It is noteworthy that the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip entered into force on January 19, and since its entry, several civilians were killed and dozens of others injured in various parts of the Strip.
Archiv: Weltöffentlichkeit / World Public Opinion
Egypt says Trump backs its Gaza plan, convinced by Jordan‘s king
The official confirmed that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is set to travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, likely on Thursday, to discuss Egypt’s plan for post-war Gaza governance. (…)
The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that the Egyptian plan would not include Hamas or the PA. The report said it would involve a police force made up of PA policemen who remained in Gaza after 2007, when Hamas won legislative elections and took control of the enclave.
MEE reported in May that Hamas was prepared to show „flexibility“ about the future governance of Gaza, stating its condition was that Gaza’s fate was agreed upon by other Palestinian factions and not imposed by either the United States or Israel.
US envoy Kellogg to visit Ukraine on Feb. 19
(February 19, 2025)
U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, will arrive in Ukraine on Feb. 19, traveling by overnight train from Poland. His visit will last three days, though the schedule is still being finalized.
Zelenskyy reschedules visit to Saudi Arabia for March 10 amid US-Russia talks
Zelenskyy also said the Ukrainian side has contacted its partners in Saudi Arabia.
„We have agreed that I will make an official visit on March 10,“ he said.
Russia and US agree on Ukraine peace talks – Lavrov
Lavrov pointed out that the meeting in Riyadh was initiated by the Russian and US presidents, who had agreed that preparations for the next summit should be started. To achieve this, foreign ministers and national security advisers were tasked with meeting and determining what needed to be worked out before the two presidents “can negotiate specific dates and timelines for the summit.”
US, Russian officials propose peace plan, lay ‚groundwork for cooperation‘ in Riyadh
The groups, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, are seeking terms for a peace agreement in Ukraine as well as negotiating a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. They have proposed a framework that could involve a ceasefire, elections in Ukraine followed by the signing of a peace agreement.
As Trump looks to turn page on Gaza and Ukraine, all roads lead to Riyadh
Saudi Arabia is neutral ground for Trump to restore high-level ties to Russia, but the crown prince is opposing his Gaza plans
Zelensky to visit Ankara on Tuesday: Turkish presidency
The pair will discuss steps to “further strengthen cooperation between the two countries,” Erdoğan’s chief press aide, Fahrettin Altun, wrote on X.
The Ukrainian president will fly to Ankara from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he landed on Sunday for talks on economic cooperation.
On Wednesday he is due to travel to Saudi Arabia.
Russia, US officials to meet in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine talks
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to President Vladimir Putin, were due to travel to the Saudi capital, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
They will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, the State Department said.
USA conducting negotiations on ending war on two tracks for speed – Russian, Ukrainian-allied – Kellogg
Kellogg specified that he is working on the American-Ukrainian-allied track, while the US President‘s Special Representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is working on the Russian track.
Ukraine preparing for Zelensky to visit Saudi Arabia
Delegations from Saudi Arabia and Ukraine met on Feb. 16 to discuss increased investment and bilateral cooperation between the two nations, ahead of a planned visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky. (….)
The Ukrainian delegation is preparing with local officials for Zelensky‘s visit to Saudia Arabia, during which he will sign economic agreements with various countries in the region, First Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced on Feb. 16.
Thousands March to US Embassy in London With Message for Trump: ‚Hands Off Gaza‘
An 87-year-old Holocaust survivor called the U.S. president‘s plan to permanently force Palestinians out of Gaza „completely immoral and illegal, and also impractical and absurd.“
London Protest Against Trump‘s Gaza Plan Outside US Embassy | DRM News | AH1Z
On February 15, 2025, thousands gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in London to protest President Donald Trump‘s controversial proposal to move Gazans out of Gaza. Protesters marched through central London, voicing their disapproval of the plan to transform Gaza into a resort-like area, calling it unjust and unrealistic. The protestors held Palestinian flags and banners, while some condemned the plan as „ethnic cleansing.“ The protests came after Arab nations, such as Jordan and Egypt, rejected the idea, stating it would destabilize the region. The demonstration coincided with ongoing violence in Gaza, where tens of thousands have been affected by the conflict.
In video address to hostage rallies, freed captive pleads for protests to continue
In his pre-recorded address at Hostages Square, Ben Ami thanked the protesters who have come out week after week to draw attention to the plight of the hostages and ensure that they remain in the public eye.
What keeps you going is that suddenly you see a nation fighting for you,” he said. “You have no idea, no idea how much power that gives to those left behind.”
WATCH — Craig Murray: UN Peacekeepers Watch Civilians Massacred
(February 13, 2025)
On Jan. 26, at least 22 unarmed civilians in southern Lebanon were shot dead by Israel and 147 wounded in a massacre observed by heavily armed U.N. Peacekeepers who did not intervene. I asked the U.N. the very hard questions which nobody else is asking them.
The civilians were simply attempting to return to their homes in accordance with both U.N. Security Resolution 1701 and the current ceasefire agreement, and indeed UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, has a specific mandate under 1701 to assist displaced people to return….
Top Trump officials set to meet with senior Russian officials to begin Ukraine talks
As for the Europeans, Kellogg said that he comes from a “school of realism” and that looking back at the previous Minsk II agreement, “there was a lot of people at the table that really had no ability to execute some type of peace process, and it failed miserably.”
‘Civilization has failed’: Malaysian statesman Mahathir slams US, EU over Gaza genocide
Veteran Malaysian statesman Mahathir Mohamad on Friday criticized the support extended to Israel by the US and EU, saying it is „disgusting.“
“The America which wants to be great again, aid and abet the genocide by the Israelis,” said the 99-year-old former prime minister of the Southeast Asian nation.
“So do its European allies. This is the behavior of savages, not civilized people,” he said about support provided to Tel Aviv in its genocidal military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
The US war against the Palestinians, and the struggle to oppose it
WHAT is your view on Trump’s pronouncements on Gaza? How do these reflect on the US’s relationship with Israel and its role in the Middle East?
These declarations by Trump show a barbaric mentality; bringing to the Gaza issue a “cowboy” attitude from the American experience: removing the native people because the white man has decided it.
We need to be clear that this has not really been a war against Hamas for reasons of security but a strategic war, planned in advance, with the goal of displacing and erasing the Palestinian population.
The US War Against the Palestinians, and the Struggle to Oppose It
A leading member of the Communist Party of Israel, former member of the Knesset and currently president of Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality), talks to the Morning Star, British Socialist newspaper. The interview was published Wednesday, February 12, 2025.
Gazans celebrate as released detainees arrive in Khan Yunis | AFP
Palestinians celebrate as buses carrying released detainees arrive at the European hospital in Gaza‘s Khan Yunis, as part of the sixth prisoner-hostage swap with Israel under a truce deal.
Des prisonniers palestiniens libérés par Israël accueillis par la foule à Ramallah | AFP Images
Des prisonniers palestiniens libérés par Israël sont hissés sur les épaules de la foule à leur arrivée à Ramallah, en Cisjordanie occupée, dans le cadre du sixième échange depuis le début de la trêve qui a failli volé en éclats.
Three Israeli hostages freed after dispute threatened Gaza ceasefire
American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, Russian-Israeli Alexandre Troufanov and Argentinian-Israeli Iair Horn were released in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, around 10 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET) in the sixth such exchange under the truce.
Gaza death toll reaches 48,264: Health ministry
Over the past 48 hours, hospitals in Gaza have received the bodies or remains of 25 victims after being pulled out from the rubble, the sources confirmed.
According to the same sources, the number of injuries has also climbed to 111,688. Meantime, many victims remain trapped under the rubble, with emergency and civil defense teams unable to reach them.
Hegseth rules out NATO membership for Ukraine and says Europe must be responsible for country’s security
(February 12, 2025)
Later on Wednesday afternoon, Trump said he agrees with Hegseth and does not “think it’s practical” to have Ukraine join NATO.
“I don’t think it’s practical to have it. Personally, I know that our new secretary of defense is excellent. Pete made a statement today saying that he thinks it’s unlikely or impractical. I think probably that’s true. I think long before President Putin, they said there’s no way they’d allow that. This has been going on for many, many years. They’ve been saying that for a long time that Ukraine did not go into NATO, and I’m okay with that,” Trump said from the Oval Office.
US defense chief: Return to Ukraine‘s 2014 borders ‚unrealistic‘
(February 12, 2025)
Speaking in Brussels at NATO headquarters, Hegseth told his fellow defense chiefs, „We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
No peace talks have been scheduled, but Hegseth said any durable conclusion to the war must include „robust security guarantees to ensure that the war will not begin again.“
Trump: Military Spending Could Be Cut in Half and There’s No Reason To Build New Nuclear Weapons
“At some point, when things settle down, I’m going to meet with China and I’m going to meet with Russia, in particular those two, and I’m going to say there’s no reason for us to be spending almost $1 trillion on the military … and I’m going to say we can spend this on other things,” Trump said.
“When we straighten it all out, then one of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China and President Putin of Russia, and I want to say let’s cut our military budget in half. And we can do that, and I think we’ll be able to do that,” he added.
Israel allows more aid into Gaza as 369 Palestinians set to be released
In accordance with the truce deal, the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has now identified the three Israeli captives set for release on Saturday as Yair Horn, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Alexandre Sasha Troufanov.
In exchange, 369 Palestinians held in Israeli jails will be released.
Meanwhile, Israel has allowed the entry of some aid convoys, consisting mostly of humanitarian supplies.
According to Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum, heavy machinery and mobile houses are still obstructed from entering into Gaza, and remain at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border.
Saudi Arabia welcomes hosting Trump-Putin summit in Kingdom, commends call between the two
Zelenskyy said on Friday that he planned to make trips to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey but did not say when.
Saudi Arabia spearheads Arab scramble for alternative to Trump‘s Gaza plan
The role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MbS, is shaping up to be key.
„We are telling the Americans we have a plan that works. Our meeting with MbS is going to be critical. He is taking the lead,“ said a Jordanian official.
Colonists attack Palestinian-owned lands in the northern Jordan Valley
Head of the Al-Maleh Village Council, Mahdi Daraghmeh, reported that the colonists fenced off several dunums of Palestinian land in the Wadi Al-Faw area and planted olive trees, in an apparent prelude to taking over the land.
Colonists’ attacks against Palestinians and their properties in the northern Jordan Valley have intensified in recent weeks. The attacks included physical assaults, home raids forced displacement of Palestinian herders and attempts to steal livestock and destroy property.
Palestinian Central Council asserts unity against U.S. President’s comments on forced displacement
The Council also praised the consistent support for international law and Palestinian rights from regional and global political parties, including members of the U.S. Congress, and expressed appreciation for the United Nations Secretary-General‘s defense of international law and human rights.
The Palestinian Central Council reiterated its commitment to justice through international legal bodies, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, rejecting President Trump’s punitive measures against the ICC.
Hundreds of rabbis protest „ethnic cleansing“ plan for Gaza
On Thursday, February 13, 350 rabbis and Jewish public figures took out a full-page ad in the New York Times and used it to condemn President Trump‘s new proposal.
The ad reads: “Trump has called for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza. Jewish people say no to ethnic cleansing!” and is followed by a list of the signatories, which include Rabbis Sharon Brous, Roly Matalon, and Alissa Wise, as well as Jewish creatives and activists such as Tony Kushner, Ilana Glazer, Naomi Klein, and Joaquin Phoenix.
Occupied East Jerusalem Bookstore Owners Released
On Wednesday morning a delegation of Hadash activists visited the Educational Bookstore together with MKs Odeh, Aida Touma-Sliman and Ofer Cassif. “The occupation government and its arms on the ground persecute every critical voice and anyone or anything that might encourage independent thought. Persecution will not triumph! The struggle against it will!” said Cassif.
“I left the wonderful bookstore of Ahmad and Mahmoud Muna, which was raided by the police earlier this week. During the raid, these two incredible men were arrested on charges of “disturbing public order” – selling books. They were held for two days, released to house arrest, and banned from their own bookstore for 20 days. I am proud of Mahmoud and Ahmad for standing firm in their right to peacefully resist the occupation through books and literature.
‘NO to ethnic cleansing’: Hundreds of US rabbis, Jewish celebs slam Trump in full-page NYT ad
The lead signatories are dozens of Jewish actors, artists and public figures, including Joaquin Phoenix and his siblings Summer and Rain, Ilana Glazer, Eric André, Morgan Spector, Tony Kushner, Jonathan Glazer, Larry Charles, Naomi Klein, Peter Beinart, Tavi Gevison and Wallace Shawn. Many on the list have previously spoken out in support of the Palestinians in public forums.
The public figures are followed by a list of hundreds of rabbis.
Joaquin Phoenix and Ilana Glazer among hundreds of Jews who ‘say no to ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza in full-page NYT ad
The ad’s website says donations from the project go to the In Our Name Campaign, an initiative founded by Jews in philanthropy who sought to raise $10 million for “organizations that support Palestinian-led efforts to build safety, dignity, and self-determination in Palestine” as well as pro-Palestinian organizing in the United States.
Exclusive: Egyptian firm charges trucks entering Gaza $20,000 in ‘bribes’
Organi is a Sinai businessman, politician and tribal leader allied with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Organi‘s name has become synonynous with unofficial profits made out of the suffocating Gaza blockade, particularly from desperate Palestinians attempting to flee the fighting.
MEE last year revealed that Organi made at least $2m daily from Palestinians who left the Gaza Strip via the border crossing point with Egypt, the only one not directly controlled by Israel at the time. Another report revealed that Organi’s companies charged aid trucks $5000 to enter Gaza.
What’s in the Newly Unearthed FBI Files Tied to President Kennedy’s Assassination?
(February 11, 2025)
Now we discover that its vetting and releasing of documents under the 1992 Assassination Records Collection Act has been of a piece with the moment in 1963 when Dallas FBI agent James Hosty flushed a threatening note from Lee Harvey Oswald down the john. (…)
We’ve been fooled by what we thought was the sound of ice cracking on all of this too often to make me sanguine about anything coming of it. But the situation, at least to my mind, pits the FBI against the CIA, which traditionally has dragged its feet on releasing what it knows about Oswald—which is considerable. Joannides, for example, was a CIA psyop officer. If the FBI releases its files on him, the folks at Langley are going to have their mellows harshed considerably. About damn time.
FBI discovers over 2,000 secret records on Kennedy assassination
(February 11, 2025)
The existence of the new JFK documents was disclosed to the White House on Friday, and a further review of those records could reveal more information as to what happened in one of the most scrutinized tragedies in American history. The release of the new documents could also change the federal procedures for vetting and releasing information related to government events.
FBI says it has discovered new files on JFK assassination
(February 11, 2025)
The FBI has discovered about 2,400 new records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy from a new records search following an executive order from President Donald Trump.
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as HHS secretary in 52-48 vote
Kennedy, 71, is a longtime environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist whose family has mythic status in Democratic politics. The nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of Robert F. Kennedy launched his own White House bid in 2023. And although he initially sought the Democratic nomination, Kennedy changed his bid to independent, before dropping out to endorse President Trump in Augus
Zelenskyy on conversation with Trump: We defining joint steps to stop Russian aggression, guarantee reliable peace, agreed on further contacts
„President Trump briefed me on the details of his conversation with Putin,“ Zelenskyy said.
He said Ukraine wants peace more than anyone else.
„We are defining our joint steps with America to stop Russian aggression and guarantee a reliable, lasting peace. As President Trump said, let‘s get it done,“ the Ukrainian president said.
He also announced an agreement on further contacts and meetings.
Heavy equipment to enter Gaza through Karem Abu Salem crossing
Heavy equipment, caravans and bulldozers currently near the Rafah crossing will enter the Gaza Strip through Karem Abu Salem, passing through the Philadelphi Corrdidor, MEE‘s reporting has found.
LIVE: Israel-Hamas deal back on track, Gaza captives to be freed as planned
Hamas says the group will continue “to implement the [Gaza ceasefire] agreement in accordance with what was signed, including the exchange of prisoners according to the specified timetable”.
Hamas confirms it is committed to Gaza ceasefire and will release hostages as planned – Middle East crisis live
Hamas said on Thursday it will continue implementing the Gaza ceasefire deal, including a hostage exchange within the agreed timeframe, reports Reuters.
Re: Urgent Request for Access to and Information Regarding Immigrants Transferred from the United States and Detained at Guantánamo Bay
(February 7, 2025)
Dear Secretary Noem, Secretary Hegseth, and Secretary Rubio:
We write on behalf of the undersigned immigrants‘ rights and civil rights organizations to request immediate access to the noncitizens transferred from immigration detention facilities in the United States and currently detained at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Since February 4, 2025, the government has transferred nearly two dozen noncitizens to Guantánamo, without providing any information about their circumstances or the government’s legal authority for these unprecedented actions. The government has also announced that it is planning to send tens of thousands of additional immigration detainees to Guantánamo in the near future.
The Constitution, and federal and international law prohibit the government from using Guantánamo as a legal black hole. We therefore request that the government provide our organizations access to the noncitizens detained at Guantánamo so that those individuals will have access to legal counsel, and so advocates and the public can understand the conditions
under which the government is detaining them. We also request basic information that the public has a right to know regarding the noncitizens being sent to Guantánamo and the government’s plans for them.
(…)
Sincerely,
American Civil Liberties Union
Americans for Immigrant Justice
Amica Center
American Gateways
Center for Constitutional Rights
Haitian Bridge Alliance
Human Rights First
International Refugee Assistance Project
Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the SF Bay Area
National Immigrant Justice Center
National Immigration Law Center
Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
Texas Civil Rights Project
‚He‘s Building a Concentration Camp‘: Fears Grow as Images Emerge of Offshore Prison at Gitmo
(February 9, 2025)
Fears are growing that the offshore U.S. detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, are an ominous sign of what President Donald Trump has in store as he further disregards the rule of law and normalizes actions that previously would have been unthinkable or faces immediate, bipartisan opposition in Congress.
After the first pictures emerged Saturday of still unidentified persons transferred to the island from the U.S. mainland by immigration officials, progressive journalist Nathan Robinson was among those raising the alarm, accusing Trump of „building a concentration camp and deliberately putting it where it is hardest to monitor or enforce the law.“
A Tent City Is Rising at Guantánamo Bay
(February 8, 2025)
On Friday a military cargo plane transported deportees from El Paso, Texas, to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. They are among the latest arrivals in the Trump administration’s week-old migrant relocation operation.
Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, is the first senior member of the Trump administration to visit the migrant mission on the base.
So far, none of the first arrivals have been taken to an emerging tent city that has been set up for migrants. Instead, they have been housed in the military prison.
EXCLUSIVE: Nearly Two in Three American Voters Oppose Trump‘s Gaza ‚Takeover‘ Plan
Donald Trump has floated countless outlandish ideas during his time as president, but his latest — that the US should “take over” and “own” Gaza — stands out. On Feb. 4, he proposed turning Gaza from a “demolition site” into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” as if a geopolitical crisis could be solved with a real estate makeover and the ethnic cleansing of the enclave’s entire population. Our new Data for Progress survey, shared exclusively with Zeteo, shows that US voters strongly reject the idea.