What has happened in the past 6 hours from Washington DC – it’s been a chaotic 6 hours. As you can imagine Palestine and Israel were top of the agenda when Trump meets Netanyahu, kills of USAID, withdraws from UNHRC and offers CIA staff a payout. You can watch the video here
When US President Donald Trump began speaking 10 days ago of Gaza as a demolition site, making calls to “clean out that whole thing”, it wasn’t clear how far these were off-the-cuff remarks.
The past 6 hours from Washington DC
But in the lead up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit, in his Oval Office comments before the meeting, and in the press conference itself, it’s now clear he is profoundly serious about his proposals.
Following President Donald Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu meeting, a plan for Gaza seems to be in play.
Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to visit in the US president’s second term. Netanyahu told his host he is “the greatest friend Israel has ever had” – the two leaders were close allies during Trump’s first term.
What’s happened in the past 6 hours from Washington DC
What’s happened in the past 6 hours in Washington have been nothing short of tumultuous. In the past 6 hours a lot has happened in the White house, here is a summary:
Overseas USAID missions halted
USAID has been shutdown and the purview of USAID is being handled by the State Department. The Trump administration is putting all staff at the United States Agency for International Development on administrative leave as of 11:59 pm on Friday.
U.S. withdraws from UNHRC
Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order withdrawing the United States from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and prohibiting any future funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Near East (UNRWA) – This is what Netanyahu wanted.
Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long been critical of UNRWA, accusing the agency of anti-Israel incitement and its staff of being “involved in terrorist activities against Israel.”
U.S. to take over Gaza
Donald Trump said the US could “take over” Gaza, in a joint news conference with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. He plans to rebuild it and take over it, saying the Palestinians should be settled elsewhere in the middle east. Saying the Gazans ‘don’t want to come back to Gaza it’s a bombsite’.
Pam Bondi confirmed as AG
The Senate has voted to confirm Pam Bondi to serve as attorney general, elevating a longtime defender of President Trump to lead the Justice Department. Bondi was confirmed Tuesday by a vote of 54 to 46.
Entire CIA workforce offered buyouts
The Central Intelligence Agency, in what officials reportedly claimed was an effort to bring the agency in line with Trump’s agenda, offered buyouts to its entire staff on Tuesday. Those who choose to take the offer will retain all pay and benefits and be exempt from in-person work until Sep. 30.
What has been the Reaction to Trump and Netanyahu meeting
Netanyahu – the first foreign leader to visit in the US president’s second term – said Trump’s plan was an idea “worth paying attention to”
Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American member of the US Congress, has accused Trump of “openly calling for ethnic cleansing”.
“He’s perfectly fine cutting off working Americans from federal funds while the funding to the Israeli government continues flowing,” says Tlaib, the Democrat representative in Michigan in a post on X.
Hamas says Trump’s Gaza remarks are ‘absurd’
A Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, has described Donald Trump’s remarks about taking over the Gaza Strip as “ridiculous” and “absurd”.
“Trump’s remarks about his desire to control Gaza are ridiculous and absurd, and any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region”, said Abu Zhuri, according to Reuters.