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British FM says Morocco’s autonomy plan for W. Sahara ‘most credible’ solution

British foreign minister David Lammy said on Sunday that Morocco’s autonomy plan for the territory of Western Sahara was the “most credible” solution to the decades-long dispute, reversing London’s long-standing position.Western Sahara, a mineral-rich former Spanish colony, is largely controlled by Morocco but has been claimed in its entirety for decades by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which is backed by Algeria.Morocco has been campaigning for broad support for its autonomy plan after obtaining US recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed territory in 2020, in exchange for the normalisation of diplomatic relations with Israel.”The United Kingdom considers Morocco’s autonomy proposal submitted in 2007 as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute,” Lammy told reporters in Rabat.Britain previously backed self-determination for the disputed territory, which Morocco claims as an integral part of its kingdom.Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita welcomed the shift, saying the new British position contributed “greatly to advancing this momentum and promoting the UN path towards a definitive and mutually acceptable solution based on the autonomy initiative.”- Growing European support -Rabat’s push for support for its autonomy plan has seen success.Spain and Germany now officially back the Moroccan autonomy plan, while France last summer recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over the territory.Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front and cut diplomatic relations with Rabat in 2021, said it “regrets” Britain’s decision on Sunday to support Morocco’s autonomy plan.”In 18 years of existence, this plan has never been submitted to the Sahrawis as a basis for negotiation, nor has it ever been taken seriously by the successive UN envoys,” the Algerian foreign ministry said in a statement.The United Nations considers Western Sahara a “non-self-governing territory” and has had a peacekeeping mission there since 1991, whose stated aim is to organise a referendum on the territory’s future.But Rabat has repeatedly ruled out any vote where independence is an option, instead proposing an autonomy plan.”This year is a vital window of opportunity to secure a resolution before we reach 50 years of the dispute in November,” Lammy said.The foreign minister also said it encouraged “relevant parties to engage urgently and positively with the United Nations-led political process”.The ceasefire collapsed in mid-November 2020 after Moroccan troops were deployed to the far south of the territory to remove separatists blocking the only route to Mauritania — a route they claimed was illegal, as it did not exist in 1991.The UN Security Council is calling for negotiations without preconditions, while Morocco insists they focus solely on its autonomy plan.”The only viable and durable solution will be one that is mutually acceptable to the relevant parties and is arrived at through compromise,” added Lammy.In a joint statement, the United Kingdom noted that its export credit agency, UK Export Finance, may consider supporting projects in the Sahara as part of its commitment to mobilise 5 billion British pounds (approximately 5.9 billion euros) for new economic initiatives in Morocco.

Gaza rescuers say Israeli fire kills 31 near aid site

Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli gunfire killed at least 31 Palestinians near a US-backed aid distribution site on Sunday, with both the group in charge of the site and the military denying any such incident took place.Israel has faced growing condemnation over the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has warned the entire population faces the risk of famine after no aid was allowed to enter for more than two months.Israel recently eased its blockade and introduced a revamped aid mechanism in cooperation with a newly formed US-backed organisation, bypassing the longstanding UN-led system.The organisation, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), says it has distributed millions of meals since operations began last week, but the rollout has been marked by chaotic scenes at the limited number of distribution centres, as well as reports of casualties from Israeli fire nearby.Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that “31 people were killed and more than 176 injured… after Israeli gunfire targeted thousands of civilians near the American aid centre in Rafah”, in southern Gaza.AFP images showed Palestinians transporting bodies on donkey carts near the aid point as others carried away boxes and bags of supplies under the early-morning sun.Abdullah Barbakh, a 58-year-old Palestinian man, described “chaos” at the site.”The army opened fire from drones and tanks,” he said. “I don’t understand why they call people to the aid centres and then open fire on them.”Near another GHF aid centre in central Gaza, AFP images showed rescuers evacuating injured people. Bassal reported one dead and dozens wounded there, again blaming Israeli fire.The Israeli military said an initial inquiry found its troops “did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site and that reports to this effect are false”.”Hamas does everything in its power to undermine food distribution efforts in the Gaza Strip,” it added, urging the media to “be cautious with information published” by the group.A GHF spokesperson also denied any deaths or injuries took place, adding that “these fake reports have been actively fomented by Hamas”.- ‘Death follows you’ -Sameh Hamuda, a displaced 33-year-old from northern Gaza, told AFP he had walked from Gaza City and spent the night with relatives near Rafah before heading to the aid centre around 5:00 am to wait among a crowd of people.”Suddenly quadcopter drones opened fire on the people, and tanks started shooting heavily. Several people were killed right in front of me,” he said.”I ran and survived. Death follows you as long as you’re in Gaza.”At Al-Awda hospital in central Gaza, Umm Muhammad Abu Khousa told AFP her son was among those wounded near the other aid centre in Bureij.”You feed me and then you kill me?” she said from her son’s bedside.Victoria Rose — a British surgeon visiting Nasser Hospital where many of the patients from Rafah were taken — described a scene of “absolute carnage” at the facility, saying “all the bays are full, and they’re all gunshot wounds”.”The ambulances haven’t stopped coming through the doors,” she added in a video message from the hospital.Speaking about the reported deaths to US broadcaster ABC, World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain said “our people are reporting the same thing on the ground”.”It’s a tragedy. And what we need right now is an immediate ceasefire, complete, unfettered access… to feed people and stop this catastrophe from happening,” she added.Only limited amounts of aid have entered Gaza since Israel eased its total blockade that began in March.On Friday a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency called Gaza “the hungriest place on earth”.GHF, which uses contracted US security, said on Sunday that it had distributed more than 4.7 million meals’ worth of food so far.The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the organisation, saying it contravened basic humanitarian principles and appeared designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, said on Sunday that Gaza “aid distribution has become a death trap”.”Aid deliveries and distribution must be at scale and safe,” he added in a post on X. “In Gaza, this can be done only through the United Nations including UNRWA.”- Truce offer -Nearly 20 months into the war, negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal have failed to produce a breakthrough.Since the last brief truce collapsed in March, Israel has intensified its operations to destroy Hamas, the Palestinian group whose October 7, 2023 attack triggered the war.Hamas said it had responded positively — albeit with requested amendments — to the latest US-backed truce proposal on Saturday, but US envoy Steve Witkoff criticised the reply as “totally unacceptable”, an assessment echoed by Israel.Witkoff urged the group to “accept the framework proposal we put forward”.On Sunday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had told the army “to continue forward in Gaza against all targets, regardless of any negotiations”.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 4,149 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 54,418, mostly civilians.Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Key climate target of airline decarbonisation ‘in peril’: IATA

The airline industry’s flagship goal of decarbonising by 2050 is now “in peril” due to climate-sceptic policies, including those of US President Donald Trump, the leading airline association IATA warned on Sunday.The emergence of leaders favouring fossil fuels and recent regulatory rollbacks are “obviously a setback… it does imperil success on the 2050 horizon”, Marie …

Key climate target of airline decarbonisation ‘in peril’: IATA Read More »

Gaza rescuers say Israeli fire kills 22 near aid site as truce talks falter

Gaza rescuers said Israeli gunfire killed at least 22 Palestinians near a US-backed aid distribution site on Sunday, shortly after Washington rejected Hamas’s response to a ceasefire proposal as “totally unacceptable”.International critics, including some allies, have condemned Israel over the humanitarian crisis in war-ravaged Gaza, where the United Nations has warned the entire population faces famine after a more than two-month blockade on aid.Israel recently introduced a revamped aid delivery mechanism in cooperation with a newly formed US-backed organisation, bypassing the longstanding UN-led system.The organisation, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, says it has distributed hundreds of thousands of meals since operations began last week, but the rollout has been marked by chaotic scenes at the limited number of distribution centres, as well as reports of casualties from Israeli fire nearby.Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that Israeli fire near one of the centres in the southern city of Rafah on Sunday morning had killed “at least 22, with more than 120 wounded, including children”.AFP images from the scene showed some civilians transporting bodies on donkey carts, as others carried away boxes and bags of aid under the low, early-morning sun.The casualties were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Bassal said.- ‘Chaos broke out’ -Displaced Beit Lahia resident Sameh Hamuda, 33, told AFP he had walked from Gaza City and spent the night with relatives in a tent near Rafah before heading to the aid centre around 5:00 am to wait among a crowd of people.”They began distributing aid, but suddenly quadcopter drones opened fire on the people, and tanks started shooting heavily. Several people were killed right in front of me,” he said.”I ran and survived. Death follows you as long as you’re in Gaza.”Abdullah Barbakh, 58, described “chaos, screaming, and overcrowding” at the scene.”The army opened fire from drones and tanks. Chaos broke out, and the area was filled with martyrs and wounded. I don’t understand why they call people to the aid centres and then open fire on them,” he said. “What are we supposed to do?”Asked for comment, the Israeli military said it was “unaware of injuries caused by IDF (army) fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site. The matter is still under review.”Separately, Bassal said one person was killed and many others wounded by Israeli gunfire near another aid point in central Gaza.Only limited amounts of aid have entered Gaza since Israel recently eased a more than two-month total blockade, with a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency recently calling the territory “the hungriest place on earth”.The United Nations also reported looting of its trucks and warehouses last month.GHF, which employs contracted US security, said it had distributed 2.1 million meals as of Friday.The United Nations and other major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the organisation, saying it contravened basic humanitarian principles and appeared designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.GHF did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported deaths.- Truce talks -Nearly 20 months into the war, negotiations for a ceasefire and a deal to free the hostages held by militants have failed to produce a breakthrough since the last brief truce collapsed in March.Israel has since intensified its operations to destroy Hamas.The Palestinian militant group said Saturday that it had responded positively to a US-backed ceasefire proposal, but had emphasised the need for a permanent ceasefire — long a sticking point for Israel.Washington’s main negotiator on Gaza, envoy Steve Witkoff, immediately criticised Hamas’s reply as “totally unacceptable”, an assessment echoed by Israel, which on Friday had warned Hamas to either accept the deal “or be annihilated”.Witkoff urged the group to “accept the framework proposal we put forward”.”That is the only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days in which half of the living hostages and half of those who are deceased will come home to their families and in which we can have… substantive negotiations in good-faith to try to reach a permanent ceasefire,” he added in a post on X.Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Saturday that at least 4,117 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 54,381, mostly civilians.Hamas’s attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.burs-az-smw/dv