International
Spanish chef José Andrés resorts to his influence and pain to change Israel’s policy in Gaza
Spanish chef José Andrés has resorted to his influence in Washington and the immense pain he feels for the death of seven aid workers of his NGO, World Central Kitchen (WCK), so that the United States asks Israel for changes in its military strategy in the Gaza Strip.
When José Andrés speaks, Washington listens. He has important connections in political circles: the former president of the United States. Barack Obama awarded him the Medal of the Arts and Humanities in 2016, and earlier this year, the former president of the Lower House, Nancy Pelosi, nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The chef, who is also a U.S. citizen, has a close relationship with the president, Joe Biden, and both talked on the phone after the tragedy.
After that call, Biden issued one of the strongest statements to date against the Israeli government, accusing him of “not having done enough to protect humanitarian workers” since the beginning of the war and said he “have a broken heart” by the death of WCK aid workers in Gaza.
Since the moment of the tragedy, José Andrés has used the loudspeaker that gives him his position to question Israel’s policy and make it clear that this is not an isolated incident, since the beginning of the conflict 196 humanitarian workers have died and more than 33,100 Palestinians have asked for their lives.
Even more important, José Andrés has asked for an independent investigation into the attack on the WCK convoy and has urged the United States, Australia, Canada, Poland and the United Kingdom, countries of origin of the deceased aid workers, to join this call, although Washington has already refused to do so.
In an interview with the ABC network, broadcast this Sunday, José Andrés insisted on the need for an independent investigation and considered that Israel is waging a “war against humanity itself.”
“This is no longer about the seven men and women of WCK who perished in that unfortunate event. This has been happening for too long. It’s been six months attacking anything that seems to move,” said José Andrés.
“This doesn’t look like a war against terror. This no longer looks like a war to defend Israel. Actually, at this point, it seems that it is a war against humanity itself,” he added.
Therefore, he argued, it is imperative that a “deeper” investigation be carried out, in which the videos of the event and the radio conversations of the military involved can be analyzed.
“The one who has perpetrated the attack cannot investigate himself,” he stressed.
The Israeli Army has carried out its own investigation and, in its first conclusions published on Friday, it stated that the attack was the result of a chain of “serious mistakes” and assured that they fired believing that there were two Hamas “gunmen” inside the vehicles.
When asked about it, José Andrés was especially forceful. “Every time something happens, we can’t just include Hamas in the equation,” he said.
José Andrés has not only made this type of statement on the ABC network, but he also published an opinion article this week in The New York Times and has used his account on the social network X, with more than a million followers, to question Biden’s policies towards Israel.
The pressure on Biden is enormous, especially since the chef’s words come at a time when his policy towards Israel could cost him dearly in the November elections, especially in key states where the Arab community has an important weight, such as Michigan and Minnesota.
In this context, Biden spoke on the phone with Netanyahu on Thursday and gave him an ultimatum. For the first time, the US leader put conditions for his government’s support for the war in Gaza and warned that Washington’s policy would change if Israel did not take “concrete” measures to improve the humanitarian situation.
Hours later, Israel facilitated the entry of more humanitarian aid into Gaza and dismissed two commanders responsible for the attack on the co-operants.
The real test will now be the negotiations of the next few days in Cairo, in which the United States is putting pressure on Israel to reach an agreement with Hamas and achieve a ceasefire in the Strip, in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
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Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
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