International
Trump receives Netanyahu in a gesture of support, with Gaza and Saudi Arabia on the agenda
US President Donald Trump will receive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday at his first meeting with a foreign leader since his return to power, and with the future of Gaza and the possibility of a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia as key issues on the agenda.
The appointment represents international support for Netanyahu, especially after the arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court (ICC), whose jurisdiction Washington does not recognize and whose decision has strongly condemned.
Both leaders are expected to address a wide variety of issues, including the future of the Gaza Strip, the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and the growing tension with Iran, which attacked Israel twice with missiles and drones last year.
This Monday, in statements to the press at the White House, Trump was skeptical about the possibility of a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.
“I have no guarantees that peace will be maintained,” he said on the eve of his meeting with Netanyahu.
The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu will coincide with the beginning of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas for the second phase of the truce agreement, which provides for the release of all Israeli hostages in Gaza and the establishment of bases for the definitive end of the war.
Hamas, which has reaffirmed its control over Gaza since the beginning of the ceasefire on January 19, has warned that it will not release more hostages until the end of the war is agreed and the Israeli forces withdraw from the enclave.
Netanyahu, for his part, faces growing pressure within his government coalition with far-right ministers such as Bezalel Smotrich threatening to overthrow the Executive if, once the first phase of the truce is concluded, the fighting in the Strip does not resume.
Trump, for his part, has not given clear signals about what his strategy will be in the Gaza conflict. Although he is a strong ally of Israel, the Israeli press assures that it has already told Netanyahu that it does not want the country to resume fighting in the Strip.
Trump has promised to end the wars in the Middle East and, in addition, has attributed the merit of having facilitated the current ceasefire agreement, which in its first phase allowed the release of 13 Israelis and 5 Thais in exchange for more than 500 Palestinian prisoners.
However, his apparent intention to end the war does not imply improvements for the Gazati. On the contrary, since his return to power he has lifted sanctions against Israeli settlers accused of violence against Palestinians and has thawed a shipment of heavy bombs to Israel, paused by his predecessor, Joe Biden (2021-2025).
During his first term, Trump already made several decisions in favor of Israel, such as the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem, the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and the negotiation of the Abraham Agreements, which allowed Israel to establish diplomatic relations with several Arab countries.
Beyond the truce in Gaza, Trump seeks to take advantage of the meeting to relaunch his aspiration to reach an agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a goal that he already pursued in his first term (2017-2021) and that the Biden Administration also tried unsuccessfully.
Saudi Arabia has shown interest in signing an agreement with Israel, but has made it a condition to receive strategic guarantees from the United States, such as a defense pact, and has made it clear that there will be no agreement without the creation of a Palestinian State.
The form that an eventual Palestinian state would take is still to be defined, especially due to the position of both Trump and Netanyahu with Israel.
In recent days, the US president has insisted that Jordan, Egypt and other Arab countries should accept more Palestinian refugees from Gaza, a proposal that has been flatly rejected by both several Arab nations.
Netanyahu, for his part, rejects any attempt to use the formula of the “two-state solution” to resolve the conflict.
Beyond the topics to be discussed, attention will be focused on the gestures between the two leaders and on the current state of their personal relationship.
During Trump’s first term, both maintained a close relationship, but later the former US president felt betrayed when Netanyahu congratulated Biden on his victory in the 2020 elections, in which Trump denounced an alleged electoral fraud without evidence.
Since then, Netanyahu has sought to rebuild the relationship with Trump. In July of last year, he traveled to the US president’s mansion in Florida to meet with him before the elections and, after his victory in November, he was one of the first leaders to congratulate him.
International
Colombian president Gustavo Petro warns against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela
Colombian President Gustavo Petro defended his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro after the U.S. administration labeled him as the leader of the “Cartel of the Suns” and authorized the Pentagon to use military force against drug cartels, which could lead to an intervention on Venezuelan soil to combat these criminal groups. Petro stated that any military operation without the approval of Colombia or Venezuela would represent an “aggression.”
Petro responded over the weekend following reports on Friday from U.S. media about President Donald Trump’s order to confront designated global terrorist organizations such as the Cartel of the Suns, the Sinaloa Cartel, and the Tren de Aragua, including operations on foreign soil. Furthermore, the U.S. State Department increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture from $25 million to $50 million.
“I publicly convey my order given as commander of the Colombian armed forces. Colombia and Venezuela are one people, one flag, one history. Any military operation without the approval of the brother countries is an aggression against Latin America and the Caribbean. It is fundamentally contradictory to our principle of freedom. ‘Freedom or death,’ Bolívar shouted, and the people revolted,” Petro posted on his social media, clearly expressing his disagreement with potential U.S. military intervention in Venezuela.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview on The World Over program on Friday that controlling these terrorist groups is decisive. He added that, for the U.S., these gangs are no longer just local street gangs but well-organized criminal enterprises spreading from Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador.
“We cannot continue treating these guys as local street gangs. They have weapons like terrorists, in some cases they have armies. They control territories in many cases. These cartels extend from Maduro’s regime in Venezuela, which is not a legitimate government,” Rubio told the audience.
International
U.S. offers $5 million reward for arrest of haitian gang leader Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier
The United States announced on Tuesday a $5 million reward for the arrest of Haitian gang leader Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier, accused of violating U.S. sanctions. Haiti, the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean, is engulfed in a political crisis and a wave of armed gang violence, which an international security mission led by Kenya is trying to end.
Cherizier, 48, and Bazile Richardson have been formally charged with attempting to transfer funds from the United States to Haiti to finance gang activities, the Department of Justice reported.
“There is a good reason to offer a $5 million reward for information leading to Cherizier’s arrest,” said federal prosecutor Jeanine Pirro at a press conference.
“He is a gang leader responsible for atrocious human rights violations, including violence against U.S. citizens in Haiti,” she added.
Cherizier has been subject to U.S. Treasury sanctions since 2020 and UN sanctions since 2022.
International
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to meet Guatemalan leader Bernardo Arévalo next friday
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Monday that she will hold her first bilateral meeting with her Guatemalan counterpart, Bernardo Arévalo, next Friday.
During her press conference at the National Palace, Sheinbaum detailed that the August 15 meeting will include a brief visit to Guatemala, followed by a trilateral meeting with Belize’s Prime Minister, Juan Antonio Briceño, in Calakmul, Campeche, in southeastern Mexico.
Sheinbaum explained that the meeting was proposed by Arévalo during a phone call last Friday, in which the Guatemalan president invited her to visit Guatemala.
The agenda will begin on Thursday night when Sheinbaum travels to Chetumal to lead her morning press conference on Friday.
Afterwards, she will travel to Guatemala for the bilateral meeting with Arévalo, then return to Calakmul to meet Belize’s Prime Minister Briceño for a trilateral meeting with Arévalo.
Later, Sheinbaum will hold a bilateral meeting with the Belizean leader.
The president announced that many agreements will be announced during the meetings with the southern border countries but avoided providing details to keep them as a surprise for that day.
Colombian president Gustavo Petro warns against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela
U.S. offers $5 million reward for arrest of haitian gang leader Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier
Honduras condemns U.S. reward against Nicolás Maduro as baseless attacks
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