BETHLEHEM: Donald Trump makes the short trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem Tuesday to meet Mahmud Abbas, who hopes to convince the unpredictable US president to remain committed to an independent Palestinian state.
His talks in Bethlehem with the Palestinian president come after Trump on Monday made a heavily symbolic visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem and met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Later Tuesday, Trump will return to Jerusalem to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and give a speech at the Israel Museum before wrapping up his two-day stop.
Trump's visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories is part of his first trip abroad as president, and follows an initial leg in Saudi Arabia, where he urged Islamic leaders to confront extremism.
He has spoken of reviving long-stalled peace efforts between the Israelis and Palestinians, but few specifics have emerged of how he intends to do so.
Before dinner at Netanyahu's residence on Monday, Trump avoided delving into details.
"I've heard it's one of the toughest deals of all, but I have a feeling that we're going to get there eventually, I hope," he said.
Earlier Monday, Trump also lashed out at Iran, Israel's arch-enemy, saying it should never be allowed to have nuclear weapons and criticising Tehran for supporting "terrorists" -- a reference to militant groups it backs in the region.
He said Iran should have thanked the United States for the 2015 nuclear accord between Tehran and world powers because it led to sanctions being lifted.
"Instead of saying thank you to the United States, they now feel emboldened," Trump said.
In Tehran on Monday, Iran's newly re-elected President Hassan Rouhani ridiculed US strategy in the Middle East, dismissing Trump's summit with Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia as "just a show".
Security will be tight for Trump's journey to Bethlehem, a 20-minute drive from Jerusalem but located across Israel's controversial separation wall.
The wall is part of a project begun in 2002 during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, that is to extend some 700 kilometres (450 miles) once completed.
It is a stark symbol for Palestinians of Israel's 50-year occupation of the West Bank, and in Bethlehem the wall has been covered with graffiti and street art.
Trump is to meet Abbas at the presidential palace in Bethlehem, which holds deep significance as the site where Christians believe Jesus was born.
A banner hung in the city said "the city of peace welcomes the man of peace" along with photos of Abbas and Trump.
Hossam Zomlot, an aide to Abbas, said that "if President Trump wants to mediate and leads us to a historic agreement, a major agreement, we are ready to be his partners".
Their talks come with hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails on hunger strike since April 17, and activists were hoping to display banners in Bethlehem to drawn Trump's attention to it.
On Monday, Palestinians also held a general strike in support of the prisoners.
Clashes broke out near a checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah involving several hundred stone-throwing youths and Israeli soldiers who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas, leaving at least one wounded.
On Monday night in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian enclave run by Abbas's rivals Hamas, the Islamist movement organised a demonstration to denounce its labelling as a "terrorist" group by many Western governments, including the United States.
Trump and Abbas met earlier this month at the White House.
Trump initially sparked deep concern among Palestinians when he backed away from the long US commitment to a two-state solution to the conflict.
Meeting Netanyahu in Washington in February, he said he would support a single state if it led to peace, delighting Israeli right-wingers who want to see most of the West Bank annexed.
During his election campaign, Trump also advocated breaking with decades of precedent and moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, alarming Palestinians.
He has since said the move was still being looked at.
At the same time, he urged Israel to hold back on settlement building in the West Bank, a longstanding concern of Palestinians and much of the world.
The most high-profile moment of Trump's stay in Jerusalem was his visit to the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites in Judaism.
He became the first sitting US president to visit the site in the Israeli-annexed east of the city.
He was not accompanied by any Israeli leaders during the visit.
Allowing them to do so could have led to accusations that Washington was implicitly recognising Israel's unilateral claim of sovereignty over the site, which would break with years of US and international precedent.
The status of Jerusalem is ultra-sensitive and has been among the most difficult issues in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, stalled since April 2014.
Israel occupied the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, in the Six-Day War of 1967.
It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community and claims the entire city as its capital.
The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
After Israel and the Palestinian territories, Trump will head to the Vatican, and to Brussels and Italy for NATO and G7 meetings.
Trump heads for Bethlehem to see Palestinian leader
Trump heads for Bethlehem to see Palestinian leader
Pro-Turkiye Syria groups reduce presence in Kurdish area
- Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies carried out an offensive from January to March 2018 targeting Kurdish fighters in the Afrin area
- Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) played a key role in the recapture of the last territory held by the Daesh group in Syria in 2019
The move follows an agreement signed last month between Syria’s new authorities and Kurdish officials that provides for the return of displaced Kurds, including tens of thousands who fled the Afrin region in 2018.
The pro-Ankara groups have “reduced their military presence and checkpoints” in Afrin, in Aleppo province, the official told AFP, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Their presence has been “maintained in the region for now,” said the official, adding that authorities wanted to station them in army posts but these had been a regular target of Israeli strikes.
After Islamist-led forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar Assad in December, the new authorities announced the disbanding of all armed groups and their integration into the new army, a move that should include pro-Turkiye groups who control swathes of northern Syria.
Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies carried out an offensive from January to March 2018 targeting Kurdish fighters in the Afrin area.
The United Nations has estimated that half of the enclave’s 320,000 inhabitants fled during the offensive.
The Kurds and rights groups have accused the pro-Turkiye forces of human rights violations in the area.
Last month, the Kurdish semi-autonomous administration that controls swathes of northern and northeastern Syria struck a deal to integrate its civil and military institutions into those of the central government.
The administration’s de facto army, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), played a key role in the recapture of the last territory held by the Daesh group in Syria in 2019, with backing from a US-led international coalition.
A Kurdish source close to the matter said the people of Afrin were “waiting for all the checkpoints to be removed and for the exit of pro-Turkiye factions.”
Requesting anonymity as the issue is sensitive, the source told AFP that in talks with Damascus, the SDF was pushing for security personnel deployed in Afrin to be from the area.
The SDF is also calling for “international organizations or friendly countries from the international coalition” to supervise collective returns, the source added.
Syria’s new leadership has been seeking to unify the country since the December overthrow of longtime president Bashar Assad after more than 13 years of civil war.
This month, Kurdish fighters withdrew from two neighborhoods of Aleppo as part of the deal.
Syrian Kurdish official Bedran Kurd said on X that the Aleppo city agreement “represents the first phase of a broader plan aimed at ensuring the safe return of the people of Afrin.”
UAE’s foreign minister discusses crisis in Gaza with Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts
- They call for intensified efforts to restore ceasefire agreement, secure the release of hostages, and enhance humanitarian efforts to help the population of the territory
LONDON: The UAE’s foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, discussed the urgent need to resolve the crisis in Gaza during meetings in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday with his Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts.
Sheikh Abdullah and Egypt’s minister of foreign affairs, Badr Abdel Ati, emphasized the need for intensified efforts to restore the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and to secure the release of remaining hostages. In addition to the latest developments in the territory, they discussed other matters of regional and international interest.
In a separate meeting, the Emirati minister and Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, talked about the latest developments in the Middle East and ways in which regional stability might be enhanced.
In particular, they reviewed strategies for improving the humanitarian response in Gaza to ensure the urgent, safe and unobstructed delivery of adequate aid to its suffering inhabitants, the Emirates News Agency reported. They also reaffirmed their commitment to continued coordination between their countries on responses to regional crises and challenges.
US trade delegation visits Iraq
- US trade mission to Iraq is the largest in the more than 100-year history of the US Chamber of Commerce
BAGHDAD: A US trade delegation representing 60 companies was visiting Iraq to sign economic cooperation agreements with the private sector, Washington’s embassy in Baghdad said Tuesday.
The three-day visit, which began on Monday, comes amid fears of an international recession after US President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on numerous countries, which included 39 percent duties on Iraqi imports.
The US delegation consists of 101 members from 60 companies in the energy, technology and health sectors, who are set to meet with senior Iraqi officials and sign agreements, said an embassy statement.
It is the largest US trade mission to Iraq in the more than 100-year history of the US Chamber of Commerce, the embassy added.
In a post on X, the US mission said that a “pivotal memorandum of understanding to strengthen ties between the US and Iraqi private sectors” was signed on Monday between the US Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce.
“This partnership will foster long-term economic collaboration,” it said.
According to the office of the US trade representative in Iraq, total goods trade with the oil-rich country reached $9.1 billion in 2024, with US exports amounting to $1.7 billion.
US goods imports from Iraq totaled $7.4 billion.
During the visit, Iraq is expected to sign a “landmark agreement” with General Electric to develop a high-efficiency power plant, according to Farhad Alaaldin, foreign policy adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani.
Last year, during Sudani’s visit to Washington, Iraq and the US signed several memoranda of understanding in the energy sector, including one with General Electric to ensure the maintenance of the Iraqi electricity grid.
Iraq’s power plants are currently highly dependent on gas imported from Iran, which provides about a third of its neighbor’s energy needs.
But Tehran has often cut supplies, exacerbating regular power outages.
Baghdad has repeatedly stressed the need to diversify energy sources to reduce its dependence on Iran.
Iraq has been trying to move past decades of war and unrest, including a sectarian struggle after the US-led invasion 2003 toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.
Yemen's Houthis say four killed in US strikes on west
- The Houthis’ TV channel said there had been “deaths and wounded" in strikes on the Al-Hawak district in Hodeida
HODEIDAH, Yemen: Yemen’s Houthis on Tuesday said US strikes on the western province of Hodeida killed four people and wounded 13 others, a day after the group said it targeted Israel and US warships.
“Four killed and 13 wounded in a preliminary toll of the victims of the flagrant American aggression,” the militant's health ministry spokesman Anis Al-Asbahi said in a post on X.
The Houthis’ Al-Masirah TV channel had reported earlier on Tuesday “deaths and wounded in the US enemy’s targeting” of the Al-Hawak district in Hodeida.
It added that civil defense teams had rushed to the site and were working on putting out the fires and rescuing any survivors.
An AFP journalist near the site of the strike heard the sound of three violent blasts in succession.
Al-Masirah also reported a US strike on the communications network in the Amran province north of Sanaa, without providing further details.
Houthi-held areas of Yemen have seen near-daily strikes blamed on the United States since Washington launched an air campaign on March 15 to force them to stop threatening vessels in key maritime routes.
Since then, the Houthis have also launched attacks targeting US military ships and Israel, claiming to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The rebels began targeting ships transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as Israeli territory, after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, pausing the attacks during a January ceasefire.
Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza at the start of March, and resumed its offensive on the Palestinian territory on March 18, ending the short-lived truce.
The new US campaign followed Houthi threats to resume attacks on vessels over Israel’s blockade on Gaza.
The Houthi attacks had crippled the vital Red Sea route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies to make a much longer detour around the tip of southern Africa
Israel fulfilling ‘none’ of its legal duties as an occupying power, UN chief warns
- Gaza is ‘killing field’ and civilians caught in ‘endless death loop,’ says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
- West Bank could spiral into a similar crisis unless urgent steps are taken to protect civilians, end dehumanization and restore peace, he adds
NEW YORK CITY: The UN secretary-general evoked several provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention on Tuesday to remind Israeli authorities of an occupying power’s “unequivocal” obligations under international law.
The obligations Antonio Guterres highlighted included ensuring the welfare of the civilian population, the supply of food and medicine, and the maintenance of public health services.
“None of that is happening today,” he said. “No humanitarian supplies can enter Gaza. At the crossing points, food, medicine and shelter supplies are piling up and vital equipment is stuck.”
Speaking in New York to reporters, the UN chief described Gaza’s current path as a dead end that is “totally intolerable” in the eyes of international law and history.
He also warned that the situation in the West Bank could spiral into a similar crisis unless urgent steps are taken to protect civilians, end dehumanization and restore peace.
Guterres called for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and full humanitarian access to be restored. It has been more than a month since aid entered the territory, he added, exacerbating an already devastating humanitarian crisis.
“More than an entire month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza,” he said. “No food. No fuel. No medicine. No commercial supplies. As aid has dried up, the floodgates of horror have reopened.”
Guterres condemned proposals by Israeli authorities to introduce “authorization mechanisms” for the delivery of aid that risk further controlling and “callously limiting aid, down to the last calorie and grain of flour.”
He said the UN “will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.”
He warned that “the situation in Gaza has become a killing field” and civilians are trapped in an “endless death loop” as a result of the blockade on food, medicine, fuel and other essential supplies.
“Ceasefires work,” Guterres said. “During that ceasefire (between January and March this year), humanitarian organizations successfully delivered critical aid, including food and medical supplies, to Gaza. Guns fell silent, obstacles were removed, looting ended and we were able to deliver lifesaving supplies to virtually every part of the Gaza Strip.
“That all ended with the shattering of the ceasefire. Hope sank for Palestinian families in Gaza and families of hostages in Israel.”
Guterres expressed deep concern about the continuing detention of hostages by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. He met the families of the hostages on Monday and reiterated his call for their immediate release.
“With crossing points into Gaza shut and aid blockaded, security is in shambles and our capacity to deliver has been strangled,” he continued.
He reiterated the declaration made by UN humanitarian organizations on Monday, who said in a joint statement that “assertions that there is now enough food to feed all Palestinians in Gaza are far from the reality on the ground, and commodities are running extremely low.”
Guterres said: “We must stick to our core principles. It is time to end the dehumanization, protect civilians, release the hostages, ensure lifesaving aid and renew the ceasefire.
“The world may be running out of words to describe the situation in Gaza but we will never run away from the truth.”
