Palestinian leaders are ready to work with former British prime minister Tony Blair on rebuilding postwar Gaza, Palestinian Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh has said.
Mr Blair, who has been lined up to help run an interim authority in Gaza, met Mr Al Sheikh on Sunday. The Palestinian politician said they discussed "ways to ensure the success of President Trump's efforts aimed at stopping the war".
"We affirmed our readiness to work with President Trump, Mr Blair, and relevant partners to consolidate the ceasefire, deliver aid, release hostages and prisoners, and embark on recovery and reconstruction," said Mr Al Sheikh, who is seen as a likely successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The prospect of involving Mr Blair, who was UK prime minister from 1997 to 2007, first emerged during White House talks in August. Although Mr Blair helped negotiate an end to the Northern Ireland conflict, and served as a Middle East peace envoy after leaving office, he remains a controversial figure in Britain and the Middle East due to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Nonetheless, Mr Trump confirmed last month that Mr Blair, 72, was envisaged as one of the members of a "board of peace" chaired by the US President that would supervise a new administration in Gaza. The former UK Labour Party leader has kept a low profile while ceasefire negotiations took place.
Hamas, a rival of Mr Al Sheikh's Palestinian Authority, said it would not welcome Mr Blair's involvement. "Unfortunately, we Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims and maybe others around the world have bad memories of him," Hamas official Basem Naim told Sky News.
However, Hamas is set to cede control of Gaza on terms that are yet to be negotiated after last week's "phase one" ceasefire deal. That brought a halt to Israeli bombardment and is expected to lead to a hostage and prisoner swap beginning on Monday.
The Trump plan calls for a "technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee" to run day-to-day services, watched over by Mr Blair and his colleagues on the "board of peace". Hamas would have no role in the authority.
The White House says that arrangement would continue "until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform programme", which has been a talking point for years. The PA exercises limited control over the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but the 89-year-old Mr Abbas is seen as widely unpopular.
Mr Al Sheikh, 64, was appointed Vice President in April, setting him up as a possible successor. After spending 11 years in Israeli prisons in his youth, he is regarded as having established a good working relationship with the Israelis during his years representing the PA.
Result:
1. Cecilie Hatteland (NOR) atop Alex - 31.46 seconds
2. Anna Gorbacheva (RUS) atop Curt 13 - 31.82 seconds
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) atop Cash Up - 32.81 seconds
4. Sheikha Latifa bint Ahmed Al Maktoum (UAE) atop Peanuts de Beaufour - 35.85 seconds
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) atop Benur du Romet - 37.53 seconds
6. Annika Sande (NOR) atop For Cash 2 - 31.42 seconds (4 penalties)
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 6 Huddersfield Town 1
Man City: Agüero (25', 35', 75'), Jesus (31'), Silva (48'), Kongolo (84' og)
Huddersfield: Stankovic (43')
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
SPEC%20SHEET
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What should do investors do now?
What does the S&P 500's new all-time high mean for the average investor?
Should I be euphoric?
No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.
So what happened?
It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.
"The panic in the fourth quarter was based mostly on fears," says Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "The fundamentals have mostly held up, while the fears have gone away and the fears were based mostly on emotion."
Should I buy? Should I sell?
Maybe. It depends on what your long-term investment plan is. The best advice is usually the same no matter the day — determine your financial goals, make a plan to reach them and stick to it.
"I would encourage (investors) not to overreact to highs, just as I would encourage them not to overreact to the lows of December," Mr Schutte says.
All the same, there are some situations in which you should consider taking action. If you think you can't live through another low like last year, the time to get out is now. If the balance of assets in your portfolio is out of whack thanks to the rise of the stock market, make adjustments. And if you need your money in the next five to 10 years, it shouldn't be in stocks anyhow. But for most people, it's also a good time to just leave things be.
Resist the urge to abandon the diversification of your portfolio, Mr Schutte cautions. It may be tempting to shed other investments that aren't performing as well, such as some international stocks, but diversification is designed to help steady your performance over time.
Will the rally last?
No one knows for sure. But David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, expects the US market could move up 5 per cent to 7 per cent more over the next nine to 12 months, provided the Fed doesn't raise rates and earnings growth exceeds current expectations. We are in a late cycle market, a period when US equities have historically done very well, but volatility also rises, he says.
"This phase can last six months to several years, but it's important clients remain invested and not try to prematurely position for a contraction of the market," Mr Bailin says. "Doing so would risk missing out on important portfolio returns."
