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"As a result of this diplomatic breakthrough and at the request of President Trump and with the support of the United Arab Emirates, Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President's Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Muslim world."The Trump administration has made Israel a cornerstone of its foreign policy, frequently touting its decision to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital and its recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.
Despite peaceful protests highlighting the fourth day of post-election turmoil, violence has hardly subsided. A video has emerged purporting to show riot police in Minsk opening fire on an apartment block as they chased protesters on the ground. Witnesses report that officers aimed their weapons at the building's windows after residents sought to help the demonstrators to dodge arrest.The police chief has apologized for civilian injuries and is pleading with citizens to stay home:
As night approached, clashes erupted with sounds of loud bangs, reportedly from concussion grenades, roaring through the city.
"I offer apologies for the injuries of random people who got caught up in the dispersal," Interior Minister Yuri Karayev said in a televised interview on Thursday. He noted that rioters have attacked law enforcement 11 times over the past three days.UPDATE 14/08/2020: Strike action continues to spread across the country:
The interior minister also said he would prioritize the release of journalists that have been jailed in the roundups of demonstrators.
At least two protesters have died and more than 6,000 people have been arrested in the four days of the unrest. Videos shared online suggest that efforts to disperse the demonstrations have involved SWAT units being set loose on protesters as well as liberal use of rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades and tear gas.
Lukashenko has accused foreign governments - specifically Poland, Czechia and the UK - of fomenting a "color revolution" in Belarus, which Prague and Warsaw have denied.
Angela Merkel and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen pressured Lukashenko to release arrested protesters, or face sanctions.
The march on Friday comes amid a wave of anti-government protests in Belarus. The plant, also known by the abbreviation MTZ, is one of the biggest employers in the Belarus capital, giving jobs to some 15,000 people. A significant part of the staff took to the streets of Minsk chanting "Leave" to incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko and calling on workers from other plants to join them.
More than 2,000 people who were detained during mass protests over the contested presidential elections in Belarus over recent days have been released, the country's Interior Ministry has said.However, Lukashenko remains defiant, declaring he is still the duly-elected president of Belarus and reminding the strikers of the negative economic impact of their actions, should the strikes continue:
However, around 4,700 people are still being held by the country's law enforcement.
In the Belarusian capital city of Minsk, the release of protesters began early in the morning, attracting a crowds of supporters to the detention center. The crackdown on protests had triggered widespread allegations of torture behind bars, while some of the detained said they were beaten up by riot police, but not mistreated in detention.
While seemingly downplaying the consequences of the protests, the Belarus government has acknowledged the potential damage that worker discontent may inflict on the country's economy. President Alexander Lukashenko, the main target of the protest, warned that even short strikes at factories will play into the hands of the competition.Meanwhile his main opponent in the election Svetlana Tikhanovskay, who "fled" to Lithuania amid rumors of an assassination plot, called for an end to the violence. She still maintained the election had been stolen from her, even though she garnered only 10% of the vote:
"If [workers at potassium producer Belaruskali] go for a two-day strike, the competitors in Russia and Canada will make a cross sign and supply to the market everything they want," the president said during a government meeting on Friday. The plant is among those where protest rallies have been reported.
The Belarusian president reacted to the pressure from the opposition, grimly joking at the meeting that he was "still alive" and had not fled the country, despite the wishes of his critics. He reiterated that the core of the protest consisted of rent-a-mob activists, and that honest wage-earners had better things to do than joining them. Lukashenko touts himself as a leader of the working people, and ensuring their prosperity and losing their support would seriously damage his image.
She appealed to city mayors to "act as organizers" of peaceful demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday.
Tikhanovskaya repeated the claim that the election victory has been stolen from her, citing "copies of polling station protocols" as proof.
"Belarusians will not want to live under the existing authorities ever again. The majority does not believe in [Lukashenko's] victory," she said.
The politician urged her supporters to "defend their vote" by signing an online petition demanding a full recount of the votes with "independent" monitors present, and to launch an official probe into the election.
Tikhanovskaya left for Lithuania after President Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected for a sixth term in office last week. His victory sparked accusations of vote-rigging and triggered protests and clashes with police throughout the country.
The authorities, meanwhile, insist that the vote count was fair. Lukashenko claimed that the protests were being incited from abroad, and vowed not to allow further rioting and escalation.
[...] he trusted elected governors to make science-based decisions about the Covid-19 pandemic that best fit their states.
Biden's approach is "regressive, anti-scientific and very defeatist," Trump said on Thursday during a White House press briefing, accusing the Democrat presidential candidate of hiding in his Delaware basement and wanting the same fate inflicted on all Americans.
The Trump administration is strongly recommending people to wear face masks when social distancing is not practical, but "Americans must have their freedoms," Trump added.
Comment: Other aspects and remarks on this Middle East development include the 'elated', the 'doubters' and the 'betrayed': Given the most recent explosions and tragedy in Beirut, Netanyahu's 'exciting peace moment' may bring to mind those dancing Israelis of 9/11.
Update 13/8/2020: The 'annexer-in-chief' still has his eye on the prize, awaiting 'full coordination with the US'. Palestinian leaders are livid: Update 14/8/2020: More international responses from the Muslim world are coming in. Iran's foreign ministry called the move a "tragic mistake" and a dagger in the backs of all Palestinians and Muslims that will "only lead to the strengthening of the resistance, unity and solidarity against" Israel. Turkey said history will not forgive this hypocrisy, calling it a betrayal of the Palestinian cause. Erdogan threatened to cut diplomatic ties with UAE and shut its embassy.
Trump has called the delay of West Bank's annexation a "great concession, smart" by Israel.
Mossad reportedly played an instrumental role in the deal. Wonder who they had to blackmail or threaten in order to so?