Allies denounced US President’s plans to ‘take ove’ Gaza strip
Dubai, Feb 5: President Donald Trump’s proposal that the United States “take over” the Gaza Strip and permanently resettle its Palestinian residents was swiftly rejected and denounced on Wednesday by American allies and adversaries alike.
Trump’s suggestion came at a White House news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who smiled several times as the president detailed a plan to build new settlements for Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip, and for the US to take “ownership” in redeveloping the war-torn territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs.” The comments came amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, during which the militant group has been turning over hostages in exchange for the release of prisoners held by Israel.
Egypt, Jordan and other American allies in the Middle East have already rejected the idea of relocating more than 2 million Palestinians from Gaza elsewhere in the region. Following Trump’s remarks, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement stressing the need for rebuilding “without moving the Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.” Saudi Arabia, an important American ally, weighed in quickly on Trump’s expanded idea to take over the Gaza Strip in a sharply worded statement, noting that its long call for an independent Palestinian state was a “firm, steadfast and unwavering position.” “The kingdom of Saudi Arabia also stresses what it had previously announced regarding its absolute rejection of infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, annexation of Palestinian lands or efforts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” the statement said.
Similarly, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra, Australia, that his country has long supported a two-state solution in the Middle East and that nothing had changed.
“Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year, as it was 10 years ago,” he said.
Trump has already made waves – and upset longtime allies – suggesting the purchase of Greenland, the annexation of Canada and the possible takeover of the Panama Canal. It was not immediately clear whether the idea of taking over the Gaza Strip was a well thought out plan, or an opening gambit in negotiations.
Albanese, whose country is one of the strongest American allies in the Asia-Pacific region, seemed frustrated to even be asked about the Gaza plan, underscoring that his policies “will be consistent.” “I’m not going to, as Australia’s prime minister, give a daily commentary on statements by the US president,” he said. “My job is to support Australia’s position.” New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that its “long-standing support for a two-state solution is on the record” and added that it, too, “won’t be commenting on every proposal that is put forward.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian also underscored Beijing’s longstanding support for a two-state solution.
“We oppose the forced relocation of people in Gaza and hope that the relevant parties will take the ceasefire and post-war governance in Gaza as an opportunity to push the Palestinian issue back on the right track,” he said. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told state-run Anadolu Agency that Trump’s proposal on “deportations from Gaza is not something that either the region or we would accept.” “Even thinking about it, in my opinion, is wrong and absurd,” Fidan said. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for the United Nations to “protect the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights,” saying that what Trump wanted to do would be “a serious violation of international law.” Hamas, which sparked the war with its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, said Trump’s proposal was a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.” “Instead of holding the Zionist occupation accountable for the crime of genocide and displacement, it is being rewarded, not punished,” the militant group said. (AP)
US to bar transgender female athletes from competing
Washington, Feb 5: President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Wednesday designed to prevent people who were biologically assigned male at birth from participating in women’s or girls’ sporting events.
The order, which Trump is expected to sign at an afternoon ceremony, marks another aggressive shift by the Republican president’s second administration in the way the federal government deals with transgender people and their rights.
The president put out a sweeping order on his first day in office last month that called for the federal government to define sex as only male or female and for that to be reflected on official documents such as passports and in policies such as federal prison assignments. Trump found during the campaign that his pledge to “keep men out of women’s sports” resonated beyond the usual party lines. More than half the voters surveyed by AP VoteCast said support for transgender rights in government and society has gone too far.
He leaned into the rhetoric before the election, pledging to get rid of the “transgender insanity,” though his campaign offered little in the way of details. Wednesday’s order – which coincides with National Girls and Women in Sports Day – will involve how his administration will interpret Title IX, the law best known for its role in pursuing gender equity in athletics and preventing sexual harassment on campuses. (AP)
US pulls out of UN Human Rights Council
The order stops future funding for UN agency for Palestinian refugees
New York, Feb 5: President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the UN Human Rights Council, prohibiting any future funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Trump on Tuesday also directed the US to review its participation in the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the body that uses culture and history as a bridge-building mechanism between nations.
“The United States helped found the United Nations (UN) after World War II to prevent future global conflicts and promote international peace and security. But some of the UN’s agencies and bodies have drifted from this mission and instead act contrary to the interests of the United States while attacking our allies and propagating anti-Semitism,” the Executive order said.
The executive order said that as in 2018, when the US withdrew from the UNHRC, the US will reevaluate its commitment to these institutions and three UN organisations that deserve renewed scrutiny are the UNHRC; the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Israel and the US have accused the Human Rights Council of unfairly targeting and maligning Israel. In 2019, the US and Israel withdrew from UNESCO, with Israel criticising the agency as “erasing” Jewish history within Israel’s borders. (AP)
Gabbard, Kennedy clear first confirmation hurdle; Bondi’s approved
New York, Feb 5: Two of US President Donald Trump’s most controversial nominees for high-level positions, Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F Kennedy Jr, cleared the first hurdle for confirmation to their posts after Senate committees cleared them.
The approval by the panels on Tuesday sends their nomination to the full Senate for a vote.
Meanwhile, the full Senate approved the nomination of Pam Bondi as the attorney general. She had held the same post in Florida and was one of Trump’s personal lawyers at his first impeachment trial. Unlike some Trump nominees, Bondi was not a controversial personality and managed to get the vote of a Democratic Party senator for her confirmation.
Senate Intelligence Committee cleared Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence with a vote along party lines, with all nine Republicans voting for her and the eight Democrats opposing her. (IANS)