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world news Diahuebs 9 Juni 2022

Irish leader sees no UK will to end Brexit trade standoff

BRUSSELS (AP) — The single market, there are
British government ap- checks on some goods, such
pears to have no political as meat and eggs, entering
will to resolve its fester- Northern Ireland from the
ing trade dispute with the rest of the U.K. The British
European Union and risks unionists say the new checks
endangering the hard- have put a burden on busi-
won peace in Northern nesses and frayed the bonds
Ireland, Irish Prime Min- between Northern Ireland
ister Micheal Martin said and the rest of the U.K.
Wednesday. Britain’s Conservative gov-
ernment insists the rules
Prime Minister Boris John- also are undermining peace
son’s government said last in Northern Ireland, where
month that it it would pass they have caused a politi-
a law to scrap parts of a trade cal crisis. The main unionist
treaty with the EU signed party is blocking the forma-
less than two years ago. The tion of a power-sharing gov-
EU has threatened to retali- ernment in Belfast, saying it
ate, raising the specter of a won’t take part until the trade
trade war between the two rules are scrapped.
major economic partners. Ireland’s prime minister told
“I just simply do not detect a the European Parliament on
sustained political will on be- Wednesday that the British
half of the U.K. government government’s plans “to set
to settle this, to resolve this, are concerns from legal ex- the British government try- Sea. aside a solemn agreement
because it without question perts that the move is unlaw- ing to help fix things, “we When Britain left the Euro- would be deeply damaging,”
can be resolved,” Martin told ful, and the bill will face op- have actually seen efforts to pean Union and its border- “It would mark a historic low
EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, position in Parliament. block agreements and intro- less free-trade zone, the two point signaling a disregard for
France. Britain says its unilateral duce new problems.” sides agreed to keep the Irish essential principles of laws
The British government is move to breach the legally British unionists in Northern land border free of customs which are the foundations of
expected to publish a draft binding Brexit treaty is an in- Ireland — the only part of posts and other checks be- international relations,” Mar-
law in the coming days to re- surance policy in case it can’t the U.K. that shares a border cause an open border is a key tin said. “And it would quite
move checks on goods enter- reach an agreement with the with an EU member state, pillar of the peace process that literally be for the benefit of
ing Northern Ireland from 27-nation bloc to end their Martin’s Ireland — oppose ended decades of violence in absolutely no one.”q
the rest of the U.K. But there dispute over trade rules. the trade rules, which created Northern Ireland.
Martin said that instead of a customs border in the Irish Instead, to protect the EU’s

Israeli minister races to salvage flailing coalition

By EMILY ROSE prised of parties from across tlements, as well as dovish of the settlers than with the But the fissures in the coali-
Associated Press the political spectrum, and parties that oppose them. The status of the government. tion will be difficult to mend
JERUSALEM (AP) — Is- its defeat has raised ques- alliance is the first in Israel’s The opposition is dominated and its days could be num-
rael’s justice minister says tions about the government’s history to include an Arab by allies of the settlers, yet bered.
he will give the govern- long-term viability. party, the Islamist Ra’am, voted against the legislation “The government now
ment one final chance to Israeli media said that the whose members abstained or and the interests of their con- would find it very difficult to
approve a contentious bill renegade coalition lawmakers opposed the bill on Monday. stituents in hopes of speeding manage the ongoing affairs of
extending legal protec- who didn’t support the bill Saar, who heads a small pro- up the collapse of the govern- state, let alone instigate and
tions to West Bank settlers are being pressure to change settler party, directed much of ment. Dovish members of initiate major reforms and
in a last-ditch effort to their minds or resign to make his criticism at Ra’am. “From the government, meanwhile, so on,” said Yohanan Plesner,
keep the fractured coali- way for those who would my perspective, Ra’am has voted in favor of the bill to president of the Israel De-
tion in power. vote in favor. not behaved like a party in shore up the coalition, de- mocracy Institute, an Israeli
Emergency regulations in the coalition and will pay a spite their opposition to the think tank. “In this respect,
Justice Minister Gideon Saar place for decades have cre- price for that,” he told Chan- settlements. it’s a missing government, it’s
said in a series of TV inter- ated a separate legal system nel 13 TV. If the bill fails again next a very problematic situation
views that he will resubmit for Jewish settlers in the West There was no indication as week, the government would for the government.”q
the bill next Sunday, after the Bank. It applies parts of Israe- to whether Ra’am’s members not immediately collapse.
legislation failed to pass ear- li law to them — even though would change how they vot-
lier this week. Several mem- they live in occupied territory ed. Another coalition mem-
bers of the coalition joined and not within sovereign Is- ber who voted against the
the opposition in defeating raeli land — while Palestin- bill, Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi,
the bill. ians live under military rule, said Wednesday she remained
Saar called on his fellow co- now in its sixth decade. opposed.
alition members to get in line If the bill fails to pass again, The coalition was formed a
or to exit the government — Jewish settlers living there year ago, bringing together
a scenario that would likely could see their legal status eight parties that have little
plunge the country into a thrown into question. Crit- in common beyond their
fifth election in just three ics, including the Palestin- shared animosity to former
years. ians and three prominent Prime Minister Benjamin
“As long as they don’t make human rights groups, have Netanyahu, who is now the
order in their own party, as said the situation amounts to opposition leader. After a se-
far as we are concerned, they apartheid, an allegation Israel ries of coalition defections,
aren’t part of the coalition,” rejects as an assault on its le- parliament is evenly divided
he told Israel’s Kan public gitimacy. 60-60 between the coalition
broadcaster late Tuesday. The coalition includes na- and opposition.
The bill was seen as a major tionalistic parties that are In some ways, Monday’s vote
test for the coalition, com- strong supporters of the set- had less to do with the status