an officer in a special unit. let my soldier in covert mission into syria and as we came back to the golan to israel we nearly froze to death. in a blinding snowstorm well as you can see i'm still here. but at that point in nine hundred sixty seven israel seized the high ground which has since proven invaluable to our defense because in one thousand seventy three syria launched a surprise attack against israel and those same golan heights proved to be to enable us to absorb the initial attack it was a horrific attack and successfully counterattack the invading syrian forces within three weeks we were at the gates of damascus outmanned outgunned our brave soldiers triumphed after one of the hardest fought tank battles in our history but while israel won those two wars we would have to wait nearly half

a century until this moment here in this room to translate our nearly cherry victory into a diplomatic victory and that is why mr president your decision to recognize israel sovereignty on the golan heights is so as stark your recognition is a two fold act of historic justice israel on the golan heights in a just war of self defense and the jewish people's roots in the golan go back thousands of years in the long sweep of jewish history there have been a handful of proclamations by non jewish leaders and behalf of our people in our land cyrus the great the great persian king lord valve for. president harry s. truman and president donald j. trump and you mr president. as president you have done it not

once but twice with your bold proclamation on juicer them and with your bold proclamation today on the ball and your partner action comes at a time when the goal and is more important than ever for our security when you ron is trying to establish bases in syria to strike at israel from across the border in syria iran is launched drones into our air space missiles into our territory mr president just as israel stood tall and one thousand nine hundred eighty seven just as it stood tall in one nine hundred seventy three israel stands tall today we hold the high ground and we shall never gave it up mr president we have a saying in israel said in hebrew it says. in have good land that means

the people with the golan but thanks to you we now know that there are two peoples who stand with the golan the people of israel and the people of america so on behalf of all the people of israel thank you president trump thank you for your leadership. thank you for your friendship and thank you for all you have done to make the alliance between america and israel stronger and greater than ever thank you mr president thank you thank you thank you thank you. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and the u.s. president donald trump he is sitting down at that table there he is about to sign a presidential proclamation which is declaring israel's sovereignty over the golan

heights or at least the u.s. recognition of israel's sovereignty over the golan heights. thank you prime minister netanyahu calling it a historic moment that he says puts donald trump up alongside the names of truman and balfour as friends of israel the best friends of israel i guess is how he would put it let's have a listen. right . here in europe hundred. taliban you're talking radio you're going to do that thank you very much they sharing everything changes around the world what do you want to see prime minister gregory are you are. are going to lose are foreigners. are you know you're not a really want to do it or whatever you would use that you know. so that very strong

friendship between trump and netanyahu on display there as donald trump signs that presidential proclamation declaring that the u.s. does recognize israeli sovereignty over the golan heights complete how could a white house correspondent listening along to all of that it was what i think we expected to hear campbell but also a forceful words from prime minister netanyahu about what's happening in gaza right now. yes forceful words but i think we have to pull back and look at why these two leaders we should point out appearing in what seems to be matching outfits are trying so hard to show that they have this very strong friendship there's no question that both of these leaders are battled right now the united states domestically with the mulla report for donald trump and of course for benjamin netanyahu despite the fact that the news events back home in even though he cut his visit short here in washington still made an effort to have this photo

opportunity with the u.s. president the question is why well because it plays well politically plays well for the israeli prime minister in israel as he approaches the minute lection in april and of course it plays well to donald trump supporters here in the united states namely evangelicals and those who are very pro israel and there are many of particularly on capitol hill so there's no question that this was designed to play out in front of the cameras it was something that the white house kept very close to its chest in terms of media availability until almost the last minute the question now becomes how it will be viewed if it will be seen as something sort of as an underscoring of this friendship that donald trump is trying to stress or will it be viewed as a cynical ploy in essence of the u.s. trying to hand a foreign policy victory to the israeli prime minister. stay there for me if you wouldn't mind of bashar with us here in the studio was

a moment just so you know i'm seeing the russian foreign ministry of the foreign minister sergei lavrov saying that israeli sovereignty over the occupied golan heights leads to a violation of international law just because the u.s. declares something doesn't make it so i just i mean just like an absurd example let's say president from sits down on the you know a round table with a couple of in one jet it goes in couple of scientists behind them and signs up recriminations saying zones where is an american territory know what. it doesn't mean anything it's actually meaning this in terms of international law but it has a lot of meaning in terms of israel now doubling down on settling the golan heights and doubling down on not giving up the golan heights now unlike what president trump has claimed over the last several days american presidents before him have all thought the golan heights was occupied and none of them said that they would ever. considered to be an israeli territory some of them said that he would

move the embassy to jerusalem but none of them said something about the golan heights sort of what i'm saying i am the only one among my predecessors who said something like that and will do it is just not true and why is he doing that well for a simple fact that he wants to enter the history books and now he's even entering the bible i mean he's becoming a biblical figure for some of his event the tickle supporters of supporters and if we look now at the picture there are five people behind them one is the israeli ambassador to the united states and the four others are the secretary of state and the vice presidents what event jellicoe all zionists christians and best of the friedman and his his his son in law who are both radical american zionists so what he hears trump who he listens to are of those sources and those sources are not only important for him for advice but they are very important for him in terms

of his political future because he thinks the jewish and the pro israeli vote in the united states as well as they venture to call vote are going to be important for him to win the next election of that was a campaign speech that was bilateral relations as much as it was a campaign speech for prime minister netanyahu so here we have a situation whereby president trump was just quote unquote using his words exonerated but there is no collusion and there's no. whatever the other one thing is that he was accused of and and now he feels that well you know if the russians did not intervene in american action i'm gonna now help out my friend prime minister not the now in these really election so and i think in a sense now he has the time and he has the spirit to do what he just did to the end i think prime minister netanyahu probably values that more than anyone else because as we were seeing earlier he has been more or less threatened now with indictment. he has been seen as as

a corrupt liar by most israelis in fact most of the international community and just a little anecdote to their mind our viewers around the world is that when the three western leaders cameron cosey and obama got on the phone it was leaked their own conversation among the three is saying each of them complaining about how much prime minister blair prime minister and the now there's a liar right but here we have a situation where president trump who himself is accused to be a liar by many in the democratic party is supporting his friend prime minister not the narrow and choosing this issue of the golan heights just briefly the question of gaza is really key look what at what but as the he's talked about the greatness of israel as an inspiration and israel that is defending itself imagine these words being uttered when the gaza strip when the rest of palestine has been occupied now for fifty two years when the gaza strip has been under israel's

wrath for the last five decades and still the american president says it's israel under attack not gaza or the west bank just as you mentioned gaza have we a live shot of gaza right now can we have a quick look just to put it into context as harry will tell terry sources shortly but those moments it's not falling of the guards or at the moment twenty seven but airstrikes have begun on the gaza strip in retaliation for the rocket attack north of tel aviv on sunday so again just a little context and we keeping an eye on this live shot as things get a little darker let's see what transpires as night falls. one again i've actually forgotten what i was going to ask you about the so-called official the picture. again because just to put what president if any on prime minister president robin wright missed another no that's definitely for them said about gaza

and about israel gaza is some two million plus palestinians eighty five percent of them are refugees and they've been refugees for over fifty years and they live in the most overpopulated little strip in the world with something like seventy percent of the population under thirty and poverty is something above sixty or seventy percent as much as an employment in the strip it has been enclosed for all practical matter as an open prison a by israel and. egypt and for that matter for for gaza to be once again won by that as it was in two thousand and fourteen as it was in two thousand and twelve and in two thousand and eight and so on so forth it's really a crime against those people the majority of the people who are of course innocent . civilians within the overpopulated strip quick final word before i bring in our

of the cause burns and this is what i did want to ask you before if donald trump is recognizing jerusalem as the capital john trampas move the embassy there donald trump is recognize the golan heights the occupied golan heights is being is ready what's next because there's supposed to be this big deal coming and it doesn't bode well for the idea of a two state solution well the argument goes i'm pretty skeptical but as the argument goes is that president trump has been more than happy trigger happy to trample over international law and past americans agreements and traditional american policy in order to fulfill the wackiest of netanyahu his fantasies about what israel is and. can be and what areas and can control in order for in the future president trump would have certain credit with the prime minister that one see wins or if you wins and forms the next government that when the

time comes that prime minister need to now then would have to deliver that when he is asked by president trump on certain issues he would put on trial but of what we've seen from the various leaks about what this deal of the century looks like by the president's son a little it doesn't even mention a palestinian state it doesn't even mention every turn to the one hundred six of its seven borders it doesn't even mention freezing and ending and we're there on the supplements it doesn't even mention sovereignty and so on so forth so we expect very little of this deal of the century it doesn't seem to be much of a century at all but again as the crow netanyahu or rather pro trump camp says that now prime minister of israel owes the american press that and came out one thank you so much for now there are events on well two sides of the world effectively but they are inextricably linked we've just been talking to my one about the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu being in washington with

president donald trump meanwhile much closer to home for him and where he will be heading well this is gaza this is the live shot of gaza as night falls there and israeli airstrikes have begun and prime minister netanyahu has said he will be cutting short his trip to washington to get home to oversee this operation more closely this is in response to the rocket attack from gaza north of tel aviv the rocket attack was north of tel aviv on sunday are a force that is our correspondent there in the darkness now but harry tell us more about what you've been hearing and seeing. well we've seen in the last sort of half hour or so the initial strikes coming in from the israeli military as confirmation from the israeli army that they have indeed got underway so far from what we're hearing from our colleagues inside gaza they have struck empty training camps

a naval base in the north of gaza no reports yet of any casualties but you heard there from benjamin netanyahu next to donald trump saying that the israeli people would not tolerate this he would not tolerate this what he called an unwarranted attack on the state and that he was coming back cutting short his trip in order to lead the soldiers and the people of israel in their response and what we saw ten days or so ago was after a similar incident where two rockets were fired towards tel of evil though in that instance they did not damage or injury anybody this one family home was destroyed and seven members of the family injured after that initial. similar incident ten days ago about one hundred targets were struck inside gaza in response things were able to be calmed down thanks in part to egyptian mediation most analysts thinking

that neither hamas nor benjamin netanyahu just today do two weeks out from an election wanted a major military escalation this time he's under some pressure to respond more forcefully not least from his main opponent in this election benny gantz the former israeli army chief who is said that this is this represents a failure of his strategy on gaza so the initial response is under way the question is whether he will come back home a major security cabinet meeting in which he holds the rank both of prime minister and defense minister and whether something more substantial could be in the offing in the coming hours so that's just going to ask you maybe just with history as a guide what do we sort of expect from these sorts of airstrikes how long they go on time of day almost sorts of things just just as a say using history as a guide. we'll get a guess usually the hours of night of the hours in which most of this is concentrated the question of is always to what extent there will be

a response from the armed factions within gaza the joint command room which represents those factions of course hamas being the most senior of them all says that they released a statement earlier enough to noon saying that they would respond that they would surprise the israelis by the extent of their ability to respond in that all israeli targets were in range if israel decided to strike while those strikes are now under way an egyptian delegation which had been shuttle to come into gaza earlier today to carry on these efforts to try to keep the situation calm if not broken what is the ultimate objective a longer term truce they have decided not to come in advance of what we expect so the question is. what we will see in terms of the extent of the targets whether they will limit themselves the israelis to the sorts of targets that they struck last time which didn't result in any casualties or whether they will strike more

deeply inside the populated areas of gaza and whether that will elicit a response from hamas and its allies inside ok and we'll be back with harry force that later on that israel gaza border as events progress through the evening so as i say events on either side of the world but an extra could be linked we've been talking about what's happening in gaza there is the israeli air strikes begin but only well twenty minutes or so ago we have this news conference in washington d.c. between the u.s. president donald trump on the right and these ready prime minister benjamin netanyahu a few things happened here first of all donald trump signed a presidential proclamation which declared. declared that the u.s. would recognize recognize israel sovereignty over the occupied go. heights prime minister netanyahu saying that it put donald trump up alongside previous leaders who had supported israel in the past during its creation and other important

periods during its history donald trump also said that israel has the absolute right to defend itself prime minister netanyahu said israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression now that is in reference to the air strike north of tel aviv on sunday he said we will do whatever we must do to defend our people and to defend our state and that means that this tiny strip of land the gaza strip is now seeing airstrikes once again the last ones which were. two thousand and fourteen the last major war there of course but they have been so many israeli incursions in the years since then our correspondent telling us we need to wait and see what happens through the hours of darkness as that is usually when such air strikes happen so you're up to date with all that news plenty happening in break that news as well we will have all the latest in the next bullets in that seventeen hundred hours g.m.t. coming up next on al-jazeera it's counting the costs.

hello i'm adrian finnegan this is counting the cost on al-jazeera a week you look at the world of business and economics this week where has all the money gone algerians protest against the mismanagement of the economy. the deadly storm hits one of the poorest regions of the southern hemisphere millions need assistance as roads and buildings a washed away. plus the u.s. warns it's only about what it says of china's predatory loans what will roam get

from beijing's belton road initiative. as algeria's oil wealth dries up people are demanding to know where has all the money gone corruption youth unemployment and inequality have been at the center of protests against the two decade rule of algeria's president of the disease beautifully despite agreeing not to stand for another term algerians have little faith in the business elite military and politicians who are running the country. the country's wealth has been squandered it had currency reserves of one hundred seventy nine billion dollars in december twenty four team for that amount of shrunk to seventy nine point eight billion rather than using the oil and gas wealth to diversify the economy more than a fifth of the budget is used for subsidies the international monetary fund says that algeria is oil and gas revenues account for ninety five percent of the country's exports earnings and sixty percent of its budget but oil prices have been

falling on the country's oil and gas production has also been in decline due to a lack of investment meaning that there isn't the money to fill the treasury unemployment in algeria is running at eleven point one percent but youth unemployment stands at twenty six point four percent two thirds of the country's forty one million population are under the age of thirty or promises to diversify the economy haven't materialized unlike its neighbor morocco which has little in the way of oil and gas it's built an enviable auto industry opened up the tourism industry and is well on its way to achieving fifty two percent of its power needs from renewables but in algeria the strikes and protests go on as al-jazeera as mohammed vall reports. anti-government protests in algeria continue to spread oil and gas field workers in the far south of the country the mater's to join the outcry workers in houses which is our duty as largest gas field are

a cohen cohens nationwide for president of the us he's bouteflika to resign managers of the state energy films on a truck say production is unaffected algeria boss the world's fifth largest reserves of natural gas but with a flick us critics say after twenty years of his presidency the energy wealth is reaching few are judeans than ever before and employment and the cost of living are rising and they say the political atmosphere is choking the economy due to the. decades long grueling of a corrupt elite backed by our julius military. and the revolt has spread to exporting us in former colonial power from us they were out in force in paris for the third consecutive sunday on on our mother gave you david that if you it tired of all people since nine hundred sixty two we've always been with old people leave the place to the young get out of the way the system is clear

make way for the young the ailing eighty two year old president ob-la says beautifully relinquished his bid for a fifth term following weeks of under arrest but his decision to postpone the presidential election should you and for april eighteenth has provoked more widespread anger which of libya has appointed a new prime minister nouri in bed weak and a deputy in talks to form a cabinets mostly of technocrats but the prime minister is receiving little support from protesters who say they don't trust any politicians linked to him with a flicker of god a few members of parliament including some from the ruling evident party have resigned in support of the protests no not for. sure we refused to participate in the upcoming cabinet because we believe that such cabinet should only result from a national conference in a transparent national popular dialogue that the people have taken to the streets to bring about real change and make sure that none of the same people who have been

ruling us continue in power. even the staunchest supporters of change in algeria seem to realize ousting the military from their influence on politics may be impossible instead protesters hope for younger leaders who will be less corrupt and more democratic and more answerable to the rule of law even if supported by the generals has got on top of stability. joining us now via skype from montreal professor type have seen. a strategy in society professor of management at the h e c n one troll welcome to the program the professor should these protests in algeria come as a surprise to every anyone given the economic hardship that algerians or having to endure well it's not a surprise actually the nigeria there has been. several rewards in the last few years. and. be it's one in the capital city that that

nothing was happening and so. this this comes as no surprise actually there has been debate about. whether the for the very independence algerians have been fighting for freedom or for bread. and it is clear that they have been fighting for freedom and freedom has been suppressed algeria should be a rich nation that is just graphically the biggest nation in africa but it's an oil and gas producer where has all the money gone. well you know use is rich of many things you're right the. educational level for example is high as you mention there are many many resources oil being only one of. the the money has been has been very poorly used highly centralized politicized and inefficient economic management and also.

there has been a period that has made that's worse for me to get it off. so you haven't megacity your first hate on managed system which is why i think if you can and there is an amazing amount of waste professor half the population is under the age of the job opportunities though are limited wages are low who should take the blame for the high rate of unemployment in algeria and how does the country deal with the prospect that ten million more jobs seekers are going to come into the market by the twenty twenty five yeahs statistics actually showing that so about sixty three percent of the population is thirty odd let's go it's amazing amazing number and and these people are coming into she with as you said into the market in intros . the question is will the economy be able to to to provide jobs

for all these and clearly the only economy that's going to be private sector economy and private sector has been suppressed ever seen in this regime is of course blame or for that when you are there for so long you lose legitimacy and to keep legitimate then you start doing all kinds of. wasteful social support all bread and energy are paid about so term percent of their value so the problem is not but to living the way between the bread and you know the problem is that people are receiving if you will bring them energy at that price simply forget about the value and then they wish to ninety eight percent of algeria's revenues professor come from the oil and gas sector but obviously those resources. are finite. when dealing the current price of oil being as low as it is affecting

exports and. and foreign reserves here in the gulf economies are looking to diversify away from oil and gas why hasn't algeria done the same the problem with oil is that it has generated iran's seeking and when i say rent seeking behavior it's not only the people at the very top who aren't seeking their ocracy it's the sherm's and private firms aren't seeking even the population is rent seeking and so you have this incredible lazy lazy demeanor and of course that rent seeking leads to corruption and so as as a result of reality is a real cuts when we think about trying to diversify away from oil. that means encouraging the real economy then you have to realize that business is a source of power and the government has been trying to keep its also under control

as one of the few countries in the world where you have to get the permission to invest your money nor market behavior. not just simply and saw the results this is not development as it's not a surprise what so what's happening in nigeria goes against all the norms if you where love economic behavior between not the professor is there any cause for optimism of algeria as economic future of course there is. the algerian economy is really paradoxical i mean it's i have been describing to you that it's very poorly managed and seemingly doing. better on shore at the same time you see some very trying second. the real economy by the way is mostly informal about sixty percent of the economy is informal. and it is not

accounted for how do fans actually supervise. this barry was tired and large there are smaller firms all over the country trying to remain below the radar if you will but doing succeed in doing very well and so that all research on successful private. shows that's what example they don't rely on state they want to be extended and often they may become competitive on the world market so in a sense there is something happening bottom up but that's my opinion. is very promising professor it's been really good to talk to you many thanks indeed for being with us thank you ed three and you powerful cycler on floods have killed hundreds of people and left a massive trail of destruction across swathes of southeastern africa cyclon it die hit mozambique sports city of beara before moving inland it flattened buildings and put the lives of millions of people at risk it then barreled west to zimbabwe and

malawi al-jazeera as funny to miller flew over one of the hardest hit areas in central mozambique. the roofs of buildings people out from the muddy water that's all that's left of this town decimated by floodwater that almost a week ago waged a boozy and central muslim bieksa found a province it's not known how many people made it out safely further on stagnant water lies across the horizon on an isolated piece of dry land rescue workers drop off desperately needed food hundreds of people queue for what could be their only meal in days. little guy.