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☆ Oil prices pick up on prospect of U.S. replenishing strategic reserve
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An oil pumpjack is pictured in the Permian basin, Loco Hills regions, New Mexico, U.S., April 6, 2023. Oil prices rose on Thursday on the prospect the U.S. may start buying crude for its petroleum reserve, after prices sank to a seven-week low on hopes for an Israel-Gaza ceasefire, doubts about U.S. interest rate cuts and swelling oil inventories. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for June climbed 22 cents, or 0.3%, to $79.22 a barrel. The U.S. aims to replenish its Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or SPR, after a historic sale from the emergency stockpile in 2022 and wants to buy back oil at $79 a barrel or less. Any delay in rate cuts could slow economic growth and dampen demand for oil.

Persons: WTI, Hiroyuki Kikukawa, Kikukawa, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Brent, . West Texas, NS, Nissan Securities, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, U.S, U.S . Energy Information Administration, U.S . Federal Reserve Locations: Loco Hills, New Mexico, U.S, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Israeli, Rafah

☆ Colombia will cut diplomatic ties with Israel, President Petro says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaking during a press conference in Bogota, Colombia, on February 8, 2024, after a meeting with the United Nations Security Council. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Wednesday he will break diplomatic relations with Israel over its actions in Gaza. Petro has already heavily criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and requested to join South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice. "Here in front of you, the government of change, of the president of the republic announces that tomorrow we will break diplomatic relations with the state of Israel ... for having a government, for having a president who is genocidal," Petro told cheering crowds in Bogota who marched to mark International Worker's Day and back Petro's social and economic reforms. Countries cannot be passive in the face of events in Gaza, he added.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Gaza . Petro, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Petro Organizations: United Nations Security Council, Colombian, Israeli, International Court of Justice Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Israel, Gaza ., Gaza

☆ Blinken Presses Hamas to Accept Israel’s Latest Cease-Fire Proposal
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

One of the Israeli officials said those returning to the north would be subject to no inspections or limitations, while the second said there would be nearly no restrictions, without elaborating. It was not clear whether Hamas would accept the most recent Israeli proposal, which is part of negotiations that the two sides are conducting indirectly through mediators from Egypt and Qatar. The cease-fire talks were a focus of Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken as he visited Israel on Wednesday. The Israeli offer, according to one of the Israeli officials, doesn’t include language that refers explicitly to an end to the fighting. On Monday, The New York Times reported that, as part of its proposal, Israel had reduced the number of hostages Hamas would need to release in the initial phase of a deal.

Persons: hadn’t, Antony J, Blinken, we’ve, ” Mr, Isaac Herzog, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, Mr, doesn’t, ”, “, Aaron Boxerman Organizations: Hamas, The New York Times, Mr, Finance Locations: Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Qatar, Rafah

☆ Middle East Crisis Blinken Meets With Israeli Leaders as Netanyahu Promises Assault on Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The talks have been stalled for months, and Israeli officials said Monday that they had agreed to lower their demands. Mr. Blinken is scheduled to meet Mr. Netanyahu later. Mr. Blinken and other U.S. officials say Hamas has a narrow window to take the deal since Mr. Netanyahu is pressing for the offensive in Rafah. U.S. officials say they would prefer that Israel do targeted operations against Hamas leaders and fighters in Rafah, where Israeli officials say Hamas still has four battalions. “We want to see in the coming days this agreement coming together.”When asked about Mr. Netanyahu’s statements on Rafah, Mr. Blinken said that U.S. efforts were focused on a hostage and cease-fire deal.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Biden, Biden’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Isaac Herzog of Israel, Netanyahu, Herzog, Mr, “, ” Organizations: Israel, U.S, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Tel Aviv, U.S, Israel, Jordan

☆ House passes antisemitism bill as Johnson highlights campus protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Clare Foran | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“The bill sweeps too broadly.”Speaker Johnson puts a spotlight on campus protestsHouse Speaker Mike Johnson has increasingly put a spotlight on campus protests. Last week, the Louisiana Republican visited Columbia University to meet with Jewish students and hold a press conference where he called on the university’s president to resign. CAIR has reported record incidents of Islamophobia on campus, and the Anti-Defamation League has recorded a historic number of incidents of violence and threats against Jewish students. Some Jewish students have said they were threatened by protesters and encountered antisemitic rhetoric at some of the rallies. The White House and multiple governors have voiced support for Jewish students and urged protesters and universities to exercise restraint.

Persons: New York Republican Mike Lawler, “, ”, Josh Gottheimer, Max Miller, Jared Moskowitz, Jerry Nadler, Johnson, Mike Johnson, Virginia Foxx, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Donald Trump, Trump, Nick Fuentes, Kanye, ” Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, CNN’s David Goldman, Ramishah Maruf, Kate Sullivan Organizations: CNN, Department, Education, International Holocaust, Alliance, Critics, GOP, Senate, New York Republican, New, New Jersey Democrat, Ohio Republican, Florida Democrat, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, Democratic, ”, Louisiana Republican, Columbia University, Republicans, House Education, Yale, UCLA, Committee, Jewish, White, Kanye West, CAIR, Defamation Locations: Israel, New Jersey, Ohio, Florida, New York, Louisiana, North Carolina, Michigan, Columbia, Lago, Charlottesville , Virginia, United States, Gaza

☆ Colombia to Sever Ties With Israel Over Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Colombia will sever diplomatic ties with Israel over its prosecution of the war in Gaza, President Gustavo Petro announced in Bogotá on Wednesday, describing the Israeli government as “genocidal.”His announcement came in a speech in Colombia’s capital city in front of cheering crowds that had gathered for International Workers’ Day. “The times of genocide, of the extermination of an entire people cannot come before our eyes, before our passivity,” Mr. Petro said. “If Palestine dies, humanity dies.”Colombia is the second South American nation to break off relations with Israel after Bolivia, which cut ties in November over its strikes in Gaza. Belize also cut diplomatic ties with Israel that month. “Israel and Colombia always enjoyed warm ties.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, “, ” Mr, Petro, Petro’s, ”, Israel Katz, ’, Mr, Colombia’s, Katz, Netanyahu Organizations: International Workers, Israel, Security Locations: Colombia, Israel, Gaza, Bogotá, Colombia’s, American, Bolivia, Chile, Honduras, Belize, “ Israel, Gaza City

☆ Far-right Israeli ministers urge Netanyahu not to accept ceasefire proposal
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Benjamin Brown | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming under fierce pressure from far-right members of his government not to agree to the ceasefire proposal currently on the table, which could prevent an Israeli military offensive in Rafah from moving forward. Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 27, 2024. Jack Guez/AFP/Getty ImagesFormer Israeli Prime Minister and opposition leader Yair Lapid hit back at Strook’s remarks. In the first phase, between 22 and 33 hostages are to be released over several weeks in exchange for the pause and the release of Palestinian prisoners. A woman looks at a wall of photos of hostages captured by Hamas on October 7, displayed in Tel Aviv.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Orit Strook, Strook’s, Netanyahu mulls, Bezalel Smotrich, ”, Netanyahu, Jack Guez, Yair Lapid, “, Benny Gantz, Gantz, ” Strook, Amir Levy, Blinken, Jordan, “ We’re, ” Blinken, Isaac Herzog, wouldn’t, Herzog, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Israel’s Army, Hamas, Getty Locations: Rafah, Egypt, Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv, AFP, “, Saudi Arabia

☆ Some Gazans Say U.S. Campus Protests Give Them ‘Hope’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Hiba Yazbek | More About Hiba Yazbek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Thousands of miles away from the campus protests that have divided Americans, some displaced Palestinians are expressing solidarity with the antiwar demonstrators and gratitude for their efforts. “Thank you, American universities,” read one message captured on video by the Reuters news agency. “Thank you, students in solidarity with Gaza your message has reached” us, read another nearby. The protesters have been calling for universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel, and some have vowed not to back down. “I’ve lived my whole life in Gaza Strip and I’ve never felt hope like now,” said Ms. Owda.

Persons: ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Mohammed al, Akram al, Bisan, “ I’ve, I’ve, Owda, Nader Ibrahim Organizations: Reuters, Columbia University, Al, Azhar University Locations: Rafah, Gaza, United States, Israel, America, London

☆ Netanyahu Again Vows to Invade Rafah ‘With or Without’ Cease-Fire Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Erika Solomon | Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

A camp in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt on Sunday. One official also suggested that Israel was using the threat of an imminent military maneuver to press the armed group into a hostage deal. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain spoke to Mr. Netanyahu on Tuesday, his office said in a statement. A senior Hamas official said on social media on Monday that the group was studying a new Israeli proposal. A Hamas delegation met with officials in Egypt’s intelligence service on Monday, according to a senior Hamas official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about sensitive discussions between Hamas and Egypt.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Antony J, Blinken, Netanyahu, ”, “, Netanyahu’s, Rishi Sunak, Adam Rasgon Organizations: Hamas, State Department, Mr Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Egypt, Gazan, United States, Qatar, Israel, Jordan

☆ Democrats: College campus protests highlight tensions in Biden’s coalition
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Gregory Krieg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images Pro-Palestinian protesters confront a Texas state trooper at the University of Texas in Austin on Monday, April 29. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Protesters link arms at Emerson College in Boston on April 24. Brian Snyder/Reuters House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the media on the campus of Columbia University after meeting with Jewish students on April 24. Alex Kent/AFP/Getty Images People watch from a window as New York University students set up a tent encampment on April 22. Stefan Jeremiah/AP Israeli flags are reflected in the sunglasses of a demonstrator in front of Columbia University on April 22.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump, Alex Kent, Biden, Andrew Bates, “, Chuck Schumer, –, Hind Rajab, Mike Johnson, ” Johnson, Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Mike Lawler, Israel –, Jared Moskowitz, Vermont Sen, Bernie Sanders, ” Moskowitz, Sanders, “ Bernie, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, “ Sen, Sanders ’, ” Ocasio, tikkun, ”, Ocasio, Joseph Prezioso, Suzanne Cordeiro, Cliff Owen, Qian Weizhong, David Dee Delgado, Mike Stewart, Sarah Reingewirtz, Jay Janner, Brandon Bell, Brian Snyder, Timothy A, Clary, Matthew Hatcher, Nuri Vallbona, Jordan Vonderhaar, Zaydee Sanchez, Caitlin Ochs, Cameron Jones, Stephanie Keith, Andres Kudacki, Tayfun, Joe Buglewicz, Fatih Aktas, Michael M, Mary Altaffer, Scott Eisen, Columbia's, Stefan Jeremiah, Selcuk, Kena Betancur, Josh Gottheimer, Dan Goldman, Richard Nixon, Netanyahu’s, Elizabeth Warren of, Bernie, ’, Warren, ‘, Netanyahu, Israel, ” Sanders –, Sanders –, Democratic Sen, Chris Murphy of, who’s, ” Murphy, Elise Stefanik, ” Stefanik, CNN’s Donald Judd, Kevin Liptak, Annie Grayer Organizations: CNN, Israel Democrats, Capitol, Columbia University, Hamilton Hall, Getty, New York Democrat, College Democrats, America, Columbia, Republicans, Democrats, GOP, Jewish Democrats, Israeli, GOP Rep, Democratic, Florida, New York Rep, Hamilton, Columbia Students, Justice, Brown University, University of Texas, George Washington University, AP, University of California, UCLA, Getty Images, New York University, Rueters Georgia State Patrol, Emory University, MediaNews, Los Angeles Daily News, Austin Statesman, USA, Network, Reuters, Austin, University, Emerson College, Swarthmore College, Bloomberg, Getty Images Police, University of Southern, Reuters New York, Reuters Columbia, New York Times, Sproul Hall, Yale University, University police, York University, The New School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Library, New York Police Department, Occupy, Hamas, Democratic Party, Biden, White, International Court of Justice, Sunday, Fox News, New York, Republican Locations: Gaza, New York City, Columbia, Palestinian, ”, Gaza City, Palestine, New York, Vermont, Alexandria, Israel, Cortez, Providence , Rhode Island, AFP, Texas, Austin, Washington ,, Los Angeles, New, Rueters Georgia, Atlanta, Getty Images Texas, Boston, Swarthmore , Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, Berkeley, Sproul, Anadolu, New Haven , Connecticut, Cambridge, New Jersey, Washington, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, “ State, Chris Murphy of Connecticut

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel vowed anew on Tuesday to launch an invasion into the southern Gaza Strip, even as a renewed push for a cease-fire agreement was showing glimmers of a potential breakthrough. After seven months of an Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the United States, Qatar and several other countries have been hoping to broker a cease-fire, and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is visiting the Middle East to press for an agreement. But with Hamas arguing that any agreement should include an end to the war, and with right-wing politicians in Israel threatening to leave the government coalition if the long-planned incursion into the southern Gazan city of Rafah is delayed, Mr. Netanyahu said that Israel reserved the right to keep fighting.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Antony J, Blinken, Netanyahu Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, Qatar, Gazan, Rafah

☆ Blinken holds high-stakes meetings in Israel as he ramps up pressure on Hamas to accept ceasefire deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

He is expected to meet with senior Israeli government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. US officials have signaled some optimism about the potential of reaching an agreement to secure a ceasefire and release of the hostages held by Hamas after Israel put forward what Blinken described Monday as an “extraordinarily generous” proposal. Israel is awaiting a response from Hamas before deciding whether to send its own delegation to Cairo. Blinken’s visit is his latest since the deadly Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen aid convoy in Gaza in early April. “We have not yet seen a plan that gives us confidence that civilians can be effectively protected,” Blinken said Monday.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Blinken, ” Israel “, ”, “, ” Blinken, Biden, Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces Locations: Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Cairo

☆ Oil prices edge higher as Netanyahu says Israel will attack Rafah with or without hostage deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Jerusalem, February 18, 2024. Ronen Zvulun | ReutersCrude oil futures moved slightly higher Tuesday after Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed hopes that a proposed hostage deal would prevent an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Here are today's energy prices: West Texas IntermediateBrentRBOB GasolineNatural Gas The U.S. is pushing for a cease-fire to head off an Israeli offensive against Rafah. But Netanyahu threatened to move against Rafah regardless of whether a hostage deal is reached. "We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there – with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory."

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Ronen Zvulun, Netanyahu, Brent Organizations: Major, Jewish, Hamas, Reuters, Israel, West Texas Intermediate Brent, Gas, Rafah Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Jerusalem, Gaza, Rafah, Washington

☆ Trump doesn’t rule out political violence if he loses, and other takeaways from his Time interview
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Steve Contorno | Kate Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump wouldn’t dismiss the potential for political violence from his supporters if he isn’t elected in November, suggesting it would depend on the outcome of the presidential race. “I don’t think we’re going to have that,” the presumptive GOP nominee told Time magazine. It always depends on the fairness of an election.”The remarks came in a wide-ranging interview with the magazine that published Tuesday. But pressed by the magazine in a later phone interview, Trump was less definitive about the future. Throughout his political career, Trump has regularly refused to accept the results of an election or commit to a conceding defeat.

Persons: Donald Trump wouldn’t, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Trump, they’ll, ” Trump, Texas Sen, Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton, Trump baselessly, Ron DeSantis, “ Will, “, Joe Biden’s, “ Donald Trump’s, ” Biden, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Roe, didn’t, Netanyahu, – Trump, Netanyahu “, Soleimani –, Evan Gershkovich “, Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny, Jamal Khashoggi, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, bin Salman Organizations: CNN, Time, Israel, Capitol, Texas, Florida Gov, Republican, Trump, Sunshine, Hamas, Capitol Hill, “, Wall Street, Kremlin, Saudi, CIA, United Nations Locations: Lago, Florida, Washington, Iowa, Florida , Texas, Arizona, Israel, Russia, American

☆ Election Updates: College Democrats of America back protests and criticize Biden’s Israel policy.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Maggie Astor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

College Democrats of America, the student organization of the Democratic Party, endorsed pro-Palestinian campus protests on Tuesday and called on President Biden to support a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. It was a striking rebuke from an organization that has historically worked in tandem with the Democratic Party and whoever leads it. “As College Democrats, we are committed to the re-election of President Biden and Democrats across down-ballot races in every corner of our nation,” the statement said. “We’re realizing that our duty as College Democrats is to be representatives of college students to the party, rather than vice versa,” Mr. Muralitharan said. “As it stands right now, young people starkly differ on the issue of Palestine/Israel from the Democratic Party apparatus.

Persons: Biden, ”, “ MAGA, “, Mr, —, Netanyahu, Sunjay Muralitharan, ” Mr, Muralitharan, Joe Biden, Hasan Pyarali, Biden’s, Pyarali, Donald J, Trump, won’t Organizations: Democrats of America, Democratic Party, College Democrats, Columbia University, Students, Columbia, Protesters, Portland State University and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, “ MAGA Republicans, Jewish, “, Democratic National Committee, University of California, Muslim Caucus, Wake Forest University, Mr Locations: Gaza, United States, Israel, San Diego, Palestine, Biden’s Israel

☆ Columbia protesters' demands have worked before. This time may be different.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Paul Squire | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Read previewThe unrest at Columbia University isn't showing signs of slowing down. In the 1980s, student protesters at Columbia took over the same building and called for divestment of the Ivy League school's investments over a different cause: South African apartheid. Student protesters at the 1985 demonstrations at Columbia University. Protesters there locked and chained the doors to Hamilton Hall — the same building now occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters — and demanded the school completely divest from South Africa. A more fraught situationOn its website, the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group likened itself to the protests from nearly 40 years ago.

Persons: —, It's, Lockheed Martin, Alex Kent, Joe Biden, Mike Johnson, she's, Barbara Alper, didn't, Ronald Reagan, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Nemat, Shafik, Nicholas Dirks, Divesting, Christopher Marsicano, Al, Marsicano Organizations: Service, Columbia University, Columbia, Ivy League, Business, Lockheed, Boeing, NPR, Hamilton Hall, Getty, Columbia University Apartheid, White, Student, New York Times, Times, Coalition, Columbia Spectator, Spectator, The New York Times, Hamas, University, Socially, University of California, CNN, North Carolina's Davidson College Locations: Israel, Gaza, Columbia, divesting, Hamilton, South Africa, Vietnam, Rafah, Berkeley, Al Jazeera

College Democrats of America, the student organization of the Democratic Party, endorsed pro-Palestinian campus protests on Tuesday and called on President Biden to support a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. Overnight from Monday into Tuesday, protesters at Columbia took over a building on campus. “As College Democrats, we are committed to the re-election of President Biden and Democrats across down-ballot races in every corner of our nation,” the statement said. “We’re realizing that our duty as College Democrats is to be representatives of college students to the party, rather than vice versa,” Mr. Muralitharan said. And throughout the nation, we’re witnessing Joe Biden, Democrats across the ballot, losing scores of young voters over this issue.”The statement was written largely by the organization’s Muslim Caucus.

Persons: Biden, ”, “ MAGA, “, Mr, —, Netanyahu, Sunjay Muralitharan, ” Mr, Muralitharan, Joe Biden, Hasan Pyarali, Biden’s, Pyarali, Donald J, Trump, won’t, Joshua Martin, you’re, we’re, Martin, Indiana University —, ’ Organizations: Democrats of America, Democratic Party, College Democrats, Columbia University, Students, Columbia, Protesters, Portland State University and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, “ MAGA Republicans, Jewish, “, Democratic National Committee, University of California, Muslim Caucus, Wake Forest University, Mr, College Democrats ’, University of Houston, Hamas, College Democrats of, Yale, New York University, Indiana University Locations: Gaza, United States, Israel, San Diego, Palestine, Biden’s Israel, College Democrats of America

☆ Hamas to consider ceasefire-hostage release proposal that Israeli sources say could avert Rafah invasion
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Becky Anderson | Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

A working-level Israeli delegation of Mossad, Shin Bet and the Israeli military officials is expected to travel to Cairo on Tuesday, the Israeli source and another Israeli official said. Hamas has insisted that a permanent ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza should be part of the agreement. But Israeli sources have characterized the latest Egyptian effort to broker a deal as the last chance to avert that offensive. “The only chance to stop Rafah is a deal,” the Israeli source familiar with the negotiations said. Twenty people, including at least one infant and a toddler, died following an Israeli airstrike over Rafah, Gaza, overnight into Monday, according to hospital officials.

Persons: Shin Bet, Yahya Sinwar, Antony Blinken, ”, Børge Brende, “, Sameh Shoukry, Israel, ” Shoukry, Blinken, John Kirby, Biden, we’ve, “ They’ve, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Mahmmoud Basal, Hijazi Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, CNN, Mossad, Hamas, Economic, White, National Security Council, US, ABC, Israeli, Gaza Civil Locations: Riyadh, Jerusalem, Egypt, Israel, Gaza, Rafah, United States, Cairo, Saudi, “, Israeli, Rafah “, Gaza City

☆ Biden speaks with Netanyahu as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war mount in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Megan Lebowitz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

President Joe Biden (L) listens to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he joins a meeting of the Israeli war cabinet in Tel Aviv. President Joe Biden held a phone call on Sunday with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the backdrop of growing U.S. college campus protests and a possibly imminent invasion of Rafah. Netanyahu shows no signs of backing away from a ground offensive there — a potential move that the U.S. publicly opposes. Sunday's conversation was Biden and Netanyahu's first phone call since April 4, when Biden spoke with Netanyahu after an Israeli airstrike killed seven World Central Kitchen humanitarian workers. Biden said in early April that he thinks Netanyahu is making a "mistake" with his handling of the war, adding, "I don't agree with his approach."

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu, John Kirby, we've, Netanyahu's Organizations: Tel Aviv . U.S, Israel's, National Security, ABC, Israel, Kitchen Locations: Tel Aviv, Rafah, Gaza, U.S, Israel

Rafah, Gaza CNN —Twenty people, including at least one infant and a toddler, have died following an Israeli airstrike over Rafah, Gaza, overnight into Monday, according to hospital officials. Lifting the baby boy’s body to the camera, Mahmoud Abu Taha cries out, “this is who they are targeting. Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu/Getty ImagesAnother member of the Abu Taha family says in the video that 10 of his relatives were killed in the airstrike. Some of his relatives were originally displaced from Khan Younis, where several of them were killed in a previous Israeli airstrike. The remaining few who had fled Khan Younis for the safety of Rafah have now been killed overnight in Rafah, he says.

Persons: Abu Youssef Al Najjar, Mahmoud Abu Taha, “, ”, Rafah's, Abed Rahim Khatib, Abu Taha, Khan Younis, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ghaith Abu Rayya, “ Ahmad Saleem Abu Taha ”, Tareq Elhelou, CNN’s Kareem Khadder, Zeena, Abeer Salman Organizations: Gaza CNN, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Najar, Anadolu, Getty, Hamas, Ministry of Health Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Jerusalem

☆ US determines 5 Israeli security units committed human rights violations before outbreak of Gaza war
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The US State Department has determined that five Israeli security units committed gross violations of human rights prior to the outbreak of the war with Hamas in Gaza, but is still deciding whether to restrict military assistance to one of the units under US law. The other four “have effectively remediated these violations,” deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said Monday. The US is still deciding whether to restrict assistance to the remaining unit – reported to be the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion. They have submitted additional information as it pertains to that unit, and we’re continuing to have those conversations,” Patel said. Patel also declined to detail the units or speak about specifics of the remediation process.

Persons: Vedant Patel, Netzah Yehuda, ” Patel, they’ve, ”, Antony Blinken, Leahy, Patel, Israel, “, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, US State Department, Government, Leahy Law, State Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States

☆ Middle East Crisis Blinken Is Set to Meet With Top Middle East Diplomats on War
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, three weeks after telling him that he could rethink U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza. An administration official said that about three-quarters of Mr. Biden’s nearly hourlong call to Mr. Netanyahu focused on the possible cease-fire and hostages deal. The two leaders also discussed hostage videos released by Hamas last week, including those showing two hostages with American citizenship. Israel, heeding pleas by Mr. Biden for restraint, fired back only a token counterattack, and both sides have indicated they want to avoid further escalation. With the immediate threat of a wider war seemingly fading, Mr. Biden and his team could shift their attention back to Gaza.

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony J, Blinken, “ That’s, John F, Kirby, Biden’s, Netanyahu, Israel, Mr, Biden “, “, Bernie Sanders, ”, Yahya Sinwar, ” Edward Wong Organizations: Israel, Hamas, State Department, Mr, Economic, White, ABC, Biden, American, ”, CNN, “, U.S Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Washington, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Jordan, Israel, ”, U.S, Vermont, “ State, Iran

☆ Israeli Officials Believe International Court Is Preparing Arrest Warrants Over War
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Ronen Bergman | Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on charges related to the conflict with Hamas, according to five Israeli and foreign officials. The Israeli and foreign officials also believe the court is weighing arrest warrants for leaders from Hamas. If the court proceeds, the Israeli officials could potentially be accused of preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and pursuing an excessively harsh response to the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, according to two of the five officials, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter. The Israeli officials, who are worried about the potential fallout from such a case, said they believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is among those who might be named in a warrant. It is not clear who might be charged from Hamas or what crimes would be cited.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Gaza Locations: Israel

☆ Biden to Confer With Netanyahu on a Possible Cease-Fire and Hostage Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Peter Baker | More About Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden plans to speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Sunday to discuss the prospects of a possible cease-fire deal to obtain the release of some of the remaining hostages held since the Hamas-led terrorist attack of Oct. 7, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the plan. Mr. Biden’s call with the prime minister is set to come just hours after Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken left Washington for his latest trip to the Middle East. Mr. Blinken will start in Saudi Arabia, where he will see Egyptian and Qatari officials who have served as intermediaries with Hamas in the cease-fire and hostage talks, which have stalled in recent weeks. The call also comes three weeks after Mr. Biden told Mr. Netanyahu that he would rethink his support for Israel’s war unless the country did more to facilitate the delivery of food and other supplies to Gaza and limit civilian casualties. Since then, humanitarian aid to Gaza has increased substantially, and Biden advisers credit Israel with responding to the president’s demands, though U.S. officials acknowledge that the aid is still not as much as is needed.

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony J, Blinken, Netanyahu Organizations: Israel, State Department, Saudi, Economic Locations: Washington, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Gaza, U.S

☆ Biden and Netanyahu spoke by phone Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

CNN —President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone on Sunday, according to a source familiar with the call. The call took place just days after Biden signed into law an aid package that includes $26 billion for Israel. The package also includes nearly $61 billion in aid to Ukraine and $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific. In a phone call between the two earlier this month, Biden told Netanyahu that the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza is unacceptable and warned Israel to take steps to address the crisis or face consequences — a stark statement from Israel’s staunchest ally. This is a breaking story and will be updated.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu, Israel’s Organizations: CNN Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Gaza

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