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nicole: at bdo i feel like a true individual, people value me for me, they care about what i want, my needs, my career path, i matter here. ♪ ♪ narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation, the judy and peter blum kovler foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad. announcer: and now, bbc news. christian: hello, i'm christian fraser. this is "the context." >> we had a statement from hamas, a spokesperson saying they would plan -- remember this is only monday -- but plan to postpone the next phase of hosted releases which would have been due this saturday. pres. trump: we will build safe communities a little bit away from where they are, from where

all the danger is. in the meantime, i would own this. think of it as a real estate development for the future. >> him saying they would not have a right to return fits with other statements made about involvement with the palestinians, saying it would be permanent relocation in his language. ♪ christian: the guys are cease fire is in trouble. hamas today has unilaterally withdrawn from the agreement with barely half of the israeli hostages returned. tonight, the israeli security cabinet has met to consider their response. we will bring you their reaction from jerusalem and washington. tonight, more tariffs. donald trump will impose a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports coming into the u.s. with canada and the hardest hit. and the plastic straw gets a reprieve by presidential decree,

popular no doubt with the u.s. electorate, but at what cost to the environment? very good evening. hamas has indefinitely postponed the release of israeli hostages due to be freed from the gaza strip this coming weekend. in a statement, the group accuses the israelis of delaying the return of displaced persons, targeting them with shelling and gun in various areas of the strip, and preventing humanitarian aid in all of of its agreed forms. a spokesperson said the decision was a complete violation of the cease-fire agreement and the hostage release deal. 33 israelis were due to be released in this first phase of the agreement, 16 have been released so far. 17 are still to be handed over a. of those 17, israel says eight are dead. there have been widespread anger in israel over the conditions of

some of the hostages, malnourished, buffeted by crowds, paraded in front of cameras, and in some cases, need to read statements under duress. moss says the door remains open for saturday's hostage exchange but they wait to hear from the israelis. our middle east correspondent laura davies is following the developments from jerusalem. >> over halfway through the first phase of this cease-fire deal and has brought out a lot of positives. 21 hostages in released in exchange for more than 500 prisoners from israeli jails, lots of other benefits you might argue but hamas now says it is postponing the next phase on saturday where three hostages were set to duty released because it said israel violated the deal, accusing israel of not getting enough promised aid into gaza, also saying israeli troops are firing on individuals and targets within gaza during the cease-fire.

israel has responded furiously, saying hamas has broken its obligation to release hostages and has accused hamas of going back on its word. it is now preparing the idf, israeli military, to be fully prepared for what may come next, and that could be a resumption of the more. -- war. overwhelmingly, the families of the hostages are upset, they don't believe that prime minister benjamin netanyahu wants to proceed to phase two. they want to resume the war because they believe hamas has been militarily defeated. there has been an angry response from the families tonight, many of them blaming netanyahu or dragging his feet over phase two of the cease-fire. christian: how does washington see it all? we know that donald trump plans to move into gaza the day after

the war, he spelled it out on sunday, doubling down on this idea that because i would be cleared and rebuilt under u.s. ownership. pres. trump: beautiful communities for the 1.9 million people, beautiful, safe communities. it could be five, six, but safe communities a little bit away from where they are from where all the danger is. in the meantime, i would own this. think of it as a real estate development for the future. it would be a beautiful piece of land. they wouldn't return because they would have much better housing. in other words, i'm talking about building a permanent place for them. if they have to return now, it will be years. it is not habitable. christian: palestinians not returned. a reminder it is illegal under the geneva convention and that would amount to a war crime. let's bring in tom bateman, state department correspondent in washington.

let's turn to the statement we had in the last few minutes from hamas who says the door remains open for a hosted prisoner exchange on saturday king abdallah due at the white house tomorrow, could hardly be a more important moment. tom: of course. jordan is one of the countries that president trump says expects to take those palestinians that would be forcibly removed from the gaza strip under his plan, whilst the u.s. takes possession under gaza and builds a mediterranean resort, he says, for the people of the world to live in. both jordan and egypt have categorically rejected the plan, saying they would not agree to it or to its terms, which president seems to think involves them taking palestinian refugees permanently and resettling them in their countries. when mr. trump has been challenged about that, he says

we give billions of dollars to both jordan and egypt, which the u.s. does in terms of military and financial assistance, so it seems he is thinking he would use that as leverage over both of those countries to try and force them to take in palestinians from gaza. which as i say, both say they will not do. clearly, this will be some focus of the discussions between king abdallah and president trump tomorrow. christian: without wanting to double guess how the white house sees this, a statement he provided in that interview with fox news would seem at least to give israel carte blanche to go back in and if necessary open the gates of rafah and force people out. that surely brings us to a very dangerous point tonight in the conflict not only for gaza but the wider middle east. tom: one of the big problems here has been, what president trump to be suggesting, is not something that is being formally

announced in any written form by the white house, any part of the u.s. administration, but rather we have had to cobble together what he seems to be getting at from his press conferences with benjamin netanyahu last week, from various statements he gave in the oval office at various points when the press was gathered around, signing executive orders in the run up to that, from being shouted questions from reporters on air force one, fragments of a fox news interview. you are talking about a profoundly consequential idea that upends decades of u.s. policy toward israel and palestinians, thrown out in bits and pieces from the president, also some of which has been contradicted by his own officials, on and vague from him. we have a big problem of understanding exactly what the proposal is. in so far as we know it, this is clearly a plan for forcible

transfer permanently palestinians out of gaza. in terms of the sequencing of it, he suggested the war would end, then the u.s. would take control of gaza. how that takes place has not been enunciated at all. over the weekend, he said he would buy the gaza strip, but did not say from whom. he expects the israelis to carry out this forcible expulsion of the palestinians. christian: that is the point, it doesn't matter what he has written down in washington, what has been discussed. it is really how the security cabinet interprets the message tonight, what they do in response. tom: it has been said a lot, but this plan is so vague, impossible, and also illegal under international law, it could not and would not happen. what that analysis misses, what this does do, and has a real

consequence, is creates an immediate vacuum of what the so-called day after plan for gaza is. we no longer have with the biden administration was aiming at but couldn't get the israelis to sign up to, a plan for future governance of gaza involving some sort of palestinian governance. that is gone, blown out of the water by the trump administration. now the only feasible alternative seems to be either a return to the war, and we are seeing how fragile the cease-fire process is already today, and then some sort of ongoing occupation of the gaza strip, and/or hamas control and an ongoing war. this is clearly why it is working so many people, palestinians, the arab states. at the same time, israeli leadership is welcoming president trump's plans. it leaves things in an extremely precarious place tonight. christian: thank you so much.

let's bring in glen johnson, former assistant to secretary of state john kerry. if you take what tom said about the precarious nature of what is going on right now, you have to come to the conclusion that phases two and three of this cease fire are now hanging by a thread. >> i think this has always been a precarious agreement from the get-go and this just illustrates why you have two sides that are completely distrusting of each other and you have so many external factors that are built into influencing what is going on on the ground. christian: i suppose what we have not discussed in terms of the element of the security cabinet will be considering, the political pressure at home from those who want the hostages out. does that force them back to the table in the interim? glen: i think you also have to understand the nature of negotiating in that region. everybody always tries to claim,

negotiate a better deal, and there is always a willingness on any side to try and recalibrate, claim some sort of grievance, try to get a better deal. the israelis can complain about the look of the hostages that came out most recently. hamas can be quite upset about what donald trump is saying, benjamin netanyahu seemed to endorse during his visit to washington last week, but in the end, we have several days until the next set of hostages are set to be released. it is more likely than not that this will still go forward. christian: is there some political risk for donald trump here? he was quick to take credit for the cease-fire. if that were to unravel tomorrow and the fighting resumes, after the statements he has made about the future of gaza, might that backfire on him? glen: sure, it's a huge risk for him.

i also think the plan that he has thrown out there is completely impractical. the arab states will not tolerate it. united states, when the american people think more deeply about it, how are you going to provide security for that? israel doesn't want that. israeli settlers want gaza for themselves, they will not tolerate americans coming in. u.s. troops to secure that area? hamas would have a field day trying to upend that whole thing. this, like many other things the president has said in his first three weeks of office, as a shock and awe value to it, a negotiating chip for what he wants down the road. christian: i hear that a lot, a negotiating tactic, but to negotiate what? the arabs have been very clear, adamant that there has to be a future for a palestinian state, and they are not going to take palestinians displaced from gaza. what is he hoping to negotiate? glen: it is really unclear.

i have trouble understanding it. this was a conversation, idea broached by his son in law last year. is this the developer or the president of united states proposing this idea of developing gaza into the riviera? it is really just based on the personalities and politics in that area, it is a very impractical idea. as your correspondent just noted, it has just upended the entirely orderly transition that was underway, but everyone is too afraid to call him out on it. b.b. stood next to him when he talked about it in front of reporters last week. he didn't reject it. he is at the maximum of his power right now and he is feeling no hindrance on anything that he wants to say and do. for now, it has just created a total of people in what is going on. no surprise that sides are

trying to recalibrate and get a better deal for themselves. christian: in terms of the cease-fire, negotiations are ongoing in doha as we speak. do the parties to that negotiation have any leverage over what happens next? steven witkoff, special envoy is there, the egyptians, the qatari's, do they have any power to bring the size back to the table? glen: the hope would be that steven witkoff can go back to donald trump and say we are trying to get this done, the arab world is in the room with me and this does not help. whether the president listens to that is totally unclear, but he has a lot of faith in witkoff. if it were to make his work impossible, i think he would try to prevail upon the president to try and back off. christian: one of the toughest jobs in the administration right

now. really good to talk to you. thanks for coming on, glen. we will take a short break. around the world and across the u.k., you are watching bbc news. ♪

christian: welcome back. donald trump is expanding his trade war with the rest of the world to the metals sector with new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports. he made the announcement from air force one on his way to the super bowl yesterday while passing over the gulf of mexico which he is trying to rebrand as the gulf of america. beyond steel and aluminum, he promised a slew of reciprocal tariffs on countries that impose tariffs on u.s. exports, without giving any further detail. canada, china, and mexico will be worst affected by the new tariffs, a part of the president's sustained war on the canadian economy. in an interview, he returned to the idea that canada should become the 51st state.

pres. trump: i think canada would be much better off being a 51st state. we lose $200 billion a year with canada and i will not let that happen. why are we paying $200 billion a year essentially in subsidies to canada? if they are a 51st state, i don't mind doing it. christian: with us tonight is the director of policy at the british council of british columbia. what does this mean to canada, 25% tariff on steel and aluminum? >> as the largest supplier of metals to the u.s., this would be a major blow to our industries and our economy. each year canada exports 11.2 billion dollars in steel, $9.5 billion in aluminum to the u.s.. that is roughly a quarter of u.s. steel imports, 60% of aluminum imports. if implemented, this will severely disrupt north american supply chains, will increase costs for manufacturers and will

ultimately hurt businesses and consumers on both sides of the order. christian: in the crypt that we just played, he returned to canada becoming the 51st state. prime minister justin trudeau was caught on a hot microphone in front of a panel of businessmen. >> it is a real thing. in my conversation with him. christian: is there concern mounting now in canada that donald trump is trying to bring canada to its knees so that people might engage with this idea? jairo: president trump has clearly misrepresented a mutually beneficial trade relationship that has been developed over decades, has been a key pillar of our shared prosperity. canada and the u.s. have had a long history of working together through tree disruptions, and

both sides have a strong interest in maintaining this stable mutually beneficial relationship. but for president trump, this represents a relationship that has been a key pillar of our shared prosperity. christian: i heard someone senior today say we will look at the longer term relationship, there will be a future between our countries past donald trump, but that is presuming jd vance doesn't win the election in 2028. this could be the new reality for canada. jairo: it is a new world, new regime, in the face of global trade uncertainty, what we are recommending domestically is to enhance our competitiveness. make canada a competitive jurisdiction for countries to invest in the world. that is what canada is a country needs to do. it is a mutually beneficial trade relationship. christian: do you think it has

to do with the political cycle? you have got elections in ontario at the moment, probably national elections coming up toward the year-end. is this partly designed to get rid of the liberals, in donald trump's mind? jairo: perhaps a question for donald trump, but in the absence of federal leadership, our premieres have been active, united, traveling this week to washington to advocate on behalf of team canada, that these tariffs are harmful to both countries. the country in general is united in its approach, effort to make the case to american businesses, consumers, governments, governors, congressmen, senators, that canada and the u.s. have a mutually beneficial trade relationship that has been going on for decades now, built over decades of cooperation, and that is key to north american supply chains. christian: thank you so much.

that speaks volumes, all the premieres are traveling to plead on behalf of canada. the u.s. steel industry is laboring under high energy costs, and the imposition of a new tariff would be disastrous. the u.s. is the largest second -- second largest market for the u.k. the british government today said seeking more information from the white house. the new british ambassador to washington said he had his work cut out for him. with us tonight is lucy fisher of the financial times. canada and mexico got a carveout on aluminum and steel in 2018. any suggestion we may benefit from the same? lucy: we didn't in 2018 when we were still a part of the european union. took collective action in retaliation as part of the block to that 25% tariff on steel, 10% tariff at that time on aluminum.

the eu placed tit-for-tat tariffs on all american items like harley-davidson motor, motorboats, whiskey. officials have noted they could potentially dust down that ready-made list of retaliatory tariffs. of course, this is pretty disastrous for the u.k. steel industry at a time when it is already under pressure as you highlighted from shrinking demand, higher costs, also with china dumping a lot of cheap steel on global markets. while downing street has tried to downplay the effects of this, saying, look, the u.k.'s exports to the u.s. only account for 5% of steel, 6% of aluminum, it is not surprising to see the steel industry itself say the effects could be devastating. christian: we should bear in mind that statement from andrew bailey said the u.k. economy is

likely for a downturn in 2025 before it gets better. this hardly helps. some reporting in the telegraph today that the government is considering renegotiating the online safety bill. they oppose the gaza plan but don't want to condemn him personally. as i understand it, they are not signing the ai treaty in paris because the americans don't like it at the moment. how concerned should we be that british policy is being dictated by this recurring fear of terrorists -- tariffs? lucy: there is an element of realism that we are seeing here from the u.k. government. sir keir starmer is just try to keep his head down as much as possible to avoid incurring the wrath of donald trump but still remain in good ally to other european nations, nato members. for example, the way the u.k.

didn't say it would step up cooperation in the high north and arctic after starmer met with the danish prime minister last week, restated the u.k.'s position that greenland is a part of denmark. on gaza, keir starmer, again, restated the u.k. policy, support for palestinians returning home to their homes, not being forced out in any deal, as the one that trump has suggested. the u.k. relies on the u.s., not only in some trade terms, but hugely for our security guarantee. the u.s. is the cornerstone of nato, and therefore not easy for the u.k. to risk angering trump, falling out completely with such a close ally. christian: it is a delicate political dance, as you say.

thank you very much. tonight, we will talk about lord peter mendelson, his new post in washington with his hands full, talking about tarrifs, finally sawed-off by donald trump. he is there as a british diplomat but he is still to be confirmed as the ambassador. stay with us. we will be right back. narrator: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... bdo, accountants and advisors, funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation, the judy and peter blum kovler foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad. ♪ ♪ usa today calls it "arguably the best bargain in streaming"

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