2 NEWS The main stories… What happened What the editorials said Bloodshed in Gaza There was atime when the world longed for the day the US opened an embassy in Jerusalem, said The New York Times Gaza suffered its bloodiest day in years –because this event was supposed to mark on Monday, when Israeli troops opened the end of hostilities between Israelis and fire on mostly unarmed protesters massed Palestinians. For years, America had along the border fence between the withheld recognition of either side’s claim territory and Israel, killing at least 60 and to the city as acapital, pending apeace wounding thousands more. The killings treaty between the two. “But on Monday, prompted an international outcry, but President Trump delivered the embassy Israel insisted it had acted in self-defence as agift without concession or condition to defend its border. It blamed the to the Israeli government of Benjamin violence on Hamas, the Islamist group Netanyahu.” This would have inflamed that runs Gaza, aview backed by the US. tensions at any time, said the FT. That Trump did it “during the 48 hours when The bloodshed coincided with the opening APalestinian protester near the Israeli border Israelis and Palestinians are most divided –onthe 70th anniversary of Israel’s each year over their very different versions founding –ofthe new US embassy in Jerusalem after its of history was little short of diplomatic arson”. relocation from Tel Aviv. The move is highly contentious because the Palestinian authorities claim East Jerusalem as There was ahorrible contrast between the sight of Netanyahu their capital. Monday’s protests were the culmination of seven beaming with Ivanka Trump in Jerusalem –“what aglorious weeks of border demonstrations by Gazans demanding aright day,” he declared –and the horrific scenes, fewer than of return for Palestinians to areas that are now part of Israel. 50 miles away, in Gaza, said The Times. This kind of “malign Some two-thirds of Gaza’s population is descended from symbolism” is agift to terrorist recruitment. You have only to refugees who fled or were driven from their homes at the think of the Bloody Sunday shootings of 1972, in which time of Israel’s creation, an event Palestinians refer to as the 14 civilians died. Abrother of one of the dead recalled that Nakba, or “Catastrophe”, and mark each year on 15 May. “there were queues to join the IRA after that day”. What happened What the editorials said Brexit deadlock It “beggars belief” that, only weeks from the EU summit, the cabinet is still split on such an important question, said The Theresa May’s inner cabinet was still split Daily Telegraph. “It is hard to imagine how this week over customs arrangements with negotiations can be won when one’s own team the EU after Brexit. Cabinet Office minister is uncertain what it wants.” Both options have David Lidington revealed that, at the last disadvantages. The max fac proposal, using meeting of the “Brexit cabinet” on Tuesday, CCTV and online customs declarations to “serious criticisms” had been made of both police the border, is favoured by Brexiteers. the options on the table: the “customs But it seems unlikely to result in “frictionless partnership” model, whereby the UK would trade” with the EU. It would also involve some collect import tariffs on behalf of the EU; infrastructure at or near the Irish border – and “maximum facilitation”, which proposes breaking May’s pledge to avoid ahard border. using technology to police borders without obstructing trade. Labour said it was “deeply The customs partnership is May’s preferred disturbing” that ministers could not agree option, said The Economist. The Brexiteers, “the most fundamental Brexit issues”. May: “perfectly clear” though, fear that it would be not only vastly complex –firms importing to the UK would Downing Street announced that aBrexit white paper would have to claim back tariffs if their goods didn’t travel on to the be published ahead of the key EU summit in late June, EU –but would inevitably evolve into afull customs union, setting out the Government’s positions. On Monday, David ending hopes of world trade deals and betraying “the spirit of Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nicky Morgan joined forces in a the referendum”. It is hard to see how the deadlock can be cross-party bid to prevent ahard Brexit –acampaign broken. “One of the many surreal features” of the row is that already well under way in the House of Lords. the EU has already “dismissed both options as unworkable”. It wasn’t all bad Forty years after losing both of his The Australian Red Cross has feet to frostbite during an ascent paid tribute to “the man with The bestselling writer Jojo of Everest, 69-year-old Chinese the golden arm”: aretired Moyes has stepped in to save climber Xia Boyu has finally railway worker whose blood amajor adult literacy scheme conquered the peak. He is only the donations have saved the lives after its sponsors pulled out. second double amputee to climb of an estimated 2.4 million Moyes’ £360,000 donation will Everest, and the first to do it from babies over the past 60 years. enable the Quick Reads scheme the Nepal side. He lost his feet after James Harrison, now 81, gave to run for three more years aclimb in 1975, as aresult of giving the last of his 1,173 donations while longer-term funding is his sleeping bag to asick friend last week in Sydney, on the sought. Since 2006, the UK during astorm. On the same day advice of doctors. Probably as scheme has distributed this week (when spring weather aresult of atransfusion he had 4.8 million short novels to made the summit accessible), Steve received aged 14, his blood people with lower literacy Plain, from Australia, set anew contains arare antibody that levels. “Every now and then you record by climbing the highest is used to make Anti-D –alife- have to make adecision about peaks on all seven continents in saving treatment required by whether you’re going to make 117 days –four years after breaking about 17% of pregnant women adifference,” Moyes said. his neck in asurfing accident. in Australia. COVER CARTOON: HOWARD MCWILLIAM THE WEEK 19 May 2018 …and how they were covered NEWS 3 What the commentators said What next? Viewing reports of the “slaughter” at Gaza’s border, many will “understandably feel that the Aregional peace initiative led Israeli authorities grossly overreacted”, said Mark Almond in the Daily Mail. It has been a by Trump’s adviser and son- “public relations disaster” for Israel. It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that had the border in-law Jared Kushner has fence actually been breached by thousands of Palestinians, it would have triggered far greater been shelved because of carnage. And it’s also the case that the central demand of the protests –toreclaim ancestral Palestinian anger over the homes in what is now Israel –threatens the very existence of the state of Israel. Still, the use of new US embassy, reports live rounds was surely excessive, said Paul Goodman on ConservativeHome.com. The worry is The Washington Post. But that this was less amilitary decision than “a political one, driven by government ministers who US officials insist the Trump have voters to satisfy. That doesn’t bode well for the liberal ethos in which Israel takes pride.” peace plan, which had originally been expected to The real question, said Amos Harel in Haaretz, is why Israel allowed things to come to ahead be unveiled earlier this year, in this way. For months, security forces have been warning that conditions in Gaza, which is is not dead and will be under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade, are becoming intolerable, leading to frustration and presented “at the right time”. rage among its two million inhabitants. It has also long been known that Hamas is “under unprecedented strategic pressure” owing to its strained relations with the Saudis and Egypt, Theresa May has called for and its incompetent management of Gaza. It was obvious that Hamas would seek to exploit an independent inquiry into the border protests to foment abloody clash to boost its own image. Yet Israel took no steps Israel’s “deeply troubling” to head this confrontation off, barely lifting “a finger to ease the distress in the Strip”. use of live ammunition against Palestinian protesters. Israel under Netanyahu’s Likud Party seems to think that if it ignores the Palestinian problem, Labour MPs have also called it will just go away, said Stephen Daisley in The Spectator. That’s adangerous attitude. Israelis for the Government to insist they have no partner for peace, and they have apoint: only this month, the Palestinian review arms sales to Israel president, Mahmoud Abbas, who counts as a“moderate”, reiterated his view that the Jews and to cancel aUKvisit by brought the Holocaust on themselves. But sometimes peace “only needs one side. The next President Trump in July, Israeli government –this one is beyond help –has to take charge and formulate aunilateral in protest at his stoking of plan.” Because one thing is for sure: Israel “cannot afford many more days like Monday”. Middle East tensions. What the commentators said What next? “Theresa May usually avoids giving her own opinion in cabinet meetings,” said Rachel The PM has broken up the Sylvester in The Times. She tends to go around the table asking other ministers’ views, before Brexit cabinet into teams even-handedly summing them up. But on this issue she has been perfectly clear: she thinks the of mixed Remainers and customs partnership is the right policy.