All posts tagged "united nations"

Trump dumps renowned international organization for being 'at odds' with 'America First'

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce explained Tuesday that the United States has withdrawn from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, because it's not "aligned with" President Donald Trump's "America first" values.

By definition, UNESCO "promotes cooperation in education, science, culture and communication to foster peace worldwide," not strictly to meet American objectives.

Nonetheless, Bruce explained that the decision came as the result of an "executive order that the president issued...to have a review of the international organizations that we're involved in to make sure, just like with foreign aid -- are these organizations aligned with the values of the America First framework?"

She claimed that "UNESCO's decision to admit the, quote, 'state of Palestine,' unquote, as a member state is highly problematic."

Therefore, she said, "Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the continued national interest of the United States. UNESCO works to advance divisive cultural and social causes and maintains an outsized focus on the UN's sustainable development goals, a global, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy."

The Trump administration previously pulled out of UNESCO in 2017 due to "anti-Israel bias." After a five-year hiatus, President Joe Biden re-entered the organization.

Watch the clip below via X.

Ousted Trump aide claims he's 'incredibly honored' by new gig — hours after losing old job

President Donald Trump's former national security advisor posted on X Thursday about his surprise new position.

"I’m deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation," Waltz wrote.

Following days of rumors, Waltz and his aide were relieved of their posts. Some speculated it was because he took responsibility for the Signal app debacle, in which he inadvertently added a reporter to a high-level chat about an impending air strike. Others questioned why Waltz, not Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was being punished for sharing classified information on his phone using an unsecured mobile app.

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Former CIA Director John Brennan told MSNBC that Waltz was looking for a "fall guy" to pay for the Signal debacle.

"It's easy to replace a security advisor because it's not Senate-confirmed," Brennan said. "It's easy to oust them and then put someone in, including a deputy, right away."

But just hours after news outlets reported Waltz's ouster, President Donald Trump announced he was handing Waltz a different position in his administration.

"I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations," Trump posted to Truth Social. "From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role."

Trump added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would act as interim national security advisor, while continuing his duties at the State Department.

Politico reported that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff was one of the people being considered to replace Waltz as national security advisor.

"Other possible contenders include Trump’s top policy chief Stephen Miller, National Security Council senior director for counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka and Trump’s special envoy for special missions Richard Grenell," according to the report.

'Took away my visa': Foreign leader makes bizarre accusation against Trump admin

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a member of the left-wing M-19 Democratic Alliance, claimed during a nationally-televised broadcast that he can't travel to the United States anymore because he believed the Trump administration revoked his visa.

The Monday night broadcast was described as a Cabinet Meeting "presented as a 'presidential address,'" during which Petro made the "offhand remark," according to The City Paper Bogotá.

“I can’t go anymore because I believe they took away my visa,” Petro said during the broadcast. “I didn’t really need a visa, but anyway, I’ve already seen Donald Duck several times, so I’ll go see other things."

The paper reported that the comment, "delivered casually and seemingly out of context, caught his ministers off guard and comes as Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia is preparing to travel to New York to address the United Nations Security Council. At the same time, the country’s acting Finance Minister, Germán Avila, is already in the United States on official business."

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A representative from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá told the paper that there has been “no formal notification of visa revocation.”

The paper noted that Petro has been using social media to attack El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele over the treatment of Venezuelan migrants deported by the Trump administration.

In what the paper called a "rare English-language message," Petro wrote, “Fascism in Europe created a criminal idea and gave it legal cover,” Petro wrote. “It said that you could blame a social group for the crime of an individual. That is the path that led to the holocaust of the Jews. No democratic-minded person in Latin America can accept that all of the Venezuelan people in exile are criminalized because of the crimes of the so-called ‘Tren de Aragua.’”

The U.S. Embassy in Bogotá called Petro's comments “deeply offensive” and urged "political leaders to avoid equating modern conflicts with historical genocides," the paper reported.

Read the City Paper Bogotá article here.

Panama president hits back at Trump and 'rejects' inaugural speech 'in its entirety'

The president of Panama has formally complained to the United Nations about President Donald Trump's "threats" to acquire the Panama Canal.

The New York Times reviewed the letter sent by José Raúl Mulino to U.N. Secretary General António Guterres and the U.N. Security Council on Monday. In it, Mulino wrote that on behalf of his country and people, “I must reject in its entirety the words expressed by President Donald Trump regarding Panama and its Canal in his inaugural address.”

Mulino continued, “The canal is and will continue to be Panama’s.”

The U.S. built the canal in the early 20th century. The late President Jimmy Carter negotiated the Torrijos–Carter Treaties in 1977, which gave full control to Panama in 1999.

During his address on Monday, Trump declared that the Canal had "foolishly" been given to Panama.

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"We have been treated very badly from this foolish gift that should have never been made and Panama’s promise to us has been broken. The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated. American ships are being severely overcharged, charged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form. And that includes the United States Navy and above all, China is operating the Panama Canal and we didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama and we’re taking it back."

Trump has repeatedly claimed that China controls the canal, which Mulino has repeatedly refuted, saying, "Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zones is part of Panama, and it will continue to be.”

At a speech Trump gave at Mar-a-Lago this month, the now-U.S. president refused to rule out using military force to retake the canal, saying somewhat ambiguously, “It might be that you’ll have to do something."

According to The New York Times, Mulino's letter "cited two articles of the U.N. charter that prohibit member states from using threats and force against 'the territorial integrity or political independence,' calling such actions inconsistent with the purpose of the United Nations, and suggesting that Mr. Trump’s statements violated the U.N. charter."

The Times reported that it was possible the UN Security Council would schedule a meeting to discuss the issue "if tensions between the United States and Panama persist."

Read The New York Times article here.

UN Security Council demands end to Darfur city’s siege

The UN Security Council on Thursday demanded an end to the siege of El-Fasher in Sudan’s Darfur region, where fighting between government and paramilitary forces has provoked a humanitarian crisis.

War has raged for more than a year between the regular military under army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

The Security Council resolution, which was prepared by Britain and received 14 votes in favor with Russia abstaining, “demands that the Rapid Support Forces halt the siege of El-Fasher.”

It calls for “an immediate halt to the fighting” and “withdrawal of all fighters that threaten the safety and security of civilians.”

El-Fasher in North Darfur is the only state capital in the vast western region not under RSF control, and was previously a key humanitarian hub for an area now on the brink of famine.

“The adoption of this resolution sends a clear message,” said Britain’s UN ambassador Barbara Woodward.

It aims to help “secure a localized ceasefire around El-Fasher — and create the wider conditions to support de-escalation across the country and ultimately, save lives,” she said.

The resolution calls on all parties to allow civilians who wish to leave El-Fasher to do so.

The text also asks UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to make recommendations for improvements in the protection of civilians.

Earlier in June, Guterres urged a ceasefire in the wake of a paramilitary attack on a village that reportedly left more than 100 people dead.

Welcoming the resolution’s adoption, Louis Charbonneau of Human Rights Watch called on Guterres to “urgently work with African Union member states to deploy a mission mandated to protect civilians.”

“Today’s resolution puts the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces on notice that the world is watching,” he said.

Thursday’s resolution calls on all parties to agree on an immediate ceasefire and to remove obstacles to humanitarian access. It also highlights in particular the need for the reopening of the Adre border crossing, between Chad and Sudan.

It also calls on member states to “refrain from external interference,” and demands compliance with the arms embargo on the country.

Last month, the UN committee that coordinates humanitarian aid, representing 19 different organizations, demanded access to Sudan in a joint statement, warning of a “nightmare scenario.”

“A famine will take hold in large parts of the country. More people will flee to neighboring countries in search of sustenance and safety. More children will succumb to disease and malnutrition,” the Inter-Agency Standing Committee said.

The UN Security Council already demanded a ceasefire in March to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but with no effect.

UN Security Council votes for U.S.-drafted Gaza ceasefire resolution

The United Nations Security Council on Monday adopted a US-drafted resolution supporting a ceasefire plan in Gaza, as Washington leads an intense diplomatic campaign to push Hamas to accept the proposal.

The text — passed with 14 votes in favor and Russia abstaining — “welcomes” the truce and hostage release proposal announced on May 31 by President Joe Biden, and urges “parties to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”

The resolution says Israel has accepted the truce plan, and “calls upon Hamas to also accept it.”

Hamas said Monday that it “welcomes” the vote.

The United States, a staunch ally of Israel, has been widely criticized for having blocked several previous UN draft resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

But Biden late last month launched a new U.S. effort to secure a truce and hostage release.

“Today we voted for peace,” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the UN session.

“Today this Council sent a clear message to Hamas: accept the ceasefire deal on the table. Israel has already agreed to this deal and the fighting could stop today if Hamas would do the same.”

However the deal remains uncertain as Hamas officials have insisted that any ceasefire agreement must guarantee a permanent end to the war — a demand Israel has firmly rejected, vowing to destroy Hamas and free the remaining captives.

Under the proposal, Israel would withdraw from Gaza population centers and Hamas would free the hostages. The ceasefire would last an initial six weeks, with it extended as negotiators seek a permanent end to hostilities.

Hamas silence

Since the unprecedented attack by Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on October 7 against Israel, and the subsequent Israeli counterattack, the UN Security Council has struggled to act.

Following two resolutions focused on humanitarian aid, the Security Council finally at the end of March demanded an “immediate ceasefire” for the duration of Ramadan, after the United States abstained from the vote.

The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas’s attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 37,084 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

The first phase of the truce would see an “immediate, full and complete ceasefire,” the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, and the “withdrawal of Israeli forces from the populated areas in Gaza.”

This would also allow the “safe and effective distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale throughout the Gaza Strip to all Palestinian civilians who need it.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, the latest effort to halt the eight months of war.

Israel praises UN report about Hamas' sexualized violence on October 7

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday praised a UN report showing that members of the Palestinian Hamas movement had committed sexualized violence against Israelis during its October 7 massacre and called on the world to "condemn and punish Hamas."

Five months after the terror attack perpetrated by Hamas and other extremist groups, the United Nations published a paper on Monday that said there were "reasonable grounds to believe" that rapes and gang rapes had taken place in at least three locations during the attacks.

Israel and UN trade allegations of 'terrorism,' torture

JERUSALEM — Israel recalled its ambassador to the UN on Monday as tensions erupted over the handling of allegations of sexual assault by Hamas militants during the October 7 attacks.

At the heart of the row was the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which said its own staff had been tortured by Israel, even as Israel said the agency had employed more than 450 "terrorists."

"According to intelligence, over 450 terrorists belonging to terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, mainly Hamas, are also employed by UNRWA," an Israeli military statement said.

UN Security Council calls for protection of civilians in Gaza Strip

The UN Security Council has underscored the importance of protecting Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip amid ongoing fighting and since the deadly incident involving aid deliveries.

"Parties were urged to refrain from depriving civilians in Gaza of basic services and humanitarian assistance," according to a United Nations statement published in New York on Saturday.

The council expressed "grave concern that the entire population, more than two million people, could face alarming levels of acute food insecurity," according to the statement.