Trump: Palestinians have no right of return under Gaza plan

President Donald Trump said Palestinians would have no right of return to Gaza under his US takeover plan, describing his proposal in excerpts of an interview released Monday as a “real estate development for the future.”Trump told Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier that “I would own it” and that there could be as many as six different sites for Palestinians to live outside Gaza under the plan, which the Arab world and others in the international community have rejected.”No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing,” Trump said when Baier asked if the Palestinians would have the right to return to the enclave, most of which has been reduced to rubble by Israel’s military since October 2023.”In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them because if they have to return now, it’ll be years before you could ever — it’s not habitable.”Trump first revealed the shock Gaza plan during a joint news conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, drawing outrage from Palestinians.The US president pressed his case for Palestinians to be moved out of Gaza, devastated by the Israel-Hamas war, and for Egypt and Jordan to take them.Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty flew to Washington in the wake of Trump’s remarks. He met at the State Department on Monday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with neither speaking to the media.Jordan’s King Abdullah II was set to hold talks with Trump on Tuesday.In the Fox interview — which will be broadcast Monday after the first half was screened a day earlier — Trump said he would build “beautiful communities” for the more than two million Palestinians who live in Gaza.”Could be five, six, could be two. But we’ll build safe communities, a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is,” added Trump.”In the meantime, I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land. No big money spent.”- ‘Unacceptable’ -Trump stunned the world when he announced out of the blue last week that the United States would “take over the Gaza Strip,” remove rubble and unexploded bombs and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”But while he initially said that Palestinians could be among the “world people” allowed to live there, he has since appeared to harden his position to suggest that they could not.Netanyahu on Sunday praised Trump’s proposal as “revolutionary”, striking a triumphant tone in a statement to his cabinet following his return from Washington.”President Trump came with a completely different, much better vision for Israel,” said Netanyahu, who was reportedly only briefed on the plan shortly before Trump’s announcement.The reaction from much of the rest of the world has been one of outrage, with Egypt, Jordan, other Arab nations and the Palestinians all rejecting it out of hand.The criticism was not limited to the Arab world, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday labeling the plan “a scandal,” adding that the forced relocation of Palestinians would be “unacceptable and against international law.”Trump’s plan has also threatened to disrupt the fragile six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and the chances of it progressing to a second, more permanent phase.Trump, however, repeated his insistence that he could persuade Egypt and Jordan, both major recipients of US military aid, to come around.”I think I could make a deal with Jordan. I think I could make a deal with Egypt. You know, we give them billions and billions of dollars a year,” he told Fox. Last year, Trump described Gaza as being “like Monaco,” while his son-in-law Jared Kushner suggested that Israel could clear Gaza of civilians to unlock “waterfront property.”

Trump: Palestinians have no right of return under Gaza plan

President Donald Trump said Palestinians would have no right of return to Gaza under his US takeover plan, describing his proposal in excerpts of an interview released Monday as a “real estate development for the future.”Trump told Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier that “I would own it” and that there could be as many as six different sites for Palestinians to live outside Gaza under the plan, which the Arab world and others in the international community have rejected.”No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing,” Trump said when Baier asked if the Palestinians would have the right to return to the enclave, most of which has been reduced to rubble by Israel’s military since October 2023.”In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them because if they have to return now, it’ll be years before you could ever — it’s not habitable.”Trump first revealed the shock Gaza plan during a joint news conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, drawing outrage from Palestinians.The US president pressed his case for Palestinians to be moved out of Gaza, devastated by the Israel-Hamas war, and for Egypt and Jordan to take them.Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty flew to Washington in the wake of Trump’s remarks. He met at the State Department on Monday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with neither speaking to the media.Jordan’s King Abdullah II was set to hold talks with Trump on Tuesday.In the Fox interview — which will be broadcast Monday after the first half was screened a day earlier — Trump said he would build “beautiful communities” for the more than two million Palestinians who live in Gaza.”Could be five, six, could be two. But we’ll build safe communities, a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is,” added Trump.”In the meantime, I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land. No big money spent.”- ‘Unacceptable’ -Trump stunned the world when he announced out of the blue last week that the United States would “take over the Gaza Strip,” remove rubble and unexploded bombs and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”But while he initially said that Palestinians could be among the “world people” allowed to live there, he has since appeared to harden his position to suggest that they could not.Netanyahu on Sunday praised Trump’s proposal as “revolutionary”, striking a triumphant tone in a statement to his cabinet following his return from Washington.”President Trump came with a completely different, much better vision for Israel,” said Netanyahu, who was reportedly only briefed on the plan shortly before Trump’s announcement.The reaction from much of the rest of the world has been one of outrage, with Egypt, Jordan, other Arab nations and the Palestinians all rejecting it out of hand.The criticism was not limited to the Arab world, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday labeling the plan “a scandal,” adding that the forced relocation of Palestinians would be “unacceptable and against international law.”Trump’s plan has also threatened to disrupt the fragile six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and the chances of it progressing to a second, more permanent phase.Trump, however, repeated his insistence that he could persuade Egypt and Jordan, both major recipients of US military aid, to come around.”I think I could make a deal with Jordan. I think I could make a deal with Egypt. You know, we give them billions and billions of dollars a year,” he told Fox. Last year, Trump described Gaza as being “like Monaco,” while his son-in-law Jared Kushner suggested that Israel could clear Gaza of civilians to unlock “waterfront property.”

Guatemala: 51 morts dans un accident d’autocar, un des pires en Amérique latine

Au moins 51 personnes ont été tuées lundi dans un accident d’autocar avec 75 personnes à bord tombé en contrebas d’un pont à l’entrée nord de la ville de Guatemala, un des pires bilan ces 10 dernières années en Amérique latine, région très accidentogène.Il y a “51 corps dans la morgue provisoire”, a indiqué à la presse un porte-parole des pompiers. “Un commandement unifié a été formé avec les différentes institutions de secours du pays” et “nous avons sortis un total de 51 corps”, de la carcasse de l’autocar qui transportait 75 personnes, a ajouté un autre représentant des pompiers, José Santizo.Un premier bilan avait fait état de 31 morts et d’une dizaine de blessés graves transportés à l’hôpital.Selon les images de l’AFP, l’autocar en contrebas de la route s’est écrasé sur le toit.En janvier 2018, 52 personnes avaient trouvé la mort au Pérou dans un accident d’autocar qui avait chuté dans une falaise d’une centaine de mètres. En 2015 au Brésil, 54 passagers ont été tués lorsque leur autocar est tombé dans un précipice dans une zone touristique du sud du pays.L’autocar, qui effectuait le trajet depuis San Agustin Acasaguastlan, dans le département d’El Progreso, à une centaine de kilomètres de la ville de Guatemala, a chuté en contrebas du pont de Belize, le principal pont pour entrer dans la capitale par sa partie nord et nord-est.- “Deuil national” -Une enquête a été ouverte sur les circonstance de l’accident, mais selon les premiers éléments le chauffeur aurait perdu le contrôle de son véhicule, heurté plusieurs voitures avant de s’abimer en contrebas, sur le toit.”Le bus continue tout droit, traverse une barrière métallique et tombe dans un ravin d’environ 20 mètres jusqu’à atteindre l’endroit où se trouve une rivière d’eaux usées”, a expliqué un autre pompier, Carlos Hernandez.Le président guatémaltèque Bernardo Arévalo a exprimé dans un communiqué sa solidarité avec les familles des victimes et décrété un “deuil national”. “Aujourd’hui est un jour difficile pour la famille guatémaltèque. La tragédie du pont de Belize est une douleur nationale”, a-t-il écrit.Le ministre des Communications, Miguel Angel Diaz, a indiqué que l’autocar était en service depuis plus de 30 ans mais détenait une licence de transport en vigueur.L’enquête devra également déterminer si le véhicule transportait plus de passagers que sa capacité autorisée, a-t-il ajouté.

Dans une Roumanie en ébullition, le président jette l’éponge

Sous la menace d’une destitution, le président roumain Klaus Iohannis a annoncé lundi sa démission sur fond de mécontentement d’un partie des électeurs après l’annulation choc de la présidentielle en décembre.”Afin d’épargner à la Roumanie et aux citoyens roumains une crise, je quitterai mes fonctions” mercredi, a-t-il déclaré lors d’une allocution solennelle à Bucarest alors qu’une procédure vient d’être lancée à son encontre.Son mandat devait initialement se terminer fin 2024 mais le premier tour de la présidentielle, remporté le 24 novembre à la surprise générale par un candidat d’extrême droite, a été annulé du fait de soupçons d’ingérence russe, fait extrêmement rare dans l’Union européenne.Le chef d’Etat libéral et pro-européen, âgé de 65 ans, avait alors décidé de rester jusqu’à l’élection de son successeur prévue en mai.Depuis, des dizaines de milliers de Roumains sont descendus dans la rue pour dénoncer un “coup d’Etat” et après plusieurs tentatives de l’opposition, le Parlement avait prévu de se réunir cette semaine en session plénière avant un possible référendum.”Dans quelques jours, le Parlement roumain va se prononcer sur ma révocation et la Roumanie va plonger dans la crise (…) avec des répercussions dans le pays et malheureusement aussi en dehors de nos frontières”, a expliqué M. Iohannis.Au pouvoir depuis 2014, il a regretté d’en être arrivé là, affirmant “n’avoir jamais violé la Constitution”.C’est le président du Sénat et chef des libéraux, Ilie Bolojan, qui devrait en principe assurer l’intérim jusqu’au nouveau scrutin.- “Victoire” -L’extrême droite a salué l’annonce de cette démission et des centaines de partisans se sont réunis dans le centre de la capitale, un rassemblement marqué par des incidents avec les forces de l’ordre. “C’est votre victoire”, a lancé le chef du parti AUR, George Simion, sur Facebook, en référence aux récentes manifestations massives.”Klaus Iohannis a démissionné! Maintenant il est temps de renouer avec l’Etat de droit. Reprenons le second tour”, a renchéri le vainqueur surprise du premier tour, Calin Georgescu.Les autorités l’accusent d’avoir bénéficié d’une campagne de soutien illicite sur la plateforme TikTok. La Commission européenne a annoncé l’ouverture d’une enquête.Critique de l’UE comme de l’Otan et opposé à toute aide militaire à l’Ukraine, celui qui a dit par le passé son admiration pour le président russe Vladimir Poutine a déposé plusieurs recours en justice contre l’annulation, tous infructueux jusqu’ici.Espérant encore obtenir gain de cause avant la clôture des candidatures le 15 mars, il n’a pas officiellement postulé au nouveau scrutin prévu le 4 mai. Un second vote sera organisé le 18 mai si aucun candidat ne remporte plus de la moitié des suffrages.Face à la montée de l’extrême droite, plusieurs forces politiques pro-européennes ont formé fin décembre un gouvernement et souhaitent présenter un candidat commun, Crin Antonescu.Le maire de Bucarest, Nicusor Dan, a également annoncé son intention de se présenter en tant qu’indépendant.Klaus Iohannis quitte la présidence sur un mandat très mitigé et une forte impopularité.Si ses détracteurs lui reprochent tantôt d’être inactif, tantôt de manquer de charisme, lui se décrit en “pompier qui a sauvé la Roumanie du chaos”.Cet ancien professeur de physique est issu de la minorité saxonne de Transylvanie – ce qui lui a valu d’être dédaigneusement surnommé “l’Allemand”.Il avait brigué en mars la tête de l’Otan mais avait finalement dû s’incliner face au Premier ministre néerlandais Mark Rutte.

NY jury hears attacker repeatedly stabbed Salman Rushdie

Prosecutors in the trial of the man accused of attacking Salman Rushdie described to jurors Monday how the “Satanic Verses” author was stabbed repeatedly in a frenzied assault that left him blind in one eye.Hadi Matar, a 27-year-old Lebanese-American who said “free Palestine” as he was led into court, is charged with attempted murder and assault over the August 12, 2022 attack at an arts event in the west of New York state.Matar is accused of stabbing Rushdie about 10 times, leaving him in grave condition and without sight in his right eye.Prosecutor District Attorney Jason Schmidt told how Rushdie had just taken his seat in the amphitheater in front of about 1,000 people.”A young medium build man wearing dark colored facemask… appeared from the rear of the theater,” Schmidt said. “Once on the stage he rapidly, accelerated into a full-out run.”(Matar) forcefully and efficiently and with speed plunged the knife into Mr Rushdie over and over and over again… swinging, slashing into Mr Rushdie’s head, neck, abdomen, upper thigh.”Schmidt said Rushdie raised his hands to defend himself but remained seated after several blows had been landed.The celebrated Indian-born writer, a naturalized American based in New York, has faced death threats since his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses” was declared blasphemous by Iran’s supreme leader.Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or religious edict, in 1989 calling on Muslims anywhere in the world to kill Rushdie.Hezbollah endorsed the fatwa, the FBI has said, and Matar faces a separate prosecution in federal court on terrorism charges.Matar, who wore a blue shirt and frequently conferred with his five-strong legal team in the ornate courtroom, previously told the New York Post that he had only read two pages of Rushdie’s novel but believed the author had “attacked Islam.”Rushdie, now 77, suffered multiple stab wounds before attendees and guards could subdue the attacker, later identified by police as Matar.- Life under fatwa -A large media presence has gathered in the small lakefront resort town of Mayville near the Canadian border to follow the trial.Matar’s defense team sought a delay in the case as his primary lawyer has been hospitalized, but judge David Foley denied that.Matar’s side had previously sought to have the trial moved from Mayville, near where Rushdie was attacked, arguing a fair trial from the 12 jurors and four alternates recruited from the local area was impossible.Rushdie lived in seclusion in London for the first decade after the fatwa was issued, but for the past 20 years — until the attack — he lived a relatively normal life in New York.He was not in court Monday.Last year, he published a memoir called “Knife” in which he recounted the near-death experience.”Why didn’t I fight? Why didn’t I run? I just stood there like a pinata and let him smash me,” Rushdie wrote. “It didn’t feel dramatic, or particularly awful. It just felt probable… matter-of-fact.”Iran has denied any link to the attacker — but said only Rushdie was to blame for the incident.Rushdie explained in “Knife” that the attack has not changed his view on his most famous work. “I am proud of the work I’ve done, and that very much includes ‘The Satanic Verses.’ If anyone’s looking for remorse, you can stop reading right here,” he said.Rushdie has said that he did not want to attend the fateful talk, and two days before the incident he had a dream of being attacked by a gladiator with a spear in a Roman amphitheater.”And then I thought, ‘Don’t be silly. It’s a dream,'” he told CBS.

NY jury hears attacker repeatedly stabbed Salman Rushdie

Prosecutors in the trial of the man accused of attacking Salman Rushdie described to jurors Monday how the “Satanic Verses” author was stabbed repeatedly in a frenzied assault that left him blind in one eye.Hadi Matar, a 27-year-old Lebanese-American who said “free Palestine” as he was led into court, is charged with attempted murder and assault over the August 12, 2022 attack at an arts event in the west of New York state.Matar is accused of stabbing Rushdie about 10 times, leaving him in grave condition and without sight in his right eye.Prosecutor District Attorney Jason Schmidt told how Rushdie had just taken his seat in the amphitheater in front of about 1,000 people.”A young medium build man wearing dark colored facemask… appeared from the rear of the theater,” Schmidt said. “Once on the stage he rapidly, accelerated into a full-out run.”(Matar) forcefully and efficiently and with speed plunged the knife into Mr Rushdie over and over and over again… swinging, slashing into Mr Rushdie’s head, neck, abdomen, upper thigh.”Schmidt said Rushdie raised his hands to defend himself but remained seated after several blows had been landed.The celebrated Indian-born writer, a naturalized American based in New York, has faced death threats since his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses” was declared blasphemous by Iran’s supreme leader.Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or religious edict, in 1989 calling on Muslims anywhere in the world to kill Rushdie.Hezbollah endorsed the fatwa, the FBI has said, and Matar faces a separate prosecution in federal court on terrorism charges.Matar, who wore a blue shirt and frequently conferred with his five-strong legal team in the ornate courtroom, previously told the New York Post that he had only read two pages of Rushdie’s novel but believed the author had “attacked Islam.”Rushdie, now 77, suffered multiple stab wounds before attendees and guards could subdue the attacker, later identified by police as Matar.- Life under fatwa -A large media presence has gathered in the small lakefront resort town of Mayville near the Canadian border to follow the trial.Matar’s defense team sought a delay in the case as his primary lawyer has been hospitalized, but judge David Foley denied that.Matar’s side had previously sought to have the trial moved from Mayville, near where Rushdie was attacked, arguing a fair trial from the 12 jurors and four alternates recruited from the local area was impossible.Rushdie lived in seclusion in London for the first decade after the fatwa was issued, but for the past 20 years — until the attack — he lived a relatively normal life in New York.He was not in court Monday.Last year, he published a memoir called “Knife” in which he recounted the near-death experience.”Why didn’t I fight? Why didn’t I run? I just stood there like a pinata and let him smash me,” Rushdie wrote. “It didn’t feel dramatic, or particularly awful. It just felt probable… matter-of-fact.”Iran has denied any link to the attacker — but said only Rushdie was to blame for the incident.Rushdie explained in “Knife” that the attack has not changed his view on his most famous work. “I am proud of the work I’ve done, and that very much includes ‘The Satanic Verses.’ If anyone’s looking for remorse, you can stop reading right here,” he said.Rushdie has said that he did not want to attend the fateful talk, and two days before the incident he had a dream of being attacked by a gladiator with a spear in a Roman amphitheater.”And then I thought, ‘Don’t be silly. It’s a dream,'” he told CBS.

US Democrats call for whistleblowers to rein in Elon Musk

Democrats announced a new platform for US whistleblowers Monday as they launched the latest front in their rearguard against efforts by President Donald Trump’s “efficiency czar” Elon Musk to gut federal spending.Announcing an online portal to report potential law-breaking, they said whistleblowers would be “invaluable” to the mission of holding to account those undermining democracy.”In the first three weeks of his administration, President Trump has shown a blatant disregard for the rule of law and a callousness for the American people,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement with a lieutenant, Gary Peters.”From the DOGE takeover of the Treasury Department to the federal funding freeze, this administration has wreaked havoc on programs that American families, seniors, students, veterans, and others have come to depend upon.”Musk, with Trump’s blessing, has been working his way through the federal government — from the Treasury to the US Agency for International Development — accessing computer systems to identify fraud and waste while laying off workers.Critics say much of the action is unlawful, flouting the oversight role given to Congress by the US Constitution, and have launched lawsuits across the country to halt Musk’s self-styled “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE).They point out that Musk has massive conflicts of interest as the largest government contractor and is not elected or Senate-confirmed, despite his deputies being granted access to the sensitive personal data of millions of federal employees. USAID was investigating its relationship with Musk’s communications company Starlink just months before he attempted to shut the agency down, according to US media reports.

Droits de douane : Trump cible l’aluminium et l’acier

La “guerre commerciale” promise par Donald Trump doit entrer lundi dans une nouvelle phase avec des droits de douane de 25% sur l’acier et l’aluminium, si toutefois le président américain mène le projet jusqu’au bout.Rendus prudents par des volte-face récentes du milliardaire républicain vis-à-vis du Canada, du Mexique et de la Chine, les marchés n’ont pas cédé à l’affolement lundi : Wall Street a ouvert en petite baisse, tandis que les places européennes et asiatiques sont restées calmes.”J’annoncerai des droits de douane sur l’acier lundi. (…) Tout l’acier arrivant aux Etats-Unis aura 25% de droits de douane”, a déclaré le président américain dimanche, pendant une conférence de presse impromptue dans l’avion. Le milliardaire républicain a ajouté que le même sort serait réservé à l’aluminium importé. Ces mesures affecteraient beaucoup le Canada, principal fournisseur d’acier et aluminium importé aux Etats-Unis. Le Brésil, le Mexique et la Corée du Sud sont aussi d’importants fournisseurs d’acier.”La production d’acier est une composante importante de l’âge d’or” promis par Donald Trump, a déclaré lundi sur la chaine CNBC l’un de ses principaux conseillers économiques, Kevin Hassett.- Comme en 2018 -Le président du Conseil économique national, un organisme rattaché à la Maison Blanche, a assuré que lorsque le président américain avait pris des décisions similaires en 2018, l’industrie américaine n’en avait pas souffert. Lors de son premier mandat (2017-21), Donald Trump avait déjà imposé des droits de douane de 25% sur l’acier et de 10% l’aluminium pour protéger la production américaine, confrontée selon lui à une concurrence déloyale.Donald Trump a aussi affirmé dimanche qu’il annoncerait “mardi ou mercredi” des “droits de douane réciproques”, afin d’aligner la taxation des produits entrant aux Etats-Unis sur la manière dont sont taxés les produits américains à l’étranger. Depuis son investiture le 20 janvier, les droits de douane sont le principal levier de la politique économique de Donald Trump, qui veut résorber le déficit commercial américain tout en mettant la pression sur les partenaires économiques des Etats-Unis.Lesquels réagissent de manière variable, entres promesses de ripostes et tentatives d’apaisement.Lundi, le ministre français des Affaires étrangères Jean-Noël Barrot a assuré que l’Union européenne “répliquerait” comme elle l’avait fait lors du premier mandat du président américain, en ciblant à l’époque des produits emblématiques tels que le bourbon ou les motos Harley Davidson.- France combative, Allemagne prudente -“Il n’y a aucune hésitation quand il s’agit de défendre nos intérêts”, a déclaré le ministre sur la chaîne TF1.En Allemagne, première économie européenne, le ministre de l’Economie et du Climat Robert Habeck a appelé à “poursuivre la voie de la coopération avec les Etats-Unis”.La Commission européenne a elle annoncé lundi d’avoir reçu “aucune notification” de nouveaux droits de douane.Jusqu’ici, Donald Trump a davantage mis la pression sur les partenaires des Etats-Unis que sur leur grande rivale qu’est la Chine, soumise à des droits de douane de 10%, moins lourds que ceux dont le Canada et le Mexique sont menacés.Les mesures de rétorsion chinoises de surtaxes ciblées de certains produits américains sont entrées en vigueur lundi. Elles portent sur 14 milliards de dollars de biens américains, tandis que les droits de douane annoncés par le président américain concernent 525 milliards de dollars de biens chinois.Interrogé sur l’annonce concernant l’acier et l’aluminium, un porte-parole du ministère chinois des Affaires étrangères, Guo Jiakun, a répondu lundi que pour Pékin, “il n’y avait (…) pas de gagnant dans une guerre commerciale ou douanière”.Il y a une semaine, Donald Trump avait menacé le Mexique et le Canada de droits de douane généralisés de 25%, avant de suspendre sa décision pour un mois avant même qu’elle n’entre en vigueur.S’agissant de la Chine, il a renoncé à taxer comme il l’avait annoncé les colis d’une valeur de moins de 800 dollars, ce qui aurait affecté des plate-formes telles que Shein et Temu.Â