UK government approves plan to build Holocaust museum
July 30, 2021, 12:49 pm

UK government

The Xinhua news agency reported that UK government approval was given Thursday to a controversial plan for a Holocaust museum next to Britain's Houses of Parliament.

It said, government planning minister Chris Pincher backed a planning inspector who said the multi-million-dollar scheme for the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial and Learning Center at Victoria Tower Gardens should go ahead.

The Xinhua added, the scheme will see the museum on a site close to London's landmark Big Ben clock tower and will involve an underground basement mezzanine in a landscaped area.

UK government

Critics of the project have condemned the siting of the museum, next to the Palace of Westminster, home of the Houses of Lords and Commons and close to Westminster Abbey.

In a 14-page ruling, Pincher concluded that the important public benefits of the scheme are sufficient to demonstrably outweigh the identified harm that the proposals have been found to cause.

Save Victoria Tower Gardens, a campaign group, waged a battle against the project, saying while there is undoubtedly a need for Holocaust education, an alternative site should be found, adding that its lawyers are reading the full decision and considering the next steps.

Source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.