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
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
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