Trump brokers another peace deal in Middle East, Bahrain to normalise relations with Israel
Washington: US President Donald Trump on Friday brokered another peace deal in the Middle East with Bahrain announcing that it would normalise diplomatic ties with Israel.
The announcement by Trump after he hosted a historic call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain came a month after he had mediated between the United Arab Emirates and Israel to do the same.
Leaders of the UAE and Israel are scheduled to sign an agreement in this regard at the White House next week.
In the spirit of peace and cooperation, Netanyahu and Al Khalifa agreed that Bahrain will fully normalise its diplomatic relations with Israel, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House.
They will exchange embassies and ambassadors, begin direct flights between their countries, and launch cooperation initiatives across a broad range of sectors, including health, business, technology, education, security, and agriculture. This is a truly historic day, he said.
Observing that there have been two peace agreements with Israel in the last 72 years, Trump said that this is now the second peace agreement that he has announced in the last month. And I am very hopeful that there will be more to follow, he said, adding that there's tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of other countries to also join.
And we think, ultimately, you'll have most countries join, and you're going to have the Palestinians in a very good position. They want to come in -- they're going to want to come in because all of their friends are in. But we have tremendous enthusiasm for coming into the deal, he said.
As more countries normalise relations with Israel -- which will happen quite quickly, we believe -- the region will become more and more stable, secure, and prosperous, Trump said.
Trump's special advisor and son-in-law Jarred Kushner played a key role in securing both the agreements in the Middle East, which is expected to play an important role having a lasting peace in the region.
What President Trump has done here is unthinkable. He's brought people in the Middle East together. There's been these barriers that have existed that have led to so much instability, so much war, so much loss, so much hopelessness. And we're seeing so much hopefulness now coming, he told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House.
The US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, said that Trump's policy of peace through strength has changed the world profoundly for the better.
Later in a conference call with reporters, Kushner said that this deal will bring these countries closer together. It took Israel 72 years to form the first two peace agreements with Jordan and Egypt. "And then, in the last 29 days, we now have two more peace agreements, which shows that the region is really changing, he said.
About two weeks ago, he took the first commercial flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. That flight flew over Saudi Arabia's airspace, which they waived after 72 years. And they said that other commercial flights can take that route as well. The UAE just removed their 48-year boycott of Israel, he noted.
Referring to the two back-to-back agreements, Kushner described this as the beginning of a new Middle East. Trump has really secured alliances and partners in trying to pursue that, he added.
Kushner announced that Bahrain will be sending its foreign minister for the signing of the agreement between the UAE and Israel at the White House next week.
Describing this as a historic agreement, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that as the President has kept the promise that he laid out at the beginning of this Administration that he would strengthen America's friendships and build new partnerships in pursuit of peace.
The two peace agreements open new possibilities for peace and prosperity. From my recent travels to the region, there is clear momentum for a new Middle East. I thank King Hamad and Prime Minister Netanyahu for having the courage to change the fate of nations, he said.
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Odisha Police arrests key accused in Rs 40-crore investment fraud
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Odisha Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested the prime accused in a Rs 40-crore trading fraud, an officer said on Friday.
The accused, identified as Amit Mandal of West Bengal's Bankura, was arrested from his home district on December 31, the officer said.
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After producing him in a local court there, Mandal was brought to Odisha on Friday, the EOW officer said.
The arrest was made in connection with a case registered on December 29 at the EOW police station on the basis of a complaint lodged by Sushant Kumar Das of Khurda district.
The complainant alleged that Mandal and his associates induced him to invest in share trading by promising high monthly returns ranging from 3.5 to 7 per cent per month.
Das had reportedly deposited Rs 8.5 lakh during 2022–2024.
According to police, Mandal induced around 500 depositors from Odisha and 100 from West Bengal between 2020 and 2024 and collected over Rs 120 crore, of which over Rs 40 crore is yet to be returned to investors.
"Initially, he paid monthly returns of depositors. However during 2023, Mandal failed to pay the returns and falsely assured the depositors that their money will be re-invested in his newly formed company. But suddenly he went missing before being arrested in Bankura district," the official said.
According to the EOW, the accused had been collecting deposits in his personal bank accounts maintained with two banks. "Scrutiny of one bank account revealed transactions amounting to Rs 122 crore. Other accounts are under verification," the officer said.
