Protecting The Druze, Expanding Influence Or...What Is Driving Israel's Intervention In Syria?
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First Post
3 minutes ago
- First Post
Gaza, Ukraine and beyond: Is Trump's bid to be a global peacemaker falling apart?
The United States cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks this week plunges one of President Donald Trump's pushes to solve global conflicts into new uncertainty. read more The United States' decision to withdraw from Gaza ceasefire negotiations this week has cast fresh doubt over President Donald Trump's attempts to resolve some of the world's most intractable conflicts. The faltering of talks aimed at ending the 21-month war between Israel and Hamas marks another setback for Trump whose efforts to broker international peace agreements have stalled across multiple fronts. Though back in office for only six months, the Republican president has sought to position himself as a global peacemaker. Some of his aims, such as ending the Ukraine war before taking office, have yet to materialise. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While Trump has cited humanitarian motives for his diplomatic pursuits, he has also been vocal about his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Several allies have nominated him for the honour. Ceasefire efforts in Gaza: No major progress Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, announced Thursday that the U.S. was recalling its negotiating team from Qatar. Talks there had failed to yield a breakthrough. Witkoff accused Hamas of not engaging in 'good faith', though he did not elaborate. Despite a visit to Washington earlier this month by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the negotiations have produced little progress. Witkoff said the U.S. would now 'consider alternative options to bring the hostages home', but officials declined to provide further details. Asked about the issue on Friday, Trump told reporters that Hamas was uninterested in a deal and added, 'I think what's going to happen is they're going to be hunted down.' Ukraine war: Stalemate persists Trump previously vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict within 24 hours of assuming office, but the war continues with no sign of resolution. Despite increasing criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump has not supported a bipartisan U.S. sanctions bill. Instead, he gave Russia 50 days to accept a peace plan, delaying punitive measures. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This delay has allowed Moscow to intensify its military offensive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reiterated his willingness to hold direct talks with Putin, but Russia has rejected the offer. Lower-level negotiations held in Istanbul on Wednesday ended without progress. Russia continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from four regions it annexed in 2022 and abandon its NATO ambitions, terms Kyiv and its Western backers have rejected. Iran conflict: Ceasefire but no nuclear deal The US and Israel recently carried out joint strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure, leading to a fragile ceasefire. However, Washington has not yet reached any agreement with Tehran over its nuclear programme. An Iranian diplomat said this week that Tehran is open to talks with the US but only if steps are taken to rebuild trust. Meanwhile, Iran is also exploring a separate negotiation path with Britain, France and Germany—three parties to the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from during his previous term. Foreign ministers from the four countries met Friday in Istanbul, warning that sanctions could be reinstated if there is no movement on a new deal by August. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Progress on some fronts Despite the setbacks, Trump has managed to broker certain regional agreements. In June, the US facilitated a peace accord between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, ending years of tension. The agreement includes commitments to cease hostilities, respect each other's sovereignty and grant US access to critical minerals. In May, the Trump administration claimed to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan following cross-border strikes. However, India denied any international interference. Earlier in July, US special envoy Tom Barrack announced a limited ceasefire between Israel and Syria following Israeli intervention in the latter's internal conflict. While the ceasefire was hailed as a success, the episode disrupted efforts to normalise relations between the two nations. With inputs from agencies
Time of India
6 minutes ago
- Time of India
Move a launchpad to annihilate Israel: Bibi
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Pic credit: AP) Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu condemned France's decision, saying such a move 'rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy.' In a post on X, he added, 'A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launchpad to annihilate Israel... Let's be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel. ' Defence minister Israel Katz called the move 'a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism.' (This is a Reuters's story)
NDTV
8 minutes ago
- NDTV
Gaza Ceasefire Talks Expected To Resume Next Week, Says Hamas
CAIRO, Egypt: Ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel are expected to resume next week, a Hamas official said Friday, as Israeli strikes continue across Gaza and experts warn Palestinians are on the brink of famine. Hamas official Bassem Naim said on Friday that he was told an Israeli delegation would depart for consultations early next week. Previous talks had been held in Qatar. His comments come a day after the United States recalled its negotiating team from Qatar and after President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Hamas' latest response to the negotiations showed a "lack of desire" to reach a truce. Witkoff said the U.S. will "now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza." He did not elaborate on what those options might be. Earlier on Thursday Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu's office also recalled his negotiating team in light of Hamas' response. In a brief statement, Netanyahu's office expressed appreciation for the efforts of Witkoff and the other mediators, Qatar and Egypt, but gave no further details. A breakthrough on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has eluded the Trump administration as humanitarian conditions worsen in Gaza. Israel has come under mounting pressure for the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza and reports of people dying from causes related to malnutrition. In recent days more then two dozen Western-aligned countries and more than 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticizing Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. The charities and rights groups said even their own staff were struggling to get enough food. On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize Palestine as a state, saying, "The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved.″ Hamas said that Witkoff's remarks were meant to pressure the group for Netanyahu's benefit during the next round of talks and that in recent days negotiations had made progress. Naim said several gaps had been nearly solved, such as the agenda of the ceasefire, guarantees to continue negotiating to reach a permanent agreement and how humanitarian aid would be delivered. Israel's government didn't immediately respond to whether negotiations would resume next week. The sides have held weeks of talks in Qatar, reporting small signs of progress but no major breakthroughs. Officials have said a main sticking point is the redeployment of Israeli troops after any ceasefire takes place. The deal under discussion is expected to include an initial 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up, and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting ceasefire. The talks have been bogged down over competing demands for ending the war. Hamas says it will only release all hostages in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal and end to the war. Israel says it will not agree to end the conflict until Hamas gives up power and disarms. The militant group says it is prepared to leave power but not surrender its weapons. Hamas is believed to be holding the hostages in different locations, including tunnels, and says it has ordered its guards to kill them if Israeli forces approach. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza but fewer than half are believed to be alive. Their families say the start-stop talks are excruciating. "I thought that maybe something will come from the time that the negotiation, Israeli team were in Doha," said Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is being held hostage. "And when I heard that they're coming back, I ask myself: When will this nightmare end?" Meanwhile Israeli strikes continued across Gaza. At least 22 people were killed since Thursday night, according to hospital records at Nasser Hospital where the bodies arrived. Some were killed in strikes, others and others were killed while seeking aid, said the hospital.
