Trump's Ceasefire Definition: "Shooting in a More Moderate Manner"
Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed stable genius, just dropped a jaw-dropping definition of a ceasefire: "shooting in a more moderate manner." This comes right after he announced a partial truce between Israel and Lebanon.
The President hosted negotiations in Washington, claiming that Hezbollah was part of the peace talks. He stated, "We actually spoke with Hezbollah for the first time. We didn’t know they spoke." This revelation raises questions about the depth of U.S. intelligence on the militant group.
A joint statement from the U.S., Israel, and Lebanon declared that the agreement hinges on a complete cessation of attacks by Hezbollah and the evacuation of its fighters south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon.
When pressed on how he defines a ceasefire, Trump, 79, responded, "Pretty much the way it is. It's a different part of the world. In that part of the world, ceasefire is when you're shooting in a more moderate manner." This definition has sparked outrage online.
One social media user shot back, "Nope. that's not how ceasefire is defined anywhere." Another quipped, "Okay. So not when you’re not shooting at all, just moderately shooting. Got it." The Oxford English Dictionary defines a ceasefire as "a command or signal to cease active hostilities," which starkly contrasts Trump's interpretation.
Trump later elaborated, "It's very different kind of a thing. We actually spoke with Hezbollah for the first time ever. They agreed yesterday they're not going to shoot. Israel's not going to shoot. We're just going to see." This statement raises eyebrows given the ongoing violence.
Despite the supposed commitment to a ceasefire, fighting raged on into Thursday morning. Israel launched multiple airstrikes in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa valley, while Hezbollah targeted Israeli soldiers in Qantara, southern Lebanon.
The backdrop to these talks includes mounting international pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Adding fuel to the fire, it was revealed that Trump had a furious phone call with Netanyahu last week, where he labeled him "f***ing crazy" for threatening to resume airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
