What are the main sticking points in Gaza ceasefire talks?
US President Donald Trump says a ceasefire deal on Gaza could be reached within days, but major hurdles include the status of the US- and Israeli-backed food distribution system that has been described as a 'death trap'.
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Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
‘Terrible thing': Trump defends Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro against coup trial
United States President Donald Trump has taken to social media to defend his fellow right-wing leader Jair Bolsonaro, a former Brazilian president who faces criminal charges for allegedly plotting a coup d'etat. On Monday, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that Bolsonaro's indictment was an example of political persecution. 'Brazil is doing a terrible thing on their treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro,' Trump said. 'I have watched, as has the World, as they have done nothing but come after him, day after day, night after night, month after month, year after year! He is not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE.' Trump went on to compare his own legal troubles to Bolsonaro's. Both leaders have been accused of trying to undermine their country's elections, following losses. In Trump's case, the accusations concern his 2020 race against Democrat Joe Biden. Though Trump lost, prosecutors say he and his allies conspired to defraud voters by pressuring officials to say that he won. That lie culminated in an attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Trump's supporters sought to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election results. Trump later faced a federal indictment in Washington, DC, and a state-level indictment in Georgia over his actions. The federal charges, however, were dropped once he took office for a second term in January. Bolsonaro, meanwhile, currently is facing criminal trial for allegedly masterminding a scheme to retain power after his 2022 election loss to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. In the lead-up to the election, Bolsonaro spread falsehoods about the accuracy of Brazil's voting machines, and afterwards, he refused to publicly concede defeat. Thousands of his supporters likewise stormed the government buildings in Brazil's capital Brasilia to protest the outcome. Prosecutors say police unearthed evidence of a scheme wherein Bolsonaro and his allies plotted to hold onto power by means of a coup, one that would have seen Lula and other officials assassinated. Both Trump and Bolsonaro have denied wrongdoing. In Monday's posts, Trump said both of their cases reflected a politically motivated 'WITCH HUNT' designed to dim their popularity among voters. 'This is nothing more, or less, than an attack on a Political Opponent — Something I know much about! It happened to me, times 10,' Trump wrote. 'The Great People of Brazil will not stand for what they are doing to their former President.' He appeared to end his post with a call for Bolsonaro's re-election: 'The only Trial that should be happening is a Trial by the Voters of Brazil — It's called an Election. LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE!' Bolsonaro, however, has been barred from running for office for eight years, a period which expires in 2030. In 2023, in a separate case, Brazil's Superior Electoral Court issued the punishment after it found Bolsonaro had abused his power by using government offices to spread doubt about the country's voting machines. Trump and Bolsonaro have long faced comparisons to one another. They both took office for a first term in 2017, and both lost their initial re-election attempt. Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has been referred to as the 'Trump of the tropics'. Critics have long speculated that Trump may seek to intervene in Brazil's prosecution of the far-right leader, through political pressure. Earlier this year, for example, the Trump Media and Technology Group joined a lawsuit in Florida against Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, arguing that a recent decision from the judge amounted to the censorship of right-wing voices. De Moraes has overseen the criminal case against Bolsonaro and is considered a target of ire for Brazil's right. In a social media response on Monday, President Lula indicated that Trump's social media missive could be viewed as an attempt to interfere with the Brazilian justice system. Though he mentioned neither Trump nor Bolsonaro by name, Lula, a left-wing leader, rejected the advice of those who sought to influence the ongoing trial from abroad. 'The defense of democracy in Brazil is a matter for Brazilians to deal with. We are a sovereign country. We do not accept interference or tutelage from anyone,' Lula wrote. 'We have solid and independent institutions. No one is above the law. Especially those who threaten freedom and the rule of law.' Bolsonaro, on the other hand, took to social media to thank Trump explicitly for his words of support. 'I thank the illustrious President and friend. You went through something similar. You were relentlessly persecuted, but you won for the good of the United States and dozens of other truly democratic countries,' Bolsonaro wrote, reflecting on how 'happy' he was to see Trump's note. Bolsonaro used the occasion to once again proclaim his innocence and blast his political opponents as puppeteering the trial. 'This process to which I am responding is a legal aberration (lawfare), clear political persecution,' he said. The former president could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
US envoy hails Lebanon's response to Hezbollah disarmament proposals
A senior United States envoy has praised the Lebanese government's response to a US proposal aimed at disarming Hezbollah amid Israel's continued military presence in the country. Thomas Barrack, an adviser to US President Donald Trump who serves as Washington's ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, returned to Beirut on Monday after delivering the US proposal during a June 19 visit. The plan called for the Shia Lebanese group Hezbollah to fully disarm within four months in exchange for a halt to Israeli air strikes and the full withdrawal of Israel's military from the five positions it continues to occupy in southern Lebanon. 'What the government gave us was something spectacular in a very short period of time,' Barrack told reporters on Monday after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. 'I'm unbelievably satisfied with the response.' While Barrack confirmed that he had received a seven-page reply from the Lebanese side, he offered no details on its contents. Barrack said that he believed both Lebanon and Israel were seeking a path toward de-escalation. 'Both countries are trying to give the same thing – the notion of a stand-down agreement, of the cessation of hostilities, and a road to peace.' The remarks come as tensions remain high as Israel continues to bombard Lebanon despite agreeing to a ceasefire in November. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted in October 2023 after the Lebanese group attacked Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza. It spiralled into full-scale conflict by September the following year, killing more than 4,000 people – including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other senior officials – and displacing nearly 1.4 million people, according to Lebanese authorities. Lebanon's president and prime minister – both installed earlier this year – have promised to strengthen the state and the army, and said that Hezbollah, long viewed as the most powerful military force in Lebanon, must not be more powerful than the government. However, Israel has continued to strike Lebanon, claiming its operations are aimed at preventing Hezbollah from rearming. Lebanese health officials say around 250 people have been killed and more than 600 wounded in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire. Hezbollah has not issued a formal response to the US proposal. However, its leader, Naim Qassem, said on Sunday that the group would not disarm while Israel continued its aggression. 'We cannot be asked to soften our stance or lay down arms while [Israeli] aggression continues,' Qassem told thousands of supporters during Ashura commemorations in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Barrack acknowledged that Hezbollah would need guarantees that it could continue operating as a political force within Lebanon. But signs of de-escalation were absent on the ground. Just hours before Barrack's arrival, Israel launched a wave of air strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon and carried out a ground invasion into a border village. Lebanese officials and diplomats said the latest military action appeared to be an attempt to increase pressure on Hezbollah ahead of diplomatic discussions. On Saturday, Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported that an 'Israeli enemy drone attack on a vehicle' in the Saf al-Hawa area of southern Lebanon's Bint Jbeil killed one person and injured two others. Earlier that day, the ministry said a separate Israeli drone strike wounded one person in the town of Shebaa. Lebanon's National News Agency reported the attack hit a house in the village, which lies along Lebanon's border with Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The ministry said another Israeli drone strike targeted the town of Chaqra in Bint Jbeil, wounding two people, while on Thursday, an Israeli attack killed at least one person and injured three near the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Iran's president says open to dialogue with US after Israel war
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said he believes Tehran can resolve its differences with the United States through dialogue, but trust would be an issue after US and Israeli attacks on his country. 'I am of the belief that we could very much easily resolve our differences and conflicts with the United States through dialogue and talks,' Pezeshkian told US right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson in an interview conducted on Saturday and released on Monday. His remarks came less than a month after Israel launched its unprecedented June 13 bombing campaign against Iran, killing top military commanders and nuclear scientists. The Israeli attacks took place two days before Tehran and Washington were set to meet for a new round of nuclear talks, stalling negotiations that were aimed at reaching a deal over Iran's atomic programme. A week later, in separate attacks on June 21, the US also bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Iranian state media said on Monday that the death toll from the 12-day war had risen to at least 1,060. Pezeshkian blamed Israel, Iran's archenemy, for the collapse of talks with the US. 'How are we going to trust the United States again?' he asked. 'How can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks, the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us?' Iran's president also accused Israel of attempting to assassinate him during the June attacks. 'They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed,' Pezeshkian told Carlson in response to a question on whether he believed Israel had tried to kill him. 'It was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life. It was Israel. I was in a meeting … they tried to bombard the area in which we were holding that meeting,' he said, according to a translation of his remarks from Persian into English. On June 16, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also did not rule out plans to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying it would 'end the conflict' after reports emerged at the time that US President Donald Trump had vetoed the move. While a ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since June 24, during the interview with Carlson, Pezeshkian accused Netanyahu of pursuing his 'own agenda' of 'forever wars' in the Middle East and urged Trump not to be drawn into war with Iran by the Israeli leader. Netanyahu is visiting Washington on Monday for talks at the White House. 'The United States' president, Mr. Trump, he is capable enough to guide the region towards peace and a brighter future and put Israel in its place. Or get into a pit, an endless pit, or a swamp,' Pezeshkian said. 'So it is up to the United States president to choose which path.' Trump said he expected to discuss Iran and its nuclear ambitions with Netanyahu, praising the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as a tremendous success. On Friday, he told reporters that he believed Tehran's nuclear programme had been set back permanently, although Iran could restart efforts elsewhere.
