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Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees released as Trump’s Gaza plan is endorsed in Egypt summit

Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees released as Trump’s Gaza plan is endorsed in Egypt summit

Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday 13 October under a ceasefire deal and Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees, as U.S. President Donald Trump declared the end of the two-year long war in the Middle East. Hours later, Trump convened Muslim and European leaders in Egypt to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip and the possibility of a wider regional peace, even as Hamas and Israel, both absent from the gathering, are yet to agree on the next steps. The Israeli military said it had received all 20 hostages confirmed to be alive, after their transfer form Gaza by the Red Cross. The announcement prompted cheering, hugging and weeping among thousands waiting at "Hostage Square" in Tel Aviv. In Gaza, thousands of relatives, many weeping with joy, gathered at a hospital where buses brought home some of the nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees to be freed by Israel as part of the accord. "The skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace," Trump told the Knesset, Israel's parliament, saying a "long nightmare" for both Israelis and Palestinians was over.
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Monday Commentary
 Monday Commentary: Multilateralism is still the only way forward, and the EU can, and should lead

Monday Commentary: Multilateralism is still the only way forward, and the EU can, and should lead

Multilateralism: the concept whereby countries work together on common tasks and challenges, regardless of disagreements, seems currently out of favour. Three developments appear to seal its fate: first, the return of an emboldened Donald Trump to the White House has triggered a new phase of American particularism; second, Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has created a division in Europe not seen since WWII; third, increased scepticism in the Global South has seen countries or groups of countries adopting a negative view of engagement, particularly with regard to western countries. The European Union (EU) is itself an organisation built on the concept of multilateralism: 27 members states voluntarily join to pool resources and work together. It is a success story, and when someone wants to leave, it can do so as Britain did in 2019. But the EU is a multilateralist player in in own right on the world stage, and it takes this role seriously. The European Council stated that "The European Union will remain a predictable, reliable, and credible partner and welcomes the opportunity to work together in a changing environment with all its partners, as well as with the United Nations and its agencies in driving forward the internal reform process – the UN80 initiative – to ensure that the United Nations remains effective, cost-efficient and responsive.” The commitment is crystal clear. The question is how? It takes two to tango, and the partner of the EU on multilateralism can be China. Unlike the US, China pays lip service to multilateralism, but it actions on Taiwan, the South China Sea, Ukraine, and a lot of other issues, speak a different story. The EU needs to engage China on the multilateral agenda, but needs to do so carefully and selectively. One area were co-operation is necessary and possible is the UN. Donald Trump’s rant at this year’s UN General Assembly is not without justification. The UN needs fixing, but the US proposes to throw out the baby with the bath water. The EU and China can fix this. Reform of the UN is a topic on which the two can work together. They should. On multilateralism the European Union, can and should lead. It must galvanise all its resources, including civil society, a sector where the EU has a lead by far, in the process.

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Editor's choice
News
Russia tripled its gold exports in 2020

Russia tripled its gold exports in 2020

Russia tripled its gold exports in 2020 after the coronavirus pandemic had made oil and gas revenues plummet, the Russian newspaper Izvestia writes. However this year is not expected to be so good for gold producers. According to economists at Morgan Stanley weak inflation, coupled with an improving economic outlook, will continue to weigh on gold prices.
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GEU Podcast: Is EU ‘strategic autonomy’ compatible with NATO? – with Dr Jamie Shea

GEU Podcast: Is EU ‘strategic autonomy’ compatible with NATO? – with Dr Jamie Shea

After over 70 years at the forefront of Western defence strategy, what is the state of NATO? In this episode of Global Europe Unpacked, Will Murray speaks to Dr Jamie Shea, former NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, about how the organisation is handling modern challenges, what a 'strategically autonomous' Europe means for NATO, and more...
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Opinion
Six world leaders launch global conversation on multilateralism

Six world leaders launch global conversation on multilateralism

Six world leaders have have published a joint op-ed in which they called for a global conversation on multilateralism. The leaders said in the article published in several languages in media outlets across the world that there was an "opportunity to rebuild consensus for an international order based on multilateralism and the rule of law through efficient cooperation, solidarity and coordination." The signatories of the appeal are French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Senegalese President Macky Sall, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.
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News
Blinken: "China poses the most significant challenge to us of any other country, but it’s a complicated one"

Blinken: "China poses the most significant challenge to us of any other country, but it’s a complicated one"

Only days in office as US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has set up his stall of future US foreign policy positions in a long interview with Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC. In the interview, Blinken addressed core challenges facing US foreign policy, including China, Russia and Iran.
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Army stages military coup in Myanmar

Army stages military coup in Myanmar

Myanmar’s military seized power on Monday in a coup against the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in early morning raids.
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President Xi warns against 'new Cold War' amid China's fears world democracies are ganging up against it

President Xi warns against 'new Cold War' amid China's fears world democracies are ganging up against it

The Chinese leader’s comments appear to have a least two motives: as a response to President Biden’s assertion that an alliance of democracies needs to work together to combat China’s rise; and as a thinly veiled defence of China’s heavily criticised human rights abuses –  which Xi characterises as “internal affairs” – and sanctions being considered in the West in response to them.