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☆ U.S. to Put Houthis Back on Terrorist List
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Vivian Salama | Daniel Nasaw | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Houthi fighters and tribesmen Sunday stage a rally against the U.S. and U.K. strikes on Houthi-run military sites near San’a, Yemen. (AP Photo) Photo: /Associated PressWASHINGTON—The Biden administration plans to put the Houthi rebel group back on one of its lists of terrorist organizations, days after the U.S. launched strikes on its facilities in Yemen in retaliation for months of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, officials said. The placement as a specially designated global terrorist group, which the U.S. plans to formally announce on Wednesday, reverses a decision made early in President Biden’s term to remove the Houthis from the list over concerns it hurt prospects for peace talks and further crippled the economy of an impoverished nation at risk of famine. The Trump administration first put the Houthis on the list.

Persons: Associated Press WASHINGTON —, Biden, Biden’s, Trump Organizations: U.S, Associated Press WASHINGTON Locations: San’a, Yemen, Red

☆ U.S. to Restrict Visas for Violent Israeli Settlers in West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel and the outbreak of the war in Gaza, attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank have doubled, the United Nations says. Photo: thomas coex/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON—The Biden administration is set to restrict travel to the U.S. by extremist Israeli settlers and others it holds responsible for undermining security in the West Bank. The decision, announced Tuesday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken , comes in response to rising tension in the West Bank and a spike in clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinian civilians in the aftermath of Hamas’s deadly attack on Oct. 7. The statement didn’t specify that Israeli settlers in particular would be targeted by the visa restrictions, instead describing “individuals believed to have been involved in undermining peace, security, or stability in the West Bank.” The statement also indicates the restrictions could apply to Palestinians who attack Israelis.

Persons: thomas coex, WASHINGTON —, Biden, Antony Blinken Organizations: West Bank, Nations, Agence France, Getty, WASHINGTON Locations: Israel, Gaza

TEL AVIV—Negotiators scrambled to reinstate a weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas that expired Friday, as both sides resumed fighting a nearly two-month-old war that has left large parts of Gaza in ruins and more than a hundred hostages still in captivity. Israel launched new bombing attacks and warned Palestinians of imminent combat in parts of southern Gaza, endangering more than a million people, including hundreds of thousands who fled there after weeks of fighting in the northern part of the enclave.

Organizations: TEL AVIV — Locations: TEL AVIV, Israel, Gaza

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israeli leaders to extend a pause in their combat operations against Hamas militants in Gaza, which is teetering after a one-day extension was clinched after all-night negotiations. As the temporary truce was set to expire Thursday morning, Qatari mediators announced that the parties had agreed to extend it by one more day, following the release of 16 hostages held by militants in Gaza. Negotiations are continuing for a further extension, but Egyptian officials also involved in the talks said they faced an uphill battle.

Persons: Antony Blinken Organizations: Hamas Locations: Gaza

Here’s how the strategy behind Binance’s rise under Changpeng Zhao brought it crashing down. Photo: Benoit Tessier/ReutersThe chief executive of Binance , the largest global cryptocurrency exchange, stepped down and pleaded guilty to violating criminal U.S. anti-money-laundering requirements, in a deal that might preserve the company’s ability to continue operating, according to court documents. Changpeng Zhao appeared in Seattle federal court Tuesday and entered his plea, according to court records. Prosecutors accused Binance, which Zhao owns, of facilitating transactions with sanctioned groups. Binance encouraged U.S. users to obscure their location so the firm could avoid complying with U.S. anti-money-laundering laws, prosecutors said.

Persons: Changpeng Zhao, Benoit Tessier, Binance, Zhao Organizations: Binance, Prosecutors Locations: Seattle

Binance skirted regulation to become the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. Now, the company will plead guilty to a criminal charge in the U.S. and agree to pay $4.3 billion in fines. Changpeng Zhao is scheduled to appear in Seattle federal court Tuesday afternoon and enter his plea, according to court records unsealed Tuesday. Prosecutors also unsealed a document charging Binance, which Zhao owns, with anti-money-laundering and sanctions crimes. Binance will also plead guilty and agree to pay fines totaling $4.3 billion, which includes amounts to settle civil allegations made by regulators, the people said.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, Zhao, Binance Organizations: Binance, Prosecutors Locations: U.S, Seattle

☆ Israel’s War in Gaza Tests Limits of Biden’s Support
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Over the past two weeks, President Biden has pushed Israel on issues ranging from limiting civilian casualties to agreeing to a pause in fighting to free hostages. Photo: miriam alster/pool/ShutterstockWASHINGTON—President Biden is struggling to persuade Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take steps U.S. officials believe could help prevent the conflict in Gaza from further escalating, straining the relationship between the two longtime allies, according to U.S. and European officials. Over the past two weeks, Biden has pushed Netanyahu on issues ranging from limiting civilian casualties to agreeing to a pause in fighting to free hostages. While there has been agreement in some areas, such as when Israeli commanders accepted American advice not to rush into Gaza immediately, U.S. officials are still concerned about Israel’s ultimate plans for Gaza, including any sort of extended occupation, and are alarmed by the number of Palestinian casualties.

Persons: Biden, miriam alster, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu Organizations: WASHINGTON — Locations: Israel, Gaza, U.S

The Israeli military said its forces carried out a targeted operation inside Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital. Israel and the U.S. allege Hamas has a command center under the hospital, a claim Hamas denies. Photo: Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON—Israeli forces carried out a targeted operation against Hamas “in a specified area” of Gaza’s largest hospital, hours after the White House backed Israeli assertions that Palestinian militants are running military operations from the enclave’s hospitals. The Israeli military said that it launched “a precise and targeted operation” in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The White House had earlier cautioned Israel not to carry out airstrikes against the hospital.

Persons: Gaza’s, Fadel Senna, Hamas “, Israel Organizations: Shifa, Israel, Hamas, Getty, WASHINGTON, House, White Locations: AFP, Al, Gaza City

☆ Hamas Attack Gives South Korea ‘Wake-Up Call’ on Border Security
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Timothy W. Martin | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones Locations: asia, korea

☆ U.S. Sees Limits for Israel’s Place in Gaza Future
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( William Mauldin | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has left widespread devastation in the Palestinian enclave. Photo: amir cohen/ReutersTOKYO—The U.S. on Wednesday outlined its expectations for the postwar rule in Gaza, including Palestinian sovereignty over the territory, days after Israel said it intended to play a security role there after its overthrow of Hamas. Senior officials called for the Palestinian people to be at the center of governance in Gaza—unified with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described a vision for rebuilding Gaza and a path toward Israelis living side by side “in space of their own with equal measures of security, freedom, opportunity and dignity.”

Persons: cohen, Israel, Antony Blinken, ” Organizations: Reuters, West Bank, Palestinian Authority Locations: Gaza, Reuters TOKYO, The

Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed efforts to expand aid to Gaza with his Turkish counterpart. Blinken has been on a regional tour of the Middle East as the U.S. faces pressure to secure a pause in fighting amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Pool/AFP/GettyThe U.S. is dialing up pressure on Israel to ease its intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip, deploying a wave of top diplomats to the Middle East in recent days, even without the release of hostages taken by Hamas, which Israel has set as the condition for any pause in its military operations. President Biden, in a phone call Monday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , urged the Israeli leader to declare a humanitarian pause, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Jonathan Ernst, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, John Kirby Organizations: Turkish, Getty, White, National Security Locations: Gaza, U.S, Israel

RAMALLAH, West Bank—Secretary of State Antony Blinken worked to assure Palestinian leaders that the U.S. is committed to helping Palestinian civilians and was met with a demand for an immediate cease-fire in Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip. Blinken’s unannounced Sunday visit to the West Bank, to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas , came hours after an Israeli airstrike hit a refugee camp in Gaza, killing at least 38 people according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. Israeli officials didn’t immediately comment on the explosion at the Al Maghazi refugee camp.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Mahmoud Abbas, didn’t Organizations: West Bank —, West Bank, Palestinian, Al Locations: RAMALLAH, West, Gaza, Al Maghazi

BAGHDAD—The U.S. is rushing to support Middle East leaders facing domestic turmoil over the Israel-Hamas conflict, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken making two surprise visits Sunday to the West Bank and Iraq, as the Biden administration comes under pressure to secure a pause in fighting and ease regional tensions. The unannounced stops, first to the West Bank city of Ramallah, and then, to Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, followed a summit of Arab leaders Saturday in Jordan, where Blinken reassured Middle East allies that the U.S. would work to keep the conflict from spreading and help Palestinian civilians caught in the unfolding humanitarian crisis. Blinken departed Baghdad late Sunday for Ankara, where he was expected to hold discussions with his Turkish counterpart about humanitarian aid and the collective interest in preventing a broader conflict.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Biden, Blinken Organizations: West Bank, Turkish Locations: BAGHDAD, The U.S, Israel, Iraq, Ramallah, Baghdad, Jordan, U.S, Sunday, Ankara

☆ As U.S. Pushes for Temporary Halt to Fighting, Netanyahu Pushes Back
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

As U.S. Pushes for Temporary Halt to Fighting, Netanyahu Pushes BackAfter meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel wouldn’t consider any temporary ceasefire without the return of the hostages held by Hamas. WSJ’s Vivian Salama reported from Israel. Photo: Amos Ben Gershom/Israeli Press Office

Persons: Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel wouldn’t, WSJ’s Vivian Salama, Amos Ben Gershom Organizations: U.S, Press Locations: Israel

☆ Netanyahu Rejects Calls for a Temporary Israeli Cease-Fire in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Vivian Salama | Margherita Stancati | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TEL AVIV—Israel’s prime minister resisted pressure from the U.S. to pause strikes on Hamas after Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged more actions to protect civilians in Gaza. The U.S. is stepping up pressure on Israel, saying it has a moral imperative to pause the fighting while humanitarian relief—and particularly fuel—is delivered to Gaza, U.S. officials say. France, Spain and other European countries have issued similar appeals.

Persons: Antony Blinken Locations: TEL AVIV, U.S, Gaza, The U.S, Israel, Gaza , U.S, France, Spain

☆ Netanyahu Rejects Calls for a Temporary Israeli Ceasefire in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Vivian Salama | Margherita Stancati | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TEL AVIV—Israel’s leader rejected pressure for a pause in Israeli strikes on Hamas following a visit with Secretary of State Antony Blinken that urged more actions to protect civilians in Gaza. “Israel refuses a temporary ceasefire that does not include the freeing of our hostages,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters after meeting with Blinken on Friday. “Israel does not allow the entry of fuel into the Gaza Strip and is opposed to transferring money to the strip.”

Persons: TEL AVIV — Israel’s, Antony Blinken, “ Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken, “, ” Organizations: TEL AVIV —, ”, Gaza Locations: TEL AVIV, Gaza, “ Israel

☆ Russia’s Wagner Group May Provide Air Defense Weapon to Hezbollah, U.S. Intel Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

After the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin is putting a new power structure in place that will take over the group’s sprawling operations in Africa, which have advanced Russian influence on the continent for almost a decade. Photo illustration: JJ LinThe U.S. has intelligence that the Wagner Group, the Russian paramilitary group, may provide an air defense system to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, U.S. officials say. The system in question is the SA-22, which uses antiaircraft missiles and air defense guns, to intercept aircraft.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, JJ Lin The Organizations: Wagner Group, Russian, Lebanese, SA Locations: Africa, JJ Lin The U.S, U.S

☆ Russia’s Wagner Group Plans to Send Air Defenses to Hezbollah, U.S. Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

After the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin is putting a new power structure in place that will take over the group’s sprawling operations in Africa, which have advanced Russian influence on the continent for almost a decade. Photo illustration: JJ LinWagner Group, the Russian paramilitary organization, plans to provide an air-defense system to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, U.S. officials say, citing intelligence. The Russian SA-22 system they plan to send uses antiaircraft missiles and air-defense guns to intercept aircraft.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, JJ Lin Wagner Organizations: JJ Lin Wagner Group, Lebanese, Russian SA Locations: Africa, Russian, U.S

☆ Biden Wanted to End ‘Forever Wars.’ Now He Looks Like a Wartime President.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Sabrina Siddiqui | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones, biden, 8710eaf

TEL AVIV—Hamas released two U.S. citizens taken hostage in the Gaza Strip, amid rising pressure on Israel to put off a planned invasion on the enclave to allow time for diplomacy. The release was the first time Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the enclave, set free any of the roughly 200 hostages taken by militants during a raid on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,400 Israelis. Citizens of 41 countries were killed and went missing during the attack, an unprecedented cross-border incursion by militants from Gaza. The U.N. said Friday that 4,137 Palestinians have been killed.

Organizations: Hamas Locations: TEL AVIV, Gaza, Israel

The U.S. has collected “high confidence” signals intelligence showing that the explosion at a Gaza hospital compound on Tuesday was caused by the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, U.S. officials said, buttressing Israel’s contention that it wasn’t responsible for the blast. The U.S. assessment drew, in part, on communications intercepts and other intelligence gathered by the U.S., defense officials said.

Persons: buttressing Organizations: U.S, Palestinian Locations: Gaza, Jihad, U.S

☆ Biden Lands in Tel Aviv to Meet Israeli Leaders Amid Hamas War
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Sabrina Siddiqui | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones Locations: biden

☆ Biden Lands in Tel Aviv to Meet Israeli Leaders on Hamas War
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Sabrina Siddiqui | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/biden-lands-in-tel-aviv-to-meet-israeli-leaders-on-hamas-war-c662832

Persons: Dow Jones Locations: biden

☆ Biden’s Trip to Israel Carries Risks for U.S. Policy—and His Own Legacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Vivian Salama | Tarini Parti | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/bidens-trip-to-israel-carries-risks-for-u-s-policyand-his-own-legacy-9962b2a2

Persons: Dow Jones Locations: israel

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/egypt-weighs-letting-in-foreigners-and-palestinians-from-gaza-7df43a5f

Persons: Dow Jones Locations: egypt, gaza

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