JERUSALEM: Arab countries condemned on Saturday remarks by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who appeared to suggest in an interview that Israel had a biblical right to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/un-says-israeli-actions-raising-ethnic-cleansing-fears-in-west-bank-gaza" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">vast swath</a>&nbsp;of the Middle East. Huckabee, a former Baptist minister and a fervent Israel supporter, was speaking with far-right commentator and Israel critic Tucker Carlson. In a podcast episode released Friday, Carlson pushed Huckabee on the meaning of a biblical verse sometimes interpreted as saying that Israel is entitled to the land between the river Nile in Egypt and the Euphrates in Syria and Iraq. In response, Huckabee said: &quot;It would be fine if they took it all.&quot; When pressed, however, he continued that Israel was &quot;not asking to take all of that&quot;, adding: &quot;It was somewhat of a hyperbolic statement.&quot; Several Arab countries condemned the American diplomat in harsh terms. Saudi Arabia described his words as &quot;reckless&quot; and &quot;irresponsible&quot;, while Jordan said it was &quot;an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region&quot;. Egypt&#39;s foreign ministry wrote that it &quot;reaffirms that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or any other Arab lands&quot;. The Palestinian Authority said on X that Huckabee&#39;s words &quot;contradict US President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/hamas-says-israel-must-end-aggression-as-trump-board-plans-gaza-future" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump</a>&#39;s rejection of (Israel) annexing the West Bank&quot;. On Saturday, Huckabee published two posts on X further clarifying his position on other topics touched upon in the interview, but did not address his remark about the biblical verse. The speaker of the Israeli parliament, Amir Ohana, praised Huckabee on X for his general pro-Israel stance in the interview, and accused Carlson of &quot;falsehoods and manipulations&quot;. Carlson has recently found himself facing accusations of antisemitism, particularly following a lengthy, uncritical interview with self-described white nationalist Nick Fuentes &ndash; a figure who has praised Hitler, denied the Holocaust and branded American Jews as disloyal.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee (R) is shown a painting of Jerusalem during a visit to the Beit Hanassi presidential residence, in Jerusalem, on September 15, 2025. (AFP)

Middle East

Arab nations condemned US Ambassador Mike Huckabee's comments suggesting Israel's biblical right to vast Middle East lands. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt criticized his remarks as reckless and harmful to regional sovereignty.

Arab countries condemn US ambassador's remarks on Israel's right to Mideast land

JERUSALEM: Israeli NGOs have raised the alarm over a settlement plan signed by the government which they say would mark the first expansion of Jerusalem&#39;s borders into the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/israels-west-bank-mega-land-grab-draws-international-outrage" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">occupied West Bank</a> since 1967. Israel has occupied east Jerusalem since 1967 and later annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community. Palestinians view east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The proposal, published in early February but reported by Israeli media only on Monday, comes as international outrage mounts over <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-condemns-israeli-west-bank-land-seizures-demands-international-action" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">creeping measures</a> aimed at strengthening Israeli control over the West Bank. Critics say these actions by the Israeli authorities are aimed at the de facto annexation of the Palestinian territory. The planned development, announced by Israel&#39;s Ministry of Construction and Housing, is formally a westward expansion of the Geva Binyamin, or Adam, settlement situated north-east of Jerusalem in the West Bank. In a statement, the ministry said the development agreement included the construction of around 2,780 housing units for the settlement, with an investment of roughly 120 million Israeli shekels (around $38.7 million). But the area to be developed lies on the Jerusalem side of the separation barrier built by Israel in the early 2000s, while Geva Binyamin sits on the West Bank side of the barrier, and the two are separated by a road. In a statement, Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said there would be no &quot;territorial or functional connection&quot; between the area to be developed and the settlement. &quot;The new neighborhood will be integral to the city of Jerusalem,&quot; Lior Amihai, Peace Now&#39;s executive director, told AFP. &quot;What is unique about that one is that it will be connected directly to Jerusalem, but it will be beyond the annexed municipal border. So, it will be in complete West Bank territory, but just adjacent to Jerusalem,&quot; he said. &#39;Living there as Jerusalemites&#39; The move comes days after Israel&#39;s government approved a process to register land in the West Bank as &quot;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/israel-approves-west-bank-land-as-state-property-continues-gaza-bombardment-report" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">state property</a>&quot;, drawing widespread international condemnation and fears among critics that it would accelerate annexation of the Palestinian territory. Days earlier, Israel&#39;s security cabinet approved a series of measures to tighten control over areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo accords. Those measures, which also sparked international backlash, include allowing Jewish Israelis to buy West Bank land directly and allowing Israeli authorities to administer certain religious sites in areas under the Palestinian Authority&#39;s control. Amihai said that the current government &ndash; one of the most right-wing in Israel&#39;s history &ndash; was &quot;systematically working to annex the occupied territories and to prevent Palestinian statehood&quot;.&nbsp;The case of Jerusalem, he said, was particularly symbolic. &quot;Every change to Jerusalem is sensitive to both the Israeli public, but also to the Palestinians,&quot; he told AFP. Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher at Ir Amim, an Israeli NGO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/palestinian-ngo-condemns-israeli-act-of-revenge-after-prisoner-abuse-video" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">focusing</a>&nbsp;on Jerusalem within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said the latest planned development amounted to a de facto expansion of the city of Jerusalem. &quot;If it is built, and people live there, the people who will live there, they will be living there as Jerusalemites,&quot; he told AFP. &quot;In all practical terms, it&#39;s basically not the settlement that will be expanded, but Jerusalem.&quot; &#39;Facts on the ground&#39; The development agreement was signed by Israel&#39;s Construction and Housing Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Binyamin Regional Council, which represents settlements north of Ramallah in the central West Bank. It has yet to be reviewed by the Civil Administration&#39;s Higher Planning Committee, in a process which could take several months or years. Tatarsky said that international pressure had so far made it difficult for recent Israeli governments to make formal declarations on annexation. &quot;It&#39;s much easier to create facts on the ground, which, altogether... actually add up to annexation,&quot; the researcher said. The West Bank, occupied since 1967, would form the largest part of any future Palestinian state but is seen by many on the religious right as Israeli land. Some 200,000 Israelis live in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, while more than 500,000 others live in West Bank&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/new-israeli-west-bank-measures-draw-palestinian-regional-backlash" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">settlements</a>&nbsp;and outposts, which are illegal under international law. Around three million Palestinians live in the territory. The current Israeli government has fast-tracked settlement expansion, approving a record 52 settlements in 2025.

This picture taken from Umm Safa village, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, shows a Palestinian flag (foreground) and Israeli flag fluttering on a hilltop overlooking the village on February 16, 2026. (AFP)

The proposal, published in early February but reported by Israeli media only on Monday, comes as international outrage mounts over creeping measures aimed at strengthening Israeli control over the West Bank.

Israel accused of move expanding Jerusalem borders for first time since 1967

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan committed to providing landlocked Uzbekistan access to its warm water seaports during a two-day state visit by Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, according to a joint declaration issued by the Foreign Office on Friday. The Uzbek president and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held talks covering bilateral relations and regional security issues during the February 5-6 state visit. Pakistan pledged to make available its seaports for Uzbek transit cargo and provide access to its road network for trade and transit requirements. It aims to enhance regional connectivity and economic integration between the two countries. The leaders also pledged to support each other&#39;s sovereignty and territorial integrity while advancing cooperation in areas including trade, culture and defense. Both sides expressed satisfaction with relations developed over 34 years since establishing diplomatic ties, citing shared historical and cultural bonds. The visit marked the inaugural meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, established during PM Sharif&#39;s February 2025 visit to Uzbekistan. The mechanism provides top-level oversight of bilateral cooperation. Trade and connectivity The leaders agreed to reach a $2 billion bilateral trade target by 2029. Uzbekistan was the first Central Asian nation to sign transit and preferential trade agreements with Pakistan, according to the statement. Both countries welcomed the Framework Agreement signed in July 2025 for the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway Project, endorsing the Termiz-Kharlachi route. They committed to completing the project&#39;s feasibility study. The sides agreed to establish joint management of economic zones in both countries to facilitate industrial cooperation and exports to third markets, including the Commonwealth of Independent States and Europe. Cultural and defense cooperation The leaders signed an agreement on preserving and promoting the scientific, educational and architectural heritage of the Baburid dynasty. They agreed to expand tourism cooperation through direct flights between Tashkent and Islamabad and Lahore, and to activate a Tourism Working Group. Both nations expressed readiness to maintain dialogue on security and defense, agreeing to continue joint military exercises and training programs. They pledged cooperation between law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism, separatism, extremism and drug trafficking. Regional issues According to the statement, the two leaders called on Afghanistan to dismantle terrorist organizations operating from its territory, citing regional security concerns and the importance of stability for the railway project&#39;s implementation. Both sides expressed support for Palestinian self-determination and an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders. Uzbekistan voiced support for Pakistan&#39;s rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for 2026-2027 and congratulated Pakistan on chairing the organization&#39;s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure for 2025-2026 and the Economic Cooperation Organization for 2026-2027. Meanwhile, Pakistan commended Uzbekistan for hosting the 43rd UNESCO General Conference session in Samarkand in 2025. Both nations pledged to deepen cooperation across trade, security and regional connectivity.

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and President of Uzbekistan exchange protocol to improve the bilateral trade to $2 billion annually. (PMO)

Economy

As Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev concludes Islamabad visit, Pakistan pledges seaport access, boosts connectivity, sets ambitious trade targets, and deepens strategic cooperation across security, economy, and culture.

Pakistan opens seaports to Uzbekistan, strengthens regional connectivity push

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Authority condemned on Tuesday Israel&#39;s plan to approve 19 settlements in the occupied West Bank, accusing it of tightening its control over Palestinian land.&nbsp;On Sunday, Israel&#39;s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the authorities had greenlit the settlements, saying the move was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.&nbsp;The Ramallah-based Palestinian foreign ministry decried the approval as a &quot;dangerous step aimed at tightening colonial control over the entirety of Palestinian land&quot;, calling it a continuation of &quot;apartheid, settlement, and annexation policies that undermine the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;The decision provides political cover for accelerating the plunder of Palestinian lands, expanding settlement infrastructure... alongside an escalating pace of settler terrorism against members of our people and their properties,&quot; it said in a statement.&nbsp;The latest move brings the total number of settlements approved over the past three years to 69, Smotrich&#39;s office said.&nbsp;Excluding east Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, more than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, along with about three million Palestinian residents.&nbsp;Smotrich&#39;s office said the 19 newly approved settlements were located in what it described as &quot;highly strategic&quot; areas, adding that two of them -- Ganim and Kadim in the northern West Bank -- would be re-established after being dismantled two decades ago.&nbsp;Five of the 19 settlements already existed but had not previously been granted legal status under Israeli law, the statement said.&nbsp;Israel&#39;s decision came days after the United Nations said the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank -- all of which are illegal under international law -- had reached its highest level since at least 2017.&nbsp;US President Donald Trump recently warned that Israel &quot;would lose all of its support from the United States&quot; if it annexed the West Bank.&nbsp;Israel has occupied the territory since 1967, and violence there has surged following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023 with Hamas&#39;s attack on Israel.&nbsp;Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,028 Palestinians in the West Bank -- both militants and civilians -- since the start of the fighting in Gaza, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures.&nbsp;At least 44 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations during the same period, according to Israeli data.

The Palestinian Authority condemned Israel’s approval of 19 new West Bank settlements, accusing it of tightening control over Palestinian land, undermining statehood prospects, and accelerating settlement expansion amid rising violence.

Palestinian Authority says Israel tightening control over West Bank with new settlements

ISLAMABAD: Egypt is training hundreds of Palestinian police officers with an eye towards integrating them into a post-war security force in Gaza, a Palestinian official told AFP. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty announced the plan to train 5,000 officers for Gaza during talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in August.&nbsp;A first group of more than 500 officers were trained in Cairo in March and since September the two-month courses have resumed to welcome hundreds more people, the Palestinian official told AFP on condition of anonymity. He said all members of the force will be from the Gaza Strip and paid by the Palestinian Authority, which is based in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. &quot;I&#39;m very happy with the training. We want a permanent end to war and aggression, and we&#39;re eager to serve our country and fellow citizens,&quot; said a 26-year-old Palestinian police officer. He told AFP he hoped the security force would be &quot;independent, loyal only to Palestine and not subject to external alliances or objectives&quot;. &quot;We received outstanding operational training, with modern equipment for border surveillance,&quot; said a Palestinian lieutenant who also requested anonymity for security reasons, as did everyone interviewed by AFP. Israel&#39;s war on Gaza has killed at least 70,100 people, according to figures from the territory&#39;s health ministry that the UN considers reliable. &#39;Protecting the dream&#39; The training also highlighted the role of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and stressed the importance of &quot;protecting the dream of creating&quot; a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state. A senior security official from the Palestinian Authority confirmed that its president Mahmud Abbas had instructed Interior Minister Ziad Hab al-Reeh to coordinate with Egypt on the training. During talks sponsored by Egypt late last year, the Palestinian movements &mdash; including the two main ones, Hamas and Abbas&#39;s Fatah &mdash; agreed to a force of around 10,000 police officers. Egypt would train half of them while the other 5,000 would come from the police force in Gaza, which has been under Hamas control since 2007. Under the agreement, the security force would be supervised by a committee of technocrats approved by the Palestinian movements. A senior Hamas official confirmed to AFP that the movement supported &quot;the details regarding security and management of the Gaza Strip&quot; agreed during the talks. The subject was also addressed in US President Donald Trump&#39;s peace plan, which led to last month&#39;s fragile Gaza ceasefire, and was later endorsed by a UN Security Council resolution. Europe plays a part The plan notably authorises the creation of an international force that would be responsible for securing border areas and demilitarizing Gaza. The European Union also wants to train up to 3,000 Palestinian police officers in the Gaza Strip under a scheme similar to one it already runs in the West Bank, an EU official told AFP. The EU has financed a police training mission in the West Bank since 2006, with a budget of around $15 million. But many details remain up in the air. A Hamas official questioned to AFP the possibility of an agreement with Israel on the precise details of a police force in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s government opposes any role for Hamas or the Palestinian Authority in Gaza after the war ends. AFP journalists have regularly observed that Hamas maintains armed men in Gaza to ensure traffic flows and to mediate disputes between residents, effectively providing a form of law enforcement. Hamas has said it no longer wants to govern Gaza but added that it does not intend to disappear and remains a central part of Palestinian political life. On the thorny issue of disarmament, Hamas has said it is not opposed to handing over part of its arsenal, but only as part of a Palestinian political process.

Egypt is training Palestinian police officers for a post-war Gaza security force, supported by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, with EU involvement in training plans.

Egypt trains hundreds of Palestinians for future Gaza police force

ISLAMABAD: France recognized a Palestinian state at a world summit in New York on Monday, nearly two years into the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/death-toll-from-gaza-war-surpasses-70000-health-ministry" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">war in Gaza</a>, joining Western allies such as Britain and Canada, who made the same historic move on Sunday and were rebuked by Israel, according to Reuters. &quot;We must do everything within our power to preserve the very possibility of a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security,&quot; the summit host, French President Emmanuel Macron, said at the beginning of a planned three-hour session at the United Nations.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-10" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-10&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970237707336192210&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=b0934304d0dccc2dc5d31d4e755d5a42b993341a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 777px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&quot;France recognizes the State of Palestine,&quot; he added to applause. &quot;We can no longer wait,&quot; he says, adding that recognition is a necessary step to break the spiral of violence and secure peace, CNN reported. Announcing France&#39;s recognition of a Palestinian state, Macron told the UN that &quot;nothing justifies the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/in-christmas-homily-pope-condemns-open-wounds-of-gaza-war" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">ongoing war</a>&quot; in Gaza. But he stressed that giving Palestinians rights does not take away from the rights of the Israelis.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-11" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-11&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970221879404188012&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=b0934304d0dccc2dc5d31d4e755d5a42b993341a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 801px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>Change on the ground&nbsp;While the event, convened by France and Saudi Arabia, could boost the morale of Palestinians in their long search for statehood, it is not expected to deliver change on the ground, Reuters reported. The most far-right government in Israel&#39;s history has declared there will be no Palestinian state. Israel has become increasingly isolated and drawn global condemnation over its <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bethlehem-celebrates-first-festive-christmas-since-gaza-war" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">war on Gaza</a>, where more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health authorities. In recent weeks, Israel has begun a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City with few prospects for a ceasefire. Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg and San Marino were also expected to recognize a Palestinian state on Monday ahead of this week&#39;s UN General Assembly, after Australia, Britain, Canada and Portugal did so at the weekend. Malta made the announcement earlier on Monday. Israel has said such moves will undermine the prospects of a peaceful ending to the conflict in Gaza. Oslo AccordsThe two-state solution was the bedrock of the US-backed peace process ushered in by the 1993 Oslo Accords. The process suffered heavy pushback from both sides and has all but died. No such negotiations over a two-state solution have been held since 2014. The United States and Israel boycotted Monday&rsquo;s meeting. Israel&rsquo;s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said Israel would discuss what action to take in response to the announcements of recognition after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returns to Israel next week. &ldquo;Those issues were supposed to be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians in the future,&rdquo; he told reporters ahead of the meeting. The United States has told other countries that Palestinian recognition will create more problems, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this month. Israeli aggression&nbsp;Amid Israel&#39;s intensified Gaza offensive and escalating violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, there is a growing sense of urgency among some nations to act now before the idea of a two-state solution vanishes forever. France has driven the move, hoping that Macron&#39;s announcement in July that he would recognize a Palestinian state would give greater momentum to a movement hitherto dominated by smaller nations that are generally more critical of Israel. A delegation representing the State of Palestine has observer status at the United Nations - but no voting rights. US veto&nbsp;No matter how many countries recognize Palestinian independence, full UN membership would require approval by the Security Council, where the US has a veto. European divisions and Israeli responseWhile the majority of European countries now recognize a Palestinian state, two of the continent&#39;s largest economies, Germany and Italy, have signaled they are unlikely to make such a move soon. Germany, long a strong supporter of Israel because of its responsibility for the Holocaust, has grown more critical of Israeli policy, while insisting that recognition of a Palestinian state should come at the end of a political process to agree on a two-state solution. No further annexationsThe German government spokesperson also said on Monday that there must be no further annexations in Israeli-occupied territory. Italy said recognizing a Palestinian state could be &quot;counterproductive.&quot; On the ground, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected numerous calls to end the war until Hamas is destroyed and has said he will not recognize a Palestinian state. Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday that he will announce Israel&#39;s response to Palestinian state recognition when he returns from the US, where he is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump. Israel is considering annexing part of the occupied West Bank as a possible response, as well as specific bilateral measures against Paris, Israeli officials have said, even though the recognitions are expected to be largely symbolic. The US has warned of possible consequences for those who take measures against Israel, including France as host of the summit, Reuters reported. 50 Palestinians killed At least 50 Palestinians were killed yesterday in Israeli strikes on Gaza and the war has overall killed more than 65,000 people in the enclave, according to the health ministry, CNN reported.&nbsp;

Europe

France joins Britain and Canada in recognizing a Palestinian state at the UN summit, aiming to support a two-state solution. Israel has opposed the move, warning it would harm peace prospects, while considering annexing parts of the West Bank.

France joins other Western countries in recognizing Palestinian state

Reuters

LISBON: Portugal will recognize a Palestinian state on Sunday, the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday.The Official Declaration of Recognition will take place even before next week&#39;s High-Level Conference, it added.Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel already said this week that the country was considering the recognition of a Palestinian state during a visit to the UK.Unlike neighboring Spain, whose government recognized Palestinian statehood in May 2024 alongside Ireland and Norway and called on other EU countries to do the same, Portugal has taken a more cautious approach, saying it wanted to work out a common position with other EU countries first.Outcry against IsraelOnly a handful of the 27 European Union members recognise Palestine as a State, mostly former Communist countries as well as Sweden and Cyprus.The U.N. General Assembly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine in November 2012 by upgrading its observer status at the world body to &quot;non-member state&quot; from &quot;entity&quot;.Israel is facing a growing global outcry, given that its war against Hamas in Gaza is causing many deaths, starvation and devastation.

Portugal will officially recognize a Palestinian state on Sunday, ahead of a High-Level Conference, marking a cautious shift compared to other EU countries, amid ongoing conflict and international pressure on Israel.

Portugal says it will recognize Palestinian state on Sunday 

UNITED STATES: More than 140 world leaders will descend on New York next week for the annual United Nations General Assembly summit, which will be dominated this year by the future of the Palestinians and Gaza. One world leader who will miss the gathering is Mahmud Abbas, the Palestinian president who Washington denied US visas to attend, along with his officials. Two years after the beginning of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, triggered by the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the humanitarian catastrophe ravaging the small Palestinian territory will dominate debates at the high-level event. Kicking off Monday, Saudi Arabia and France will co-chair meetings on the future of the Israeli and Palestinian two-state solution, which aims to see both sides existing alongside one another in peace. After the overwhelming adoption last week by the General Assembly of a text supporting a future Palestinian state&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;albeit without Hamas &mdash; this meeting is expected to see the formal recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries, notably France. International Crisis Group analyst Richard Gowan called it a &quot;symbolic&quot; gesture that could have real significance &quot;if the countries that recognize Palestine follow up with further steps to try and put pressure on Israel to end its campaign in Gaza.&quot; Gowan warned of Israeli reprisals and a risk of &quot;escalation&quot; by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will address the General Assembly and has firmly said there will be no Palestinian state on his watch. The United States, Israel&#39;s main ally, has opposed recognition and vowed to deny visas to the Palestinian delegation, including Abbas. The Assembly will then vote on Friday to authorize the Palestinian president to speak via video link. All eyes will be on US President Donald Trump when Abbas speaks at the gathering, which brings much of Manhattan to a standstill every year as motorcades and heavily-armed security escorts sweep up First Avenue. Since his return to the White House, Trump has initiated massive cuts to US foreign aid, hammering UN agencies as humanitarian needs grow. Engulfed by deep financial crisis and raging wars, the UN quietly celebrated its 80th anniversary while fending off criticism of its efficacy. &#39;Existential threat&#39;&nbsp;&quot;The multilateral system... is under an existential threat,&quot; said Federico Borello, Interim Executive Director at Human Rights Watch. &quot;Norms are being weakened when powerful states, that include permanent members of the Security Council, either commit or are complicit in serious violations of international humanitarian law, as is happening in Gaza, in Ukraine, and elsewhere.&quot; &quot;People are demanding answers and action, actions that match the gravity of the challenges our world faces, actions that meet the expectations of all those on the outside looking in,&quot; UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said while calling for action on Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and climate change. Syria&#39;s President Ahmed al-Sharaa will be a prominent new addition to the group of nearly 140 world leaders, which also includes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Brazil&#39;s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. All eyes will be on Sharaa nearly a year after his forces overthrew Bashar al-Assad, as he now confronts the challenges of rebuilding after years of civil war. Iran&#39;s nuclear program will also be high on the agenda as sanctions against Tehran lifted ten years ago could be reinstated at the end of September, following a process triggered in late August by Paris, London, and Berlin. Guterres and President Lula will also organize a climate summit on Wednesday, where some states may announce new goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, just weeks ahead of COP30 in Brazil.&nbsp;

UNGA meeting expected to see formal recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries, notably France.





Gaza, Palestinian future to dominate UN gathering

WASHINGTON: A group of US senators introduced on Thursday the first Senate resolution to urge recognition of a Palestinian state, further signaling a shift in Washington sentiment toward Israel nearly two years into its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.&nbsp;The Democratic-led measure is unlikely to pass the chamber where President Donald Trump&#39;s Republicans have a 53-47 majority. Trump said on Thursday he disagreed with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over whether to recognize a Palestinian state, and no Republicans have joined efforts to do so.&nbsp;Democrat Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who is leading the effort, said in a statement: &quot;America has a responsibility to lead, and the time to act is now.&quot;&nbsp;The resolution urges US recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel and would offer both sides hope while boosting prospects for peace, Merkley said.&nbsp;In the House of Representatives, Ro Khanna of California is circulating a letter in an effort to rally support for the recognition of Palestinian statehood.&nbsp;The actions reflect a shift among lawmakers toward pressuring Israel to end the war and ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as the conflict approaches the two-year mark.&nbsp;The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.&nbsp;The Senate resolution&#39;s other co-sponsors are Democrats Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Peter Welch of Vermont, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, as well as Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.&nbsp;Sanders on Wednesday became the first US senator to describe events in Gaza as a genocide.&nbsp;A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded this week that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israel said the findings were biased and based on unverified evidence.&nbsp;A handful of US allies are preparing to recognize a Palestinian state as world leaders meet at the UN General Assembly in New York next week.&nbsp;A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll last month showed that a majority of Americans - 58% - believe that every country in the United Nations should recognize Palestine as a nation.&nbsp;The Palestinian death toll from the war surpassed 65,000 on Wednesday, Gaza health authorities say. About 1,200 people were killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.&nbsp;Israel says 48 hostages remain in Gaza, and around 20 are still alive.

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Democrat Jeff Merkley, who is leading the effort, says, "America has a responsibility to lead, and the time to act is now."

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