The Globe and Mail - 13.09.2019

FRIDAY,SEPTEMBER13,2019 | THEGLOBEANDMAIL O NEWS | A

Mr. Johnson said the current ses-
sion of Parliament was longer
than any since the English Civil
war in the 17th century, adding
that lawmakers would have plen-
ty of time to again discuss Brexit
after an EU summit on Oct. 17-18.
He says Parliament was sus-
pended to allowthe government
to present its legislative program.
With less than 50 days until the
country is due to leave, the gov-
ernment and Parliament are
locked in conflict over the future
of Brexit, with possible outcomes
ranging from leaving without a
deal to another referendum.
A “no-deal” Brexit could snarl
cross-Channel trade routes, dis-
rupting supplies of medicines and
fresh food while protests spread
across Britain, according to a
worst-case scenario reluctantly
released by thegovernment on
Wednesday.
The “Operation Yellowham-
mer” assumptions, prepared six
weeks ago, just days after Mr.
Johnson became Prime Minister,
form the basisof government no-
deal planning.
Britain is unlikely to run out of
essentials such as toilet paper in
the event of a no-deal Brexit, but
some fresh fruit and vegetables
could be in short supply and pric-
es might rise, supermarket execu-
tives warned on Thursday.

Before Parliament was sus-

pended, opposition lawmakers

and rebels from Mr. Johnson’s

Conservative Party passed legisla-

tion that would make the PM ask

for a three-month extension to

Britain’s EU membership if Parlia-

ment has not either approved a

deal by Oct. 19 or consented to

leaving without one by then.

Mr. Johnson has said he would

rather be “dead in a ditch” than

delay Britain’s exit.

The campaigners behind the

successful Scottish court case said

they had begun new legal pro-

ceedings that would compel him

to do so.

Mr. Johnson says his aim is to

get a deal and has repeatedly said

he will seek to get an agreement at

the EU summit to remove the

Irish border backstop, an insur-

ance agreement to prevent the re-

turn of border controls between

Northern Ireland and the Irish Re-

public after Brexit.

Opponents of the backstop in

the Parliament worry it would

lock the U.K. into the EU’s orbit for

years to come. The European

Union would respond positively if

the Britishgovernment shifts its

position in Brexit talks in the

coming weeks, Ireland’s Foreign

Minister Simon Coveney said.

But Mr. Coveney said that there

were “significant gaps” between

British proposals and what Ire-

land and the EU would consider.

He said the threat of a no-deal

Brexit might help make the Brit-

ish debate “more honest.”

Belfast’s High Court dismissed

on Thursday a case arguing that a

British exit from the European

Union without a withdrawal

agreement would contravene

Northern Ireland’s 1998 peace ac-

cord.

Mr. Johnson saidthe govern-

ment is waiting to hear an appeal

next week against the Scottish

court’s ruling on the suspension

of Parliament in the Supreme

Court, Britain’s highest judicial

body.

Last week, the High Court of

England and Wales rejected a sim-

ilar challenge, saying it was a po-

litical not a judicial matter, and an

appeal in that case also begins on

Tuesday.

“Indeed, as I say, the High Court

in England plainly agrees with us,

but the Supreme Court will have

to decide,” Mr. Johnson said.

Buckingham Palace has de-

clined to comment on the ruling,

saying it is a matter forthe govern-

ment.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said Thursday that
continued rocket fire from Gaza is
making another war against Pal-
estinian militants in the coastal
strip inevitable, his latest head-
line-grabbing announcement just
days before he seeks re-election.
Mr. Netanyahu said advanced
plans were in place to strike Gaza
and that he would decide the opti-
mal timing of the offensive, given

the unwillingness of Gaza’s Ha-

mas rulers to stop the daily bar-

rages.

The recent attacks have caused

no casualties. The Israeli military

has responded with limited

strikes against Hamas installa-

tions that have caused no casual-

ties and little damage, and has re-

frained from risking a larger con-

flagration as Israelis prepare to

head to the polls.

The Israeli leader has been crit-

icized for failing to respond harsh-

ly to the rockets, which have sent

residents of southern Israel racing

for cover. Mr. Netanyahu, who

counts on the working-class Gaza

border towns as part of his electo-

ral base, was himself whisked

away by bodyguards from a cam-

paign event on Tuesday when Pal-

estinian militants fired rockets to-

ward the area.

Israel withdrew from the Gaza

Strip in 2005 and Hamas militants

seized power two years later. Is-

rael and Hamas have fought three

wars and engaged in violence over

the past decade.

“I do not wage war unless it is a

last resort and I don’t risk the lives

of our soldiers and citizens just to

get applause,” Mr. Netanyahu said

in an interview with Kan Reshet

Bet Radio. “We will probably have

no choice but to set out on a big

campaign, a war against the terror

forces in Gaza.”

“I won’t start it one minute be-

fore we are ready, and we are pre-

paring for a ‘different war,’ ” he

added, shortly before flying to

Russia for a meeting with Presi-

dent Vladimir Putin.

It was Mr. Netanyahu’s first ma-

jor interview with a mainstream

media outlet in a frenetic cam-

paign in which he has been dictat-

ing the agenda with a dizzying ar-

ray of manoeuvres. Just this week,

he alleged fraud in Arab voting ar-

eas, without providing any evi-

dence, and pushed for legislation

to place cameras in polling sta-

tions on election day. He also

vowed to annex the heart of the

West Bank if he wins re-election.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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ARONHELLERJERUSALEM