NY Attorney General Letitia James, a Trump foe, indicted

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully prosecuted Donald Trump, was indicted on Thursday, the second foe of the US president to be slapped with criminal charges in recent weeks.James, 66, a Democrat, was indicted by a grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, on one count of bank fraud and a second one of making false statements to a financial institution.The charges against James were brought one day after another prominent Trump critic, former FBI director James Comey, pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.The cases against James and Comey were filed by Trump’s handpicked US attorney, Lindsey Halligan, after the previous prosecutor resigned saying there was not enough evidence against them.The case against James concerns allegedly false statements she made to obtain favorable loan terms for a property she purchased in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2020.In a statement, James rejected the charges as “baseless” and said they are “nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.””The president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution,” she said.Trump recently publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against James, Comey and others he sees as enemies in an escalation of his campaign against political opponents.After Trump left the White House in 2021, James brought a major civil fraud case against him, alleging he and his real estate company had unlawfully inflated his wealth and manipulated the value of properties to obtain favorable bank loans or insurance terms.A New York state judge ordered Trump to pay $464 million, but a higher court later removed the financial penalty while upholding the underlying judgment.- Vindictive prosecution -In addition to James and Comey, Trump has also publicly called for the prosecution of Democratic Senator Adam Schiff and his own former National Security Advisor, John Bolton.The indictments of James and Comey came after the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, stepped down after reportedly telling Justice Department leaders there was insufficient evidence to charge them.Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.The 64-year-old former FBI chief is accused of falsely stating that he had not authorized another FBI employee to be an anonymous source in news reports.The judge scheduled a trial date of January 5. Comey faces up to five years in prison if convicted.Comey’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, said he intends to file a motion seeking to have the case dismissed on the grounds it is a vindictive and selective prosecution.Appointed to head the FBI by then-president Barack Obama in 2013, Comey was fired by Trump in 2017 amid the probe into whether any members of the Trump presidential campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 vote.Since taking office in January, Trump has taken a number of punitive measures against perceived enemies, purging government officials he deemed to be disloyal, targeting law firms involved in past cases against him and pulling federal funding from universities.New York Governor Kathy Hochul was among a number of prominent Democratic politicians who came out in defense of James.”What we’re seeing today is nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable,” Hochul said on X.Senate Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer said “this is what tyranny looks like.””President Trump is using the Justice Department as his personal attack dog, targeting Attorney General Tish James for the ‘crime’ of prosecuting him for fraud — and winning,” the senator from New York said.In a statement, however, US Attorney Halligan defended the prosecution of James, saying she had committed “intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust.”

Palestinian president, in rare interview to Israeli channel, says he hopes peace will prevail

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, in a rare interview with an Israeli network Thursday, expressed hope that peace would prevail between Palestinians and Israelis following the signing of a Gaza ceasefire agreement.”What happened today is a historic moment. We have been hoping — and continue to hope — that we can bring an end to the bloodshed taking place in our land, whether in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, or East Jerusalem,” Abbas told Israel’s Channel 12.”Today, we are very happy that the bloodshed has ceased. We hope it remains this way, and that peace, security, and stability will prevail between us and Israel.”While the questions were asked in Hebrew, Abbas responded in Arabic.When asked whether the Palestinian Authority (PA) had implemented the reforms mentioned by US President Donald Trump in his 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, Abbas said that the reform process was already underway.”I want to say honestly — we have launched reforms,” Abbas said.”These reforms include the salaries to prisoners that we agreed with the US and which the US approved,” he said, referring to payments disbursed by the PA to the families of Palestinians killed by Israel or imprisoned in Israeli jails, including many detained for attacks on Israelis.Abbas announced a reform to that payment scheme, that critics refer to as “pay-to-slay” in February, under pressure from the US and Israel, which described it as “funding for terrorism”. Several Palestinian officials condemned the decision then.In his interview to Israel’s Channel 12 Thursday, Abbas added that other reforms in sectors such as education, economy, health sector, and security were all under implementation. “Some have already been completed, and others are ongoing, until the PA becomes a model capable of continuing to lead the Palestinian people,” Abbas said.Trump, along with other international leaders and organisations, has urged Abbas to reform the Palestinian Authority.According to Trump’s 20-point plan, “while Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognise as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.”

Israël annonce que “toutes les parties” ont signé la première phase de l’accord sur Gaza

Israël a indiqué jeudi que toutes les parties avaient signé la première phase de l’accord de cessez-le-feu à Gaza et de libération des otages après de fortes pressions du président américain, Donald Trump, pour mettre fin à la guerre dans le territoire palestinien.Cet accord conclu en Egypte fait suite à un plan de paix en 20 points pour Gaza annoncé en septembre par M. Trump, après deux ans d’une guerre dévastatrice déclenchée par l’attaque sans précédent du mouvement islamiste palestinien Hamas en Israël le 7 octobre 2023.Sur les 251 personnes enlevées et emmenées à Gaza ce jour-là, 47 y sont toujours retenues, dont au moins 25 sont mortes, selon l’armée. L’offensive de représailles israélienne a fait des dizaines de milliers de morts et provoqué un désastre humanitaire dans la bande de Gaza.La libération des captifs “devrait mettre fin à la guerre”, a déclaré le chef de la diplomatie israélienne, Gidéon Saar, le négociateur en chef du Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, affirmant avoir “reçu des assurances de la part des frères médiateurs et de l’administration américaine, confirmant toutes que la guerre est complètement terminée”.”Ce qui s’est passé aujourd’hui est un moment historique”, a déclaré pour sa part le président palestinien, Mahmoud Abbas, dans entretien accordé à une télévision israélienne — fait rare — dans lequel il dit souhaiter “la paix, la sécurité et la stabilité” entre les Palestiniens et Israël.Selon Shosh Bedrosian, une porte-parole du bureau du Premier ministre israélien, Benjamin Netanyahu, “la version finale de la première phase a été signée ce matin en Egypte par toutes les parties en vue de la libération de tous les otages” retenus à Gaza. “Tous nos otages, vivants et décédés, seront libérés (au plus tard) 72 heures (après l’entrée en vigueur du cessez-le-feu), ce qui nous amène à lundi”, a précisé à l’AFP Mme Bedrosian.M. Trump a toutefois observé que les corps de certains otages seraient “un peu difficiles à trouver”.Pour entrer en vigueur, l’accord devait encore être validé jeudi par le cabinet de sécurité israélien, avant une réunion du gouvernement au complet. Le ministre israélien de la Sécurité intérieure (extrême droite), Itamar Ben Gvir, a déclaré qu’il voterait contre. La réunion du cabinet de sécurité est terminée, ont rapporté dans la soirée des médias israéliens.Dans les 24 heures suivant l’entrée en vigueur du cessez-le-feu, l’armée israélienne se retirera de zones où elle est déployée, mais gardera le contrôle de 53% du territoire de la bande de Gaza, selon la porte-parole.La signature intervient après quatre jours de négociations indirectes en Egypte ayant impliqué plusieurs acteurs internationaux dont les Etats-Unis. Le président Trump a dit qu’il prévoyait de partir dimanche pour le Moyen-Orient. “Les otages rentreront lundi ou mardi. Je serai probablement là. J’espère être là. Nous prévoyons de partir dimanche, et j’ai hâte d’y être”, a-t-il dit.A Khan Younès, dans le sud de la bande de Gaza, dévastée et affamée, des Palestiniens ont applaudi, chanté et dansé à l’annonce de l’accord, salué par plusieurs pays dont l’Iran, soutien du Hamas et ennemi juré d’Israël.”Dieu merci! Malgré tous les morts et la perte d’êtres chers, nous sommes heureux aujourd’hui”, a dit Ayman al-Najjar à Khan Younès.- Appel à la “désescalade” – Sur la “place des Otages” à Tel-Aviv, des centaines de personnes se sont rassemblées, beaucoup arborant un autocollant avec l’inscription “Ils reviennent”, d’autres s’embrassant et se félicitant.”Nous attendons ce jour depuis 734 jours”, a dit Laurence Yitzhak, 54 ans. Le président égyptien, Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, a appelé Israël à “la désescalade ou à cesser le feu” jusqu’à la signature de l’accord pour ne pas compromettre son “esprit”.Jeudi soir, des journalistes de l’AFP et des témoins ont dit entendre encore des explosions et des tirs d’artillerie dans le centre et le sud du territoire palestinien. Selon un responsable palestinien, les otages vivants seront libérés contre près de 2.000 prisonniers palestiniens détenus par Israël, “simultanément à des retraits israéliens spécifiques (de Gaza) et une entrée de (davantage) d’aides humanitaires”. Il n’a pas mentionné les captifs morts. L’armée israélienne a par ailleurs annoncé se préparer à repositionner ses troupes dans la bande de Gaza.Le Premier ministre israélien a remercié M. Trump “pour ses efforts de leadership mondial ayant permis de rendre tout cela possible”.Il a jugé, tout comme le président égyptien, que le président américain “mérite” le prix Nobel de la Paix. – Prochaine étape -Les négociations pour la deuxième phase du plan Trump devaient commencer “immédiatement” après la signature de l’accord sur la première phase, avait annoncé un responsable du Hamas. Le plan Trump prévoit un cessez-le-feu, un échange dans les 72 heures des otages contre des prisonniers palestiniens, le retrait par étapes de l’armée israélienne de Gaza et le désarmement du Hamas. Le président américain a dit jeudi qu’il y aurait “un désarmement” et un “retrait” de troupes dans une prochaine phase, précisant que la priorité était le retour des otages. L’accord prévoit aussi la création d’un “comité de la paix” présidé par M. Trump lui-même pour superviser le gouvernement de transition à Gaza.Interrogé par la chaîne Al Araby sur le comité, Osama Hamdan, un haut responsable du Hamas, a déclaré: “Aucun Palestinien ne pourrait accepter. Toutes les factions, y compris l’Autorité palestinienne, rejettent ceci (ce comité, ndlr)”.Deux précédentes trêves en novembre 2023 et début 2025 avaient permis le retour d’otages ou de corps de captifs en échange de prisonniers palestiniens, avant de s’effondrer.L’attaque du 7-Octobre a entraîné la mort de 1.219 personnes, en majorité des civils, selon un bilan établi par l’AFP à partir de données officielles.En riposte, Israël a lancé une campagne militaire qui a dévasté le territoire, provoqué une crise humanitaire majeure et fait selon le ministère de la Santé du Hamas, plus de 67.194 morts, en majorité des civils.

Trump to head to Middle East, says hostages to be freed early next week

US President Donald Trump said he expected to travel to the Middle East on Sunday to celebrate the first phase of the Gaza peace deal and be there for the release of hostages by Hamas. Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Trump said the agreement between Israel and the Palestinian armed group had “ended the war in Gaza.”The US leader added that “nobody’s going to be forced to leave” the Palestinian territory under his 20-point peace plan, which formed the basis for indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel in Egypt.He said he hoped to travel to Israel, where he may address parliament, and maybe to Egypt.”The hostages will be coming back Monday or Tuesday. I’ll probably be there, I hope to be there,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, referring to hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.But Trump said that the bodies of some of the dead hostages would be “hard to find.” Hamas took 251 people hostage into Gaza, where 47 remain, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has devastated the territory and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. – ‘Disarming, pullbacks’ -Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said earlier that he had invited his US counterpart to take part in a “celebration to be held in Egypt” for the agreement for the first phase of a ceasefire.The Republican gave few details about the second phase of the peace deal and the future of Gaza.During an earlier meeting of his cabinet, Trump said “there will be disarming, there will be pullbacks,” in apparent reference to Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm and calls by the Palestinian group for Israel to withdraw its forces, but did not elaborate.He added that Gaza would be “slowly redone” and indicated that Arab states with “tremendous wealth” would help it rebuild, as well as possibly taking part in peacekeeping efforts.- ‘High degree of intensity’ -Trump, who in February proposed that the US take over Gaza, also rejected speculation that Palestinians could be forced out of the devastated enclave.”Nobody’s going to be forced to leave. No, it’s just the opposite. This is a great plan,” Trump said.Trump, however, played down the question of whether he would achieve his long-held dream of winning the Nobel Peace Prize, whose laureate is announced on Friday.”I don’t know what they’re going to do, really. But I know this, that nobody in history has solved eight wars in a period of nine months,” he said in response to a question by an AFP reporter.His cabinet officials lined up to praise him, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had on Wednesday handed the US president a note during an event saying a deal was imminent.”Frankly, I don’t know of any American president in the modern era that could have made this possible,” Rubio said during the cabinet meeting.Rubio also hinted at the tough negotiations that led to the agreement, which saw Trump pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and rally Arab and Muslim states to lean on Hamas.”One day, perhaps the entire story will be told,” Rubio said.”The president had some extraordinary phone calls and meetings that required a high degree of intensity and commitment and made this happen.”