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Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
What UN meet amid grave tragedy in Gaza aims to achieve, and what it might
The ongoing mass starvation of Gazans amid Israeli military action may finally prove to be enough for the global community at the level of the United Nations to push again for a two-state solution. Palestinians at a tent camp next to buildings destroyed in Israeli military operations in Gaza City, July 25.(AP) Israel and its biggest backer, the US, are expected to be absent at the July 28-30 UN conference in New York, where France plans to recognise Palestinian statehood as over 100 countries attend. Talks for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, however, have hit a wall after the US and Israel withdrew their negotiators. They have alleged that Hamas has set unreasonable conditions. In that light, the UN conference, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, is a response to the crisis. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and several dozen ministers from around the world are expected to attend, AFP reported. Israel clearing Gaza Israeli bulldozers have, nonetheless, been clearing the rubble of thousands of destroyed buildings in Gaza — homes, hospitals, schools, offices — as the ideas of Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, of developing a 'waterfront property' and a 'resort-like city', take shape. Trump has grown more blunt in his calls for Israel to 'finish the job'. Also read | Palestinians stare at 'die hungry or leave territory' as Gaza starvation peaks After more than 21 months of the latest war in Gaza, which began as retaliation to an attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas, Israel is speaking of shifting all of Gaza's population into a 'humanitarian city'. Some analysts see that as a potential concentration camp. Israel's settlements continue to expand in the West Bank, the other major Palestinian territory, too. Its officials have stated designs to annex more of the occupied territory. A Palestinian state, thus, looks geographically impossible. Also read | Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will take 'full control' of Gaza But French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement, that his country will formally recognise the State of Palestine in September, "will breathe new life into [the UN] conference that seemed destined to irrelevance," Richard Gowan, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, told news agency AFP. "Macron's announcement changes the game. Other participants will be scrabbling to decide if they should also declare an intent to recognise Palestine," he felt. According to an AFP database, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states — already including France — now recognise the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988. 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. But subsequent wars and annexations have meant Israel now controls almost all of the territory. 'No alternative': Back to a two-state solution After the latest war having reportedly claimed over 50,000 lives, and protests over the West's military support to Israel growing, a two-state solution is 'more threatened than it has ever been', said a French diplomatic source to AFP. "But it's even more necessary than before, because we see very clearly that there is no alternative," the source added. The three-day New York meeting is hoping to facilitate conditions for even wider recognition of a Palestinian state. Plus, it has three other focuses: reform of the Palestinian Authority, disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from Palestinian public life, and normalization of relations with Israel by Arab states that have not yet done so. The UK, however, has said it would not recognise a Palestinian state unilaterally and would wait for 'a wider plan'. Germany has no such plans either. 'Very fierce criticism of Israel' is expected, though, at the meet, said analyst Gowan. The conference "offers a unique opportunity to transform international law and the international consensus into an achievable plan and to demonstrate resolve to end the occupation and conflict once and for all, for the benefit of all peoples," said the Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, calling for "courage" from participants. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, has dismissed the plan, 'This conference […] doesn't first urgently address the issue of condemning Hamas and returning all of the remaining hostages.' (With AFP inputs)
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Gaza deal collapses: Donald Trump says Israel will have to ‘get rid of' Hamas
US President Donald Trump blamed Palestinian militant group Hamas for the Gaza ceasefire collapse. He said on Friday, 'It was too bad. Hamas didn't really want to make a deal…I think they [Hamas] want to die, and it's very, very bad.' In a statement before leaving for a weekend trip to Scotland, Trump said, 'It got to be to a point where you're gonna have to finish the job.' 'They're going to have to fight, and they're gonna have to clean it up. You're gonna have to get rid of it,' he said, acknowledging that the situation is 'sort of disappointing.' The US president argued that the Palestinian militant group was not ready to hand over the remaining captives in Gaza because "they know what happens after you get the final hostages". 'And, basically, because of this, they didn't really wanna make a deal. So, they pulled out [of the negotiations],' Trump said. Trump's statement came after the US and Israeli negotiators quit indirect talks with Hamas in Qatar, citing concerns that Hamas was not "coordinated" or 'acting in good faith.' Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, had then said he was exploring "alternative options" to secure the release of hostages. Trump's comments on Friday marked a clear shift from just weeks ago when Trump appeared confident a deal was close that would end the conflict, release remaining hostages, and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, CNN noted. When asked about his recent interactions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said only that they were "sort of disappointing." He added, 'They're gonna have to fight and they're gonna have to clean it up. You're gonna have to get rid of 'em.' While Trump placed blame squarely on Hamas, officials in Egypt and Qatar described the current pause in talks as "normal in the context of these complex negotiations." An Israeli official also said the talks had "not at all" collapsed. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was now mulling "alternative" options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the enclave, where starvation is spreading and most of the population is homeless amid widespread ruin.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
‘Think they want to die': Trump says Hamas 'didn't want' Gaza deal; mulls hostages rescue alternatives
Benjamin Netanyahu (left), Donald Trump (AP) US President Donald Trump on Friday alleged that Hamas is unwilling for a ceasefire deal in Gaza as Israel suggested it might explore 'alternative options' to rescue the hostages after the talks broke down. , reported new agency AFP. While speaking to the agency, an Israeli official said that air drop of aid wounds in Gaza. The aids group working in the city have warned of the surging numbers of malnourished children in the ongoing warzone. After US and Israeli negotiators walked away from indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar, Trump commented on the situation, saying, "it was too bad. Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die," reported news outlet. The US President stated that the Palestinian militant group was unwilling to release the remaining hostages in Gaza, explaining, "they know what happens after you get the final hostages." Trump's special envoy to the Middle-East Steve Witkoff claimed that Hamas was not "acting in good faith" during the negotiations that concluded on Thursday. In response, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim accused Witkoff of misrepresenting the nature of the talks and reneging on previously reached agreements. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Brain tumor has left my son feeling miserable; please help! Donate For Health Donate Now Undo Witkoff likewise stated that Washington would "consider alternative options" regarding Gaza, though he did not specify what those might involve. Meanwhile, Israel's far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged a return to a full aid blockade, the total occupation of Gaza, efforts to 'encourage' its residents to leave, and the restoration of Israeli settlements there. Qatar and Egypt, who are trying to meditate in the conflict, expressed hope that negotiations could still continue, pledging to persist with "intensive efforts" to achieve a long-sought breakthrough. A deepening crisis Over 100 aid and human rights organizations issued a warning this week about the growing threat of "mass starvation" in Gaza. Doctors without borders (MSF) reported that 25 percent of the young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women screened at its clinics last week were malnourished. This came just a day after the United Nations revealed that one in five children in Gaza City is experiencing malnutrition. The leaders of Britain, France and Germany, in a joint statement on Friday, said the "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza "must end now". "We call on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid" and facilitate the "urgent" work of UN agencies and humanitarian groups, the European leaders said, reported AFP.
