukrainian military officials say they still hope fighters extracted from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol could be exchanged for Russian prisoners of war.

However, Russian lawmakers plan to take up a resolution that would prevent the exchange of Azov Regiment fighters on Wednesday.

The soldiers held out for months inside the Azovstal steelworks plant while Mariupol was under siege.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, nearly 1,000 Ukrainian holed up at the works have surrendered this week — many of whom are wounded.

They are reported to have been taken to a reopened former penal colony in Russian-controlled territory.

It’s unclear how many fighters still remain at the sprawling site which became the last bastion of Ukrainian resistance within Mariupol.

Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar has said negotiations for the troops’ release are ongoing with some fighters still believed to be inside the mill.

Donetsk separatist leader Denis Pushilin has said a court will decide the fate of the Ukrainian fighters, a local media outlet reported.

G7 ministers meet to discuss finance for Ukraine

The finance ministers of the Group of Seven leading economies are meeting in Germany to discuss short-term aid to stabilize the Ukrainian national budget.

It’s believed that the country needs some €5 billion of assistance for an initial period of three months.

The consultations beginning on Wednesday near the western city of Bonn are to be attended by central bank governors and some experts. A joint declaration is planned for Friday.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday said the European Union was likely to make significant financial contributions to keep Ukraine going. Yellen added that she hoped other G7 members like Britain, Canada and Japan would also step up.

Yellen, who was in Brussels on Tuesday, said the US has made a strong commitment to funding Ukraine and that it was clear that the EU was “very serious about wanting to provide the necessary aid as well.”

US Treasury officials have also said they plan to propose the idea of European countries imposing tariffs on Russian oil — as a faster alternative to an outright ban on it — at the meeting.

EU officials are now considering a phased embargo on Russian oil, but there are concerns from eastern European countries about supply. A tariff mechanism would be designed to keep Russian oil on the market but limit the amount of revenue that can flow to Moscow from exports, the Treasury officials said.

Finland and Sweden formally submit NATO bids

Finland and Sweden have formally submitted their bids to join NATO , despite Turkey’s threat to block the addition of the Nordic nations.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he had received application letters from the two Nordic countries’ ambassadors.

“I warmly welcome the requests by Finland and Sweden to join NATO. You are our closest partners,” Stoltenberg told reporters.

Finland — which has a 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) border with Russia — and its neighbor Sweden have been disturbed by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The two countries’ accession would end decades of military neutrality to join the alliance as a defense against feared aggression from Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday warned that the expansion of NATO might trigger a response. However, the main obstacle to Finland and Sweden’s membership comes from within the alliance.

Turkey claims that both Sweden and Finland have provided a refuge for terrorist groups and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists Ankara will not approve the expansion.

Any bid to join NATO must be approved unanimously by all 30 members of the alliance.

US sets up conflict monitor on Ukraine

The United States has set up a new monitoring body to build legal cases against Russia for crimes committed during its war against Ukraine.

The State Department says it aims to contribute to eventual prosecutions in the domestic courts of Ukraine and those of third-party countries, plus US courts and other tribunals. The monitor would also provide information refuting Russian disinformation campaigns.

Announcing the creation of the Conflict Observatory, State Department spokesman Ned Price said it would “ensure that crimes committed by Russia’s forces are documented and perpetrators are held accountable.”

“The program will capture, analyze, and make publicly available open-source information and evidence of atrocities, human rights abuses, and harm to civilian infrastructure, including Ukraine’s cultural heritage,” he said.

Reports will be posted on ConflictObservatory.org. Price said the observatory was a collaboration that would involve scientists and the private sector.

First war crimes trial against Russian soldier in Kyiv

The first war crimes trial against a Russian soldier since the start of the invasion is set to start on Wednesday.

A Russian soldier will appear at Kyiv’s Solomyansky district court from 2 p.m. local time (1100 GMT) accused of killing a 62-year-old civilian in northeastern Ukraine on February 28. He faces a possible life sentence.

“He understands what he is being accused of,” his lawyer Viktor Ovsiannikov told the AFP news agency. “This is the first such case in Ukraine with such an indictment. There is no relevant legal practice or verdicts on such cases. We will sort it out.”

Ukrainian authorities said the suspect is cooperating with investigators.

Prosecutors say the suspect was commanding a unit in a tank division when his convoy came under attack. According to prosecutors, he and four other soldiers stole a car and as they were traveling near the northeastern village of Shupakhivka, they encountered a 62-year-old man on a bicycle.

“One of the soldiers ordered the accused to kill the civilian so that he would not denounce them,” the prosecutor’s office said. The suspect then shot the man from the window of the vehicle, prosecutors say.

The trial is likely to be followed by other cases. Two Russian soldiers are due to go on trial on Thursday for allegedly firing rockets at civilian infrastructure in the Kharkiv region.

On Tuesday, the office of the Ukrainian chief prosecutor tweeted that it had registered 11,846 cases of “crimes of aggression and war crimes” and 5,644 “crimes against national security” involving 623 suspects.

Peace negotiations have stagnated — Ukrainian, Russian officials

Ukrainian and Russian officials have said that negotiations between the two countries have stagnated.

Moscow has accused Ukraine of hardening its stance. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko that Kyiv has “practically withdrawn from the negotiation process.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Western countries want to use Ukraine to their strategic advantage. He argued that no peace deal can be made if negotiators focus on the West’s concerns rather than the immediate situation in Ukraine.

“We always say that we are ready for negotiations … but we were given no other choice,” Lavrov said.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that talks are “on hold” as Russia is not willing to accept it “will not achieve any goals.”

“Russia does not demonstrate a key understanding of today’s processes in the world,” Podolyak said, according to Ukrainian media. “And its extremely negative role.”

Russia’s Lavrov says NATO accession for Finland, Sweden makes ‘no big difference’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Finland and Sweden joining NATO would not make “much difference.”

“Finland and Sweden, as well as other neutral countries, have been participating in NATO military exercises for many years,” Lavrov said.

“NATO takes their territory into account when planning military advances to the East. So in this sense there is probably not much difference. Let’s see how their territory is used in practice in the North Atlantic alliance.”

Russian deputy PM visits Kherson region

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin has visited the Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.

RIA Novosti reported that Khusnullin said that the region would take a “worthy place in our Russian family.” Kherson is under Russian occupation.

On May 1, Moscow introduced the Russian ruble as official currency in the region.

A few days ago, the Russian-installed local government in Kherson said it plans to appeal to Moscow for the right to become part of the Russian Federation.

EU to unveil plan to end reliance on Russian fossil fuels

The European Commission will unveil a €210 billion plan ($222 billion) to end Europe’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels by 2027 and accelerate the shift to green energy.

Russia supplies 40% of the EU’s gas and 27% of its imported oil.

According to draft documents cited by Reuters, Brussels plans to import more non-Russian gas, implement a faster rollout of renewable energy and make efforts to save energy.

Summary of events in Ukraine-Russia crisis on Tuesday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise video address at the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival. The former actor turned statesman asked for the cinema world’s solidarity with his people in the face of the Russian invasion.

The International Criminal Court sent war crimes investigators to Ukraine in what it called the largest deployment of its kind in the ICC’s history.

Eight people were killed and 12 wounded in a Russian airstrike on the village of Desna in the northern Ukrainian region of Chernihiv, the regional emergency service said.

Finland’s parliament overwhelmingly approved a proposal to join NATO.

Ukraine’s military said it was working to evacuate all remaining troops from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Turkish concerns over Finland and Sweden’s possible membership in the alliance need to be addressed.

The western Ukrainian city of Lviv was reportedly hit by at least eight explosions.

Catch up on yesterday’s events by clicking here

si,rc/jsi (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-give-czechs-tanks-so-it-could-provide-more-weapons-to-ukraine-as-it-happened/a-61832918

The post Germany to give Czechs tanks so it could provide more weapons to Ukraine — as it happened first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

“As of December 14, 2021, the Libyan coast guard had intercepted 30,990 migrants and refugees and returned them to Libya, almost three times the total number of people returned in 2020,” wrote UN Secretary General António Guterres in an internal report to the UN Security Council.

According to UN figures, in 2020, 12,000 migrants were officially intercepted by the Libyan coast guard and returned to Libya. The actual numbers of those detained in Libya is estimated to be much higher.

The numbers of those reported dead and missing on the Mediterranean route between North Africa and the EU also increased. According to figures from the UN Migration Agency IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,300 people were reported dead or missing on that route in 2021. That makes the Mediterranean route one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world.

Also read: Libyan coast: More than 160 migrants died in crossing attempt

Mediterranean arrivals
The numbers of those who reached countries like Italy, Malta and Spain from North Africa also rose in 2021. Across the whole of the Mediterranean, which also includes those arriving from Lebanon and Turkey via Greece and Cyprus, as well as those arriving in Italy, Spain and Malta, 2021 saw 122,485 arrivals. The UN also registered 1,971 people dead or missing.

According to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR’s figures, the numbers of those arriving in 2021 had returned almost to pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, 123,663 migrants arrived in the Mediterranean and 1,335 were reported dead and missing.

The numbers of those dead and missing are thought to be much higher than the official figures suggest, since many migrants do not tell their families when they are about to make a crossing, or even where they are. Migrants who have made it have told InfoMigrants that often they don’t want to admit to their families and friends how bad their situations really are, so sometimes their families might not hear from them for months on end.

Migrant nationalities
The IOM’s migrant flow monitoring website shows that the majority of migrants arriving in Europe in 2021 came from Tunisia (15,675). Moroccans accounted for the next largest group (14,015). Migrants from various countries in Sub Saharan Africa were next (13,491) and Algeria and Egypt, followed by Bangladeshis. Those from Iran, Ivory Coast, Afghanistan and Iraq accounted for the rest of the top ten arrivals in descending order.

Also according to the IOM, 2017 was the last time that Europe saw so many people migrating through its borders. In 2017, arrivals stood at 187,499 and in 2016, 389,976. The great majority of people arriving that year came from Syria.

In 2021, the Italian authorities registered more than 67,000 arrivals. Spain registered over 43,000 new arrivals, the vast majority, as in the case of Italy, arrived by sea. Spain’s figures also include migrants arriving over the Atlantic route from West Africa towards the Canary Islands.

With dpa and AFP

Source: https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/37976/numbers-of-migrants-intercepted-by-libyan-coast-guard-almost-tripled-in-2021

The post Numbers of migrants intercepted by Libyan coast guard ‘almost tripled’ in 2021 first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres opened the meeting by describing the violence as “utterly appalling” and said the fighting must stop immediately.

Rockets launched by Hamas have hit Ashkelon, southern Israel  – Reuters

---

Sunday was the deadliest day so far

The Israeli airstrikes hit a busy street in Gaza just after midnight on Sunday, causing at least three buildings to collapse and dozens of deaths.

Hamas launched a barrage of rockets towards southern Israel overnight and during the afternoon.

Millions of Israelis scrambled to safe rooms or shelters as sirens went off. Palestinians also tried to take precautions, but in the densely packed and poorly resourced Gaza Strip, many had nowhere to go.

Riyad Eshkuntana told Reuters news agency he put his daughters to sleep in a room of his house that he thought was the furthest from the explosions. Only one of his daughters, Suzy, six, survived the night. His wife and three other children died.

“I ran to check up on the girls,” said Mr. Eshkuntana. “My wife jumped she hugged the girls to take them out from the room, then a second airstrike hit the room… The ceilings were destroyed and I was under the rubble.”

The Israeli military later said it had been conducted a strike on a militant tunnel system in the area. The tunnels’ collapsed caused the houses above to collapse as well, leading to unintended civilian casualties, it said.

Suzy, six, was rescued from rubble in Gaza City on Sunday, but five members of her family died – Reuters

---

Israel’s military says it has been targeting leaders and infrastructure linked to Hamas.

It said it had also struck the homes of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his brother Muhammad Sinwar, whom it described as the head of logistics and manpower for the movement.

It was unlikely they were at home at the time of the strikes, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Gazan rescue workers spent the day trying to rescue people from under the debris from the strikes.

The Palestinian health ministry said a doctor was among the dead: Dr. Ayman Abu Al-Ouf, head of internal medicine at Shifa hospital and part of the coronavirus team.

• What is Hamas?
• How Israel’s Iron Dome missile shield works
• Boris Johnson condemns ‘shameful’ anti-Semitism in video

In Israel, Hamas rockets hit Ashkelon, Ashdod, Netivot, and other parts of central and southern Israel. There were no reports of casualties.

The Israeli military said it had seen the highest ever concentration of rocket attacks on its territory during the past week.

The country’s Iron Dome defense system has intercepted many of them. But some caused damage to cars and buildings, including the Yad Michael synagogue in Ashkelon, where a hole was blasted through the wall just before an evening service for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. No one was reported hurt and locals moved quickly to clear up the damage so the service could go ahead, according to the Times of Israel.

---

Israelis clean up a rocket-damaged synagogue in Ashkelon – Reuters

---

A car-ramming incident also took place in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem on Sunday evening. An Israeli police spokesman said the driver had been shot dead and four Israeli officers injured.

The threat to evict Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah to make way for Israeli settlers sparked the current round of violence between Israel and the Palestinians.

Those tensions culminated in clashes at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews, and, on Monday, Hamas began firing rockets after warning Israel to withdraw from the site, triggering retaliatory airstrikes.

How likely is a ceasefire?

By Paul Adams, the BBC diplomatic correspondent

Is Israel’s military operation in Gaza, dubbed “Guardian of the Walls”, nearing its conclusion?

Not obviously. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks are continuing with “full force” and will “take time”.

In a news conference on Sunday, he admitted there were “pressures” but thanked US President Joe Biden, in particular, for his support.

Mr Biden’s envoy, Hady Amr, has been in Israel since Friday, discussing the crisis with Israeli officials.

Since the US, like Israel and many other countries, regards Hamas as a terrorist organisation, Mr Amr will not be meeting one of the two warring parties.

Any messages for Hamas will have to go through traditional interlocutors, such as Egypt or Qatar.

Local reports suggest Hamas has been offering some kind of ceasefire for several days, only to be rebuffed by Israel, which clearly wants to inflict as much damage as it can on the militants before the fighting is finally brought to a close.

These episodes follow a familiar pattern: Israel presses home its undoubted military advantage until the international outcry over civilian casualties, and a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, demand that the operation end.

In Israel’s estimation, we have not reached that point yet.

What happened during the UN meeting?

The 15-member UN Security Council has been unable to agree on a public statement in recent days and none was forthcoming after the meeting.

The United States – a strong ally of Israel – is said to be the hold-out, believing it would be unhelpful in the diplomatic process.

In Sunday’s meeting, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the US was ready to offer support “should the parties seek a ceasefire” and had been working tirelessly to try to bring an end to the conflict.

Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Maliki, spoke of Saturday’s attack on a refugee camp, which killed 10 members of the same family, leaving a five-month-old survivor to be pulled from the rubble. “Israel often asks us to put ourselves in their shoes,” he said, “but they are not wearing shoes. They’re wearing military boots.”

In response, Israel’s Permanent Representative, Gilad Erdan, cited the death of a 10-year-old Arab-Israeli girl, killed by a Hamas rocket. He insisted Israel was mounting what he called “a heroic effort” to “dismantle terrorist infrastructure and avoid civilian casualties”.

Mr Erdan ended by urging the Security Council to unequivocally condemn Hamas but warned that Israel would take all steps necessary to protect itself.

Timeline: How the violence escalated

The worst violence in years between Israel and the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip has seen dozens killed. It follows a month of spiralling tensions before open conflict broke out. Here is what happened in the lead-up to the fighting.

Israeli police officers detain a young Palestinian man at the Damascus Gate – Getty Images

---

Clashes erupt in East Jerusalem between Palestinians and Israeli police.

Palestinians are angry over barriers that had been placed outside the Damascus Gate entrance to Jerusalem‘s Old City preventing them from gathering thereafter prayers at the Old City’s Al-Aqsa Mosque on what is the first night of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Palestinian discontent had been stoked earlier in the day when President Mahmoud Abbas called off planned elections, implicitly blaming Israel over voting arrangements for Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

Hamas – Mr Abbas’ Islamist rivals who control Gaza and were running in the elections – react angrily to the postponement.

Violence around Damascus Gate and elsewhere in East Jerusalem continues nightly.

15-16 April

Rockets are fired from Gaza at Israel, which responds with airstrikes after a relative period of calm between Israel and the Palestinian enclave.

19 April

Clashes spread to the mixed Arab-Jewish port city of Jaffa, next to Tel Aviv.

20 April

In Jerusalem, Jewish youths, angry over a spate of filmed assaults by Palestinians on Orthodox Jews posted on the TikTok video-sharing app, attack Arabs and chant anti-Arab slogans.

23 April

Hundreds of ultra-nationalist Jews shouting “Death to Arabs” march towards Damascus Gate in protest at the Arab assaults on Jews. Clashes erupt at the site between Palestinians and police trying to separate the two groups, injuring dozens of people.

Violence between Arabs and Jews spreads to other parts of the city.

24 April

Militants fire dozens of rockets at Israel from Gaza, drawing retaliatory airstrikes.

2 May

President Abbas’ Fatah faction and Hamas condemn the looming threatened eviction of Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem by Jewish settlers ahead of a planned court hearing. Hamas calls on Arabs to form “human shields of resistance” there.

In the days that follow, police and protesters repeatedly clash at the site as it becomes a focal point for Palestinian anger.

4 May

Militants in Gaza begin sending incendiary balloons into Israel over successive days, causing dozens of fires.

7 May

Two Palestinian gunmen are shot dead and a third is wounded after opening fire on Israeli security forces in the northern West Bank. Israeli authorities say the group planned to carry out a “major attack” in Israel.

Later on after Friday prayers – the last of Ramadan – major clashes erupt at the al-Aqsa mosque compound, injuring more than 200 people. Israel’s police force says it used “riot dispersal means”, firing rubber bullets and stun grenades after officers came under a hail of stones and bottles.

8 May

A second night of violence erupts in East Jerusalem after tens of thousands of worshippers prayed at the al-Aqsa mosque for Laylat al-Qadr, the holiest night of Ramadan.

Police and protesters clash at Damascus Gate, with police using water cannon, rubber bullets and tear gas against crowds of Palestinians, some throwing stones.

More than 120 Palestinians and some 17 police are injured.

9 May

Israel’s Supreme Court postpones the hearing on the Sheikh Jarrah case following calls to delay it because of the growing unrest. Tensions remain high though and more clashes take place between Israeli police and Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah and at Damascus Gate.

10 May

Early morning clashes break out between police and Palestinians at the al-Aqsa mosque compound, where crowds throw stones and officers fire stun grenades.

Palestinian anger has been inflamed by an annual Jerusalem Day march planned for later in the day by hundreds of Israeli nationalists to celebrate Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem in 1967.

The march is due to pass through predominantly Arab parts of the Old City in what is seen by Palestinians as a deliberate provocation. It is rerouted at the 11th hour, but the atmosphere remains volatile with more than 300 Palestinians and some 21 police injured in the violence at the holy site.

Hamas issues an ultimatum to Israel to “withdraw its soldiers… from the blessed al-Aqsa mosque and Sheikh Jarrah” by 18:00. When the deadline passes without an Israeli response, rockets are fired towards Jerusalem for the first time in years.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the group has “crossed a red line” and Israel retaliates with airstrikes, killing three Hamas fighters.

A continuing exchange of rocket fire and airstrikes quickly escalates into the fiercest hostilities between the two sides since they fought a war in 2014.

---

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57131272

[Disclaimer]

The post Israel Gaza conflict: Netanyahu says strikes to ‘continue at full force’ first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Bill Browder — the British businessman and anti-Vladimir Putin activist who has successfully pushed for sanctions on Russia for its human rights violations — spoke with Salon to analyze why Russian officials and media outlets are condemning President Donald Trump’s decision to have a drone strike assassinate Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

“I think that more than anything, Putin is absolutely terrified by the assassination of Soleimani,” Browder told Salon by email on Saturday. “If the US can go after a high-level military enemy from the air with drones and kill him, it means that the US can go after any of their political and military enemies in the same way. At some point, it could be Putin’s turn.”

He added, “Putin was traumatized after Gaddafi’s killing and this opens up a whole new range of terrible possibilities for him. Putin only respects extreme violence and power and this speaks to him like nothing else.”

In the aftermath of Soleimani’s assassination, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to Soleimani’s killing as an “adventurist” step by the Trump administration and said “Soleimani was devoted to protecting Iran’s national interests. We express our sincere condolences to the Iranian people.” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Soleimani’s assassination “grossly violates international law” and claimed that “the targeted actions of a UN member state to eliminate officials of another UN member state, moreover, on the territory of a third sovereign state without its knowledge, flagrantly violate the principles of international law and deserve condemnation.”

Meanwhile, a Russian state television reporter, Stanislav Khamdokhov of RIA Novosti, described the assassination as “a terrorist act” by the American government and RIA Novosti columnist Irina Alksnis argued that “Americans are steadily losing political positions in the Middle East. Russia, Turkey, and Iran are stepping on their heels. Washington simply does not have the strength to challenge Moscow in Syria or Tehran in Iraq.”

Russia is not alone in reacting negatively to the assassination of Soleimani. The Iraqi parliament voted on Sunday to kick American troops out of their country, while the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement through a spokesperson that he is “deeply concerned” about the assassination and believes “this is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint. The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf.”

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer told a news conference in Berlin, “The American action was a reaction to a whole series of military provocations which Iran is responsible for. We are at a dangerous point of escalation. It’s now about contributing to a de-escalation with calm and restraint.” Similarly, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that “we have always recognized the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force led by Qassem Soleimani. Following his death, we urge all parties to de-escalate. Further conflict is in none of our interests.”

By contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that Soleimani was “responsible for the death of American citizens and many other innocent people. He was planning more such attacks. President Trump deserves all the credit for acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively.” He concluded that “Israel stands with the United States in its just struggle for peace, security, and self-defense.”

MATTHEW ROZSA

Matthew Rozsa is a breaking news writer for Salon. He holds an MA in History from Rutgers University-Newark and is ABD in his Ph.D. program in History at Lehigh University. His work has appeared in Mic, Quartz, and MSNBC.

MORE FROM MATTHEW ROZSA

Source: https://www.salon.com/2020/01/05/exclusive-anti-putin-activist-says-russian-government-likely-scared-by-trumps-attack-on-iran/

The post Exclusive: Anti-Putin activist says Russian government likely scared by Trump’s attack on Iran first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

TUNIS – Arab leaders, long divided by regional rivalries, condemned on Sunday a US decision to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and said Middle East stability depended on creating an Palestinian state.

Arab leaders, gathering at summit in Tunis, have been under popular pressure to reject Washington’s action, while they also grapple with regional differences, including a bitter Gulf Arab dispute, splits over Iran’s regional influence, the war in Yemen and unrest in Algeria and Sudan.

The abrupt departure from the summit of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who is locked in a row with Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies, suggested regional differences were not easily buried. No reason was given for his departure.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz told Arab monarchs, presidents and prime ministers at the meeting that his country “absolutely rejects” any measures affecting Syria’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

President Donald Trump’s signed a proclamation last week recognizing the Golan Heights as part of Israel, which annexed the area in 1981 after capturing it from Syria in 1967.

The Saudi king’s condemnation echoed those of Arab officials before Sunday’s summit of the Arab League, which usually ends with a final declaration agreed by the 22 member states.

Trump’s Golan decision followed a US move less than four months ago to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a decision that also drew Arab condemnation. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi said Arab leaders also needed to ensure the international community understood the importance of the Palestinian cause to Arab nations.

Regional and international stability should come through “a just and comprehensive settlement that includes the rights of the Palestinian people and leads to the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” Essebsi said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who addressed the meeting in Tunis, said any resolution to the Syrian conflict must guarantee the territorial integrity of Syria “including the occupied Golan Heights.”
The Tunis summit brought together the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar for the first time at the same gathering since 2017 when Riyadh and its allies imposed a political and economic boycott on Doha.

But Qatar’s emir left the summit hall shortly after Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit praised the way Saudi Arabia handled its rotating Arab League presidency last year, live television footage showed.

Qatar’s state news agency did not say why Tamim left, but Tunisia’s state news agency TAP said the rest of Qatar’s delegation stayed.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism and say it has been cozying up to Iran, a charge Doha denies.

The row has defied mediation efforts by Kuwait and the United States, which called Gulf Arab states to unite in opposition to Iranian influence in the region.

King Salman, whose country has long vied with Iran for influence, called for confronting what he called the “aggressive policies of the Iranian regime.” He said Iran was interfering in Arab affairs, a charge Tehran dismisses.

Arab states remain divided over other issues, including how to deal with pro-democracy protests that have erupted in the region since 2011.

The leaders of Sudan and Algeria were not at Sunday’s meeting as both nations have been roiled by anti-government protests.

Syria’s seat at the summit was vacant. Damascus as been suspended from the League since 2011 over its crackdown on protesters at the start of its civil war. The League has said no consensus has yet been reached to allow Syria’s reinstatement.

Source: https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Arab-leaders-condemn-US-recognition-of-Israeli-Golan-585358

The post Arab leaders condemn U.S. Recognition of Israeli Golan first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

A composite image of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Associated Press/Virginia Mayo; Nicolas Asfouri – Pool/Getty

• The killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi could potentially lead to charges against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under international law.
• But experts say that would never happen without an independent investigation.
• Sherine Tadros, head of the UN office for Amnesty International in New York, says the UN needs to head an independent investigation into Khashoggi’s death.
• But even if an independent investigation was carried out, experts say Saudi Arabia would work to ensure he wouldn’t face any consequences.

The troubling killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi could potentially lead to charges against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under international law, experts say, if an independent investigation is carried out.

But experts say Saudi Arabia would work to ensure no matter what that he wouldn’t face any consequences.

Khashoggi, who wrote for The Washington Post and was often critical of the Saudi government, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

After weeks of denials, the Saudis acknowledged he was killed in the consulate. The Saudis have since acknowledged that Khashoggi’s killing was “likely” premeditated but have attempted to distance the crown prince from the incident.

But multiple accounts have suggested that the crown prince, informally referred to as MBS, orchestrated the events that led to Khashoggi’s killing. Khashoggi was reportedly killed in a brutal fashion that involved torture, and reports indicate his body was dismembered.

Some believe MBS could, and should, possibly face justice in civil and criminal courts.

‘The acts against Mr. Khashoggi are serious violations of international human rights law’

Stephen Rapp, the former US State Department ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, recently told The Washington Post that the killing amounted to “serious violations of international human rights law, including the law to protect the individual from torture and forced disappearance.”

International law and precedent could allow prosecutors in several countries to bring charges against MBS, and Khashoggi’s family could also potentially bring a case against him in civil courts, Rapp told The Post.

For example, the UN Convention against Torture, of which Saudi Arabia is a signatory, could pave the way for charges to be brought against MBS or other Saudi officials.

Countries that are signatories of the convention, via the principal of universal jurisdiction, could refer a case to the International Court of Justice, or ICJ. The court could pursue an order for Saudi Arabia to prosecute or extradite MBS and the other officials suspected of being involved, Rapp said.

Rapp also said that even if MBS didn’t know about the operation, as the Saudis have claimed, he could still be viewed as culpable under US and international law due to what’s known as “command responsibility,” because of his authority and responsibility over those involved.

But not all legal experts are convinced such scenarios are realistic.

‘The Saudis will never go along’

Bradley P. Moss, a Washington, DC-based lawyer specializing in national security, said the possibilities outlined by Rapp could be done “in theory.”

“Realistically speaking, however, virtually none of these options will be likely to come to fruition absent significant pressure from the US (and President Trump in particular),” Moss told Business Insider.

Moss said there’s no reason to believe the Saudis would allow MBS to be extradited to face justice on the international level or in Turkey, where the killing occurred.

 Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

“The ability to prosecute someone of MBS’ level of seniority and authority is contingent on the approval of that person’s country, and the Saudis will never go along with that idea voluntarily,” Moss added.

But Moss did say that if global arrest warrants are issued for MBS, he could be “largely confined to Saudi Arabia for many years for fear of extradition.”

“It may be that MBS personally faces sanctions of some kind by the United States and other countries, and that Saudi Arabia as a country faces some political and financial pressure for a few years,” Moss said. “That is likely to be the extent of what occurs though.”

‘The first step of course is an actual credible investigation’

Sherine Tadros, head of the UN office for Amnesty International in New York, says the UN needs to head an independent investigation into Khashoggi’s death before discussing potential charges against MBS or other Saudi officials.

There are two current investigations into Khashoggi’s killing: one by the Turkish government and the other by the Saudi government. Neither have been particularly transparent, and many of the reports surrounding Khashoggi’s death have been based on leaks from Turkish officials.

“What we have are two so-called investigations,” Tadros told Business Insider.

“The Saudis keep changing their mind,” Tadros said. “They don’t even know where the body is, yet they are sure that nothing is linked to the crown prince.”

Tadros said if it turns out MBS was involved in Khashoggi’s death, then Amnesty would love to see “justice go all the way to the top.”

“But the first step of course is an actual credible investigation,” Tadros said, adding that the Turkish investigation has been “highly politicized” and the way in which they’ve leaked information is “highly suspect.”

Tadros said the “best shot we have” at true justice is a “UN investigation that will be transparent, not politicized, and credible.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply troubled” after Riyadh confirmed Khashoggi was killed in the consulate, and called for a “prompt, thorough, transparent” probe into the incident.

‘There’s a war on freedom of expression, and freedom of speech, and credible journalism’

Tadros said the most “realistic” way for such an investigation to occur is for Turkey to write a letter to Guterres formally requesting a probe.

But Tadros also said both Turkey and Saudi Arabia have reasons to be against a full and independent investigation.

“At the end of the day the Saudis have clearly had a very destructive hand in the events that went on inside of that consulate,” Tadros said. “They don’t want to see a real investigation happen.”

She also said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s troubling record on press freedom might make him reluctant to set a precedent in which the UN investigates crimes against journalists on Turkish soil. But Turkey this week said it would cooperate if the UN and other international bodies call for an independent probe.

Khashoggi’s killing has “garnered so much incredible attention,” Tadros said, that she’s deeply concerned about the message sent “to dictators and leaders who attack journalists on a day by day basis if nothing happens.”

“There’s a war on freedom of expression, and freedom of speech, and credible journalism, and I think we are losing that war,” Tadros said.

SEE ALSO: Here’s everything we know about the troubling disappearance and death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

---

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/khashoggi-death-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-mbs-charges-2018-10?r=UK&IR=T

The post Khashoggi’s brutal killing could lead to charges against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The post ‘Threat to the World’: Hungary to Quit UN Migration Accord Before It is Approved first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The post Iran says will make or buy and weapons it needs, blasts ‘invading powers’ first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Conflicts have proliferated around the world and with them has come a rise in food insecurity. Credit: Reuters

The deliberate starvation of civilians could amount to a war crime and should be prosecuted, said an independent UN human rights expert.

In a new report, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Hilal Elver, examined the right to food in conflict situations and found a grim picture depicting the most severe humanitarian crisis since the UN was established.

“Contrary to popular belief, casualties resulting directly from combat usually make up only a small proportion of deaths in conflict zones, with most individuals, in fact perishing from hunger and disease,” she said.

Conflicts have proliferated around the world and with them has come a rise in food insecurity.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the proportion of undernourished people living in countries in conflict and protracted crises is almost three times higher than that in other developing countries.

In five conflict-stricken countries alone, approximately 20 million are facing famine and starvation.

Another estimated 70 million people in 45 countries currently require emergency food assistance, a 40% increase from 2015.

Since the human right to food is a universal one, Elver noted that countries and other parties to conflicts must act and avoid using food as a weapon of war.

“If the famine [occurs] from deliberate action by state or other players, using food as a weapon of war is an international crime and there is an individual responsibility to that,” she said.

“The international community should make it clear that this is a war crime or a crime against humanity, otherwise we will give a certain permission [to it],” Elver continued.

In Yemen, rates of acute malnutrition have increased dramatically since the beginning of the civil war in 2015, making it the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Approximately 60% of the population are food insecure while seven million are at risk of famine and acute food insecurity, a situation that is expected to worsen without an increase in emergency food assistance.

According to the World Food Programme, over three million children and pregnant or nursing women are acutely malnourished, making them susceptible to communicable diseases such as cholera.

Already, a severe cholera outbreak that began in April has killed over 2,000 people and has exacerbated the nutrition crisis.

Parties to the ongoing conflict have played a significant and deliberate role in the decreased access to food, including a Saudi Arabia-imposed aerial and naval blockade on a country which previously imported 90% of its food.

Air strikes carried out by the coalition have also targeted the country’s agricultural sector including farms, further limiting access to food, while sieges by Houthi fighters in numerous cities have prevented staple items from reaching civilians.

Ta’izz, the Middle Eastern country’s second-largest city, was besieged by Houthi fighters for over a year, causing blockages in supply routes and dire food shortages.

Elver said that Yemen is a “clear situation” where famine constitutes a crime against humanity in which both the Saudi-led coalition and Houthis are responsible.

She noted, however, that there is still widespread impunity in situations when famine is deliberately caused and pointed to the International Criminal Court as an example which has not prosecuted individuals responsible for such crises.

Though UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has included the Saudi-led coalition in his annual shame list for violations against children, Elver called for the creation of legal mandates to prevent famine and protect people’s right to food.

This includes the development of international legal standards to reinforce the norm that deliberate starvation is a war crime or a crime against humanity and the referral of the most serious cases to the ICC for investigation and potential prosecution.

The formal recognition of famine as a crime can prevent the tendency of governments “to hide behind a curtain of natural disasters and state sovereignty to use hunger as a genocidal weapon,” the report states.

“We can see the famine coming, it doesn’t just happen in one day,” Elver said.

(IPS)

The post Deliberate Famine Should Be a War Crime: UN Expert first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

US President Donald Trump has described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the bigger anathema of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. 

Both leaders of Israel and Palestine are problematic; however, Netanyahu is the bigger problem, Trump said in a meeting last month with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to seven Western and Israeli sources, who were either present at or briefed on the meeting, Israeli Haaretz newspaper wrote on Friday.

On September 19, Trump had held a 15-minute meeting with Guterres on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. According to six Western diplomats and one former senior Israeli official, all of whom asked to remain anonymous, at least half of the meeting dealt with the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

Trump, who had met with Netanyahu in New York the previous day, told Guterres his impressions of that meeting and his own views on the peace process.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is very old and needs a legacy to leave behind. Netanyahu, in contrast, understands that he’ll never have a president more understanding of Israel’s security needs, Trump told Guterres, adding that Netanyahu would be the harder one to persuade.

PressTV-‘Netanyahu to pressure Trump on Iran policy’

Netanyahu is likely to succeed in convincing Trump for forming a united front against Iran, Scottish writer John Wight says.

On September 18, Trump met in New York with Netanyahu. There he surprised Netanyahu when, at a joint press event before the meeting, he focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In the days before the meeting, Netanyahu and his staff had repeatedly stressed that the meeting would focus on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Netanyahu told Israeli reporters in a post-meeting briefing that despite the prominence Trump gave the Israeli-Palestinian issue in front of the cameras, at the meeting itself it wasn’t a major topic of discussion.

Netanyahu was likely convincing Trump to get tough with Iran and create problems over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

PressTV-‘Trump pursuing Israel first policy, not US first’

US President Donald Trump is in pursuit of an Israel first policy, not America First.

A few days after he returned from New York, Netanyahu briefed the Israeli regime’s security cabinet and the ministers about his meeting with Trump.

“I presented our positions to the president,” Netanyahu told the ministers about his meeting with Trump.

---

Source: http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/10/07/537836/US-Trump-Israel-Netanyahu-Palestine-Abbas-JCPOA

[Disclaimer]

The post Netanyahu ‘bigger problem’ in Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Trump first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.