International

Netanyahu faces delicate balancing act in US after Biden exits race

Published

2 years ago

July 23, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu faces delicate balancing act in US after Biden exits race

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the US this week under pressure to end the Gaza war, from both Israelis and the US administration. How might the political turbulence in Washington shape the trip and future relations?

Mr Netanyahu is set to meet Joe Biden – if the president has recovered from Covid-19 – and address a joint session of Congress, the only foreign leader to do so for a fourth time.

The trip offers him a platform for a reset with Washington after months of tensions over his hardline approach to the war, and an opportunity to try and convince Israelis that he hasn’t undermined relations with their most important ally.

But it is overshadowed by President Biden’s decision not to seek re-election, highlighting political uncertainties about Israel’s next partner in the White House and possibly eclipsing some of the attention on Mr Netanyahu’s visit.

The prime minister got a lot of unwelcome attention in Israel until the moment he boarded the plane.

A drumbeat of protests demanded that he stay home and focus on a ceasefire deal with Hamas to free Israeli hostages.

“Until he has signed the deal that’s on the table, I do not see how he picks up and flies across the Atlantic to address the American political chaos,” said Lee Siegel, one of the family members who has come out to demonstrate. His 65-year-old brother Keith is a captive in Gaza.

The trip is a political move, he added, unless Mr Netanyahu stops being a “hurdle” and signs the ceasefire agreement.

Mr Siegel reflected a widespread view that Mr Netanyahu is slow-rolling the process for his own political reasons, roiling his negotiators when he recently threw new conditions into talks that seemed to be making progress.

The prime minister has been accused of bowing to pressure from two far-right cabinet ministers who’ve threatened to bring down his government if he makes concessions to Hamas.

These perceptions have added to frustrations in the White House, which announced the latest formula for talks and had been expressing optimism an agreement could be achieved.

READ ALSO:

Mr Biden remains one of the most pro-Israel presidents to sit in the Oval Office, a self-declared Zionist who’s been lauded by Israelis for his support and empathy, cemented by his flight to Israel just days after the Hamas attacks on 7 October.

But since then, he’s grown alarmed at the cost of Mr Netanyahu’s demand for a “total victory” against Hamas in Gaza.

The administration is frustrated with the Israeli prime minister for rejecting a post war solution that involves pursuing a Palestinian state.

It’s angry with him for resisting appeals to do more to protect Palestinian civilians and increase the flow of aid to them. It’s facing a domestic backlash over the mounting death toll in Gaza. And it’s worried that the conflict is spreading to the region.

As Joe Biden’s presidency weakened in the swirl of controversy over his abilities, analysts said there might be less room for him to keep up the pressure on the Israeli prime minister.

But Mr Biden’s decision to drop out of the race could actually have strengthened his hand, says Ehud Barak, a former Israeli prime minister and a critic of Mr Netanyahu.

“He is not a lame duck in regard to foreign policy, in a way he’s more independent (because) he doesn’t have to take into account any impact on the voters,” Mr Barak told the BBC.

“With regard to Israel probably he feels more of a free hand to do what really needs to be done.”

Mr Barak believes it was a mistake for Congress to invite Mr Netanyahu to speak, saying that many Israelis blame him for policy failures that allowed the Hamas attack to happen, and three out of four want him to resign.

“The man does not represent Israel,” he said. “He lost the trust of Israelis…And it kind of sends a wrong signal to Israelis, probably a wrong signal to Netanyahu himself, when the American Congress invites him to appear as if he is saving us.”

Whatever politics he may be playing, Mr Netanyahu insists military pressure must continue because it has significantly weakened Hamas after a series of strikes against the military leadership.

READ ALSO:

In comments before departing Israel, he suggested that would be the tone of his meeting with President Biden.

“It will also be an opportunity to discuss with him how to advance in the months ahead the goals that are important for both our countries,” he said, “achieving the release of all our hostages, defeating Hamas, confronting the terror axis of Iran and its proxies and ensuring that all Israel’s citizens return safely to their homes in the north and in the south.”

He’s expected to bring the same message to congress, “seeking to anchor the bipartisan support that is so important to Israel”.

The reality is that Mr Netanyahu’s polices have fractured that bipartisan support. The Republicans are rallying around him, but criticism from Democrats has grown.

The Democratic Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer caused a small earthquake in Washington recently when he stood up in the chambers and said Mr Netanyahu was one of the obstacles standing in the way of a lasting peace with Palestinians.

“I hope the prime minister understands the anxiety of many members in congress and addresses them,” the former US ambassador to Israel, Thomas Nides, told the BBC at the weekend. He’d been addressing one of the many rallies demanding a hostage release.

That includes “on humanitarian issues and to articulate that this fight isn’t with the Palestinian people, it’s with Hamas.”

It’s a message that Kamala Harris would repeat if she were to become the Democratic nominee. There’d be no change in US policy: a commitment to Israel’s security while pushing for an end to the Gaza conflict and a plan for the Day After embedded in a regional peace with Arab states.

READ ALSO:

But there might be a difference in tone.

Ms Harris does not share Mr Biden’s long history with and emotional ties to Israel. She’s from a different generation and “could more closely align with the sentiments of younger elements of the Democratic party,” says Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defence for the Middle East.

“That’s a stance more likely to include restrictions on weapons, on munitions from the United States for use in Gaza,” he said.

Mr Netanyahu could very well use the visit to steer the conversation from the controversy over Gaza to the threat from Iran, a topic with which he’s far more comfortable, especially after the recent escalation with Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

But his main audience will be domestic, says Tal Shalev, the diplomatic correspondent at Israel’s Walla News.

He wants to revive his image as “Mr America,” she says, the man who can best present Israel to the US, and to restore his image which was shattered by the October 7 attacks.

“When he goes to the US and speaks in front of Congress and [has] a meeting in the White House, for his electoral base, it’s the old Bibi is back again,” she says, referring to the prime minister by his nickname. “This is not the failed Bibi who was responsible for the seventh of October. This is the old Bibi who goes to the Congress and gets the standing ovations.”

It also gives him an opportunity to pursue connections with the former President Donald Trump at a time of great political flux in Washington.

“Netanyahu wants President Trump to win,” she says, “And he wants to make sure that he and President Trump are on good terms before the election.”

There is a widespread view that Mr. Netanyahu is playing for time, hoping for a Trump win that might ease some of the pressure he’s been facing from the Biden administration.

“There is a near-universal perception that Netanyahu is eager for a Trump victory, under the assumption that he will then be able to do whatever he wants,” writes Michael Koplow of Israel’s Policy Forum.

“No Biden pressuring him on a ceasefire or on West Bank settlements and settler violence… There are many reasons to doubt this reading of the landscape under a Trump restoration, but Netanyahu likely subscribes to it.”

The question is whether that pressure from Biden will ease as he steps away from the presidential race, or whether he will in fact use his remaining months in office to focus on achieving an end to the Gaza war.

Netanyahu faces delicate balancing act in US after Biden exits race

BBC

International

Pope Leo XIV Rejects Trump Criticism, Says “I Am Not Afraid of the US President”

Published

6 minutes ago

April 13, 2026

Trends Admin

US President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV Rejects Trump Criticism, Says “I Am Not Afraid of the US President”

Pope Leo XIV has pushed back against criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, insisting he will not be intimidated and reaffirming his global calls for peace amid rising international tensions.

The pontiff made the remarks on Monday while speaking to journalists aboard a papal aircraft en route to Algiers, the first stop on his Africa diplomatic tour, where he is expected to hold meetings focused on interfaith dialogue, migration, and conflict resolution across the continent.

Responding to Trump’s recent comments, Pope Leo said his appeals for peace were not political attacks but part of his spiritual mission.

“The things I say are not meant as attacks on anyone,” he said. “I am not a politician. I am inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, of looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible.”

He added firmly: “I am not afraid of the Trump administration.”

The comments come after Trump, speaking on his Truth Social platform, criticised the Pope’s foreign policy stance, accusing him of being overly critical of U.S. positions on global security issues. Trump also suggested that Leo’s election as pope was influenced by expectations that a U.S.-born pontiff would handle relations with him more effectively.

READ ALSO:

“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo would not be in the Vatican,” Trump wrote, also arguing that he does not support any global leadership approach that would tolerate Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

During the in-flight press briefing, Pope Leo reaffirmed that his role is guided by the teachings of the Gospel, not political alignment.

“The message of the Gospel is very clear: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’” he said. “I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel.”

He rejected attempts to frame his remarks as political confrontation with the U.S. administration, stressing that the Church’s mission is centered on peacebuilding, reconciliation, and humanitarian concerns.

“To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is,” he added. “I am sorry to hear that, but I will continue with what I believe is the mission of the Church in the world today.”

The exchange has drawn global attention, highlighting growing tensions between religious leadership and political rhetoric amid ongoing conflicts in several regions worldwide. Vatican officials have not issued any additional statement beyond the Pope’s in-flight remarks, while the White House has also not released an official response.

The Pope’s Africa visit is expected to continue with engagements focused on peace advocacy, religious cooperation, and discussions on global stability.

Pope Leo XIV Rejects Trump Criticism, Says “I Am Not Afraid of the US President”

International

Trump Claims 158 Iranian Ships Destroyed as US Enforces Naval Blockade in Gulf Region

Published

12 minutes ago

April 13, 2026

Trends Admin

US President Donald Trump

Trump Claims 158 Iranian Ships Destroyed as US Enforces Naval Blockade in Gulf Region

U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran’s naval forces have been “completely obliterated,” alleging that 158 Iranian naval vessels have been destroyed, while issuing a fresh warning that any remaining ships approaching the U.S.-enforced blockade will be “immediately eliminated.”

Trump made the remarks in a post on Truth Social, where he stated that Iran’s navy had been “laid at the bottom of the sea,” adding that only a small number of fast-attack boats remain operational. He warned that any such vessels nearing the blockade zone would face an “immediate” and decisive military response.

The statement comes as the United States begins full enforcement of a naval blockade on Iran, confirmed by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), covering key maritime zones including the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and approaches to the Strait of Hormuz.

According to CENTCOM, the operation—activated at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time—is aimed at restricting all maritime traffic in and out of Iranian ports and coastal waters. Officials said the move is part of a broader strategy to increase pressure on Tehran over its nuclear programme and regional activities.

READ ALSO:

The U.S. military further stated that the blockade applies to all vessels attempting to access Iranian ports regardless of nationality, while allowing monitored passage through international shipping lanes such as the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategic oil routes.

The escalation reportedly follows the collapse of weekend diplomatic negotiations held in Pakistan, where U.S. and Iranian representatives failed to reach a de-escalation agreement.

Trump’s latest comments combined updated claims of Iranian naval losses with a renewed warning that any surviving fast-attack craft would be “immediately eliminated” if they challenge U.S. forces enforcing the blockade.

Global oil markets reacted sharply to the developments, with reports indicating that crude prices surged above $100 per barrel amid fears of disruption to global energy supplies passing through the Middle East.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20% of global oil trade flows, remains the central flashpoint in the crisis, with analysts warning that any sustained disruption could trigger a wider global energy shock.

Iran has not yet issued an official response to the blockade or Trump’s latest claims. However, Iranian authorities have previously warned that any attempt to restrict its maritime access would be considered a violation of sovereignty and could provoke retaliation.

International observers have expressed concern over the rapid escalation, warning that heightened naval deployments by both sides could increase the risk of direct confrontation in the Gulf region.

Military activity in the area remains ongoing, and officials say the situation is still evolving with further developments expected.

Trump Claims 158 Iranian Ships Destroyed as US Enforces Naval Blockade in Gulf Region

International

Judge Dismisses Trump’s $10bn Defamation Suit Against WSJ Over Epstein Report

Published

36 minutes ago

April 13, 2026

Trends Admin

Jeffrey Epstein

Judge Dismisses Trump’s $10bn Defamation Suit Against WSJ Over Epstein Report

A U.S. federal judge has dismissed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Donald Trump against The Wall Street Journal, its parent company Dow Jones, and media executive Rupert Murdoch, ruling that the president failed to meet the strict legal threshold required for public figures to prove defamation.

Delivering the ruling in Miami, U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles dismissed the case without prejudice, giving Trump’s legal team until April 27 to file an amended complaint if they choose to continue the legal battle.

The lawsuit, filed in 2025, stemmed from a report by The Wall Street Journal linking Trump to late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The article referenced a “bawdy” birthday message allegedly bearing Trump’s name, which was included in a commemorative album compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in the early 2000s.

Trump’s lawyers argued that the report was false, defamatory, and caused significant reputational and financial damage. The suit named Dow Jones, Murdoch, and two reporters involved in the publication, accusing them of acting with malice.

READ ALSO:

However, in his ruling, Judge Gayles held that Trump did not sufficiently demonstrate “actual malice”—a key legal standard in U.S. defamation law requiring public figures to prove that a statement was published either with knowledge of its falsity or with reckless disregard for the truth.

“Because President Trump has not plausibly alleged that Defendants published the Article with actual malice, both counts must be dismissed,” the judge wrote.

Court filings and legal analysis indicate that the newspaper had taken standard journalistic steps before publication, including seeking comment from Trump and incorporating his denial into the story—factors that weighed against claims of reckless or malicious intent.

In response to the ruling, The Wall Street Journal welcomed the court’s decision, maintaining that its reporting met established editorial and legal standards.

The dismissal marks another chapter in Trump’s ongoing legal confrontations with major media organisations over coverage of his past associations, particularly those connected to Epstein. The original report was published in July 2025, shortly after U.S. lawmakers released documents related to Epstein’s network and contacts.

Legal experts say the ruling reinforces the high bar for defamation claims involving public figures in the United States, where courts consistently require clear evidence of intentional wrongdoing or reckless journalism.

Although the case has been dismissed, Trump retains the option to amend and refile his complaint, leaving open the possibility of further legal proceedings.

Judge Dismisses Trump’s $10bn Defamation Suit Against WSJ Over Epstein Report