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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 2019)
A6 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2019 US abruptly endorses Israel’s Golan sovereignty By MATTHEW LEE and DEB RIECHMANN Associated Press JERUSALEM — Presi- dent Donald Trump abruptly declared Thursday the U.S. will recognize Israel’s sov- ereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, a major shift in American policy that gives Israeli Prime Minis- ter Benjamin Netanyahu a political boost a month before what is expected to be a close election. The administration has been considering recog- nizing Israel’s sovereignty over the strategic high- lands, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967, for some time and Netanyahu had pressed the matter with visiting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo just a day earlier. U.S. and Israeli offi cials said Wednesday they had not expected a decision until next week, when Netanyahu is to visit the U.S. But in a tweet that appeared to catch many by surprise, Trump said the time had come for the United States to take the step, which Netanyahu warmly wel- comed as a “miracle” on the Jewish holiday of Purim. “After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security impor- tance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!” Trump tweeted. The U.S. will be the fi rst country to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, which the rest of the inter- national community regards Amir Cohen Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. as disputed territory occu- pied by Israel whose sta- tus should be determined by negotiations between Israel and Syria. Attempts to bring Israel and Syria to the table have failed. It was not immediately clear how a U.N. peacekeeping force in the Golan might be affected by the U.S. move. That force’s mandate expires at the end of June. There had been signals a decision was coming. Last week, in its annual human rights report, the State Department dropped the phrase “Israeli-occupied” from the Golan Heights section, instead calling it “Israeli-controlled.” Pompeo had brushed questions about the change aside, insisting even ear- lier Thursday that there was no change in policy. How- ever, in comments to report- ers ahead of a Purim dinner with Netanyahu and his wife at their Jerusalem home, Pompeo hailed the shift. “Tonight, President Trump made the deci- sion to recognize that that hard-fought real estate, that important place, is proper to be a sovereign part of the state of Israel,” he said. Netanyahu, who is embroiled in a fi erce re-elec- tion campaign ahead of April 9 voting, smiled broadly while delivering his own remarks. “We have the miracle of Purim,” he said. “Thank you President Trump.” Netanyahu has for weeks been stepping up longstand- ing Israeli requests for the U.S. and others to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan. He has bolstered Isra- el’s traditional argument that the area has for all practi- cal purposes been fully inte- grated into Israel by accus- ing Iran of trying to infi ltrate terrorists from Syria into the plateau. “At a time when Iran seeks to use Syria as a plat- form to destroy Israel, Pres- ident Trump boldly recog- nizes Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” Netanyahu tweeted. WORLD IN BRIEF Associated Press US forces say 2 American soldiers killed in Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan — Two Ameri- can service members were killed during a combat operation in Afghanistan today, the U.S. and NATO forces said, providing no other details. The fatalities, which bring to four the number of U.S. soldiers killed so far this year in Afghanistan and 13 last year, underscore the difficulties in bringing peace to the war-wrecked country even as Washington has stepped up efforts to find a way to end the 17-year war, America’s longest. An Afghan lawmaker from Kunduz province said there was heavy fighting overnight in the Kunduz neighborhood of Taluka, where jet fighters roared over- head and bombings could be heard. There are about 14,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, supporting embattled Afghan forces as they struggle on two fronts — facing a resurgent Taliban who now hold sway over almost half the coun- try and also the Islamic State affiliate, which has sought to expand its footprint in Afghanistan even as its self-proclaimed “caliphate” has crumbled in Syria and Iraq. Need for aid grows after Cyclone Idai destruction BEIRA, Mozambique — As floodwa- ters began to recede in parts of Mozam- bique today, fears rose that the death toll could soar beyond 1,000 as bodies are revealed. Thousands of people were making a grim voyage toward the city of Beira, which although 90 percent destroyed has become a center for frantic rescue efforts throughout the region. Some walked along roads carved away by the raging waters a week ago. Oth- ers, hundreds of them, were ferried in an extraordinary makeshift effort by local fishermen who plucked stranded people from small islands. Helicopters set off into the rain for another day of efforts to find people clinging to rooftops and trees. For those who reach Beira with their few remaining possessions, life is grim. Waterborne diseases are a growing con- cern as water and sanitation systems were largely destroyed. Florida man pleads guilty to mailing bombs to Trump foes NEW YORK — A Florida man pleaded guilty Thursday to sending pipe bombs to CNN and prominent critics of President Donald Trump in a wave of attacks that harmed no one but spread fear of political violence across the U.S. for days leading up to last fall’s midterm elections. Cesar Sayoc, 57, shackled at the ankles, briefl y sobbed as he entered the plea before a New York federal judge. He could get life in prison at sentencing Sept. 12 on 65 counts, including 16 counts of using a weapon of mass destruction and mailing explosives with intent to kill. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped a charge that carried a mandatory life sentence. Sayoc sent 16 rudimentary bombs — none of which detonated — to targets includ- ing Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden, several members of Congress, former President Barack Obama and actor Robert De Niro. Devices were also mailed to CNN offi ces in New York and Atlanta. Mississippi governor signs ‘heartbeat’ abortion law JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant on Thursday signed one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation — a measure that bans most abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, about six weeks into pregnancy. Bryant’s action came despite a federal judge’s ruling last year that struck down a less-restrictive law limiting abortions in the state. The New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights called the new mea- sure “cruel and clearly unconstitutional” and said it would sue Mississippi to try to block the law from taking effect on July 1. Mississippi is one of several states that have considered bills this year to ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is found. Abortion opponents are emboldened by new conservatives on the Supreme Court and are seeking cases to challenge Roe v. Wade, the court’s 1973 ruling that legal- ized abortion nationwide. A federal judge in 2018 struck down a Mississippi law that would ban most abor- tions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, saying it is unconstitutional. The ruling came in a lawsuit fi led by the only remaining abor- tion clinic in Mississippi. We’re Hiring! 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