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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly approved plans for a military operation in Rafah which includes the evacuation of the population.

Now all eyes are on Washington where red lines (albeit blurry ones) have been set by President Joe Biden.

Last month, the president said that Israel should not attack Rafah without “a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety” of the population there – well over a million mostly displaced people.

This past weekend, in an interview with Sky News’ US partner NBC News, Mr Biden said invading Rafah was a “red line” but he used contradictory and confusing language.

He said: “It is a red line, but I’m never gonna leave Israel. The defence of Israel is still critical, so there’s no red line I’m gonna cut off all weapons…”.

This comment prompted a blunt response from Mr Netanyahu, who said: “You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is? That 7 October doesn’t happen again. Never happens again.”

Israel’s military logic for going into Rafah is that the southern Gazan city is where the remaining Hamas battalions have retreated to.

The problem is, half the population of Gaza has retreated there too.

Humanitarian agencies have said that any move on Rafah would be disastrous.

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock warned this week that it would create “a humanitarian catastrophe”.

Yesterday, in a tetchy exchange at the US State Department, spokesman Matt Miller was pressed on the forced movement of already displaced people to another part of Gaza.

Said Arikat, the Washington correspondent for the Jerusalem-based newspaper Al-Quds, asked why the Gazan people were being treated “like a herd of cattle”.

“Israel plans to direct Palestinians out of Rafah ahead of an anticipated offensive. Is that really acceptable?

“I mean, are they a herd of cattle? You keep moving them north, south, and so on?

“You keep moving them from place to place? Is that really acceptable to the Government of the United States?” he asked.

Pic: Reuters
U.S. President Joe Biden crosses his fingers when asked about the Hamas ceasefire proposal during his meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 15, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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Pic: Reuters

Mr Miller replied: “Before I pass any sort of judgement, we are going to continue to do what we have said we would do, which is to look for the Government of Israel to provide a plan about how they would address the humanitarian situation in Rafah.”

He continued: “Absent having seen such a plan and seeing that such a plan is credible and can be executed and implemented, that type of operation is not one we could support.”

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Mr Arikat pushed back: “Yeah. But in principle, the notion of moving people like this – keep moving them endlessly. I don’t know for how long.

“Maybe this war will take another six months and so on. Is that something that’s fine with you?”

Mr Miller replied: “So, with respect, I will wait to see a plan.”

Here in Washington it had been assumed that any Rafah operation would take time to prepare and that Israel would provide the Americans with a plan.

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Rafah.
Pic:Reuters
Image:
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Rafah. Pic: Reuters

But the American-Israeli relationship is increasingly strained.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s “Netanyahu must go” comments this week reflected a view the White House shares but can’t articulate.

Maybe a cornered, frustrated but determined Mr Netanyahu will decide now to push through Mr Biden’s blurry red line and press on with the Rafah operation.

The Hamas shift on the ceasefire talks might, despite being rejected as insufficient by Israel, buy some time.

Renewed dialogue, after weeks of nothing, opens the door to further talks and the prospect, for Israel, of hostages being returned. That would all be undermined by an assault on Rafah now.

It’s Ramadan. In the past, Israel has recognised that escalation during this holy month never ends well.

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Stock markets slump for second day running after Trump announces tariffs – in worst day for indexes since COVID

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Stock markets slump for second day running after Trump announces tariffs - in worst day for indexes since COVID

Worldwide stock markets have plummeted for the second day running as the fallout from Donald Trump’s global tariffs continues.

While European and Asian markets suffered notable falls, American indexes were the worst hit, with Wall Street closing to a sea of red on Friday following Thursday’s rout – the worst day in US markets since the COVID-19 pandemic.

As it happened: Worst week’s trading in five years

All three of the US’s major indexes were down by more than 5% at market close; The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 5.5%, the S&P 500 was 5.97% lower, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 5.82%.

The Nasdaq was also 22% below its record-high set in December, which indicates a bear market.

Read more: What’s a bear market?

Ever since the US president announced the tariffs on Wednesday evening, analysts estimate that around $4.9trn (£3.8trn) has been wiped off the value of the global stock market.

More on Donald Trump

Mr Trump has remained unapologetic as the markets struggle, posting in all-caps on Truth Social before the markets closed that “only the weak will fail”.

The UK’s leading stock market, the FTSE 100, also suffered its worst daily drop in more than five years, closing 4.95% down, a level not seen since March 2020.

And the Japanese exchange Nikkei 225 dropped by 2.75% at end of trading, down 20% from its recent peak in July last year.

Pic: Reuters
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US indexes had the worst day of trading since the COVID-19 pandemic. Pic: Reuters

Trump holds trade deal talks – reports

It comes as a source told CNN that Mr Trump has been in discussions with Vietnamese, Indian and Israeli representatives to negotiate bespoke trade deals that could alleviate proposed tariffs on those countries before a deadline next week.

The source told the US broadcaster the talks were being held in advance of the reciprocal levies going into effect next week.

Vietnam faced one of the highest reciprocal tariffs announced by the US president this week, with 46% rates on imports. Israeli imports face a 17% rate, and Indian goods will be subject to 26% tariffs.

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Do Trump’s tariffs add up?

Read more:
Markets gave Trump a clear no-confidence vote
There were no winners from Trump’s tariff gameshow

China – hit with 34% tariffs on imported goods – has also announced it will issue its own levy of the same rate on US imports.

Mr Trump said China “played it wrong” and “panicked – the one thing they cannot afford to do” in another all-caps Truth Social post earlier on Friday.

Later, on Air Force One, the US president told reporters that “the beauty” of the tariffs is that they allow for negotiations, referencing talks with Chinese company ByteDance on the sale of social media app TikTok.

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Tariffs: Xi hits back at Trump

He said: “We have a situation with TikTok where China will probably say, ‘We’ll approve a deal, but will you do something on the tariffs?’

“The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. They always have.”

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Financial markets were always going to respond to Trump tariffs but they’re also battling with another problem

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Financial markets were always going to respond to Trump tariffs but they're also battling with another problem

Global financial markets gave a clear vote of no-confidence in President Trump’s economic policy.

The damage it will do is obvious: costs for companies will rise, hitting their earnings.

The consequences will ripple throughout the global economy, with economists now raising their expectations for a recession, not only in the US, but across the world.

Tariffs latest: FTSE 100 suffers biggest daily drop since COVID

Financial investors had been gradually re-calibrating their expectations of Donald Trump over the past few months.

Hopes that his actions may not match his rhetoric were dashed on Wednesday as he imposed sweeping tariffs on the US’ trading partners, ratcheting up protectionism to a level not seen in more than a century.

Markets were always going to respond to that but they are also battling with another problem: the lack of certainty when it comes to Trump.

More on Donald Trump

He is a capricious figure and we can only guess his next move. Will he row back? How far is he willing to negotiate and offer concessions?

Read more:
There were no winners from Trump’s tariff gameshow
Trade war sparks ‘$2.2trn’ global market sell-off

These are massive unknowns, which are piled on to uncertainty about how countries will respond.

China has already retaliated and Europe has indicated it will go further.

That will compound the problems for the global economy and undoubtedly send shivers through the markets.

Much is yet to be determined, but if there’s one thing markets hate, it’s uncertainty.

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Court confirms sacking of South Korean president who declared martial law

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Court confirms sacking of South Korean president who declared martial law

South Korea’s constitutional court has confirmed the dismissal of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached in December after declaring martial law.

His decision to send troops onto the streets led to the country’s worst political crisis in decades.

The court ruled to uphold the impeachment saying the conservative leader “violated his duty as commander-in-chief by mobilising troops” when he declared martial law.

The president was also said to have taken actions “beyond the powers provided in the constitution”.

Demonstrators who stayed overnight near the constitutional court wait for the start of a rally calling for the president to step down. Pic: AP
Image:
Demonstrators stayed overnight near the constitutional court. Pic: AP

Supporters and opponents of the president gathered in their thousands in central Seoul as they awaited the ruling.

The 64-year-old shocked MPs, the public and international allies in early December when he declared martial law, meaning all existing laws regarding civilians were suspended in place of military law.

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Highs and lows of Five-Year Keir
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More on South Korea

The Constitutional Court is under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement of the impeachment trial. Pic: AP
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The court was under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement. Pic: AP

After suddenly declaring martial law, Mr Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police officers to the National Assembly.

He has argued that he sought to maintain order, but some senior military and police officers sent there have told hearings and investigators that Mr Yoon ordered them to drag out politicians to prevent an assembly vote on his decree.

His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on 14 December, accusing him of rebellion.

The unanimous verdict to uphold parliament’s impeachment and remove Mr Yoon from office required the support of at least six of the court’s eight justices.

South Korea must hold a national election within two months to find a new leader.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, is the early favourite to become the country’s next president, according to surveys.

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