Italy's Meloni on France move to recognise State of Palestine: 'Something that doesn't exist…'
"I am very much in favour of the State of Palestine, but I am not in favour of recognising it before establishing it," Meloni told Italian daily La Repubblica. "If something that doesn't exist is recognised on paper, the problem could appear to be solved when it isn't," she added.
Also Read | What UN meet amid grave tragedy in Gaza aims to achieve, and what it might
In addition to Italy, Germany also indicated that it was not planning to recognise the state of Palestine in the short term, adding that its priority now is to make "long-overdue progress" towards a two-state solution.
France set to recognise Palestinian state
Her remarks come just days after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from both Israel and the United States.
Macron's announcement marks a significant shift in European diplomacy and has sparked debate across EU capitals.
Also Read | Palestinians stare at 'die hungry or leave territory' as Gaza starvation peaks, Israel blames Hamas again
"True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine. I will make a formal announcement at the United Nations General Assembly in September," the French head of state wrote on X and Instagram.
142 nations recognise Palestine
After the inclusion of France, Palestinian statehood is now recognised by 142 countries, according to an AFP tally, though Israel and the United States strongly oppose recognition.
In 1947, a resolution of the UN General Assembly decided on the partition of Palestine, then under a British mandate, into two independent states — one Jewish and the other Arab.
The following year, the State of Israel was proclaimed. For several decades, the vast majority of UN member states have supported the idea of a two-state solution: Israeli and Palestinian, living side-by-side peacefully and securely.
(with AFP inputs)
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First Post
13 minutes ago
- First Post
Will Tokyo become the new home of the United Nations?
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has proposed shifting some United Nations functions to the Japanese capital, citing safety, security, and cost advantages amid a weak yen. With the UN seeking to cut costs and the US pulling back from key agencies, Japan is positioning itself as a stronger global player — and a possible new UN hub read more The United Nations (UN) commemorates its 80th anniversary this year. New York City has played host to UN headquarters since its inception. But now with changing global tides, especially the active withdrawal of the United States from numerous global roles it took on in the last few decades, questions rise over where the UN should anchor its future operations. Across the Pacific, is Tokyo a viable option? Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has openly suggested that parts of the UN's functions — and possibly even major offices — be relocated to the Japanese capital. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While still preliminary, the discussions do have a solid foundation as they complement Japan's ambitions to expand its global role and the UN's search for a more efficient, secure, and strategically located operational hub. Koike's campaign to attract the UN to Tokyo During a visit this month to the United States, Koike placed Tokyo's offer on the table in high-level discussions. On July 24, 2025, she met UN Secretary-General António Guterres for a 15-minute session in New York. The United Nations headquarters building is pictured with a UN logo in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, March 1, 2022. File Image/ Reuters Speaking afterward, she explained her pitch clearly: 'Tokyo would like to provide various types of support [to the UN],' pointing to the city's strengths, including 'public safety, security and now, with the weak yen, there are other positive aspects to life.' Koike's trip had a broader agenda. She addressed an audience at Johns Hopkins School of International Studies in Washington, pointing out Tokyo's emergence as a key global city, and met policy experts at the Hudson Institute, where discussions ranged from Tokyo's sustainability plans to its aspirations for greater international engagement. Although she refrained from presenting a detailed blueprint to Guterres, Koike has spoken before about possible relocations. At a Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly session in June, she suggested that functions from influential UN bodies — including the UN Security Council, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and even the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) — could, in theory, be shifted to Tokyo. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike gestures as she is set to win re-election in Tokyo Governor election, in Tokyo, Japan, July 7, 2024. File Image/Kyodo via Reuters Guterres offered no indication of whether such ideas might advance but confirmed that 'the United Nations has received offers of cooperation from various countries and regions,' framing Japan's proposal as one among many. A UN in transition, a world in flux The conversation about Tokyo comes at a time when the UN is already reconsidering its structure. Mounting costs in New York City have led to some decentralisation; parts of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) have been relocated to Nairobi, Kenya, where operational expenses are significantly lower. This internal reshuffling is being driven, in part, by financial pressures stemming from the US itself. Under President Donald Trump's second term, Washington has distanced itself from several UN programmes, shrinking the funding base for the organisation and creating ripple effects across its agencies. The withdrawals have been sweeping. Earlier this year, Trump announced that the US would again leave the World Health Organisation. In February, he signed an executive order to pull out of the UN Human Rights Council and halted contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), citing concerns over institutional bias and inefficiency. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Most recently, he confirmed US' formal exit from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), effective at the close of 2026. UNESCO's Director-General Audrey Azoulay responded sharply, saying, 'This decision contradicts the fundamental principles of multilateralism and may affect first and foremost our many partners in the United States of America.' Japan's long relationship with the UN Japan is not a newcomer to the UN framework. Over the decades, it has been one of the organisation's largest financial contributors and has hosted several important bodies, such as the UN University and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees office. This history has fostered a policy tradition in Tokyo that places the UN at the heart of Japan's foreign policy. Speaking to South China Morning Post's This Week in Asia, Ben Ascione, an assistant professor of international relations at Waseda University, explained the broader motivation behind Koike's move: 'It is obviously very early days and I see this as Koike sounding Guterres out at this stage.' Buildings under construction are seen in a general view from Tokyo Tower of the city of Tokyo, Japan, August 6, 2021. Picture taken August 6, 2021. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne He elaborated, 'Firstly, something like this brings prestige and recognition. Japan has long placed importance on the UN's functions and has a history of a UN-centred foreign policy.' Ascione also highlighted the alignment between Japan's post-war constitution and the UN's mission: 'Article 9 of the Japanese constitution renounces war as a means of settling disputes and aligns closely with the UN's mandate to resolve international issues through dialogue.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This dovetails with the message Japanese policymakers have consistently projected — that Japan seeks to be viewed as a promoter of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific. The China question Another reason of motivation behind Tokyo's outreach is strategic competition. Japanese officials have watched with unease as China has expanded its presence within the UN. By the early 2010s, Chinese nationals were leading four of the organisation's 15 principal agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the UN Industrial Development Organisation, the International Telecommunication Union, and the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Beyond these top roles, nine of the 15 agencies also have Chinese deputy leaders. Critics have argued that Beijing has used its influence to support preferred candidates for other roles, including the current World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus. This growing footprint has triggered anxiety in Tokyo about being sidelined in global governance. Hosting more UN functions could help Japan counterbalance China's sway, projecting itself instead as a neutral, rules-based actor. Ascione summarised the stakes plainly: 'Japan also wants to be seen as a leading peacemaker and stabiliser in the East Asia region and while these plans are tentative at the moment, I think it would be good if it did happen.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tokyo's case: safety, stability, and cost savings Tokyo's pitch rests on several tangible factors. Koike has consistently stressed the city's reputation for safety and security — two issues that weigh heavily for any international institution housing thousands of staff. The city's infrastructure is another selling point. Japan's transport, communications, and disaster response systems are among the world's most advanced, offering the UN an operational advantage if more offices were based there. The weak yen also plays a surprising role in the proposal. With the Japanese currency trading low against the dollar, the cost of living and doing business in Tokyo has dropped for international organisations. Koike framed this as a practical benefit, saying Tokyo is well-placed to offer more affordable support to the UN at a time when cost reductions are high on the agenda. The UN has not yet signalled any immediate plan to relocate key headquarters functions, and any such move would involve intense negotiations among member states.
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘Would you rather we switch off our economy,' Indian envoy asks, defending buying oil from Russia
LONDON: Indian high commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami has defended India buying oil from Russia and its close relationship with Moscow, saying to a British journalist: 'Do you want us to switch off our economy?' Doraiswami was speaking to Times Radio when asked by its political editor, Kate McCann, whether he felt comfortable with the 'closeness' of New Delhi's relationship with President Putin. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'We have a relationship that is based on a number of metrics — one of these is our long-standing security relationship that goes back to an era in which some of our Western partners wouldn't sell us weapons, but would sell them to countries in our neighbourhood which used them only to attack us,' Doraiswami replied. 'Second, we have an energy relationship today which is the result of everybody else buying energy from sources that we used to earlier buy from, so we have been displaced out of the energy market, largely, and the costs have gone up. We are the third-largest consumer of energy in the world and we import over 80% of our product. What would you have us do? Switch off our economy?' 'Thirdly, we also see around us relationships that other countries maintain for their own convenience with countries that are a source of difficulty for us. Do we ask you to come up with the litmus test of loyalty,' he said. McCann pressed whether India should be accepting Russian oil, pointing out that Nayara's Vadinar refinery in Gujarat had recently been sanctioned by the EU for refining Russian crude. 'We are the fourth-largest refiner of energy in the world and a number of countries in Europe buy refined oil from us, which ought to tell you something, and also many of our European partners are continuing to buy rare earth and other energy products, not oil perhaps, from the same countries that they are refusing to let us buy from. You wouldn't think that seems a little odd,' Doraiswami said. McCann asked whether PM Narendra Modi would be willing to discuss with Putin ending the war in Ukraine. 'Our consistent position, as our PM has repeatedly said, is that this isn't an era of war. He has made that point to the president of Russia and the president of Ukraine. We are very keen for this terrible conflict to stop, as we are keen for conflicts across the world to stop,' Doraiswami said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now McCann also probed about a 'new pact between India, Russia and China', asking: 'Do you feel comfortable with those relationships, because the leaders of those countries are roundly condemned by others in Europe?' Doraiswami denied there was ever any such pact and said there had just been a 'trilateral meeting format' which had not happened in a long time. 'It was a format in which we had our leadership coordinate across a range of security-related issues,' he said. 'We are neighbours of China, and China is a neighbour of Russia. It is reasonable that we coordinate our security interests,' he said.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Trump Warns Of "Real Starvation" In Gaza Amid 'Tactical Pause' For Aid Flow
US President Donald Trump warned Monday that the people of Gaza are facing "real starvation", as aid agencies sought to take advantage of an Israeli "tactical pause" of some military operations to rush in food aid. Speaking in Scotland, Trump contradicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has dismissed famine fears as Hamas propaganda. Trump said the United States and its partners would help set up food centres to feed the more than two million Palestinians in Gaza facing what UN aid agencies have warned is a deadly wave of starvation and malnutrition. "We're going to be getting some good strong food, we can save a lot of people. I mean, some of those kids -- that's real starvation stuff," he said at a news conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "We have to get the kids fed." Trump's remarks came after Netanyahu declared on Sunday that "there is no starvation in Gaza, no policy of starvation in Gaza." US food centres The United States already backs food centres under the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, but the GHF's operations have come under repeated criticism, with the UN saying hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops while trying to access its sites. The Foundation has also been accused by aid groups of facilitating Israel's military goals. Trump said the UK and European Union would back new food centres that would be easier to access -- "where the people can walk in, and no boundaries". The war in Gaza has dragged on for almost 22 months, creating a dire humanitarian crisis exacerbated by an Israeli blockade on supplies imposed from March to late May. The easing of the blockade coincided with the beginning of the GHF's operations, which effectively sidelined Gaza's traditionally UN-led aid distribution system, and which have been criticised as grossly inadequate. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday welcomed steps to reduce restrictions to lifesaving aid, but said it "is far from the solution to end this nightmare." In recent days, the UN and humanitarian agencies have begun delivering more truckloads of food after the Israeli military declared a daily "tactical pause" in the fighting and opened secure aid routes amid mounting international outrage. Jamil Safadi said he had been getting up before dawn for two weeks to search for food, and Monday was his first success. "I received about five kilos of flour, which I shared with my neighbour," said the 37-year-old, who shelters with his wife, six children and a sick father in a tent in Tel al-Hawa. Other Gazans were less fortunate. Some complained aid trucks had been stolen or guards had fired at them near US-backed distribution centres. "I saw injured and dead people. People have no choice but to try daily to get flour", said 33-year-old Amir al-Rash. Israel's new tactical pauses apply only to certain areas, and Gaza's civil defence agency reported 54 people killed in Israeli attacks on Monday. The Israeli defence ministry's civil affairs agency COGAT said the UN and aid organisations had been able to pick up 120 truckloads of aid on Sunday and distribute it inside Gaza, with more on the way on Monday. Basic supplies Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have begun airdropping aid packages, while Egypt has sent trucks through its Rafah border crossing to an Israeli post just inside Gaza. Germany on Monday said it would work with Jordan to airlift aid for Gaza and coordinate with France and Britain. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, cautiously welcomed Israel's recent moves but warned Gaza needed at least 500 to 600 trucks of basic food, medicine and hygiene supplies daily. "Opening all the crossings and flooding Gaza with assistance is the only way to avert further deepening of starvation," UNRWA said. Netanyahu has denied Israel was deliberately starving civilians, but on Monday two local rights groups, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, accused the country of "genocide" -- a first for Israeli NGOs. The amount of aid entering the territory still falls far short of what is needed, say experts, who have called for a permanent ceasefire, the reopening of more border crossings and a long-term, large-scale humanitarian operation. "We're one-and-a-half days into these new measures. Saying whether or not it is making a difference on the ground will take time," Olga Cherevko, a spokeswoman for the UN's humanitarian agency, told AFP from Gaza. The war in Gaza 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 based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed 59,921 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
