内容摘要：But David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said he "can't understand why the planners allowed this to happen" on the same day as the expected unofficial gathering.

But David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said he "can't understand why the planners allowed this to happen" on the same day as the expected unofficial gathering.

The Palestinians boycotted the Trump administration, because of Washington’s abandonment of their claim to Jerusalem - the city that forms the historical centre of national and religious life for Palestinians.They were further isolated when Trump brokered the so-called “Abraham Accords”, which saw a historic deal to normalise diplomatic ties between Israel and several Arab and Muslim countries. They did so without Israel having to accept a future independent Palestinian state alongside it - the so-called two-state solution - previously a condition of Arab countries for such a regional deal.

The countries involved were instead given access to advanced US weapons in return for recognising Israel.The Palestinians were left at one of the most isolated points in their history by the only power that can really apply leverage to both sides in the conflict - further eroding their ability as they saw it to protect themselves on the ground.Trump made several statements during the campaign saying he wants the Gaza war to end.

He has had a complex, at times dysfunctional relationship with Netanyahu, but certainly has the ability to apply pressure on him.He also has a history of strong relations with leaders in the key Arab countries that have contacts with Hamas.

It’s unclear how he would navigate between his desire to show strong support for the Israeli leadership while also trying to bring the war to a close.

Trump’s allies have often portrayed his unpredictability as a diplomatic asset, but in the highly contested and volatile Middle East in the midst of a crisis already of historical proportions, it’s far from clear how this would play out.“Even if we got involved in the war this would be a path to escalation. Why? Because you, the Anglo-Saxons, would immediately say that another country had got involved on one side... so Nato troops would be deployed to Ukraine.”

I ask him whether Vladimir Putin has ever asked Lukashenko to provide Belarussian troops for the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.“Never. Neither he, nor [former Defence Minister] Sergei Shoigu, nor the current Defence Minister Andrei Belousov has ever raised that question.”

But Belarus has played a part in Russia’s war. In February 2022 Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched, partly, from Belarusian territory. Why did the country’s leader allow the Kremlin to do that?“How do you know I gave permission for Belarusian territory to be used?” Lukashenko asks me.