Posted by BW Actual on Sep 30th 2025
BLACKWATER USA | DAILY BRIEF
Gaza
- Following his meeting with Pres. Trump yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu endorsed Trump's 20-point Gaza truce plan.
- Netanyahu secured key edits to the plan that will make it more palatable to his right-wing coalition partners, whose support his government depends on. Shortly after leaving the White House, Netanyahu celebrated the news in a video message: "Now the whole world, including the Arab and Muslim world, is pressuring Hamas to accept the terms that we created together with Trump, to bring back all the hostages — the living and the dead — while the IDF stays in the majority of the Strip. Who would have believed it?!"
- The full text of what's being called "the Trump plan" is here: https://www.nytimes.com/
2025/09/29/world/middleeast/ gaza-israel-cease-fire-plan- text.html. - Hamas said it would consider the plan, but analysts say it's unlikely to agree: under the edited terms, it's being asked to give up its two remaining bargaining chips - the rest of its hostages and all of its weapons - at the outset, in exchange for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. [Netanyahu could also still back out if his far-right coalition partners balk at the deal.]
- The plan is still rather vague about Gaza's post-war (and post-Hamas) future. It mentions that statehood is an "aspiration" for Palestinians, but makes no concrete commitments towards realizing that aspiration.
- With only slightly more clarity, it provides for the "temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee" overseen by an international "Board of Peace" chaired by Trump and including ex-UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has been vocally volunteering for the role.
Afghanistan
- Afghanistan's Taliban government severed fiber optic communications in all of Afghanistan's provinces - and announced the start of a phased downgrade of mobile communications to 2G - in order "to prevent immorality."
- Some highly speculative reports have suggested that the Taliban severed internet communications to conceal a mass release of foreign jihadists from prison, but that seems inconsistent with the group's recent overtures to improve its international standing in hopes of eventual diplomatic recognition.
- Separately, the Taliban released U.S. citizen Amir Amiri, after nine months of detention - and intense Qatari mediation. Amiri is the fifth American the Taliban has released this year.
Venezuela
- Venezuela's autocrat, Nicolas Maduro, seems to be preparing a fresh power grab under the pretense of "protect[ing] our people, our peace, and our stability" from "aggression" by the U.S.
- Maduro's Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, said Maduro had assigned himself "special powers" that would automatically kick in in case of a U.S. strike on Venezuela, including the authority to mobilize the armed forces to strike back, and to nationalize public services and the critical oil sector under the military.
Madagascar
- Madagascar's Pres. Rajoelina dissolved his government after several days of youth-led "Gen Z" protests against water and power supply problems plaguing the country.
- Rajoeline offered protesters a mild apology - "your demands have been heard, and I apologize if there are members of the government who have not done the work that the people expected" - but he has thus far stopped short of giving in to their demands for his resignation.