Former US President Donald Trump's statements about protecting NATO member states against Russia sparked a major controversy in Europe, and Germany proposed creating a European nuclear umbrella in anticipation of Trump's re-election.
The establishment of a "European nuclear umbrella" suddenly took the forefront of the political scene in Germany, where talking about nuclear weapons was considered a "strategic taboo" in the country, fearing the specter of Donald Trump's re-election to the American presidency.
Trump's shocking statements recently contributed to accelerating a debate that had begun since the Russian-Ukrainian war, as he threatened not to guarantee the protection of NATO member states against Russia if they did not pay their financial obligations.
The German newspaper "Handelsblatt" considered that Berlin could no longer ignore the logic of nuclear deterrence, saying, "Let us hope that Biden wins the elections or that things will not deteriorate much if Trump is elected."
Katarina Barley, a member of the Social Democratic Party led by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said that with the possibility of Donald Trump being re-elected as President of the United States, “the idea of a European atomic shield may be put on the table.”
These statements sparked an emotionally charged national debate in a country that is strongly against nuclear weapons and has always made partnership with the United States an absolute priority.
Last December, former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer spoke about creating a European nuclear deterrent, and the member of the Green Party said in a statement: “Should Germany have nuclear weapons? No, should Europe? Yes, because the world has changed.” ".
On Tuesday, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said that it was necessary to discuss the establishment of a European nuclear deterrent force in cooperation with France and Britain, the two nuclear powers on the continent, in an article in the newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung."
However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in December: “I see no point in this discussion today,” and his spokesman Stephen Hebstrait reiterated the same on Wednesday.
France is the only member of the European Union that possesses nuclear weapons since Britain left the bloc, and questions are being raised about the extent of Paris's desire to share control of its nuclear weapons with its allies in the Union.
In 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed to European Union countries a “strategic dialogue” on “the role of French nuclear deterrence in our collective security.”
Last Saturday, Trump threatened to "not prevent any Russian attack on allies who do not fulfill their financial obligations to NATO," during his speech during his election campaign in South Carolina.
US President Joe Biden described these statements as "horrific and dangerous," and the American newspaper "The Hill" reported on Monday that Biden accused Trump of supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding war and violence.
The CIA Director visits Israel
The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that CIA Director William Burns visited Israel and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad head Dadi Barnea.
This visit came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that there would not be another delegation to the negotiations in Cairo.
Netanyahu prevented the head of the Mossad from going to Cairo on Thursday to participate in the prisoner exchange deal talks. The Hebrew Walla website reported that this refusal came at a time when it was decided to hold a meeting of the war council and the security cabinet tomorrow, Thursday.
According to what the website reported, Netanyahu sees no point in the Mossad chief returning to participate in the negotiations as long as Hamas remains committed to its demands regarding the number of Palestinian prisoners it demands to be released in exchange for the Israeli prisoners.
A source familiar with the details told the website that the Egyptians and Qataris proposed holding talks in Cairo on Thursday to discuss the humanitarian aspects of the potential hostage deal, such as the scope of aid to be brought to Gaza and the possibility of Palestinians returning to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip.
According to the website, the heads of the Israeli negotiating team informed Netanyahu upon their return on Tuesday from Cairo about the Egyptian proposal to hold further talks.
The source stated that Netanyahu did not agree to send a delegation for further talks, claiming that there was no agreement, adding that Israel would continue the talks until Hamas agreed to its position on the number of prisoners it demands to be released as part of a deal.
An American official said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday that the negotiations in Cairo regarding the prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas did not result in any breakthrough.
The official described the negotiations as "fruitful and serious," adding that they had not yet reached a breakthrough leading to a final deal, stressing that the negotiations would continue.
Media reports indicated that Hamas presented a proposal to release all detainees in Israeli prisons who were arrested until the day the deal was signed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected this request.
Due to concerns about the spread of weapons in America, a policeman shoots a handcuffed detainee
An in-depth investigation that lasted eight weeks revealed that a policeman in the US state of Florida showered a detainee with bullets. He thought he was being shot when he heard a sound. However, it turned out that the sound was the result of an acorn falling on top of the policeman’s car.
Weeks ago, a policeman in the US state of Florida emptied his pistol into a handcuffed suspect, thinking he heard the sound of a gunshot, when in fact the sound was of an acorn falling on the patrol car.
The incident occurred in Okaloosa County in broad daylight in November 2023, according to a video clip recently published by the local police chief, and it reflects the concerns raised by the widespread proliferation of weapons in the United States.
The video revealed that policeman Jesse Hernandez was about to return to his car, which he parked next to the sidewalk under an oak tree. Sitting in the back seat of his car was a 24-year-old suspect, handcuffed, who had been arrested a short time earlier.
At this moment, an acorn fell on the roof of the car's body, according to the conclusions of an in-depth investigation that lasted eight weeks, the results of which were contained in a 44-page report.
Exactly 1.1 seconds after the fruit fell, the sound of which was heard on the recording of the camera that Hernandez placed on his uniform, the policeman began shouting: “Gunshots! Gunshots!”
The policeman then made another excessive reaction, throwing himself on the ground, lying on his side, drawing his service weapon, and firing several times at his patrol car.
He can be heard in the video screaming: “I've been hit! I've been hit!”, even though no one shot him.
At the same time, his colleague, who was also outside the car, followed suit, and also pulled out her weapon and emptied its contents towards the car.
Fortunately, the suspect tied up in the back seat was not hit by the bullets that struck the car. The investigation showed that this man, Marquis Jackson, was suspected of a petty theft, and did not carry any firearm.
Hernandez, a former soldier who recently joined the police, was convicted of excessive use of deadly force.
He explained, according to his investigation report, that he mistakenly thought that the sound of a falling acorn was the sound of a shot from a silenced pistol. He submitted his resignation from the police.
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