World
Palestinian author Mosab Abu Toha wins Pulitzer Prize for commentary
The poet gets the prestigious award for New Yorker essays ‘on the physical and emotional carnage in Gaza’ amid war.
Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha, who has been targeted by pro-Israel groups in the United States for deportation, has won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary.
Abu Toha received the prestigious award on Monday for essays published in The New Yorker “on the physical and emotional carnage in Gaza that combine deep reporting with the intimacy of memoir to convey the Palestinian experience” of the war.
“I have just won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary,” Abu Toha wrote on social media. “Let it bring hope. Let it be a tale.”
The comment appears to be a tribute to his fellow Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer, was killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza in December 2023. Alareer’s final poem was titled, “If I must die, let it be a tale”.
Abu Toha was detained by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2023 before being released to Egypt and subsequently moving to the US.
“In the past year, I have lost many of the tangible parts of my memories – the people and places and things that helped me remember,” Abu Toha wrote in one of his New Yorker essays.
“I have struggled to create good memories. In Gaza, every destroyed house becomes a kind of album, filled not with photos but with real people, the dead pressed between its pages.”
In recent months, right-wing groups in the US have called for deporting Abu Toha amid a campaign by President Donald Trump cracking down non-citizens critical of Israel. The author cancelled events at universities in recent months, citing fears for his safety.
I have just won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.
Let it bring hope
Let it be a tale pic.twitter.com/VP6RsPY6vz— Mosab Abu Toha (@MosabAbuToha) May 5, 2025
The Palestinian poet told Al Jazeera’s The Take podcast in December that the feeling of inability to help people in Gaza has been “devastating”.
“Imagine that you are with your parents, with your siblings and their children in a school shelter in Gaza,” Abu Toha said. “You are unable to protect anyone. You are unable to provide them with any food, with any water, with any medicine. But now you are in the United States, the country that is funding the genocide. So, it is heartbreaking.”
In other Pulitzer categories, New York Times won prizes for explanatory reporting, local reporting, international coverage and breaking news photography on Monday.
With the four awards, the New York-based newspaper received the most prizes from Pulitzer’s 14 journalism contests this year.
Winners of the award, named after the Hungarian-American newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, are selected by a board of journalists and academics and announced at Columbia University annually.
The New York Times received the international reporting prize for its coverage of the conflict in Sudan, edging out The Washington Post, which was a finalist in the category for its “documented Israeli atrocities” in Gaza, including investigations into the killings of Palestinian medics and journalists.
The Post won the breaking news prize for its coverage of the Trump assassination attempt during a campaign rally last year. The Reuters news agency took the investigative reporting award for a “boldly reported expose of lax regulation in the US and abroad that makes fentanyl”.
World
New study proposes major shift in US-Israel strategic partnership approach
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A new study aims to jolt Israel’s security and technology establishment into embracing a new post-Oct. 7, 2023, business model that will advance the U.S.-Israel strategic partnership in the heart of the Middle East and across the globe.
The Henry Jackson Society study titled “Israel 2048: A Blueprint for a Rising Asymmetric Geopolitical Power” jumps into the future, with a view toward advancing American and Israeli security interests.
Co-author of the report, Barak M. Seener, told Fox News Digital that America requires Israel for “its security architecture in the region via the Abraham Accords and, more broadly, will be a force multiplier regarding the technological edge against China.”
During President Donald Trump’s first term, his administration sealed diplomatic normalization deals between Sunni Gulf and North African countries: Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Sudan and Israel.
Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles over Tel Aviv, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Seener and co-author David Wurmser argue that there is a pressing need to reframe the U.S.–Israel strategic partnership “around technology,” and “shift from military aid dependency towards joint R&D and investment in shared technological platforms in defence-tech, AI, quantum computing and next generational warfare capabilities.”
They wrote, “Israel must prioritize passing negotiated regulations for technology sharing to prevent AI/ quantum technology leakage to China.”
Seener noted that the Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy (released in January) describes Israel as a strategic military partner. “That has never happened before.”
He continued, “Israel is not only achieving regional dominance but international power by connecting trade routes and digital connectivity. Israel simply cannot remain in a purely defensive posture and hunker down and react to threats on its borders.”
President Donald Trump bids farewell to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he leaves the White House after a meeting on April 7, 2025. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Seener said following Israel’s successful air war campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran in June 2025, “America now wants to be part of this success story. “
He argues that President Donald Trump entered on the side of Israel with military attacks because “Israel demonstrated intelligence acumen and military prowess. For the first time, America joined Israel” in the prosecution of a war.
TRUMP ADMIN LABELS ISRAEL ‘MODEL US ALLY’ AHEAD OF MAJOR MILITARY AID TALKS
Consequently, Seener said Israel’s “defense technology makes it indispensable for nations.”
Seener and Wurmser’s 51-page study contains granular information on how the U.S. can strengthen American security and recommend embedding “Israel as a defense-tech and deep-tech power that is indispensable to Western security and global technological competition in supply chains for AI, semiconductors, missile defense, cyber capabilities and critical materials. Israel’s technological dominance must be leveraged to anchor alliances and shape global supply chains.”
This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows an Israeli Air Force fighter jet firing flares as it flies to intercept a hostile aircraft over the border area with south Lebanon on Aug. 25, 2024. (Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images)
The wobbliness of America’s European partners is also highlighted to show the need for Israel to “Accelerate domestic lines of production of critical military systems, munitions and energy infrastructure to reduce vulnerability to foreign political pressure such as Europe’s growing ambivalence, coupled with episodic constraints on arms transfers,” according to the authors.
Earlier this month, Britain’s left-leaning government reportedly denied the U.S. military’s use of British bases to strike Iran.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, recently visited Israel as the official guest of Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, chief of the general staff. (IDF Spokesman’s Unit.)
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Israel is uniquely positioned to help regenerate relations among Western powers, the study notes. According to the authors, there is an opportunity to “use Israel’s defense-tech, quantum computing, AI and cyber capabilities as a tool of statecraft to deepen alliances, deter political isolation and strengthen influence in Europe, the Gulf and Asia.”
Seener said, “Israel is not a superpower but a geopolitical power that gives nations a force multiplier, and they benefit from Israel as a tech defense nation.”
World
Epstein files fallout: Muted US response vs political reckoning in Europe
British politician Peter Mandelson has been released on bail after detectives questioned him for hours over the alleged leaking of sensitive government information to the late convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, while a government minister in the early 2000s.
The former United Kingdom ambassador to Washington was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Tuesday. His arrest followed the detention of Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was also questioned over similar misconduct linked to Epstein.
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The Epstein revelations have triggered investigations and resignations in Europe, but the fallout has been muted in the United States.
How have the Epstein files affected British politics?
The developments mark one of the sharpest reversals in recent British political life. Only months ago, Mandelson held one of the most senior (and coveted) diplomatic roles in the country.
He has since lost his post, faced a police raid at his home and now confronts the possibility of criminal charges. He has been forced to step down from the House of Lords, the unelected upper chamber of the UK parliament, and could be stripped of his title.
If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson as British ambassador – a move made while his popularity has plunged – triggered the resignation of his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and has raised questions about whether he can see out his term.
The scandal has also engulfed the royal family. After Andrew was arrested for leaking sensitive reports during his time as British trade envoy – the first arrest of a senior royal in centuries – King Charles III said “the law must take its course.”
British royal biographer Andrew Lownie, who interviewed the late Virginia Giuffre – who accused Epstein of forcing her to have sex with Prince Andrew three times when she was 17 – has warned that the fallout could also “bring down King Charles”, as scrutiny intensifies over what he knew about his brother’s conduct.
The cases form part of a broader European response to newly released troves of Epstein-related documents from the US.
Across the continent, authorities have opened investigations, and several public figures have stepped down or lost positions.
What’s happened in Europe?
France has also moved. Former Culture Minister Jack Lang resigned from his role leading a Paris cultural institution after the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs sought to question him over contacts with Epstein.
In Norway, former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland has been charged with “gross corruption” following disclosures that he stayed at Epstein’s properties in New York and Florida and visited his private island, as well as having the late sex offender cover his expenses and those of his family. He faces up to a decade in prison if convicted.
Norway’s ambassador to Jordan, Mona Juul, also resigned after reports that Epstein left $10m to her children in his will.
Meanwhile, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway apologised after documents showed she had holidayed at one of Epstein’s properties.
In Slovakia, national security adviser Miroslav Lajcak stepped down after disclosures about his association with Epstein surfaced. Prime Minister Robert Fico confirmed he accepted the resignation.
For many in Europe, simply appearing in the files has triggered public scrutiny, investigations or resignations.
Governments have treated the document releases as grounds for formal inquiry, even when criminal liability remains unclear.
Why has there been less of a fallout in the United States?
In the US, public anger has simmered for years. Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie have led a bipartisan effort to release the files, using the term “Epstein class” to describe a wealthy elite who believe themselves to be above the law.
Yet criminal accountability beyond Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell has remained limited. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking offences.
FBI documents identify eight alleged co-conspirators, including the former CEO of Victoria’s Secret, Lex Wexner, Epstein’s former secretary Lesley Groff and modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, who died in custody in France.
None, apart from Maxwell, has faced a US criminal conviction in connection with Epstein’s trafficking case.
The lack of accountability has spanned Democratic and Republican presidents.
Epstein first avoided federal prosecution in 2007-08 through a controversial non-prosecution agreement reached during the administration of George W Bush.
Subsequent administrations under Barack Obama, Donald Trump’s first terms and Joe Biden did not bring sweeping new prosecutions tied to the broader network named in the files.
There is no sign that any prosecutions are under way, despite Congress forcing Trump to release the files.
Who has been affected in the US?
Several prominent Americans have stepped back from roles or faced reputational damage.
Former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers took leave from academic duties at Harvard University after scrutiny over his ties to Epstein.
Lawyer Brad Karp resigned as chair of the law firm Paul Weiss. The National Football League said it would review correspondence between Epstein and New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch.
Longevity specialist and high-profile physician Peter Attia issued an apology and resigned from his role as chief science officer at David Protein over emails exchanged with Epstein. He also stepped down as a CBS News contributor.
Others named in communications with Epstein have not faced formal charges.
Among them are former White House strategist Steve Bannon, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and technology billionaire Elon Musk, who has said he never visited Epstein’s island despite discussing the possibility in emails.
Former President Bill Clinton has testified before Congress regarding his friendship with Epstein.
Trump, who also knew Epstein for years and appears thousands of times in the released documents, has denied wrongdoing, as has the White House.
World
US Says It Struck Vessel in Caribbean, Killing Three Men
The U.S. military said on Monday that it struck a vessel in the Caribbean, killing three men, the latest such incident in recent months.
President Donald Trump’s administration has touted its success at taking out suspected drug trafficking vessels in the area.
The military said in a post on X the vessel was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations.”
Reuters could not immediately verify the information.
—
(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones and Costas Pitas; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
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