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☆ Protest Outside Netanyahu’s Jerusalem Home Turns Into ‘Riot,’ Police Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Israeli police clashed with antigovernment protesters outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem on Tuesday night, which was the third day of demonstrations calling for early elections and his ouster. Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Jerusalem since Sunday, when a planned four-day antigovernment protest began outside Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset. Many protesters have camped out in tents outside the Knesset, where the demonstrations have swelled each evening. The protest and an authorized march started peacefully on Tuesday night but then turned into an unbridled “riot,” according to the Israeli police force. It said in a statement that hundreds of rioters had tried to break through barriers near Mr. Netanyahu’s house but were blocked by the police.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu’s Locations: Jerusalem, Israel’s

☆ Middle East Crisis Israeli Military Withdraws From Al-Shifa Hospital After Raid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | Iyad Abuheweila | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

The protest in Jerusalem is expected to last four days, with some demonstrators planning to stay in a cluster of tents near Parliament. But some worried that the protests could revive conflicts inside Israel that the war had temporarily smoothed over. In the months preceding Oct. 7, Israel had experienced immense domestic strife over a plan backed by Mr. Netanyahu to limit the influence of the judiciary. Mr. Netanyahu has consistently repelled criticisms of his administration, including its handling of the war. The Israeli police said they had dispersed a crowd of protesters blocking traffic, making one arrest.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s, can’t, Elad, “, ”, Michal Begin, Israel, Mr, Eitam Harel, Harel, ” Moshe Radman, Johnatan Reiss Organizations: Hamas, ” Locations: Jerusalem, Israel, Tel Aviv, “, Gaza, Israel’s

☆ Protesters Call for Netanyahu to Leave Office
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Adam Rasgon | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Thousands of Israelis filled the streets outside the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, in Jerusalem on Sunday to call for early elections, in one of the most significant demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. It also came as he went into surgery to treat a hernia Sunday night. The protest in Jerusalem is expected to last four days, with some demonstrators planning to stay in a cluster of tents near Parliament. On Sunday, several carried signs calling for Mr. Netanyahu’s “immediate removal” while others held posters calling for elections, saying “those who destroyed can’t be the ones to fix.”Elad Dreifuss, a 25-year-old student, said protesting against the government in the midst of wartime was a difficult decision. But, he added, “if the government can’t live up to its responsibility, something has to change.”

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s, can’t, Elad, ” Locations: Jerusalem, Israel, Tel Aviv

☆ ‘Replace him’: Thousands Rally Against Netanyahu’s Government in Tel Aviv
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night in one of the largest demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government since October, when the Hamas-led attack on Israel ignited a war. Tel Aviv has been the scene of weekly demonstrations calling on the government to strike a cease-fire deal to free the hostages who have been held in Gaza since October. Those protests have been growing in size as the war has dragged on and anger at Mr. Netanyahu’s government has mounted.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza

☆ Opinion: Two words that made Ramy Youssef’s ‘SNL’ monologue historic
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Opinion Dean Obeidallah | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

He told the audience about one friend, Brian, who’s locked in a messy divorce and asked Youssef to pray he’ll get custody of his beloved dog. He then mentioned another friend, Ahmed, who asked Youssef to pray for his family in Gaza, telling him: “They’re suffering. Please pray for them.”The comedian continued the joke: “So that night I go to pray, and my prayers are — complicated. Please.” Youssef continued, “And please free the hostages, all the hostages, please,” which also elicited applause. Youssef, though, has been undeterred, using his comedy for months to bring attention to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

Persons: Dean Obeidallah, Ramy Youssef, Kenan Thompson, Rami Malik, Youssef, Youssef —, —, “, ”, Brian, who’s, he’ll, Ahmed, I’ve, ” Youssef, Bojangles, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Jon Stewart, Melissa Barrera, VII, ” Jonathan Glazer, Susan Sarandon, Taylor Swift, Megyn Kelly, Swift, ‘, Let’s, ’, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Joe Biden —, Israel —, Biden, ” Israel “ Organizations: CNN, Dean Obeidallah CNN, Globe, Hollywood Reporter, “, East Refugee, year’s, Gallup, Israel, UN Locations: Arab, New Jersey, Palestine, Gaza, ”, Palestinian, Hollywood, Brooklyn

☆ Why Ireland is the most pro-Palestinian nation in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Eoin Mcsweeney | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

“But like Palestine, (Ireland) had direct and sustained experience of imperialism,” she said. Mousa Salem/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Palestinians transport bags of flour on the back of trucks as humanitarian aid arrives in Gaza City on March 6. Omar Qattaa/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Palestinians wait to receive food at a refugee camp in Rafah on January 27. AFP/Getty Images Palestinian boy Ahmed Qannan, suffering from malnutrition, receives treatment at a health-care center in Rafah on March 4. Yasser Qudih/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images People in a crowd struggle to buy bread from a bakery in Rafah on February 18.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Micheál Martin, Israel, “, Zoë Lawlor, ”, Jane Ohlmeyer, Leo Varadkar, ” Varadkar, Abdalmajid, Volker Turk, Ohlmeyer, Clodagh Kilcoyne, Ronald Storrs, Seán Gannon, Simon Harris, ” Israel, Amihai Eliyahu, Netanyahu, Dana Erlich, Emily Hand, Varadkar’s, Eli Cohen, Varadkar, Sinn Féin, Mary Lou McDonald, ” Matt Carthy, Sinn, ” Lawlor, Loay, Fadi, Kamal Adwan, Omar Qattaa, Saher, Ahmed Qannan, Mohammed Salem, Said Khatib, Dawoud Abo, Jehad, crouches, Abed Zagout, Yazan, Rabie Abu Noqaira, Mohammed Abed, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Yasser Qudih, Fatima Shbair, Lawlor, Carthy Organizations: CNN —, Israel, International Court of Justice, Irish, Irish Palestine Solidarity, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, “, CNN, Irish Free State, Republic of Ireland, Hamas, United Nations, Jewish, Republican Irish, European Union, West Bank, Newstalk, Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Washington Post, Kamal, Anadolu Agency, Getty, AFP, UN, Reuters, US Air Force, UPI, Dawoud Abo Alkas, Amnesty, Irish Times, State Locations: CNN — Ireland, Ireland, Gaza, Israel, Gaza “, South Africa, Irish Palestine, Palestinian, Irish, Palestine, London, St, dispossession, Ulster, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, Republic of, Dublin, Jerusalem, Jewish Ulster, Republic of Ireland, Ireland Ireland, Limerick, Rafah, Mousa Salem, Gaza City, AFP, Jordanian, Februrary

☆ Israeli Supreme Court orders government to stop funding religious schools that defy enlistment
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Mick Krever | Lauren Izso | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Israeli Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the government to stop funding religious schools whose students defy the country’s mandatory military service, posing one of the most serious threats to date for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition. Netanyahu relies on two Ultra-Orthodox parties – Shas and United Torah Judaism – to maintain a governing coalition. But the exemption has never been enshrined in a law that the Supreme Court views as equitable, and for years has been carried out by patch-work government mandates. After decades of rulings on the subject, the Supreme Court told the government that it was illegal for the government to both fund yeshivas and exempt their students from conscription. In a ruling late Thursday, the Supreme Court said that starting on April 1, the government could no longer transfer funds to yeshivas whose students did not receive legitimate deferments.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Benny Gantz, “, Ariyeh Deri, ” Young, Yitzhak Goldknopf, ”, Gantz Organizations: CNN, Shas, United, –, National Unity Party, Justice, Court Locations: Israel, The State

☆ Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks are ‘stuck but ongoing,’ sources tell CNN
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Alex Marquardt | Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Talks over a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas have reached another stalemate but are not over, according to three people familiar with the negotiations. Burns put forward a proposal that was accepted by Israel and sent back to Hamas, the second person and an Israeli official told CNN. “The negotiations are not only centric around the prisoner exchange deal,” Hamas senior official Basem Naeim told CNN on Monday. Those releases would take place during the first phase of a ceasefire, which would be expected to last around six weeks. The senior US officials and Gallant did not reach any agreements on how Israel will move forward with an operation in Rafah in southern Gaza, US and Israeli officials told CNN.

Persons: “, ”, Bill Burns, Burns, Israel, David Barnea, Basem Naeim, “ Israel, Amir Levy, Yahya Sinwar, Matthew Miller, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, William Burns, Anna Moneymaker, ” Miller, Biden, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, CNN’s Natasha Bertrand Organizations: Hamas, CIA, Doha, Qatari, CNN, Hamas didn’t, National Security, United Nations Security, Central Intelligence Agency, House Intelligence, Cannon, US, Biden Locations: Gaza, Israel, Doha, Qatar, Tel Aviv, Washington , DC, Rafah, Washington, US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has agreed to reschedule a planned meeting with US and Israeli officials to discuss a possible operation in Rafah, the White House confirmed Wednesday, just days after Netanyahu canceled the delegation. “The Prime Minister’s Office has agreed to reschedule the meeting dedicated to Rafah,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. During Wednesday’s briefing, the press secretary declined to say when the administration is hoping to reschedule the meeting, but emphasized it’s an “urgent” priority. Netanyahu canceled the delegation’s planned trip this week over objections to the US abstaining from a UN Security Council vote calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. An Israeli official told CNN they are in the process of rescheduling the visit to DC to hear US ideas for how to target Hamas in Rafah.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, Karine Jean, Pierre said, we’re, Jake Sullivan, Tony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Bill Burns, ”, CNN’s Jennifer Hansler Organizations: White House, CNN, UN Security, US Locations: Rafah, Gaza, “ Rafah

☆ Netanyahu’s decision to cancel Rafah meetings causes new rupture with Biden
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Kevin Liptak | Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Those alternatives will still be shared, American officials said, including in talks early this week between top Biden advisers and Israel’s defense minister. Hours after the delegation was canceled, Israeli minister Gideon Sa’ar submitted his resignation from the current government after not being included in the war cabinet. That led American officials to view Netanyahu’s statements Monday that the US had changed its position as peculiar and strange, the official said. Indeed, Biden’s advisers have been weighing various options for how to respond should the Rafah operation proceed. “We have no way to defeat Hamas without entering Rafah,” Netanyahu said after meetings at the end of last week with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Biden, Gideon Sa’ar, Donald Trump, “, hadn’t, Biden’s, Israel, –, Ramadan, “ I’ve, I’ve, Kamala Harris, Harris, ”, ” Biden, “ We’ll, ” Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, ” Blinken Organizations: Washington CNN, Israeli, United Nations Security, United Nations Security Council, UN, White, ABC, Democratic, Netanyahu Biden Locations: Washington, Gaza, Rafah, Israel, United States, American, Egypt

☆ Rep. Ocasio-Cortez defends accusing Israel of genocide in floor speech, “I believe we have crossed the threshold of intent”
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Michelle Shen | Aileen Graef | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday defended accusing Israel of genocide against the Palestinian people and advocating for cuts to US military aid until humanitarian relief flows freely in Gaza. Her decision to use the term genocide, as she did during a floor speech on Friday in the House chamber, was “taken with extraordinary gravity,” she said. But the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza has “crossed the threshold of intent,” Ocasio-Cortez told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”“As we speak, in this moment, 1.1 million innocents in Gaza are at famine’s door,” Ocasio-Cortez said in her speech Friday. “What we are seeing here, I think, with a forced famine is beyond our ability to deny or explain away,” Ocasio-Cortez told Tapper. Ocasio-Cortez told Tapper on Sunday that she disagrees with the Israeli government restricting the flow of food and aid until Hamas frees the hostages and lays down arms.

Persons: Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Israel, ” Ocasio, CNN’s Jake Tapper, ”, “, Tapper, Biden, Kamala Harris, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ” Harris ’, Jake Sullivan, Yoav Gallant, Barak Ravid, Sullivan, Gallant, CNN’s Becky Anderson Organizations: CNN — Rep, Hamas, Union, New York Democrat, Gaza Ministry, Health, Integrated, Sunday, Israeli, White, CNN Locations: Alexandria, Gaza, Israel, “ State, Rafah, Ocasio, unjustifiable

☆ Israel Faces Tough Balancing Act on Russia and the West
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Steven Erlanger | Adam Sella | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel, though heavily dependent on support from the United States, Germany and other Western nations, has been noticeably out of step with them when it comes to relations with Russia during its war of conquest in Ukraine. Long before Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, the country refused Ukrainian requests to send arms or to apply widespread sanctions on Russia, including stopping flights to the country. Despite the eagerness of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, himself Jewish, to visit the country and show solidarity after the attack, he has never made the trip. The reasons reflect Israel’s unique security needs and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s delicate relationship with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, a primary supporter of Israel’s enemies in the region whom Israel cannot afford to offend. As Israel’s war with Hamas enters its sixth month, Mr. Netanyahu needs Mr. Putin’s good will to help constrain Iran in particular and to continue to strike Iranian targets in Syria while trying to avoid harming the forces Russia maintains there.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Vladimir V, Putin, Netanyahu Organizations: Hamas Locations: Israel, United States, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Long, Gaza, Iran, Syria

CNN —The Israeli military launched an operation on Monday against Gaza’s largest hospital facility, Al-Shifa, where thousands of people are sheltering. “Military vehicles are firing at the hospital buildings’ windows, and at anyone who is caught moving between the hallways,” Hamada Abdelhadi, a displaced Palestinian man seeking shelter at Al-Shifa, told CNN. One witness who lives in nearby Gaza City told CNN he had seen “a big invasion of tanks” headed toward Al-Shifa. And dead bodies and those injured were pulled away by Israeli forces,” he told CNN by phone. During the first round of fighting at Al-Shifa in November, Israel urged Gaza’s northern residents to head south to seek refuge.

Persons: “, ”, Israel, ” Hamada Abdelhadi, Al Jazeera, Ismail Al, Abdelhadi, Abdullah Mohammed, ” Mohammed, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Shifa, –, Cindy McCain, Antonio Guterres, ” Guterres, Gazans, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Martin Griffiths, Daniel Hagari, CNN’s Amir Tal, Mostafa Salem, Joshua Berlinger Organizations: CNN, Gaza’s, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Health, Al, “, World Health Organization, WHO, United, Food, UN, Israeli Locations: Al, Gaza, –, Gaza City, Israel, United States, Rafah, United Nations

☆ Schumer calls for new election in Israel and sharply criticizes Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Clare Foran | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday criticized Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, calling for new elections in a speech on the Senate floor on the Israel-Hamas war. “As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me: The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7. The world has changed, radically, since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past,” said Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in America. “Five months into this conflict, it is clear that Israelis need to take stock of the situation and ask: must we change course?” he continued. Schumer also said his “heart also breaks at the loss of so many civilian lives in Gaza.”“I am anguished that the Israeli war campaign has killed so many innocent Palestinians,” he continued.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, ”, Schumer, ” Schumer, Biden, “, Mitch McConnell, Israel, ” McConnell, Ted Barrett Organizations: Israel, New, New York Democrat, GOP Locations: Israel, America, New York, Gaza, ”, Washington

☆ Opinion | Words Over Deeds: Why Biden Isn’t Pressuring Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Aaron David Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

One could be forgiven for thinking that President Biden’s tough words on the Israel-Hamas war in his State of the Union address and his MSNBC interview on Saturday was the beginning of a much more critical U.S. policy toward Israel. Nonetheless, far from presaging a major shift in policy, the president’s words and the vice president’s meeting were more likely part of the now familiar passive-aggressive approach the administration has deployed against the most extreme right-wing government in Israel’s history. But he has consistently refused to impose any serious consequences on Israel. The “I’m unhappy with Israel but won’t do much about it” policy is Mr. Biden’s policy — driven by the president’s pro-Israel sensibilities, politics and the policy choices he faces in dealing with the current war. At the same time, Mr. Biden surely knows that there are costs both at home and abroad for allowing Mr. Netanyahu to run roughshod over U.S. interests and values.

Persons: Biden’s, Kamala Harris’s, Benny Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, Biden, I’m Organizations: MSNBC, West Bank, Palestinian Locations: Israel, Gaza, presaging

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, Ramadan begins, Gaza ceasefire talks stall
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “viability as a leader” is “in jeopardy,” according to an annual unclassified threat assessment from the US intelligence community. “Distrust of Netanyahu’s ability to rule has deepened and broadened across the public from its already high levels before the war, and we expect large protests demanding his resignation and new elections,” according to the report released on Monday. The report also warns that Israel will struggle to defeat Hamas militarily. “Israel probably will face lingering armed resistance from HAMAS for years to come, and the military will struggle to neutralize HAMAS’s underground infrastructure, which allows insurgents to hide, regain strength, and surprise Israeli forces,” the report reads. Here are the latest headlines on the conflict:

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ”, Netanyahu, Israel Locations: Israel

☆ Opinion | Israel Has No Choice but to Fight On
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

On Saturday, President Biden warned that Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the war in Gaza was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel.” The Israeli prime minister replied the next day that Biden was “wrong.” The rift between the two leaders means that Israel risks losing its most important pillar of military and diplomatic support. I’ve argued that Israel has no choice but to destroy Hamas as an effective fighting force. Thousands of Gazan civilians, many of them children, have now been killed, bombed in their homes or out of them. Now they face a humanitarian catastrophe in the form of medicine and food shortages, even starvation. But I blame Hamas, not Israel, for the devastation.

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ”, I’ve Organizations: Hamas Locations: Gaza, Israel

☆ US intelligence report states Netanyahu’s viability to lead Israel is in jeopardy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | Michael Conte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The US intelligence community assesses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “viability as a leader” to be “in jeopardy,” according to its annual report on the national security threats facing the United States that was presented to Congress on Monday. The intelligence report notes that the Israeli population broadly supports the destruction of Hamas. It offers an around-the-world unclassified snapshot of how the intelligence community views the panoply of national security threats facing the United States. Beijing, according to the report, has more than tripled its export of goods with potential military use to Russia since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. China has provided “economy and security assistance to Russia’s war in Ukraine through support to Russia’s defense industrial base, including by providing dual-use material and components for weapons,” the report states.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ”, ” Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Biden, Netanyahu, Israel, “, Chris Wray, I’ve, ” Wray, Sen, Mark Warner of, Republican Sen, Jim Risch of, ” Warner, ” Risch, “ I’ve, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Bill Burns, Burns, Ukraine “, you’re, ” Burns Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Hamas, Senate, Congressional, Republican, Warner, Democratic, National Intelligence, CIA Locations: United States, Israel, Gaza, Mark Warner of Virginia, Jim Risch of Idaho, Ukraine, Russia, Beijing, Moscow, China

☆ Why ultra-Orthodox conscription could threaten Israel’s coalition
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Mick Krever | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In Israel’s nascent days, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion agreed with Haredi rabbis to exempt from military service 400 men studying in religious schools, or yeshivas. Now, those piecemeal attempts to maintain the Haredi exemption may be running out. When the government came to power in late 2022, forming the most right-wing coalition in Israel’s history, the Haredim sensed an opportunity. The Israeli military has had a significant number of soldiers wounded in Gaza and has instituted massive call ups. It’s no longer just politics.”A delicate momentSome in the Haredi political leadership, perhaps recognizing the delicate political moment, have been generally cautious in defining a position.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ” Yohanan Plesner, David Ben, Gurion, Israel –, Haredim, Knessets, IDI, Yoav Gallant, ”, Netanyahu, – Benny Gantz, –, ” Gantz, Plesner, ” Moshe Roth, Ofer Shelah, Yitzhak Goldknopf, Ari Kalman, “, doesn’t, Bnei Brak, Roth, Nechemia, it’s, It’s Organizations: CNN, Israel Democracy Institute, IDI, Israel’s, Institute for National Security Studies Locations: Israel, United States, United Kingdom, Gali Baharav, Gaza, Bnei

☆ Israel and Hamas distance themselves from Biden’s optimism on Gaza ceasefire deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Richard Allen Greene | Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Officials from Israel, Hamas and Qatar have cautioned against US President Joe Biden’s optimism that a hostage-for-ceasefire deal in Gaza could be reached by the end of this week, suggesting that differences remain as negotiators work to secure an agreement. The official said Israel was ready to make a deal under the right terms. “Israel will be ready to release [Palestinian] prisoners even today if conditions are met,” the official said. Nearly 30,000 people have died in Gaza since Israel waged war against Hamas on October 7, the health ministry inside the enclave has said. Almost 30,000 people have died in Gaza since Israel waged war on Hamas on October 7, according to the health ministry in the enclave.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Biden, “, ”, Israel, Basem Naim, ” Naim, ” Majed Al, Ansari, we’re, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Al Jazeera, Mahmoud Issa Organizations: CNN, Qatar Foreign Ministry, Hamas, Reuters, UN Locations: Israel, Qatar, Gaza, New York City, Al, Egypt, Paris, Rafah

☆ Opinion | Myth and Reality in Israel’s Hostage Negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Dahlia Scheindlin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israelis were exhilarated when two hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7 were rescued this month in a daring raid by the Israeli military. It wasn’t just the thrill of seeing the hostages alive in their families’ arms. The rescue reminded many of Israel’s stunning hostage rescue in Entebbe, Uganda, in 1976, when more than 100 hostages from an airplane hijacked by militant Palestinians and Germans were freed. But the myth of invincibility Entebbe engendered was always flawed: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s own brother was killed in the raid. Today, there is no such military option for liberating hostages on a large scale, and the negotiation effort to release Israeli hostages from Hamas’s grip is not at all exhilarating.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, “ Organizations: Hamas, Israel’s Defense Ministry Locations: Gaza, Entebbe, Uganda, Israel

☆ What to watch for in the Michigan presidential primaries
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Gregory Krieg | Eric Bradner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“This is not an anti-Biden campaign,” Layla Elabed, a leader of the Listen to Michigan campaign, told CNN. Here’s what to watch for in Michigan:The first ballot test of Biden’s Israel strategyJust how committed are Michigan Democrats to Biden? Republicans opposed an earlier Michigan primary, and it violated Republican National Committee rules limiting which states can hold contests before March 1. After Democrats who control the legislature and the governor’s office moved the Michigan primary to February 27 despite GOP opposition, the RNC and Michigan GOP came up with the hybrid model. Tests for Biden, Trump in key stateThe drama within both the Democratic and Republican contests is playing out in one of the nation’s most important presidential swing states.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Israel –, Health –, Israel, Biden, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, uncommitted, ” Layla Elabed, “, It’s, ”, Nikki Haley, Trump, –, Haley, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, Abdullah Hammoud, Joe Biden, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, ” Hammoud, Biden –, ” Biden, Seth Meyers, “ We’re, it’s, —, Pete Hoekstra, Kristina Karamo, Hoekstra, Gretchen Whitmer Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Health, Biden, Republican, Trump, South Carolina Gov, Republicans ’, GOP, Michigan Democrats, Gaza’s Ministry of Health, United Nations, White, Dearborn, New York Times, ” Movement, ” CNN, Michigan Republican, Michigan, Republicans, Committee, RNC, Michigan GOP, Democratic, United Auto Workers, Black Locations: Michigan, Gaza, Dearborn, South Carolina, Israel, United States, Trump, — demoting Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

☆ Israeli military presents plan for evacuating Gaza’s population from ‘fighting areas’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Rob Picheta | Nic Robertson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Tel Aviv, Israel CNN —The Israeli military has submitted a plan to the war cabinet for “evacuating the population” of Gaza from areas of fighting, amid warnings that an offensive on the southern city of Rafah will take place soon. That “upcoming operational plan” was submitted for approval on Monday, Netanyahu’s office said, though its Monday statement did not mention Rafah by name. CNN has not seen a copy of the plan. Israel has already targeted Rafah with near-daily airstrikes, while preparing for a ground offensive in the city. Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty ImagesThe US has warned it would not support a campaign on the city without a “credible” plan to evacuate Palestinians.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ”, Ahmad Hasaballah, ” Netanyahu, Israel “, it’ll, Jake Sullivan, I’m, ” Sullivan, CNN’s Dana Bash Organizations: Israel CNN, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, White, National, CNN Sunday Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, ”, Qatar, United States, Paris

☆ US says ‘understanding’ reached at Gaza hostage talks but negotiations continue
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Camila Dechalus | Sam Fossum | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Negotiators have come to an “understanding” on the broad contours of a potential deal to release hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN Sunday. An Israeli delegation, including Mossad director David Barnea, joined talks with CIA director Bill Burns and Egyptian and Qatar negotiators in Paris on Friday. Qatar and Egypt serve as intermediaries between Hamas and Israel, which do not talk directly to each other. Crucially, Hamas has not yet signed onto this possible framework and any possible final deal is still, at the earliest, days away as negotiators continue to hammer out the actual details. But we will have to wait and see.”When pressed by Bash on how hopeful he was about a potential deal, Sullivan declined to weigh in: “There’s been a lot of to’ing and fro’ing.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, David Barnea, Bill Burns, I’m, ” Sullivan, CNN’s Dana, Bash, Sullivan, “, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ”, they’ve Organizations: CNN, National, CNN Sunday, CIA, Qatar, Union, Israeli, Fox News Locations: Gaza, Paris, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, United States, ‘ State

☆ As Gaza War Grinds On, Israel Prepares for a Prolonged Conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Adam Rasgon | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As the war in Gaza rages on, the situation in the battered enclave is one of devastation and despair. More than 29,000 people have been killed, according to Gaza health officials, the majority in a relentless Israeli bombing campaign. While global scrutiny grows over Israel’s conduct in the war, the Israeli military, by its assessment, has delivered a major blow to the capabilities of Hamas, killing commanders, destroying tunnels and confiscating weapons. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal of destroying Hamas remains elusive, according to current and former Israeli security officials. An Israeli military intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under military protocol, said that Israel was engaged in a comprehensive mission to unravel Hamas’s military capabilities.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Israel Locations: Gaza, Israeli

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