All articles tagged with #gaza
Germany’s culture ministry is reportedly pushing to replace Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle after a turbulent edition dominated by Gaza-related protests and accusations of anti-Semitism, with a special government meeting expected to decide the festival’s leadership and direction.
Legal scholars say the Board of Peace concentrates authority in Donald Trump rather than its member states, helping explain why key European powers and the Vatican have stayed out or refused to participate; Italy plans to attend as an observer. Debates persist over whether the Board is a treaty-based international organization or a UN-backed coordination forum. The first meeting announced multi-billion-dollar funding for Gaza reconstruction and humanitarian aid, but the amounts fall short of estimates and the arrangement leaves major questions—Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal, and governance (NCAG)—unresolved, with substantial oversight and regional risk (notably Iran) shaping feasibility.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that human rights are being pushed back worldwide, citing widespread abuses of international law and civilian suffering in Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine, while humanitarian needs surge and funding collapses; he urged an end to abuses and highlighted risks to a two-state solution amid Israeli actions in the West Bank.
The National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip (NCAG) has begun recruiting thousands of officers for a new, technocratic police force to govern Gaza and manage civil affairs, with training planned in Egypt and Jordan. Applicants must be Gaza residents aged 18–35, in good physical shape, and with no criminal record. Backers argue the force should be independent from Hamas or Fatah, but say its success depends on Israeli cooperation and logistical support. Skepticism remains about the relinquishment of Hamas influence and how existing Hamas police could be reintegrated or accommodated.
At Berlinale’s charged closing ceremony, winners condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and criticized the U.S. and German governments, with Abdallah Al-Khatib winning Best Feature Debut for Chronicles From the Siege and calling for Palestinian freedom; host Désirée Nosbusch, jury president Wim Wenders, and festival chief Tricia Tuttle framed the night around free speech, dialogue, and solidarity amid geopolitical tensions.
At Berlinale's 76th edition, awards and speeches leaned into Gaza politics, with Abdallah Alkhatib accepting Best First Feature wearing a keffiyeh and a Palestinian flag and calling for Palestine’s freedom; other winners and juries highlighted the festival’s political tensions, including open criticism of Berlinale’s silence on Gaza and a defense of free speech by festival leadership. The Golden Bear went to Yellow Letters, while Prosecution and Traces won Panorama Audience Awards, and Someday, a Child earned the Short Film prize.
European Parliament groups criticized the European Commission for sending Commissioner Dubravka Šuica to a meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace in Washington, arguing the move lacked a defined mandate and risks breaching institutional balance. The Commission defended the action, saying many member states participated and that it does not constitute EU membership, while emphasizing the need to engage in discussions affecting Gaza and Palestinians. Only a few EU states have formally joined the board, with others attending as observers, and the incident drew criticism, including from France, as a test of EU institutional norms.
President Trump launches the Board of Peace, securing roughly $6.5 billion in pledges from several member countries while the U.S. commits $10 billion over 10 years; the World Bank will manage the funds and a stabilization plan for Gaza is underway, with some countries pledging troops and others only sending observers. European powers largely sit out or act as observers, and critics warn the board could sidestep the UN and upset established diplomacy, though Trump casts it as a global effort to rebuild Gaza and empower UN-backed work.
At the Board of Peace’s inaugural meeting in Washington, President Trump announced a $10 billion U.S. contribution to rebuild Gaza, portraying the board as a premier global peace body; its first mission is to stabilize Gaza, but broader plans beyond that remain unclear.
In Washington, Trump launched a multinational effort around a new Board of Peace, pledging $10 billion to the board and about $7 billion more for Gaza relief and reconstruction. The plan envisions a International Stabilization Force of up to 20,000 troops and a Palestinian police corps (5,000 trained within 60 days, up to 12,000 total), with funding routed through a World Bank account. Demilitarization would be overseen by a civilian authority, and success depends on Hamas disarming and Israeli cooperation, amid cautious international reactions and concerns about an expanded mandate beyond Gaza.
At Berlinale, almost 300 films are on display, but coverage has been dominated by politics—questions about Gaza, Israeli policy, and democratic rights—sparking backlash over filmmakers’ role and prompting defenses from festival leaders while signees like Arundhati Roy and other stars urge stronger stands; organizers emphasize keeping cinema in focus as heated exchanges and open letters reveal the festival’s fraught relationship with politics.
Members of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace pledged more than $7bn for a Gaza relief package as part of a US-brokered plan to disarm Hamas and rebuild Gaza, with the UN contributing $2bn and several Western allies declining to join; the effort faces questions about the feasibility of a new Palestinian police force and whether Hamas will disarm, while Israel emphasizes demilitarisation before reconstruction.
President Trump announced the U.S. will contribute $10 billion to a 'Board of Peace' he created for Gaza’s peace plan, with the funding source still unclear amid major cuts to foreign aid; the board’s scope and oversight of UN activities remain unclear even as a large U.S. military buildup and a looming decision on Iran’s nuclear program unfold.
Trump will host the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington to advance a Gaza peace plan that envisions Hamas disarmament, a demilitarized Gaza, and an international stabilization force, with about $5 billion pledged for Gaza reconstruction (against a UN-estimated need of more than $50 billion). The initiative faces skepticism from some European allies and questions at the UN Security Council about the plan’s scope and ongoing Israeli actions in the West Bank. The coverage also notes related domestic events, including a Georgia trip and Trump-branded airport trademark filings.
World leaders gather in Washington for the inaugural Board of Peace meeting chaired by Donald Trump to coordinate Gaza demilitarisation and reconstruction, with 45+ countries attending but key allies like the UK, Germany and France declining and no Palestinian representation (Israel sits on the board). The event follows a UN-backed ceasefire, and about $5bn has been pledged for reconstruction—far short of the roughly $70bn needed. The ceasefire remains fragile amid mutual accusations of violations. In other news, reports of possible US strikes on Iran surface.