Latest news with #troopWithdrawal
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Israel ‘willing to withdraw more troops' from Gaza than previously offered
Israel has presented a new proposal in indirect talks over a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, according to a media report. The Jewish state is now willing to withdraw more troops from Gaza during the ceasefire than previously offered, The Times of Israel newspaper reported on Monday, citing an Arab diplomat. Indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Qatari capital Doha have recently stalled. A major sticking point is the differing views on the extent of the Israeli troop withdrawal, particularly from southern Gaza. Israel had previously been adamant that its forces remain in a relatively large area, including a 3km-wide buffer zone along the border with Egypt near Rafah, as well as the so-called Morag Corridor, which separates Rafah from Khan Younis, the next second city in the coastal strip. Hamas, though, has demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the positions they held before the collapse of the last ceasefire in March.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Report: Israel willing to withdraw more troops from Gaza
Israel has presented a new proposal in indirect talks over a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, according to a media report. The Jewish state is now willing to withdraw more troops from the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire than previously offered, the Times of Israel newspaper reported on Monday, citing an Arab diplomat. Indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Qatari capital Doha have recently stalled. A key sticking point is the differing views on the extent of the Israeli troop withdrawal, particularly from the southern Gaza Strip. Israel had previously been adamant that its forces remain in a relatively large area, including a three-kilometre-wide buffer zone along the border with Egypt near Rafah, as well as the so-called Morag Corridor, which separates Rafah from Khan Younis, the next second city in the coastal strip. Hamas, however, has demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the positions they held before the collapse of the last ceasefire in March. Under the newly reported proposal, Israel would reduce its military presence to a 2-kilometre-wide buffer zone along the southern border near Rafah. However, according to the Arab diplomat cited by the Times of Israel, it is doubtful whether this concession will lead to a breakthrough in the negotiations. Israel's wish to maintain its military presence in southern Gaza is linked to plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to establish a camp there for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, media reports say. Critics describe this as an internment camp that could ultimately lead to forced deportation. Israel, however, refers to it as a "humanitarian city" intended as a base for the "voluntary departure" of Gaza's residents. Israel's war on Gaza, which followed the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks by Hamas and other Islamist militants, continues to lead to consternation at the United Nations. UN Secretary General António Guterres said in New York on Monday: "We all condemned the horrible, terrible attacks of Hamas, but what we are witnessing Gaza is a level of death and destruction that has no parallel in recent times." ----------------------------------------------------------- Israel hat Medienberichten zufolge bei den indirekten Gesprächen über eine Waffenruhe im Gaza-Krieg einen neuen Vorschlag vorgelegt. Das Land wäre nun bereit, während der Feuerpause mehr Truppen aus dem Gazastreifen abzuziehen als bisher angeboten, berichtete die Zeitung «Times of Israel» unter Berufung auf einen arabischen Diplomaten. Die indirekten Verhandlungen Israels mit der islamistischen Hamas kamen in der katarischen Hauptstadt Doha zuletzt nicht von der Stelle. Ein Hauptgrund sind unterschiedliche Auffassungen über das Ausmaß des israelischen Truppenabzugs vor allem aus dem Süden des Gazastreifens. Israel hatte bislang darauf bestanden, dass seine Streitkräfte in einem relativ großen Gebiet verbleiben. Dieses würde eine drei Kilometer breite Pufferzone entlang der Grenze zu Ägypten bei Rafah sowie den sogenannten Morag-Korridor einschließen, der Rafah von Chan Junis trennt, der nächsten größeren Stadt im Küstenstreifen. Die Hamas verlangt den Rückzug des israelischen Militärs auf die Positionen, die es vor dem Zusammenbruch der letzten Waffenruhe im März eingenommen hatte. Dem nunmehr kolportierten Vorschlag zufolge würde Israel für sein Militär nur mehr noch in eine zwei Kilometer breite Pufferzone entlang der Südgrenze bei Rafah beanspruchen. Nach Darstellung des arabischen Diplomaten, auf den sich die «Times of Israel» beruft, ist jedoch zu bezweifeln, dass dieses Zugeständnis einen Durchbruch bei den Verhandlungen bringen wird. Israels Beharren auf dem Verbleib seines Militärs im Süden des Gazastreifens steht Berichten zufolge mit Plänen der Regierung von Ministerpräsident Benjamin Netanjahu im Zusammenhang, dort ein Lager für Hunderttausende Palästinenser errichten zu wollen. Kritiker sprechen von einem Internierungslager, das langfristig auf eine Zwangsdeportation hinauslaufen könnte. Israel spricht von einer «humanitären Stadt» als Ausgangsbasis für eine «freiwillige Ausreise» der Bewohner von Gaza.
Russia Today
17-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
US running out of patience over European troop reduction
Washington plans to start discussing the details of a partial European troop pullout with other NATO members later this year, the US ambassador to the bloc, Matthew Whitaker, has said. America has sought to do so for over three decades and is running out of patience, he added. NBC News reported in April that the US is considering withdrawing up to 10,000 troops from Eastern Europe. US President Donald Trump later confirmed that he is considering a partial pullout, but did not provide a timetable. Whitaker has now said discussions will take place later this year. 'It will be certainly after the summit, sometime later in the year, we are going to start those conversations... All our allies are ready to do it,' he told Reuters on Friday, referring to the bloc's upcoming summit in The Hague. 'We are not going to have any more patience for foot dragging in this situation... We just need to work through the practical consequences,' Whitaker said, adding that 'nothing has been determined' yet. 'But as soon as we do, we are going to have these conversations in the structure of NATO.' The cost of replacing the US equipment and personnel following the withdrawal could amount to around $1 trillion over 25 years, Politico reported earlier this week, citing a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The sum would include one-off purchase costs ranging from $226 billion to $344 billion, depending on the equipment to be replaced, as well as expenses regarding maintenance, personnel, and support. The list of military hardware that European NATO members would need to acquire after the pullout could include 400 tactical combat aircraft, 20 destroyers, and 24 long-range surface-to-air missiles, the news outlet said. As of early 2025, there were nearly 84,000 US troops stationed in Europe, with the largest concentrations in Germany and Poland, and smaller deployments in Romania, Estonia, and Lithuania, according to US European Command. The US is NATO's largest financial contributor, and Trump has repeatedly criticized the bloc's European members for failing to meet defense spending targets and urged them to take more responsibility for their own defense.
Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
US considers pulling troops out of Europe
The US is preparing to enter discussions about withdrawing troops from Europe, according to its ambassador to Nato. Matthew Whitaker said proposals to remove tens of thousands of troops from the continent would be discussed 'later in the year'. Donald Trump has repeatedly admonished Nato countries for failing to meet the defence spending goal of at least 2 per cent of GDP, arguing that the disparity places an unfair burden on the United States. Asked to comment on a report that Mr Trump is considering withdrawing troops from Europe, Mr Whitaker said 'nothing has been determined' but said that allies were ready to have the discussion. 'But as soon as we do, we are going to have these conversations in the structure of Nato,' said Mr Whitaker. 'It will be certainly after the summit, sometime later in the year, we are going to start those conversations... All our allies are ready to do it,' he added, referring to the Nato summit in The Hague in June. Withdraw troops from Germany In March, The Telegraph revealed that the US president was weighing up withdrawing some 35,000 active personnel out of Germany. Around 160,000 active-duty personnel are stationed outside of the United States, a vast quantity of whom are in the country. Mr Trump was said to be considering repositioning some troops in Europe to be closer to the Nato countries which have upped their defence spending to meet targets. The withdrawal is thought to be part of plans by the administration to redraw Nato engagement in a way that favours member countries with higher defence spending. European fears about the US commitment to Nato have been growing for some time. Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, told Nato allies in February that 'stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe'. During his first term, Mr Trump ordered the withdrawal of almost 12,000 troops from Germany, where the US had several major military facilities including Ramstein Air Base, the headquarters for US European Command. But the move was halted by Joe Biden amid widespread criticism from Congress. Earlier this year, The Atlantic reported in March that Mr Hegseth and JD Vance, the vice-president, had complained about European allies in a chat group. Mr Hegseth expressed his 'loathing of European free-loading', according to the Atlantic. Such comments have fuelled anxiety about the commitment to Nato, along with Trump's threats not to protect members that spend too little on defence, and his reluctance to keep supporting Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion.
