International newspapers covered the challenges of consolidating a ceasefire in Gaza despite American efforts, and the escalation of repression in the West Bank, in addition to European preparations for future threats.
From the Civil and Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel, where the US Army supervises the monitoring of the ceasefire in Gaza, the American Wall Street Journal monitored the transformation of this center into a pivotal station within US President Donald Trump’s efforts to consolidate the peace plan in the Strip.
The newspaper added that despite the mounting internal pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, the Trump administration confirms that the success of this center represents the only available option, indicating that its failure may return the region to the escalation box again.
However, the European view of the American peace plan carries a great deal of skepticism, as writer Jean-Pierre Filiu in the French newspaper Le Monde saw that the refusal to recognize a true Palestinian partner weakens President Trump’s peace plan and strips it of its credibility.
The writer stops at the complete absence of the Palestinians from the plan, and its content with coordination with Israel and Arab countries, while holding other parties responsible for reconstruction and disarming the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
Filho adds that international experts point out that this approach repeats the experience of the 2020 normalization agreements, stressing that excluding the Palestinians from any real peace plan is nothing but another form of war against them.
On the ground in the Gaza Strip, it seems that the humanitarian situation is still far from any real improvement, as the French website Media Part published an investigation indicating that the situation in Gaza is witnessing a slight improvement and nothing more, warning against believing claims that “everything is over.”
Officials at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) support this warning, with one of them stating that the impression that everything is fine is misleading and dangerous for the future of the Strip.
The website also quoted a relief official inside Gaza as saying that another dilemma faced by the people of the Strip is the severe shortage of cash.
While the spotlight is focused on Gaza, writer for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Gideon Levy, drew attention to the fact that Israeli oppression and settler violence have made life for Palestinians in the West Bank impossible.
Levy believes that Israel is exploiting the war in Gaza as a pretext to tighten measures in the West Bank, but he reminds that the Gaza war has ended while oppression in the West Bank continues in the form of arrests, checkpoints, and settler violence supported by the Israeli army.
The writer confirms that more than 150,000 Palestinians lost their jobs within two years, calling for urgent international intervention to protect the Palestinian population.
American policies
In terms of American foreign policy, the American New York Times shed light on US President Donald Trump’s Asian tour, noting that he is marketing himself as a deal man and peace negotiator to countries that expect from him lower tariffs and closer bilateral relations.
The newspaper explains that Asian governments are trying to achieve a delicate balance in their relations with Washington on the one hand, and in confronting a rising China on the other hand.
The newspaper points out that Washington itself needs Asian countries, especially since the Southeast Asian region represents great value to America in terms of the size of its market and its strategic importance.
In Europe, fears of Russian threats are rising, as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk revealed in an interview with the British newspaper The Sunday Times that his country monitors Russian sabotage acts targeting it on a weekly basis.
Tusk defended Ukraine’s military capabilities, stressing that Kiev is ready to fight for an additional two or three years, but it is concerned about the devastating impact this will have on its people and economy.
The Polish official warned Britain that it would be in the range of Russian fire if the Kremlin decided to expand the scope of its war.
In the same context related to preparing for military threats, the French magazine Le Point published an article stating that the French army is searching for an effective way to confront the marching wars that are growing in conflict areas such as Ukraine and the Red Sea.
The magazine reported that the current concern of the French military leadership is how to confront the marches at the lowest cost, while avoiding direct involvement in the quagmire of conflicts.
The magazine article talked about broad coordination between the various branches of the French forces to benefit from technologies currently directed to other tasks, in addition to developing new technologies related to early monitoring and response to marches.
Right-wing dominance
As for Brussels, European Parliament President Roberta Mitsola, in statements published by the British newspaper the Financial Times, defended the record of the European Parliament, denying rumors about its dominance by the populist right.
Mitsola explained that the populist right has become a reality in Europe and is represented in its elected parliament, and therefore it must be dealt with realistically and worked with to pass some necessary legislation.
Mitsola stressed that she is there to work constructively with everyone without exception, regardless of their political orientation.
In a scene that reflects the deep level of European concern about the possibilities of future conflicts, the American newspaper The Washington Post reported that Switzerland is spending billions of dollars to equip huge underground shelters, in light of the escalating conflicts the world is witnessing.
The newspaper believes that this trend reflects the culture of permanent preparedness rooted among the Swiss, as there are about 370,000 fortified shelters in the country, sufficient to shelter almost the entire population in emergency situations.
The announced plan includes improving ventilation systems in old shelters, and developing fortifications to suit the nature of modern conflicts and their technical requirements.
The newspaper adds that Swiss law, for decades, guarantees every citizen a constitutional right to a safe personal refuge that protects him in times of crises and wars.
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