President Donald Trump on Thursday pledged to strengthen US ties to the United Arab Emirates and announced deals with the Gulf state totaling over $200 billion and the two countries also agreed to deepen cooperation in artificial intelligence.

After Trump’s meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the White House said he announced deals that included a $14.5 billion commitment from Etihad Airways to invest in 28 Boeing 787 and 777x aircraft powered by engines made by GE Aerospace.

The US Commerce Department said the two countries also agreed to establish a “US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership” framework and Trump and Sheikh Mohamed attended the unveiling of a new 5GW AI campus, which would be the largest outside the United States.

Sources have said the agreements will give the Gulf country expanded access to advanced artificial intelligence chips from the US after previously facing restrictions over Washington’s concerns that China could access the technology.

Trump began a visit to the UAE on the latest stage of a tour of wealthy Gulf states after hailing plans by Doha to invest $10 billion in a US military facility during a trip to Qatar.

“I have absolutely no doubt that the relationship will only get bigger and better,” Trump said in a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

“Your wonderful brother came to Washington a few weeks ago and he told us about your generous statement as to the 1.4 trillion,” Trump said, referring to a UAE pledge to invest $1.4 trillion in the US over 10 years.

Trump was referring to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohamed’s brother and the UAE’s national security adviser and chairman of two of Abu Dhabi’s deep-pocketed sovereign wealth funds.

The US president was met at the airport in Abu Dhabi by Sheikh Mohamed, and they visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, its white minarets and domes, impressive in the late-afternoon light.

“It is so beautiful,” Trump told reporters inside the mosque, which he said had been closed for the day.

“First time they closed it. It’s in honor of the United States. Better than in honor of me. Let’s give it to the country. That’s a great tribute.”

$200 BILLION IN NEW DEALS

A White House fact sheet said Trump had secured $200 billion in new US-UAE deals and accelerated the previously committed $1.4 trillion.

It said Emirates Global Aluminum would invest to develop a $4 billion primary aluminum smelter project in Oklahoma, while ExxonMobil Corp, Occidental Petroleum, and EOG Resources were partnering with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in expanded oil and natural gas production valued at $60 billion.

Sheikh Mohamed told Trump the UAE was “keen to continue and strengthen this friendship for the benefit of the two countries and peoples,” adding to Trump: “your presence here today, your excellency, the president, confirms that this keenness is mutual.”

Before his departure for the UAE, Trump said in a speech to US troops at the Al Udeid Air Base southwest of Doha that defense purchases signed by Qatar on Wednesday were worth $42 billion.

UAE has been seeking US help to make the wealthy Gulf nation a global leader in artificial intelligence.

The US has a preliminary agreement with the UAE to allow it to import 500,000 of Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips a year, starting this year, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The deal would boost the UAE’s construction of data centers vital to developing AI models, although the agreement has provoked national security concerns among sectors of the US government.

The AI agreement “includes the UAE committing to invest in, build, or finance US data centers that are at least as large and as powerful as those in the UAE,” the White House said.

“The agreement also contains historic commitments by the UAE to further align their national security regulations with the United States, including strong protections to prevent the diversion of US-origin technology.”

Former US President Joe Biden’s administration had imposed strict oversight of exports of US AI chips to the Middle East and other regions. Among Biden’s fears were that the prized semiconductors would be diverted to China and buttress its military strength.

At the UAE presidential palace, Trump and Sheikh Mohamed could be seen in TV footage in conversation with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Trump said he would probably return to Washington on Friday after a regional trip that began on Tuesday, although he said it was “almost destination unknown.” Trump had hinted he could stop in Istanbul for talks on Ukraine.

DEALS, DIPLOMACY

Other big business agreements have been signed during Trump’s four-day swing through the Gulf region, including a deal for Qatar Airways to purchase up to 210 Boeing widebody jets, a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the US and $142 billion in US arms sales to the kingdom.

The trip has also brought a flurry of diplomacy.

Trump said in Qatar that the United States was getting very close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran, and Tehran had “sort of” agreed to the terms.

He also announced on Tuesday the US would remove longstanding sanctions on Syria and subsequently met with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

He urged Sharaa to establish ties with Syria’s longtime foe Israel.

Trump has made improving ties with some Gulf countries a key goal of his administration. If all the proposed chip deals in Gulf states, and the UAE in particular, come together, the region would become a third power center in global AI competition after the United States and China.

The post Trump Announces $200 Billion in Deals During UAE Visit, AI Agreement Signed first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Five months after the arson attack on Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue, Australian law enforcement announced a major breakthrough that could lead to the identification and arrest of those responsible for the assault that shook the local Jewish community.

The attack took place on Dec. 5, 2024, at approximately 4.30 am. At the time, two worshippers attending morning prayers spotted the flames and quickly alerted emergency services and firefighters, helping to prevent casualties and more extensive damage.

Thanks to the swift response of local authorities, the fire was contained to one section of the synagogue. While the neighboring area was heavily filled with smoke, it remained unharmed. No injuries were reported during the attack, though two people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

Following the incident, local authorities established a Joint Counter Terrorism Team, including Victorian state police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP), to lead the investigation into the assault and address the rising wave of antisemitic incidents targeting Jewish communities nationwide.

On Thursday, the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) released footage of the attack, which they believe has provided a crucial breakthrough in the case, and urged anyone with information to come forward.

The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, an intiative between Victoria Police, @AusFedPolice and @ASIOGovAu has released footage of those believed to responsible for an arson attack on a Synagogue in Ripponlea last year.
https://t.co/YF7sIp063s pic.twitter.com/ZkmxskJ20K

— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) May 15, 2025

Based on the footage, authorities have identified a blue 2020 Volkswagen Golf sedan as the getaway car used in the attack, where two masked men set fire to the synagogue established by Holocaust survivors.

According to police records, the car is a stolen vehicle linked to several crimes around the same period, including an arson and shooting in a Melbourne suburb on the night of the synagogue attack, as well as a nightclub fire in November 2024.

As of now, authorities have arrested two suspects connected to the nightclub arson, both linked to the stolen vehicle. Although there is no evidence connecting them to the synagogue fire, investigators say they are closing in on those responsible.

“We believe several offenders are directly and indirectly connected to the synagogue arson, and our terrorism investigation is ongoing,” police said in a statement. “We remind those involved that terrorism carries a life sentence.”

“It is only a matter of time before the police knock on your door. It is in your interest to come forward now,” authorities warned those involved in the crime.

Tess Walsh, deputy commander of Victoria Police’s counter-terrorism unit, said investigators have worked “tirelessly over the past five months” to determine not only who carried out the attack, but also who planned it and why.” Authorities have appealed to the public for assistance, stressing that any detail may be crucial.

Stephen Nutt, AFP Assistant Commissioner for Counter Terrorism and Special Investigations Command, stated there was “no indication” of neo-Nazi or other extremist group involvement but emphasized that the task force continues to investigate the incident as a “politically motivated attack on the Jewish community.”

“The JCTT is leaving no stone unturned in this investigation, and I want to thank the Jewish community for their patience and support,” Nutt said during a press conference.

Last year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the torching of the synagogue, arguing the “abhorrent act of antisemitism” was linked to what he described as the Australian government’s “extreme anti-Israeli position.”

Antisemitism spiked to record levels in Australia — especially in Sydney and Melbourne, which are home to some 85 percent of the country’s Jewish population — following the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s bloody invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, amid the ensuing war in Gaza.

According to a report from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), the country’s Jewish community experienced over 2,000 antisemitic incidents between October 2023 and September 2024, a significant increase from 495 in the prior 12 months.

Following Hamas’s Oct. 7 atrocities, the number of antisemitic physical assaults in Australia rose from 11 in 2023 to 65 in 2024. The level of antisemitism for the past year was six times the average of the preceding 10 years.

The post Australian Police Announce Major Breakthrough in Hunt for Melbourne Synagogue Arsonists first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Hamas sparked global outrage after lauding the murder of a pregnant Israeli mother of three — shot in the West Bank on her way to the hospital to give birth — as “historic,” amid a surge in violence and ongoing efforts by mediators to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

Shortly after the shooting terrorist attack near the West Bank town of Bruqin, Abu Obaida, spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades — the military wing of the Palestinian terrorist group — issued a statement praising the assault.

“We commend the heroic shooting operation near Bruqin, west of Salfit, carried out by the brave members of our people in the West Bank,” Obaida said.

“We call on our people to rise up against the occupation in defense of Al-Aqsa, to confront the aggression in the West Bank and its refugee camps, and to support their steadfast brothers and sisters in Gaza,” he continued.

On Wednesday, a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on Israeli vehicles in the northern West Bank, fatally wounding a pregnant woman and injuring her husband as they made their way to the hospital to deliver their baby.

After the attack, the 30-year-old woman, identified as Tzeela Gez, was quickly transported to Petah Tikva’s Rabin Medical Center in critical condition. Despite doctors’ efforts to save her, she was pronounced dead early Thursday morning.

With an emergency C-section, doctors managed to deliver her baby, who is now in stable condition but continues to fight for his life.

According to the hospital, her husband Hananel, who was driving the car, sustained minor injuries after his condition was initially reported as serious.

Gez’s funeral took place at Jerusalem’s Givat Shaul Cemetery at 5.30 pm on Thursday.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and described Hamas’s celebration of the murder of Gez — who was in her ninth month of pregnancy — as “sickening” in a statement posted on the social media platform X.

United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also condemned the assault, saying it “shows Hamas is proud to stand behind cold-blooded murder.”

“The savage & uncivilized contempt for a pregnant woman & her baby reveals what Israel is fighting [for],” the American diplomat said.

The savage & uncivilized contempt for a pregnant woman & her baby reveals what @Israel is fighting as per report from @IsraelMFA that show Hamas is proud to stand behind cold-blooded murder. https://t.co/GJIkHYBdBF

— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) May 15, 2025

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced an intensive search for the terrorist who fired on multiple vehicles, with Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“This is a difficult and painful attack in which an Israeli civilian was killed on her way to a delivery room,” Zamir said in a statement. “I share in the deep sorrow of the family.”

“We are engaged in broad fighting against terror in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] and we will continue,” the statement read. “We will activate all our tools, and we will reach the murderers to bring them to justice.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the shooting, saying he was “deeply shocked by the horrific terrorist attack.”

“This abhorrent incident precisely reflects the difference between us, who desire and bring life, and the reprehensible terrorists, whose goal is to kill us and destroy life,” the Israeli leader said in the statement released by his office.

אני מזועזע עמוקות מהירצחה של צאלה גז, זכרה לברכה, בפיגוע המחריד בשומרון.

צאלה, שהייתה בהריון מתקדם, עשתה דרכה עם בעלה חננאל לחדר לידה בזמן שהמרצחים ירו בהם באכזריות.

האירוע הנתעב הזה משקף בדיוק את ההבדל בינינו – חפצי ומביאי החיים – לבין המחבלים השפלים שמטרת חייהם היא להרוג בנו… pic.twitter.com/jkWr5K2Ge1

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 15, 2025

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz extended his condolences to the Gez family and offered prayers for the newborn baby’s recovery.

“We will continue to fight terror with great force” in all areas of the West Bank and “will not allow it to raise its head,” he said in a statement.

The post Hamas Praises Murder of Pregnant Israeli Mother After Terrorist Attack in West Bank first appeared on Algemeiner.com.