Latest news with #EdanAlexander
National Post
09-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Vivian Bercovici: Trump wants a big, beautiful peace deal, but Hamas is standing in the way
Article content When Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old American-Israeli IDF soldier who was recently released from Hamas captivity visited Trump in the Oval Office last Thursday, Steve Witkoff, America's special envoy to the Middle East, was also present. Witkoff asked Alexander to tell Trump how his conditions changed following the November election in the United States. Article content 'They moved me to a new place, a good place,' Alexander said. 'People did everything. They treated me really well.' Article content Trump revelled in the confirmation that Hamas feared him, quipping: 'They weren't too afraid of Biden.' Alexander quickly agreed. Article content By the end of this week, Trump wants a deal. A big, beautiful deal that will usher in a significant expansion of the Abraham Accords, perhaps announcing that negotiations will include Lebanon and Syria, which would be groundbreaking. Article content The jewel in the Middle Eastern crown — Saudi Arabia — will likely hold back, as it has indicated consistently. The Saudis will condition their embrace of a new Middle East security and economic order on the end of the war between Israel and Hamas. Article content Article content It will thus fall to Witkoff to work his magic in Doha and find a way to bridge the critical gap between Hamas and Israel. That would likely involve the first stage of a ceasefire, partial Israeli withdrawal and the phased release of living and dead hostages. Trump would take that as a win at this point. Article content The final stretch will be the toughest. Hamas will continue to hold living hostages, as they are its only leverage. And Israel will resist committing to a full withdrawal from the Strip with Hamas still standing — even barely — in order to bring them all home. Article content No one in the region — aside from Iran, Hezbollah and, one has to assume, Qatar — is keen to see Hamas survive. Qatar, of course, is friends with both the United States and Hamas — hosting the largest U.S. military base in the region, while financing and providing a home base to the terrorist organization's leadership in Doha. Article content With the flick of a wrist, Qatar could take down Hamas. It has not done so. So we continue with this absurd situation: the battered Hamas terrorist force, which is ideologically committed to the destruction of Israel, is left holding these very powerful aces — human beings. Article content Waiting on the sidelines is the jewel of the Middle East, Saudi Arabia. Only when the dirty details are swept away will the Saudis even consider joining Trump's big, beautiful plan to bring peace and glory to the Middle East. Steve Witkoff has a big job ahead of him. Article content Article content
Arab News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Dual citizenship concerns simmer below the surface
Nearly 7 million Americans have sworn allegiance to another country besides the US, data shows. Some might brush off the issue of dual citizenship because it only impacts about 3 percent of America's population. But compare that with the No. 1 concern of many Americans today: the 11.7 million foreigners who have entered the country and are living there illegally. Why is the issue of illegal migration so much more of a concern for American political leaders than the issue of swearing an oath of loyalty to a foreign country? Both were in the news last week, but they were addressed very differently by both politicians and by the mainstream news media. Congress on Thursday passed President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' which sets aside more than $170 billion for immigration and border enforcement. However, the new law does not address the issue of dual citizenship. But this took center stage at the White House the same day, when the president greeted Edan Alexander, a dual American-Israeli citizen and soldier in the Israeli military who was held hostage by Hamas after being captured during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack. Born and raised in New Jersey, the 21-year-old moved to Israel in 2022, where he swore an oath of allegiance to Israel to gain citizenship. He then enlisted in the army and was serving as a staff sergeant when he was captured. He was freed by Hamas in May in an apparent goodwill gesture as part of negotiations to secure a ceasefire. During the White House meeting, no mention was made of the fact that he had never served in the US military to defend America. Pro-Israel propaganda has extensively used Alexander's US citizenship to fuel anti-Arab sentiments. It asserts that Hamas and Palestinians generally are not just anti-Israel, they are also anti-American. But the real question is, can someone who pledges loyalty and patriotism to a foreign country truly be an American? As a Palestinian American who served during the Vietnam War, whose brother served in the US Marines and whose father and uncle served during the Second World War fighting the Nazis, why is our loyalty questioned but not Alexander's — a person who has never served America but has served a foreign country? Ironically, the loyalty of Americans of Arab heritage like myself — and especially those who are Muslim — is often questioned, challenged and even used as a basis to confront our expressions of concern for Israel's war crimes and genocide in the Gaza Strip over the past two years. The real question is, can someone who pledges loyalty and patriotism to a foreign country truly be an American? Ray Hanania Arab and Muslim students protesting Israel's Gaza war on college campuses have been viciously attacked and accused of antisemitism. The US Justice Department has launched efforts to expel them. Most American politicians prefer to avoid the issue of dual citizenship, but they pounce on false accusations of anti-Americanism by pro-Palestine students. While pro-Israel propaganda has suppressed public debate over the treachery of a person swearing dual national loyalties, the issue continues to force its way into public debates. In March, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie introduced legislation — the Dual Loyalty Disclosure Act — that, if it were to become law, would require Americans who run for federal office to declare if they have citizenship of a foreign country. 'Dual citizens elected to the United States Congress should renounce citizenship in all other countries,' said Rep. Massie. 'At a minimum, they should disclose their citizenship in other countries and abstain from votes specifically benefiting those countries. If we are going to continue to allow members of Congress to acquire and retain citizenship in other countries, they should at least be required to disclose to voters all countries of which they consider themselves to be citizens." The bill is co-sponsored by, among others, Reps. Andy Biggs, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Clay Higgins, all supporters of Trump who have been vocal about opposing excessive foreign aid to all countries, including Israel, and redirecting those funds to 'American needs.' Dual citizenship is an issue of patriotism for every nation. Why should people who enjoy citizenship and benefits in one country be able to pledge their loyalty to another country and serve in its military? It is an expression of that person's lack of faith in the country in which they live. It is like having a plan B: just in case things do not go well in one country, they can use their dual citizenship to flee to another country and to be loyal to it instead. Dual citizenship is a political contradiction that challenges the foundation of national loyalty. It should be banned, not just in America but in every country around the world.
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Committed to bringing every hostage home': Trump meets freed Hamas hostage Edan Alexander
Trump meets freed Hamas hostage Edan Alexander US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump met with the last living American hostage held in Gaza on Thursday at the White House. Edan Alexander , 21, is an American-Israeli from New Jersey. He was 19 years old and serving as a soldier in the Israeli military when Hamas militants abducted him during the October 7, 2023 assault. He had been deployed in the Israeli infantry when Hamas abducted him from a military base close to the Gaza border. The meeting took place in the Oval Office, where Edan Alexander was accompanied by his mother, Adi Alexander, and father, Yael Alexander, of Tenafly, NJ. On Friday, Trump shared footage from the meeting on his Truth Social platform. 'It was my great honor to welcome Edan Alexander, held hostage by Hamas for 584 days, to the Oval Office with his loved ones. We remain committed to bringing every hostage home!' he wrote. Alexander was released from Hamas captivity on May 12, 2025, 584 days after being taken into captivity. After his release, Alexander remained in Israel for several weeks before returning home to New Jersey, where his family resides. In early March, Trump met with eight former hostages who had been freed by Hamas at the White House. The group included Iair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, Eli Sharabi, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Doron Steinbrecher, and Noa Argamani.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US-Iran nuclear talks to resume in Norway next week: Report
(NewsNation) — White House envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Norway's capital next week to restart nuclear talks, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the situation. There is no official date set for the Oslo meeting, according to Axios. Trump to sign 'big, beautiful bill' at July 4 White House picnic It would be the first direct talks since Trump embroiled the U.S. in the Israel-Iran conflict by ordering strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites. The Islamic Republic retaliated with an attack on America's largest installation in the Middle East, Al Udeid Air Base. Days later, Trump helped broker a ceasefire between Iran and Israel — which has sparked hope for an end to violence in Gaza. Hamas suggested Wednesday that it was open to a ceasefire agreement with Israel, but stopped short of accepting a U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day pause in fighting. Israel said it has already accepted the deal. Iran could restart uranium enrichment in 'months': UN nuclear watchdog On Thursday, Trump met with Edan Alexander, a former American-Israeli hostage, at the White House. 'I told the most powerful man in the world what I went through, what my friends there are going through, and asked him to continue doing everything in his power. … I hope he can achieve another historic breakthrough — a comprehensive deal to free them all, all 50 hostages,' Alexander said in a statement following the meeting. Pressure is mounting as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to travel to Washington on Monday for his own meeting with Trump. Before his departure, 35 hostage families signed a letter to the Netanyahu instructing what they want from the conversation. 'Prime minister, you must reach a comprehensive agreement that guarantees the return of every last hostage and brings an end to the fighting,' they wrote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Trump Welcomes Edan Alexander, Former Hamas Hostage, to White House
President Trump said on Friday that he had met in the Oval Office with Edan Alexander, a dual American and Israeli citizen who was held hostage in Gaza for nearly 600 days. Mr. Alexander, who was released in May, was accompanied by his mother, Adi Alexander, and father, Yael Alexander, of Tenafly, N.J. He was welcomed at the White House by Mr. Trump on Thursday, Israeli news media reported. Mr. Trump posted a video on his Truth Social site showing Mr. Alexander, 21, being greeted in the Oval Office by officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. In a video posted on X by one of Mr. Trump's aides, the president, standing beside the first lady, Melania Trump, tells Mr. Alexander and his parents that it was 'very important' to the first lady that Mr. Alexander returned home safely and the fact that Mr. Alexander was American citizen 'had a big impact.' Mr. Alexander, 21, was abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that touched off the war in Gaza. He had been serving in the infantry of the Israeli military when Hamas took him from a military outpost near the border with Gaza. Mr. Alexander's family sobbed as they held him after his release in May. His parents had advocated relentlessly for his freedom and had traveled from the United States to Israel with Trump administration officials to bring him home. 'We never lost hope,' Adi Alexander, Edan's father, told The New York Times in May after his son's release. 'I could not allow myself to think any other way.' Mr. Alexander, who grew up in Tenafly, was a star swimmer in high school. He was handcuffed, beaten and interrogated during his time in captivity, his father said, and he listened as Israeli bombs shook the tunnels where he was held. He became gaunt without much access to food. 'His whole body has bedbug bites,' his father said in May. 'His skin is in terrible condition.' The year and a half in captivity has left its mark, but Mr. Alexander is recovering, his father said. 'He was this goofy, funny guy,' when he joined the army, Edan's father said. 'He's still funny. I don't think he's a different person. He is simply tired.' Mr. Trump's meeting with Mr. Alexander came after the president said on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to 'conditions to finalize' a 60-day cease-fire with Hamas. He is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel next week in the United States.
