International
International partners embrace the Palestinian Authority for a two-state future
The international partners and donors of the Palestinian National Authority (ANP) met this Sunday in Brussels to cover their new prime minister, Mohamed Mustafa, who showed himself as a “responsible” partner for a two-state future for Palestine and Israel.
“These meetings are key to moving towards an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian State. Today is a very important opportunity to present to our international partners the plans and priorities that we have, as a new government, for the next mandate,” Mustafa said in a statement prior to today’s ministerial meeting, held at the headquarters of the European Commission.
This is his first visit to Brussels since he took office in mid-March and he participated, along with about twenty countries and international organizations, in this meeting, hosted by the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, chaired by the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, and also attended by the Spanish head of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares.
The head of the Palestinian government presented himself as a reliable partner in the eyes of the international community and set the reconstruction of Gaza as the first priority of his new Executive, so he called for a ceasefire.
When the war is over, the ANP wants to “be prepared” to “care” for the civilian population in the Strip, in addition to “reintegrating the institutions of Gaza,” now controlled by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, with those of the West Bank, in the hands of the secular Fatah party.
Improving the economic situation of Palestine is another of Mustafa’s great priorities, and in this sense he asked the international community to put pressure on Israel to unblock the funds belonging to the ANP that the Israelis have kept frozen since the beginning of the war.
“We must take better care of the Palestinian authorities that we have because there is no alternative, and I think we are all convinced that there is no long-term alternative to a two-state solution. A two-state solution requires a Palestinian government,” stressed the head of Norwegian diplomacy.
Norway, which together with Spain and Ireland will officially recognize the Palestinian State next Tuesday, believes that the Palestinian National Authority, “which has all the control it can in the West Bank and East Jerusalem must be able to survive, strengthen itself, improve its ability to provide services, reform, and also plan a future return to Gaza, because we want a Palestine to be governed by a single government,” Eide said.
“We need to strengthen the voice of the moderates who really want to achieve a solution in which both Israelis and Palestinians can live together in peace,” stressed the Norwegian Foreign Minister, whose purpose in the meeting he chairs is that key partners and donors not only listen “attentively” to Mustafa’s plans but also “understand how serious the situation is.”
For Eide, the Mustafa government, with support, will be “capable of becoming the embryo of the State that we not only recognize, but also want to see in practice on the ground.”
“It is very important that we get together to try to support the Palestinian Authority because these are extremely difficult times for the Palestinians,” Borrell said.
And he drew a disheartening panorama: “The situation in Gaza goes beyond the worst. The occupied West Bank is on the edge of the abyss and runs the risk of suffering an explosion at any time. And while we speak, military operations continue in Rafah and its surroundings.”
In addition, the borders remain closed for humanitarian deliveries and dozens of Israeli hostages remain in the hands of Hamas, which today attacked Tel Aviv with rockets for the first time in four months. “This also has to stop,” Borrell added.
He highlighted the “immense challenges” faced by the Palestinian authorities, with “a dangerous socio-economic crisis, the impact of the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, the closures imposed in the West Bank and other punitive actions such as the announcement by the Israeli occupation authorities to cut all the income that belongs to them.”
“That’s why today, with international partners and donors, we will focus on how we can better support the Palestinian Authority at this critical juncture,” Borrell added, urging to “do more” to help Mustafa’s new government.
International
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized what he described as unfair fees imposed on American ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand that Washington take back control of the strategic waterway.
“Our Navy and commerce have been threatened in a very unjust and reckless way. The rates that Panama charges are ridiculous,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The president-elect also denounced the growing influence of China in the canal, a situation he called concerning as U.S. businesses depend on the waterway to transport goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
“This complete scam against our country will end immediately,” he stated.
The Panama Canal, completed by the United States in 1914, was handed over to Panama under the 1977 treaty signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Panama took full control of the commercial passage in 1999.
“It was exclusively for Panama to manage, not China or anyone else,” Trump said. “We would never allow it to fall into the wrong hands!”
“If Panama cannot guarantee a ‘safe, efficient, and reliable’ operation of the canal, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in its entirety, without a doubt,” the Republican added.
Panamanian authorities did not immediately respond to Trump’s statements. While he will assume office on January 20, Trump has been exerting his political influence in the final days of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Five percent of global maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal, which allows vessels traveling from Asia to the U.S. East Coast to avoid the long and dangerous route around the southern tip of South America.
The countries that use the Panama Canal the most are the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea.
In October, the Panama Canal Authority reported earnings of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year.
International
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised more “destruction” in Ukraine on Sunday, in response to a drone strike that hit a residential building in the city of Kazan, located in central Russia, on Saturday.
Russia accused Ukraine of launching a “massive” drone attack, which struck a luxury apartment block in Kazan, about 1,000 kilometers from the border.
Videos shared on Russian social media show drones hitting a high-rise glass building. No casualties have been reported as a result of the attack.
In his statements, Putin addressed the local leader of Tatarstan, the region where Kazan is located, during a virtual ceremony marking the opening of a road.
The attack in Kazan is the latest in a series of increasingly frequent bombings in this nearly three-year-old conflict. Ukraine has not commented on the attack.
Putin had previously threatened to strike the center of Kyiv with a hypersonic ballistic missile in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities were retaliation for Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied missiles to target Russian territory.
International
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
At least nine people were killed on Sunday after a small aircraft crashed in a commercial area of the tourist city of Gramado, in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, authorities confirmed.
“There are nine confirmed deaths according to Civil Defense services, and there are no survivors from the plane,” said Cléber dos Santos Lima, director of the Interior Police Department of the Civil Police of the state, in a statement to AFP.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact number of passengers and crew aboard the aircraft, a turbo-prop Piper Cheyenne 400. However, Civil Defense had previously stated that “preliminarily, the plane was carrying ten people.”
The plane crashed on Sunday morning “into the chimney of a building, then onto the second floor of a house, and finally fell onto a furniture store,” according to a statement from the Rio Grande do Sul Public Security Secretariat.
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
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