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☆ Israel Says It Rescued 2 Hostages From Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Mike Ives | More About Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli security forces said early Monday that they had rescued two hostages who were being held in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, in one of the few examples of a successful hostage rescue in Gaza since the start of the war. Mr. Marman and Mr. Har were among more than 240 people captured during the surprise Oct. 7 raid on southern Israel by Hamas and other militant groups, which later prompted Israel to retaliate with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion in Gaza. Israel has been discussing plans to send troops into Rafah, even as aid groups, the United Nations and the United States have warned that the people sheltering there have nowhere to go. About 100 of the hostages taken in October were released during a weeklong cease-fire last year. Hostages’ families have been pressing Israel to prioritize negotiations for their release.

Persons: Fernando Simon Marman, Louis Har, Shin Bet, Israel, Marman, Har, Nir Yitzhak, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu Organizations: United Nations, New York Times, ABC News Locations: Gazan, Rafah, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Egypt, Israel, United States

☆ Israel’s repudiation of a deal with Hamas draws fury from hostages’ families
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Survivors of the October 7 terror attack and the families of hostages were furious at the uncompromising repudiation of a deal that – ultimately – could have resulted in the return of all the remaining hostages in Gaza. Moshe’s words carried power – she was kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz and held hostage in Gaza for seven weeks. The families of the hostages held in Gaza have emerged as a leading voice and they attract huge support among Israelis. Protesters demand a hostage deal amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, on February 1, 2024. These anti-government protests are still strictly separate from the hostage families’ events, which tend to take place just down the road at what has become known as the Hostage Plaza.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ” Netanyahu, –, Adina Moshe, Netanyahu, Sahar Kalderon, Aviva Siegel, Nili Margalit, Sharon Aloni Cunio, Susana Vera, I’m, ” Moshe, Nir Oz, David, Sa’id, Moshe, Lital Shochat, Shochat, ‘, Shochat Chertow, Shiva, ”, Doron Shabtai, Shabtai, Ivana Kottasova, Yair Lapid, ” “, Bibi ”, Evyatar Cohen, … Organizations: Tel, Tel Aviv CNN, State, Wednesday, Reuters, Protesters, Israel Democracy HQ, Hamas, CNN, Israeli, Yesh Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, Sderot, Jerusalem, Israel’s, Lebanon

Blinken appealed to Netanyahu and other Israelis still reeling from the Hamas attack not to allow vengeance to dictate their continued response. In Qatar on Tuesday, both Qatar’s prime minister and Blinken said the proposal had promise as a starting point for further negotiation. And Blinken talked up Saudi Arabia’s interest in normalizing relations with Israel, provided the Gaza war ends and the Palestinians are given a clear, credible and time-bound pathway to an independent state. “We remain determined as well to pursue a diplomatic path to a just and lasting peace, and security for all in the region, and notably for Israel,” Blinken said in Tel Aviv. However, Netanyahu is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state and has said Israel will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Blinken, There’s, ”, Netanyahu, Israel, “, ” Netanyahu Organizations: —, Washington, UN Locations: TEL AVIV, Israel, United States, Gaza, U.S, Egypt, Qatar, Rafah, Tel Aviv, Palestinian

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, Gaza hostage release and sustained cessation proposal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

Antony Blinken arrives at Ben Gurion International airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, late Tuesday, on February 6. Mark Schiefelbein/APUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel for high-stakes talks with top officials about a proposal for a sustained cessation in Gaza fighting in exchange for Hamas' release of hostages held since October 7. Hamas gave a “positive” reply to the proposal, according to Qatar's prime minister, but he offered few details. Blinken said the United States is reviewing Hamas' response, as is Israel's foreign intelligence service, according to Israeli authorities. It does not include two of its most prominent and public demands: that Israeli soldiers leave Gaza or for a deal to end the war.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Mark Schiefelbein, Blinken, ’ Organizations: Ben, Hamas, CNN Locations: Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, United States

☆ Blinken holding crucial meetings in Israel as efforts to free hostages and halt Gaza fighting intensify
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel Wednesday for meetings with key government officials to press for a “humanitarian pause” as international and domestic US pressure to end the conflict in Gaza continues to mount. Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a little over an hour. He is meeting with Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Herzi Halevi and set to meet with other key officials. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and, indeed, essential. And we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it,” Blinken said at a news conference in Doha Tuesday.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Herzi Halevi, “ There’s, ” Blinken, Biden, Joe Biden, ”, Netanyahu, ’, “ We’re, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prince, Israel, we’ll Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Doha Tuesday, State Department, Monday, Palestinian Authority, Saudi Crown, Doha Locations: Israel, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Iranian, Iraq, Syria, United States, Rafah, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, ”, Palestinian

☆ Gaza Ceasefire Hopes Alive With More Talks Planned
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

"Continued military pressure is a necessary condition for the release of the hostages," Netanyahu said. Israel began its military offensive after Hamas militants from Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7. Netanyahu rejects a Palestinian state, which Saudi Arabia says is a requirement for the kingdom to normalise relations with Israel. But last week Israel said it would expand its campaign into Rafah, where about half the enclave's 2.3 million people are penned against the border with Egypt. On the ground in southern Gaza, residents said Israel stepped up its assault on Rafah in the early hours of Thursday.

Persons: Nidal, Humeyra Pamuk, Antony Blinken, Khalil Al, Hayya, Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken, Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, Israel, Washington, Khan Younis, Nidal al, Andrew Mills, Bassam Massoud, Cynthia Osterman, Howard Goller Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Israeli, Hamas, NBC News, Israel Democracy Institute, Nakhoul Locations: Humeyra Pamuk DOHA, TEL AVIV, U.S, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Saudi Arabia, ISRAEL, RAFAH Israel, Gaza's, Rafah, Tel Al, Doha

☆ McDonald's and Starbucks blame the Israel-Hamas war for slower sales — and the recovery might take a while
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

McDonald's and Starbucks , two of the biggest U.S. restaurant companies, both said the Israel-Hamas war hurt their sales at the end of last year. Shares of McDonald's fell 4% in morning trading Monday, several hours after it reported that a sales slowdown in the Middle East contributed to its fourth-quarter revenue miss. Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan said Tuesday that the company's sales in the Middle East struggled, but boycotts also hurt its U.S. cafes. Unlike Starbucks, McDonald's did not note any effect on its U.S. sales. Yum Brands is scheduled to report its quarterly results on Wednesday, while Restaurant Brands is slated to share its earnings on Feb. 13.

Persons: Laxman Narasimhan, McDonald's, Cowen, Andrew Charles, Chris Kempczinski, Kempczinski, Papa John's, Burger Organizations: U.S, Starbucks, Starbucks Workers, Workers United, McDonald's, Yum Brands, Restaurant Brands, CNBC PRO Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, Malaysia, Indonesia, France, Europe

Tel Aviv CNN —A video obtained by CNN shows two young ultra-Orthodox men spitting at, swearing at and insulting a Christian priest near the Zion Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City on Saturday evening. She described two young men crossing their path as they walked through the Old City. The priest and journalist continued to walk through the Old City, and were again approached by the same two men as they walked through the Armenian Quarter. “Last night, the police received a report regarding youths who traversed the Zion Gate area in the Old City of Jerusalem. Christians in the Old City are regularly the target of spitting and verbal abuse by Orthodox Jews.

Persons: Natalie Amiri, Father Nikodemus Schnabel, Instagram, Schnabel, Amiri, Father Schnabel, ”, profanities, ” “, Jerusalem, “, Israel’s, Israel Katz Organizations: Tel, Tel Aviv CNN, CNN, German TV, ARD, Israeli Police Locations: Tel Aviv, Zion, Jerusalem’s Old City, Old City, Jerusalem, Israeli, English

The Biden administration has expressed unwavering support for Israel since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war, skirting Congress to rush weapons to Israel and shielding its ally from international calls for a cease-fire. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's national security minister, criticized that approach in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, saying Biden was hindering Israel's war effort and that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would give Israel greater latitude in fighting Hamas. “Instead of giving us his full backing, Biden is busy with giving humanitarian aid and fuel (to Gaza), which goes to Hamas,” Ben-Gvir said. Netanyahu, without mentioning Ben-Gvir by name, appeared to refer to his remarks when addressing a weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday. Family members of the hostages, with wide public support, are calling on Israel to reach an agreement with Hamas to bring them home.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Itamar Ben, Donald Trump, ” Ben, Gvir, Trump, Benny Gantz, Ben, Gantz, Yair Lapid, Gvir’s, Netanyahu, they’re, ”, ___ Magdy Organizations: JERUSALEM, Hamas, Wall Street, Republican, Health Ministry Locations: Washington, Gaza, Israel, U.S, Qatar, Egypt, Tel Aviv, Cairo, israel

☆ Israel to Bring in 65,000 Foreign Building Workers to Replace Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israel's government said on Sunday it would bring in 65,000 foreign workers from India, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan to resume construction stalled since Oct. 7 when Palestinian workers were sent home in the wake of the attack on Israel by Hamas. Some 72,000 Palestinian workers were employed on construction sites in Israel prior to the attack, which prompted the government to lay them off and exclude them from Israel for security reasons. Some 20,000 foreign workers remain but almost half the country's building sites have been closed down due to the labour shortage. A housing ministry spokesperson said new groups of foreign workers were expected to arrive in coming weeks as the government seeks to avoid a blockage in supply that would risk reigniting real estate prices as interest rates start to fall. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 Images(Reporting by Steve Scheer; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

Persons: Steve Scheer, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Reuters, Hamas Locations: TEL AVIV, India, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Israel, Gaza

Biden's meeting with UAW workers in the Detroit area will come just days after union President Shawn Fain announced the group's endorsement. said Abdullah Hammoud, the mayor of Dearborn, one of the largest Arab American communities in the nation. Biden is looking to build on that power as he seeks reelection and the state’s critical 15 electoral votes. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesHis visit to Michigan comes ahead of the state's Feb. 27 primary. The early endorsement by the UAW was a clear win for Biden, who came to Michigan to stand alongside striking autoworkers last year.

Persons: Joe Biden, Shawn Fain, Fain, — Joe Biden, ”, Abdullah Hammoud, Biden, Pennsylvania —, Donald Trump’s, Debbie Dingell, we've, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Hammoud, Chavez Rodriguez, Israel, Sherry Gay, “, ” Biden, Worm, Sen, Jeremy Moss, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, ” ___ Long, Fatima Hussein Organizations: DETROIT, United Auto Workers, Michigan, UAW, Democratic, White House, Arab, Biden, Teamsters, Wednesday, Health Ministry, Israel, AP VoteCast, Trump, Republican Locations: Gaza, Detroit, Michigan, Israel, Dearborn, . Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, U.S, Washington, “ Michigan, Arab, Palestine, Tel Aviv, Grand Rapids, New, Grand Rapids , Michigan

☆ Thailand Deports Dissident Russian Rock Band to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Human rights activists had warned that the seven members of the self-exiled rock band Bi-2 would face harsh punishment if they were sent to Russia. Several band members, however, hold both Russian and Israeli citizenship, and the group had been based in Israel in the 1990s. Earlier this week, Thai immigration officials said the band could choose to be deported to another destination if they felt unsafe to return to Russia. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, welcomed the decision to send the band to Israel. "Human rights concerns won out in Thailand's to let all the Bi-2 band members travel to the safety of Israel," he said(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat; editing by Miral Fahmy)

Persons: Surachate Hakparn, Surachate, Igor Bortnick, Vladimir Putin, Phil Robertson, Panu, Miral Fahmy Organizations: Thai, Deputy Police, Reuters, Tel Aviv ., Russia's, Human Rights Locations: BANGKOK, Russian, Ukraine, Thailand, Israel, Moscow, Phuket, Russia, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Asia, Thailand's

☆ The global cities with the best quality of life show how dire the affordability crisis is
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementLiving in a global city with a high quality of life is increasingly reserved for the wealthiest. The world's most liveable cities — for the wealthyThe rising cost of housing, food, and other household goods is helping worsen the affordability crisis in these cities. Vienna, for example, has kept housing costs remarkably low through its generous social housing system. The average studio apartment in Zurich costs $1.1 million and the average home across the country costs $1.4 million, the Times reported. Like in many American cities, a severe housing shortage in cities like Zurich and Geneva is also contributing to rising home costs.

Persons: —, EIU Organizations: Service, Economist's Intelligence, The New York Times, Times, Swiss Locations: Zurich, Copenhagen, Vienna, Austria Copenhagen, Denmark Melbourne, Australia Sydney, Australia Vancouver, Canada Zurich, Switzerland Geneva, Switzerland, Calgary, Canada, —, Geneva, Singapore, New York, Hong Kong Los Angeles Paris, France Copenhagen, Tel Aviv, Israel, Vancouver, Sydney, Paris

Israel and Hezbollah each have lessons from their last war, in 2006, a monthlong conflict that ended in a draw. A United Nations resolution ending the war called for withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and a demilitarized zone on Lebanon's side of the border. Israeli political and military leaders have warned Hezbollah that war is increasingly probable unless the militants withdraw from the border. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hasn't threatened to initiate war but warned of a fight “without limits” if Israel does. Costs would rise sharply if there's war with Lebanon.

Persons: They've, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Hassan Nasrallah hasn't, Andrea Tenenti, Lisa Abou Khaled, ”, Tal Beeri, there's, Israel's, Orna Mizrahi, Netanyahu, Dina Arakji, ___ Lidman Organizations: United States, United, U.S, Bank of Israel, Alma Research, Education Center, Israel Democracy Institute, Institute for National Security Studies, Gaza's Health Ministry, Lebanese Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Gaza, United, Lebanon, United Nations, Europe, Iran, Israel's, “, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Beirut, ”, Tel Aviv

☆ The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Long Shadow of 1948
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Emily Bazelon | A Discussion Moderated Emily Bazelon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

In 1948, Jews realized their wildly improbable dream of a state, and Palestinians experienced the mass flight and expulsion called the Nakba, or catastrophe. It’s only in 1948 that the Arabs become Palestinians and the Jews become Israelis. Many Jews became lower-level officers during World War II, and they brought their new military expertise to the 1948 war. Zoltan Kluger/GPO, via Getty Images Palestinian bombers destroyed buildings on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem in March 1948. Bettmann/Getty Images A Palestinian refugee cut off from her home by the border established after the 1948 war.

Persons: Matson, —, Khalil Raad, Yaakov Ben Dov Delegates, Haj Amin al, Husseini, ”, It’s, Avraham Avinu, David, Fox, King David Hotel, David Ben, Gurion, “, Hitler, Hans Pinn, Abd al, Qadir al, Chalil, Zoltan Kluger, Ben Yehuda, Hugo H, Mendelsohn, John Phillips, Palestine ”, UNSCOP, Bettmann, Ruth Orkin, David Seymour, Jordan, Israel, Abdullah, Nadim, Leena Dallasheh, Abigail Jacobson, Moshe Naor, ” Derek Penslar, ” Itamar Rabinovich, Salim Tamari, Emily Bazelon, Herzl, Faisal Al, Hashemi, James Russell &, Bain, Jabotinsky, Abraham Pisarek, Weizmann, Heinrich Hoffmann Organizations: Congress, Institute for Palestine, Palestinian, . Institute for Palestine, Matson, Palestine, Getty, of Congress British, Peel, Zionist, Jewish, British Armed Forces, Allied, King, of Congress Women, Hulton, Biltmore, British, Agence France, Getty Images, Refugees, West Bank, Shutterstock, United Nations, League of Nations, United, United Nations Jewish, Madver, The, Palestine Studies, Columbia University, Columbia University , New York University, Rice University, Islamic, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Center for Jewish Studies, Harvard University, Tel Aviv University, Birzeit University, Institute for Palestine Studies, The New York Times Magazine, James Russell & Sons, of Congress, Israel, Ben, General Photographic Agency, Society, International Affairs Locations: Palestine, City, Jerusalem, Canadian American, Israel, British, Jaffa, Damascus, Old City, Hebron, Safed, Europe, Arab, North Africa, New York City, Middle Eastern, Haifa, Cyprus, Jenin, U.S, United Nations, Iraq, Tel Aviv’s Lod, Lebanon, Eyal, el Bared, Egypt, Syria, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Palestinian, United States, Qatar, Iran, Columbia University ,, Nazareth, Israeli, Husseini

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

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

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

☆ Italy's ITA to Resume Tel Aviv Flights From March
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

(Reuters) - Italy's ITA Airways will resume its flights between Tel Aviv and Rome as of March 1, starting with three weekly return trips, the airline said on Tuesday. ITA said in a statement that the number of flights between Rome Fiumicino and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion may increase this summer, "according to the evolution of the geopolitical scenario". "The restart of flights between Tel Aviv and Rome was also possible thanks to cooperation with Italian and Israeli authorities and it is strategically important for ITA Airways," the airline added. (Reporting by Alessandro Parodi; Editing by Keith Weir)

Persons: Tel Aviv Ben, Alessandro Parodi, Keith Weir Organizations: Reuters, Italy's ITA Airways, ITA, ITA Airways Locations: Tel Aviv, Rome

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

☆ Tel Aviv Adjusts to Wartime With Hostage Photos and Guns on Streets
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Stores have reopened. But things are far from normal in Tel Aviv. The rocket barrages that crippled Tel Aviv, on Israel's Mediterranean coast north of Gaza, at the outset of the war have largely petered out as Israel's military made gains in its fight against Palestinian militant groups. Civilians, worried about Palestinian street attacks, are carrying guns in much greater numbers than before the war. After weeks of relative quiet, a huge barrage of rockets was fired on Monday at major cities in central Israel, including Tel Aviv, sending residents running for shelter.

Persons: Alexandre Meneghini, Ros Russell Organizations: Reuters, Palestinian, Military Locations: TEL AVIV, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Israel

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — It was President Joe Biden's first big campaign rally of the year, a chance to spotlight the issue of protecting abortion rights. Instead, at least a dozen times during Biden's 22-minute speech, demonstrators scattered throughout the audience rose to shout out demands for a cease-fire in Gaza. Joe!”“They feel deeply,” Biden said of the demonstrators, who were pulled from the room by security personnel. The Democratic president is increasingly contending with protests inside and outside his events from progressives upset about his administration's support for Israel in its offensive in Gaza. Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said Biden's response to demonstrators shows he's “a president who understands and respects Americans' fundamental First Amendment rights to peacefully protest."

Persons: Joe Biden's, Joe, ”, ” Biden, Niki Thomas, Biden, Cornell Belcher, Donald Trump, Israel, John Kirby, “, Michael Tyler, he's “, “ Joe Biden, Tyler, Trump, Mother Emanuel, I’ve, Zeke Miller, Josh Boak, Michelle L, Price Organizations: Democratic, Israel, Health Ministry, Biden, UAW, Republican, House, AP VoteCast, Associated Press Locations: Va, Gaza, Virginia, Israel, United States, American, Tel Aviv, New, Iowa, New Hampshire, Indianola , Iowa, Rochester , New Hampshire, Manchester , New Hampshire, Palestine, Washington, New York

☆ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hits out at hostages' families for helping Hamas, say reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu criticized protests by the families of hostages in Gaza. Hamas took around 240 hostages during its October 7 attacks on Israel. AdvertisementIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said protests organized by families of hostages in Gaza were helping Hamas, say reports. The hostages' families hit back in a statement, per The Jerusalem Post. A destroyed Israeli tank in Gaza City, Gaza on October 7, 2023.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, —, Netanyahu, Jonathan Pollard, Israel, Hani Alshaer, Gazans Organizations: Jerusalem Post, Service, Anadolu Agency, US, Getty, United Nations, Human Rights Locations: Gaza, Jerusalem, Israel, Tel Aviv, Turkish, Gaza City

☆ Widening Mideast Crisis U.N. Aid Agency in Gaza Says Suspensions in Funding Threaten Crucial Humanitarian Work
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Victoria Kim | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

News AnalysisThe judges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Friday. A ruling on Friday by the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide against Israel had deep historical resonance for both Israelis and Palestinians. It was a topic that appeared to preoccupy the sole Israeli judge, Aharon Barak, among the 17 assessing the case on the World Court. He was among the 17 judges assessing the case on the World Court. “It talks like genocide & walks like genocide,” Muhammad Shehada, a rights activist from Gaza, wrote on social media.

Persons: ” Alon Pinkas, —, ”, Hanan Ashrawi, Hamas’s, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, “, Janina Dill, Dill, Khan Younis, Israel, Aharon Barak, Barak, ” Mr, Avishag Shaar, Israel “, ” Muhammad Shehada, Rawan Sheikh Ahmad, Johnatan Reiss Organizations: International Court of Justice, International Court, Palestinian, ., Agence France, United Nations, Israel, Oxford University, Court, Credit, Yashuv, The New York Times, Gazan Health Ministry Locations: The Hague, Israel, Gaza, South Africa, “, Israeli, Rafah, Lithuania, Tel Aviv, ”, Haifa

☆ Why both South Africa and Israel are welcoming the UN court’s ruling in a landmark genocide case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Abbas Allawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A historic ruling by the United Nations’ top court in a genocide case against Israel on Friday was welcomed by the three main parties it involved: Israel, South Africa and the Palestinians. The International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands, ordered Israel to “take all measures” to prevent genocide in Gaza after South Africa accused Israel of violating international laws on genocide in its war in the territory. It rejected Israel’s request for the case to be thrown out, but it also stopped short of ordering Israel to halt the war as South Africa has asked. “I would have wanted a ceasefire,” said South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor after the ruling in The Hague. Mohammed el-Kurd, a Palestinian activist from Jerusalem, said the ICJ failed on South Africa’s “most important request” to suspend the military operations.

Persons: “, Israel, ”, Naledi Pandor, Eylon Levi, ” Avi Mayer, ” Shelly Aviv Yeini, ” Robbie Sabel, Sabel, Yeini, didn’t, Mohammed el Organizations: CNN, United Nations ’, Israel, Court of Justice, Convention, Israel’s Haifa University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, ICJ Locations: Israel, South Africa, The Hague, Netherlands, Gaza, Palestinian, Jerusalem, “

☆ Families of Israeli Hostages Protest at Border Crossing to Block Aid to Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Julian E. Barnes | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Hamas officials say they will only release the remaining hostages in Gaza, believed to number more than 100, as part of a comprehensive cease-fire. Israeli officials have suggested they might consider a permanent cease-fire if Hamas’s Gaza leadership leave the strip and go into exile, the two diplomats said. Hamas officials have rejected that idea. “Hamas and its leaders are on their land in Gaza,” Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official, said in a text message. Mr. Netanyahu has largely ruled out the return of the Palestinian Authority, in its present form, to ruling Gaza.

Persons: William J, Burns, Brett McGurk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s, Husam, Netanyahu, “, Mahmoud Abbas, Abbas Organizations: Wednesday, Qatari, White, Gaza, Hamas, Biden, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Fatah Locations: Tel Aviv, Gaza, Europe, Israel, Qatar, Egypt, Western, U.S, Palestinian

☆ Revellers Who Fled Hamas Reunite With Holocaust Survivor Who Sheltered Them
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Rami AmichayTEL AVIV (Reuters) - As a child, Sarah Jackson survived the Nazi Holocaust. She was four years old when the war started. Jackson gave her testimony as part of an Israeli grassroots initiative of informal gatherings in people's private homes to commemorate the Holocaust. The event, titled 'Zikaron Basalon' (Remembrance in the Living Room), brings together Holocaust survivors or descendants of survivors who share their accounts with younger people. For some survivors, Hamas' attack recalled past atrocities.

Persons: Rami Amichay TEL, Sarah Jackson, Jackson, Ilya Pisatzkov, Pisatzkov, Benel Fransis, It's, Avivit Delgoshen, Maayan Lubell, Timothy Heritage Organizations: Reuters, Nova Locations: Rami Amichay TEL AVIV, Nazi, revellers, Israel, Gaza, Sa'ad, Poland, Siberia

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