Italian protesters supporting Gaza flotilla: 'I can't just stand by and do nothing'
Tens of thousands of Italians took to the streets across the country on Friday, as part of a day-long general strike called by unions in support of an...
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dismissed recent Western recognition of Palestine, saying a Palestinian state cannot exist without Israel’s agreement.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that recent moves by Western countries to recognise the State of Palestine are “irrelevant” without Israel’s consent. Speaking in a radio interview on Thursday, Rubio said, “None of these countries have the ability to create a Palestinian state.”
“There can be no Palestinian state unless Israel agrees to it,” he added, stressing that fundamental details remain unresolved. “They can’t even tell you where this Palestinian state is. They can’t tell you who will govern it. And I think number three, it’s counterproductive.”
Rubio also accused nations recognising Palestine of siding with Hamas, which he said is “still holding 20 people hostage and the bodies of more than 50 others.” He claimed that recent declarations are “rallying to Hamas’ side” and risk undermining ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
“At the end of the day, the Hamas side is the Palestinian statehood side. So you are creating this reward,” Rubio said, arguing the move gives Hamas “every reason in the world not to agree to [a] ceasefire and not to release these hostages.”
He further alleged that many of these decisions are motivated by domestic political pressure rather than actual diplomatic impact. “They’re actually hurting the cause, they’re not helping,” he said.
Proponents of Palestinian recognition argue otherwise, stating that it is a necessary step toward achieving long-term peace.
Rubio called on Western countries to shift their focus and “unite in pressuring Hamas to immediately release the 20 living hostages.”
Recognition push by Western countries
In late June, French President Emmanuel Macron said France would recognise the State of Palestine, with a formal announcement expected at the UN General Assembly in September.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Malta’s Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Christopher Cutajar have also declared their governments’ intention to recognise Palestine.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the United Kingdom would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN if Israel fails to meet certain conditions.
The formal recognitions are expected to be announced at the UN General Assembly in New York in September.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Tens of thousands of Italians took to the streets across the country on Friday, as part of a day-long general strike called by unions in support of an aid flotilla carrying food to Gaza that was intercepted by Israel this week.
Sarah Mullally was named on Friday as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman to head the Church of England in its 1,400-year history.
Indonesia on Friday (3 October) urged the European Union to immediately remove the countervailing and anti-dumping duties on its stainless steel products, after a World Trade Organisation (WTO) panel backed the Southeast Asian country.
Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK has suspended operations at several gas facilities in the eastern Poltava region after Russian attacks, the company said on Friday.
The 20 points that U.S. President Donald Trump announced as part of his Gaza plan this week were not in line with the draft proposed by a group of Muslim-majority countries, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday.
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