France’s Le Pen congratulates Trump

Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett said Wednesday the idea of a Palestinian state was over after Donald Trump’s election as US president, calling for an end to what has been the basis of years of negotiations.

“Trump’s victory is an opportunity for Israel to immediately retract the notion of a Palestinian state in the centre of the country, which would hurt our security and just cause,” Bennett, who heads the hardline Jewish Home party, said in an apparent reference to the occupied West Bank.

“This is the position of the president-elect … The era of a Palestinian state is over.”

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, also of Jewish Home, called on Trump to follow through on his promise to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in a break with the consistent policy of successive administrations, Republican as well as Democrat.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, also called for the embassy to be moved, as did Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat.

There was no immediate reaction from Netanyahu himself.

The prime minister caused controversy when he ruled out a Palestinian state ahead of a 2015 general election, but later backtracked and has since expressed support for the two-state solution.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the most difficult issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while the Israelis call the entire city their eternal indivisible capital.

Trump has pledged to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

AFP

Comments

Turkey bomb victims ‘mostly children’surviving

Most of the victims of the bombing of a Kurdish wedding party in the Turkish city of Gaziantep on Saturday were children, media reports have said. Twenty-nine victims were under the age of 18, reports said, with one official saying 22 were under the age of 14. The death toll rose to 54 yesterday. The suicide bomber himself was a child aged between 12 and 14, President Recep Tayyip One woman lost four children in the attack, Emine Arhan, said yesterday: “If it wasn’t for my only surviving child, I would have killed myself.” Another victim was a nine-year-old girl who had stayed on at the party to see the bride after her parents had left, according to reports. A disproportionately large number of women and children were killed in the attack because it targeted henna night, a part of the celebration attended mainly by women and children. Turkish officials said the type of bomb used, which contained scraps of metal, was similar to those used in previous attacks on pro-Kurdish gatherings. ...

INEC to deploy 18,511 personnel for Edo governorship poll

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said it would deploy 18,511 personnel for the conduct of Sept. 10 governorship election in Edo. This is contained in the commission’s daily bulletin issued on Thursday in Abuja. INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood The number, according to the commission, will comprise one Returning Officer, 18 Local Government Area Collation Officers, 192 Registration Area Collation Officers and 263 Supervisory Presiding Officers. Others are 2,627 Presiding Officers, 12,036 Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) I, II and III; 2,530 Assistant Presiding Officers and 728 Reserve APOs. Also on the deployment list were 19 LGA Supervisors, with one “Headquarters Reserve’’ and 97 Registration Area Cluster Supervisors as well one headquarters reserve. Edo, with 18 local government areas, has a total of 1,925,105 registered voters, 192 Registration Areas, 2, 627 Polling Units and 4, 011 Voting Points.

IMMUNITY BILL: A MISPLACED PRIORITY

Certainly, it is not a matter of conjecture to say that the undue interference and unpalatably flagrant disregard to separation of power by the executive tier of government has raised more questions than answers on the integrity of this government and the commitment of the leadership to truly push for the genuine change in line with democratic norms all over the world. Fatunde Bamidele Samuel (VEGA) writes from lagos. Recently, the society was encapsulated with shocking news of pension bill for the National Assembly members. However, the bill was dead on arrival. This is nothing but another heinous attempt to permanently ground the country that is already suffering from the bloodsucking bedbugs (NASS) and former governors pensions. These are almost sucking the finances of this country dry; if and only if we could act fast to salvage it then we can only hope the existence of Nigeria will not be history. The recent exploit of the National Assembly is evi...

Welcome to EagleWatch

Search This Blog