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Middle East Eye
7 days ago
- Business
- Middle East Eye
Trump fires slew of pro-Israel officials in America First 'course correction'
US President Donald Trump's course correction of his foreign policy team is shifting into overdrive with Iran hawks and staunchly pro-Israel officials axed, including one who drew the ire of "America First" Trump allies. The officials being dismissed are all those with previous track records opposing what are shaping up to be Trump's most significant Middle East endeavours: swiftly lifting sanctions on Syria and negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran. The reshuffle comes after Trump's landmark visit to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar last month. In a speech in Riyadh, Trump tore into "interventionists" and the American "nation builders". Underscoring just how rapid the turnaround has been, the Middle East advisor at the White House National Security Council (NSC) who was photographed taking notes while Trump spoke to the leaders of Syria and Saudi Arabia in May was one of the officials fired. Eric Trager was notified late last month that he would be removed from his position, one former US official and one source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to Middle East Eye. His firing has been reported by several Israeli news sites. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The latter source said Trager was still working on the NSC for now. Trager is an Iran hawk. He also wrote a book criticising the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar. Unlike previous Middle East directors at the NSC, his influence in the White House was limited. US President Donald Trump meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. Eric Trager is behind the president on the right, on 14 May 2025 (Bandar al-Jaloud/Saudi Royal Palace/AFP) He was dismissed as part of a wider Trump shakeup at the NSC, which The New York Times reported will see the organisation's headcount cut in half. Another notable firing was Merav Ceren, the NSC director for Israel and Iran, in late May. Ceren's biography at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank states that she worked at the Israeli Ministry of Defence, where she participated in negotiations in the occupied West Bank between Israel's Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories, known as Cogat, and Palestinian Authority officials. Her appointment, first reported by Drop Site News in April, created a firestorm among America First media personalities. 'Neo-con Mike Waltz has now hired basically a dual citizen and former IDF official to work under him,' Conservative podcaster Clayton Morris, a former Fox News anchor, said in April, referring to Ceren. Some of Trump's most vocal defenders in the media, who exercise unprecedented influence in communicating his worldview, are media figures like Tucker Carlson and former advisor Steve Bannon. Morris is a friend of Carlson. Broad sweep The latest firings come after Trump brushed away his former national security advisor, Mike Waltz, by nominating him to be ambassador to the United Nations. Waltz was reportedly sidelined for consulting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on preemptively attacking Iran. 'Tensions between Trump and Netanyahu over Iran are real' - Marwa Maziad, Israel expert Trump's administration was divided between traditional Republican hawks and 'America First' isolationists like White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The latest firing underscores the "America First" bent of Trump's foreign policy team. The NSC isn't the only place Trump is cleaning house. On Sunday, Israel's Channel 14 reported that Morgan Ortagus, the deputy to US envoy Steve Witkoff and the official overseeing the Trump administration's Lebanon portfolio, will be leaving her position. One source briefed on her departure told MEE that Ortagus had irritated Witkoff, her de facto boss. Trump looking for 'Iran doves' Overall, Trump's sweeping dismissals reflect how he is upending the traditional ways Republican presidents approached the Middle East. It's unclear how much Trump himself cared about these specific positions or the officials who filled them. He has been relying on close friends like Witkoff to negotiate with Iran and, more recently, the US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, to manage Syria. Some speculate that the shakeup is a natural outcome of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking over as temporary national security advisor after Waltz's departure. Both Trager and Ceren were part of Waltz's team. But the axed officials are all united by a common thread. They are traditional hawks who have supported Israel's offensives in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. All of the officials were critics of compromising with Iran to reach a nuclear deal. Trump announces pro-Israel commentator to Mideast post then ridicules her Read More » 'Trump's foreign policy team is undergoing a course correction in keeping with his own pivot,'Marwa Maziad, a professor of Israeli politics at the University of Maryland, told MEE. 'In March, Trump allowed [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to relaunch his offensive on Gaza. Trump was not in the driver's seat,' Maziad said. The pivotal change for his administration came in mid-May when he visited the Gulf, bypassing Israel to seal economic deals with oil-rich monarchs. Trump struck a unilateral ceasefire with the Houthis even as they continue to attack Israel, and made a historic announcement to lift all sanctions on Syria. But the main theatre of diplomacy is the Iranian nuclear deal. 'Whether the staff reshuffling is related to these officials' views on Israel or not is besides the point. The tensions between Trump and Netanyahu over a potential strike on Iran are real. Trump is trying to take the wheel back from Netanyahu,' Maziad said. On Monday, Axios reported that the Trump administration provided a proposal to Iran for a nuclear deal that allows them to enrich a low level of uranium. Trump later undercut the story on Monday, saying he would not allow enrichment at any level. But one source briefed on the firings told MEE that they appeared in keeping with a White House that is looking for officials to follow Trump's desire for a deal. 'They are looking for Iran doves and people aligned to Vance,' the source said, referring to US Vice President JD Vance, who has emerged as the most prominent opponent of US military intervention in the Middle East.
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Business Standard
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
White House National Security Council fires many staffers after Trump order
Dozens of staffers were fired from the White House National Security Council on Friday, as President Donald Trump moved to slash the size and scope of the once-powerful body, five sources briefed on the matter said. Staff dealing with most major geopolitical issues, from Ukraine to Kashmir, were terminated in the afternoon, said the sources, who requested anonymity as they were not permitted to speak to the media. The move came just weeks after Secretary of State Marco Rubio took over from Mike Waltz as national security adviser. The NSC restructuring is expected to further reduce the agency's influence, transforming it from a powerful policymaking body into a small organization focused more on implementing the president's agenda than on shaping it, the sources said. In practice, the move is expected to grant more authority to the State Department, the Defense Department and other departments and agencies involved in diplomacy, national security and intelligence matters, the sources said. The administration's aim is to reduce the size of the NSC to just a few dozen people. Four sources with knowledge of the plans said they expect the final headcount at the NSC to come out to around 50 people. The NSC is traditionally the main body used by presidents to coordinate national security strategy. Its staff often make key decisions regarding America's approach to the world's most volatile conflicts and play a key role in keeping America safe. The body had more than 300 staffers under Democratic President Joe Biden, but even before the recent firings under Trump was considerably less than half the size of Biden's NSC. The staffers who are cut from the agency will be moved to other positions in government, two of the sources told Reuters. Two other sources described a chaotic scene in recent hours. Outgoing staff were in some cases reduced to tears in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where the NSC is housed, they said. Many conservatives have long pushed for a pared-down NSC, arguing that a number of the positions are duplicative of functions found elsewhere in the government. Democrats and some Republicans have argued that gutting the body will mean Trump's policies are less informed by expert advice. The NSC has had a hard time recruiting top talent in recent months. Certain key positions, like the top post overseeing Latin American affairs, were never filled on a permanent basis. Several high-ranking staffers were fired earlier in the year after right-wing conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer presented Trump with a list of national security staffers she perceived to be disloyal. Disclosures that Waltz, the previous national security adviser, had accidentally shared information on an imminent bombing campaign in Yemen with an Atlantic journalist further dented morale. As part of the restructuring, certain sections of the NSC - known as directorates - are expected to be combined with other directorates or eliminated altogether, three sources said. In most of the directorates that remain, only a few staff are left, the sources added. Among the directorates that may cease to operate as independent bodies are those overseeing African affairs and multilateral organisations, like NATO, three sources said.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump moves to fire several national security officials over concerns they're not loyal: AP sources
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has moved to fire several senior White House National Security Council officials soon after he was urged by far-right activist Laura Loomer to purge staffers she deemed insufficiently committed to his Make America Great Again agenda, several people familiar with the matter said Thursday. Loomer presented her research to Trump in an Oval Office meeting on Wednesday, making her case for the firings, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters. Vice President JD Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Serio Gor, the director of the Presidential Personnel Office, took part in the meeting, the people said. NSC spokesman Brian Hughes declined to comment on the meeting or the firings, insisting that the White House does not discuss personnel matters. Loomer, who has promoted 9/11 conspiracy theories, was a frequent presence on the campaign trail during Trump's 2024 successful White House run. More recently, she's been speaking out on social media about some members of Trump's national security team that she insists can't be trusted. The move by Trump to push out staff comes at a moment when his national security adviser Mike Waltz is fighting back criticism over using the publicly available encrypted Signal app to discuss planning for the sensitive March 15 military operation targeting Houthi militants in Yemen. A journalist, The Atlantic magazine's Jeffrey Rosenberg, was mistakenly added to the chain and revealed that Trump's team used it to discuss precise timing of the operation, aircraft used to carry out the strikes and more. Waltz has taken responsibility for building text chain, but has said he does not know how Rosenberg ended up being included.
CBC
28-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
U.S. says Ukraine determines own governance after Putin suggests temporary administration
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Ukraine be placed under a form of temporary administration to allow for new elections and the signature of key accords to reach a settlement in the war, Russian news agencies reported early on Friday. Putin's comments, during a visit to the northern port of Murmansk, come amid U.S. attempts to forge a settlement to the conflict by re-establishing links with Russia and engaging with both Moscow and Kyiv, in separate talks. The Kremlin leader said he believed U.S. President Donald Trump truly wanted peace. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has left hundreds of thousands of dead and injured, displaced millions of people, reduced towns to rubble and triggered the sharpest confrontation for decades between Moscow and the West. Putin's suggestion of a temporary administration appeared linked to his long-held complaint that Ukraine's authorities are, in his view, not a legitimate negotiating partner as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stayed in power beyond the May 2024 end of his mandate. "In principle, of course, a temporary administration could be introduced in Ukraine under the auspices of the UN, the United States, European countries and our partners," Putin was quoted as saying in talks with seamen at the port. "This would be in order to hold democratic elections and bring to power a capable government enjoying the trust of the people and then to start talks with them about a peace treaty." Putin contrasts Trump with Biden He said Trump's efforts to proceed with direct talks with Russia — in contrast with the preceding U.S. President Joe Biden, who shunned contacts — showed the new president wanted peace. "In my opinion, the newly elected president of the United States sincerely wants an end to the conflict for a number of reasons," the agencies quoted Putin as saying. A White House National Security Council spokesperson, asked about Putin's remarks on temporary administration, said governance in Ukraine was determined by its constitution and the people of the country. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Can Europe replace the U.S. in the Ukraine war? 6 days ago Duration 10:02 European leaders have pressed on with their own efforts, pledging after a meeting in Paris on Thursday to strengthen Kyiv's army to ensure it was the cornerstone of future security in Ukraine. France and Britain tried to expand support for a foreign "reassurance force" in the event of a truce with Russia, although Moscow rejects any presence of foreign troops in Ukraine. Ukraine barred from holding elections during martial law Zelenskyy has rejected any notion questioning his legitimacy, saying Ukraine is barred by law from holding elections under martial law and holding a poll in wartime conditions would in any case prove impossible. Zelenskyy has repeatedly accused Putin in recent days of wanting to press on with the conflict. In his comments, Putin said Russia was steadily moving forward to achieving the goals it had set out in its Ukraine operation. Russia, Putin said, was in favour of "peaceful solutions to any conflict, including this one, through peaceful means, but not at our expense." "Throughout the entire line of military contact, our troops are holding the strategic initiative," he said. "We are gradually — perhaps not as quickly as some might like — but still persistently and with confidence moving toward achieving the goals set out at the beginning of this operation," the agencies quoted him as saying. More than three years after launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces now hold about 20 per cent of the country, with Moscow declaring four regions annexed. Its forces have also recovered much of the territory it initially lost in a Ukrainian incursion last August into its western Kursk region. Putin praised the efforts in seeking a solution from the BRICS grouping it promotes as an alternative to traditional alliances — singling out China and India for praise. He said Russia was ready to cooperate with many countries, including North Korea, to help end the war. Western and Ukrainian sources say more than 11,000 North Korean troops have been sent to bolster Russian forces in the Kursk region, although Moscow has not confirmed this. Putin said Russia was also ready to work with Europe, but adding that Europe "conducts itself in inconsistent fashion."
Nahar Net
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Arab leaders endorse Egypt's plan to rebuild Gaza as alternative to Trump's proposal
by Naharnet Newsdesk 05 March 2025, 15:36 Arab leaders on Tuesday endorsed Egypt's postwar plan for the Gaza Strip that would allow its roughly 2 million Palestinians to remain, in a counterproposal to U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to depopulate the territory and redevelop it as a beach destination. The $53 billion plan's endorsement by Arab leaders at a summit in Cairo amounted to a rejection of Trump's proposal. The summit conclusions were welcomed by Hamas, rejected by Israel and given a lukewarm response by the Trump administration. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi expressed his appreciation for "the consensus among the Arab countries to support the reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip, which allows the Palestinian People to stay on their land without displacement." In a social media post after the summit, el-Sissi said he looked forward to working with Trump, other Arab nations and the international community "to adopt a plan that aims for a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian Issue, ends the root causes of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, guarantees the security and stability of the peoples of the region and establishes the Palestinian State." Initial reactions White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes dismissed the Egyptian proposal as unworkable. "The current proposal does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance," Hughes said. "President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas. We look forward to further talks to bring peace and prosperity to the region." A spokesperson for Israel's foreign ministry, Oren Marmorstein, posted on X that the Egyptian plan "fails to address the realities of the situation" and said the summit's joint communique does not mention Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war or condemn the militant group. The plan, he said, remains "rooted in outdated perspectives." Marmorstein reiterated Israel's support for Trump's plan to resettle Gaza's population elsewhere, describing it as "an opportunity for the Gazans to have free choice based on their free will." Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty blasted Israel's rejection as "unacceptable," describing its position as "stubborn and extremist." "There will be no peace neither to Israel or to the region" without establishing an independent Palestinian state in accordance with United Nations resolutions, he said. He said "Israel violates all international law rules … the international law must be imposed." "No single state should be allowed to impose its will on the international community," Abdelatty said. Hamas welcomed the summit's outcome, saying it marked a new phase of Arab and Islamic alignment with the Palestinian cause and that it valued Arab leaders' rejection of attempts to transfer Palestinians from their territories in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Israel has embraced what it says is an alternative U.S. proposal for the ceasefire itself and the release of hostages taken in Hamas' attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the war. Israel has blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza to try to get Hamas to accept the new proposal and has warned of additional consequences, raising fears of a return to fighting. The suspension of aid drew widespread criticism, with human rights groups saying that it violated Israel's obligations as an occupying power under international law. The alternative proposal would require Hamas to release half its remaining hostages — the militant group's main bargaining chip — in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. Israel made no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners — a key component of the first phase. Egypt's postwar plan Egypt's plan foresees rebuilding Gaza by 2030 without removing its population. The first phase calls for starting the removal of unexploded ordnance and clearing more than 50 million tons of rubble left by Israel's bombardment and military offensives. Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the summit's final communique calls on the U.N. Security Council to deploy an international peacekeeping force in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. "Peace is the Arabs' strategic option," he said, adding that the communique rejected the transfer of Palestinians and endorsed Egypt's reconstruction plan. "The Egyptian plan creates a path for a new security and political context in Gaza." The communique said Egypt will host an international conference in cooperation with the United Nations for Gaza's reconstruction, and a World Bank-overseen trust fund will be established to receive pledges to implement the early recovery and reconstruction plan. According to a 112-page draft of the plan obtained by The Associated Press, hundreds of thousands of temporary housing units would be set up for Gaza's population while reconstruction takes place. Rubble would be recycled, with some of it used as infill to expand land on Gaza's Mediterranean coast. In the following years, the plan envisages completely reshaping the strip, building "sustainable, green and walkable" housing and urban areas, with renewable energy. It renovates agricultural lands and creates industrial zones and large park areas. It also calls for the opening of an airport, a fishing port and a commercial port. The Oslo peace accords in the 1990s called for the opening of an airport and a commercial port in Gaza, but the projects withered as the peace process collapsed. Hamas would cede power to an interim administration of political independents until a reformed Palestinian Authority can assume control. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Western-backed authority and an opponent of Hamas, attended the summit. Israel has ruled out any role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and, along with the United States, has demanded Hamas' disarmament. Hamas, which doesn't accept Israel's existence, has said it's willing to cede power in Gaza to other Palestinians, but won't give up its arms until there is a Palestinian state. Israel has vowed to maintain open-ended security control over both territories, which it captured in the 1967 Mideast war and which Palestinians want for their future state. Israel's government and most of its political class are opposed to Palestinian statehood. Trump shocked the region last month by suggesting Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians be resettled in other countries. He said the United States would take ownership of the territory and redevelop it into a Middle Eastern "Riviera." Netanyahu embraced the proposal, which was roundly rejected by Palestinians, Arab countries and human rights experts, who said it would likely violate international law. The war began with Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people hostage. Hamas-led militants are still holding 59 hostages, 35 of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements. Israel has rescued eight living hostages and recovered the remains of dozens more. Israel's 15-month offensive killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It doesn't say how many were fighters, but the ministry says women and children made up more than half the dead. Israel says it killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The offensive destroyed large areas of Gaza, including much of its health system and other infrastructure. At its height, the war displaced about 90% of the population, mostly within the territory, where hundreds of thousands packed into squalid tent camps and schools repurposed as shelters.
