Murad Sadygzade | The US president has kicked off his new term with another ‘peace initiative’ that is really just a gift for Israel | Once again, US President Donald Trump has waded into the Palestinian issue, proposing radical solutions from a staunchly pro-Israel stance. The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which came into effect on January 19, is set to last 42 days, during which both sides have committed to negotiating further steps towards a resolution. However, the US president expressed skepticism about its longevity, noting the scale of destruction in Gaza. ■ According to Trump, Gaza has been so thoroughly devastated that it needs to be rebuilt in an entirely different manner. He suggested that Arab nations such as Egypt and Jordan should take in more Palestinian refugees to help bring order to the region. During discussions with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Trump conveyed his desire for the kingdom to accommodate more people, describing the situation in Gaza as “a complete mess.” He also intends to raise the issue with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. ■ Trump views the relocation of Gaza’s residents to Arab countries as a temporary or even long-term solution. He believes it could offer Palestinians a “fresh start” and contribute to regional stability. However, official Jordanian sources, when commenting on his statement, did not mention the refugee issue – an omission that reflects the reception of Trump’s proposals in the Arab world.

■ Member of US Holocaust Memorial Council Says the People of Gaza Are ‘Collectively Guilty’ and Don’t Deserve Mercy

Natacha Rey has been prosecuted in France for alleging that Brigitte Macron underwent a sex change | The journalist who claimed that the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron was actually born a man is reportedly seeking political asylum in Russia. In an interview with Izvestia, Natacha Rey and her lawyer, Francois Danglehant, have cited “persecution” in France as the reason for her decision. ● Rey alleged in 2021 that Brigitte Macron is actually the transgender identity of her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux. Rey spent three years researching Macron’s supposed secret and later published a video on her findings on social media. Since then, she has been the subject of judicial action in France. ● Explaining her decision to seek asylum in Russia, Rey described the country as a great democracy compared to France, which, in her view, persecutes the political opposition and restricts freedom of speech.

Moon of Alabama | Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced to reconfigure U.S. foreign policy from a unipolar view to a multi-polar concept of strong states. [...] The rarely spoken of 'and more' part of USAID involves billion of dollars for regime change operations with the help of 'civil society' manipulations via U.S. subsidized media and Non-Government Organizations. ■ The Trump administration will kill parts of that and reintegrate the rest of USAID into the state department. The CIA offshot National Endowment for Democracy (NED) will likely meet a similar fate. ■ In their current configuration USAID and NED are under institutionalized congressional oversight. Taking away their independence by putting them under executive control will increase the White House' power. Neither is likely to completely stop their dirty work but it will become more difficult to detect and expose it.

■ Sputnik’s must-reads on USAID (Sputnik - Telegram)
✅ International development under the supervision of the CIA. The Rise and Fall of USAID (Pavel Kotov)