Biden, delivering a speech at a former coal-fired electricity plant in Massachusetts, said his administration would do whatever necessary, with or without lawmakers on board…reports Asian Lite News
President Joe Biden, thwarted by lawmakers and the Supreme Court, sought Wednesday to revive his ambitions to tackle climate change as heat waves batter the United States and Europe.
Rocketing summer temperatures have highlighted the growing threat, with 100 million people in the United States currently under excessive heat alerts and devastatingly hot conditions causing misery across Europe.
“Climate change… is literally, not figuratively, a clear and present danger,” Biden said, announcing executive actions including $2.3 billion in investments to help build US infrastructure to withstand climate disasters.
“The health of our citizens and our communities is literally at stake… Our national security is at stake as well… And our economy is at risk. So we have to act.”
Biden, delivering a speech at a former coal-fired electricity plant in Massachusetts, said his administration would do whatever necessary, with or without lawmakers on board.
Our children and grandchildren are counting on us to confront climate change.
The world is counting on us.
This is the United States of America. When we put our hearts and minds to it, there’s nothing beyond our capacity. pic.twitter.com/3g6IOBYgqO
“Congress is not acting as it should… This is an emergency and I will look at it that way. As president, I’ll use my executive powers to combat the climate crisis,” he said.
But he stopped short of declaring a formal climate emergency, which would grant him additional policy powers. Upon his return home, when asked about the emergency designation, Biden told reporters: “I will make that decision soon.”
Biden began his term last year promising to fulfill campaign pledges to tackle the global climate crisis, but his agenda has faced blow after blow.
His first day in office, Biden signed an executive order to bring the United States back into the Paris climate agreement, followed later by an ambitious announcement that he was targeting a 50-52 percent reduction from 2005 levels in US net greenhouse gas pollution by 2030.
But his signature Build Back Better legislation, which would have included $550 billion for clean energy and other climate initiatives, is all but dead after failing to receive the necessary backing in Congress as fellow Democrat Joe Manchin said he would not support the bill in a evenly divided Senate.
And last month, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cannot issue broad greenhouse gas regulations without congressional approval.
“When it comes to fighting climate change, I will not take ‘no’ for an answer,” Biden said.
“I will do everything in my power to clean our air and water, protect our people’s heath, to win the clean energy future… Our children and grandchildren are counting on us. Not a joke.”
Among the new executive orders was funding to promote efficient air conditioning, and an order to advance wind energy development off the Atlantic Coast and Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The Biden administration has framed climate policies as a job creation project — and as a national security issue, made more urgent by soaring fuel prices in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The White House said in a statement that Biden was seeking “to turn the climate crisis into an opportunity, by creating good-paying jobs in clean energy and lowering costs for families.”
His speech on Wednesday was at a shuttered coal-fired power plant that will be used for a cable manufacturing factory to supply offshore wind facilities.
State Department spokesman Ned Price this week pointed to the extreme heat wave tormenting Europe this week — with Britain recording a temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) — as more proof that climate action cannot wait.
“We are committed to taking advantage of this moment and doing everything we can, including on the world stage,” Price told reporters, “to ensure that this decisive decade does not go by without us taking appropriate action.”
“The United States is invested in building a positive future in the region, in partnership with all of you, and the US is not going anywhere,” said President Biden at the historic Jeddah summit of GCC Plus 3. The invisible presence of Israel, Turkey and India make the conference a landmark event in the history of Arabia…. A special report by Anasudhin Azeez from Jeddah
“We are optimistic that this summit will lead to setting a comprehensive framework for a new phase in which we give hope to the young men and women of the region for a bright future in which they can realize their hopes” said Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the historic Jeddah Security and Development Summit of 10 powerful leaders of the world.
The youngest (Just 36) among the Arab leaders is telling 79-year-old US president Joe Biden that the Kingdom is now ready to take the lead in the regional politics. This is Arabia @2. The mighty America has become an equal partner with a new alliance of GCC plus three – Egypt, Jordan and Iraq. The new alliance also includes Israel and India through I2U2, a summit President Biden presided during the historic visit. They can also count the support of Turkey through NATO and the recent bilateral visits by Turkish President Tayip Erdogan to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the visits of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to Turkey. The invisible presence of Israel, Turkey and India make the conference a landmark event in the history of Arabia. The echoes of Abraham Accord and the call for the creation of independent Palestine through two-state solutions were also felt at the venue.
America was forced to sit along with Jordan, Iraq and the rulers of GCC to find out solutions for the economic and political mess they are in. The Arabs buried their hatchets and ready to embrace changes. Jeddah, the historic port city in the Red Sea coast, reflects the changes taking place in the Arab society. Women are driving, the cane wielding Muttawas (religious police) were disappeared from parks, malls and public places. The new Arabia has arrived. The era of blockades, disputes over territories are over. The leaders agree to work for some common goals to uplift the economy and stem the rise of new axis of evil.
“There are so many issues at stake, I want to make clear that we can continue to lead in the region and not create a vacuum, a vacuum that is filled by China and/or Russia,” President Biden said just before the summit. That was the core of his agenda.
“It has been almost 80 years since the founder of my country, King Abdulaziz, met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt to lay the foundation for a post-war Middle East,” said Princess Reema bint Bandar, Kingdom’s ambassador to Washington. “Since that day, our two countries worked together to defeat Soviet communism, guarantee global energy security, contain a revolutionary Iran, repel Saddam Hussein from Kuwait and, more recently, destroy Al-Qaeda and Daesh,” she wrote in Politico.
The sentiment was echoed in the statements of other leaders attended in the summit.
“We are all aware of the size of challenges that the region and the world are facing, and from that arises a need to align and enhance global efforts to achieve our peoples’ aspirations of further progress and prosperity,” said Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the newly appointed President of the United Arab Emirates.
“Historical events have proven that the only way to end conflicts and tensions is utilising wisdom, abiding by international law and using diplomatic means and solutions to resolve problems, thus protecting the interests of everyone involved and preventing further war- and conflict-induced human suffering,” the UAE leader continued.
He explained that overcoming challenges is achieved through international cooperation in enhancing advanced education opportunities, fostering innovation, focusing on the future prospects of technology, supporting scientific research and bolstering economic ties.
Furthermore, the UAE President affirmed that the UAE will remain a main and trusted partner in the global drive to achieve stability and prosperity, adopting an approach that is developed around the pillars of achieving peace and development for all world nations.
“We are working to establish frameworks for dialogue and joint work, and are confident of our ability, as a region, to take initiative and bear our responsibilities towards our issues, as well as play a key role in dealing with global issues that affect all of humanity, including climate change and food and energy security, Sheikh Mohamed noted, adding that the partnership between the US and countries in the region is a strong foundation for fruitful cooperation, especially in issues relating to regional and global development.
King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of Jordan; King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar; Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait; Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs and Special Representative of His Majesty the Sultan of Oman; Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt; and Dr. Mustafa Al Kadhimi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq were also spoke.
President Biden mentions the role of China and Russia in the new global crisis. He urged the Arab leaders to join the US efforts to stem the rise of new era communism.
“Around the world, we’re seeing efforts to undermine the rules-based order: with China’s increasingly coercive actions in the Indo-Pacific and beyond; with Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war against its neighbouring Ukraine; and with Iran’s destabilizing activities,” he said.
President Biden promised to address the key issues threatening the region.
“We will turn our attention and our resources to supporting our partners, strengthening our alliances, and building coalitions to solve the problems facing this region and the world — and the world today. The United States is clear-eyed about the challenges in the Middle East and about where we have the greatest capacity to help drive positive outcomes. Our objectives are focused realistic, and achievable so that we can target our resources, rebuild trust, and deliver real results. And we will operate in the context of the Middle East as it is today: a region more united than it has been in years. The GCC is a prime example of that. Former rivals have reestablished diplomatic and economic ties. New memberships are being forged. And increasingly, the world is seeing the Middle East through the lens of opening and opportunity. Let me state clearly that the United States is going to remain an active, engaged partner in the Middle East.”
The President reasserts his decision to challenge the threats of new axis of evil.
“As the world grows more competitive and the challenges we face more complex, it is only becoming clearer to me that — how closely interwoven America’s interests are with the successes of the Middle East,” he said. “We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia, or Iran. And we’ll seek to build on this moment with active, principled American leadership. Our new framework for the Middle East has five key principles.
“First, the United States will support and strengthen partnerships with countries that subscribe to the rules-based international order. And we will make sure that these — those countries can defend themselves against foreign threats. The United States and each of the countries around this table are an essential part of that order because we reject the use of brute force to change borders. When the entire GCC, plus Egypt and Jordan, voted in the United Nations General Assembly to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it was a watershed moment. It showed that the core values of sovereignty and territorial integrity are truly universal.
“And I want to be clear: Supporting a rules-based order doesn’t mean we always have to agree on every issue, but it does mean we align around core principles that allow us to work together on the most pressing global challenges. For example, on food security, we are collectively committing billions of dollars to alleviate the crisis here in the region, with more than $1 billion coming from the United States.
“On energy security, we agree on the need to ensure adequate supplies to meet global needs. Energy producers have already increased production, and I look forward to seeing what’s coming in the — in the coming months.
“And on the climate crisis, we’re collectively investing hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy initiatives, increasing our climate ambition, and working together to diversify supply chains and invest in critical infrastructure. And we’re looking forward to Egypt and the UAE hosting the next two major U.N. climate conferences.
“Second, the United States will not allow — will not allow foreign or regional powers to jeopardize the freedom of navigation through the Middle East’s waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab. Nor will we tolerate efforts by any country to dominate another in the region through military buildups, incursions, and/or threats. The free flow of commerce and resources through the Middle East is the lifeblood of a global economy. That’s as true today as it been — as it has been for decades. And when nations adhere to international rules, it works. So my administration has made it a priority to protect those vital waterways. We’ve established a new naval task force to work in partnership with many of your navies to help secure the Red Sea. That includes the first naval task force to use un-manned surface vessels and artificial intelligence technology to enhance marine — maritime awareness. We’re also integrating air defenses and early warning systems to ensure that we can defeat airborne threats.
“Third, the United States will not just aim to deter threats of regional — to regional stability; we will work to reduce tensions, de-escalate, and end conflicts wherever possible. This approach is already reaping dividends. As was mentioned: In Yemen, working closely with Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, and the U.N., we forged a truce that is now in its 15th week. We’ve welcomed the leadership Of Iraqi Prime Minister Kadhimi to bring countries from the nei- — from the neighbor- — from the region together for talks in Baghdad. Thanks to the months of quiet, persistent diplomacy, we helped finalize an agreement to remove international peacekeepers from Tiran Island in the Red Sea, and transform an area that once sparked wars into a future hub of peaceful tourism and economic development. And as we continue to work closely with many of you to counter the threats posed by — posed to the region by Iran, we’re also pursuing diplomacy to return constraints on Iran’s nuclear program. But no matter what, the United States is committed to ensuring that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.
“Fourth, the United States will build political, economic, and security connections between the United States — between the U.S. partners wherever possible, while respecting each country’s sovereignty and independent choices. Integration, interconnection — these are the underlying themes of our meeting today. How many years have we been trying to connect Iraq’s electricity to the — to the G- — to the GCC grids? I remember being briefed on it in 19- — in 2016, when I was Vice President of the United States. I said, “Let’s get it done.” Well, today, finally, after years of failed efforts and false starts, thanks to the efforts of so many around this table, it’s done. New energy projects linking the region, a new free trade deal and investments between neighbors, like the Saudi investments in Egypt and Jordan. The more we build these connections, the more we’ll see the benefits that return to our peoples and will grow.
Fifth, the United States will always promote human rights and the values enshrined in the U.N. Charter. Foundational freedoms are foundational to who we are as Americans. It’s in our DNA. But it’s also because we know that fai- — that the future will be won by the countries that unleash the full potential of their populations, where women can exercise equal rights and contribute to building stronger economies, resilient societies, and more modern and capable militaries; where citizens can question and criticize their leaders without fear of reprisal. I’ve gotten plenty of criticism over the years. It’s not fun. But the ability to speak openly and exchange ideas freely is what unlocks innovation. Accountable ins- — accountable institutions that are free from corruption, that act transparently, and respect the rule of law are the best way to deliver growth, respond to people’s needs, and, I believe, ensure justice. And no country gets it right all the time — even most of the time — including the United States. But our people are our strength. Our countries, with the confidence to learn from their mistakes, grow stronger. So let me conclude by summing all this up in one sentence: The United States is invested in building a positive future in the region, in partnership with all of you, and the United States is not going anywhere.
The leaders welcomed US President Biden’s emphasis on a permanent US commitment to the security of its partners, as well as recognition of the region’s central role in connecting the Indo-Pacific with Europe, Africa and the Americas.
The discussions were also aimed to address collectively environmental challenges and confront climate change, including the Saudi Green and the Middle East Green Initiatives, announced last October by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in addition to the development of renewable energy sources.
With regard to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Jeddah summit affirmed the participants’ commitment to the principles of international law and the UN Charter, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, non-use of force or the threat of force, in addition to the support for mediation efforts, a political solution to the crisis through negotiations, provision of humanitarian and relief assistance.
On the matter of the Yemen conflict, the leaders condemned Houthi terrorist attacks against civilians, landmarks and energy facilities, and welcomed the formation of a Presidential Leadership Council in Yemen.
The final statement expressed support for a negotiated solution between the Yemeni government and the Houthis, welcomed the extension of the truce, and underscored the importance of commitment to continue supporting the humanitarian and relief needs of the Yemeni people.
Among other things, the summit voiced support for Iraq’s security, stability and prosperity, as well as political solutions to all crises in the region, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and principles.
The leaders discussed Syria and said efforts must be intensified to reach a political solution to the crisis in a manner that maintains the country’s unity and sovereignty, and fulfils the Syrian people’s aspirations. The final statement underscored the importance of Lebanon’s stability and the independence of its political decision.
With regard to the situation in Libya, the leaders renewed their call for unifying military institutions under UN supervision, and voiced the necessity of holding parliamentary and presidential elections.
As far as Sudan is concerned, the leaders reaffirmed their support of efforts aimed at achieving stability and encouraged a consensus among the various parties
Addressing the issue of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the leaders called for a diplomatic solution that achieves the interests of all parties concerned — mainly Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan — and contributes to regional prosperity.
The summit affirmed the importance of close cooperation and common visions on a number of issues and situations in the region, including affirming the GCC stance supporting the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in accordance with the UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative,
On Afghanistan, the leaders noted that efforts must continue to provide humanitarian aid to the country and deal with the threat of terrorists. The leaders also thanked Qatar for supporting the security and stability of the Afghan people.
The final statement said that “holding the summit confirmed the Kingdom’s global economic weight, in addition to its regional and international responsibility and its pivotal role in the security and stability of the region. So, the real winner of this summit is Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. The future of Arabia and the four billion population in the region is now hinges on the decisions he make. As long as the global economy rely on fossil fuels, the rulers of Arabia will call the shots.
Biden’s first meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince had become the most awaited moment of the trip with US officials constantly confronted with questions about it…reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden ended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans “pariah” status with a fist-bump when they met for the first time in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday.
Biden switched to a full handshake with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, putting the fist-bump in perspective.
Biden’s first meeting with MSB, as the crown prince is popularly known, has become the most anticipated moment of his first visit to West Asia (Middle East), which took him first to Israel and Palestine and then Saudi Arabia, an ally that has been put on ice by the Biden administration over MSB’s role in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident who lived and worked in the US.
As a candidate for the White House, Biden had famously vowed to turn Saudi Arabia into a global “pariah” for the Khashoggi murder.
That all ended on Friday.
Pictures of the fist-bump and MBS receiving the American leader were promptly put out by the Saudi government keen to demonstrate the Crown Prince’s repaired relationship with the US.
But Biden could raise the killing in his meetings with the Saudis.
“I have never been quiet about talking about human rights,” Biden said at a press conference in Israel. When pressed, he said that he always brings up human rights, but said that his “position on Khashoggi is so clear — if anyone doesn’t understand it in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else, they haven’t been around for a while.”
Biden’s first meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince had become the most awaited moment of the trip with US officials constantly confronted with questions about it.
The American leader had also faced severe criticism for agreeing to visit Saudi Arabia and meeting the Crown Prince. He pushed back in an OpEd in The Washington Post, saying, “I know that there are many who disagree with my decision to travel to Saudi Arabia. My views on human rights are clear and long-standing, and fundamental freedoms are always on the agenda when I travel abroad, as they will be during this trip, just as they will be in Israel and the West Bank.”
He had added: “From the start, my aim was to reorient but not rupture relations with a country that’s been a strategic partner for 80 years.”
Upon arriving in Saudi Arabia, Biden mimes holding up his half of a ceremonial saw—to bury the memory of murdered Washington Post columnist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi. pic.twitter.com/srtZ8pMB8U
Biden will start his Saudi visit with bilateral meetings with Saudi officials, one of which is underway now. He will have bilateral engagements Saturday with the leadership of Egypt, the UAE, and Iraq, and then participate in the GCC+3 Summit. He is expected to deliver a major policy speech at the summit on his vision and strategy for West Asia.
Biden’ intent for the trip is on “ensuring that there is not a vacuum in the Middle East for China and Russia to fill”, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reports on the way to Jeddah, adding, “American leadership and an American engagement will be a feature of US policy in this region, and that we intend to play a critical role in this strategically vital region on an ongoing basis.”
US President Joe Biden will discover a stronger and more confident Iraq during his Middle East trip this week, according to Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, media reported…reports Asian Lite News
Writing for Foreign Policy magazine, the premier said that his country was now finding “Iraqi solutions” to “Iraq’s problems,” and that he would meet Biden as the leader of a more “resilient” Iraq, the Arab News reported.
In his article, Al-Kadhimi asked the US as well as international partners to recognise and support the progress Iraq was making in a post-war, post-Daesh era.
Meanwhile, Biden will meet with several regional leaders in the Kingdom on Saturday, including Al-Kadhimi, as part of his Middle East trip.
The Iraqi PM thanked the US for its assistance and support in moving the country away from “three decades of Saddam Hussein’s brutal dictatorial rule,” and toward a developing, multiparty and multiethnic democracy.
He praised the evolution of the Iraq-US relationship over the past two decades, which he said had moved from one based on security and the fight against terrorism, to a partnership revolving around societal and economical development in fields such as energy, climate, health, education and culture.
He also acknowledged that, following “political difficulties” arising from the latest elections in Iraq, more needed to be done to embed the democratic process in Iraqi public life, the Arab News reported.
However, Al-Kadhimi said that Iraqis had reason to be positive about their futures after the territorial defeat of Daesh, and that their country was “proactive regionally and internationally,” and “no longer a passive member of the international community,” the report added.
President Joe Biden’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is “so pivotal” for developing the partnership between both countries…reports Asian Lite News
President Joe Biden’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is “so pivotal” for developing the partnership between both countries and ensuring mutual, and global peace and prosperity, said Princess Reema bint Bandar, KSA’s ambassador to the United States.
“It has been almost 80 years since the founder of my country, King Abdulaziz, met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt to lay the foundation for a postwar Middle East,” Princess Reema bint Bandar stated in an opinion article published by Politico on Thursday.
“Since that day, our two countries worked together to defeat Soviet communism, guarantee global energy security, contain a revolutionary Iran, repel Saddam Hussein from Kuwait and, more recently, destroy Al-Qaeda and Daesh,” she wrote in Politico as quoted by Arab News.
Princess Reema added that the Kingdom and the US need to do a great deal more as partners “in these very perilous times.”
“As my nation develops, so too, must the US-Saudi partnership. And that is why the upcoming visit by President Joe Biden to Saudi Arabia is so pivotal. For our relationship to deliver peace and prosperity for both of our peoples and the wider world, we must redefine the contours of the next eight decades of this critical alliance.
“Long gone are the days when the US-Saudi relationship could be defined by the outdated and reductionist ‘oil for security’ paradigm. The world has changed and the existential dangers facing us all, including food and energy security and climate change, cannot be resolved without an effective US-Saudi alliance,” she said.
She said the Kingdom is no longer just a global leader in energy, but also in sustainable development, the Arab News reported.
She also called for more cooperation on counterterrorism and cracking down on terrorists, but said more should be done than just tackling this danger.
“We must offer the people of this region greater hope for the future, and that is why our reimagined partnership encompasses cooperation from emerging technologies to joint space exploration. Given Saudi Arabia’s status as the cradle of Islam, the reverberations will be felt from Nigeria to Afghanistan.”
“The past couple of years have demonstrated the inherent volatility of our age, from global pandemics to food, energy, and supply chain crises.” She added that Saudi Arabia is “approaching these challenges with a new mindset,” as it believes “that the global transition to renewables can happen only if we all work together to manage this transition in a manner that ensures energy security and global economic growth.”
Biden’s visit won’t make breakthrough in resolving Palestinian-Israeli conflict … writes Saud Abu Ramadan, Emad Drimly
The upcoming visit of U.S. President Joe Biden to Israel and the Palestinian territories won’t make any “serious breakthrough” in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Palestinian analysts said.
The Biden administration is not serious about finding political solutions to the Palestinian cause and tries to focus on improving the economic conditions of the Palestinians while maintaining Israel’s grip over Palestinian security, they said.
Ahmad Rafiq Awwad, a political science professor at the Al-Quds University, said the Palestinians do not expect a breakthrough or a significant shift in the U.S. policy toward the Palestinian cause or even the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“All we heard from Washington is that it supports the two-state solution,” he said. “It’s just statements, as they did not specify when, how, where, and what are the mechanisms to embody it on the ground.”
Awwad called on the United States to take concrete steps before Biden’s visit, such as removing the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from the terrorism list, reopening the PLO office in Washington and the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem, and resuming aid to the Palestinian Authority.
“These are promises made by the U.S. government but have not been implemented so far,” he told Xinhua.
Awwad predicted that Biden might announce that he would provide the Palestinians with financial incentives and take symbolic steps that do not upset the Israelis, such as the expansion of Palestinian geographical jurisdiction in some areas of the West Bank, a specific settlement freeze, and symbolic supervision of border crossing points.
“The U.S. government suffers from weakness, confusion, hypocrisy,” he noted, adding Biden’s visit was mainly intended to boost his party’s electoral advantage by focusing on Israel’s security.
Nearly 29 years after signing a peace agreement with Israelis to put an end to decades of hostilities between the two sides, the Palestinians have become more and more frustrated with the U.S. policy. Because of significant disagreements over security, Israeli settlement expansion, and the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, the peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, sponsored by Washington, have stalled since March 2014.
Biden’s visit to the Palestinian territories “is secondary and on the sidelines of the real goals of his tour,” said Abdulmajid Sweilem, a political analyst from the West Bank city of Ramallah.
He said the visit “is a political courtesy,” during which Biden is expected to “repeat Washington’s old slogans of adhering to the two-state solution and protecting the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and security, among other cliches.”
“Ultimately, these cliches mean improving the lives of the Palestinians under the framework of Israeli domination and limited Palestinian self-rule,” said Sweilem.
In a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on June 30, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he was looking forward to creating a political horizon for achieving a just and comprehensive peace based on the international resolutions and the two-state solution.
Abbas hoped Biden’s visit would help boost the two-state solution, and stop Israel’s settlement expansion and expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem. But Palestinian analysts deeply doubted the U.S. leader will do so.
Talal Okal, a Gaza-based political analyst, believed Biden is aware that the time “is not yet ripe for launching a peace process in the region” with regard to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“Because of a number of factors, including the failure of previous U.S. governments in this test, the Palestinian-Israeli issue does not constitute any priority in U.S. foreign policy,” Okal told Xinhua.
Biden prioritizes other concerns over the Palestinian-Israeli conflict because they are more urgent to him on both domestic and international levels, he noted.
The federal government controls about 63 per cent of the land in the state of Utah, which is a well-established Republican stronghold…reports ASHOK NILAKANTAN
US President Joe Biden signed off on an executive order to protect abortion rights throughout the United States to safeguard access to reproductive healthcare services, which targets states that have banned or severely restricted abortion in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision that overturned the landmark Roe vs Wade verdict.
According to the White House, Biden’s executive order aims to safeguard access to reproductive healthcare services nationwide, including access to surgical and medication abortion and contraception; protecting patient privacy and access to accurate information; promoting the safety of patients, providers and facilities, and coordinating federal efforts to protect reproductive rights and access to healthcare.
The executive order (EO) also states that the Biden administration will convene private pro bono attorneys, bar associations and public interest organisations to help provide legal representation to patients, providers and third parties “lawfully seeking or offering reproductive health care services throughout the country”, according to a statement issued by the White House.
The EO, however, dismissed a proposal by leading Democrats in the Senate and House who urged Biden to permit abortion services on federal land in states where the procedure is banned. The federal government controls about 63 per cent of the land in the state of Utah, which is a well-established Republican stronghold.
Utah’s ‘trigger law’, which bans most abortions, is temporarily on hold after 3rd District Court Judge Andrew Stone issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the Utah law from going into effect for two weeks, according to Desert News from Utah.
A hearing on a request for a preliminary injunction is scheduled on Monday.
The state’s memorandum opposes the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah’s motion for preliminary injunction released on Friday, teeing up some of the state’s arguments against the civil rights complaint, primarily that the Utah Constitution does not expressly protect a right to abortion, nor does it protect an implied right to abortion.
Moreover, the state’s response cites criminal statutes outlawing abortion that date back to the 1890s, which were in effect until the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in 1973 that recognized women’s constitutional right to abortion, the memo states.
The Utah Legislature’s passed SB174 in 2020, which once again made abortion a crime in Utah after the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe in a 5-4 decision and uphold Mississippi’s restrictive abortion law in a 6-3 decision.
SB174 bans abortion on demand but permits these exceptions: “If the mother’s life is at risk; if the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest; or if two maternal-fetal medicine physicians both determine that a fetus “has a defect that is uniformly diagnosable and uniformly lethal or … has a severe brain abnormality that is uniformly diagnosable.”
Meanwhile. CNN TV Network reported that using federal lands for abortion services would have “dangerous ramifications”, quoting White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
The White House fact-sheet reaffirms the President’s earlier statements that “Americans must remain free to travel safely to another state to seek the care they need” and “his commitment to fighting any attack by a state or local official who attempts to interfere with women exercising this right”.
Abortion providers in states in which access to abortion services is ensured under their state laws have reported they have been planning for increased numbers of patients from states that have imposed bans, but the waiting period for availing such services is a cause for major concern.
According to The Denver Post, abortion providers in Colorado say they’ve been inundated with requests for abortion appointments and are also seeing an increase in appointments for birth control strategies such as vasectomies or intrauterine devices.
According to the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services will consider additional federal medical privacy laws “to better protect sensitive information related to reproductive healthcare”. Measures are in place to issue a how-to guide for consumers to protect their personal data on mobile apps.
Jacqueline Ayers, the senior vice-president of policy, organising and campaigns at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, responded to the executive order in a statement thus: “We’re in a national health care crisis and need officials at every level of government to do everything within their authority to fight for access to abortion. Amid the Supreme Court stripping Americans of their constitutional right to abortion after nearly 50 years, we need an urgent and robust response to ensure people get the essential health care they need.”
Biden is currently speaking on the rollback of federal abortion protections, two weeks after the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v Wade, the landmark case that protected abortion rights nationwide as pronounced in 1973 but Supreme Court overturned it in July 2022.
“This was not a decision driven by the constitution. This was not a decision driven by history,” said Biden of the Supreme Court overturning the Roe vs Wade verdict.
Discussing the conservative majority in the court, Biden said: “Today’s supreme court majority is playing fast and loose with the facts.”
Later on in his remarks, Biden called on Americans to use their electoral power to elect senators who would help codify Roe vs Wade, saying that it was the “fastest route” to solidifying federal abortion rights.
“Your votes can make that a reality.”
Biden’s statement reflects his increasing frustration that his administration faces amid urging people to vote.
“You, the women of America, can determine the outcome of this issue,” he said, emphasizing that the courts did not have a “clue about the power of American women.” “For God’s sake, there’s an election in November. Vote, vote, vote,” said Biden.
His remarks come on the back of his signing off on an executive order protecting access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare nationwide.
Several Democrats have responded positively to Biden’s executive order, calling it a good first step but urging him to do more to protect abortion rights federally, reports Politico.
Bidens EO found its echo in the UK, a predominantly protestant country. Leading British newspaper The Guardian reported that the day Biden signed an executive order safeguarding access to abortions, ironically, Louisiana was able to enforce a near-total ban of abortions in the state under a judge’s order issued on Friday.
With abortion access threatened across the country, those seeking out abortion services and other reproductive healthcare options will be forced to travel if their states do not provide it.
The Guardian’s staffers Alvin Chang, Andrew Witherspoon and Jessica Glenza explored how the creation of abortion “deserts” throughout the country will change who can access care — and how far they will be forced to travel.
During the briefing, White house press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre got into a back-and-forth discussion with a reporter on whether or not people can peacefully protest against Supreme court justices, even in settings like restaurants. The question was prompted after Justice Brett Kavanaugh reportedly had to leave a steakhouse when protesters confronted him for voting to overturn the Roe vs wade verdict.
Jean-Pierre replied to a question on if protesters could confront justices at a restaurant they’re eating at, saying that the Biden administration is against the intimidation of Supreme Court justices and using violence against them.
Jean-Pierre also cited recent legislation passed to protect the safety of justices. Later on in her response, Jean-Pierre clarified, saying the Biden administration supports the right to peaceful protest, even outside of a restaurant.
She also represented the campaign on television at key moments, including before and after debates…reports Asian Lite News
White House communications director Kate Bedingfield will leave her role in late July, the Biden administration said in a statement.
“Kate Bedingfield, a longtime trusted aide to President Biden and a senior strategist both in the administration and on his winning campaign, will leave the White House in late July to spend more time with her husband and young children after more than 3 straight years of leading his communications team. She first worked for the President as his communications director during his time as Vice President,” the White House said in a statement.
Bedingfield previously served as the Deputy Campaign Manager and Communications Director on Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, playing a leading role advising him on messaging, building his communications and press operations.
She also prepared Biden for debates and interviews, and devising and executing on strategy as he secured the Democratic nomination faster than any candidate since 2004 and became the first nominee to defeat an incumbent president in almost 30 years.
She also represented the campaign on television at key moments, including before and after debates.
In the White House, Bedingfield continued as the President’s top communications aide and was similarly integral to every major public relations effort while leading the White House Communications Department, ensuring that each part of the team was working to deliver the President’s message and advocate for his agenda.
“Without Kate Bedingfield’s talent and tenacity, Donald Trump might still be in the White House, the Rescue Plan and the Infrastructure Law might still be unrealized goals, and Ketanji Brown Jackson might not be sitting on the Supreme Court,” said White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.
“She has played a huge role in everything the President has achieved – from his second term as Vice President, through the campaign, and since coming to the White House. Her strategic acumen, intense devotion to the President’s agenda, and fierce work on his behalf are unmatched. She will continue to remain a critical player in moving the Biden agenda forward from the outside.”
“From long before we launched the campaign, Kate Bedingfield was a fierce defender of the President and ensured that our message in 2020 and in the White House was consistent with his voice and principles,” said White House Senior Adviser Anita Dunn.
“Her leadership helped us tell the story about the fight Joe Biden is making for the working families of America. She’ll always be a core member of this family, even as she takes a little time to put her own family first. We will miss her intelligence, her talent, her sense of humor, and her commitment to the values President Biden fought for as a candidate and fights for every day as president.” (ANI)
Going by the logic of six justices of SCOTUS, women’s right to vote could be revoked as it too went unmentioned in the Constitution, writes Prof. Madhav Nalapat
Many say that when President Biden assured the world last year that “America is back”, what he meant was that the US was back to the 1950s. The use of the reverse gear has been evident in the White House, which has returned to the Cold War 1.0 era. The US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has been particularly eager to push back the US into what had been a dead past.
For 50 years, citizens of the US had the right to decide whether to go ahead with a pregnancy or not. Women undergoing abortions were often underage, black and poor. Those opposed to abortion talk about being in favour of life. The life they are talking about is not that of the mother but that of the embryo during the stage when it has not reached viability, or the stage until which abortions were permitted in the US as a consequence of the Roe v Wade decision handed down in 1973 by SCOTUS.
The court held that abortion was a right guaranteed by the US Constitution. A few days ago, SCOTUS, by a six to three majority, held that such a right was in fact in violation of the Constitution, as such a procedure was never mentioned in the document that was ratified in 1788. Millions in the US believe that the fair sex had its origin in the rib of the first man.
Small wonder that in some states in the US, teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is banned. Women and men apparently did not evolve, they sprang up from nowhere. Which means that there could not be any difference between those born a million years ago and those born now, something Darwin would have disputed. These millions, among whom appear to be included six Justices of the US Supreme Court, believe that every human being has her or his origin in the pair that was rescued in the distant past together with other life forms from a boat.
However, belief in a common pair of ancestors has not prevented several such individuals from simultaneously believing in racial supremacy, which holds that those of a particular race are far superior to those of other races. These days, now that the hold of those of European descent is diminishing across the world in contrast to 1788 when the US Constitution was ratified, a rising number of individuals of Sinic descent in the new superpower China believe their ethnic group to be superior to all others.
Feelings of racial or religious supremacy (assuming other faiths to be lacking in a pathway to the divine) is impossible to justify. Such views have caused wars and societal turmoil that cost the lives of hundreds of millions across much of human history. The SCOTUS Justices who sent Roe v Wade into the wastepaper basket have a right to their personal beliefs, but should not impose that view on the rest of society in the manner that they are seeking to do.
As has been mentioned, not just abortion but women were not mentioned in the US Constitution. This may be among the reasons why the vote was granted to women in the US only in 1920. Going by the logic of six justices of SCOTUS, this right too could be revoked as it went unmentioned in the Constitution. Was the Supreme Court mentioned in that document? Apparently not, although it is unlikely that Justice Alito and the other five Justices who reversed Roe v Wade would decide that the institution which they now control should be abolished.
Justice Clarence Thomas is the prime mover behind the reversal of rights that has characterised the Supreme Court of the US, especially since the entry of the three Justices appointed by President Donald J. Trump. Although the court is known as the Roberts Court, a more appropriate title may be the Clarence Court, given the influence that the views of Justice Thomas have on the majority in SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States).
In his then role as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Joe Biden gave short shrift to Anita Hill, who came up with testimony against Thomas in much the same way as another female witness did during the confirmation hearings of Brett Cavanaugh, another Trump appointee. Choosing an African-American who thought in the limiting way that Thomas did about judicial matters, was an inspired move by President George H.W. Bush, who soon afterwards lost the Presidential polls to Bill Clinton.
A second George H.W. Bush term may have done more for the US than Bill Clinton did in his two terms, given the understated way in which Bush removed Saddam Hussein from Kuwait in 1991 without going overboard in the manner that his son George W. Bush did in 2003. It was George H.W. Bush’s quality of being understated and emollient that reduced the chances of Mikhail Gorbachev being ousted as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union until he had completed the meltdown of the USSR.
Yet this is what cost him a second term, once Clinton supporters began to mock him as “Chicken Kiev” for his outwardly soft approach to a superpower nearing meltdown. Under Clinton, both the Wahhabi International as well as the PRC prospered, while he stymied Yeltsin’s efforts to integrate the Russian Federation into the EU and NATO as a consequence of a nudge from the UK, Germany and France, who did not want that behemoth in the “common European home” that both Gorbachev and Yeltsin thirsted to join.
The sorry exit of US forces from Afghanistan in 2021 can be tracked to Clinton’s installation of the Taliban in 1996 as the masters of Afghanistan. The damage being caused to US interests by the SCOTUS rollback of rights long enjoyed by US citizens may not be as stark as the Afghanistan pullout in August 2021, but it is in many ways more severe. Rather than healing divisions, the US Supreme Court is widening them, that too by interpretations of the law that could conceptually at least be used to bring back the burning of witches that was carried out in the US in 1692-93.
Omar Khayyam’s warning that the “moving finger having writ, moves on” is clearly unknown to the six Justices who rolled back Roe v Wade, not to mention other retrogressive decisions. In the process, they have lit a fuse that could lead to turmoil in the US greater than any seen thus far in the history of that country since the 20th century.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a huge market for clean energy technologies is emerging in India, calling G-7 countries to invest in research, innovation, and manufacturing in this field…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said a huge market for clean energy technologies is emerging in India, calling G-7 countries to invest in research, innovation, and manufacturing in this field.
Modi, during his speech at the session on ‘Investing in a better Future: Climate, Energy, Health’ at G7 Summit in Germany, said ancient India has seen a time of immense prosperity.
“Then we have also tolerated the centuries of slavery, and now independent India is the fastest-growing big economy in the whole world.
“But during this whole period, India did not let its commitment to the environment get diluted even a single bit. 17 per cent of the world’s population resides in India. But, our contribution of global carbon emissions is only 5 per cent. The main reason behind this is our lifestyle, which is based on the theory of co-existence with nature,” he said.
Ich reise aus Deutschland nach einem produktiven Besuch ab, bei dem ich am @G7-Gipfel teilgenommen habe, mit mehreren führenden Politikern der Welt gesprochen habe und Teil eines denkwürdigen Gemeinschaftsprogramm in München war. pic.twitter.com/vUZTeUr0Nd
He further said: “All of you will also agree with this that energy access should not be the privilege of the rich only – a poor family also has the same rights on energy. And today when energy costs are sky-high due to geopolitical tensions, it is more important to remember this thing. By taking inspiration from this principle, we delivered LED bulbs and clean cooking gas door-to-door in India and showed that millions of tons of carbon emissions can be saved while ensuring energy for the poor.
“Our dedication to climate commitments is evident from our performance. We have achieved the target of 40 per cent energy-capacity from non-fossil sources 9 years before time. The target of 10 per cent ethanol-blending in petrol has been achieved 5 months before time. India has the world’s first fully solar power operated airport. India’s huge railway system will become net zero in this decade,” said the Prime Minister.
Modi said when a large country like India shows such ambition, other developing countries also get inspiration.
“We hope that the rich countries of G-7 will support India’s efforts. Today, a huge market for clean energy technologies is emerging in India. G-7 countries can invest in research, innovation, and manufacturing in this field. The scale that India can provide for every new technology can make that technology affordable for the whole world. The core theories of the circular economy have been an integral part of Indian culture and lifestyle,” he added.
“I called for a movement called LIFE – Lifestyle for Environment – in Glasgow last year. This year on World Environment Day, we launched the Global Initiative for LiFE campaign. The goal of this campaign is to encourage an eco-friendly lifestyle. We can call the followers of this movement Triple-P i.e. ‘pro planet people’, and we should all take the responsibility of increasing the number of Triple-P people in our own countries. This will be our greatest contribution to the coming generations,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister further said humans and planet health are interconnected.
“Therefore, we have adopted the approach of one world, one health. During the pandemic, India found many creative ways to use digital technology in the health sector. G7 countries can help India to take these innovations to other developing countries. Recently we all celebrated the International Day of Yoga. In times of the Covid crisis, Yoga has become a great tool for preventive health for people all over the world, this helped many people to maintain their physical and mental health,” PM Modi said.
Modi, Macron meet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Germany for the G7 Summit, held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday.
Modi shared pictures of him having tea with Macron as they discussed bilateral relations.
The Prime Minister earlier met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“Excellent meeting with @Bundeskanzler Scholz. Thanked him for the warm hospitality during the @G7 Summit. We discussed cooperation in key sectors like commerce and energy. We also had deliberations on furthering environmentally friendly growth for our planet,” he tweeted after meeting German Chancellor.
The PM also met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Biden reached out to PM
US President Joe Biden’s outreach to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi by stepping out to greet him at the G7 summit in Germany is being perceived as a calculated political move to garner his support on the Quad and other multilateral issues on the table.
TV grabs and pictures of the event have gone viral especially in India and on the internet raising curiosity as to why would Biden do such a thing unless there was an agenda behind it, sources not wishing to be named said.
The US needs India’s support on the Russia Ukraine war where India has maintained a low-profile ambivalent stand in the Quad group with India’s External Affairs Ministry not making any statement that could reportedly upset the balance in the long traditional ties India has had with Russia over the years and with multibillion dollar military supplies at stake, even though the BJP-led NDA has come off to the world as an ultra-right wing party aligned more with the west than the east, analysts feel.
While Biden might persuade India to restrict oil imports from Russia and look at the global demand supply management in several countries including India where inflation is soaring, India would reiterate its position that it is unfairly being targeted for its imports from Russia on oil while most of the west looks to Russia for energy supplies and imports minerals, fertilisers and ores.
