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Macron Recognizes Palestinian State At Landmark UN Summit

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French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday recognized a Palestinian state, leading a UN summit that already spurred other Western governments to take the landmark step that has infuriated Israel.

“The time for peace has come, as we are just moments away from no longer being able to seize it,” Macron told the summit.

“The time has come to free the 48 hostages held by Hamas. The time has come to stop the war, the bombings of Gaza, the massacres and the displacement,” Macron said.

Australia, Britain, Canada and Portugal also took the largely symbolic step of recognition on the eve of the summit called by France and Saudi Arabia, piling pressure on Israel as it intensifies its retaliatory war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people.

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Macron earlier said he would make the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel a precondition for opening a French embassy to the Palestinian state.

Israel has repeatedly warned France against recognizing a Palestinian state, with far-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government mulling annexation of the West Bank to make any state impossible.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, warned, “We will take action.”

“It’s easier to come here and give speeches, take pictures, feel like they are doing something. But they are not promoting peace. They are supporting terrorism,” he told reporters.

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The United States, Israel’s crucial diplomatic and military supporter, had unsuccessfully urged its allies to drop the recognition plans, with President Donald Trump saying that a state can only come through negotiations.

“Frankly, he believes it’s a reward to Hamas,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said of recognizing a Palestinian state.

“So he believes these decisions are just more talk and not enough action from some of our friends and allies,” she told reporters in Washington.

Germany, while more critical than Washington of Israel’s actions in Gaza, also broke with France and Britain and will not recognize a Palestinian state.

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German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that “a negotiated two-state solution is the path that can allow Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, security and dignity.”

Top of UN agenda

More than 140 world leaders will descend on New York but not Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who was denied a visa by the US authorities, forcing him to attend virtually.

Israel said it would skip an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Gaza Tuesday because of the Jewish New Year, calling the timing “regrettable.”

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Netanyahu reiterated Sunday his position that there would be no Palestinian state and vowed to accelerate the creation of new settlements.

Two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, went further, calling for the annexation of the West Bank.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told AFP Friday “we should not feel intimidated by the risk of retaliation.”

Erasure of Palestinian life’

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Macron had voiced exasperation at Israel’s prolonged offensive as he decided to recognize a Palestinian state.

Britain, which more than a century ago declared support for a Jewish homeland, held out the possibility of backing down on recognition of a Palestinian state if Israel agreed on a ceasefire in Gaza.

But the historic step also is unlikely to have much effect on the ground.

“Unless backed up by concrete measures, recognizing Palestine as a state risks becoming a distraction from the reality, which is an accelerating erasure of Palestinian life in their homeland,” said the International Crisis Group’s Israel-Palestine project director, Max Rodenbeck.

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The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 Israelis, mostly civilians, according to official data.

Israeli military operations since then have killed 65,062 Palestinians, mostly civilians, says the Hamas-run health ministry, figures the UN considers reliable.

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Iran accuses US of violating ceasefire over past 48 hours

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Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday accused the United States of violating a fragile ceasefire during the past 48 hours in the southern coastal province of Hormozgan, without specifying the incident.

“The US terrorist army, continuing its illegal and unjustified actions since the ceasefire … has, in the past 48 hours, committed a gross violation of the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region,” the ministry said in a statement.

The US Central Command said forces had on Monday attacked missile sites and boats it said were trying to lay mines in the Gulf, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it had fired at US aircraft attempting to enter the country’s airspace.

AFP

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Iran president orders internet restored after war suspension

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the restoration of international internet access in Iran, which had been suspended since the United States and Israel launched attacks against the country, local media reported Monday.

“The decree aimed at restoring internet access to its pre-January state was communicated to the Ministry of Communications by the president,” Iranian news agencies Tasnim and Fars reported.

Authorities shut down the internet during large-scale anti-government protests that peaked in early January, then suspended it again on February 28 at the start of the Middle East war.

Since then, the population has only had access to domestic platforms and websites.

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AFP

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Trump says Iran deal ‘largely negotiated’ including reopening Strait of Hormuz

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US President Donald Trump says an agreement with Iran has been “largely negotiated” and details will be announced soon.

The deal would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, he said on Saturday, without giving further details.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei earlier told state television that US and Iranian positions had been converging in the last week, but warned that did not mean agreements would be reached on key issues and accused the Americans of “contradictory statements”.

On social media, Trump said he had a “very good call” with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and others about a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE”.

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“An agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries, as listed,” Trump said.

“Final aspects and details of the deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly.”

He also said he had a call on Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which “went very well”.

The president has not given any further details on the deal, but has insisted any agreement would “absolutely” prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

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Later, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said: “I congratulate President Donald Trump on his extraordinary efforts to pursue peace,” and said the phone call had been “very useful and productive”.

Pakistan has been helping to negotiate a peace deal, serving as an intermediary.

“We hope to host the next round of talks very soon,” he wrote in the statement on X.

The US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran on 28 February, sparking conflict across the Middle East. Iran responded by launching attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf.

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A ceasefire in Iran was agreed in early April, and since then Washington and Tehran have engaged in talks over a long-term peace deal.

Speaking to state television on Saturday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei also described a “memorandum of understanding”, saying Iran’s intention was to reach an agreement “in the form of a framework, consisting of 14 points”.

Baqaei said they were in the process of finalising the memorandum, so further talks could be held within 30 to 60 days “and ultimately a final agreement can be reached”.

The new sense of momentum comes after the mood appeared to have soured in Washington, with anonymous officials briefing US media on Friday that the administration was preparing for a fresh round of military strikes, although no final decision had been made.

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On Friday, the president posted on Truth Social that he would not attend his son Donald Jr’s wedding this weekend so he could remain in Washington DC “during this important period of time”.

Last week, Trump had said the truce was on “massive life support” after rejecting Tehran’s demands, labelling them “totally unacceptable”.

The US has blockaded Iranian ports since 13 April.

On Saturday, US Central Command (Centcom) said it had redirected 100 vessels, disabled four, and allowed 26 humanitarian aid ships to pass since the blockade began.

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Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper said its forces had been “highly effective” in “allowing zero trade into and out of Iranian ports which has squeezed Iran economically”.

Meanwhile, Iran has claimed military control of an area around the Strait of Hormuz, and has said all transit through the strait “requires coordination with and authorisation from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority”.

The US and Gulf allies have repeatedly rejected Iranian attempts to assert control over the strait, and the US has told ships not to comply with Iran’s rules.

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