Latest news with #peace
NHK
27 minutes ago
- Politics
- NHK
Israeli ambassador to attend Nagasaki peace ceremony on August 9
Israel's ambassador to Japan has expressed his intention to attend this year's peace ceremony marking the US atomic bombing of Nagasaki. The city did not invite Israel for the annual August 9 event last year. Gilad Cohen made the remarks during a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Friday. Describing the ceremony as important, Cohen said, "This shows the respect of the Israeli people to the Japanese people in this very difficult moment of remembrance and mutual understanding of the importance of peace." Last year, Nagasaki City decided not to extend an invitation to the Israeli ambassador, as it sought to hold the ceremony smoothly in a calm and solemn atmosphere. Ambassadors from the Group of Seven nations, excluding Japan, also skipped last year's event. For this year's ceremony, Nagasaki has invited all countries and regions with representatives in Japan. The Russian Embassy in Japan said on Friday that Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev will attend. Russia and Belarus had been excluded until 2024. British Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom also expressed her intention to attend when she visited Nagasaki earlier this month. The ambassador was absent last year.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda sign a peace deal
For nearly 30 years a country in central Africa, called the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been affected by serious fighting and war. This has made life very hard for millions of people, including children who have had to leave their homes or stop going to school and many lives have been lost. Recently, some of this fighting has involved a neighbouring country called now, there are hopes for peace. What is the Democratic Republic of Congo like? Democratic Republic of Congo is a huge country - about ten times bigger than the UK, with a population of over 100 million people. The country has many rivers and waterfalls, including the Congo River, which is very important for travel and DRC is also full of amazing wildlife and nature, including the Congo Basin, the world's second largest rainforest. It's home to mountain gorillas, elephants, and many animals and birds that don't exist anywhere else on rainforest is often called 'the lungs of Africa', because of the oxygen the trees release into the air. The country is also known for rare materials, which are mined and often used in technology such as mobile phones. What is Rwanda like? Rwanda is a small country in central Africa, right next to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is much smaller than DR Congo - about the size of Wales - and has around 14 million people living is often called the 'Land of a Thousand Hills' because it has many green, rolling hills and beautiful mountains. The country is famous for its mountain gorillas, which live in the forests along the border with DR Congo and Uganda. Many people visit Rwanda to see these amazing animals in the has had a difficult past with lots of fighting and violence, but in recent years the country has worked to rebuild and to become safer for the people living there. Why has there been fighting between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo? DR Congo and Rwanda have had problems for many eastern DR Congo, a rebel group called M23 has been fighting the country's government. DR Congo says that Rwanda is helping this group by giving them weapons and support, but Rwanda says this is not true. The rare materials found in the DRC are also a source of fighting. The country has rich natural resources, such as diamonds, gold, copper, coltan and cobalt (which is mined for use in batteries for things like phones and electric cars). These materials are valuable and different groups want to control these resources. Efforts to find peace The deal to achieve peace is being helped by two other countries, the United States and United States wants to invest money in the area because of the valuable minerals. In return, it hopes the countries will work together to keep the region safe and peaceful, after many years of fighting over resources there.A peace deal is a very important step, and although there are still many questions about how it will work, it is the first sign of hope for many years. What happens now? Now, the two countries have signed a peace deal, an agreement which people hope could help to stop the fighting and help people live safely again. The deal was signed in Washington in the US. After the signing, President Donald Trump called the peace treaty "a glorious triumph"
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
How will Israel's war with Iran affect Benjamin Netanyahu's future?
When Benjamin Netanyahu described the opportunities for peace that Israel's successes in its brief war with Iran might bring, supporters took him at his word. 'This victory presents an opportunity for a dramatic widening of peace agreements. We are working on this with enthusiasm,' Israel's longest-serving prime minister said on Thursday in a pre-recorded statement. Critics of the 75-year-old leader saw something else. 'Whatever he does, he tries to turn everything to his advantage … This is a guy who never takes responsibility but only credit … Everything is opportunistic and everything is transactional,' said Prof Yossi Mekelberg at Chatham House in London. Quite how long Netanyahu will stay in power is now a burning question in Israel, as the country recovers from the rollercoaster of fear and elation of the last weeks. With the Iran war apparently over, the conflict in Gaza has returned to the headlines. On the day after the US declared a ceasefire, seven Israeli soldiers died in an attack on an outdated armoured vehicle in the south of the devastated territory, prompting further urgent calls within Israel for the hostilities there to be brought to a close. Back in the headlines, too, are the deep divisions in Israeli society and within the coalition Netanyahu put together after elections in November 2022. This is the most rightwing government ever seen in Israel, and has survived multiple challenges since the 7 October 2023 Hamas raid into Israel, in which militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage. For Prof Tamar Hermann, a specialist in public opinion at the Israel Democracy Institute, the war has changed little in terms of Israel's polarised domestic politics. 'Netanyahu's supporters support him even more and opponents oppose him like before. They see the [war against Iran] as very successful but don't credit Netanyahu. He gets some points … but not so many,' Hermann said. Netanyahu loyalists hope for a major boost in the polls. Udi Tenne, a strategic adviser and campaign manager for ministers in the current government, said: 'The operation [against Iran] led by Prime Minister Netanyahu was unquestionably justified, but it also, undeniably, benefited him politically. To put it metaphorically, the missiles launched at Iran also landed on the Israeli opposition.' A key question is whether the perceived victory over Iran will convince enough voters to forget that the 2023 attack – Israel's worst ever security failure – not only occurred on Netanyahu's watch but can be attributed in part to policies he had pursued over a decade or more. 'Since that horrific day, Israel's security situation has dramatically improved: the Iranian threat has been neutralised, Syria has collapsed, [the Lebanese militant group] Hezbollah has been severely damaged, and Gaza lies dismantled. We are living through a profound security transformation – and for that, great credit is due to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] and to the government,' said Tenne. Others are less convinced, and recent polls are inconclusive. The relatively minor gains made by Netanyahu's ruling Likud party have largely been at the expense of other coalition parties, notably the far right, and would not necessarily guarantee a win at any election. And a requirement for a 90-day gap between a dissolution of parliament and new elections means a snap poll would be a big risk for Netanyahu, even if his personal ratings have risen. 'People are going to give Netanyahu a lot of credit for the operation against Iran and polls show this. But they haven't forgotten [the 7 October attack] and politics have not become less divisive,' said Lahav Harkov, a senior political correspondent at the US-based Jewish Insider. Netanyahu's tactical instincts have never been in doubt throughout his long and controversial career. They are still admired by his supporters and bitterly regretted by detractors. 'One of his greatest political talents is he knows how to delay and come up with temporary workarounds so he can live another day,' said Harkov. Advisers to leaders of Israel's opposition parties said last week they were encouraged by recent polls and believed that the many other issues that have riled voters – persistent corruption allegations, Netanyahu's ongoing graft trial, a bitter row over whether Orthodox Jews should be exemption from conscription and the rising cost of living – will come to the fore as new elections loom. Others point out that Netanyahu's political base is far from monolithic, and that his comments about the cost to his family of the recent conflict have provoked much anger. Netanyahu's political demise has been often predicted, most recently in October 2023. However, he has not only retained power but consistently outmanoeuvred rivals and opponents. A bid to bring down his government was only narrowly defeated a day before he launched Israel's warplanes against Iran. 'He desperately needed some success. I don't think it was a coincidence that it happened as he was being cross-examined in his corruption trial,' said Mekelberg. Loyalists have no doubt who will be in charge in the coming years. 'He has returned to power with a firm grip,' said Tenne. 'If David Ben-Gurion declared Israel's independence, then it is Benjamin Netanyahu who is now securing its future.' Netanyahu appears convinced, too. With only weeks of the parliamentary term to go before a three-month summer recess, he has at least bought himself time until the late autumn. 'I have many more objectives, and as long as I believe I can fulfilthem, I will,' he said last week.
The Independent
4 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
What next for Gaza as Israel's shaky truce with Iran holds?
In the wake of Donald Trump 's extraordinary outburst of profanity outside the White House, a fragile US-brokered truce between Israel and Iran appears to be tentatively holding. In recent days, this has been accompanied by a flurry of messaging from Israel that this cessation of hostilities is just the start. Benjamin Netanyahu, in a brief but emphatic video on Thursday, insisted that after Israel achieved 'a great victory' over its staunchest foe, a new opportunity had opened up for a 'dramatic expansion of peace agreements'. 'There is a window of opportunity here that must not be wasted. We must not waste even a single day,' he said with emphasis. For the two million Palestinians in Gaza facing starvation and slaughter, the hope is that this new climate of negotiations might herald the end of 20 months of Israel's unprecedented bombardment, which has reduced the 25-mile-long strip to ashen rubble and claimed over 56,000 lives, according to local officials. Senior Palestinian health workers told The Independent that without a ceasefire and the immediate delivery of desperately needed aid, they were 'scared we are teetering on the very edge'. 'We are so tired—we can't keep going,' said Yosef Abureesh, Gaza's deputy health minister, outlining how half of the essential drugs list is missing and that none of the 38 hospitals in Gaza are fully functioning. 'Don't rely on our resilience. We are no longer able to continue as health staff,' he added. But what would this peace actually look like - and at what cost? Over the weekend, Netanyahu proclaimed a 'tectonic shift' in the Middle East with Iran weakened, claiming it could herald many more regional states signing the Abraham Accords and thereby recognising and normalising relations with Israel. 'We have broken the axis,' he told reporters triumphantly. 'This is a huge change, and Israel's status is rising—not just in the Middle East but across the world.' Netanyahu's comments on Thursday, though still animated, were more vague. The entire statement lasted just 28 seconds, during which he referred to a 'window of opportunity' alongside 'the defeat of Hamas' and 'the release of the hostages'. There are thought to be around 50 Israelis seized by Hamas during its bloody 7 October 2023 assault in southern Israel who remain in Gaza. Of those, only 20 are believed to still be alive. Netanyahu has faced mounting pressure from the families of the captives and the deceased to sign any truce that could bring the hostages home. According to leaks in Israeli media, the US is also piling on pressure for a rapid peace deal in Gaza that could include broader regional implications . The left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Friday that senior Trump administration officials have urged Israel to send its negotiating team to Cairo next week to advance talks with Hamas. Israel Hayom reported a four-way call involving Trump, secretary of state Marco Rubio, Netanyahu, and Israel's minister of strategic affairs, in which they discussed the possibility of a rapid end to the war in Gaza—possibly within just two weeks. The newspaper said the deal discussed could lead to an expansion of the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia and a post-Assad Syria. The Accords, announced in 2020, saw diplomatic normalisation and trade deals signed between Israel and Arab states including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The deal would allegedly be conditional on Hamas being replaced by an 'Arab coalition' to administer Gaza, with multiple nations accepting large numbers of Gaza residents 'seeking emigration'—a potentially alarming indication of transfer of the population. In exchange, the leaks said, the US would recognise 'limited Israeli sovereignty' in the occupied West Bank —likely meaning Trump is preparing to acknowledge Israel's de facto annexation of parts of territory that Palestinians hope to include in a future state. This includes settlements considered illegal under international law and a major obstacle to peace. In return, Israel would have to declare a willingness for a future resolution to conflict based on a 'two-state concept'—a notable watering down of the long-held and widely accepted belief that the creation of two sovereign states - Israel and Palestine - is the best solution to the conflict. But even these conditions will likely face push back from Netanyahu's extreme-right cabinet. Extreme-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have repeatedly called for the permanent conquest of Gaza and the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza that were dismantled in 2005. Without their support, Netanyahu risks the collapse of his razor-thin governing coalition. In a statement on Thursday, Smotrich declared: 'Mr prime minister, let it be clear: you do not have a mandate - not even a hint of one, or a lip-service one. If there are countries that want peace in exchange for peace - welcome. If they want a Palestinian state - they can forget it. It won't happen.' Secondly, these are conditions that the Palestinian leadership is unlikely to accept - especially if the proposal excludes the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and involves annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank. The Independent reached out to Hamas for comment on the reported leaks but has yet to receive a reply. Hamas badly needs a ceasefire. It is struggling to survive in Gaza, short of commanders - many of whom have been eliminated by Israel - deprived of much of its tunnel network , and now unsure of continued support from Iran (whose own military leadership has been battered). Yet, according to Gershon Baskin - a veteran Israeli hostage negotiator and peace activist - even under extreme conditions Hamas is still unlikely to accept the proposed terms. 'Hamas is ready to release all of the hostages and give up control over Gaza, but not as a surrender to Israel or to Trump - it must be part of a wider plan, which includes the reconstruction of Gaza,' he told The Independent. 'The idea of expanding the pie and adding extra components is good, but it must include ending the war and Israel withdrawing from Gaza. 'If it includes annexation of parts of the West Bank, Hamas - and all Palestinians - will never agree.' In the interim, time is running out for civilians in Gaza. On Friday, the World Health Organization warned that their first delivery of medical supplies to Gaza since March - when Israel imposed a full blockade on the strip - was merely a 'drop in the ocean' compared to what is needed. 'Open the routes and make sure that we can get our supplies in,' said WHO's Dr Rik Peeperkorn from Jerusalem, adding that Israel had denied entry to nearly 45 percent of the organisation's aid teams. From inside Gaza, Dr Abureesh warned that the population simply cannot continue in these conditions. 'Even someone working in Hollywood preparing a horror movie would not be able to invent the scenario that people in Gaza are living through right now,' he told The Independent. 'All the ways to kill people are being used together.'
Arab News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
African Union says DR Congo-Rwanda deal ‘milestone' toward peace
NAIROBI: The African Union said on Saturday a peace deal signed between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda was a 'significant milestone' in bringing peace to the deeply troubled region. For more than 30 years the eastern DRC has been riven by conflict, which has intensified in recent years with the advance of an armed militia backed by Rwanda. A statement said AU Commission head Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, who witnessed the signing of the deal in Washington on Friday, 'welcomed this significant milestone and commended all efforts aimed at advancing peace, stability, & reconciliation in the region.' It said he 'appreciated the constructive & supportive role played by the US & the State of Qatar in facilitating dialogue & consensus that led to this development.' The agreement comes after the M23, an ethnic Tutsi rebel force supported by Rwanda, sprinted across the mineral-rich east of the DRC this year, seizing vast territory including the key city of Goma. The deal does not explicitly address the gains of the M23 in the area torn by decades of on-off war but calls for Rwanda to end 'defensive measures' it has taken. Rwanda has denied offering the M23 military support but has demanded an end to another armed group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was established by ethnic Hutus involved in the massacres of Tutsis in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The agreement calls for the 'neutralization' of the FDLR.
