Trump plays golf in Scotland as protesters rally - International
Trump played at his Turnberry resort with son Eric and US ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens, waving to photographers following his arrival in his mother's birth country on Friday evening.
His presence has turned the picturesque and normally quiet area of southwest Scotland into a virtual fortress, with roads closed and police checkpoints in place.
Police officers -- some on quad bikes and others on foot with sniffer dogs -- patrolled the famous course and the sandy beaches and grass dunes that flank it.
Secret Service snipers were positioned at vantage points while some other golfers on the course were patted down by security personnel.
The 79-year-old Trump touched down Friday at nearby Prestwick Airport as hundreds of onlookers came out to see Air Force One and catch a glimpse of its famous passenger.
The president has professed a love of Scotland, but his controversial politics and business investments in the country have made for an uneasy relationship.
Speaking to reporters on the tarmac, Trump immediately waded into the debate surrounding high levels of irregular migration, and lashed out at renewable energy efforts.
"You better get your act together or you're not going to have Europe anymore," he said, adding that migration was "killing" the continent.
"Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries," he added.
Trump's five-day visit, which is set to mix leisure with business and diplomacy, has divided the local community.
Several hundred protesters demonstrated outside the US consulate in the capital Edinburgh and in the city of Aberdeen, near where Trump owns another golf resort.
The protests were organised by the Stop Trump Coalition. Participants held placards with slogans like "Scotland hates Trump" and waved Palestinian flags.
"I am here because of fascism in America under Trump's rule. I am here because of genocide in Gaza that is being funded and enabled by British and American governments," said 44-year-old Amy Hanlon in Aberdeen.
No demonstrations could be seen near Turnberry.
Trade talks
Not everyone was against his visit.
At Prestwick Airport on Friday evening a boy held a sign that read "Welcome Trump" while a man waved a flag emblazoned with Trump's most famous slogan -- "Make America Great Again".
"I think the best thing about Trump is he's not actually a politician yet he's the most powerful man in the world and I think he's looking at the best interests of his own country," said 46-year-old Lee McLean, who had travelled from nearby Kilmarnock.
"Most politicians should really be looking at the best interests of their own country first before looking overseas," he told AFP.
Trump had no public events scheduled for Saturday, but he posted on his Truth Social network to say he was talking with the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand in a bid to end their border conflict that has left at least 33 people dead.
Trump is due to discuss trade with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in Turnberry on Sunday.
He is also due to meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, before heading to Balmedie in Aberdeenshire where he is expected to formally open a new golf course at his resort there.
Trump is scheduled to return to the US on Tuesday but will be back in the UK for a state visit between 17-19 September, when he will be hosted by King Charles III.
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Al-Ahram Weekly
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It contains the majority of Israeli settlements, bypass roads, agricultural land, and natural resources. Legal experts and political analysts consider the Knesset's resolution to be a clear breach of international law, including UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 2334, and the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit an occupying power from transferring its population into occupied territory. Observers say that the declaration lends political legitimacy to Israel's longstanding strategy of settlement expansion and territorial control. They warn of increased home demolitions, especially in the Jordan Valley, Khirbet Humsa, and Khan Al-Ahmar, as well as the continued denial of Palestinian construction permits. The resolution is expected to solidify plans to expand Israeli infrastructure, effectively isolating Palestinian communities into disconnected enclaves. 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The vote follows a series of gradual steps, including the controversial transfer of the Israeli Civil Administration's powers to a government minister responsible for settlements, described by critics as 'silent annexation.' Human rights activist Munther Amira, who focuses on community resilience, warned that even symbolic declarations could result in serious consequences for international development work. 'For years, Area C has been both a target of Israeli restrictions and a focus of donor-funded humanitarian efforts,' he said. 'With each Israeli step towards de facto sovereignty, these projects, often related to agriculture, education, and infrastructure, are jeopardised.' If the Knesset's declaration leads to concrete enforcement, Israel could ban foreign aid workers, confiscate equipment, and demolish donor-funded facilities, claiming these activities are unauthorised under Israeli law. 'In January 2021, for example, Israeli forces demolished an EU-funded school in Zanouta near Hebron, citing a lack of permits,' Amira recalled. 'Solar panels and water systems in the Jordan Valley have also been seized, even when part of humanitarian relief programmes.' In Khirbet Humsa in the northern Jordan Valley, families were repeatedly evicted, and shelters provided by international NGOs were torn down. The UN at the time described the action as 'the largest forced displacement in over a decade.' Amira, also an activist with the PA's Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, says Palestinians have for years faced the demolition of agricultural projects, the confiscation of water networks, and the destruction of model farms in the Jordan Valley and in Khirbet Susiya south of Hebron. But the Knesset's latest declaration applying Israeli 'sovereignty' over the West Bank marks a dangerous shift, he said, from a quiet policy to a formal political strategy. 'If this resolution is used as a legal cover to increase pressure on Area C, it will amount to the systematic elimination of Palestinian development,' Amira told the Weekly. 'It will deny communities the right to remain, grow, and access basic services, violating international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, which require occupying powers to protect civilian infrastructure, not destroy it.' He warned that the move threatens the future of hundreds of internationally funded projects across Area C and poses a direct challenge to the very survival of Palestinian communities already vulnerable to displacement. LAND DISAPPEARING: As Israel presses forward with its settlement enterprise and legal groundwork for annexation, the international community has remained largely mute. While the UN and the European Union have reiterated their commitment to a two-state solution and opposition to unilateral actions, major powers such as the United States have yet to issue a formal condemnation – an absence that many observers say is emboldening Israel to proceed unchecked. On the ground, the situation is deteriorating rapidly. There is mounting fear that the West Bank could become a second Gaza, isolated, besieged, and politically cut off, under a creeping annexation campaign cloaked in legality. Palestinians fear the resolution could be a precursor to binding legislation that formally annexes the West Bank, similar to previous Israeli moves regarding East Jerusalem and the Occupied Golan Heights. If that happens, Palestinian leaders say they may be forced to withdraw from the Oslo Accords, suspend security coordination with Israel, and call for a national conference to redefine Palestinian-Israeli relations. Grassroots resistance could also escalate, amid growing public anger over what many describe as the open theft of land in full view of the international community. Analysts and politicians interviewed by the Weekly agreed: diplomatic appeals alone are no longer enough, they said, calling for immediate, coordinated action on the ground and urging international institutions to back their statements with concrete measures to hold Israel accountable. Subh stressed that the primary Palestinian response must be to 'strengthen resilience, remain steadfast, and exercise the right to self-defence and resistance.' He urged the Arab states to reassess their relationships with Israel, warning that normalisation 'has brought security to no one and only rewarded the occupier.' 'Any complacency in dealing with Israel is a betrayal of the sacrifices of our people. We need unity, comprehensive national dialogue, and the firm rejection of forced displacement. We appreciate the Egyptian and Jordanian positions in this regard,' he said. Al-Taj said that 'the real danger lies in how Israel uses legal declarations as a shield for expansionist policies, with no political cost and little international pushback. The silence of the Arab World and the retreat of official Palestinian diplomacy have only made this easier.' He called for an urgent Arab response on all levels, legal, diplomatic, and popular, to stop the annexation plan in its tracks. 'This is not just about Palestine,' he warned. 'It is about regional stability and the risk of a wider conflict.' Back on the ground, Amira remains focused on documenting Israeli violations and reinforcing vulnerable Palestinian communities. 'Israel has been annexing the West Bank on the ground for years,' he said. 'This latest declaration is simply a formal preview of what has already become a reality – settler violence, bypass roads, and land seizures are carving up Palestine piece by piece.' 'If the international community still believes in a two-state solution, now is the time to act. We need work, not words. Because in this moment, all of us, and all of Palestine, are being targeted.' * A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
