France, Egypt, Jordan say PA must head post-war Gaza
As we’ve been reporting, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hosted his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, and Jordan’s King Abdullah in Cairo for talks on the “grave situation in Gaza”.
The three leaders issued a joint statement following their meeting.
Here’s what it said:
- The leaders called for an immediate return to the ceasefire, for the sake of the Palestinians to be protected and receive immediate and full humanitarian aid.
- They expressed alarm at the increasingly deteriorating situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and urged to stop all unilateral measures that undermine the viability of the two-state solution.
- They rejected any displacement of Palestinians from their land or any annexation of Palestinian territory.
- They underlined that governance as well as maintaining order and security in Gaza, in all Palestinian territory, shall come solely under the authority of an empowered Palestinian Authority (PA), with strong regional and international support.
Israeli poll shows 81 percent of Israelis against Palestinian state
A new survey conducted by Israel’s Direct Polls Institute suggests 81 percent of Israelis currently oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state, according to the Israel Hayom newspaper.
The poll found that 53 percent opposed it outright while 28 percent said they were against it “for the foreseeable future”.
Palestinian statehood is already recognised by 147 of the 193 UN member states.
Senator calls on US government to end offensive weapons sales to Israel
Citing incidents of Israeli soldiers firing on Palestinian medics and beating detainees, Peter Welch has urged the US government to apply what is known as the Leahy Law to end offensive weapons sales to Israel.
The Leahy Law is a federal regulation that bars the US government from providing funds to foreign military units when there is “credible information” implicating them in gross violations of human rights.
Those violations include torture, extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances and rape.
Last week, the US Senate voted down an attempt to block the sale of some offensive weapons to Israel.
Senator Bernie Sanders said he introduced the motion because the US, which provides Israel with at least $3.8bn in military assistance annually, is “deeply complicit in what is happening in Gaza”.
Reports of IDF soldiers firing on Red Crescent ambulances, shooting first responders, and beating those unjustly detained are shocking for both their brutality and frequency.
There must be accountability. We must apply the Leahy Law and end offensive weapon sales to Israel.
— Senator Peter Welch (@SenPeterWelch) April 8, 2025
