Latest news with #Bibi
Mint
3 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Trump team says Syria bombing was ‘madman' Netanyahu's ‘political agenda and a big mistake'
The White House expressed disagreements with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, known as 'Bibi', over Israel's recent bomb strike on Syria, including the shelling of the Catholic church in Gaza last week, Axios reported. Trump administration reportedly believes he has been acting like a "madman" with 'political agenda' and did a huge mistake. "Bibi acted like a madman. He bombs everything all the time. This could undermine what Trump is trying to do,' a White House official told Axios, while indicating to a latest Israeli strike on the Syrian presidential palace. Another official, as per the report, stated, Trump dialled Netanyahu after the Gaza church strike and sought an explanation. 'The feeling is that every day there is something new. What the f***?' Axios quoted an official as saying. According to US officials, whom Axios cited, 'The bombing in Syria caught the president and the White House by surprise. The president doesn't like turning on the television and seeing bombs dropped in a country he is seeking peace in and made a monumental announcement to help rebuild. Bibi's political agenda is driving his senses. It will turn out to be a big mistake for him long-term.' On Tuesday, Israel launched an airstrike targeting a convoy of Syrian army tanks headed toward the city of Suwayda. The tanks were reportedly deployed in response to intense fighting between a Druze militia and armed Bedouin tribesmen, a conflict that has resulted in over 700 deaths. Israel stated that the convoy had entered a section of southern Syria that it insists must remain demilitarised. Following the Israeli strike in Syria, the United States stepped in to help de-escalate the situation. The US Ambassador to Turkey announced that a ceasefire had been brokered between the conflicting parties. "The U.S. wants to keep the new Syrian government stable and doesn't understand why we attack in Syria, because of attacks on the Druze community there. We tried to explain to them that this is our commitment to the Druze community in Israel," Axios quoted the senior Israeli official as saying.
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Gaza Stripped
…or, in Trump-speak, LOSERS can be choosers Hallelujah! Gazans, says Bibi, must have 'free choice'. Even at gunpoint. Sometime ago Israel unleashed 'Gideon's Chariots' on the Strip-of-land Gazans consider homeland. Just before this airpower-aided ground blitz, Bibi reportedly suggested folks being rendered homeless would 'desire' to 'emigrate'. It followed that, by choosing to emigrate, they'd be protected from bombardment – by those bombarding them into choosing to emigrate. Wanting it US-'owned', Trump visualises Gaza stripped into a 'freedom zone', its residents ideally opting to be cleared out along with the rubble. That way you get a 'freed-up zone', so that a Riviera runs through it. Gaza 'freed' of Gazans, property (re)developers can 'zone' in, building resorts for celebrity sun-tanners. And, consensually 'zoned out', Palestinians can 'free' themselves from demolished homes, bombed-out hospitals and weaponised hunger. Call it VRS – voluntary removal scheme. Kudos to Katz, though, for unveiling the grandest (game)plan. Israel's defence minister wants a 'humanitarian city' rising from Rafah's ruins where 600,000 Palestinians would first be shunted. Followed by everyone else still alive and cart-loadable. 'Screened', they'd all enter haven on earth. And, Katz reportedly eyeing an 'emigration plan', they'd exit when exiled…to greener pastures, naturally. Aren't refugees abroad chirpier than dead men walking to food-as-bait sites at home? Where's 'choice' here, you ask. Well, copy-Katz plainly likes Trump's 'clean-out' Gaza project to 'relocate' Gazans for – you guessed it – their own good. Here's Bibi explaining Trump's 'brilliant vision': 'It's called free choice. If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to…' Remember, for Trump, the best (one-state) solution to conflict is 'surrounding countries' welcoming Gaza's 'emigrants'. If only immigrants in America found him as MAGA-nanimous. So here's how Katz's 'humanitarian' (strata)gem promotes 'free choice'. Round up 2.1mn war-ravaged people caught between Hamas's atrocities and Israel's excesses. Herd them into a veritable internment camp. Let them live cheek-by-jowl, face misery and hardship, and have no exit. Then watch them depart, 'willingly'. Bibi says Gaza shouldn't be a 'prison', but an 'open place' where Palestinians (and butterflies?) are free. Well, make that 'open' as in open-air prison, where freedom's just another word for nothing left to choose. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Arab News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Nobel: The prize for peace that leaders go to war for
LONDON: In what supporters have called a symbol of solidarity and detractors a humiliating act of fealty, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week revealed he had nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize — an award long sought by the US president. The decision by Netanyahu appears designed to help bolster ties between the two long-term allies and ease reported tensions over Israel's 21-month-long war in Gaza and its bruising 12-day conflict with Iran last month. Netanyahu presented the nomination letter to Trump at the White House on Monday, and was met with a look of surprise from the US president. 'It's nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well deserved, and you should get it,' Netanyahu said. 'Wow, coming from you, in particular, this is very meaningful. Thank you very much, Bibi,' Trump responded. Netanyahu is also seeking US guarantees relating to arms supplies, especially after Iran's ballistic missile barrages last month placed substantial pressure on Israeli air defense systems, Khatib said. 'He wants to show Trump that he is the best ally he can have; he also knows that Trump is really looking after getting the Nobel Peace Prize,' she added • The Nobel Peace Prize was founded by Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite. • Regret over his invention partly drove Nobel to create the prize to promote peace. • Carl von Ossietzky, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Liu Xiaobo, were imprisoned when awarded. • The youngest Nobel Peace laureate is Malala Yousafzai, who received it in 2014 at age 17. For Dania Koleilat Khatib, a specialist in US-Arab relations, Netanyahu's decision to nominate the president rests on his desire to 'do anything to court Trump.' She told Arab News that Netanyahu arrived in Washington with a set of demands covering almost every regional file of interest to Israel: Syria, Turkiye, Gaza, the West Bank and Iran. Trump has made no secret of his yearning for the prestigious prize, yet the nomination itself is only the first part of an extensive, secret process that winds up in the stately committee room of Oslo's Nobel Institute. The distinction and tradition of the Nobel name, however, is arguably a far cry from the reputation of Trump's nominator. Netanyahu, alongside former defense minister Yoav Gallant, is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to the conduct of Israel's military in Gaza. That fact would no doubt weigh on the minds of the five Norwegian Nobel Committee members who deliberate over the prize. For Khatib, the ICC arrest warrant alone means that Netanyahu's gesture is 'worthless.' • Only nominees put forward by qualified nominators are considered. • Self-nominations are not accepted. • The prize may be awarded to individuals or organizations. She told Arab News: 'I am not sure whether the nomination will be discarded but it is ironic that someone wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes and potentially genocide nominates someone for the Nobel Peace Prize.' Upholding the reputation of the prize is a tall order, in part due to the strictness of its rules. The committee's choice for the annual award effectively ties the Nobel name to the future reputation of any recipient. The Nobel Foundation's Statutes also forbid the revocation of any award. Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese icon of democracy, fell from grace over her treatment of the Rohingya Muslim minority in the decades since she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Former US President Barack Obama was controversially awarded the prize just nine months into his first term, to the dismay of figures including Trump, who called on the institution to retract the award. The decision to award Obama for 'extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples' soon appeared foolish after it emerged the president had told aides, referring to his use of drone strikes: 'Turns out I'm really good at killing people.' The Nobel Committee's then secretary, Geir Lundestad, later expressed regret over the decision. 'Even many of Obama's supporters believed that the prize was a mistake,' he said. 'In that sense the committee didn't achieve what it had hoped for.' Khatib told Arab News that the most basic requirement of the prize is that the recipient contributes to peace. 'I personally don't know why Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize,' she told Arab News. 'What was the achievement for which he was awarded the prize?' The Obama controversy may well have sparked Trump's desire to win the prize. He has referred to the 2009 award numerous times since, and has regularly expressed frustration over an accomplishment that he feels has eluded him. Netanyahu's nomination of Trump, however, is only the most recent that the US leader has received. He was nominated separately by a group of House Republicans in the US and two Norwegian lawmakers for his work to defuse nuclear tensions with North Korea in 2018. In 2021, Trump was also nominated by one of the two Norwegian lawmakers and a Swedish official for his peace efforts in the Middle East, including the Abraham Accords, which established formal relations between Israel and several Arab states. Shinzo Abe, the late former prime minister of Japan, also nominated Trump in 2019. • Members of national assemblies and governments. • Members of international courts. • University rectors, professors, and directors of peace research or foreign policy institutes. • Past laureates and board members of laureate organizations. • Current and former Norwegian Nobel Committee members and former advisers. Earlier this year, Pakistan said that it had nominated Trump for the prize in recognition of his work to end the country's brief conflict with India. New Delhi later denied that Washington played a role in mediation. Trump is also working toward a diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has so far defied his negotiators. A day after Monday's White House meeting, Netanyahu's office released a copy of the nomination letter — dated July 1 — seen by Trump. 'President Trump has demonstrated steadfast and exceptional dedication to promoting peace, security and stability around the world,' it said. 'In the Middle East, his efforts have brought about dramatic change and created new opportunities to expand the circle of peace and normalization.' The prime minister's letter singled out the Abraham Accords as Trump's 'foremost achievement' in the region. 'These breakthroughs reshaped the Middle East and marked a historic advance toward peace, security and regional stability,' it said. The description of the region as having experienced a historic advance toward peace will raise eyebrows in many parts of the Middle East. Yet the strange circumstances of an alleged war criminal acting as a peace prize nominator has parallels with the Nobel name's own peculiar past. The prizes were established through the will of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist, inventor and industrialist who amassed a fortune after inventing and patenting dynamite. The explosive was rapidly adopted for industrial use but was also soon prized for its utility as a tool of warfare. Caption The first awards bearing the Nobel name were handed out just after the turn of the century in 1901, five years after the Swedish visionary had died. They cover medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace. An economics prize was later established by the Swedish Central Bank in 1968, but it is not considered a Nobel prize in the same manner. Nobel's wishes were for the peace prize to go to 'the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.' The strict codification of Nobel's will resulted in the Nobel Statutes, a set of rules followed by the Nobel Foundation, which oversees the secretive process behind the five prizes. Judges are forbidden from discussing their deliberations for half a century after they take place. The peace committee is the sole Nobel prize body in Norway, and its five members are appointed by the country's parliament. Nominations for the revered prize can only be submitted by specific people and organizations, including heads of state, national politicians, academic professors and company directors, among others. It is forbidden for people to nominate themselves. Prominent Arab politicians have been awarded the peace prize. Yasser Arafat was given the award in 1994 for his efforts toward reaching a peaceful settlement to the Israel-Palestine conflict. In 1978, Egypt's Anwar Sadat was recognized for signing the Camp David Accords, which were witnessed by Jimmy Carter, the US president at the time, who was later awarded the prize in 2002 for his work to promote human rights after leaving office. For Trump, however, hopes for his long-desired prize will have to wait until next year; nominations must be submitted before February for the prize to be awarded in the same year. At the time of publishing, the Nobel Committee had not commented on Netanyahu's nomination, whether they had any reservations, or whether they would accept it.
CNN
08-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Netanyahu plays into Trump's hopes for Middle East peace — and nominates him for a Nobel Prize
CNN — When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House Monday for dinner, he came bearing what has become the ultimate host gift for President Donald Trump: a letter nominating him for a Nobel Peace Prize. The award has become Trump's ultimate fixation, one he says is well deserved for his efforts to end conflicts around the globe, including the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. A lasting resolution to that 21-month conflict will depend, in part, on Netanyahu's willingness to accept a deal that stops the fighting entirely – something Trump planned to press him on during Monday's dinner in the White House Blue Room. Before the meal was served, however, Netanyahu was quick to burnish Trump's peace-making abilities, even as negotiators were still finalizing details of a ceasefire deal. 'He's forging peace, as we speak, in one country, in one region after the other,' Netanyahu said as he reached over the table to present Trump with his document. 'So, I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize Committee; it's nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well deserved, and you should get it.' 'Thank you very much. This I didn't know. Wow,' Trump responded, seemingly touched. 'Coming from you, in particular, this is very meaningful. Thank you very much, Bibi.' For Trump, a deal ending the war in Gaza would be another data point in both his effort to win the Nobel Prize and his long-running and highly difficult quest to cement peace in the Middle East as part of his legacy. 'I'm stopping wars. I'm stopping wars. And I hate to see people killed,' Trump said Monday as the dinner was getting underway. He clearly sees Netanyahu as a critical ally in that goal, though the president has occasionally lashed out at the Israeli leader when he appeared to become an obstacle instead. Now, Trump needs both Hamas and Netanyahu to agree to terms each has previously rejected, namely language about whether the ceasefire will end the war altogether. Even as he pulls Netanyahu close – inviting him for dinner, joining Israel's war on Iran and calling for Netanyahu's corruption trial to be canceled – he is also applying pressure on the prime minister to do something for him: end the war in Gaza. 'We had a great time, would say it was a lot of work, but we had a great result recently,' Trump said, an apparent reference to the bombing runs in Iran that targeted the country's nuclear sites. 'And we're going to have a lot of great results.' After months of halting progress, there does appear to be new momentum toward a deal. Trump simply needs to ensure, potentially by exerting additional pressure on Netanyahu during the White House visit, that it doesn't fall apart. 'The president could put pressure on the prime minister, but can also give enticements, the carrots, if you will,' said Michael Oren, the former Israeli ambassador to the United States. 'One of them would be keeping a military option on the table vis-a-vis Iran, if Iran tries to rebuild some of those destroyed or obliterated nuclear facilities – a very difficult decision given the depth of American opposition, of the public, to further American military involvement in Iran.' Negotiators from Israel and Hamas were in Qatar hammering out details of a 60-day truce that would include phased release of hostages and allow new aid to flow into the besieged enclave. Trump's foreign envoy Steve Witkoff plans to join the talks later this week, the White House said Monday, an indication that progress was still being made in the talks. Qatar put forward the latest proposal early last week, and it was quickly accepted by Israel. The plan attempted to address one of Hamas' key demands that any ceasefire agreement would lead to a comprehensive end to the war. On Friday, Hamas said they had responded positively to the proposal, but that they had also requested adjustments. Despite saying these changes were 'unacceptable,' Israel also announced it would send a team to take part in proximity talks, one of the last stages in the process before a final deal. 'They want to meet and they want to have that ceasefire,' Trump said of the ongoing talks. In the past, ceasefire deals have seemed close, only to vaporize over intractable disagreements. But the shifting dynamics in the region, prompted by the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, seemed to generate greater optimism that a deal could be at hand. 'The prime minister's coming to this meeting now much strengthened by Israel's military victory over Iran. The president is coming into this meeting much strengthened by America's victory over Iran,' Oren said. 'Both leaders can show a certain amount of flexibility. Clearly, the president wants this deal.' If an agreement is struck, Trump appears poised to take credit, with help from Netanyahu. The prime minister said as he was departing Israel to come to Washington that his meeting with Trump 'can certainly help advance these results,' and it was clear Trump was hoping the meeting would result in progress. 'I think there's a good chance we have a deal with Hamas during the week, during the coming week, pertaining to quite a few of the hostages,' Trump told reporters in New Jersey on Sunday as he was preparing to return to Washington. In Trump's mind, ending the war in Gaza could be a critical step toward his larger goals for the region, including the biggest prize: normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel as part of the Abraham Accords that he brokered during his first term. Having Riyadh join the accords could prompt other Arab or Muslim countries to come along as well. Saudi leaders — including the powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — have said normalization can't happen while the war in Gaza is ongoing, making a ceasefire deal critical to Trump's broader ambitions. Netanyahu said Monday he believed a broader regional peace was possible. 'I think we can work out a peace between us and the entire Middle East with President Trump's leadership, and by working together, I think we can establish a very, very broad peace that will include all our neighbors,' he said. Also critical to Trump's wider goals: a discussion about what happens in Gaza after the war ends. Israel has insisted Hamas cannot govern the enclave. It remains unclear what role the Palestinian Authority would play; it could be critical to securing support from Gulf nations in helping rebuild Gaza. One option rarely discussed is Trump's proposal — first raised during Netanyahu's visit to the White House in February — to seize control of the strip, remove its Palestinian residents and develop the area as a 'Riviera of the Middle East.' The plan caused an uproar when Trump first raised the idea alongside Netanyahu during an East Room press conference. But it's mostly been put aside, at least in public discussions of the president's Middle East plans. Asked Monday whether his relocation plan was still on the table, Trump said it was a query better answered by Netanyahu. 'I think President Trump had a brilliant vision. It's called free choice,' the Israeli prime minister said. 'You know, if people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. It shouldn't be a prison.'
The Sun
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Trump is nominated for Nobel Peace prize as Netanyahu presents letter to Don at triumphant White House summit
DONALD Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader presented Trump with a letter of recommendation, which he said had been sent to the prize committee, at a White House summit between the pair - their first meeting since joint military action against Iran. 7 7 7 The allies also sat down in the context of ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas, in the hope of agreeing to a 60-day ceasefire. Netanyahu said Trump was "forging peace as we speak, and one country and one region after the other". Trump appeared thrilled with the compliment, and told Netanyahu: "Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful. Thank you very much, Bibi." It is a well-known ambition of Trump's to win the award, and he has been nominated numerous times - often by countries seeking his favour. Most recently, Pakistan's government officially put his name forward in June - though the move was hotly contested internally just a day later when Trump blitzed nuclear sites in Iran. The summit was a display of unity between Israel and the US following their joint efforts to buckle Iran's nuclear programme during the "12-day war". After more than a week of Israel and Iran trading missiles, the US intervened with an impressive covert operation that involved world-leading bunker-buster bombs and missiles launched from submarines. Trump is adamant that Iran's nuclear programme has been gutted - and now says the regime has requested to restart negotiations. He said on Monday: "We have scheduled Iran talks, and they want to. They want to talk." The two leaders also discussed progress towards a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Trump opens floodgates to ship more weapons to Ukraine as Putin snubs peace with merciless 1,000-bomb-a-DAY blitzes Representatives for the two sides met for indirect talks for the first time in six weeks in Qatar on Monday. Both have spoken positively about the prospects, but there are reportedly a number of crucial sticking points Netanyahu has long argued that Hamas must be completely disarmed and expelled from Gaza. In turn, Hamas wants guarantees that the war would not resume after any ceasefire - as happened earlier this year. When asked what was delaying the negotiations, Trump said: "I don't think there is a hold-up. I think things are going along very well." 7 7 7 And he deferred to Netanyahu when pressed for specifics about the plan for the people of Gaza - who seemed still to favour a highly-controversial plan to relocate Palestinians in neighbouring countries. The Israeli PM claimed that moving the people of Gaza elsewhere would give them a "better future". He said: "I think President Trump had a brilliant vision, it's called free choice. "If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. "We're working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realize what they always say, that they wanted to give the Palestinians a better future. "I think we're getting close to finding several countries." Trump then added to this sentiment, insisting: "We've had great cooperation from [...] surrounding countries, great cooperation from every single one of them. So something good will happen." Earlier this year, the President floated the idea of relocating all the Palestinians in Gaza, and America turning it into the "Riviera of the Middle East". 7
