Rabu, 11 September 2019
Bolton and Trump offer different versions of national security adviser's exit - CBS This Morning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLaWFnyUh-A
2019-09-11 11:35:59Z
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Netanyahu annexation pledge denounced as 'dangerous' and 'racist' - Aljazeera.com
Palestinian and regional leaders have sharply denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pledge to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank if he wins next week's snap election.
Netanyahu, who is fighting for his political life after an inconclusive vote in April, said on Tuesday Israel will "apply Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea immediately" if he secured a fifth term in the September 17 polls.
The Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea make up 30 percent of the West Bank. They lie in Area C, which means they are mostly under Israeli military and civil control.
Approximately 65,000 Palestinians and 11,000 Israelis residing in illegal settlements live in that area, according to Israeli human rights group B'Tselem. The main Palestinian city is Jericho, with about 28 villages and smaller Bedouin communities.
After Netanyahu's announcement, Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo called his election promise a "dangerous development and a new Israeli aggression by declaring the intention to violate the international law."
"The Arab League regards these statements as undermining the chances of any progress in the peace process and will torpedo all its foundations."
In a series of separate statements, Qatar criticised "Israel's continued contempt of international law"; Turkey slammed the annexation pledge as "racist"; Jordan called Netanyahu's plan a "serious escalation"; and Saudi Arabia called for an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The United Nations, meanwhile, warned that Netanyahu's plan would have "no international legal effect".
Palestinian reaction
During his televised announcement, Netanyahu also reaffirmed a pledge to annex all of the Jewish-only settlements Israel has established in the West Bank.
Some 650,000 Israeli Jews currently live in more than 100 settlements built since 1967. International law views both the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "occupied territories" and considers all Jewish settlement-building activity there as illegal.
Palestinians swiftly reacted to Netanyahu's statements by saying he was destroying any hopes of peace.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, warned that all agreements signed with Israel would end if it annexed parts of the West Bank, noting that Netanyahu's announcement contradicts UN resolutions and international law.
Hanan Ashrawi, a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), wrote on Twitter that Netanyahu was seeking to impose a "greater Israel on all of historical Palestine and [carry] out an ethnic cleansing agenda".
"This announcement is a declaration of war against the Palestinian people's rights as well as the very foundations of the international rules-based order," she said in a separate statement.
'Complicity' with US administration
In his address, Netanyahu also said a long-awaited United States peace plan, the release of which has been delayed until after the election, represented "a historic and unique opportunity to apply our sovereignty over our settlements" in the West Bank and "other places key to our security, our heritage and our future".
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said in early May that he hoped Israel would take a hard look at President Donald Trump's upcoming proposal before "proceeding with any plan" to annex West Bank settlements.
Abdulsattar Qassim, a political science professor at al-Najah University in Nablus, said Palestinians are not expecting anything from Trump, a staunch Netanyahu ally who has enacted a series of policies that support Israel's expansion, including the widely condemned decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
"From the way Trump has been behaving, we expect that he will support any kind of Israeli decision to annex parts of the West Bank," Qassem told Al Jazeera.
"Trump has shown great animosity towards the Palestinians. He has transferred the US embassy to Jerusalem, supported the annexation of the occupied Golan Heights, and cut the financial resources of UNRWA, the Palestine Liberation Organization and the PA."
According to Qassem, Netanyahu's pledge to annex occupied Palestinian territories is hardly new within the arena of Israeli politics.
"This project is not exclusive to Netanyahu," he said. "All across the Israeli political spectrum, from Labour to the right-wing Likud party, Israelis have favoured the annexation of the West Bank."
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/netanyahu-annexation-pledge-denounced-dangerous-racist-190911080929932.html
2019-09-11 09:49:00Z
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Why John Bolton had to leave and what to expect next - CNN
Trump badly needs a foreign policy win
A win for North Korea
Happy that Bolton is gone
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/11/politics/donald-trump-john-bolton-national-security/index.html
2019-09-11 04:46:00Z
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Selasa, 10 September 2019
5 things to know for September 10: North Carolina, North Korea, Bahamas, Russia spy - CNN
1. Politics
2. North Korea
3. The Bahamas
4. US and Russia
5. Cargo ship rescue
BREAKFAST BROWSE
TODAY'S NUMBER
HAPPENING LATER
TODAY'S WEATHER
AND FINALLY
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/10/us/five-things-september-10-trnd/index.html
2019-09-10 10:05:00Z
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A Historic Peace Plan Collapses - The New York Times
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President Trump abruptly called off negotiations between the United States and the Taliban that could have ended the war in Afghanistan and canceled a secret meeting at Camp David. We look at how a historic peace deal went off the rails.
[For an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on “The Daily” podcast come together, subscribe to our newsletter. Read the latest edition here.]
On today’s episode:
Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times.
Background reading:
The United States and the Taliban, after nine rounds of painstaking negotiations in Doha, Qatar, appeared to have ironed out most of the issues between them. But President Trump canceled a secret meeting at Camp David and called off the talks.
What jarred many Afghans was how a single attack and the death of one American, cited by Mr. Trump, could upend 10 months of negotiations.
Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at thedaily@nytimes.com. Follow Michael Barbaro on Twitter: @mikiebarb. And if you’re interested in advertising with “The Daily,” write to us at thedaily-ads@nytimes.com.
Peter Baker contributed reporting.
“The Daily” is made by Theo Balcomb, Andy Mills, Lisa Tobin, Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Annie Brown, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Larissa Anderson, Wendy Dorr, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Alexandra Leigh Young, Jonathan Wolfe, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, Adizah Eghan, Kelly Prime, Julia Longoria, Sindhu Gnanasambandan, JazmÃn Aguilera, M.J. Davis Lin and Dan Powell. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Mikayla Bouchard, Stella Tan and Julia Simon.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/podcasts/the-daily/a-historic-peace-plan-collapses.html
2019-09-10 10:00:00Z
CAIiEN49xnGqR9BwVUvG3arRmvUqFwgEKg8IACoHCAowjuuKAzCWrzwwt4QY
U.K. Parliament Recesses As Boris Johnson Reels From String Of Defeats - NPR
The bad days just keep on coming for Boris Johnson.
On Monday, less than a week after lawmakers roundly rejected the British prime minister's plan to leave the European Union with or without a deal, Johnson's fallback plan suffered much the same fate: Members of Parliament voted a second time to shoot down his call for an early general election, sending his political fortunes staggering as the lawmaking body embarks on a five-week suspension.
Beginning Tuesday, Parliament is out of session until Oct. 14. The legislative recess, which Johnson requested late last month, means lawmakers will return to work with precious little time before the Oct. 31 deadline to leave the EU — though now that Parliament has enacted a law forcing him to ask the EU for a delay if there's no deal in place, it's unclear just how likely it is they'll make that deadline.
In the meantime, Johnson has plenty to stew on.
In the past week, a defection cost his Conservative-led coalition its working majority in Parliament; lawmakers — including 21 of his fellow Conservatives — voted down his bid to plow ahead with Brexit; his own brother, Jo Johnson, stepped down from Parliament, citing a tension "between family loyalty and the national interest"; and his secretary of state for work and pensions, Amber Rudd, resigned from his cabinet and lambasted his punitive expulsion from party membership of Conservatives who had voted against him as "an assault on decency and democracy."
The string of stinging defeats was capped Monday with his failure to obtain the votes necessary to call a snap election next month. He had hoped that positive polls promised a big victory in the election, which would allow him to shore up his support in Parliament. But to call that election, he needed the approval of two-thirds of lawmakers, or more than 430 votes. Instead, he got just 293.
"I want an election, we're eager for an election, but as keen as we are, we are not prepared to inflict the disaster of a no-deal on our communities, our jobs, our services, or indeed our rights," said Johnson's counterpart in the opposition, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Now, Johnson is faced with a teeming array of angry lawmakers, many of whom have vehemently objected to his controversial decision to suspend Parliament. In the final chaotic moments before their formal departure Tuesday, some members of the body displayed their displeasure on the chamber floor with signs reading "Silenced."
— Rosie Duffield MP (@RosieDuffield1) September 10, 2019
The speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, criticized the move to suspend Parliament, as well.
"It is not typical," said Bercow, who stunned the House of Commons by announcing his decision to step down Oct. 31 after 10 years as speaker. "It is not standard. It's one of the longest for decades and it represents — not just in the minds of many colleagues, but huge numbers of people outside — an act of executive fiat."
It is unclear how Johnson plans to proceed at this point. Despite the law against a no-deal Brexit, he has made quite clear he has no intention of requesting another delay from the EU. In fact, last week he outright vowed that he would not do so, telling reporters that he'd rather be "dead in a ditch."
If Johnson follows through on that pledge, another showdown with Parliament — as well as a legal challenge — could be in the offing. Several lawmakers have already warned him against it.
"Be careful," Ian Blackford, leader of the opposition Scottish National Party, told Johnson. "You occupy the highest office in the land. And what you're demonstrating to the people of the United Kingdom is that the law doesn't matter."
https://www.npr.org/2019/09/10/759285001/u-k-parliament-recesses-as-boris-johnson-reels-from-string-of-defeats
2019-09-10 09:15:00Z
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UK Parliament is now suspended as Brexit crisis boils over: Here's what could happen next - CNBC
Demonstrators gather outside Houses of Parliament for a protest on 03 September, 2019 in London, England to oppose the prorogation of the U.K. Parliament.
NurPhoto | NurPhoto | Getty Images
With the U.K Parliament now shuttered for five weeks and the recent political turmoil throwing up more questions than answers, analysts have been busy contemplating what could happen next in Britain as it approaches its Brexit deadline.
The shutdown of Parliament — known as prorogation — will see lawmakers reconvene on October 14. The suspension marks the end of one parliamentary session before the start of the next, and it's usual for it to take place at this time of year.
However, the current shutdown, which began in the early hours of Tuesday, is more controversial than most due to its extended length and because it comes at a period of high anxiety in U.K. politics over the direction of Brexit.
It's fair to say the U.K.'s political establishment has been in tumult since the divisive 2016 referendum on EU membership. It has culminated in Parliament's three-time rejection of the existing Brexit deal on offer, but also the dismissal of a no-deal Brexit.
This summer, Parliament saw the arrival of a new prime minister in July determined for the U.K. to leave the EU on October 31 "come what may."
What just happened?
That divide between Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government and Parliament was thrown into sharp relief in a dramatic week full of intrigue, votes and resignations.
In the last seven days, lawmakers seized control of parliamentary business, voted to block a no-deal Brexit and to force the prime minister to ask for a further delay to the departure (legislation that hastily became law on Monday) as well as twice rejecting Boris Johnson's bid to bring about a snap election that could strengthen his hand.
Johnson was dealt further blows with key resignations from his government, including that of his own brother who said he was torn between "family loyalty and national interest."
Now Parliament is suspended for five weeks and will reconvene just days before an EU Council summit on October 17 which is just over two weeks from the currently proposed Brexit departure date.
Here's a brief guide to what could (and what is meant to) happen next:
Brexit on October 31?
As it stands, the U.K. is still due to leave the EU on October 31 whether it has a deal or not. A majority of Parliament voting to block a no-deal Brexit does not mean that it won't still happen.
For starters, the EU would have to agree to granting another delay to the U.K.; and there are already grumblings from the continent that the U.K. has not presented valid reasons for requesting more time. Johnson could also ignore the law requiring him to ask for more time.
Ignoring a no-deal Brexit
Despite Parliament voting to block a no-deal Brexit and passing a law, Johnson has repeatedly said he would still try to take the U.K. out the EU on October 31.
In fact, he has said he would rather "die in a ditch" than ask the EU for more time and some believe he could launch a legal challenge to the no-deal Brexit legislation, also known as the "Benn Law."
"Johnson is expected to challenge the Benn Law in the Supreme Court," analysts Joseph Lupton and Olya Borichevska at J.P. Morgan said in a note Monday.
"He also may send a letter to the EU to encourage it not to grant an extension. Those strategies are unlikely to succeed on their own merits, but could further Johnson's pre-election signalling of a hard-line, no compromise Brexit on October 31."
More talks?
Johnson has insisted he wants a deal and would use the time that Parliament is suspended to continue last-ditch talks with Brussels to get over the major stumbling point of the Irish "backstop."
This is seen as an insurance policy designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland if the U.K. and EU can't agree a trade deal in a post-Brexit transition period (only envisaged if there is a deal). As it stands, the backstop would keep Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. in a customs union with the EU, making it very unpopular with Brexiteers in Parliament.
The BBC reported Monday that the government could be considering a compromise over the Irish "backstop" in that it could be applicable to Northern Ireland only, potentially placating Brexiteers — albeit at the expense of lawmakers bent on keeping the U.K. indivisible in terms of law.
Election before 2020?
Although opposition parties defeated Johnson's bids to hold an early election (his Conservative Party still leads opinion polls) most did so because they wanted to see the threat of a no-deal Brexit dissipate.
The legislation to block a no-deal Brexit was not enough for many lawmakers, however, with several opposition parties wanting to see the departure date delayed before agreeing to a snap election (Johnson needs two-thirds of Parliament to approve a snap vote).
With Parliament also suspended now until October 14 and the no-deal Brexit legislation in place, most Brexit watchers now see a snap election as likely to happen in November, after a possible delay to the departure date.
Deal by October 31?
With speculation that Johnson's government could be considering the proposal of a compromise over the "backstop" policy, some experts believe that a deal could still possibly be passed before October 19.
Goldman Sachs' base case scenario says "there is no pre-Brexit general election and a Brexit deal is struck and ratified by the end of October," according to its European Economist Adrian Paul.
"In substance, we think that deal is unlikely to look very different from the Brexit deal already negotiated between the EU and the U.K. — a deal that was repeatedly rejected under PM May's premiership."
Still, Goldman Sachs notes that a delayed departure could lead to a November election in which either the one-issue Brexit Party could do well leaving "the path open to a 'no deal' Brexit early next year."
Second referendum?
Alternatively, opposition parties could unite to try to bring about a second referendum. "The potential for the Liberal Democrats or the SNP (Scottish National Party) to accrue influence in a minority government led by the Labour Party after a November general election preserves a path to a second referendum," the Goldman analysts noted.
Goldman has revised down the probability on a "no-deal" Brexit from 25% to 20% and the probability of "no Brexit" from 30% to 25%.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/10/uk-parliament-is-now-suspended-what-happens-next-with-brexit.html
2019-09-10 08:56:27Z
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