World Briefing: February 5, 2025
Donald Trump says the United States should seize control of Gaza and permanently displace the entire Palestinian population of the devastated seaside enclave, one of the most brazen ideas that any American leader has advanced in years. Hosting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel at the White House, Mr. Trump said that all two million Palestinians from Gaza should be moved to countries like Egypt and Jordan because of the devastation wrought by Israel’s campaign against Hamas after the terrorist attack of Oct. 7, 2023. “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Mr. Trump said at a news conference Tuesday evening. “We’ll own it and be responsible” for disposing of unexploded munitions and rebuilding Gaza into a mecca for jobs and tourism. Sounding like the real estate developer he once was, Mr. Trump vowed to turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” While the president framed the matter as a humanitarian imperative and an economic development opportunity, he effectively reopened a geopolitical Pandora’s box with far-reaching implications for the Middle East. Control over Gaza has been one of the major flash points of the Arab-Israeli conflict for decades, and the idea of relocating its Palestinian residents recalls an era when great Western powers redrew the maps of the region and moved around populations without regard to local autonomy. The notion of the United States taking over territory in the Middle East would be a dramatic reversal for Mr. Trump, who first ran for office in 2016 vowing to extract America from the region after the Iraq war and decried the nation-building of his predecessors. In unveiling the plan, Mr. Trump did not cite any legal authority giving him the right to take over the territory, nor did he address the fact that forcible removal of a population violates international law and decades of American foreign policy consensus in both parties - NYT
Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its unwavering and non-negotiable stance on the establishment of a Palestinian state, emphasizing that this position remains steadfast and is not subject to political bargaining, the state Saudi Gazette reported. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that the Kingdom's commitment to Palestinian statehood is deeply rooted and unshakable. "This firm stance was explicitly affirmed by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman during his address on September 18, 2024. In his speech, the Crown Prince made it clear that Saudi Arabia will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is established, with East Jerusalem as its capital." )Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier said he believed establishing ties was "going to happen").
Separately, China says it opposes the "forced transfer" of Palestinians from Gaza, after US President Donald Trump said he planned to "take control" of the territory. “ China has always maintained that Palestinian rule over Palestinians is the basic principle of the post-war governance of Gaza, and we are opposed to the forced transfer of the residents of Gaza," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said. - The National
Palestine Liberation Organisation secretary general Hussein Sheikh has dismissed calls for the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland. This is in response to remarks by US President Donald Trump that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could be resettled in neighbouring countries. “The Palestinian leadership affirms its firm position that the two-state solution, in accordance with international legitimacy and international law, is the guarantee of security, stability and peace," Mr Sheikh said on X.
The father of American-Israeli Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra, who was killed and abducted by Hamas during the terror group’s October 2023 attack, says he’s “shocked” by President Donald Trump’s call for the United States to take over Gaza “We didn’t know about this, but it’s clear this move was not spontaneous. We want to remind Trump and Netanyahu that human lives are at stake,” Ronen Neutra tells the Ynet news site, saying the return of the hostages must be the top priority. His comments come after hostage families cancelled a planned press conference in Washington - Times of Israel
My hot take analysis: one thing has become clear from the first days of the Donald Trump presidency. That he plans to not only conduct foreign relations via gunboat diplomacy - not unlike the way a slum landlord treats his tenants - but also govern in a contradictory style. While running for office, he said on several occasions that the U.S. would stop being the world’s policeman and leave foreign hotspots to sort themselves out without Washington’s involvement. Taking over Gaza would almost certainly involve U.S. boots on the ground and would come with great risk. Saudi Arabia, the major power in the region, has already rejected the plan outright. Displacing Palestinians is also a red line for neighboring Jordan and Egypt, the former of which plays host to millions of Palestinian refugees - including many who had fled Gaza many years ago. President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi of Egypt fears that should huge numbers of Gazans be allowed into to Sinai Peninsula it would create an enormous security challenge. But with Cairo receiving around $1.3bn in annual aid from the U.S., el-Sisi has little wiggle room to resist the Gaza resettlement plan. As for Mr Trump’s motivations, could it be that he looks forward to a day when luxury hotels and golf courses adorned with gaudy neon signs carrying the Trump name line the seaside strip. Whatever happens, it’s for Trump to decide whether he wants to experience what it really means to get stuck in ‘the quick sand of the Middle East.’ He’ll eventually realize it’s a lot more difficult than extricating himself from one of his golf course sand traps.
“Whatever happens, it’s for Trump to decide whether he wants to experience what it really means to get stuck in ‘the quick sand of the Middle East.’ He’ll eventually realize it’s a lot more difficult than extricating himself from one of his golf course sand traps. ”
Around 10 people were killed Tuesday in a shooting at an education centre in Sweden, including the suspected gunman, police said after the rare gun attack on a campus in the Nordic nation. Authorities had initially said that several people were wounded in the violence at Campus Risbergska, a secondary school for young adults in the town of Orebro, but had not reported any fatalities. School attacks are relatively rare in Sweden, but the country has suffered shootings and bombings linked to gang violence that kill dozens of people each year. "Around 10 people have been killed today," Orebro police chief Roberto Eid Forest told reporters, adding that police could "not be more specific" about the number. "The suspected assailant is not known to police." - France 24
The Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary spiritual leader of the Shia Ismail Muslims and the founder of the Aga Khan Development Network, is dead. Prince Karim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV died in Lisbon, Portugal on Tuesday, surrounded by his family, reported The Kenya-based Nation, on the many media entities owned by the Aga Khan. A direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, he is well-known globally for his philanthropic work aimed at improving people’s lives. His successor is to be announced after the Aga Khan’s will is read in the coming days.
The deadly Azerbaijan Airlines crash on 25 December was a direct result of damage to key flight systems caused by foreign objects, a preliminary official report released on Tuesday by the Azerbaijani government showed. The report details that the Kazakh Ministry of Transport has found "numerous through and blind damages" on the fuselage, the tail section, and the aft part of the aeroplane, including its stabilisers. Furthermore, the investigators retrieved unidentified metallic debris that caused damage to the aircraft's hydraulic systems following "two external noises". "Due to adverse weather conditions the aircraft unsuccessfully attempted to land in Grozny two times, and then the captain decided to return to Baku. Following this decision, the CVR recorded two external noises, occurring with 24 seconds interval, over Grozny," the report said. Further forensic tests will be conducted to determine the source of the foreign objects, the report noted. No evidence of a bird strike was noted in the preliminary report. The Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 from Baku to Grozny crashed while attempting an emergency landing near Aktau in Kazakhstan. Prior to the release of the preliminary report, sources revealed to Euronews that electronic warfare systems were deployed against the Azerbaijani aircraft as it was on its approach to land in Grozny, followed by a strike from a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defence system, brought over to Chechnya from Syria. The day after the crash, Azerbaijani government sources told Euronews that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Aktau - Euronews
British security chiefs are alarmed at Donald Trump’s choice for the most senior intelligence role in America and hope she is blocked, The Telegraph can reveal. Tulsi Gabbard is facing intense scrutiny over her perceived support for Russia and Syria as she seeks to become the US director of national intelligence, an appointment that needs US Senate approval. The Telegraph understands that there is also deep disquiet at senior levels of the UK security services over the prospect of her appointment, which would give her access to the most sensitive secret intelligence. In the past, Ms Gabbard pointed blame towards Ukraine hours after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and cast doubt over Syrian chemical weapons use after meeting dictator Bashar al-Assad. Another figure with clearance to access British intelligence told The Telegraph: “She is completely unfit for the role.” The source added: “The main concerns are on Russia. She comes over as an apologist. One thing we need at the moment is a united front.” - The Telegraph
Donald Trump is preparing an executive order aimed at eventually closing the Education Department and, in the short term, dismantling it from within, according to three people briefed on its contents. The draft order acknowledges that only Congress can shut down the department and instead directs the agency to begin to diminish itself, these people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about internal issues. That work is underway already. The new administration has been trying to reduce the workforce by putting scores of employees on administrative leave and pressuring staff to voluntarily quit. And roughly 20 people with Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” known as DOGE, have begun working inside the Education Department, looking to cut spending and staff, according to three people familiar with the situation and records obtained by The Washington Post.
The State Department has begun working to assist in evacuating all USAID staff who are on foreign assignments worldwide, sources familiar with the effort told ABC News. The Department is aiming to recall all USAID employees, including family members, to the United States by Saturday, according to multiple sources. On Tuesday, new deputy administrator for USIAD Pete Marocco told State Department officials that if the evacuation wasn't completed, the military would step in, a source familiar with the conversion told ABC News. A federal worker described the move to ABC News as a sudden recall of thousands of foreign service officers, forcing families to uproot with just days' notice—spouses quitting jobs, kids leaving schools, and even pets being relocated. "To uproot them and call them back to Washington like criminals while dealing with families and logistics is cruel. These people have kids in school," a former USAID employee told ABC News.
Tajikistan has jailed a veteran journalist for criticizing regional officials and another reporter faces 17 years in prison on undisclosed charges in a new clampdown on independent media in the country. In the southern city of Kulob, Ahmad Ibrohim, a 63-year-old editor in chief of a local newspaper, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on January 10 on bribery, extortion, and extremism charges, all of which he denies. In the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, Rukhshona Hakimova, a 31-year-old independent journalist who has worked for a variety of media outlets, is awaiting a verdict in a closed-door trial on undisclosed charges. The government has classified Hakimova's case as "secret." Sources close to the court said that Hakimova has been charged with treason, with prosecutors asking for 17 years' imprisonment. The cases come with at least eight other journalists and bloggers already serving lengthy prison terms in Tajikistan after being convicted on bogus charges in 2022 and 2023 - RFE/RL
During the 8-day Lunar New Year holiday (January 28 - February 4, 2025), over 2.3 billion passenger trips were made across regions in China. The total transport volume includes approximately 96.12 million railway passenger trips, 2.2 billion road passenger trips, 9.35 million waterway passenger trips, and 18.29 million air passenger trips, according to CCTV. Last year, during the holiday (February 10 – 17, 2024), about 2.31 billion passenger trips were recorded, as reported by Xinhua News Agency. The 2025 Spring Festival travel rush, which began on January 14 and will end on February 22, spans a total of 40 days. According to transport authorities, the total interregional passenger trips during this period are expected to reach 9 billion, potentially setting a new all-time high. - Global Times
Juliette Binoche will preside over the jury for the the 78th Cannes Film Festival, festival organizers announced Tuesday. Binoche will succeed last year’s jury president, Greta Gerwig, making this the second time Cannes has had back-to-back female jury heads. Binoche, the French actor, has been a mainstay at Cannes over the years. She first appeared at the festival 40 years ago, with the premiere of André Téchiné’s “Rendez-vous.” She’s since been back to Cannes many times, including for Krzysztof Kieślowski’s “Blue,” Michael Haneke’s “Caché,” and Abbas Kiarostami’s “Certified Copy.” “In 1985, I walked up the steps for the first time with the enthusiasm and uncertainty of a young actress; I never imagined I’d return 40 years later in the honorary role of President of the Jury,” Binoche said in a statement. “I appreciate the privilege, the responsibility and the absolute need for humility.” - AP
