The Best Way to Win the War in Gaza Is to End It
Thanks in no small part to the prime minister's decisions — along with the skill of Israeli spies and fighter pilots, and crucial help from the US — Israel enjoys a stronger position in its neighborhood than it has in decades, or perhaps ever. Its enemies have been routed: Hamas is a shell of its former self; Hezbollah has been decapitated and stripped of much of its missile arsenal. Most important, Iran has been humbled, suffering devastating damage to its nuclear facilities, military leadership, ballistic-missile forces and air defenses after 12 days of Israeli and US airstrikes. Neighbors from Saudi Arabia to Lebanon and Syria have indicated varying degrees of interest in healthier relations with the Jewish state.
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Los Angeles Times
23 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trump seeks to use Canada's recognition of Palestinian state as leverage in trade talks
WASHINGTON — President Trump said Canada's announcement it will recognize a Palestinian state 'will make it very hard' for the U.S. to reach a trade agreement with its northern neighbor. Trump's threat, posted in the early hours Thursday on his social media network, is the latest way he has sought to use his trade war to coerce countries on unrelated issues and is a swing from the ambivalence he has expressed about other countries making such a move. The Republican president said this week that he didn't mind British Prime Minister Keir Starmer taking a position on the issue of formally recognizing Palestinian statehood. And last week he said that French President Emmanuel Macron's similar move was 'not going to change anything.' But Trump, who has heckled Canada for months and suggested it should become its 51st U.S. state, indicated on Thursday that Prime Minister Mark Carney's similar recognition would become leverage ahead of a deadline he set in trade talks. 'Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine,' Trump said in his Truth Social post. 'That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh' Canada!!!' Trump has threatened to impose a 35% tariff on Canada if no deal is reached by Friday, when he's said he will levy tariffs against goods from dozens of countries if they don't reach agreements with the U.S. Some imports from Canada are still protected by the 2020 United States Mexico Canada Agreement, which is up for renegotiation next year. Carney's announcement Wednesday that Canada would recognize a Palestinian state in September comes amid a broader global shift against Israel's policies in Gaza. Though Trump this week said he was 'not going to take a position' on recognizing a Palestinian state, he later said that such a move would be rewarding Hamas, whose surprise Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel prompted a declaration of war and a massive military retaliation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump's new cudgel against Canada comes after he moved to impose steep tariffs on Brazil because it indicted its former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally who like the U.S. president has faced criminal charges for attempting to overturn the results of his election loss. Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to impose his threatened 50% tariffs on Brazil, setting a legal rationale that Brazil's policies and criminal prosecution of Bolsonaro constitute an economic emergency under a 1977 law. Trump had threatened the tariffs July 9 in a letter to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. But the legal basis of that threat was an earlier executive order premised on trade imbalances being a threat to the U.S. economy. But the U.S. ran a $6.8 billion trade surplus last year with Brazil, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A statement by the White House said Brazil's judiciary had tried to coerce social media companies and block their users, though it did not name the companies involved, X and Rumble. Trump appears to identify with Bolsonaro, who attempted to overturn the results of his 2022 loss to Lula. Similarly, Trump was indicted in 2023 for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The order would apply an additional 40% tariff on the baseline 10% tariff already being levied by Trump. But not all goods imported from Brazil would face the 40% tariff: Civil aircraft and parts, aluminum, tin, wood pulp, energy products and fertilizers are among the products being excluded. The order said the tariffs would go into effect seven days after its signing on Wednesday. Also Wednesday, Trump's Treasury Department announced sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over alleged suppression of freedom of expression and Bolsonaro's ongoing trial. Citing a personal grievance in trade talks with Brazil and now Canada's symbolic announcement on a Palestinian state adds to the jumble of reasons Trump has pointed to for his trade war, such as stopping human trafficking, stopping the flow of fentanyl, balancing the budget and protecting U.S. manufacturing. Price writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Josh Boak contributed to this report.
Bloomberg
24 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Qatar to Pay for Syria to Get More Piped Gas From Azerbaijan
Syria's new government is set for a boost with Qatar agreeing to pay for increased natural gas supplies to the war-torn country, according to a Qatari official. Qatar, which is already providing funding to get gas to Syria's power plants, will roughly double the amount from next month, the official said, asking not to be named as the information isn't yet public.
CBS News
37 minutes ago
- CBS News
Canada says it plans to recognize Palestine as a state, joining the U.K. and France
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will recognize Palestine as a state in September at the United Nations General Assembly, following similar announcements from the United Kingdom and France. "The deepening suffering of civilians leaves no room for delay in co-ordinated international action to support peace, security, and the dignity of all human life," Carney said in a statement Wednesday. Canada has had a long-standing position supporting the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, but has said recognition should come as part of a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict. Carney said Wednesday that prospects of a two-state solution "have been steadily and gravely eroded." "Preserving a two-state solution means standing with all people who choose peace over violence or terrorism, and honouring their innate desire for the peaceful co-existence of Israeli and Palestinian states as the only roadmap for a secure and prosperous future," Carney said. Canada said its recognition is "predicated on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to much-needed reforms, including the commitments by Palestinian Authority President [Mahmoud] Abbas to fundamentally reform its governance, to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state." Hamas must also immediately release all hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks on Israel, disarm and "play no role in the future governance of Palestine," Carney reiterated. "Canada will always steadfastly support Israel's existence as an independent state in the Middle East living in peace and security. Any path to lasting peace for Israel also requires a viable and stable Palestinian state, and one that recognizes Israel's inalienable right to security and peace," the prime minister said. The Israeli Foreign Ministry denounced Canada's decision on Wednesday, calling it "a reward for Hamas." "Israel rejects the statement by the Prime Minister of Canada," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on social media. "The change in the position of the Canadian government at this time is a reward for Hamas and harms the efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of the hostages." President Trump reacted to the announcement with a post on his Truth Social platform. "Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh' Canada!!!" Mr. Trump said. Carney said the decision to recognize Palestine as a state came after he discussed the crisis with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The United Kingdom and France each decided this month to recognize a Palestinian state as pressure has mounted on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza. Starmer said the U.K. will recognize Palestine as a state unless Israel takes "substantive steps" to end the "appalling situation in Gaza," including the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza, a commitment to halting the annexation of territory in the West Bank and a pledge to work toward a peace process involving a two-state solution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the decision, saying in a statement posted on X that "Starmer rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims." "Consistent with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine," French President Emmanuel Macron said. "The urgent priority today is to end the war in Gaza and to bring relief to the civilian population." Netanyahu said Israel "strongly" condemned France's decision and that it "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became." In response to "growing European initiatives to recognize a Palestinian state," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of those taken hostage in Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack, on Wednesday said, "Recognizing a Palestinian state while 50 hostages remain trapped in Hamas tunnels amounts to rewarding terrorism. Such recognition is not a step toward peace, but rather a clear violation of international law and a dangerous moral and political failure that legitimizes horrific war crimes." Some 1,200 people were killed in Hamas' 2023 terrorist attack on Israel, mostly civilians. Israel says 251 people were taken hostage, with 50 still being held in Gaza, including one abducted before the Oct. 7 attack. Since then, more than 60,000 people have been killed in Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, most of whom are women and children, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths. Food security experts warn that the entire population of Gaza is facing famine unless unfettered humanitarian aid is immediately allowed into the territory. "If the international community truly desires peace, it must join U.S. efforts by demanding first the release of all hostages, followed by an end to the fighting. Recognition of a Palestinian state before the hostages are returned will be remembered throughout history as validating terrorism as a legitimate pathway to political goals," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. Israel over the weekend announced daily humanitarian pauses in fighting in parts of Gaza and airdrops in order to provide more humanitarian aid. More than 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state, but the United States is not among them. Emmet Lyons and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
