France FM urges foreign press access to Gaza
'I ask that the free and independent press be allowed to access Gaza to show what is happening there and to bear witness,' he told France Inter radio in an interview from eastern Ukraine.
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Arab News
18 minutes ago
- Arab News
UK PM facing mounting pressure to recognize Palestinian state
LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure from his ministers to recognize a Palestinian state amid global condemnation of Israel's conduct in Gaza. A number of senior ministers in Starmer's Cabinet have reportedly pushed the prime minister to take a leading international role in recognition at meetings in recent months, The Guardian reported. The UK has long pledged to recognize a Palestinian state as part of a formal peace process between Palestinians and Israel, but only in tandem with other Western countries. The government, however, has reportedly suffered from a growing sense of desperation after the Israeli military killed scores of starving Palestinians queuing at food aid sites in Gaza. One minister said: 'We say that recognizing Palestinian statehood is a really important symbol that you can only do once. But if not now, then when?' Almost 60 MPs from the ruling Labour Party earlier this month demanded that the UK immediately recognize Palestine as a state. This came after Israel's defense minister revealed plans to force all Gaza residents into a camp in the now-destroyed city of Rafah in the south of the strip. French President Emmanuel Macron told the British Parliament on a visit this month that the two-state solution was 'the only way' to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict and bring regional peace. Diplomats have said that Macron is facing resistance from allies in Britain and Canada over his position, however. Later this month, a planned conference co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France will take place in New York City, aimed at rallying international support for the two-state solution. The UK will 'play its part' in a solution, David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary, has said. 'We said we wanted that to be part of a process. But we have had no process. What we have had is mayhem and conflict. There has been no process to attach that recognition to,' he told the BBC on Tuesday. 'Why do we say that? It's because we don't just want to recognize symbolically, we want to recognize as a way of getting to the two states that sadly many are trying to thwart at this point in time,' he added. 'But there is a live debate and discussion, and let me restate again my belief in two states, and two states in which Palestinians have their dignity and freedom, and Israel has its security for its people. We will do all we can to achieve that in time.' Health Secretary Wes Streeting made a declaration in the House of Commons on Tuesday, calling for Palestinian recognition 'while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognize.' It followed an Israeli attack on the staff residence of the World Health Organization in Gaza. 'I deplore Israel's attacks on healthcare workers as well as other innocent civilians trying to access healthcare or vital aid,' he said. 'These actions go well beyond legitimate self-defense and undermine the prospects for peace.' Streeting is believed to be among the ministers who have pushed for recognition of Palestine. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Northern Ireland State Secretary Hilary Benn have also reportedly raised the issue.
Al Arabiya
18 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Israeli police investigate woman over suspected plot to assassinate Netanyahu
An anti-government activist in her 70s has been placed under investigation on suspicion of plotting to assassinate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, police said on Wednesday. The suspect is accused of having expressed her intent to kill Netanyahu and sought assistance from other activists to obtain weapons and gather information about the prime minister's security arrangements, police said. The National Unit for Serious and International Crime Investigations and the Shin Bet internal security agency have passed their evidence on to the State Attorney's office pending possible formal charges. Israeli newspaper Haaretz, quoting sources familiar with the case, said the woman had recently fallen ill and told people she planned to 'take Netanyahu with her.' Several people who heard her remarks contacted police, prompting the opening of the investigation. She was arrested around six weeks ago and has been released to house arrest. Haaretz said the woman, who comes from Tel Aviv and was not identified, was suspected of wanting to target Netanyahu with an explosive device or rocket-propelled grenade. In 1995 the then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was killed by a right-wing extremist opposed to his peace efforts with the Palestinians. In 1957, Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, narrowly escaped a grenade attack by a mentally ill man.
Al Arabiya
18 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Israel, Ukraine announce ‘dialogue' on countering Iran
Israel and Ukraine said Wednesday they had agreed to start talks on countering the 'threat' posed by Iran, in a sign of deepening ties between the two countries. Both see Iran, a close ally of Russia, as a malign actor on the world stage. Israel has long accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, an allegation Tehran denies, while Ukraine is regularly attacked from Russia by Iranian-designed drones. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described Iran as an 'existential threat' to global security during a joint press conference in Kyiv with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar – the most senior Israeli official to visit Ukraine since 2023. 'Our countries face common security challenges. Today we have decided to launch a separate dialogue on the Iranian threat,' Sybiha said. Saar said any effort to curb Tehran's access to weapons and technology contributed to the security of Europe and Ukraine. 'I thank President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian government for its position that Iran must not have nuclear weapons,' he said. Ukraine has expressed frustration at Israel's neutral stance on the Russian invasion, but the two share common interests. Kyiv has long accused Tehran of supplying military hardware to Moscow. Last month, Israel launched a surprise bombing campaign against Iran with the stated aim of destroying military and nuclear sites, an action that Kyiv supported.
