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☆ Opinion: Unable to ‘win’ in Gaza, Israel sets its sights elsewhere
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Opinion Hussein Ibish | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —An eerie relative calm has descended on the Middle East — Gaza obviously excluded — since a highly alarming exchange of missile, rocket and drone attacks by Israel and Iran in recent weeks. Now, the recent exchange of direct military attacks with Iran might have sealed Lebanon’s fate, unless team Biden can restrain Israel. On April 1, Israel struck an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus, killing a number of senior Iranian officials including Brig. As Israel’s forces moved south through Gaza, obliterating Hamas brigades with relative ease, its thinking relatively quickly turned north again. If this happens, a primary US goal regarding the Gaza war — conflict containment — would be shattered not by Washington’s adversaries, but ironically by its closest regional partner.

Persons: Hussein Ibish, Read, Biden, Israel, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Haji Rahimi, Hossein Amirollah, Louai Beshara, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Charbel Mallo, Israel —, Joe Biden Organizations: Gulf States Institute, Israel, CNN, Biden, Hezbollah, Brig, Iran’s, Quds Force, Getty, Iranian, Israeli Locations: Washington, East, Gaza, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Iranian, Damascus, Brig, Syria, AFP, Tehran, United States, Kafr Kila, Lebanese

☆ Israel Planned Bigger Attack on Iran, but Scaled It Back to Avoid War
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Ronen Bergman | Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel abandoned plans for a much more extensive counterstrike on Iran after concerted diplomatic pressure from the United States and other foreign allies and because the brunt of an Iranian assault on Israel soil had been thwarted, according to three senior Israeli officials. Israeli leaders originally discussed bombarding several military targets across Iran last week, including near Tehran, the Iranian capital, in retaliation for the Iranian strike on April 13, said the officials, who spoke on the discussion of anonymity to describe the sensitive discussions. Such a broad and damaging attack would have been far harder for Iran to overlook, increasing the chances of a forceful Iranian counterattack that could have brought the Middle East to the brink of a major regional conflict. In the end — after President Biden, along with the British and German foreign ministers, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent a wider war — Israel opted for a more limited strike on Friday that avoided significant damage, diminishing the likelihood of an escalation, at least for now.

Persons: Israel, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu Locations: Iran, United States, Israel, Tehran

☆ Israel’s Choices on Response to Iran’s Attack All Come With Risks
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Isabel Kershner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

As Israel’s leaders continued on Monday to mull a possible response to the massive Iranian aerial attack over the weekend, they faced several choices, all of which carry their own risks. In the past, Israel has hit back hard when its enemies attacked, hoping to discourage further hostilities. But this time Israel is juggling a host of conflicting interests, as well as some new factors. Some Israelis see an opportunity to use military strikes to fulfill the longstanding Israeli goal of degrading Iran’s nuclear program. Analysts say the success of Israel and its allies, led by the United States, in blocking most of the Iranian attack has given Israel the leeway to choose how and when to respond, if at all.

Persons: —, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ” Organizations: Iranian Embassy Locations: mull, Israel, Iranian, Gaza, Syria, — Israel, United States

☆ Truce Talks Expected to Resume in Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Israel has rejected accusations that it is responsible for delays in delivering aid, and it did so again this week. The amount of aid reaching Gaza has fallen sharply since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas. “It’s not just about the number of trucks coming in the border,” Mr. Lockyear said in an interview on Saturday. This week, Mr. Lockyear said, an M.S.F. “These items, which were formerly approved to go in, we have got them into Gaza previously,” Mr. Lockyear said.

Persons: Christopher Lockyear, Israel, It’s, Mr, Lockyear, “, ”, al Balah, Deir al Balah, Tedros Adhanom Organizations: International Court of Justice, Hamas, United Nations ’, Foreign, United Nations, World Health Organization Locations: Gaza, Hague, Israel, Gaza — Israel, Rafah, Al Aqsa, Deir al, “

The video was broadcast earlier this week by the Al Jazeera television network. Al Jazeera said at least two of the three men seen in the blurry videos were waving white flags before being shot at. Al Jazeera said both shootings took place close to each other on a beachfront southwest of Gaza City. Palestinians and human rights groups say the Israeli military has used disproportionate or indiscriminate force in its Gaza offensive, leading to heavy civilian casualties. They say that even when such killings are caught on video, military investigations rarely result in indictments of the soldiers involved.

Persons: Al Jazeera Organizations: JERUSALEM, Al, Health Ministry, Hamas Locations: Al Jazeera, Gaza, Israeli, Al, Gaza City, Israel, israel

Most Jewish men are required to serve nearly three years in the military, followed by years of reserve duty. Netanyahu asked the court Thursday for a 30-day extension to find a compromise. Israel’s Channel 12 reported Friday that the state provides only 7.5% of all funding for the institutions. “Without the Torah, we have no right to exist," said Yitzchak Goldknopf, leader of the ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism. But the powerful bloc of ultra-Orthodox parties — longtime partners of Netanyahu — want draft exemptions to continue.

Persons: —, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, David Ben Gurion, Anshel Pfeffer, Israel's, “, ”, Aryeh Deri, Haredim, Yitzchak Goldknopf, NETANYAHU, Benny Gantz, Netanyahu — Organizations: JERUSALEM, Jewish, Haaretz, Shas, Cabinet Locations: Gaza, Israel, Jewish

☆ Blinken Says New Israeli Settlements in West Bank Are Illegal, Reversing a Trump Policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Friday that the American government now considers new Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories to be “inconsistent with international law,” reversing a policy set under the Trump administration and returning to a decades-long U.S. position. Mr. Blinken spoke at a news conference in Buenos Aires, after Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, made an announcement on Thursday indicating thousands of new residences would be added to settlements. “It’s been longstanding U.S. policy under Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching enduring peace,” he said. And in our judgment, this only weakens — it doesn’t strengthen — Israel’s security.”Mr. Blinken was in Argentina for meetings with the recently elected president, Javier Milei, and the foreign minister, Diana Mondino. State Department officials declined to say what actions, if any, the United States might take to hold Israeli settlers or the government legally accountable for the building of new settlements.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Trump, Bezalel Smotrich, ”, “ It’s, “, Mr, Javier Milei, Diana Mondino, John F, Kirby Organizations: Republican, Democratic, State Locations: Buenos Aires, U.S, Argentina, Washington, United States

CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday declared that any expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank would be inconsistent with international law - reversing a Trump era position that broke with longstanding US policy. “They’re also inconsistent with international law. The Trump administration had reversed US policy to declare that settlements did not violate international law. The top US diplomat said he was “disappointed” by reports that Israel would expand the settlements in the occupied West Bank. “It’s been a longstanding US policy, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, that new settlements are counterproductive to the cause of peace– frankly, they’re also inconsistent with international law, and this administration maintains this firm opposition to settlement expansion,” he said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, “ It’s, ” Blinken, “ They’re, Trump, Mike Pompeo, ” Israel’s, Bezalel Smotrich, Blinken, ”, John Kirby, they’re Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Republican, Democratic, Trump, White, National Security Locations: Buenos Aires, Israel

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel has not presented specific evidence that Hamas is diverting U.N. aid and its recent targeted killings of Gaza police commanders safeguarding truck convoys have made it “virtually impossible” to distribute the goods safely, a top U.S. envoy said in rare public criticism of Israel. “We are working with the Israeli government, the Israeli military in seeing what solutions can be found here because everyone wants to see the assistance continue,” Satterfield told the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Friday. On Friday, police opened fire after a crowd charged toward an aid truck that had emerged from the Rafah crossing with Egypt. Israel has alleged repeatedly that Hamas is diverting aid, including fuel, after it enters Gaza, a claim denied by U.N. aid agencies. Last week, an Israeli airstrike on a car killed three senior police commanders in Rafah, the first entry point for aid deliveries.

Persons: — Israel, Israel, David Satterfield, Biden, ” Satterfield, Wael Abu Omar, Satterfield, Joe Biden, Diaa Rashwan, Khan Younis, Gaza’s, city's Nasser, ___ Magdy Organizations: Carnegie Endowment, International, Authority, U.N, Hamas, Ministry, Islamic, Authorities, State Information Service, Gaza Health Ministry, Health Ministry Locations: RAFAH, Gaza, U.S, Rafah, Egypt, Israel, EGYPT, Khan, Cairo, ___, israel

SCENES OF PANIC IN HOSPITAL WARDNasser Hospital, in the southern city of Khan Younis, has been the latest focus of operations that have gutted Gaza’s health sector as it struggles to treat scores of patients wounded in daily bombardments. Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals and other civilian structures to shield its fighters. On Wednesday, a doctor was lightly wounded when a drone opened fire on the upper stories of the hospital, he said. The Gaza Health Ministry said last week that Israeli snipers on surrounding buildings were preventing people from entering or leaving the hospital. Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, which supports Hamas, have traded fire along the border nearly every day since the start of the war in Gaza.

Persons: —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Khan Younis, Khaled Alserr, ”, Netanyahu, Israel, ___ Mroue Organizations: Hezbollah, WARD Nasser Hospital, Associated Press, Nasser Hospital, AP, Gaza Health Ministry, Hamas, Health Ministry Locations: RAFAH, Gaza, Lebanon, Lebanese, WARD, Khan, Israel, Rafah, Safed, Wednesday, Beirut, ___, israel

Other Israeli officials have said only a deal can bring about the release of so many hostages. A deal in late November brought about a brief truce in exchange for the release of about 100 hostages. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive talks with the media. That was viewed as a nonstarter for Israel, which wants to topple Hamas before ending the war. Residents and displaced Palestinians in Gaza were searching through the rubble from Israeli airstrikes that provided cover for the Israeli forces.

Persons: — Israel, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Fernando Marman, Louis Har, David Barnea, Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, ” Biden, King Abdullah II, ”, Khan Younis, ___ Jobain, Goldenberg, ___ Organizations: U.S, Health Ministry, Hamas Locations: CAIRO, Gaza, Rafah, Qatar, U.S, Egypt, Israel, Cairo, Western, Gaza’s, Tel Aviv, israel

It is the first time Moody’s has lowered Israel’s credit rating, which is used by investors to measure the riskiness of investing in a global entity or government. Moody’s downgraded Israel from A1 to A2 and said the outlook for the country’s economy was “negative.” The A2 rating nonetheless continues to carry relatively low risk, according to Moody's. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesStill, Israeli officials fear that the Moody’s downgrade could lead other major agencies also to downgrade Israel’s outlook. Israel’s economy bounced back after previous wars with Hamas, but the current war is much longer than any of those. Concerns about Israel’s governance, rising inflation and a worldwide slowdown in tech investments last year also weighed on the economy.

Persons: “, ” Moody’s, Moody’s, Bezalel Smotrich, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Michel Strawczynski, it’s, Amir Yaron, Israel –, Western Europe —, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Moody's Organizations: —, Sunday, Finance, Hebrew University, Bank of Israel, Bank of Israel Gov Locations: TEL AVIV, Israel, Gaza, Jerusalem, Western Europe

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has imposed financial restrictions on the main U.N. agency providing aid in the Gaza Strip, a measure which prevented a shipment of food for 1.1 million Palestinians from reaching the war-battered enclave, the agency's director said Friday. The U.N. food agency defines a famine as when 30% of children are malnourished, one-fifth of households face acute food shortages and two of every 10,000 people are dying from hunger or malnutrition. UNRWA, which serves about 6 million Palestinians whose families were displaced during the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948, denies the charges. UNWRA is the main provider of aid to Palestinians in Gaza, but Israeli bombardment and combat between Israel and Hamas has made much of the territory too dangerous for aid convoys to cross. Israel alleged last month that 12 employees of the aid agency participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel.

Persons: — Israel, Philippe Lazzarini, Israel, Juliette Touma, Touma, Bezalel Smotrich, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, didn't, Lazzarini, “ Organizations: JERUSALEM, UNRWA, Food, Israel, Bank Leumi, Hamas, Food Program Locations: Gaza, Israel, U.S, Turkey, Ashdod, Port Said, Egypt, Rafah

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli forces detained two young adult American brothers and their Canadian father in in Gaza in an overnight raid on their home in the besieged Palestinian territory, relatives of the men said. The two American brothers, their Canadian citizen father, a mentally disabled uncle and two other adult male relatives were taken away by the Israelis, and remain missing, Elagha said. State Department spokespeople in Washington had no immediate comment on the reported detention of the American brothers. The Alagha brothers' family says they are among those who have been unable to get their names on the exit lists. In the occupied West Bank, meanwhile, a 46-year-old Palestinian American woman, Samaher Esmail, was taken from her home on Monday and detained.

Persons: Borak Alagha, Hashem Alagha, Cousin Yasmeen Elagha, Khan Younis, Elagha, Antony Blinken, Israel, Samaher Esmail Organizations: WASHINGTON, Embassy, Northwestern University, Department, Hamas, State Department, West Bank Locations: Gaza, Palestinian, U.S, Jerusalem, Washington, Chicago, Israel, Khan, a.m, Egypt

Israel's military said Wednesday that its forces killed more than 15 Hamas militants in northern Gaza over the past day and targeted militant infrastructure in a school. The latest deaths bring the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s offensive to 26,900, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. Here's the latest:150 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN GAZA IN THE PAST 24 HOURS, HEALTH MINISTRY SAYSRAFAH, Gaza Strip — Gaza’s Health Ministry says 150 people have been killed in the last 24 hours and another 313 were wounded. The nearly four-month war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people and abducted another 250. The military said Wednesday that its forces killed more than 15 Hamas militants in northern Gaza over the past day and targeted militant infrastructure in a school.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, ‘, Biden, Jordan, — Biden, he’s, —, Khan Younis, “, Joe Biden’s, Jordan that’s, Yemen’s Houthi, U.N, Israel ”, Antonio Guterres, Houthi, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Arleigh Burke, Yahya Saree, ” Saree Organizations: Gaza’s Health Ministry, Gaza, Health Ministry, West Bank, MINISTRY, AS BIDEN, U.S . Navy, UN, GENEVA, UNRWA, Israel, World Health Organization, UNICEF, International Organization for Migration, Food, U.S . State Department, EU AIMS, The European Union, ’, SEA, U.S . military’s, Command Locations: Gaza, Israel, Iran, EU, Jordan, israel, GAZA, RAFAH, Hama, Gaza City, Khan, IRAN, JERUSALEM, Islamic Republic, Tehran, The U.S, Syria, Red, U.S, United States, ”, U.N, BRUSSELS, Yemen, Belgium, Germany, Iranian, British

☆ Biden has to deal with a second war he didn’t want. His task is to contain it
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

— Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian group based in Lebanon, has been waging a low-grade war against Israel. — Iran has blamed Israel for an attack that killed a number of Revolutionary Guard officers in Damascus, Syria. Hawkish Republicans like South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham are demanding he attack Iran on Iranian soil. “The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East. And on a purely strategic level, risking a major Middle East war that could cause massive US casualties to avenge the deaths of three soldiers, as terrible as their deaths are, would not represent a sound equation.

Persons: they're, Joe Biden —, Jordan Sunday –, Biden, haven’t, —, Israel, it’s, Antony Blinken, ” Aaron David Miller, CNN’s Jim Acosta, “, ”, William Rivers, Kennedy Sanders, Breonna Moffett, South Carolina Sen, Lindsey Graham, Nikki Haley, Biden’s, Donald Trump, Jim Himes, what’s, CNN’s Oren Liebermann, Natasha Bertrand, Katie Bo Lillis, Blinken, CNN’s Alex Marquardt, Joe Biden, Arkansas Sen, Tom Cotton, Haley, Qasem Soleimani, Trump, John Kirby, It’s Biden Organizations: Republicans, White House CNN, Jordan Sunday, Hezbollah, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Britain, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Revolutionary Guard, ”, GOP, Rep, Intelligence, Islamic, United Nations, –, Iran Locations: Washington, Tehran, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Jordan, United States, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, —, Syria, Baghdad, Beirut, Lebanon –, Damascus, East, South Carolina, Connecticut, Hamas, Qatar, Egypt, Islamic Republic, Arkansas, There’s

Israeli forces have killed three Palestinian militants in a raid on a hospital in the occupied West Bank, where violence has surged since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the Israeli forces opened fire inside the hospital’s wards and called on the international community to stop Israeli operations in hospitals. Here's the latest:ISRAELI FORCES RAID A HOSPITAL AND KILL 3 PALESTINIAN MILITANTS IN THE WEST BANKRAMALLAH, West Bank — Israeli forces have killed three Palestinian militants in a raid on a hospital in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the Israeli forces opened fire inside the hospital’s wards and called on the international community to stop Israeli operations in hospitals. More than 380 Palestinians have been killed, most in confrontations with Israeli forces during arrest raids or violent protests.

Persons: Ibn Sina, Israel Organizations: West Bank, Palestinian Health Ministry, United, Health Ministry, Israel, BANK, West Bank —, The West Bank Locations: Gaza, Jenin, United Nations, Israel, Jordan, U.S, israel, BANK RAMALLAH, West

The U.N. aid agency serving Palestinians in Gaza faced more funding cuts Monday amid accusations that 12 of its employees were involved in the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. The allegations over the weekend triggered a wave of funding cuts by major donors, including the U.S., Britain and France. UNRWA employs roughly 13,000 Palestinians in Gaza and says it will be forced to halt operations within weeks if funding isn’t restored. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the boy was killed near the Israeli settlement of Tekoa. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said that Israeli forces opened fire after clashing with Palestinians from the area.

Persons: Austria, — Biden, Jordan — Israel, Washington, Sebastian Fischer, Jordan, ” Fischer, Wafa, —, ’, Israel, “, Bassem, Awadi, Magen David Adom, ”, Austria “, Israel ” Organizations: The Associated Press, UNRWA, Ministry, US, UN, JORDAN BERLIN —, Foreign, U.S, BANK, West Bank —, West Bank, Palestinian Health Ministry, EU, BRUSSELS, The European Union, European Commission, BAGHDAD, Government, Hamas, JERUSALEM, BERLIN —, Foreign Ministry, Japanese Foreign Ministry Locations: Gaza, Israel, U.S, Britain, France, Hamas, Iran, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, israel, GERMANY, JORDAN BERLIN — Germany, Tehran, BANK RAMALLAH, West, Tekoa, West Bank, Dura, Hebron, Silwad, Yamoun, Jenin, IRAQ, Syrian, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Haifa, Tel Aviv, AUSTRIA, BERLIN — Austria, Vienna, Austria, JAPAN, GAZA TOKYO, Japan

In southern Gaza, Israeli forces pushed further into the city of Khan Younis, where the intensity of the fighting has increased in recent days. The Israeli military on Friday ordered residents of three neighborhoods and the Khan Younis refugee camp to evacuate to a coastal area. The leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yehya Sinwar, and the commander of the group’s military wing, Mohammed Deif, both grew up in the Khan Younis refugee camp. Israel blames Hamas for the high civilian death toll for positioning fighters and military hardware in dense residential neighborhoods. “We grind it and bake it.”All supplies enter Gaza in the south, either through the Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing or Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing.

Persons: Khan Younis, Khan, Yehya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Israel, Ashraf al, Qidra, Uday Samir, ”, Samir, ___ Jeffery Organizations: United Nations ’, Court of Justice, Gaza’s Health, Hamas, ’, United Nations Locations: DEIR, Gaza, Khan, South Africa, The Hague, Netherlands, Israel, Israel's, Gaza City, “, Rafah, Shalom, Deir al, Nuseirat, London, israel

South Africa has accused Israel of genocide and asked the world court in The Hague, Netherlands, to impose interim measures as the case proceeds. Israel has denied committing genocide and asked the court to throw out the case, which the panel of 17 judges refused to do. — How genocide officially became a crime, and why South Africa is accusing Israel of committing it. South Africa requested interim steps since the proceedings could take several years. The world court is delivering its preliminary decisions in a genocide case that South Africa brought against Israel.

Persons: Israel, NETANYAHU, ISRAEL, JERUSALEM, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ”, “, Judge Joan E, Donoghue, Aharon Barak, Joan E, ” Donoghue, Osama Hamdan, Hamdan, Al, Khan Younis, Gaza’s, Khan, Ashraf al, Qidra, “ Israel, Naledi Pandor, Antony Blinken, Matthew Miller, Blinken, ” Miller Organizations: Gaza, International Court of Justice, Health Ministry, Hamas, UN, Court of, HAGUE, Israel, International Court, Justice, INTERNATIONAL, Court of Justice, ISRAEL THE, United Nations ’, FIRE, West Bank, Palestinian, Palestinian Foreign Ministry, DEIR, Associated Press, ’ Hospital, Brigades, MINISTRY, SOUTH, Hague, United, State Department . State Department Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, South Africa, The Hague, Netherlands, Egypt, Georgia, U.S, Red, israel, Israeli, HAGUE, Africa, GAZA, ISRAEL THE HAGUE, HAMAS, FIRE RAMALLAH, West, Al Aqsa, Deir, Khan, ISRAEL, RAFAH, SOUTH AFRICA, South

JERUSALEM (AP) — Saudi Arabia's foreign minister says the kingdom will not normalize relations with Israel or contribute to Gaza's reconstruction without a credible pathway to a Palestinian state. Prince Faisal bin Farhan's remarks in an interview with CNN broadcast late Sunday were some of the most direct yet from Saudi officials. It puts them at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has rejected Palestinian statehood and described plans for open-ended military control over Gaza. In September, Netanyahu had said Israel was “at the cusp” of such a deal, which he said would transform the Middle East. Israel has only successfully rescued one hostage, while Hamas says several have been killed in Israeli airstrikes or during failed rescue operations.

Persons: Prince Faisal bin Farhan's, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel, “ CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, ”, ” Prince Faisal, “, Prince Faisal, we’re, NETANYAHU, —, ___ Shurafa Organizations: JERUSALEM, CNN, Israeli, Palestinian, West Bank, Hamas, Health Ministry Locations: Saudi, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, United States, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem, GAZA, U.N, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Deir, israel

☆ Netanyahu rebuffs U.S. calls to start working toward Palestinian statehood.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Thursday appeared to rule out a postwar peace process that would lead to the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, rebuffing calls from the United States to start working toward that ultimate goal. President Biden and his top diplomat, Antony J. Blinken, have urged Israeli officials to move toward the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state. But Israeli officials have repeatedly dismissed such calls, saying they are focused on the war in Gaza. On Thursday, Mr. Netanyahu told reporters he had rebuffed the latest exhortations. “I told this truth to our friends, the Americans, and I also blocked the attempt to impose a reality that would harm Israel’s security,” Mr. Netanyahu said.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Jordan, ” Mr, Netanyahu, ”, Biden, Antony J, “, Mr, Isaac Herzog, —, ’, Herzog, ” Matthew Miller Organizations: “, Biden, ” Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Economic, State Department, United Locations: Palestinian, United States, Israel, Gaza, ”, Davos, Switzerland, “, Iran

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Israel's president and the head of ChatGPT company OpenAI will make appearances at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, the third day of the annual gathering of elites at the Swiss resort of Davos that discusses everything from conflict to computers and climate. Israeli President Isaac Herzog could seek to return focus on the plight of Israeli hostages held by Hamas since its deadly Oct. 7 raid into Israel. Much of the world's attention has been on rising casualty counts in Gaza as Israeli forces lead a blistering military campaign aimed to quash the armed militants. “Artificial intelligence is now undoubtedly the most important potential contribution for global development," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters in Davos on Wednesday, a day when leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron and President Javier Milei of Argentina also showed up. On Wednesday, Iran's foreign minister defended his country's strike on what he claimed was an Israeli intelligence operations site in the autonomous Kurdish region.

Persons: —, OpenAI, Isaac Herzog, António Guterres, Emmanuel Macron, Javier Milei, Sam Altman, Mohammed Shia, Kamala Harris, Doug Emhoff, Masha Macpherson Organizations: Hamas Locations: DAVOS, Switzerland, Swiss, Davos, Israel, Gaza, Argentina, Iraqi, Israeli, Kurdish

☆ UN again delays vote on watered-down Gaza aid resolution. The U.S. backs it, others want stronger text
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The revised draft resolution was discussed behind closed doors for over an hour by council members not long after it was circulated. Because there were significant changes, many said they needed to consult their capitals before a vote, which is now expected Friday. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters after the consultations that the United States backs the new text, and if it is put to a vote the U.S. will support it. The U.S. ambassador said the revised resolution "will support the priority that Egypt has in ensuring that we put a mechanism on the ground that will support humanitarian assistance." During the Oct. 7 attack, Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took about 240 hostages back to Gaza.

Persons: General Patrick Gauchat, Charly Triballeau, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, —, Antonio Guterres, Thomas, António Guterres, Biden, Israel, Lloyd Austin Organizations: Mission, Staff, United Nations Truce, UN Security, UN, Afp, Getty, . Security, Hamas, U.S, United States, United Arab Emirates, Food, Gaza Health Ministry, Health Ministry Locations: Jerusalem, New York City, Gaza, United States, Israel, United, U.S, Egypt, Hamas

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel intensified its bombardment in and around Gaza's second largest city early Tuesday, as ambulances and private cars came racing into a local hospital carrying people wounded in a bloody new phase of the war in Gaza. At the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, ambulances brought dozens of wounded people in throughout the night. “My children, since 10 p.m., are still under the rubble.”Satellite photos taken Sunday showed tanks and troops massing outside Khan Younis, the latest target of the offensive, which was home to more than 400,000 people before the war. Constant bombardment on the edge of Khan Younis lit up the sky over the town Monday evening. The area that Israel ordered evacuated covers about a fifth of Khan Younis.

Persons: KHAN YOUNIS, — Israel, Khan Younis, ”, “, Jake Sullivan, Mohammed Aghaalkurdi, ___ Magdy, Jon Gambrell Organizations: U.S, Nasser, United Nations, Israel, Health Ministry, White House, The Associated Press, Aid, PalTel, Communications, Associated Press Locations: Gaza, Gaza's, Israel, Khan, United, Gaza City, Egypt, Palestinian, Shijaiya, Cairo, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, israel

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