US blocks Palestinian leader from attending UN meeting in New York

(Palestine has been reduced to mere conjecture, according to our neocon Marco Rubio. Conjecture.) 

from the BBC

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been blocked from attending the UN General Assembly session in New York next month, after he and 80 other Palestinian officials had their visas revoked, the US State Department has said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed them for undermining peace efforts and for seeking "the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state".

The decision, welcomed by Israel, is unusual as the US is expected to facilitate travel for officials of all countries wishing to visit the UN headquarters.

The ban comes as France leads international efforts to recognise a state of Palestine at the session - a move Donald Trump's administration has opposed...

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Belgium's BS Offer to Recognize Palestine Statehood

by Scott Creighton

 

It's a stunt to appease the large percentage of their population who want their government to take a stand against the genocide being committed by Israel against the people of Palestine. Its a stunt that comes with extremely unrealistic and frankly arrogant, Israel-supporting conditions: 

'Maxime Prevot said Belgium's plans to recognize a Palestinian state will be announced at the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 9.

However, the acknowledgment is predicated on two conditions – the return of all Israeli hostages held in Gaza and the removal of Hamas from political power in the coastal exclave. The conditions make it unlikely the recognition will be formalized anytime soon.' Daily Sabah

These conditions obviously favor Israel after all, the forced regime change in Gaza is what Israel has wanted from the start.

In Belgium the only legitimate government they will recognize in Palestine is one subservient to their Israeli masters. This is the message they are sending the rest of the world.

Australia to recognise Palestinian statehood; New Zealand may follow

from al Jazeera

Australia will recognise a Palestinian state in September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced, drawing condemnation from Israel.

Albanese said on Monday that his government would formally announce the move when the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meets in New York.

“A two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza,” Albanese said at a news conference in Canberra.

Australia’s announcement comes as Canada, France and the United Kingdom are also preparing to formally recognise Palestine at the meeting next month, joining the vast majority of UN member states that already do so.

Israeli Ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said recognition of a Palestinian state will do nothing to end the war in Gaza, telling the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC): “We reject the recognition, unilateral recognition.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also slammed the Australian announcement as a reward for Hamas for its October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, repeating the Israeli government’s stance on all recognition announcements thus far.

This latest recognition comes about a week after hundreds of thousands of Australians marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to protest Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip...

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Australia to recognize Palestinian state at UN General Assembly in September: PM

from PressTV

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that the government will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly next month, aligning with similar actions taken by the United Kingdom, France, and Canada. 

At a press conference following a cabinet meeting in Canberra on Monday, Albanese said Australia would work with the international community to make recognition a reality.

“Australia will recognize the state of Palestine. Australia will recognize the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own,” he said.

For his part, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it had been more than 77 years since the world promised a Palestinian state.

“In the nearly two years since October 7, we have been working with the international community on breaking the cycle of violence,” she said.

“We can't keep waiting for the end of a peace process that has ground to a halt,” Wong pointed out.

Last week, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told Albanese that Australia could play an “important” role as a diplomatic middle power by recognizing Palestine. 

Australia's decision aligns with recognition pledges from nations such as France, Canada, and the United Kingdom in recent weeks...

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Finland’s president says he is ready to recognize Palestinian state

from PressTV

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb says he is ready to approve recognition of a Palestinian state if the government moves forward with and submits an official proposal.

“The decisions by France, the United Kingdom and Canada reinforce the trend towards recognizing Palestine as part of efforts to breathe new life into the peace process,” Stubb wrote on X.

He added, “If I receive a proposal to recognize the Palestinian state, I am prepared to approve it.”

Earlier, Stubb told the Finnish news agency STT that the recognition of Palestine has reached a point where Finland must make a choice.

“We have been discussing this difficult question since the beginning of October 2023. Now I myself see that the situation has progressed to the point where Finland must make its choice,” he said.

Stubb expressed optimism regarding Finland’s potential recognition of Palestine, emphasizing that such action would carry greater significance if it were part of a wider international initiative.

He underscored that such recognition should be directed towards facilitating the peace process and the proposed so-called two-state solution.

The president further condemned the atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza, saying that collective punishment and the suffering of civilians are “unacceptable.”...

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The recognition of Palestine: Western unity is collapsing

from RT

The ongoing armed conflict in Gaza, along with the intensification of Israeli military operations against Palestinians – including in the West Bank – has provoked growing concern and condemnation from the international community.

The deepening humanitarian catastrophe, marked by destroyed infrastructure, acute shortages of food, water, and medical aid, has pushed millions to the brink of survival. The increasing scale of destruction, the mass displacement of civilians, and violations of fundamental norms of international humanitarian law are increasingly being interpreted as elements of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians. Numerous international organizations, human rights groups, and independent observers have expressed alarm over the disproportionate use of force and the systematic pressure exerted on the civilian population.

In the face of inaction by leading international institutions – which continue to call for an immediate ceasefire and unfettered humanitarian access – criticism of double standards has intensified, and public trust in the global community’s ability to stop the violence and uphold the rights of conflict victims is rapidly eroding...

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Remember 3 Things: Gen. TrumpyBear Tariffs, Electric Bills and One State Palestine Honeypot

Remember 3 Things: Gen. TrumpyBear Tariffs, Electric Bills and One State Palestine Honeypot 

Direct Support 

Türkiye welcomes steps to recognize Palestinian state: Erdoğan

from Daily Sabah

Türkiye welcomes recent steps taken to recognize a Palestinian state by France, Britain and others, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday, vowing to work to put more pressure on Israel to prevent a humanitarian disaster in Gaza.

"We find the recent humanitarian reactions coming from Europe, particularly from France and Britain, very valuable. We welcome every step taken toward recognition of the State of Palestine," Erdoğan said.

"One of the most effective responses to Israel's genocide policy is to support the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders," he told a joint news conference with Gabon President Brice Oligui Nguema in Ankara.

His remarks came after multiple countries in recent days announced their intentions to recognize an independent Palestinian state, as part of a broader global shift against Israel's attrocities in Gaza.

The moves have come as international concern and criticism have grown as starvation and famine are taking place in Gaza and Palestinians are not getting food due to Israeli blockade.

The leading international authority on hunger crises this week said Israel's military offensive and blockade have led to the "worst-case scenario of famine" in the territory...

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Humanitarian situation in Gaza 'beyond imagination': German FM

from Daily Sabah

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is "beyond imagination," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Thursday, ramping up the pressure on Israel to act quickly as criticism mounts over its atrocities in the Palestinian enclave.

"The humanitarian disaster in Gaza is beyond imagination," Wadephul said at a press conference after meeting top Israeli officials.

Israel must "quickly and safely send sufficient humanitarian and medical aid to avoid mass deaths" as a result of starvation, he said, calling it "absolutely intolerable" that "men, women and children were killed every day whilst desperately searching for food."

Israel is under mounting international pressure to agree a cease-fire and allow a surge in food aid into the Gaza Strip, where U.N.-backed experts have reported "famine is now unfolding."

Canada on Wednesday became the latest Western government to announce plans to recognize a Palestinian state, after similar moves from France and Britain.

Germany has held off promising to recognize Palestinian statehood and maintained its long-standing position that recognition could come only after negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians...

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UN chief calls for ‘viable two-state solution’ to Israel-Palestine conflict

from al Jazeera

Dozens of ministers have gathered at a United Nations conference to urge the world to work towards a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians, but the United States and Israel have boycotted the event.

The 193-member UN General Assembly decided in September last year that such a conference would be held in 2025.

Hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, the conference was postponed in June after Israel attacked Iran.

Addressing the attendees on Monday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud urged all countries to support the conference goal of a roadmap laying out the parameters to a Palestinian state while ensuring Israel’s security.

In opening remarks, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “We must ensure that it does not become another exercise in well-meaning rhetoric.

“It can and must serve as a decisive turning point – one that catalyses irreversible progress towards ending the occupation and realising our shared aspiration for a viable two-state solution.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the conference: “We must work on the ways and means to go from the end of the war in Gaza to the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at a time when this war is jeopardising the stability and security of the entire region.

“Only a political, two-state solution will help respond to the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. There is no alternative.”

France intends to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, French President Emmanuel Macron said last week.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa called on all countries to “recognise the state of Palestine without delay”.

“All states have a responsibility to act now,” said Mustafa at the start of the meeting.

The meeting comes as Israel’s war on Gaza still rages after more than 21 months.

The war was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas led an attack on southern Israel, killing at least 1,139 and seizing more than 200 others as captives, according to Israeli statistics.

Since then, Israel’s military assault on Gaza has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to health authorities in the besieged territory...

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Canada will recognise Palestinian state at UN General Assembly: Carney

(So of course, Bibi Netanyahu's bitch, Donald Trump, imposed a 35% trade tariff on Canada, to be paid by American importers and consumers, to 'teach Canada a lesson' as inflation goes thru the roof in America and businesses go out of business. Brilliant.) 

from al Jazeera

Canada has joined several Western countries in announcing its intention to recognise a Palestinian state amid the continuing Israeli atrocities unfolding in Gaza.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement on Wednesday.

He explained that Ottawa had hoped that a two-state solution could be achieved through a negotiated peace process, but that approach was “no longer tenable”.

“Canada intends to recognise the State of Palestine at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025,” Carney told reporters.

The move follows a similar announcement by the United Kingdom and France earlier this month.

But it is not clear how such recognitions will impact Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank – the two territories that would form a Palestinian state.

Carney said the recognition is predicated on promises of reform from the Palestinian Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as a commitment to hold general elections in 2026.

He stressed that Hamas can play no role in the future of Palestine and would not be allowed to take part in future elections, a condition that some argue may taint any democratic process.

“Preserving a two-state solution means standing with all people who choose peace over violence or terrorism,” Carney said...

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High-Level Conference on Two-State Solution Concludes General Debate, Will Reconvene to Consider Outcome Document

(So of course, George Galloway and Chris Williamson launch One State Palestine just in time to try to help derail the recognition of the state of Palestine. 'In 2014, Williamson voted to support the Cameron coalition's 2011 military intervention in Libya and the British action against ISIS in Iraq.' Williamson later said he didn't do enough research on either of those subjects before supporting them, which is something he always says AFTER HELPING THE WRONG SIDE. Hmmmm. Galloway has a LONG HISTORY of supporting the neoliberal establishment in his backhanded, tacit way.)

(In this case these assets are trying to bleed off support for recognition of the Palestinian state with this idiotic One State Palestine movement which literally WIPES ISRAEL OFF THE MAP and pretends there is a way to force these people to live together, side by side, in Palestine... in peace. While 85% of Israel's population still wants to steal all of Palestine and chase all Arabs out of Israel. Yeah, that'll work.) 

from the United Nations

A high-level General Assembly conference on advancing the realization of two independent States — Israel and Palestine — concluded its general debate today, with the final outcome document circulated to delegations.  The event will reconvene at a later date to take action on the text.

“States have until the beginning of September to endorse the document if they so wish,” said the representative of Saudi Arabia as he suspended the session.

Co-chaired by that country and France, the “High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution” was held pursuant to General Assembly resolution 79/81 from 28 to 30 July in New York.  (For coverage of the 28 and 29 July meetings, see Press Releases PAL/2248 and PAL/2249, respectively.)

During the Conference’s general debate — featuring more than 120 speakers — some highlighted the historical significance of General Assembly resolution 181(II), adopted in November 1947, which outlined the foundational vision of a two-State solution.

What to expect, and what not to, at the UN meeting on an Israel-Palestinian two-state solution

from the AP

The U.N. General Assembly is bringing high-level officials together this week to promote a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict that would place their peoples side by side, living in peace in independent nations.

Israel and its close ally the United States are boycotting the two-day meeting, which starts Monday and will be co-chaired by the foreign ministers of France and Saudi Arabia. Israel’s right-wing government opposes a two-state solution, and the United States has called the meeting “counterproductive” to its efforts to end the war in Gaza. France and Saudi Arabia want the meeting to put a spotlight on the two-state solution, which they view as the only viable road map to peace, and to start addressing the steps to get there.

The meeting was postponed from late June and downgraded from a four-day meeting of world leaders amid surging tensions in the Middle East, including Israel’s 12-day war against Iran and the war in Gaza.

“It was absolutely necessary to restart a political process, the two-state solution process, that is today threatened, more threatened than it has ever been,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

Here’s what’s useful to know about the upcoming gathering...

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Europe not doing enough to stop Israel's genocide in Gaza: Spanish PM

from Daily Sabah

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday accused Israel of carrying out genocide in Palestine and criticized Europe for failing to take sufficient action to prevent it.

"No one that tramples on the EU’s founding principles - or that uses hunger and war to annihilate a legitimate state - can be a partner of the European Union,” he said.

Speaking before the Spanish parliament, Sanchez criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, saying its actions would be remembered "as one of the darkest episodes of the 21st century.”

"The horrifying images of children searching for their families under rubble, or dying of hunger in tents, should not only move us and shame us - they should compel the international community, and Europe in particular, to act,” he added.

He said Spain and Ireland first requested the EU to assess Israel’s compliance with the EU-Israel Association Agreement in February 2024.

"We had to push hard for that analysis to be carried out,” he added...

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France committed to recognizing Palestinian state despite tensions

from Daily Sabah

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Friday that France remains committed to recognizing a Palestinian state, despite rising regional tensions following Israel’s military strike on Iran.

France would "uphold the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination by recognizing the State of Palestine," Barrot said during his speech at the civil society event, "Paris Call for the Two-State Solution, Peace and Regional Security," hosted by the Paris Peace Forum.

"I say it again here: whatever the recent developments in the region, France is determined to do so."

Barrot warned that it is time to bring a political solution to the Palestinians and that they will focus on it during the upcoming UN-backed conference on the two-state solution, co-organized by France and Saudi Arabia in New York later this month...

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Divided Israel faces internal unrest amid escalating Gaza conflict

from al Jazeera

As Israel’s devastating war on Gaza grinds on, pushed forward by a prime minister insistent that a goal of total military victory be met, the divisions within Israeli society are growing increasingly deeper.

In the last few weeks, as Israeli peace activists and antiwar groups have stepped up their campaign against the conflict, supporters of the war have also increased their pressure to continue, whatever its humanitarian, political or diplomatic cost. 

Members of the military have published open letters protesting the political motivations for continuing the war on Gaza, or claiming that the latest offensive, which is systematically razing Gaza, risks the remaining Israeli captives held in the Palestinian territory.

Another open letter has come from within Israel’s universities and colleges, with its signatories doing a rare thing within Israel since the war began in October 2023: focusing on Palestinian suffering...

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Let France create Palestinian State in French Riviera: Huckabee

from al Mayadeen English

US Ambassador to "Israel" Mike Huckabee has strongly criticized France's push for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, labeling the efforts as "revolting", in a Sunday interview with Fox News.

“It’s incredibly inappropriate in the midst of a war that Israel is dealing with to go out and present something that I think increasingly Israelis are steadfast against,” Huckabee stated, adding that "If France is really so determined to see a Palestinian state, I have a suggestion for them – carve out a piece of the French Riviera and create a Palestinian state."

The Ambassador stated that Washington would not participate in an upcoming conference in New York, led by France and Saudi Arabia, which aims to advance the establishment of a Palestinian state later this month.

Israeli officials have been clashing with French President Macron after his announcement earlier this month that France is set to recognize a Palestinian state within the coming months, where he said, "We must move toward recognition, and we will do so in the coming months."...

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Israeli airstrike on Gaza school-turned-shelter kills over 35 Palestinians, including children

(Hamas agrees to a US ceasefire deal so Glorious Israel and the 'most moral army in the world' decided to bomb a refugee shelter burning women and children alive. Yeah, that's what they have done for decades to stop peace from breaking out. Gotta get that LAND!!!)

from PressTV

Israel's overnight airstrikes on a Gaza school sheltering displaced families kill at least 36 Palestinians, including many children, according to medics and civil defense officials.​​​​​​

Israeli forces, early Monday, struck the Fahmi al-Jarjawi School in Gaza City's Daraj neighborhood, where hundreds of displaced Palestinians from Beit Lahia—a northern town under intense Israeli bombardment—had sought refuge.

According to Gaza's Civil Defense agency, rescuers retrieved 20 bodies—many of them children—from the school, with numerous victims charred after fires tore through two classrooms that had been converted into shelters.

Local sources report the casualties included Mohammad al-Kasih, Hamas's northern Gaza police investigations chief, as well as his wife and children.

The Palestinian health ministry reported that just before the school attack, an Israeli airstrike struck a residential building on Thawra Street in Gaza City.

The airstrike hit both a residential building and adjacent tents housing displaced families. The force of the explosion caused debris from the destroyed home to collapse onto the nearby tents, leading to further casualties. According to reports, at least four people were killed in the attack. 

The twin strikes mark an intensification of Israel's military campaign, which has seen a significant escalation in northern Gaza over the past week...

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Hamas agrees to US proposal for Gaza ceasefire deal (so Israel bombs a school and burns kids alive)

from al Jazeera

Sources tell Al Jazeera Hamas has agreed to a Gaza ceasefire proposal by the United States.

Israeli forces bomb a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City, causing a fire and killing at least 36 Palestinians, including several children. Overall, more than 50 have been killed in attacks since dawn on Monday.

The head of a controversial US-backed Gaza aid group resigns, citing concerns over independence and impartiality.

Spain urges the world to consider sanctions on Israel as it hosts foreign ministers from 20 European and Arab nations in Madrid to push for a two-state solution.

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Türkiye appeals for Gaza cease-fire, 2-state solution

from Daily Sabah

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz expressed Türkiye's call for an immediate end to Israeli military operations in Gaza and emphasized the urgent need for humanitarian access.

During a high-level meeting of the Madrid Group in the Spanish capital on Sunday, Yılmaz stressed "the necessity of the cessation of the Israeli aggression in Gaza and the unhindered flow of urgent humanitarian aid," according to a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry released on X.

Yılmaz also underscored the "importance of increased international cooperation to implement the two-state solution."

The ministry added that the extended session of the Madrid Group – a diplomatic initiative focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – included representatives from the OIC-Arab League Gaza Contact Group, as well as Ireland, Spain, Norway and Slovenia. The latter four nations formally recognized the State of Palestine in 2024...

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