International
Harris and Trump commemorate the anniversary of the attack on Israel with symbolic acts
US Vice President Kamala Harris planted a pomegranate in her official residence on Monday, while Former President Donald Trump visited the grave of a prominent rabbi in New York, in acts of great symbolic content to commemorate the first anniversary of Hamas’ attack against Israel.
Both candidates sought to give a solemn air to the day with gestures that reaffirmed their commitment to Israel and, although they tried to maintain an institutional tone, the ceremonies acquired a clear political dimension less than a month before the November 5 elections.
“Today we plant a pomegranate in this garden because, in Judaism, it is a symbol of hope and virtue,” Harris said in statements to the press, in which she said she felt “devastated by the pain and loss” caused a year ago by the Hamas attack, which left 1,200 dead and took 251 hostages.
Trump and Harris star in symbolic acts for Israel
Harris reaffirmed his commitment that he will “always” ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself, but also considered that the world must work to alleviate the “immense suffering” of the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, who have experienced “so much pain and so much loss during this year.”
In addition, in response to questions from the press, he said that he will not “surrender” in attempts to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages.
The vice president, like US President Joe Biden, has reiterated her support for Israel at all times, but has spoken with a firmer language about the suffering in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli offensive has already left more than 41,900 fatalities.
Trump visits the grave of a key figure for Orthodox Jews
For his part, Trump visited in New York the grave of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, a prominent figure of Orthodox Judaism who led the Jabad-Lubavitch movement for more than four decades until his death in 1994.
Known as the “Rebe of Lubavitch”, Schneerson was the seventh leader of this religious current and some considered him a messianic figure, although the Jabad movement has officially denied any interpretation in this regard.
With a black kippá on his head, Trump, who belongs to the Presbyterian Church, deposited a stone on the tombstone of Schneerson’s tomb, following a Jewish custom. In addition, in front of the cameras, he broke into pieces a small piece of paper on which he had apparently left a message for the rabbi and left it inside the mausoleum.
Trump did not make statements to the press at that event, but he will address the media this afternoon in Miami.
In a statement, Karoline Leavitt, one of the Republican spokespeople, reiterated that if the former president had been in the White House, the Hamas attacks “would never have happened.”
Biden lights a candle to honor the victims
Meanwhile, Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, participated this Monday in a ceremony with a rabbi in which they lit a yahrzeit candle, used in Judaism to honor the memory of the deceased, and kept a moment of silence to remember the victims of Hamas.
The ceremony was officiated by Rabbi Aaron Alexander of the Adas Israel Congregation, a family friend of the American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was taken hostage by Hamas and whose body was found at the end of August in a tunnel in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip.
Although Biden did not speak during the event, in the morning he issued a statement in which he reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself after the Hamas attacks, while reiterating his government’s determination to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza that allows the release of the hostages.
Condolences from the United States
“We will not give up until we bring the hostages home,” he said in his statement.
In addition, Biden spoke on the phone on Monday with the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, to express his condolences on the anniversary of the attack.
The president, however, did not call the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he has not spoken since August 21 and with whom he maintains an increasingly tense relationship after the failed attempts of the United States to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas that allows a ceasefire and release the hostages.
International
Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal
Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.
The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.
The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).
“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.
Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”
International
Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders
President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.
Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.
A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”
According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.
International
Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join
Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.
Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.
“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.
“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.
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