logo
‘Huge step forward' as Palestinian leaders pitch groundbreaking new peace plan to Israel

‘Huge step forward' as Palestinian leaders pitch groundbreaking new peace plan to Israel

Sky News AUa day ago
Sky News host James Macpherson discusses a groundbreaking letter written to Israel by several sheikhs.
Sheikhs in Hebron in the West Bank, ruled by the Palestinian Authority, have written a letter, signed by a few other sheikhs in the region, saying they want to secede from the Palestinian Authority, and they want to recognise Israel and join the Abraham Accords.
In exchange, they would be allowed to have people from Hebron enter Israel for work, and they would establish an emirate run by the sheikhs.
'You've got tribal leaders with the West Bank saying the two-state solution is dead … because the Israelis could never allow it after what Hamas did on October 7,' Mr Macpherson said.
'For him to admit that and then to write an open letter to the Israeli economic minister saying we want you to help us, work with us ... this is a huge step forward.
'He says there are other sheikhs, tribal leaders, who control hundreds of thousands of Palestinian people who would also agree to this if Israel were agreeable.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘Malicious': US sanctions UN Palestine expert Francesca Albanese
‘Malicious': US sanctions UN Palestine expert Francesca Albanese

Sydney Morning Herald

time33 minutes ago

  • Sydney Morning Herald

‘Malicious': US sanctions UN Palestine expert Francesca Albanese

Washington: The United States has placed sanctions on human rights lawyer Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for Palestine, in a dramatic move believed to be the first time the US has directly sanctioned a UN representative. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February that allows the government to target anyone deemed to have assisted the International Criminal Court against a citizen of the US or Israel. 'The United States has repeatedly condemned and objected to the biased and malicious activities of Albanese that have long made her unfit for service as a special rapporteur,' Rubio said. 'Albanese has spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West. 'That bias has been apparent across the span of her career, including recommending that the ICC, without a legitimate basis, issue arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.' The ICC issued the arrest warrants in November. Netanyahu is currently on a multi-day visit to Washington and met twice with Trump, along with other senior administration officials. Albanese, who is no relation to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has been a prominent critic of what she calls Israel's genocide in Gaza, and hardline Israeli activists had lobbied the Trump administration to sanction her. Hillel Neuer, who runs a project called UN Watch, applauded the decision. 'You will never again spread your poison on American campuses or enter the country,' he said of Albanese. 'Justice is served. Good triumphs over evil.'

‘Malicious': US sanctions UN Palestine expert Francesca Albanese
‘Malicious': US sanctions UN Palestine expert Francesca Albanese

The Age

time33 minutes ago

  • The Age

‘Malicious': US sanctions UN Palestine expert Francesca Albanese

Washington: The United States has placed sanctions on human rights lawyer Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for Palestine, in a dramatic move believed to be the first time the US has directly sanctioned a UN representative. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February that allows the government to target anyone deemed to have assisted the International Criminal Court against a citizen of the US or Israel. 'The United States has repeatedly condemned and objected to the biased and malicious activities of Albanese that have long made her unfit for service as a special rapporteur,' Rubio said. 'Albanese has spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West. 'That bias has been apparent across the span of her career, including recommending that the ICC, without a legitimate basis, issue arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.' The ICC issued the arrest warrants in November. Netanyahu is currently on a multi-day visit to Washington and met twice with Trump, along with other senior administration officials. Albanese, who is no relation to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has been a prominent critic of what she calls Israel's genocide in Gaza, and hardline Israeli activists had lobbied the Trump administration to sanction her. Hillel Neuer, who runs a project called UN Watch, applauded the decision. 'You will never again spread your poison on American campuses or enter the country,' he said of Albanese. 'Justice is served. Good triumphs over evil.'

Sky News host Paul Murray rips into climate CEO after speech praising China for playing 'as a team' while criticising Australia
Sky News host Paul Murray rips into climate CEO after speech praising China for playing 'as a team' while criticising Australia

Sky News AU

timean hour ago

  • Sky News AU

Sky News host Paul Murray rips into climate CEO after speech praising China for playing 'as a team' while criticising Australia

Sky News host Paul Murray has torn into the CEO of a major climate change charity who praised China – the world's worst carbon emitter – in a bizarre speech in which he attacked Australians for not being team players. Murray ridiculed the comments made by Smart Energy Council Chief Executive John Grimes during his speech at the National Press Club on Wednesday, after he commended China's system because 'China plays as a team'. The Sky News host said the Chinese government, not the Chinese people, was actually a 'ruthless machine' which put tanks in front of protesters in 1989 and would 'de-person' someone in an instant for speaking out against China. Mr Grimes also took aim at Australians, who he claimed simply 'tear each other apart', while applauding the Chinese Communist Party's approach to energy. 'One thing you can say about the Chinese system is that China plays as a team,' Mr Grimes said. 'Australia spends all of our time trying to tear each other apart. That is no way to compete for Team Australia.' Murray said he did not want to be more China, as Mr Grimes suggested, but more like 'free countries'. 'In a free country, you are allowed to disagree with your government. You are allowed to disagree with your fellow citizens. You are allowed to do so out of principle, out of opinion, out of because it's Tuesday, OK? That's our country,' Murray said. The Sky News host said there was not a 'gasp' of a reaction at the NPC, before explaining why Australia should steer clear of emulating China's approach to government. 'I hope (Mr Grimes) and everyone else who thinks why can't we be a little more CCP remembers the Uyghurs,' Murray said. He then presented a BBC article which reported the Uyghur population was being used as slave labour to make solar panels. 'Even Joe Biden, who didn't even know what day it was or what city he was in, when he was president, banned the importation of slave labour solar panels,' he said. 'Australia has not made that decision.' Mr Grimes also acknowledged that he 'spend[s] a bit of time in China' which has included a visit to the battery maker, CATL, which has been accused of being linked to slave labour. The charity has also been tied to numerous other 'black-listed' organisations. The Smart Energy Council is listed with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), a status that exempts it from paying tax. The Albanese government relied heavily on cost estimates produced by the Smart Energy Council during the federal election campaign. These were highly disputed claims that put the cost of the Coalition's nuclear energy rollout at $600 billion, well above the $331 billion calculated by independent consultants Frontier Economics. China has long been the largest CO2 producer, spewing 15,779 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2023, according to independent scientific project, Climate Action Tracker. That was about 2.5 more than the United States at 6,378 tonnes, and about 30 times more than Australia at 530 million tonnes. China's coal demands have also exceeded the rest of the world combined as the source continues to play a disproportionate role in the energy landscape. The Climate Action Tracker (CAT) has warned that China's efforts towards net zero remain 'highly insufficient'.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store