Trump’s role in halting Gaza’s suffering was driven by self-interest. Will that be enough for him to finish the job? | Kenneth Roth

Trump’s role in halting Gaza’s suffering was driven by self-interest. Will that be enough for him to finish the job? | Kenneth Roth

The US president’s Gulf allies and supporters at home might just persuade him to pursue lasting peace. And then there’s always next year’s Nobel prize We can only rejoice that, for now, Israel’s genocide in Gaza has halted. The killing has stopped . Food is being allowed in , easing the starvation . Palestinians forcibly displaced from their homes are returning to their cities, if not their homes, most of which Israel has pulverized . Yet celebration must be tempered by the gnawing reality that the conditions for a lasting peace are, in classic Middle East fashion, being kicked down the road for future resolution – if ever at all. We may grimace in doing so, but Donald Trump deserves credit for finally ending the US government’s funding and arming of the genocide, and arm-twisting Benjamin Netanyahu into accepting his 20-point plan for Gaza. Yet that hardly happened in a vacuum. Had Joe Biden tried to implement the same plan, he undoubtedly would have been pilloried by the Republican party for not giving Netanyahu everything he wanted. But Trump owns today’s Republican party. Much as when Richard Nixon went to China, there was no one meaningfully to the right of Trump to challenge him. Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch (1993-2022), is a visiting professor at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs. His book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments, is published by Knopf and Allen Lane Continue reading...

Cameroon opposition leader declares victory in presidential election

Cameroon opposition leader declares victory in presidential election

Issa Tchiroma Bakary calls on 92-year-old president to accept end of reign, although results have yet to be released The Cameroonian opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary has declared himself the winner of the 12 October presidential election and called on President Paul Biya to accept the end of his 43-year rule. “Our victory is clear, it must be respected,” Tchiroma said in a video statement on Facebook with the national flag in the background, before directly addressing 92-year-old Biya: “We call on the regime in power to show greatness and to honour the truth of the ballot box with a long-awaited gesture: that phone call of congratulations which will demonstrate the political maturity of our nation and the future strength of our democracy.” Continue reading...