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☆ Rough Seas for Blinken and Co. as Israel, Iran and Ukraine Cloud G7 Meeting
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rough seas were a fitting symbol for this week’s meeting of Group of 7 foreign ministers on the Italian island of Capri. Coast Guard ships that ferried V.I.P.s across the Gulf of Naples to the island on Wednesday swayed precariously, leaving the passengers reaching for their motion-sickness medicine — and, in some cases, their sick bags. Though no ministers from this elite international coalition, including Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, were known to have lost their lunch, the global problems they confronted were enough to make even a seasoned diplomat queasy: the risk of war between Iran and Israel, the nightmare in Gaza and Ukraine’s uncertain fate. At the luxurious Grand Hotel Quisisana, Mr. Blinken came determined to project unity within a group that includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the European Union. First created to help stabilize the world economy, the G7 has grown more active and ambitious in recent years, seeking to shape geopolitics and to be “a steering committee for the world’s most advanced democracies,” as Mr. Blinken put it in a closing news conference on Friday.

Persons: precariously, Antony J, Blinken, queasy Organizations: Coast Guard, European Union Locations: Capri, of Naples, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United States

From the bloody trenches of the battlefield to crowded cities battered by Russian bombardments, millions of Ukrainians waited in nervous anticipation as the United States Congress prepared, after months of delay, to decide if America will resume providing their country with critical military support. Private Pavlo Kaliuk, who has been fighting to slow the Russian advance after the fall of the city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine earlier this year, was on his way to the funeral for a fallen soldier when reached by phone on Friday. “I am walking and thinking that maybe it’s my friend who died at war, who is up in the sky now, who will help the world and United States to support Ukraine,” he said. Ukraine cannot rely on divine intervention; instead it is counting on the House of Representatives to approve a $60 billion aid package on Saturday.

Persons: Pavlo Kaliuk, “, ” Organizations: United States Congress Locations: America, Avdiivka, Ukraine, United States

☆ Blinken Heads to G7 Meeting for Talks on Israel and Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken arrived in Italy on Wednesday for a gathering of foreign ministers from the Group of 7 nations at which the Middle East turmoil and the fate of Ukraine will be central topics. The meeting will take place as world leaders try to contain the growing fallout from the war between Israel and Hamas. At the opening session, the officials will also discuss Israel’s invasion of Gaza and international efforts to reach a cease-fire deal. The G7 is a conference of seven industrialized democracies — Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Britain and the United States — as well as representatives of the European Union. The meeting, which is being held on the Mediterranean island of Capri, is a prelude to a summit of G7 leaders scheduled for mid-June in Puglia, Italy.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Israel Organizations: United, United States —, European Union Locations: Italy, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Britain, United States, Capri, Puglia

Donald J. Trump plans to meet with the right-wing president of Poland this week, the latest in a series of his private interactions with leaders or emissaries from countries from the Persian Gulf to Eastern Europe, many of whom share an affinity with his brand of politics. Mr. Trump is expected to have dinner in New York with Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, on Wednesday, his one day off from court this week, according to two people briefed on the arrangements who were not authorized to discuss them publicly. The meeting was mentioned as a possibility by Mr. Duda on X shortly after The New York Times approached his office for comment. It will be a reunion for Mr. Trump and Mr. Duda, who once proposed naming a military base after Mr. Trump and who now shares power in Poland with a rival whose politics are much more aligned with those of President Biden. Mr. Trump’s other recent interactions with foreign leaders and their representatives include a phone call he had last month with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, which was previously undisclosed.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Andrzej Duda, Duda, X, Biden, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, ” Organizations: New York Times, Mr, Bahraini Locations: Poland, Persian, Eastern Europe, New York, Bahrain

☆ Middle East Crisis As Ramadan Nears Its End, Relief Remains Elusive in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Israeli airstrikes a week ago killed seven aid workers who had been delivering food in Gaza, renewing the international focus on the hunger crisis there. But UNRWA, the primary United Nations agency aiding Palestinians, said that 103 aid trucks crossed into Gaza on Sunday. Until now, almost all aid for Gaza has entered through two southern border crossings, at Rafah and Kerem Shalom. Before the conflict, around 500 commercial and aid trucks entered Gaza each day. Juliette Touma, a spokeswoman for UNRWA, said that Gaza needs 500 trucks of aid each day, for weeks and months, to remedy the crisis.

Persons: Israel, Biden, COGAT, Matthew Miller, Miller, Benjamin Netanyahu, Juliette Touma, Michael Crowley Organizations: UNRWA, United, State Department, Israel, Food, United States Central Command Locations: Gaza, COGAT, United Nations, Rafah, Kerem Shalom, Israel, Ashdod, United States

☆ Gaza War Turns Spotlight on Long Pipeline of U.S. Weapons to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Michael Crowley | Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the fall of 2016, the Obama administration sealed a major military agreement with Israel that committed the United States to giving the country $38 billion in arms over 10 years. “The continued supply of the world’s most advanced weapons technology will ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself from all manner of threats,” President Barack Obama said. It was a period of relative calm for Israel, and few officials in Washington expressed concern about how the American arms might one day be used. Now that military aid package, which guarantees Israel $3.3 billion per year to buy weapons, along with another $500 million annually for missile defense, has become a flashpoint for the Biden administration. A vocal minority of lawmakers in Congress backed by liberal activists are demanding that President Biden restrict or even halt arms shipments to Israel because of its military campaign in Gaza.

Persons: Obama, “, Barack Obama, Biden Locations: Israel, United States, Washington, Gaza

☆ Biden Administration Presses Congress on $18 Billion Sale of F-15 Jets to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Michael Crowley | Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Biden administration is pressing Congress to approve a plan to sell $18 billion worth of F-15 fighter jets to Israel, as President Biden resists calls to limit U.S. arms sales to Israel over its military offensive in Gaza. The State Department recently sent an informal notice to two congressional committees to start a legislative review process for the order, a first step toward the department’s giving formal authorization for the transfer of up to 50 of the planes. The F-15 order was reported earlier by Politico and CNN and confirmed by two U.S. officials. The deal, which would be one of the largest U.S. arms sales to Israel in years, would also include munitions, training and other support. Although the United States has expedited some arms for Israel’s current campaign against Hamas, the F-15s would not be delivered for at least five years, the U.S. officials said.

Persons: Biden Organizations: State Department, Politico, CNN, Hamas Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, U.S

A U.S. bid to have the U.N. Security Council call for “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in the Gaza Strip failed on Friday, after Russia and China vetoed the American resolution that included some of Washington’s strongest language since the start of the war. The resolution reflected the Biden administration’s growing frustration both with the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel’s conduct in a war that has killed about 30,000 people and reduced much of the enclave to ruins. But international frictions, including over Washington’s previous use of its veto power in the Security Council and its refusal to call for a permanent cease-fire, doomed the resolution. Eleven members voted in favor of the resolution, but Russia and China — permanent members — voted against it, as did Algeria. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who was traveling in Israel on Friday, expressed disappointment that the resolution failed.

Persons: —, Antony J, Blinken Organizations: U.S, . Security, Biden, Security Council Locations: Gaza, Russia, China, Israel, Gazan, Rafah, Algeria, Guyana

☆ Blinken Warns China Against Armed Attack on Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken warned China on Tuesday that an “armed” attack against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea would trigger a mutual self-defense pact between Washington and Manila, a reflection of rising tensions in the region that risk dragging the United States into armed conflict with Beijing. But in a sign that the United States hopes to de-escalate the situation, Mr. Blinken, on a visit to Manila, gave no indication that recent Chinese provocations — which include ramming Philippine vessels and blasting them with water cannons — crossed the threshold of “armed” attacks. Pressed during a news conference alongside his Philippine counterpart on how to deter what some analysts call China’s “gray-zone coercion tactics,” which Philippine officials say include aiming a high-powered laser at a Philippine Coast Guard vessel and temporarily blinding some crew members, Mr. Blinken pointed to diplomatic, not military, measures. “The very visibility of those actions, I think, has provoked from a number of other countries clear statements in support of the Philippines and against these provocative actions that are a threat to peace, security, freedom of navigation and basic rights under international law,” he said.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, ” Organizations: Philippine, Philippine Coast Guard Locations: China, Philippine, South, Washington, Manila, United States, Beijing, Philippines

☆ Middle East Crisis Blinken Will Travel to Mideast Again as Cease-Fire Talks Restart
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Mr. Issa assumed the role after the assassination of another top commander, Ahmed al-Jabari. Mr. Conrad said he met Mr. Issa, Mr. al-Jabari and Mahmoud al-Zahar, another senior Hamas official, about ten times between 2009 and 2011 in Gaza City. “He was the master of the data on the prisoners,” Mr. Conrad said of Mr. Issa. Mr. Awawdeh, the analyst, called Mr. Issa a man who liked to “remain in the shadows” and who seldom granted interviews to the media. Admiral Hagari has said that Mr. Issa helped plan the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack.

Persons: Marwan Issa, Jake Sullivan, Mr, Issa, Daniel Hagari, Mohammed Deif, Ahmed al, Yahya Sinwar, Salah al, Din, Issa’s, ” Maj, Tamir Hayman, Deif, Sinwar, “ There’s, ” Mr, Awawdeh, “, ” Michael Milshtein, Qassam, wasn’t, Milshtein, Gerhard Conrad, Conrad, Mahmoud al, ”, Gilad Shalit, Al Jazeera, Hagari Organizations: U.S, Hamas, Qassam, Palestinian Authority Locations: Israel, Gaza, U.S, Gaza City, Palestine, Bureij, Ashkelon

☆ Blinken Warns of Disinformation Threat to Democracies
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken warned on Monday that a malicious “flood” of disinformation was threatening the world’s democracies, fueled in part by the swift rise of artificial intelligence, which he says sows “suspicion, cynicism and instability” around the globe. Mr. Blinken spoke in Seoul at the Summit for Democracy, a global gathering organized by the Biden administration, which has made countering the authoritarian models of nations like Russia and China a top priority. Mr. Blinken, who as a young man worked briefly as a journalist, said that changes to the international flow of information may be “the most profound” that he has experienced in his career, and that anti-democratic forces were exploiting those changes. “Our competitors and adversaries are using disinformation to exploit fissures within our democracies,” he said.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Biden, ” Organizations: Summit for Democracy Locations: Seoul, Russia, China

☆ Providing Both Bombs and Food, Biden Puts Himself in the Middle of Gaza’s War
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Peter Baker | Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

From the skies over Gaza these days fall American bombs and American food pallets, delivering death and life at the same time and illustrating President Biden’s elusive effort to find balance in an unbalanced Middle East war. The United States finds itself on both sides of the war in a way, arming the Israelis while trying to care for those hurt as a result. But Mr. Biden remains opposed to cutting off munitions or leveraging them to influence the fighting. “You can’t have a policy of giving aid and giving Israel the weapons to bomb the food trucks at the same time,” Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, said in an interview the day after the speech. And I think the administration needs to match the genuine empathy and moral concern that came out last night for Palestinian civilian lives with real accountability for Netanyahu and the extreme right-wing government there.”

Persons: Biden’s, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Ro Khanna, Netanyahu, ” Organizations: United, ” Locations: Gaza, United States, Israel, California

☆ Victoria Nuland, Veteran Russia Hawk, to Leave the State Department
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Victoria J. Nuland, the third-ranking official at the State Department and a determined advocate of tough policies toward Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia, will retire this month after more than 30 years of government service. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced Ms. Nuland’s departure from the post of under secretary for political affairs on Tuesday in a statement noting her “fierce passion” for freedom, democracy and human rights, and America’s promotion of those causes abroad. Mr. Blinken singled out her work on Ukraine, which he called “indispensable to confronting Putin’s full-scale invasion” of the country. Ms. Nuland held numerous State Department positions, including spokeswoman, and once served as deputy national security adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney. But she made her mark as a Russia specialist who long argued for marshaling strong resistance to Mr. Putin’s territorial ambitions and foreign political influence.

Persons: Victoria J, Nuland, Vladimir V, Antony J, Blinken, Nuland’s, Putin’s, Dick Cheney Organizations: State Department, Department Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ U.S. Begins Airdrops of Humanitarian Aid in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The airdrops, which some aid experts criticized as insufficient and largely symbolic, contribute “to ongoing U.S. government efforts to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza,” the statement said. “We are conducting planning for potential follow-on airborne aid delivery missions.”One of the U.S. officials briefing reporters on the operation on Saturday said that 66 pallets had been dropped over Gaza. The U.S. did not coordinate its operation with Hamas or any other group on the ground, the official said. The operation was intended to be the first in a sustained campaign of airdrops, the official said, adding that the United States is also exploring other avenues of bringing more aid into Gaza, including by sea. The official and others at the briefing spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military operations and diplomatic efforts.

Locations: Gaza, U.S, airdrops, United States

☆ U.S. Campaign to Isolate Russia Shows Limits After 2 Years of War
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Edward Wong | Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration and European allies call President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia a tyrant and a war criminal. The president of Brazil says that Ukraine and Russia are both to blame for the war that began with the Russian military’s invasion. And his nation’s purchases of Russian energy and fertilizer have soared, pumping billions of dollars into the Russian economy. The views of the president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, encapsulate the global bind in which the United States and Ukraine find themselves as the war enters its third year. Wielding economic sanctions and calling for a collective defense of international order, the United States sought to punish Russia with economic pain and political exile.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Biden Organizations: Biden, United Locations: Russia, Brazil, Ukraine, Russian, United States, Moscow

☆ U.S. Designates the Houthis a Terror Group
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Michael Crowley | More About Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The State Department on Friday designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization, following through on a mid-January warning to crack down on the Yemen-based militant group. The action officially labels the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group, a step that gives the United States new powers to crack down on the Iran-backed Houthis’ access to the global financial system. It restores a designation given to the group late in the Trump administration, which Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken reversed soon after taking office in 2021, partly to facilitate peace talks for Yemen’s civil war. Last month, Mr. Blinken announced the State Department’s intent to return the Houthis to its terrorism list, but delayed the action for 30 days. Some aid groups have warned that their work will inevitably be constrained in a country with dire humanitarian needs.

Persons: Trump, Antony J, Blinken Organizations: State Department, United Locations: Yemen, United States, Iran, Houthi

☆ Middle East Crisis U.S. Is Reviewing if Gazans Were Harmed by Weapons Supplied to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

In a photo provided by the Egyptian presidency, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, center, meets with the C.I.A. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations, said the tenor of the talks was positive. Last month, a broad framework for an agreement was sketched out in Paris by representatives of the United States, Israel, Qatar and Egypt. That proposal included a six-week cease-fire and the exchange of hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Israel had been reluctant to participate in the talks in the first place, reflecting Mr. Netanyahu’s ambivalence about continued negotiations with Hamas and its representatives, the first U.S. official said.

Persons: Abdel Fattah al, William J, Burns, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Tuesday’s, Israel Organizations: U.S, Gaza, Hamas Locations: Cairo, Gaza, Israel, Paris, United States, Qatar, Egypt, Rafah

☆ U.S. Rejects Putin’s Latest Call for Ukraine Negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration dismissed on Friday a call by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, showing no sign that flagging political support for American military aid to Kyiv had made President Biden more inclined to make concessions to Moscow. During his two-hour interview at the Kremlin with the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who now broadcasts independently online, Mr. Putin offered long defenses of his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 but said he was prepared to settle the conflict diplomatically. “We are willing to negotiate,” Mr. Putin told Mr. Carlson in the interview, which was released on Thursday. “You should tell the current Ukrainian leadership to stop and come to the negotiating table,” he added, referring to the U.S. government. The Russian leader spoke at a moment of apparent leverage, following the failure of a vaunted Ukrainian summer counteroffensive to achieve substantial gains and as the Biden administration is struggling to win congressional approval for desperately needed additional military aid for Kyiv.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Biden, Tucker Carlson, ” Mr, Carlson, “ Organizations: Biden, Fox News, ., Kyiv Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ As Face of Biden’s Israel Policy, Blinken Draws Wrath of Gaza War Protesters
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, the conflict in Gaza has come home. Protesters angry over Israel’s assault on Gaza have become a regular presence outside Mr. Blinken’s residence in Northern Virginia, with some camping out for days in roadside tents. Palestinian flags and handmade signs express their fury at a diplomat who has become the face of President Biden’s policy toward the conflict. Passing cars drove over the words “Secretary of genocide” scrawled along the road in pastel chalk colors. They have “braved cold temperatures, winds and rain, 24 hours a day, to plead with Blinken” to support an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, the statement said.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Blinken’s, Biden’s, ”, “, Blinken ” Organizations: Occupy Locations: Gaza, Northern Virginia

☆ Frozen U.S. Spending for U.N. in Gaza Is Minimal, State Dept. Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than 99 percent of American dollars approved by Congress for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, has been sent to the agency, the State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller, said on Tuesday. The State Department paused the money “temporarily” on Friday after accusations by Israel that a dozen UNRWA employees participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, with some holding hostages within Gaza. At least 17 other donor nations have also suspended their funding to the agency, according to the group U.N. Watch. Human rights groups and progressive Democrats in Congress have denounced the move, saying that it will deprive innocent Palestinians of desperately needed aid. But Mr. Miller said the State Department had sent all but $300,000 of about $121 million budgeted for UNRWA to the agency, suggesting that the near-term effect of the U.S. action within Gaza will be minor.

Persons: Biden, Matthew Miller, “, Miller Organizations: State Department, Congress, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA Locations: Gaza, Israel

☆ Widening Mideast Crisis Qatar Is Expected to Present Hamas With Deal for Pause in Fighting
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Edward Wong | Julian E. Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Qatar is presenting the proposal to the political leaders of Hamas, who would convey it to the group’s military leaders, who would then send a response. During a seven-day pause in November, many people in those categories were among more than 100 hostages released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Hamas and other men from Gaza took about 240 people hostage in the terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, which also resulted in about 1,200 deaths, Israeli officials said. Hamas has tried to steer any diplomacy toward discussion of a permanent cease-fire, but Israeli leaders have balked at that. The Israeli officials were expected to speak to leaders in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv about the framework after returning there from Paris.

Persons: Antony J, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim, William J, Burns, Shin, Blinken, “, ” Sheikh Mohammed, Biden, Michael Crowley Organizations: Hamas, Central Intelligence Agency, Atlantic Council, New York Times, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Israel Locations: Qatar, Thani, Washington ., Gaza, Israel, United States, Paris, Egypt, Shin Bet, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Washington, Palestinian, Saudi Arabia, Saudi

☆ In Angola, a Former Cold War Rival, Blinken Touts U.S. Investments
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken wrapped up a four-nation tour through Africa on Thursday with a visit to Angola, an oil-rich former Cold War battleground that has become the site of a struggle for 21st-century economic influence. During his visit to the coastal capital, Luanda, Mr. Blinken spotlighted major American investments in Angola, including more than $900 million for solar energy projects and $250 million to upgrade a rail corridor that carries critical minerals, including cobalt and copper, from central Africa to Angola’s Atlantic port of Lobito. Those solar investments help to advance President Biden’s climate agenda while the transportation improvements further his goal of diversifying American supply chains — in part to reduce U.S. dependence on Chinese control of the vital ingredients for a modern economy. Just over 20 years since the end of Angola’s civil war, which left perhaps as many as one million people dead, the country has rebuilt, modernized and developed friendly relations with Washington, which once funded rebels against a government backed by the Soviet Union and Cuba.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken Organizations: Mr Locations: Africa, Angola, Luanda, Lobito, Washington, Soviet Union, Cuba

☆ U.S. Strikes 3 Sites in Iraq After Attack on Base
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

One of Israel’s war goals is to create conditions that will persuade Israeli evacuees that it is safe to return home. John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, repeated that objection on Tuesday, when asked at a White House news briefing about Israel’s moves to create a buffer zone. The majority of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged during the war, according to United Nations estimates, and more than 25,000 Gazans have been killed, according to Gazan officials. Israeli ministers have also hinted of plans to create such a buffer zone since the first weeks of the war. “No matter who you are, you will never be able to come close to the Israeli border,” Mr. Dichter said.

Persons: Israel, Gazan, Daniel Hagari, John Kirby, ” Mr, Kirby, Antony J, Mr, Blinken, we’ve, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Rajagopal, “, Eli Cohen, Avi Dichter, Dichter, Gabby Sobelman, Rawan Sheikh Ahmad, Erica L, Green, Michael Crowley Organizations: State Department, National Security Council, White House, United Nations, Reuters Locations: Gaza, Israel, U.S, Nigeria, United States, ”, Palestinian, Geneva, “ Israel

☆ Widening Mideast Crisis U.S. Strikes 3 Sites in Iraq After Attack on Base
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

☆ Israel-Hamas War U.S. to Return Yemen’s Houthi Militia to Terrorism List
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

But even the lesser label of specially designated global terrorist group could jeopardize U.S. and Saudi efforts to construct a lasting peace deal to end the conflict. The conflict created a humanitarian catastrophe that Mr. Biden, as a candidate in 2020, vowed to address. Following a debate within the Trump administration, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization and a specially designated global terrorist group in mid-January 2021. In February 2021, less than three weeks after Mr. Biden took office, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken reversed Mr. Pompeo’s designations. Asked by a reporter last week whether he considered the Houthis a terrorist group, Mr. Biden did not equivocate.

Persons: Biden, Yemen’s, Trump, Jake Sullivan, Tim Lenderking, Mike Pompeo, Antony J, Blinken, Tom Cotton, Mr, ” Mr, Cotton, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “, ” Organizations: U.S, State Department, Economic, Sana’a Center, Strategic Studies, United Arab Emirates, United Arab, U.S . Agency for International Development, United Nations, Associated Press, Republican, United Locations: Houthi, Yemen, Iran, U.S, United States, Saudi, Gaza, Israel, Davos, Switzerland, Al Qaeda, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Arkansas, United Arab

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