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US Prepares to Relocate Its Embassy to Jerusalem

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US Prepares to Relocate Its Embassy to Jerusalem

Road signs coming up near US consulate in south Jerusalem

Ignoring all protests opposing recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, US President Donald Trump’s administration has been moving towards relocating its embassy from Tel Aviv to the city. Jerusalem witnessed fixing of road signs on Monday ahead of May 14, the day when US consulate building will be officially repurposed as embassy.

According to reports, the signs, in English, Hebrew and Arabic, were installed by workmen close to the US consulate situated in south Jerusalem.

In December, US President Donald Trump had announced his decision of recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and asked Department of State to initiate the process to relocating its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Read More: Trump to order Embassy shift to Jerusalem despite world community warning

Trump’s move was met with widespread protests in most countries in the world, except Israel and regional US allies.  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the US move saying that Washington has lost its credibility as mediator in the Middle East crisis.

US Prepares to Relocate Its Embassy to Jerusalem

The move prompted international condemnation and triggered a wave of protests in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had hosted OIC emergency summit on December 13 at Ankara where most countries had strongly condemned Trump’s move.  The leaders of the OIC member states condemned Trump’s decision.

Read More: OIC rejects Donald Trump’s Jerusalem move at extraordinary Summit in Ankara

Arab foreign ministers of Arab League member states had also called for international recognition of Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. This was aimed to nullify the controversial US decision.

Read More: Arab League call Trump’s Jerusalem move as dangerous

Britain had joined 13 other UNSC member states to vote in favour of a resolution calling for Donald Trump to rescind his declaration that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, showing the depth of global opposition to the move. US was the only country opposing the resolution.

Read More: Trump isolates US by recognizing Jerusalem as Israeli capital

Donald Trump had promised to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US embassy to the city during his election campaign in 2016.  However, in June 2017, like his predecessors, he signed a six-month waiver to delay the relocation, which was expired on December 1.

The White House said at the time that the question is “not if that move happens, but only when”.

In February, President Trump, while speaking to Israeli media, reiterated that the issue of Jerusalem is off the negotiating table. “By taking Jerusalem off the table, I wanted to make it clear that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and as for specific boundaries, I would support what both sides agreed to,” Trump told an Israeli newspaper.

Nabil Shaath, an advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, while talking to Palestine TV in February has said,  “If US President Donald Trump carries out his decision, he will inflame the entire region and threaten the US’ interests there.”

The current US move will overturn decades of international consensus on Jerusalem, a highly contested city. The city is claimed by Muslims, Christians and Jews to be historically important for them. Half of Jerusalem was occupied and annexed by Israel following the 1967 War.

Read More: Saudi Arabia and Egypt gave prior consent for Trump’s Jerusalem move

Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its “united” capital, and its annexation of East Jerusalem effectively put the entire city under de-facto Israeli control. The Palestinians, however, see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. They were promised East Jerusalem as their capital by international community during the US sponsored peace talks through last several decades.

Surprisingly the international community, including the US administration, does not recognise Israel’s jurisdiction and ownership of Jerusalem.

Palestinians say that moving the embassy would prejudge one of the most sensitive issues in the conflict – the status of Jerusalem – and undermine the US’ status as an honest mediator.

Read More: Trump’s Jerusalem move: Our position on Palestine is independent, says India

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has warned that the move would have a “disastrous impact on the peace process, on the two-state solution and on the stability and security of the entire region”.

On December 2, 2017, US President Donald Trump had formally announced the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing nearly seven decades of American foreign policy and ordered for the relocation of the US embassy. Following the announcement Trump signed a further embassy waiver under the Jerusalem Embassy Act. On February 23, the State Department announced the new embassy will open in May.

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Trump rejects Iran’s 7-day peace plan, says deal can come after US polls

US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s seven-day proposal to end hostilities and indicated that a deal could come after the US midterm elections in November.

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Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s latest proposal aimed at bringing an end to the ongoing conflict, while indicating that a possible agreement could come after the US midterm elections in November.

Iran had proposed a seven-day framework under which hostilities could be brought to an end, the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened and negotiations over its nuclear programme could resume.

Iran’s seven-day proposal

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had put forward the proposal through intermediaries. Under the plan, the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened by the end of the seventh day if specified conditions were met, while broader nuclear discussions would restart.

The proposal was based largely on an earlier understanding reached between Washington and Tehran, but Iran sought to implement the latest framework much faster. The earlier arrangement had provided a longer period for negotiations.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important waterway for global energy shipments, making its reopening a key element of any effort to ease the wider conflict.

Trump points to US midterm elections

Trump, speaking at the United Nations, showed no indication that he was ready to immediately resume negotiations on the terms proposed by Tehran.

He called for the economic isolation of Iran and said he believed a deal could be reached after the US midterm elections in November. Trump also said Iran was waiting to see how he performed in the midterm elections.

The remarks came as Iranian officials signalled that they remained open to diplomacy and described the UN General Assembly as an opportunity to revive negotiations.

Nuclear talks remain part of Iran proposal

Iran’s latest plan links the easing of hostilities with the resumption of negotiations over its nuclear programme.

The proposal follows the collapse of an earlier US-Iran arrangement. According to reporting on the latest proposal, the new framework is intended to compress the timeline for implementing commitments that had previously been discussed by the two sides.

For now, Trump’s remarks indicate that Washington is not accepting Tehran’s seven-day framework as presented, while Iran continues to put diplomacy and negotiations forward as part of its proposal.

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Iranian President Pezeshkian at UN says Iranians have been victims of US terrorism

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at the UN General Assembly that Iranians had been victims of US terrorism and insisted that Iran had acted in self-defence.

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of subjecting Iranians to what he described as terrorism while addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

Pezeshkian said Iran had defended itself against attacks and rejected the characterisation of the country as a terrorist actor. His remarks came during a rare wartime appearance at the UN as tensions between Iran and the United States remain high.

Pezeshkian accuses US and Israel of attacks

Speaking at the General Assembly, Pezeshkian said Iranian civilians had been targeted by attacks and described the actions against his country as aggression.

“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” he said, according to the report.

Pezeshkian also accused the United States and Israel of attacking Iran, while maintaining that Tehran’s response was an act of self-defence.

The Iranian president displayed photographs of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 schoolchildren who, according to his account, were killed during the early days of the conflict.

Iran’s message at the UN

Pezeshkian’s address came against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States and heightened tensions in the region.

Iranian officials had indicated ahead of the UN visit that they intended to highlight what Tehran considers attacks against its people and raise concerns over the international response to the conflict.

The Iranian delegation’s visit to New York also comes amid restrictions imposed by the United States on the delegation’s movement and other aspects of its stay, according to reporting ahead of the address.

Pezeshkian says Iran defended itself

Pezeshkian’s central message at the UN was that Iran’s military actions should be viewed as a response to attacks rather than terrorism.

His description of the conflict and the allegations against the United States and Israel represent the Iranian government’s position. They should therefore be attributed to Pezeshkian rather than presented as independently established facts.

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PM Modi’s Canada visit could help wrap trade talks, says Canada PM Mark Carney

Canadian PM Mark Carney said he is looking forward to hosting PM Narendra Modi, with both countries aiming to conclude their ongoing trade negotiations.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he is looking forward to hosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as India and Canada continue efforts to advance their bilateral relationship and conclude ongoing trade negotiations.

The two countries have been working towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with both sides previously setting a target to conclude the negotiations in 2026.

Carney and Modi have held discussions on strengthening economic ties between India and Canada, including trade and investment. Their engagement has gained momentum following Carney’s visit to India earlier this year.

India-Canada trade talks

India and Canada formally resumed efforts towards a broader trade agreement after a period of strained bilateral ties. The two sides have committed to advancing negotiations on a CEPA covering their economic relationship.

In June, Carney and Modi reviewed progress in bilateral economic cooperation during their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France. They expressed satisfaction with the progress in CEPA negotiations and reaffirmed their shared objective of concluding the talks in 2026.

During Carney’s visit to India in March, the two leaders had also agreed to accelerate negotiations on the CEPA and work towards finalising the agreement during 2026.

Modi’s proposed Canada visit

Carney had invited PM Modi to visit Canada in 2026, and the two leaders agreed to remain engaged through diplomatic channels to work towards a mutually convenient date for the visit.

The proposed visit comes as New Delhi and Ottawa seek to build on renewed diplomatic and economic engagement, with trade negotiations remaining a key part of the relationship.

The focus on completing the trade talks comes as both countries look to expand commercial ties and establish a broader economic framework through the proposed CEPA.

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