here's barbara plett usher again, on why the this holocaust memorial became so politicised.pretty early on saying that the holocaust needed to be a living memory whose lessons could be applied to today and particularly, he highlighted the scourge of anti—semitism and most of his speakers spoke about that with some force and some eloquence but i have to say, it was mostly a ceremony of politicians. perhaps because the organisers wanted to keep it focused on anti—semitism, but that meant that we did not really hear much from holocaust survivors. there were some films, one addressed from a survivor but you did get the feeling that this is very much an international leaders meeting in a dozen of the politics came into it. for example, president pruden of russian got quite a central role in the recent months he has been downplaying russia's pact with the nazis just before the war and tried to shift some of the blame for the war onto poland. you also had prime minister netanyahu and vice president pence of the united states talk about iran. sing to the group that we needed to unit

barbara plett—usher reports. cheering she's alive!in of her home, but her 11—year—old sister, islam, is still trapped. rescue workers try to free her leg. another explosion sends them ducking for cover. finally, both girls are safe, but their mother died in the attack. bombs are still falling in syria's civil war. micro regime forces backed by russia are pounding the last stronghold of the armed opposition. they insist they are targeting islamist extremists but these are the people in the crossfire. tens of thousands are on the move again. for some, this is the move again. for some, this is the fifth, even 10th, time on the road. and if there's nowhere left to run, you end up here. camps near syria's border with turkey are overcrowded, already filled by those uprooted during previous rounds of fighting. it doesn't get much worse than this. translation: we left with the clothes on our back. we can't do anything. we have no money, no heating. we have nothing. across the border, turkey used to be a refuge for syria's homeless. not any mo

our correspondent barbara plett usher has been following the visit from bethlehem. s visit has been, barbara? i think it has been symbolically important for the palestinians here in the palestinian territories in bethlehem. the prince, prince charles did meet the president mahmoud abbas. it wasn't a political visit, it was more like a courtesy call, although he did spend 45 minutes with him. but the palestinians at this point feel very much on the back foot because the american administration has aligned itself so closely with israel on key aspects of the conflict and they saw it as aspects of the conflict and they saw itasa aspects of the conflict and they saw it as a show of support for the palestinian leadership and the palestinian leadership and the palestinian cause. 0k, barbara, thank you very much indeed. barbara plett usher for us there in bethlehem. the heads of the european commission and council — ursula von der leyen and charles michel — have signed the withdrawal agreement, ahead of the uk's exit from the eu next friday. the queen signed it into law yest

and let's had to barbara plett—usher, what is being said where you are in jerusalem?prime minister benjamin netanyahu spoke earlier and did not speak directly about the money in attack but he did say it israel was attacked he would respond with a resounding blow but over the past week is really officials have said they do not not expect to be directly attack. they have been limiting their official state m e nts have been limiting their official statements about the us assassination of general qasem soleimani and trying to keep underneath the radar so they are not associated with this but they've also expressed strong support for the united states and what they call its right to self—defence. in the media it is clear they are pleased with the strike on general qasem soleimani because it is well so him as the main threat from iran because he was the architect of a plan to entrench iranian military presence in countries around israel, what they call a ring of fire around israel and the second reason is because they had been concerned last year that the united states did

barbara plett-usher is there. tell us more about the reaction to the plan. barbara: president abbas has just finished speaking, and it was quite a strong denunciation of the trump plan. he said no to the plan 1000 times, no no no. iohe particularly med mr. trump's comments about the undivided capital of jerusalem g to israel, and he said jerusalem is not for sale our rights are not for sale. in terms of the response from he did not make a public call for action but he did say that this would spur palestinian efforts to bridge the divide in the national movement between the palestinian authority and hamas, and he wanted to visit ga to rk out a joint response to this. it also saidhat the palestinians needed to build on the international support they did have for their rights in congress, as welas in the european union. however, he did not mention someing that is most contentious with many palestinians, the going coordination between the palestinian authority with israel in rms of security. quite a stronghetoric against what hasd, happe a sort of strong statemen

barbara plett—usher, bbc news, jerusalem.s with me. joan's mother managed to get her and her sister on a boat to the us during the nazi occupation of france “11943, where they were both put in foster care. i'm also joined by 0livia marks—woldman, chief executive of the holocaust memorial day trust. thank you very much, both of you, for being with us. joan, let's talk to you first of all about your remarkable life story. you were born in brussels in 19110 to polishjewish pa rents. in brussels in 19110 to polishjewish parents. you are just three months old i think wendy not these invaded belgium. yes. and my parents being polish dues, it —— polish jews, —— polishjews, my father was taken and he was actually deported, probably to auschwitz, and he did escape. however, we did parallel journeys. i mother was able to return with us to paris, where my pa rents return with us to paris, where my pa re nts ha d return with us to paris, where my parents had actually lived most of their adult life, and she had to go every week to the fre

barbara plett usher reports. the bombs have been falling relentlessly.ng war. regime forces backed by russia are pounding the last stronghold of the armed opposition. they insist they are targeting islamist extremists who lead the rebels, but are making no effort to spare civilians, striking homes, hospitals, markets, women, children. nine—year—old fatimah survived the bombing of her home. so did her 11—year—old sister, islan, who was also trapped in the rubble. rescue workers tried to free her legs, but a secondary explosion sent them ducking for cover. eventually they pulled her to safety. the girls' mother died in the attack. a new tide of people have led the advance of the government, —— has fled. emptying towns and villages in southern idlib. many had already been uprooted by fighting in other parts of syria. for some, this is the fifth, even tenth time on the road. and it's the worst time of year, especially for those who have not found refuge with relatives. camps near syria's border with turkey are overcrowded, already filled by those displaced f

barbara plett—usher has more.t that hasn't stopped here, people hear being talking about it because it has lea ks in being talking about it because it has leaks in it, the palestinians have rejected it again, as they have for a while, because they believe it strongly favours israel. in fact we we re strongly favours israel. in fact we were told president mahmood abbas refused to take a call from president trump to talk about the release. the general view is even if the plan would allow for some kind palestinians, the conditions would be such that no palestinian administration could accept. what will the palestinians do aside from protest, which haven't achieved anything, or what what can they do at this point? the israeli view has been generally that this arrangement looks to be the best israel could get from any american administration, that it will lead to israel taking control or retaining control of large parts of the occupied west bank. now, it is a roadmap not to be imminently implemented, and we understand

residents are fleeing north, to the border with turkey and other barbara plett usher reports. this is a particularly brutal offensive in serial‘s long war. “— brutal offensive in serial‘s long war. —— serial. regime forces are pounding the last stronghold of the armed opposition. the insist that targeting is the most extremists who lead the rebels about making your effort to suppress a billion ‘s. striking homes, hospitals, markets, women, children. nine—year—old fatima survived the bombing of her home. so did her 11—year—old sister who was also trapped in the rubble. rescue workers try to free her leg but a secondary explosion sent them ducking for cover. eventually they pulled her to safety. the girl ‘s mother died in the attack. a new tide of people has fled the government's advance, emptying towns and villages in southern italy. many had already been uprooted by fighting in other parts of syria. for some this is the fifth even tenth time on the road. and it is the worst time of year, especially for those who haven't found refuge with relatives. camps near serial‘s border w

from gaza to the west bank — barbara plett usher is in ramallah — with more on what palestinian presidentquite a strong denunciation of the donald trump plan. he said no a thousand times, no, no, no. he particularly mentioned donald trump's comments about the debt capital ofjerusalem going and he said jerusalem is not for sale and he did not call for action, but he did say that this would spur palestinian efforts to bridge the divide in the national movement for palestinian authority and has spoken to the leaders in gaza and went to visit gaza in order to work out a joint response to this. he said the palestinians needed to build on the international sport they did have the rights and congress as well as the rights and congress as well as the european union. but he did not mention something that is most contentious of many palestinians and thatis contentious of many palestinians and that is the ongoing coordination between the palestinian authority with israel in terms of security. so quite a strong rhetoric against what has happened and a strong statement about the need to do something a

barbara plett usher's in turkey. there are no details about what this deployment will mean.oy troops valid for one year but nothing about the scale of any potential sense or any day in the vice president here said that certainly what they were trying to do was send a message to the renegade general at the very least. we do not have any details about how the deponent will happen. there are turkish commercial concerns involved here with the build up just past also talking about general khalifa haftar having threaten private investments and workers and turkish shipping interests in the region so thatis shipping interests in the region so that is something that the parliament wants to be seen to be doing sending about. much like syria, libya plays host to broader geo—political tensions. general haftar‘s forces are backed by russia, the uae, egypt and saudi arabia. turkish is now fully aligned on the other side of that equation. here's barbara again. the big picture is there is a proxy war in libya and turkey has been supporting the official government in tripoli but it's mideast

jeremy bowen, bbc news, washington. 0ur correspondent, barbara plett usher, is in ramallah for us.ut to hear from tony blairon the are about to hear from tony blair on the programme. he has told me that the palestinians need to start engaging with a new plan that isa start engaging with a new plan that is a reality. yes, well, the palestinian authorities and the palestinian authorities and the palestinian leadership are meeting now to decide how exactly they are going to respond but if the responses for them to engage, i think they have a very difficult agenda to work with. you have not only got the issue ofjerusalem whichjeremy was only got the issue ofjerusalem which jeremy was talking only got the issue ofjerusalem whichjeremy was talking about, the undivided capital of israel, as donald trump said and if the palestinians get a capital, it will be some of the eastern part of it, thatis be some of the eastern part of it, that is undefined, but before they even get to that phase, they have to meet conditions that will eat —— they will find hard to meet. hamas has to recognise isra

protests have been taking place across the west bank and gaza. here's barbara plett usher in bethlehemrning tyres and at the top of the street, the israeli soldiers are gathered and occasionally fire tear gas already to disperse even the small number protesters and it has not been a very big turnout even though you had that big announcement yesterday about president trump's plan. it raises a big question, the whole notion of a viable palestinian state had been less and less over the one time considering settlement constructed by the israelis and the west bank. what did they do not? it feels like the pretence of it has been stripped away. the palestinians have been going on the international community to call you back or help them but they been doing ever for time and no real help has come. donald trump is going the surrealistic two state solution and argues more than doubles palestinian territory. but experts believe it kills palestinian aspirations for a sovereign state — withjerusalem as its capital. under donald trump's planjerusalem remains israel's "undivided" capital while the pa

our correspondent barbara plett usher is in ramallah, in the west bank.rs to read those pages as well but the response is so emphatic. president abbas has been very emphatic and he said that the plan is been rejected and he said no, no, no a thousand times, no. this is a conspiracy against us. he focused in particular on the statement thatjerusalem will be the undivided capital of israel and would remain sovereignty. they said thatjerusalem is not for sale and we are rejecting this. this is not a call to action for the palestinian people in general, but he did say was this would spur effo rts he did say was this would spur efforts to try and bridge the divide for the national movement between the palestinian authority and the islamist movement which is really crippled palestinian efforts to try to present a united front against this type of programme and he said he would like to go to gaza and meet the leadership to talk about it. that is one thing and he also talked about the need talking about international support that there was for palestinians under

our correspondent barbara plett usher is in ramallah for us.an leadership will hold an emergency meeting at the time when the press conference that mr trump and benjamin netanyahu will be holding at the white house within the next hour. then they will talk about what to do next. this is not just the official palestinian leadership but also representatives of how mass and the islamicjihad factions —— hamas. one of the things the palestinians have said they will do with priority is to try to get arab do with priority is to try to get ara b states do with priority is to try to get arab states and european states to come out and say mr trump‘s plan is illegitimate because it does not adhere to internationally accepted terms for the peace process, and by all accounts it has shifted those goal posts. another thing is the palestinian factions have called for what they say is a day of rage, in other words protests that are supposed to begin as soon as the deal has been announced. so this is where we are in ramallah, we are expecting protests here withi

let's go live tojerusalem and speak to our correspondent barbara plett usher. ur guest was just making, do you expect some of these world leaders to make commitments on dealing with anti—semitism now? commitments on dealing with anti-semitism now? the ceremony is going to be starting shortly and as you said there are going to be world leaders speaking at it. they take up a big chunk of the programme so you have prince charles representing britain and then the presidents of france, germany, russia and the vice president of the united states and the israeli prime minister and president speaking and they will talk about anti—semitism because that's the theme of this conference, the organisers have said it is to commemorate the holocaust to make sure it is not forgotten but they also want to very much put the focus on the threat of rising anti—semitism and ways of dealing with it so i suspect it will be addressed in the speeches. perhaps it will be concrete statements made, we just have to wait and see. there will be a holocaust survivor speaking. the chairman and a

our correspondent barbara plett—usher is injerusalem for us this morning. good morning to you.erings in israel ever and israelis had been hoping, alongside the commemoration of the holocaust, to also have a united call to combat modern—day anti—semitism and that has been overshadowed a bit by a division between poland and russia over different interpretations, nationalist interpretations of the second world war and the polish president is not allowed to speak. when the leaders gather for the ceremony there will be some sombre commemorations to honour the dead and also to preserve the memory and history so it does not happen again. barbara, thank you. the movie—mogul harvey weinstein has been described as a ‘seasoned sexual predator‘ by prosecutors in the opening statements of his trial in new york. the 67—year—old appeared in court, accused of rape and sexual assault against two women. if found guilty, the former hollywood producer could face the rest of his life behind bars. the trial is expected to finish in march. nine people have died and four more are missing after days of

our correspondent barbara plett usher is in jerusalem and sent this report.stice, no, we remember because we understand that if we do not remember then history can be repeated. auschwitz was the most notorious of nazi germany's death camps. it has come to symbolise the holocaust, which killed 6 million jews. british troops who liberated bergen—belsen were shocked by the industrial scale of death and trauma of those who survived, horrifying revelations which led to the pledge of never again. those memories are preserved for israel in the hall of remembrance, putting faces and names to the overwhelming numbers. organisers and speakers are highlighting a message about the threat of anti—semitism and the need to combat it, looking to the past but also the present. we must be prepared to stand as they don't. against the wave of their times. we must be prepared to confront and expose the vile tide of anti—semitism that is fuelling hate and violence all across the world, and violence all across the world, and we must stand together. many holocaust survivors found re