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Biden to personally discuss Ukraine aid with top House Republican

Last week Biden has assured his Ukrainian counterpart that $60bn in military aid is on its way….reports Asian Lite News

President Joe Biden has said that he is willing to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson in order to secure the long-awaited passage of a bill that contains funding for the provision of additional arms to Ukraine.

“Sure, I’d be happy to meet with him if he has anything to say,” Biden told reporters on Monday as he returned to the White House from Delaware, where he spent the weekend.

The President said House GOP members, led by Johnson, are “making a big mistake by not responding” to the repeated calls from the White House that they should approve the administration’s supplemental budget request and meet Ukraine’s urgent need for resupply of ammunition in its conflict with Russia.

“The way they’re walking away from the threat of Russia, they way they’re walking away from NATO, the way they’re walking away from meeting our obligations. It’s just shocking. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Biden added.

Johnson, who’s been withholding a vote in his chamber on a Senate-passed national security spending bill in order to squeeze out Democrats’ compromise allowing significant upgrades to border security, told reporters last week that he had been requesting a meeting with Biden “for weeks”.

“A month I’ve been asking to sit down with the President to talk about the border and talk about national security, and that meeting has not been granted,” Johnson said.

“And I’m going to continue to insist on that, because they’re very serious issues that need to be addressed. And if the Speaker of the House can’t meet with the President of the United States, that’s a problem.”

Last week Biden has assured his Ukrainian counterpart that $60bn in military aid is on its way.

The measure still needs to pass a final congressional vote, but Mr Biden told Volodymyr Zelensky that he was confident it would be approved.

Zelensky had earlier made an urgent appeal for more weapons to avoid a “catastrophic” situation in Europe. The US has blamed Ukraine’s withdrawal from the battle at Avdiivka on a lack of Congressional support.

Taking Avdiivka – a gateway to the Russian-seized Donetsk regional capital in the east – is Russia’s first notable gain since they seized nearby Bakhmut in May.

“Ukraine’s military was forced to withdraw from Avdiivka after Ukrainian soldiers had to ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction,” a White House statement read.

Earlier this week, the US Senate approved a $95bn (£75bn) foreign aid package – which includes $60bn for Ukraine – after months of political wrangling. But it still faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives, where members of the Republican Party are divided on the measure.

“Look, the Ukrainian people have fought so bravely and heroically, they’ve put so much on the line and the idea that now, when they’re running out of ammunition, we’d walk away – I find it absurd,” Biden told reporters following his call with Mr Zelensky on Saturday.

ALSO READ: Biden Replaces Endless War With Useless War

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US tables draft resolution on Gaza  

Although it is the first US draft that supports a “ceasefire,” it is referred to as a temporary one “as soon as practicable” and “based on the formula of all hostages being released”…reports Asian Lite News

The US on Monday tabled its own UN Security Council draft resolution on Gaza, ahead of Tuesday’s vote on an Algerian resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Although it is the first US draft that supports a “ceasefire,” it is referred to as a temporary one “as soon as practicable” and “based on the formula of all hostages being released.”

The US draft resolution underscores that the Israeli offensive against the Gazan town of Rafah should not proceed, citing circumstances under which such an attack “would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement including potentially into neighboring countries, which would have serious implications for regional peace and security.”

On Sunday, the US had said it would veto the Algerian resolution as it could jeopardize Washington’s diplomatic efforts aimed at brokering an end to hostilities in Gaza.

The Algerian text rejects the forced displacement of Palestinians and demands full, rapid and unfettered flow of humanitarian aid into and throughout Gaza.

Since the start of the war, the US has twice vetoed ceasefire resolutions that were backed by an overwhelming majority of countries, and has abstained from two others, allowing the council to call for increasing aid convoys into Gaza.

UNSC resolutions need at least nine votes in favor and no negative votes by the five permanent members — the US, UK, France, China and Russia — to be adopted.

Chinese Ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun said he does not see any reason for the US to veto the Algerian resolution.

“The killings are going on, the humanitarian catastrophe is continuing to unfold, and we’ve heard the loud cries all over the world for ending this tragic situation, so I don’t know why they’ll vote against it,” he said. “They’ve always been calling for protection of human rights.”

The US draft, condemns “all acts of terrorism, including the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, as well as Hamas’ taking and killing of hostages, murder, and sexual violence including rape.”

It emphasizes “grave concern” for the well-being of the 130-plus Israeli hostages held by Hamas and other groups, as well as for the well-being of the civilian population of Gaza, including the more than 1.5 million Palestinians now taking refuge in Rafah.

It calls for the lifting of “all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale,” and for parties to the conflict to allow “the immediate, safe, sustained and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip.”

The text also stresses the urgent need for “a viable plan to ensure the protection of and prevent the displacement of civilians in the event of a major ground military offensive into Rafah,” and calls on all parties to “refrain from depriving Palestinians in Gaza of assistance indispensable to their survival.”

It further stresses that Gaza constitutes “an integral part of the territory occupied in 1967,” and reiterates the vision of a two-state solution with the Gaza Strip as part of a Palestinian state.

The US text reiterates demands that Hamas and other armed groups immediately grant humanitarian access to all remaining hostages, and calls on UN member states to intensify their efforts “to suppress the financing of terrorism, including by restricting financing of Hamas.”

Richard Gowan, the UN director for the International Crisis Group, said on social media: “I suspect that Israel will worry a lot more about this draft resolution from the [US mission to the UN] than louder or stronger demands from other UN members.”

It was not clear that the draft would be passed or even submitted to a vote. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the five permanent members – the US, France, Britain, Russia or China – in order to be adopted. But it could be the basis for negotiations with other council members in the coming days.

The US draft begins by condemning Hamas for its 7 October attack, specifically the “taking and killing of hostages, murder and sexual violence including rape”. The US mission had previously complained that earlier security council resolutions had omitted explicit blame of Hamas.

The US text calls for protection of civilians and for the provision of humanitarian aid, but does not specifically mention the role and responsibilities of the Israeli government or armed forces.

The UK foreign secretary, David Cameron, also called for “a stop to the fighting right now” and moves towards a lasting peace rather an offensive in Rafah.

Speaking to reporters on a visit to Stanley in the Falkland Islands on Monday, he said: “We are calling for a stop to the fighting right now, we think that what we need is a pause in the fighting and the hostages to come out and aid to go in. That should happen straight away.

“Let’s have the stop to the fighting now, have that hostage release and then build on it from here,” Lord Cameron said. “That’s what we need to happen rather than an offensive in Rafah.”

ALSO READ: Biden Replaces Endless War With Useless War

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Biden Replaces Endless War With Useless War

Xi Jinping is the beneficiary of the Russophobia (masquerading as Putinophobia) that has blanketed both sides of the Atlantic, writes Prof. Madhav Das Nalapat

President Joe Biden of the US went ahead with the Trump plan of surrender of Afghanistan to the Taliban in 2021. The surrender document in 2020 at Doha signed by then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was subsequently implemented by President Biden against the advice of elements in the Pentagon. Donald Trump claims that his administration would have retained the Bagram Air Base rather than surrender that too to the Taliban, although he remains silent on whether he would have continued to fund the logistics of the Afghan National Army (ANA).

This force was proving to be more than a match to the Taliban in several parts of Afghanistan. The ANA was denied all US support by President Biden, rendering inevitable its subsequent collapse. Either because of lack of familiarity with the ground situation or out of a politician’s reflex of always blaming the other side for a self-created problem, that the logistical “legs” of the ANA had been cut off by the US surrender in 2021, leaving that force helpless, went unmentioned by Biden when he blamed the ANA for the Taliban takeover.

During the six weeks following their takeover of the stricken country, several hundred commanders of the ANA were executed by the Taliban for their folly in having believed that the US would not once again leave Afghanistan to its fate, the way it had in the 1990s, in the process facilitating the takeover of much of the country by the Taliban in 1996. From 2001 onwards, commentary within the US strategic community had been altered to claim that Washington had consistently backed the Northern Alliance to fight the Taliban, when the opposite was the case during the Clinton Presidency.

Not the US or the EU but India together with Russia and Iran assisted the Northern Alliance under Ahmed Shah Massoud to continue to hold ground in the northern part of Afghanistan despite continuing and strenuous efforts by GHQ Rawalpindi-backed radicals to defeat them. During the 2001 war that saw the Taliban routed, US intelligence, air power and equipment were crucial in that outcome.

However, by 2005, reliance by Washington on GHQ Rawalpindi for ground level intel led to the funding and equipping of several hardcore Taliban elements that were recommended to the US by Pakistan Army Intelligence as “moderate” and “anti-Taliban”. Bush and Cheney joined hands with the arsonists in GHQ Rawalpindi who continued to pour fuel on the flames rather than help to douse them, even allowing key extremists to escape from Kunduz in November just weeks into the war in an airlift were why a war already won was transformed into a “forever” war.

A month later, Defence Secretary Rumsfeld deceitfully joined hands with the military dictator of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, in asserting that the Kunduz airlift never took place. It was US assistance (and the encouragement that was provided to Taiwan and Japan) that helped the PRC to rise in the 1980s in order to “ensure Beijing stood with Washington against Moscow”.

The reality is that even without any US help, Mao would have worked against the Soviet Union, a country he feared. Again, it was US taxpayer dollars that gave the Taliban a second life from 2005 onwards, from which period it once again began to pose a severe challenge to both US-UK forces as well as to their Afghans allies. In the US, the bulk of those interested in the future of Afghanistan believe that the collective of radicals known as the Taliban became stronger despite, and not because of, US policy towards Afghanistan. Policy errors led to the Afghan war becoming a “forever war”.

The war against the Russian Federation through Ukrainian proxies that was launched by the US and some European countries in 2014, and which sharply accelerated in 2022, need not have been the curse to the global economy and stability that it is, had it been factored in within NATO that from the start, the war was unwinnable for Ukraine.

As a way of degrading Russian military capability, it was useless, as shown by the steady expansion of defence production, introduction of innovative battlefield tactics and weaponry, and mobilisation of manpower by the Russian Federation since 24 February 2022. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces and much of the population are dependent on external charity in the way that residents of Gaza have been since the takeover of that enclave of the State of Palestine by Hamas in 2007.

Policymakers across both sides of the Atlantic remain trapped in the mists of Cold War 1.0 against Russia when that was replaced from the time of the Hong Kong handover on PRC terms by the UK in 1997. Xi Jinping is the beneficiary of the Russophobia (masquerading as Putinophobia) that has blanketed both sides of the Atlantic, in the process fulfilling the CCP’s objective of ensuring that Russia not follow the precedent set by China during Cold War 1.0 and team up with the US against China, as sought by Donald Trump and others such as Vivek Ramaswamy who are wholly American in their strategic thinking than European in the manner that so many within the Biden administration are.

Small wonder that the US under Biden has suffered a sharp reduction in respect and influence in those parts of the world which are not European, and who do not (unlike the Biden White House) believe that Europe continues as the fulcrum of global events and their consequences. Tucker Carlson did his country and the NATO alliance a favour by getting on record Vladimir Putin, stating that he was ready for an armistice (just as he was in April 2022 before Biden and Johnson persuaded Zelenskyy to instead fight on) based on the status quo.

Believing that Ukraine can get Russia to agree to a cease fire based on the pre-2014 effective boundaries is delusional, and the sooner Zelenskyy lives up to his election campaign promise of being a peacemaker, the better for him and his country. Meanwhile, people in the US and the EU are moving from grumbling to protesting at the way in which NATO is draining the coffers of member states by fuelling a conflict that was hopeless from the start.

Should the Russia-Ukraine war continue, the risk of a Russian attack on the Baltic states and on Polish defence fortifications will rise and not fall, and the CCP will further its goal of keeping the US mired in an unwinnable war in Europe. President Biden, with his Europe-focused administration, may believe that a stoppage of the Ukraine war will cost him the White House.

It would instead parachute him back for a second term, especially if the White House reduces the Ukraine component of aid legislation to a much smaller figure than $60 billion, and uses the savings to try and rescue the southern border from the demographic invasion that it has been witnessing in full view of television cameras. It is not the US Secretary for Homeland Security who is responsible for such a failure to protect US citizens from an invasion from the southern border, but the President of the United States.

ALSO READ: Global Delegation Visits Gujarat’s Education Review Centre

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US Consular Affairs Head Rena Bitter Visits India

The US Embassy and Consulates in India processed 1.4 million visas during 2023 and appointment wait time dropped by 75 per cent, according to the US Embassy…reports Asian Lite News

 US Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Rena Bitter, arrived in India to engage with embassy and consulate colleagues in Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi.

During her week-long visit, which will conclude on February 27, she will also be visiting Doha to observe the work of US consular teams, a US State Department statement said.

In India, home to the second largest US consular operation in the world, she will visit facilities in Chennai and Mumbai and lead a delegation in a bilateral consular dialogue with counterparts in New Delhi.

“Our consular operations in India and Qatar bolster the critical people-to-people and economic ties the US shares with these vital partners,” the statement said.

“The Assistant Secretary’s trip highlights our sustained commitment to the protection of US citizens overseas and the facilitation of legitimate travel and immigration to the US.”

Her visit follows a year of record-breaking visa issuances in the country with Indians now representing one out of every 10 US visa applicants around the world.

The US Embassy and Consulates in India processed 1.4 million visas during 2023 and appointment wait time dropped by 75 per cent, according to the US Embassy.

Bitter’s visit comes just as Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Richard R. Verma, arrived in India on February 18 to advance the US-India global strategic partnership on a full range of issues, including economic development, security and technology.

Verma, who served as the 25th US Ambassador to India from 2014 to 2017, met Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday.

Verma’s India visit is part of a three-nation tour from February 18-23, which will also cover Maldives and Sri Lanka in an attempt to strengthen the country’s cooperation with each of these key Indo-Pacific partners.

ALSO READ-Opposition slams Sunak over £1,000 Rwanda bet

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Key Biden Aide En Route to Israel, Egypt Talks

Brett McGurk, the senior most advisor to the US President, will reach Egypt to accelerate the ongoing peace talks…reports Asian Lite News

With the ceasefire mooted by the US, Egypt and Qatar in the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel not gaining traction, US President Joe Biden’s top advisor is scheduled to reach Israel and Egypt on Wednesday.

Brett McGurk, the senior most advisor to the US President, will reach Egypt to accelerate the ongoing peace talks for a ceasefire and release of hostages in the ongoing war.

The top US official will meet the Chief of Egyptian Intelligence, Abbas Kamal, and hold a series of meetings with him and other senior Egyptian officials. The Israel’s ground invasion of Rafah in Gaza Strip which shares the border with Egypt will also be a major point of discussion between the US official and Egyptians.

McGurk will then leave for Tel Aviv and will have meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The Israel war cabinet member and Minister without portfolio, Benny Gantz will also meet the visiting top US official.

A series of mediatory talks held in Europe, Cairo and Doha for a second ceasefire to the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel has not borne fruit till now.

While Hamas want a permanent ceasefire and withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza, Israel has agreed for a temporary four week ceasefire wherein Hamas would release 35 hostages in its capacity with Israel reciprocating by releasing Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails almost three times the number of Israeli hostages released.

Since the war commenced on October 7, 2023 a one week ceasefire between November 24 and December 1 saw the release of 105 Israeli hostages in exchange of 324 Palestinians who were lodged in Israeli jails.

The families of hostages in Hamas custody has been demanding Israeli authorities to work for a ceasefire deal and to release their dear one’s from the captivity of Hamas terror group.

ALSO READ: Biden assures Zelensky of renewed military aid

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Biden Ready to Negotiate with House Speaker on Ukraine Arms Bill

“A month I’ve been asking to sit down with the President to talk about the border and talk about national security, and that meeting has not been granted,” Johnson said…reports Asian Lite News

US President Joe Biden has said that he is willing to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson in order to secure the long-awaited passage of a bill that contains funding for the provision of additional arms to Ukraine.

“Sure, I’d be happy to meet with him if he has anything to say,” Biden told reporters on Monday as he returned to the White House from Delaware, where he spent the weekend.

The President said House GOP members, led by Johnson, are “making a big mistake by not responding” to the repeated calls from the White House that they should approve the administration’s supplemental budget request and meet Ukraine’s urgent need for resupply of ammunition in its conflict with Russia, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The way they’re walking away from the threat of Russia, they way they’re walking away from NATO, the way they’re walking away from meeting our obligations. It’s just shocking. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Biden added.

Johnson, who’s been withholding a vote in his chamber on a Senate-passed national security spending bill in order to squeeze out Democrats’ compromise allowing significant upgrades to border security, told reporters last week that he had been requesting a meeting with Biden “for weeks”.

“A month I’ve been asking to sit down with the President to talk about the border and talk about national security, and that meeting has not been granted,” Johnson said.

“And I’m going to continue to insist on that, because they’re very serious issues that need to be addressed. And if the Speaker of the House can’t meet with the President of the United States, that’s a problem.”

ALSO READ-‘Advancements in Afghanistan Discussions, But Barriers Persist’

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US Top Advisor McGurk to Push for Ceasefire Talks in Israel and Egypt

A series of mediatory talks held in Europe, Cairo and Doha for a second ceasefire to the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel has not borne fruit till now…reports Asian Lite News

With the ceasefire mooted by the US, Egypt and Qatar in the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel not gaining traction, US President Joe Biden’s top advisor is scheduled to reach Israel and Egypt on Wednesday.

Brett McGurk, the senior most advisor to the US President, will reach Egypt to accelerate the ongoing peace talks for a ceasefire and release of hostages in the ongoing war.

The top US official will meet the Chief of Egyptian Intelligence, Abbas Kamal, and hold a series of meetings with him and other senior Egyptian officials. The Israel’s ground invasion of Rafah in Gaza Strip which shares the border with Egypt will also be a major point of discussion between the US official and Egyptians.

McGurk will then leave for Tel Aviv and will have meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The Israel war cabinet member and Minister without portfolio, Benny Gantz will also meet the visiting top US official.

A series of mediatory talks held in Europe, Cairo and Doha for a second ceasefire to the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel has not borne fruit till now.

While Hamas want a permanent ceasefire and withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza, Israel has agreed for a temporary four week ceasefire wherein Hamas would release 35 hostages in its capacity with Israel reciprocating by releasing Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails almost three times the number of Israeli hostages released.

Since the war commenced on October 7, 2023 a one week ceasefire between November 24 and December 1 saw the release of 105 Israeli hostages in exchange of 324 Palestinians who were lodged in Israeli jails.

The families of hostages in Hamas custody has been demanding Israeli authorities to work for a ceasefire deal and to release their dear one’s from the captivity of Hamas terror group.

ALSO READ-Biden assures Zelensky of renewed military aid

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Biden assures Zelensky of renewed military aid

Biden said he was not confident another Ukrainian city would not fall to Russian forces without US support…reports Asian Lite News

Following Ukraine’s withdrawal of troops from the key eastern town of Avdiivka, President Joe Biden has assured Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky that he is confident that Congress will renew military aid to fight Russia, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.

According to its report, “I spoke with Zelensky this afternoon to let him know that I was confident we’re going to get that money,” Biden told reporters on Saturday.

Biden said he was not confident another Ukrainian city would not fall to Russian forces without US support and that it would be “absurd” and “unethical” for lawmakers not to approve a new package of military aid.

“I find it contrary to everything we are as a country,” he said.

Al Jazeera reported that President Biden spoke to Zelensky in a call hours after Russia announced the capture of Avdiivka following the earlier withdrawal of Kyiv’s forces, which the Ukrainian leader described as “a professional decision that will save many Ukrainian lives”.

Earlier on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the capture of Avdiivka, an industrial hub located some 10km (6.2 miles) north of the city of Donetsk, as an “important victory” in the war, which is nearing the two-year mark.

The White House said in a statement after the call that Ukrainian forces withdrew after being forced to “ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction, resulting in Russia’s first notable gains in months”.

Zelensky said in a post on Telegram after the call that he was “glad that I can count on the full support of the American president” and that he had faith in the “wise decision of the US Congress.”

Vice-President Kamala Harris also took aim at Republicans for holding up aid on Saturday, accusing them of “political gamesmanship” after meeting with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Al Jazeera reported.

Democrats and Republicans have been sharply divided over continuing support for Kyiv, with allies of former US President Donald Trump insisting the funds be spent on domestic issues, including border security.

Al Jazeera reported that the Senate passed a $95 billion package of aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan earlier this week, the bill faces a difficult road in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has slammed the bill for not addressing security on the US-Mexico border, which he has described as the “most pressing issue facing our country”, and insisted the House will not be rushed to approve the aid.

On Friday, Biden blasted House Republicans for taking a two-week recess, saying it was “time they step up” and assuage concerns about the US being a reliable ally. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Iran Condemns US Senate’s $14B Aid to Israel

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US to veto Algerian resolution for Gaza ceasefire

The resolution rejects the forced displacement of Palestinians and demands full, rapid and unfettered flow of humanitarian aid into and throughout Gaza…reports Asian Lite News

The US has said it will veto an Algerian resolution at the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as it could jeopardize Washington’s diplomatic efforts aimed at brokering an end to hostilities.

Algeria had over two weeks ago put forward a draft resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The text rejects the forced displacement of Palestinians and demands full, rapid and unfettered flow of humanitarian aid into and throughout Gaza.

Algeria, which occupies the Arab seat at the UNSC, has requested a vote on the draft on Tuesday.

But Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US representative to the UN, issued a statement reiterating that Washington “does not support action on this draft resolution,” which therefore “will not be adopted.”

Since the start of the war, the US has twice vetoed ceasefire resolutions that were backed by an overwhelming majority of countries, and has abstained from two others, allowing the council to call for increasing aid convoys into Gaza.

UNSC resolutions need at least nine votes in favor and no negative votes by the five permanent members — the US, UK, France, China and Russia — to be adopted.

Thomas-Greenfield said the US has been intensifying efforts toward a sustainable resolution of the Gaza conflict, and in pursuit of this goal, is actively engaged in negotiations for a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, designed to bring about an immediate period of calm for at least six weeks.

This ceasefire would provide a window of opportunity to lay the groundwork for a more enduring peace, she added.

Thomas-Greenfield pointed to US President Joe Biden’s personal interventions over the past week, holding multiple discussions with Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari leaders.

While significant gaps persist, key elements of the deal are under negotiation, she said, adding that it is critical for all parties to give this process “the best odds of succeeding, rather than push measures that put it, and the opportunity for an enduring resolution of hostilities, in jeopardy.”

The Algerian resolution “would not achieve these outcomes, and indeed, may run counter to them,” she said, adding that the UNSC “has the obligation to ensure that any action we take in the coming days increases pressure on Hamas to accept the proposal on the table.”

On Wednesday, last week, Arab countries in the UN reaffirmed their support for the Algerian draft resolution, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and unimpeded humanitarian relief amid Israel’s looming ground invasion of Rafah.

In a press briefing alongside other members, Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, urged the UN to act saying the group believes there is “massive” support for the proposed resolution.

In her statement on Saturday, Thomas-Greenfield called on the UN Security Council to, instead, ensure “any action we take in the coming days increases pressure on Hamas to accept the proposal on the table”.

Stating that the US would continue to engage in diplomacy, she added that the US “will be candid” with Israeli and regional leaders regarding expectations for the protection of Rafah’s more than one million civilians.

“It is critical that other parties give this process the best odds of succeeding, rather than push measures that put it — and the opportunity for an enduring resolution of hostilities — in jeopardy,” the statement read.

Israeli cabinet rebuts Biden again

Further showcasing the growing friction between the US and Israel, the Israeli cabinet unanimously approved a declaration strongly opposing any plan for Palestinian statehood, the Times of Israel reported.

This comes in the wake of reports that the US and several Arab partners were preparing a detailed plan for a comprehensive peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians that includes a “firm timeline” for a Palestinian state.

“Israel utterly rejects international diktats regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians,” the cabinet decision read. “A settlement, if it is to be reached, will come about solely through direct negotiations between the parties, without preconditions.”

“Israel will continue to oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state,” the motion added. “Such recognition in the wake of the October 7 massacre would be a massive and unprecedented reward to terrorism and would foil any future peace settlement.”

Responding to this, a US State Department spokesperson said that the best way to achieve an enduring end to the crisis in Gaza that provides “lasting peace and security” for Israelis and Palestinians alike, is our strong commitment to the “creation of a Palestinian state,” Times of Israel reported.

“As such, the US continues to support the two-state solution and to oppose policies that endanger its viability or contradict our mutual interests and values,” it added.

The Israeli cabinet statement echoed comments made by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in response to a Washington Post report on the matter.

ALSO READ: Iran Condemns US Senate’s $14B Aid to Israel

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Trump Slams New York Court Ruling, Calls It ‘Total Sham’

Trump said the justice system in New York State and US as a whole is under assault by “partisan, deluded, biased Judges and Prosecutors…reports Asian Lite News

Former US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) blasted a ruling by a judge in New York, ordering him and his companies to pay nearly USD 355 in the civil fraud case. He called the decision a “complete and total sham.”

In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform after the court’s decision, Trump said the justice system in New York State and US as a whole is under assault by “partisan, deluded, biased Judges and Prosecutors.”

“The Justice System in New York State, and America as a whole, is under assault by partisan, deluded, biased Judges and Prosecutors. Racist, Corrupt A.G. Tish James has been obsessed with “Getting Trump” for years, and used Crooked New York State Judge Engoron to get an illegal, unAmerican judgment against me, my family, and my tremendous business. I helped New York City during its worst of times, and now, while it is overrun with Violent Biden Migrant Crime, the Radicals are doing all they can to kick me out,” Trump posted on Truth Social platform.

Calling the decision a “complete and total sham,” Trump said there were no victims and there were no damages caused. His remarks came after a New York judge on Friday ordered former US President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization to pay a fine of nearly USD 355 million in a civil fraud case.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Page 2: This “decision” is a Complete and Total SHAM. There were No Victims, No Damages, No Complaints. Only satisfied Banks and Insurance Companies (which made a ton of money), GREAT Financial Statements, that didn’t even include the most valuable Asset – The TRUMP Brand, IRONCLAD Disclaimers (Buyer Beware, and Do your Own Due Diligence), and amazing Properties all over the World. All the other side had was a ridiculous USD 18 million valuation of magnificent Mar-a-Lago, an unconstitutional Gag Order, a Consumer Fraud Statute never before used for this purpose, No Jury allowed, and a refusal to send this disgusting charade to the Commercial Division, where it would have been put to a deserving end.”

He also accused Judge Arthur Engoron of targeting him in the case. He called the decision in the New York case a “witch hunt” and said that he was fined USD 355 million based on nothing other than having built a “great company.”

“Page 3: This “case” is OVER ever since the Appellate Division ended it on Statute of Limitations, also letting my daughter Ivanka out of this Witch Hunt. The Democrat Club-controlled Judge Engoron has already been reversed four times on this case, a shameful record, and he will be reversed again. We cannot let injustice stand, and will fight Crooked Joe Biden’s weaponized persecution at every step. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

In another post, Trump stated, “A Crooked New York State Judge, working with a totally Corrupt Attorney General who ran on the basis of “I will get Trump,” before knowing anything about me or my company, has just fined me USD 355 Million based on nothing other than having built a GREAT COMPANY. ELECTION INTERFERENCE. WITCH HUNT (more to follow!).”

Trump also delivered remarks from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Friday. He stressed that the case was part of a broader effort aimed to damage him politically as he seeks another term in the White House, The Hill reported.

“If I weren’t running none of this stuff would have ever happened. None of these lawsuits would have ever happened. I would have had a nice life,” Trump said.

The former US President’s attacks extended beyond Engoron and James at times, which led to Engoron issuing a gag order that prevented Trump and his attorneys from making remarks about court staff, according to The Hill report.

According to the 90-page judgement, Trump has been barred from acting as a company director in New York state for three years. His sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, have also asked to pay a fine of USD 4 million each.

They have been barred from serving as directors for two years. Donald Trump and his two adult sons had already been found liable for massively increasing the value of their properties by hundreds of millions of dollars in a trial that ended in January. However, Trump and his sons have denied any wrongdoing.

Former Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg was ordered to pay USD 1 million. Weisselberg was also blocked from New York business for three years, according to the order. Furthermore, Weisselberg and former controller Jeffrey McConney were banned for life from serving “in the financial control function” of any New York corporation or business entity.

In a statement to The Hill, Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba termed the ruling a “manifest injustice” and the culmination of a “multi-year, politically fueled witch hunt that was designed to ‘take down Donald Trump.'”

The trial of the case lasted for more than two months, with testimony — sometimes tempestuous from 40 witnesses, including the former US President himself, top Trump Organization executives and Trump’s adult children. (ANI)

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