International

It’s time to end war in Gaza, US VP Harris tells Netanyahu

Published

4 months ago

July 26, 2024

US Vice-President Kamala Harris

It’s time to end war in Gaza, US VP Harris tells Netanyahu

US Vice-President Kamala Harris – who’s expected to be the Democratic nominee for November’s presidential election – has held what she called “frank and constructive” talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Striking a tougher tone than President Joe Biden, Ms Harris said she made clear her “serious concerns” about casualties in Gaza, telling Mr Netanyahu how Israel defended itself mattered.

“It is time for this war to end,” she said after their face-to-face talks at the White House.

Ms Harris also stressed the need for a path to a two-state solution, while calling on Americans to be aware of “nuance” on the conflict.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu met Mr Biden, who stepped down from his re-election campaign on Sunday.

Mr Netanyahu’s meetings at the White House came a day after he gave a fiery speech to Congress, vowing “total victory” against Hamas, as thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside.

The prime minister faces pressure both at home and abroad to bring an end to the Israel-Gaza war, now in its ninth month.

Mr Biden’s staunch support of Israel has infuriated many left-wing activists, whose support the Democrats may need if they are to win November’s presidential election.

Given that, there is also considerable interest in the position Ms Harris might take towards Israel should she replace Mr Biden in the White House.

After meeting Mr Netanyahu for about 40 minutes, Ms Harris said she had an “unwavering commitment” to Israel and its right to defend itself.

She noted the conflict began on 7 October when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 captives, according to Israeli tallies.

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Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 39,000 people.

“Israel has a right to defend itself. And how it does so matters,” Ms Harris said, expressing concern about the “dire humanitarian situation” in Gaza.

“We cannot allow ourselves to be numb to the suffering and I will not be silent,” she said.

“Let’s get the deal done so we can get a ceasefire to end the war,” she added. “Let’s bring the hostages home, and let’s bring much-needed relief to the Palestinian people.”

Mr Netanyahu is due to meet Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Friday.

As he met Mr Biden earlier, the prime minister said he had known him for 40 years – and that the US president had known every Israeli premier over the last half a century.

“From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel,” he said.

Mr Netanyahu also said he looked forward to working with Mr Biden “on the great issues before us” over the next several months.

The US president joked that Golda Meir was the first Israeli prime minister that he had met, and that Yitzhak Rabin, a successor, was there as an assistant.

At a news briefing, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu had discussed the urgent need for a hostage release deal, the potential of conflict spilling over into Lebanon, the threat of Iran and the need to reach “compromises” in peace talks.

While Mr Kirby added that “gaps remain” in the US-Israel relationship, it was still “healthy”.

“By healthy, I mean they’re not going to agree on everything,” Mr Kirby said, adding that Mr Biden was “very comfortable with the relationship he has with the prime minister”.

The US and Israeli leaders also held a closed-door meeting with the families of seven US citizens still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

Following the meeting, Jonathan Dekel-Chen – whose son Sagui was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October – told reporters that the meeting was “productive and honest”. He did not provide further details.

“We feel probably more optimistic than we have since the first round of releases in late November, early December,” he said.

It’s time to end war in Gaza, US VP Harris tells Netanyahu

BBC

Related Topics:Featured Gaza Netanyahu US VP Harris

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International

Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs

Published

8 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Trends Admin

Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs

BEIRUT: Israeli strikes pounded a densely-populated part of the Lebanese capital and its southern suburbs on Tuesday, hours ahead of an anticipated announcement of a ceasefire ending hostilities between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

A strike on Beirut hit the Noueiri district with no evacuation warning and killed at least one person, Lebanon’s health ministry said in a preliminary toll.

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Minutes later, at least 10 Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs. They began approximately 30 minutes after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for 20 locations in the area, the largest such warning yet.

As the strikes were under way, Israel’s military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the air force was conducting a “widespread attack” on Hezbollah targets across the city.

Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs

ARAB NEWS

International

Over $100m wasted, Trump mocks Democrats for targeting him

Published

9 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Trends Admin

President-elect Donald Trump

Over $100m wasted, Trump mocks Democrats for targeting him

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has fiercely criticised the legal cases brought against him, calling them “empty and lawless”.

He accused Democrats of weaponising the judicial system to target him as a political opponent.

In a strongly worded statement, Trump alleged that over $100 million in taxpayer money had been wasted in what he described as a politically driven effort to undermine his influence.

“Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before,” he said, pointing to high-profile prosecutors, including Georgia’s Fani Willis and New York Attorney General Letitia James, as key figures in what he called a “political hijacking.”

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Trump also accused Willis of colluding with Nathan Wade, whom he described as “her lover” and lacking the experience to handle such cases.

He claimed Wade was paid “millions,” allegedly enabling lavish trips and cruises.

Letitia James, who is pursuing a civil fraud case against Trump, was also criticised.

Over $100m wasted, Trump mocks Democrats for targeting him

International

US-based Nigerians get 30-year sentence over $3.5m romance scam

Published

9 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Trends Admin

US-based Nigerians get 30-year sentence over $3.5m romance scam

A United States federal jury sentenced two Nigerians, Anthony Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu, to 30 years in prison for scamming certain US citizens $3,500,000.

This was mentioned in a news statement made public on the US Department of Justice website on Monday.

According to the statement, the Nigerians, Ibekie and Aniukwu mislead their victims by informing them that they had received big inheritances that required payment to claim.

The couple would then ask their victims to transfer money, promising to refund them after the inheritances were claimed.

It also stated that the duo carried out romance scams by establishing romantic relationships with their victims and demanding them to send money after they had built trust in their victims.

It read, “An undercover law enforcement investigation has resulted in federal prison sentences for two Nigerian nationals residing in the Chicago suburbs who conducted online inheritance scams and other fraud schemes.

“Using aliases, Anthony Emeka Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu communicated with victims throughout the United States, convincing them they had received substantial inheritances and needed to send money to individuals associated with the defendants in order to claim it.

“In addition to the inheritance scam, the pair carried out an online romance scam that involved communicating with victims via social media and dating websites, building trust with the victims through a purported online romance, and convincing them to send money to a predetermined recipient. Aniukwu and Ibekie also orchestrated a ‘business email compromise’ scam that targeted corporate email accounts.

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“The fraud schemes were uncovered by a covert law enforcement investigation. The scams resulted in losses to victims of at least $3.5 million.”

According to the statement, after being arraigned on 14 charges, the duo pleaded guilty to their different alterations.

Following their guilty pleas, Ibekie was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday, and Aniukwu was sentenced to 10 years in prison on November 8.

The statement continued, “A federal jury earlier this year convicted Ibekie, 59, of Oswego, Illinois, on all 14 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a bank, and passport fraud. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger on Thursday sentenced Ibekie to 20 years in federal prison.

“Aniukwu, 50, of Romeoville, Illinois, pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and money laundering charges. Judge Seeger on Nov. 8, 2024, sentenced Aniukwu to 10 years in prison.”

Meanwhile, Jennifer Gosha, an accomplice of the Nigerians and a US citizen, is expected to be sentenced on December 18 after pleading guilty.

“A third defendant, Jennifer Gosha, 52, a U.S. citizen from Oak Park, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of wire fraud and making false statements to a federal agent. Gosha is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Seeger on December 18, 2024,” the statement concluded.