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Rubio backs Israel in goal to eradicate Hamas

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday backed Israel’s new offensive on Gaza City and its goal of eradicating Hamas, casting doubt on whether diplomacy would work to end nearly two years of war.Rubio showed no daylight between himself and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a visit to Jerusalem, despite President Donald Trump chiding Israel a week earlier for carrying out air strikes on Hamas leaders in US partner Qatar.”The people of Gaza deserve a better future, but that better future cannot begin until Hamas is eliminated,” Rubio told reporters at a joint press conference with Netanyahu.”You can count on our unwavering support,” he said.Rubio also took a dim view of the Qatari-brokered negotiations for a ceasefire, despite Trump last month predicting an end to the war within weeks.He called Hamas, whose unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war, “barbaric animals”.”As much as we may wish that there be a sort of a peaceful, diplomatic way to end it, and we’ll continue to explore and be dedicated to it, we also have to be prepared for the possibility that that’s not going to happen,” Rubio said.Rubio will travel to Doha on Tuesday, the State Department said, to “reaffirm America’s full support” for the Gulf state’s sovereignty – words he did not use in front of Netanyahu.Trump told reporters in Washington that Netanyahu “won’t be hitting in Qatar” again.Qatar is home to the largest US air base in the region and has assiduously courted Trump, including with a gift of a luxury plane.- ‘Greatest friend’ of Israel -Israel has launched a major new military campaign aimed at seizing Gaza City, the territory’s largest urban centre, where the United Nations determined last month a million people were facing famine — a finding rejected by Israel.Israeli strikes killed another 49 people Monday, many of them in Gaza City, the civil defence agency reported.Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.Netanyahu said Rubio’s visit was a “clear message” the United States stood with Israel, and called Trump “the greatest friend that Israel has ever had”.Rubio’s visit comes a week before France will lead a UN summit in which a number of US allies, angered by what they see as Israeli intransigence, plan to recognise a Palestinian state.Rubio called statehood recognition, which is fervently opposed by Netanyahu’s right-wing government, “largely symbolic” and alleged that it “emboldened” Hamas to take a hard line.”It’s actually hurting the cause they think they’re furthering,” Rubio said.Netanyahu warned that Israel may take unspecified “unilateral steps” in response to recognition of a Palestinian state.Far-right members of Netanyahu’s cabinet have called for annexation of the West Bank to preclude a state, triggering protests by the United Arab Emirates, which took the landmark step of recognising Israel five years ago Monday.The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed more than 64,900 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.Rubio met privately with hostages’ families, who have campaigned hard for their release.Of the 251 people taken hostage by Palestinian militants in October 2023, 47 remain in Gaza, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.- Controversial tunnel -In a highly symbolic step, Rubio late Monday attended the inauguration of a tunnel for religious tourists that goes underneath the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan to the holy sites.Fakhri Abu Diab, 63, a community spokesman in Silwan, said Rubio should instead come to see homes, such as his own, that have been demolished by Israel in what Palestinians charge is a targeted campaign to erase them.”Instead of siding with international law, the United States is going the way of extremists and the far right and ignoring our history,” he said.The inauguration was closed to press, but Rubio, a devout Catholic, wrote on X that the so-called Pilgrimage Road reflected an “enduring cultural and historical bond between the United States and Israel” and the “Judeo-Christian values that inspired America’s founding fathers”.Rubio also began his visit Sunday in the Old City by joining Netanyahu at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews are allowed to pray, and calling Jerusalem the “eternal capital” of Israel.Until Trump’s first term, US leaders had shied away from such overt statements backing Israeli sovereignty over contested Jerusalem, which is also holy to Muslims and Christians.

Lower US tariffs on Japan autos to take effect Tuesday

Lower US tariffs on Japanese autos are set to take effect this week, a Commerce Department notice confirmed Monday, as Washington implements a recent trade pact it had negotiated with Tokyo.Starting Tuesday, Japanese autos entering the United States will face a 15-percent tariff instead of 27.5 percent, providing manufacturers some reprieve from President Donald Trump’s …

Lower US tariffs on Japan autos to take effect Tuesday Read More »

Arab, Muslim leaders urge review of Israel ties after Qatar attack

Arab and Muslim leaders called for a review of ties with Israel after emergency talks in Doha on Monday following last week’s deadly strike on Hamas members in the Qatari capital.The Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation joint session, which brought together nearly 60 countries, sought to take firm action after Israel’s attack on Qatar-hosted Hamas officials as they discussed a Gaza ceasefire proposal.A joint statement from the summit urged “all States to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people”, including “reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it, and initiating legal proceedings against it”.Qatar’s fellow Gulf nations the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, along with Egypt, Jordan and Morocco, were among those present that recognise Israel.The leaders of the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, which signed the Abraham Accords recognising Israel five years ago to the day, did not attend Monday’s talks, sending senior representatives instead.The statement also urged member states to “coordinate efforts aimed at suspending Israel’s membership in the United Nations”.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive in Qatar on Tuesday, after pledging “unwavering support” for Israel’s goal of eradicating Hamas during a visit to the country.The attack strained ties between Washington and key allies in the Gulf, raising concerns over US security guarantees in a region housing major US assets including a major military base in Qatar.The State Department said Rubio would “reaffirm America’s full support for Qatar’s security and sovereignty” after last week’s strike.- Mounting pressure over Gaza -Qatar had called for a coordinated regional response after the Israeli attack, which stunned the usually peaceful, wealthy peninsula.The summit aimed to pile pressure on Israel, which is facing mounting calls to end the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.The host country’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, accused Israel of trying to scupper ceasefire talks by firing on Hamas negotiators in Qatar, a key mediator.Hamas says top officials survived last week’s air strike in Doha, which killed six people and triggered a wave of criticism.”Whoever works diligently and systematically to assassinate the party with whom he is negotiating, intends to thwart the negotiations,” the emir told the summit.Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, was among those present on Monday, as were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.”Tomorrow, it could be the turn of any Arab or Islamic capital,” said Pezeshkian, whose country fought a 12-day war with Israel in June, at one point attacking a US base in Qatar in retaliation for strikes on its nuclear facilities.”The choice is clear. We must unite.” President Abdelfattah al-Sisi of Egypt, the first Arab country to recognise Israel, warned its attack in Qatar “places obstacles in the way of any opportunities for new peace agreements and even aborts the existing peace agreements with countries in the region”.Israel and its main backer Washington have been trying to expand the Abraham Accords, signed during US President Donald Trump’s first term, notably courting Saudi Arabia.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of adopting a “terrorist mentality”, as countries took turns slamming it over Gaza.The rich Gulf countries also met on the sidelines of the summit, urging the US to use its “leverage and influence” to rein in Israel, Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi told a press conference.

Spanish PM calls for Israel to be barred from international sport

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called Monday for Israel to be barred from international sport over the Gaza war, as it emerged his government had also cancelled an $825 million military contract with the country.Sanchez expressed “deep admiration” for thousands of protesters who forced the halt of the final stage of the Vuelta a Espana, one of the world’s biggest cycling races, in Spain on Sunday.He said Israel should be penalised just as Russia was over its invasion of Ukraine — angering Israel, which had a team in the race, as well as Spanish conservatives.”Our position is clear and categorical: as long as the barbarity continues, neither Russia nor Israel should participate in any international competition,” said Sanchez.The Spanish leader has become one of Europe’s fiercest critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza, where the UN says Palestinians face starvation.”Sports organizations should ask themselves whether it’s ethical for Israel to continue competing internationally,” said Sanchez.”Why was Russia expelled after invading Ukraine, yet Israel faces no expulsion after invading Gaza?”An official document seen Monday by AFP meanwhile showed the Spanish government had cancelled a contract worth nearly 700 million euros ($825 million) for Israeli-designed rocket launchers.Last week Sanchez’s government announced measures aimed at stopping what it called “the genocide in Gaza”.- ‘Shame for Spain’ -Around 100,000 protestors gathered for Sunday’s final stage of the Vuelta which was cut short around 60 kilometres (40 miles) from the finish in central Madrid. There were some clashes with police.Protesters denounced the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team, privately owned by Israeli-Canadian property developer Sylvan Adams.On Sunday protesters pushed over barriers and stood in the road where cyclists were due to pass. Police initially intervened at one point on the route, but ultimately allowed protesters to occupy the road peacefully.Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday accused Sanchez of “encouraging protesters to take to the streets”, calling his government a “shame for Spain”.His comments mirrored criticism from Spain’s conservative opposition Popular Party (PP).”The government has allowed and induced the non-completion of the Vuelta and, in this way, an international embarrassment televised worldwide,” PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo wrote on X.Spain’s Federation of Jewish Communities (FCJE) condemned what it called the justification of violence in the protests and the spreading of hostility toward the country’s roughly 45,000 Jews.- Tour de France doubts -Javier Guillen, director of the Vuelta race, told a news conference on Monday the disruptions were “absolutely unacceptable. I regret the image it gave (to the world) and it should not be repeated.”Cycling’s global governing body (UCI) on Monday said it “regretted” the Spanish government’s support for the demonstrations, which “could call into question Spain’s ability to host major international sporting events”.The disruptions raised questions about possible changes to the 2026 Tour de France, scheduled to start in Barcelona.”It’s obvious that since this Vuelta, international organisations will have to take decisions,” Guillen said.”I hope it’s all sorted (by the Tour de France) and the conflict in Gaza has finished, not just for sport but for humanitarian reasons.”- Arms contract cancelled -The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 64,905 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.The Spanish measures announced last week over Gaza included a ban on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel.The cancelled arms contract revealed Monday was awarded to a consortium of Spanish companies and involved the purchase of 12 SILAM rocket launcher systems derived from the PULS platform made by Israeli firm Elbit Systems, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance.Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun said Monday that Spain should boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel takes part, joining other European nations threatening to pull out.

Israel attack aimed to halt Gaza talks, Qatar emir tells emergency summit

Qatar’s emir accused Israel of trying to derail Gaza ceasefire efforts with its attack on Hamas in Doha, as Arab and Muslim leaders held emergency talks on Monday to discuss a unified response.The joint Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit was called by Qatar to pile pressure on Israel, which has been facing mounting calls to end the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.Hamas says top officials survived last week’s air strike in Doha, which killed six people and triggered a wave of criticism, including a rebuke from US President Donald Trump.Qatar has been a key mediator in talks to end the war in Gaza — alongside Egypt and the United States — and the Israeli strike came as Hamas officials were discussing a new US proposal.”Whoever works diligently and systematically to assassinate the party with whom he is negotiating, intends to thwart the negotiations,” Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said in his opening remarks.”Negotiations, for them, are merely part of the war.”The emir also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “dreams of turning the Arab region into an Israeli sphere of influence, and this is a dangerous illusion”.A draft final statement from the summit seen by AFP warned that Israel’s “brutal” aggression “threatens all that has been achieved on the path toward establishing normal relations with Israel, including existing and future agreements”.Israel and its main backer the United States have been trying to expand the Abraham Accords, which established ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco in 2020.- ‘Actions, not just rhetoric’ -As the meeting opened in Doha, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was visiting Israel in a demonstration of Washington’s steadfast support.Rubio will head to Qatar, also a staunch Washington ally, on Tuesday, a US official said.On Sunday, Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a preparatory meeting that “the time has come for the international community to stop using double standards and to punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed”.According to the draft statement, the nearly 60-country grouping in Doha will also emphasise “the concept of collective security… as well as the necessity of aligning together to face common challenges and threats”.Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, was among those present, as were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also attended.Separately, the United Nations Human Rights Council said it would host an urgent debate on Tuesday on Israel’s air strike in Qatar.And an extraordinary meeting of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council would also be held in Doha on Monday, according to Saudi state media.Aziz Algashian, a Saudi-based researcher of international relations in the Middle East, said “many people are looking at actions, not just rhetoric” from the Arab-Islamic meeting in Doha.”We’ve exhausted all forms of rhetoric. Now it’s just going to have to be actions — and we’ll see what those actions will be,” he said.