World
Solomon Islands leader hits back at criticism of deepening security ties with China
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The leader of Solomon Islands on Monday hit back at criticism of his nation’s deepening security ties with China, saying the United States and Australia had nothing to fear.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare made the remarks at a news conference in the capital Honiara after returning from a visit to China, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top officials.
Sogavare said that while in China, he signed nine agreements and memorandums, including a police cooperation plan.
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is holding talks with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing as the U.S. seeks to restore contacts with China that were disrupted by disputes over trade, Taiwan, human rights and territorial claims.
China’s economic growth missed forecasts in the second quarter of the year amid a slowdown in consumer spending and weakening global demand.
On the heels of a trip to Beijing, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is back in Asia for a series of Group of 20 finance minister meetings in India.
China has criticized a German government call for reducing dependency on Chinese products as a form of protectionism.
He said the plan “enhances cooperation on law enforcement and security matters with a commitment by China to provide support as needed” to strengthen the capacity of police law enforcement in the Pacific nation.
The new agreements come after the Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China last year, raising fears of a military buildup in the region. The U.S. has countered with diplomatic moves of its own, including opening an embassy in the Solomon Islands.
The Solomon Islands switched allegiance from the self-ruled island of Taiwan to Beijing in 2019, threatening the close ties with the U.S. that date to World War II.
Both the U.S. and Australia have raised concerns about the secrecy of the new police plan.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters she had asked about the plan when she met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi in Jakarta last week.
Wong said Australia wants more transparency and takes the view that “security is best provided for within the Pacific family.”
At the news conference, Sogavare accused the U.S. and Australia of being “un-neighborly” by criticizing the police plan.
“This is nothing but interference by foreign states into the internal affairs of Solomon Islands,” Sogavare said.
He said China’s plan to help the police complemented existing Australian and New Zealand police programs in his nation.
“Australia and the United States should not fear China’s police support to Solomon Islands,” Sogavare said.
Home to 700,000 people and lying about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Australia, Solomon Islands has been one of China’s biggest successes in a campaign to expand its presence in the South Pacific.
China’s Foreign Ministry earlier said that Sogavare’s visit to Beijing would “inject new momentum” into relations and “deepen mutual political trust.”
& Estelle Nilsson-Julien
Published on
A document going around online alleges that the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to take back control of the Tombs of the Kings, a sacred site which is under French control in East Jerusalem.
It’s been circulating on social media and presents a decision allegedly made by Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s Foreign Affairs Minister.
It suggests that Israel’s Foreign Ministry is looking into holding “diplomatic negotiations with the French government,” in a bid to transfer the holy site to Israel.
At the top of the document, “Jerusalem Day” is mentioned, an Israeli national holiday which marks the moment when Israeli forces took over East Jerusalem, following the 1967 six-day war.
Jerusalem Day falls yearly in May or June, in line with the Hebrew calendar’s month of Iyar.
However, EuroVerify found no proof that the document is real.
In a public statement shared on X, Israel’s French embassy refuted the allegations and said it deplores such “fake news.”
“We urge everyone to be vigilant when it comes to unsourced information on social networks,” it added.
When approached by EuroVerify, France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “We are not aware of any official Israeli approach to this effect. The national domains are the property of the French State.”
“This ownership is recognised by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority through international agreements,” it continued. “In Jerusalem, France has owned, since the 19th century, four national domains and religious Christian and Jewish sites, whose ownership was recognised by the State of Israel in 1948.”
Why does France control certain sites in Jerusalem?
In addition to various Christian and Jewish religious sites in the region, France owns four heritage sites in Jerusalem, under a treaty known as the Fischer-Chauvel agreement.
These sites, including the Tombs of the Kings, are known as the French National Domain in the Holy Land, with some of France’s claims over them dating back to the Ottoman era.
The other three are the Church of the Pater Noster (also known as the Sanctuary of the Eleona), the Benedictine monastery in Abu Ghosh and the Church of Saint Anne.
The Tombs of the Kings are believed to be the burial site of Queen Helene of Adiabene, who converted to Judaism around 30 AD and died sometime between 50 and 56 AD. They were originally thought to be the burial place of the kings of Judah.
The French claims are based on the government’s purchase of the site from a private owner in 1886. Jerusalem was part of the Ottoman Empire at the time and the Ottoman government officially recognised the sale as legal under its law.
France continued to assert its ownership of the Tombs of the Kings and other sites during the British Mandate and later under Israeli rule.
It and the newly-founded State of Israel drew up the Fischer-Chauvel agreement between 1948 and 1949 to formalise Paris’ claim to the sites. However, while Israel acknowledges the existence of the agreement, it has never officially ratified it.
Nevertheless, it has generally respected the privileges associated with the sites and given de facto recognition to French control. The tricolour flag flies over them, and they are administered by French authorities, but they conform to Israeli property law.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — a U.S.-backed group that has Israel’s stamp of approval — said it has started distributing aid to the Gaza Strip despite being the subject of controversy and questions.
GHF did not specify how many trucks of food it was dealing with but said that the supplies made it to its hubs and were being distributed throughout the Strip. The organization also said there would be more trucks arriving on Wednesday.
“As part of the ongoing efforts to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, four aid distribution centers were established in recent weeks, in accordance with the directive of the political echelon and in close coordination with the United States,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
Gazans are seen going to and from an aid collection spot. (Amit Segal)
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“Every day, thousands of Gazans will be able to come here, reach this third party and get the aid directly. We hope this will end Hamas’ abuse of the aid coming into Gaza, Hamas’s abuse of the people of Gaza, and that the people of Gaza will be able to receive the aid directly,” IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said in a video about the aid.
The organization received considerable scrutiny before its distribution began, as well as a potentially major hurdle: just hours before it started distributing aid, the head of the organization resigned.
Jake Woods, who was the executive director of the GHF, resigned on Monday, citing the organization’s inability to “adhere to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon.”
“I urge Israel to significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through all mechanisms, and I urge all stakeholders to continue to explore innovative new methods for the delivery of aid, without delay, diversion, or discrimination,” Woods said in a statement obtained by Fox News. “I continue to believe the only sustainable path for the long-term is for Hamas to release all hostages, for there to be a cessation of hostilities, and a pathway for peace, security, and dignity for all people in the region.”
Humanitarian aid to be distributed to the people of Gaza. (IDF Spokesperson’s Office)
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Prior to Woods’ resignation, GHF faced criticism over its distribution plan, which involved the aid arriving at hubs that are guarded by armed contractors, according to The Associated Press. The outlet also reported that the four hubs being set up are all close to Israeli military positions, saying that three are “far south where few Palestinians are located.”
The Associated Press reported that GHF said the flow of supplies to Palestinians in Gaza would be “increasing each day.”
Woods is not alone in his concern about GHF’s independence and impartiality, as the organization has faced backlash over Israel’s support for the organization. The United Nations and aid groups have voiced criticism of GHF.
Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip on Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A spokesperson from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told Reuters that GHF is “a distraction from what is actually needed.”
“Our position remains firm: as Tom Fletcher, the under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs, told the Security Council the other week, this is a distraction. Aid operations must be in line with the humanitarian principles and must be scaled up to stave off famine and meet the needs of all civilians, where they are in the Strip,” OCHA spokesperson Eri Kaneko told Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department and the Red Cross for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
Trey Yingst contributed to this report.
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