Latest news with #MiddleEastPeace
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
What to know about the Nobel Peace Prize as Netanyahu nominates Trump
President Donald Trump has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize − and not for the first time. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their Oval Office meeting July 7 gave Trump a letter that he said he used to nominate the U.S. president for the coveted international prize. The Israeli leader said in the letter that he was nominating him for his role in the 2020 Abraham Accords, which established normalized diplomatic relationships between Israel and the nations of Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. More: Trump, Netanyahu look to relocate Palestinians voluntarily from Gaza to other countries "President Trump has demonstrated steadfast and exceptional dedication to promoting peace, security and stability around the world," Netanyahu wrote in the letter, which was released to the public on July 8. The letter said Trump's efforts "have brought about dramatic change and created new opportunities to expand the circle of peace and normalization" in the Middle East. Netanyahu's letter, dated July 1 and addressed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, joins a growing list of political allies of the president who have thrown their support behind a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. Since taking office in his second term less than six months ago, Trump has supported Israel's military operations in Gaza and in June, joined its 12-day aerial conflict with Iran by bombing several nuclear sites in Iran. Netanyahu not the first to nominate Trump for the prize The president has made his desire for the prize well known over the years, and spoke about it in a February Oval Office meeting with Netanyahu. "They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize," he said to reporters during the meeting. "It's too bad, I deserve it, but they will never give it to me." More: Trump wants Saudi Arabia to join Abraham Accords. What are they? Sen. Bernie Moreno a Republican representing Ohio, introduced a resolution in the Senate on June 25 arguing Trump should be nominated for the prize for his authorization of military strikes on Iran. Pakistan recommended the president for the prize a day before the strikes, for his 'decisive diplomatic intervention' amid escalations between India and Pakistan earlier this year, only to revoke it in response to the aerial bombing. Another Republican lawmaker, Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter, also sent a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee on June 24 recommending him for the prize, citing the Iran-Israel ceasefire reached the same day. Here's what to know about the Nobel Peace Prize, how it's awarded, and how many U.S. presidents have won the distinction. What is the Nobel Peace Prize and who can win one? The Nobel Prizes are a set of awards given each year to those who 'conferred the greatest benefit to humankind,' as described by its founder, Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel. When Nobel died in 1896, he left most of his fortune to establish these prizes, and dictated the parameters of the awards in his will. He wrote they should go to the person "who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses." In an introduction on the Nobel website, Chair of the Peace Prize Committee Jorgen Watne Frydnes says, "In practice, anyone can be the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. The history of the prize shows clearly it's given to people from all layers of society from all over the world." Who votes for Nobel Peace Prize winners? There are six Nobel Prize categories, including the Nobel Peace Prize. The other five Nobel Prize categories are physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in economic sciences. Nobel specifically designated the institutions responsible for choosing the prize winners. They include the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Karolinska Institute, the Swedish Academy for the Nobel Prize in Literature, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Committee consists of five individuals appointed by the Norwegian parliament and are often retired politicians, but not always. The current committee is led by the head of the Norwegian branch of PEN International, a group defending freedom of expression. Members make a shortlist, and each nominee is then assessed by a group of permanent advisers and other experts. The committee aims for unanimity but can decide winners by majority vote. A final decision is often only made a few days before the prize is announced, according to Reuters. Who can be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize? Thousands of people can propose names to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, including lawmakers, heads of state, professors and former Nobel Peace Prize laureates, among others. Individuals cannot, however, nominate themselves, and lists of nominees are kept secret by the committee for 50 years. Most reports of nominations come from individuals disclosing their choices, as in the case of Netanyahu's recent publicization of the letter he sent proposing Trump get the prize. However, nominations close on Jan. 31, meaning Netanyahu's nomination of Trump would not be considered this year. Members of the committee can make their own nominations no later than the first meeting of the committee in February. When is the Nobel Peace Prize announced? The announcement of this year's prize will be made on Oct. 10 at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, and prizes are officially awarded each year on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death. Winners get a medal, a diploma and approximately $1.15 million in prize money. Past Nobel Peace Prize winners include four American presidents U.S. presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama have all won the Nobel Peace Prize. Contributing: Reuters. Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who can win the Nobel Peace Prize? Trump nominated by Netanyahu
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Turkey's Fidan tells Rubio Syria conflict needs to end now
Turkey's Fidan tells Rubio Syria conflict needs to end now ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that the conflict in Syria needs to end immediately, a Turkish foreign ministry source said on Saturday. Fidan said that he supports the constructive role the United States is playing in Syria and Turkey is ready to work with it to achieve a lasting end to the conflict, the source said. "Fidan said that Israel's interventions in Syrian territory further exacerbate the problem, and that any attack on Syria's territorial integrity, unity, and sovereignty also undermines regional peace efforts," the source said. On Friday, the U.S. envoy to Turkey said Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire after days of bloodshed in the predominantly Druze area that has killed over 300 people. Solve the daily Crossword
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Trump hosts Gulf leaders at White House as new violence raises questions about progress toward peace
U.S. President Donald Trump and Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa speak in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump hosted a pair of Arab Gulf leaders at the White House on Wednesday as violence between Israel and Syria renewed doubts about his pledge to impose peace on the Middle East. Trump held a meeting in the Oval Office with Bahrain's crown prince and dined privately with Qatar's prime minister. The Republican president has lavished attention on the Gulf, a wealthy region where members of his family have extensive business relationships. He has already visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on the first foreign policy trip of his second term. With little progress to share on the region's most intractable problems, including the war in Gaza, Trump was more focused Wednesday on promoting diplomatic ties as a vehicle for economic growth. 'Anything they needed, we helped them,' Trump said in the Oval Office while meeting with Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. 'And anything we needed, they helped us.' Meeting with Bahrain's crown prince Bahrain is a longtime ally that hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which operates in the Middle East. Like other Arab leaders, Al Khalifa was eager to highlight the lucrative potential of diplomatic ties with the U.S., including $17 billion of investments. 'And this is real,' he said. 'It's real money. These aren't fake deals.' According to the White House, the agreements include purchasing American airplanes, jet engines and computer servers. More investments could be made in aluminum production and artificial intelligence. Bahrain's king, the crown prince's father, is expected to visit Washington before the end of the year. An important part of the relationship will be an agreement, signed on Wednesday, to advance cooperation on civilian nuclear energy. Dinner with Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar and a member of the country's ruling family, was at the White House for a private dinner with Trump on Wednesday evening. Trump visited Qatar during his trip to the region, marveling at its palaces and stopping at the Al Udeid Air Base, a key U.S. military facility. The base was targeted by Iran after the U.S. bombed the country's nuclear facilities. One ballistic missile made impact, while others were intercepted. Trump wants to use a luxurious Boeing 747 donated by Qatar as his Air Force One because he's tired of waiting for Boeing to finish new planes. However, the arrangement has stirred concerns about security and the ethics of accepting a gift from a foreign government. Aaron David Miller, who served as an adviser on Middle East issues to Democratic and Republican administrations, said 'the Gulf represents everything that Trump believes is right about the Middle East.' 'It's rich, it's stable, it's populated by authoritarians with whom the president feels very comfortable,' he said. Fighting in Syria The fighting in Syria began with clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze factions in the country's south. Government forces intervened, raising alarms in Israel, where the Druze are a politically influential religious minority. On Wednesday, Israel launched strikes in the Syrian capital of Damascus. A ceasefire was later announced, but it was unclear if it would hold. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in the Oval Office for Trump's meeting with the crown prince of Bahrain, said the fighting was the result of 'an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding.' He said 'we think we're on our way to a real de-escalation' that would allow Syria to 'get back on track' to rebuilding after years of civil war. Despite an international outcry over its punishing military operations in Gaza, Israel has successfully weakened its enemies around the region, including Hezbollah and Iran. 'There's a growing concern that Israel been a bigger sense of unpredictability,' Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said. He also warned that 'there's still no game plan to deal with the loose ends of Iran's nuclear program and its other activities in the region,' such as support for the Houthis. Chris Megerian, The Associated Press
New York Times
13-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Why Trump's Abraham Accords Have Not Meant Mideast Peace
In a letter last week nominating President Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel heaped praise on the diplomatic deals known as the Abraham Accords, establishing diplomatic relations between his country and three Arab states. In his letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Mr. Netanyahu called the 2020 accords, brokered by Mr. Trump, 'breakthroughs' that had 'reshaped the Middle East,' making a 'historic advance toward peace, security and regional stability.' The Middle East did not appear to be aware of any such advance. Even as Mr. Netanyahu met in Washington last week with Mr. Trump and other American officials, the Israeli military continued its devastating bombing of the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen attacked two cargo ships in the Red Sea and a brutal civil war continued to rage in Sudan. Weeks earlier, Israel and the United States were bombing Iran, which was firing missiles in return. And Israeli forces remain on the ground in both Lebanon and Syria, in the aftermath of wars that ended just months ago. During the nearly five years since the Abraham Accords were signed, Mr. Trump, Mr. Netanyahu and other American and Israeli officials have repeatedly referred to the agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Bahrain as a 'peace deal.' Scholars who study the region say that is merely a turn of phrase, belying the fact that there has never been a war — or any violence at all — between Israel and the U.A.E. or Bahrain. Morocco has also largely stayed out of the Arab-Israeli conflicts, aside from sending a token force to the 1973 war, more than 50 years ago. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Bloomberg
10-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Mike Pence on Trump Tariffs, Powell, Israel, Ukraine
Former US Vice President Mike Pence talks about President Donald Trump's trade war and tariffs, his ongoing displeasure with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, the US launching a missile strike against Iran, reaching peace in the Middle East and dealing with Russia's Vladimir Putin in order to end the war in Ukraine. He speaks on "Bloomberg Surveillance." (Source: Bloomberg)
