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Palestinians to US: Don’t shut our mission, will cease all links with Washington

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Palestinians to US: Don’t shut our mission, will cease all links with Washington

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Saudis working to implement Israel-US plan in Palestine

Palestinian officials have threatened to cease all communications with Trump administration if it closes down their diplomatic mission in Washington. The mission known as General Delegation of People’s Liberation of Palestine to the US is situated some 5 km from the White House.

Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Saturday, “We will put on hold all our communications with this American administration.” He added that the decision was “very unfortunate and unacceptable,” and accused Washington of giving in to Israeli pressure.

He further noted that “we are trying to cooperate to achieve the ultimate deal.”

The Palestinian reaction came after US State Department threatened to close the Palestinians’ diplomatic office in Washington unless they enter into direct, meaningful negotiations with Israel.

According to AFP, the Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Al Malki said that US State Department had sent a letter to Palestinian Authority two days ago saying that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had not found enough reasons to keep the office open.

He was quoted saying, “This has not happened in the past, and we have demanded clarifications from the State Department and the White House. They told us that there would be a meeting of senior legal experts on Monday. Then they would give a clear answer.” He also also said that they “will not accept any extortion or pressure.”

The Palestinian threat came on the day when Lebanese PM Saad Hariri has arrived in Paris from Saudi Arabia.

The issue of Israel’s expanding illegal settlements on Palestinian land is considered to be the most vexed issues of the region. Israel does not heed to UN resolutions asking to halt further expansion of  its illegal settlements.

US President Donald Trump has recently said that he wants to work towards “the toughest deal of all” for resolving the Israel-Palestine issue in the Middle East.

While addressing UN General Assembly in September, Donald Trump said, “I think we have a pretty good shot – maybe the best shot ever – and that’s what we’re looking to do. I certainly will devote everything within my heart and within my soul to get that deal made.”

There are reports of renewed Saudi Arabian pressure on Palestinian President Mehmoud Abbas to accept the American formula. Abbas was suddenly summoned to Ryadh in the first week of November, around the same time when Lebanese PM Saad Hariri was asked to reach Riyadh.

Mehmoud Abbas obeyed the instruction and travelled to Saudi Arabia having a stopover in Cairo to meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi. Palestinian President met with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh.

According to November 6 report published by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, “The visit was not planned but after being in touch yesterday, it was decided that Abbas would make a quick visit to Saudi Arabia.”

The daily had articulated that “Saudis are also likely to raise the issue of Iran’s involvement with Palestinians, particularly in light of senior Hamas officials’ recent trip to Iran and after Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah cited a united front between Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.”

The Palestinians are under pressure to start direct and meaningful talks with Israel. Washington says that Trump administration has 90 days to determine if Palestinians are in “direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel.” If so, the mission will be reopened.

Hanan Ashrawi, the member of PLO executive committee has said that the US was “disqualifying itself as a peace broker in the region” with its refusal to extend the law.

“Conditioning the renewal of the waiver on the Palestinians’ sticking to ‘direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel’ is actually superfluous since negotiations are nonexistent, and the current US administration has yet to present any kind of peace initiative,” she said.

According to a State Department official, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has crossed the line in September when he called for an International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate and prosecute Israeli crimes.

mehmoud-abbas

While speaking at UNGA in September, Palestinian President Mehmoud Abbas had called for the ICC to “open an investigation and to prosecute Israeli officials for their involvement in settlement activities and aggressions against our people.”

Less than a month ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration in January this year, the UN Security Council had adopted a resolution calling on Tel Aviv to “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem”.

More than six lakh Israelis live in 230 illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. These settlements have been built after 1967.

Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

In 2014, the last round of Israeli-Palestinian talks was collapsed because of the major sticking points about the Israel’s continued settlement expansion.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin.

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

The Kremlin today denied a US media report that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US president-elect Donald Trump had spoken on the phone last week about the Ukraine conflict.

Earlier on Sunday, The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump spoke to Vladimir Pution on call, urging him not to inflame the conflict. Speaking on the matter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media that the report was completely false information, and denied any phone call took place.

It was reported that US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine. It said that Donald Trump held the call from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, just days after his stunning election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris. The report also mentioned that both the leaders expressed an interest in further conversations to discuss the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon.

Notably, Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin. However, the US President elect has not said how he intends to strike a peace deal or what terms he is proposing.

Donald Trump’s election is seen as carrying the potential to upend the almost three-year Ukraine conflict, as he insists on a quick end to the fighting and casts doubt on Washington’s multi-billion dollar support for Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Trump on Wednesday, with the Republican’s billionaire backer Elon Musk also notably joining them on the call. Volodymyr Zelensky described the call as excellent, adding that he and Trump had agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation.

Additionally, the outgoing Democratic administration of President Joe Biden has confirmed that it will send as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the White House aims to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that it is ultimately in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar’s press conference

The MEA said that these actions yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech.

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar's press conference

A few hours after Australia Today aired External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s press conference in Australia, Canada banned the outlet. The External Affairs Minister gave remarks on the India-Canada diplomatic standoff. 

Reacting to this, India on Thursday said it was surprised by Canada’s move to ban the outlet and emphasized that it highlighted Ottawa’s hypocrisy towards freedom of speech. Australia Today, which is an important outlet for the Indian community in the country, had aired the joint press conference of S Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong in Canberra.

In a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that they understand that the social media handles, pages of this particular outlet, which is an important diaspora outlet, have been blocked and are not available for viewers in Canada. He continued that this happened just an hour or a few hours after this particular handle carried the press conference of S Jaishankar with Penny Wong. He called out the incident, mentioning that they are surprised, and the matter looks strange to them.

He further underlined that these are the actions which yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech. He noted that the External Affairs Minister spoke about three things: Canada making allegations and a pattern had developed without any specific evidence, surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, which he termed as unacceptable, and  the political space which has been given in Canada to anti-India elements. 

With this one can draw conclusions, why Australia Today channel was blocked by Canada, the spokesperson said. Australia Today focuses on news and analytical pieces related to the Indian community in Australia and elsewhere across the world.

This incident follows days after devotees were attacked by pro-Khalistani at a Hindu temple in Canada’s Brampton, with S Jaishankar calling it deeply concerning. Furthermore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the attack and said that there were cowardly attempts to intimidate Indian diplomats.

The diplomatic standoff between India and Canada began in September last year when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian government agents might have been involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a claim outrightly rejected by New Delhi.

Later in October 2024, ties between both the countries nosedived when Canada termed the Indian High Commissioner a person of interest in its investigation into Nijjar’s murder. Issuing a strongly worded statement, India dismissed the fresh charge and recalled the envoy and some diplomats, while expelling six Canadian officials, including Canada’s acting High Commissioner.

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PM Modi congratulates Donald Trump on winning US President election

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on winning the 2024 US Presidential election and said he is looking forward to renewing their collaboration to further strengthen the India-US partnership.

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

“Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity,” PM Modi posted on his X handle.

With the results being announced for the 2024 US election on November 6, Trump became the 47th President of the United States.

Former US President Trump appeared to be on track for a remarkable political comeback in the White House race. Projections suggested that he was poised to secure the necessary 270 electoral college votes, effectively blocking Democratic candidate Kamala Harris from winning the election.

The relationship between Trump and Modi has been characterised by robust diplomatic ties, strategic collaboration, and a noticeable personal rapport. Their friendship was prominently displayed during major events such as “Howdy, Modi” in Houston in 2019 and “Namaste Trump” in Ahmedabad in 2020, where they addressed large audiences and expressed their mutual respect.

On a strategic level, Trump and Modi found common ground in matters of defense and security, both adopting a strong stance against terrorism, which reinforced their alliance, particularly concerning threats from Pakistan.

As he approaches a notable victory in the US election, Republican Presidential candidate Trump expressed gratitude to his supporters today, calling it a magnificent victory for the American people. He also referenced the assassination attempt on July 13, stating, “God spared my life for a reason.”

The 78-year-old candidate is currently projected to secure 267 electoral college votes, just three shy of the decisive 270, while his opponent, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, holds 224 electoral votes.

Trump described the Republican campaign as the greatest political movement of all time, asserting, “We are going to help our country heal, secure our borders, and we made history for a reason tonight. This is an incredible political victory. I want to thank the American people. I will fight for you and your family with every breath I have.”

He noted that Democrats are now looking at a projected total of 315 electoral votes.

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