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☆ Gaza Gets Its First Aid Shipment from U.S. Pier: Israel-Hamas Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The notion of deploying U.N. peacekeepers into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been mentioned occasionally by diplomats. But the Arab League’s statement appeared to be the first time the group had officially made such a request in a written document, according to Farhan Haq, a U.N. spokesman. U.N. forces, which are typically drawn from the armed forces of multiple countries, do not enter live battle zones and do not engage in fighting. Both Israel and Hamas would also have to agree to having U.N. peacekeepers on the ground. “We don’t go into active combat, and parties themselves have to agree on allowing the presence of peacekeepers.

Persons: Farhan Haq, Mr, Haq, don’t, Israel, Vedant Patel, António Guterres, Guterres Organizations: United Nations, West Bank, . Security, League, Arab League, State Department Locations: Gaza, Israel, Manama, Bahrain, United States, Washington, Bahrain’s, Rafah

☆ Arab League Calls for U.N. Peacekeepers in Gaza and the West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Anushka Patil | Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Arab League called on Thursday for a United Nations peacekeeping force to be deployed in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank until a two-state solution can be negotiated, in a statement that also called for the U.N. Security Council to set a time limit for that political process. The notion of deploying U.N. peacekeepers into the Israeli-Palestinian conflicthas been mentioned occasionally by diplomats. It’s unlikely that U.N. peacekeepers would be deployed to Gaza and the West Bank in the near future because sending U.N. peacekeepers into any conflict requires first the authorization of the Council. “We don’t go into active combat, and parties themselves have to agree on allowing the presence of peacekeepers. In addition to calling for an immediate cease-fire and accusing Israel of obstructing those efforts, the Arab League called for “the deployment of United Nations international protection and peacekeeping forces in the occupied Palestinian territory until the two-state solution is implemented.”

Persons: Farhan Haq, Mr, Haq, don’t, Israel, ” Organizations: United Nations, West Bank, . Security, League Locations: Gaza, Palestinian, Israel, Manama, Bahrain

☆ In Darfur, Genocide May Be Happening Again - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Then they piled up the children and shot them,” a witness told Human Rights Watch. It’s a conflict, by some accounts a genocide, unfolding particularly in the Darfur region there. You may remember Darfur: It was the site of a genocide two decades ago. While hundreds of thousands were slaughtered in Darfur at that time, the campaign also probably saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of others. Other countries imposed sanctions and an arms embargo, peacekeeping forces were established by the African Union and the United Nations, and the Sudanese leader who commanded the genocide was eventually ousted.

Persons: ”, “, Barack Obama, Joe Biden Organizations: Human Rights Watch, African Union, United Nations Locations: Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine, Darfur, United States

☆ Opinion | Israel Has a Choice to Make: Rafah or Riyadh
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Thomas L. Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. diplomacy to end the Gaza war and forge a new relationship with Saudi Arabia has been converging in recent weeks into a single giant choice for Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: What do you want more — Rafah or Riyadh? Do you want to mount a full-scale invasion of Rafah to try to finish off Hamas — if that is even possible — without offering any Israeli exit strategy from Gaza or any political horizon for a two-state solution with non-Hamas-led Palestinians? If you go this route, it will only compound Israel’s global isolation and force a real breach with the Biden administration. Or do you want normalization with Saudi Arabia, an Arab peacekeeping force for Gaza and a U.S.-led security alliance against Iran? And what I find both disturbing and depressing is that there is no major Israeli leader today in the ruling coalition, the opposition or the military who is consistently helping Israelis understand that choice — a global pariah or a Middle East partner — or explaining why it should choose the second.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Israel, — Organizations: Israel, Hamas, Iran, Palestinian Locations: Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Rafah, Riyadh, Arab, U.S, Israel, East

A view across the demarcation into Metula, Israel as seen from the Lebanese side of the demarcation line. But a Lebanese source familiar with the matter ruled this out. Hezbollah may only be compelled to join an Iranian war effort if the strike leads to further escalation, the same Lebanese source said. It provided a glimpse of how Hezbollah might attempt to overwhelm Israel’s defensive systems as Iran conducts its expected attack. From one of Spain’s bases near the demarcation line, there is a clear view of a microcosm of Lebanon’s long-standing border issues with Israel.

Persons: Kafr, Lebanon CNN —, ”, Juan Garcia Martinez, Charbel Mallo, —, Mohammad Reza Zahidi, “, Ali Khamenei, Sina Toosi, Yemen’s Houthis, ” Nasrallah, Israel –, Mallo, CNN Hezbollah’s, Hector Alonso, CNN’s MJ Lee, Natasha Bertrand, Zeena Saifi, Oren Liebermann Organizations: Lebanon CNN, CNN, UN, United Nations, Iran’s, Center for International, Hezbollah, Spanish UNIFIL, Israel Locations: Kafr Kila, Lebanon, Galilee, Spanish, Israel, Metula, Lebanese, Iran, Damascus, UNIFIL, Iranian, Gaza, Ghajar, Syrian, al

☆ Six months into the war in Gaza, Israel has no exit strategy and no real plan for the future
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —The war in Gaza has been raging for six months and the patience of Israel’s allies is running out. Israel launched the war immediately after the deadly October 7 terror attacks by Hamas. “There is no viable plan for the future of Gaza, not just for the day after, but even today. The number of Israeli soldiers killed in combat in Gaza since the start of the war has now surpassed 250. “He does not have a significantly different set of ideas for Gaza or for the future of Israel, Palestine or for Palestinian sovereignty.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel, Yayha Sinwar, ”, Khaled Elgindy, Joe Biden, ” Elgindy, –, Nathan Thrall, “, Abed Salama, ” “, ” Thrall, don’t, Thrall, Elgindy, “ It’s, Yahya Hassouna, Harel Chorev, Moshe Dayan, ” Chorev, we’ll, it’s, ” Hellyer, Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s, it’s Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Gaza Ministry, Health, Palestinian Affairs, Middle East Institute, Gaza, West Bank, European Union, Getty, Moshe, Moshe Dayan Center for, African, Tel Aviv University, America, “, United, United Arab Emirates, Hellyer, Royal United Services Institute, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Washington DC, Palestinian Authority, KFOR, NATO Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, United Kingdom, Palestine, Rafah, Jerusalem, Hamas, Gaza City, AFP, Britain, Germany, France, Egypt, Palestinian, United Arab, London, Washington, Kosovo

☆ U.S. forces fly in to beef up security at embassy in Haiti and evacuate nonessential personnel
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A man walks next the U.S. embassy building where the U.S. military airlifted embassy non-essential personnel due to violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 10, 2024. The U.S. military said Sunday that it had flown in forces to beef up security at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti and allow nonessential personnel to leave. "This airlift of personnel into and out of the Embassy is consistent with our standard practice for Embassy security augmentation worldwide, and no Haitians were on board the military aircraft," according to the Southcom statement. In many cases, nonessential personnel can include the families of diplomats, but the embassy had already ordered departure for nonessential staff and all family members in July. The personnel ferried out of the embassy may have simply been rotating out, to be refreshed by new staff.

Persons: Ariel Henry, Henry, Luis Abinader, Jovenel Moise Organizations: U.S ., U.S, Embassy, U.S . Southern Command, Dominican, Haitian, United Nations, Caricom, Guards, Prince Locations: U.S, Port, Prince, Haiti, United States, Kenya, East, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola, Dominican, Jamaica, France, Canada, Brazil, Caricom

☆ Somalia Faces ‘Pivotal Year’ as Crises Open on Several Fronts
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | Brian Otieno | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A 10-year defense and economic deal with Turkey to protect its seacoast and bolster its naval force. An agreement with the United States to construct five military bases for over $100 million. An enhanced defense cooperation accord with Uganda to boost the fight against the terrorist group Al Shabab. The three security pacts signed by Somalia in recent days underscore the increasing perils the Horn of Africa nation faces both internally and externally. Equally worrisome, tensions are growing between Somalia and its western neighbor, Ethiopia, over Somalia’s coastline — the longest in mainland Africa — threatening to set off a new conflict in a vital global shipping route in an increasingly volatile region.

Persons: Al Shabab Organizations: African Union Locations: Turkey, United States, Uganda, Somalia, of Africa, Ethiopia, Somalia’s, Africa

☆ A Palestinian Exile Champions an Arab Vision for Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Adam Rasgon | Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As the Gaza war rages, with civilian deaths soaring, few Arab leaders have publicly voiced their visions for the future of the battered enclave, fearing they will be accused of endorsing Israel’s actions. But one influential Palestinian exile, in an interview with The New York Times, has provided public insight into the types of postwar plans that Arab leaders are privately discussing. Mohammed Dahlan, an adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, outlined one under which Israel and Hamas would hand power to a new and independent Palestinian leader who could rebuild Gaza under the protection of an Arab peacekeeping force. While such plans face steep challenges, the leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates are open to supporting processes that are part of efforts leading to a Palestinian state, said Mr. Dahlan, who also has close ties to Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Persons: Mohammed Dahlan, Dahlan, Abdel Fattah el Organizations: The New York Times, United Arab, Emirates Locations: Gaza, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Arab, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian

In the latest incident, a UNIFIL patrol was hit by Israeli gunfire in the vicinity of Aytaroun of southern Lebanon, although there were no casualties. The force is deployed in southern Lebanon with the primary role of helping maintain international peace and security. Last December, an Irish soldier serving in UNIFIL was killed after the UNIFIL vehicle he was travelling in was fired on as it travelled in southern Lebanon. Seven people were charged by a Lebanese military tribunal in January for his death, the first fatal attack on U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon since 2015. Calm had prevailed on the border since Hamas and Israel agreed a temporary truce that began on Nov. 24.

Persons: I've, Stephen MacEoin, Shamrock, MacEoin, Andrea Tenenti, Tenenti, We’ve, Aziz Taher, Hussein Al Waille, Maggie Fick, William Maclean Organizations: Camp Shamrock, United Nations Interim Force, UNIFIL, Reuters, United, Security Council, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, UNIFIL, Maroun, Ras, Lebanese, Israel, Gaza, Tiri, Lebanon's, Iran, United Nations, Aytaroun, Irish, Seven, U.N

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks from his airplane upon arrival at Brussels Airport in Brussels, Belgium, on November 27, 2023, as he travels to a NATO foreign ministers' meeting. "We've always said that this is a matter for Ukraine to decide," O'Brien said. At a press conference in Brussels on Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he expected alliance foreign ministers to "reaffirm NATO’s long-term support" for Ukraine. Turkey has informed NATO that its parliament will not complete ratification of the bid ahead of the meetings, sources told Reuters last week. Blinken will also represent the United States at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Skopje, North Macedonia, this week, O'Brien said.

Persons: Antony Blinken disembarks, SAUL LOEB, Antony Blinken, James O'Brien, Blinken, we've, O'Brien, Biden, We've, Jens Stoltenberg, O, Brien, Stoltenberg, Simon Lewis, Daphne Psaledakis, Andrew Gray, Lisa Shumaker, Chizu Nomiyama, Deepa Babington Organizations: Brussels, NATO, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Ukraine, State Department, Biden, State, Eurasian, U.S . Congress, Germany's, Reuters, Washington, Organization for Security, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Russia, Europe, Gaza, Israel, Washington, Ukraine, United States, Taiwan, Germany, Kyiv, Moscow, Belgian, Turkey, Hungary, U.S, Western Balkans, Kosovo, Skopje, North Macedonia

KFAR KILA, Lebanon (AP) — With a cautious calm prevailing over the border area in south Lebanon Saturday, the second day of a four-day cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, villages that had emptied of their residents came back to life — at least briefly. Around 55,500 Lebanese are displaced by the clashes between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, according to the International Organization for Migration. UNIFIL said in a statement that the shooting in the border village of Aitaroun occurred during “a period of relative calm” along the Lebanon-Israel border. “This attack on peacekeepers, dedicated to reducing tensions & restoring stability in south Lebanon, is deeply troubling,” UNIFIL tweeted. The Israeli military didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: KFAR, —, “, ODAISSEH, Hezbollah weren't, Abdallah Quteish, Houla —, ”, Khalil Ghanam, Issam Abdallah, ” Ghanam, Hussein Fawaz, Fawaz, We’re, didn't Organizations: Hezbollah, International Organization for Migration, Lebanese, UNIFIL Locations: KFAR KILA, Lebanon, Israel, Sabah, Houla, ” Sabah, Marwaheen, Beirut, Alma, Kfar Kila, Israeli, Aitaroun

☆ NATO's Stoltenberg concerned by secessionist rhetoric in Bosnia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Daria Sito-Sucic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shakes hands with Bosnian Prime Minister Borjana Kristo during his visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, November 20, 2023. Bosnia emerged from a 1992-1995 war with a federal structure uniting a Serb-dominated republic with a federation of Croats and Bosniak Muslims. "We are concerned by secessionist and divisive rhetoric as well as .. foreign interference including Russia," Stoltenberg told reporters in Sarajevo, his first stop during a tour of the Western Balkans region. NATO has warned about risks for Bosnia from foreign interference, particularly from Russia, and agreed to help to shore up its ability to defend itself. Every country has the right to choose its security arrangements without foreign interference," Stoltenberg said after meeting the chairwoman of Bosnia's Council of Ministers, Borjana Kristo.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Borjana Kristo, Amel, Milorad Dodik, Stoltenberg, Christian Schmidt, " Stoltenberg, Borjana, Daria Sito, Toby Chopra, Peter Graff Organizations: NATO, Bosnian, REUTERS, Rights, Representative, UN Security Council, Bosnia's, Ministers, Thomson Locations: Sarajevo, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Rights SARAJEVO, Serbia, Russia, Western Balkans, Yugoslavia, masse, EU, Ukraine, Balkans, Bosnian, Russian Bosnian Serbs

☆ Israel is looking to World War II in its Gaza fight, and it risks taking lessons from the wrong war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Sam Fellman | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

It's a critical question that will define whether Israel's war succeeds, experts on military strategy told Insider. Smoke and flame rise after Israeli air forces targeting a shopping center in Gaza Strip, Gaza on October 07, 2023. In the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, Israel has abandoned "mowing the grass" in favor of a much more far-reaching and deadly strategy. Marcus Yam/Getty ImagesIn this war, Israeli leaders have used heated rhetoric while their forces maintain a deadly bombing campaign. Not the destruction of Israel of course, but a state on the West Bank and in Gaza," Mansoor said.

Persons: it's, —, Israel, Raphel Cohen, Peter Mansoor, Israel —, — Israel, we've, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, " Cohen, Ashraf Amra, Cohen, Israel couldn't, Jalaa Marey, Colin Powell, George W, Bush, G.I.s, Aysar, Amer, Jawad Turki, Nasser Ishtayeh, David Petraeus, Mansoor, Mansoor —, They're, Marcus Yam, that's Organizations: RAND, Service, AIR FORCE, US Army, Israel Defense Forces, ABC News, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Hamas, Islamic State, of Health, Post, Manila . Ohio Army National Guard, Israel, US, Jihad, West Bank, National Force, Ohio State University, Royal Air Force Locations: Iraq, Afghanistan, United States, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Mosul, Iraqi, Fallujah, Intramuros, Manila, Philippines, Pearl, Jenin, Tel Aviv, al Qaeda, Geneva, Hiroshima, Nagasaki

By saying that Israel will maintain security control over Gaza “for an indefinite period,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set off alarm bells in Washington and questions at home. The Biden administration, trying to manage severe criticism among Arab and European allies about the death toll in Gaza — now at more than 10,000 Gazan officials say — was quick to push back. That collaboration helps Mr. Abbas tamp down dissent in the West Bank, including from members of Hamas, while Israeli settlements continue to expand there. After the killing of so many Israelis by Hamas a month ago — about 1,400, officials say — Israel will want to ensure its own security so that such an invasion from Gaza can never happen again. Even then, it is highly unlikely, Israeli officials say, that Israel will ever completely trust any Palestinian or even international peacekeeping force to keep Israel safe.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, —, “, Antony J, Blinken, Mahmoud, Abbas, Abbas tamp, Netanyahu Organizations: ”, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Authority, Mr, Israel Locations: Israel, Gaza, Washington, Tokyo, Palestinian

☆ France to give armoured vehicles to Lebanese army - defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Nov 6 (Reuters) - France will send dozens of armoured vehicles to the Lebanese army so it can properly carry out patrol missions in the country, France's defence minister said in remarks published on Monday. "We will pursue our partnership with military equipment, notably for the transport of troops protected by armour, which is key to maintain patrols," he said, adding that several dozen armoured vehicles would be given to the Lebanese army soon. "Our support for the Lebanese army is for the long-term whatever the current difficulties," Lecornu added. Paris will also provide medicines and is setting up a joint programme to purchase medical supplies at reasonable prices for the Lebanese army in the future, he said. France has sought to use its historical relationship with Lebanon to try to defuse tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, but violence has spiked.

Persons: Lebanon's, Sebastien Lecornu, Lecornu, John Irish, Gareth Jones Organizations: Lebanese, United Nations, UN Interim Force, Thomson Locations: France, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Paris, United States

Aside from pleasantries, neither man spoke as they greeted each other in front of cameras and the meeting ended without any public comment. It was not immediately clear if the lack of words indicated the meeting had gone poorly. Blinken had visited Israel and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday before decamping to Jordan for meetings with senior Arab officials on Saturday. U.S. officials believe that Netanyahu may soften his opposition if he can be convinced that it is in Israel’s strategic interests to ease the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Blinken and other U.S. officials are offering a vague outline that it might include a combination of a revitalized Palestinian Authority along with international organizations and potentially a peacekeeping force.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Mahmoud Abbas, Blinken, Matthew Miller, Abbas, Miller, –, Benjamin Netanyahu, decamping, Netanyahu, United Arab Emirates –, ”, Israel, Ayman al Organizations: West Bank, —, State Department, Authority, Israeli, U.S, United, United Arab Emirates Locations: RAMALLAH, West, Israel, Gaza, Ramallah, Jordan, Washington, Berlin, Amman –, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab, U.S, Jordanian, Palestinian

Blinken met first with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose economically and politically ravaged country is home to Hezbollah — an Iranian-backed force hostile to Israel. Blinken also discussed U.S. efforts to secure humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, Miller said.. Neither Blinken nor Mikati spoke to reporters at the top of their meeting in an Amman hotel. Blinken was then to meet with the head of the United Nations agency in charge of assisting Palestinian refugees. All parties have denounced Israel’s tactics against Hamas, which they say constitutes unlawful collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken, Najib Mikati, Hassan Nasrallah, Mikati, ”, Matthew Miller, Miller, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Ayman al, Israel Organizations: —, Hamas, Department, United Nations, UNRWA, United Arab, PLO, Jordanian, Palestinian Authority Locations: AMMAN, Jordan, Gaza, Israel, Amman, Jordanian, Iranian, The U.S, Lebanon, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, U.S, Palestinian

[1/2] Palestinians gather at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Bureij in the central Gaza Strip,November 2, 2023. The White House said on Wednesday there were "no plans or intentions" to put U.S. troops on the ground in Gaza. As the debate gains momentum, Gaza health authorities say more than 9,000 people have been killed in the 25-mile-long strip of land, home to 2.3 million Palestinians. Any entity that seeks to exert authority in post-war Gaza would also have to contend with the impression among Palestinians that it is beholden to Israel. Israel expects a long war but says it has no interest in re-occupying Gaza.

Persons: Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa, Antony Blinken, Mahmoud Abbas, Aaron David Miller, Miller, Jordan, Blinken, We're, Benjamin Netanyahu, Washington’s, Joe Biden, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Dennis Ross, Ross, Israel, Matt Spetalnick, Steve Holland, Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis, Michelle Nichols, Heather Timmons, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, United Nations, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, U.S . Middle, U.S, HAITI U.S, Israeli, . Security, Washington Institute for Near East, United Arab, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Thomson Locations: Bureij, Gaza, Washington, Palestinian, Israel, U.S, IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, HAITI, Iraq, Afghanistan, United Nations, Lebanon, Haiti, Kenya, Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Fifteen U.N. peacekeepers in a convoy withdrawing from a rebel stronghold in northern Mali were injured when vehicles hit improvised explosive devices on two occasions this week, the United Nations said Friday. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said eight peacekeepers injured Wednesday were evacuated by air and “are now reported to be in stable condition.”He said seven peacekeepers injured by an IED early Friday also were evacuated by air. JNIM, an extremist group with links to al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the earlier attacks, in which at least two peacekeepers were injured. An employee with MINUSMA earlier told The Associated Press that the peacekeepers left Kidal in convoys after Mali’s junta refused to authorize flights to repatriate U.N. equipment and civilian personnel. That deal was signed after Tuareg rebels drove security forces out of northern Mali in 2012 as they sought to create an independent state they call Azawad.

Persons: U.N, Stephane Dujarric, ”, Dujarric, Gao, António Guterres, MINUSMA, “ Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, . Security, Associated Press, Analysts Locations: Mali, Kidal, Gao, Niger

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks in Tel Aviv, Tuesday Oct. 17, 2023, after an overnight meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Blinken told a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing the status quo of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas being in charge of the densely populated enclave could not continue, but Israel did not want to run Gaza either. Between those two positions were "a variety of possible permutations that we're looking at very closely now, as are other countries," Blinken said. It may involve international agencies that would help provide for both security and governance," Blinken said. "We have had very preliminary talks about what the future of Gaza might look like," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a briefing.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jacquelyn Martin, Blinken, Joe Biden's, Matthew Miller, Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis, Steve Holland, Costas Pitas, Stephen Coates, Chris Reese Organizations: Israeli, Rights, Palestinian, United Nations, Bloomberg, U.S, Department, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, United States, Gaza, Israel, U.N, Washington

☆ A 'festering' powder keg in Europe is lurking in the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Consequently, the Serbia-Kosovo discord, while festering, finds itself languishing in the shadow of these more immediate and globally resonant challenges." It highlights a major challenge for policymakers: providing ongoing conflicts with near-constant attention, while still monitoring other strategically significant risks. "The fact remains that the Balkan region is a powder keg, where even minor incidents can swiftly spiral into broader conflicts. History has underscored the adage that what happens in the Balkans, doesn't stay in the Balkans," the CEPA's Hartwell said. "The U.S., EU and U.K. do not have the diplomatic and military bandwidth to respond to several conflicts of strategic interest.

Persons: Stringer, Leon Hartwell, Hartwell, Banjska, doesn't, Majda Ruge Organizations: NATO, Kosovo Force, KFOR, Afp, Getty, Center for, CNBC, European Union, Anadolu Agency, European Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Mitrovica, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Balkans, Europe, Serbia, Kosovo, Palestine, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Southern, Eastern Europe, Moscow, Brussels, Washington, Serbs, Kosovan, U.S, EU, Pristina, destabilising Kosovo, Yugoslavia

☆ Blinken Says US, Others Exploring Options for Future of Gaza After Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Blinken told a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing the status quo of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas being in charge of the densely populated enclave could not continue, but Israel did not want to run Gaza either. Between those two positions were "a variety of possible permutations that we're looking at very closely now, as are other countries," Blinken said. It may involve international agencies that would help provide for both security and governance," Blinken said. U.N. and other aid officials said civilians in the besieged Palestinian enclave were engulfed by a public health catastrophe, with hospitals struggling to treat casualties as electricity supplies petered out. "We have had very preliminary talks about what the future of Gaza might look like," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a briefing.

Persons: Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis WASHINGTON, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe Biden's, Matthew Miller, Simon Lewis, Steve Holland, Costas Pitas, Stephen Coates, Chris Reese Organizations: Palestinian, United Nations, Bloomberg, U.S, Department Locations: United States, Gaza, Israel, U.N, Washington

☆ Hezbollah says it downs Israeli drone in south Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Sunday it shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon with a surface-to-air missile, the first time it has announced such an incident, as clashes on the Lebanese border escalate. The drone was hit near Khiam, about 5 km (3 miles) from the border with Israel, and was seen falling in Israeli territory, Hezbollah added. Two security sources in Lebanon said it was the first time Hezbollah had announced downing an Israeli drone. The Israeli army and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon have been exchanging fire on a daily basis since the start of the Gaza conflict three weeks ago. "UNIFIL expresses serious concern over these two attacks on our troops who are tirelessly working 24/7 to restore stability in southern Lebanon and de-escalate this perilous situation, " the force wrote on social media platform X.

Persons: Mohanad Hage Ali, Laila Bassam, Tom Perry, Nayera Abdallah, Younes el, Riham Alkousaa, Alexander Smith, Hugh Lawson, Giles Elgood Organizations: Carnegie Middle East Center, Israeli Defence Ministry, United Nations, UNIFIL, Lebanese, Younes el Audi, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Lebanon, Lebanese, Khiam, Israel, Houla, Gaza, Naqoura

As well as the Israeli military's pictures of tanks, some images online appeared to show Israeli soldiers waving an Israeli flag deep inside Gaza. Hamas said it was firing mortars against Israeli forces in north Gaza and had hit Israeli tanks with missiles, belittling reports of deep advances by its enemy. Medical authorities in the Gaza Strip, which has a population of 2.3 million people, said on Sunday 8,005 people - including 3,324 minors - had been killed. They later said their fighters had clashed with Israeli forces northwest of Gaza and had also set fire to two Israeli tanks. Israel has accused Hamas of locating command centres and other military infrastructure in Gaza hospitals, something the group denies.

Persons: Biden, Netanyahu, Shaban Ahmed, Ahmed, Daniel Hagari, Karim Khan, Elad Goren, Cogat, Khan Younis, Mohammed Salem, Israel, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Crescent, Gaza’s Khan Younis, Rami Al, James Mackenzie, Nidal, Dan Williams, Emily Rose, Riham Alkousaa, Omar Abdel, Razek, Ari Rabinovitch, Adam Makary, Ali Swafta, John Davison, Michelle Nichols, Gareth Jones, Andrew Cawthorne, Alison Williams, Susan Fenton, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Reuters, Israeli Defence Force, Criminal, Israeli Defence Ministry, Hamas, REUTERS, United Nations, UNIFIL, Lebanese, Sunday, United Nations Palestinian, Palestinian, Brigades, Tel, Crescent, Gaza Shifa, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza Gaza, JERUSALEM, GAZA, Gaza's, Palestinian, Iranian, Gaza, Gaza City, Israel's, Rafah, Lebanon, Houla, Israeli, Gaza’s, Al, Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dagestan, Russia, al, Quds

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