DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Israeli minister calls for voluntary emigration of Gazans
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I welcome the initiative of the voluntary emigration of Gaza Arabs to countries around the world," Smotrich said in a statement. "This is the right humanitarian solution for the residents of Gaza and the entire region after 75 years of refugees, poverty and danger." Most ended up in neighbouring Arab states, and Arab leaders have said any latter-day move to displace Palestinians would be unacceptable. Israeli leaders have vowed to destroy Hamas and rescue the hostages. However there has been little clarity about Israel's longer term intentions, and countries including the United States have said that Gaza should be governed by Palestinians.

Persons: Abu Mustafa, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Bezalel Smotrich, Smotrich, Israel, Netanyahu, James Mackenzie, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Israeli, Finance, Israel, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States

☆ Israelis are arming up in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack. Some are worried it is playing to the far right’s vision for the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Tara John | Adi Koplewitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“We saw this in the first days of the war, wherever there were weapons, the scale of the disaster was smaller,” Ben Gvir said in a press release. Critics see it as part of a far-right vision to inflame Israeli-Palestinian relations in the country, especially in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Some in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, such as Ben Gvir and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, support annexing the West Bank. When CNN asked Ben Gvir at the Caesarea event last week whether his actions were inciting violence against Palestinians, CNN was kicked out of the ceremony. He adds that arming people like that “is only showing what he (Ben Gvir) is trying to cause, which is chaos.”CNN has reached out to Eliasi for comment.

Persons: Itamar Ben Gvir, ’, “, Ben Gvir, ” Ben Gvir’s, Mariam Barghouti, Ben Gvir’s, , ”, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Bezalel Smotrich, we’re, we’ll, Itamar Ben, Gvir, William Bonnett, Amichay Eliyahu, Ben, Eliyahu, Roy Malkan, ” Malkan, Yoav Eliasi, Ori Givati, Guy Ben, Israel’s Ben, ” Ben, Porat, Liat Eisner, We’re, Eisner, she’s, Netanyahu’s, I’m Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Ministry of National Security, West Bank, Power, New York Times, “, Jewish Power, CNN, Palestinian Ministry of Health, The United Nations, Israeli National Security, Israel Defense Forces, Heritage, ”, ” CNN, Reuters, Survey, Israel’s, Gurion University, ” Protesters, Ben, ” Security Locations: Caesarea, Jerusalem, Israel, Judea, Samaria, Palestinian, East Jerusalem, Abdelathim, Qusra, Nablus, Judaea, ”, Ben Gvir’s, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Swiss

☆ The Israel-Palestine Conflict Has Been Raging for 75 Years - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Dalia Hatuqa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

For the past month, normal life in Ramallah — a city in the West Bank usually known for its young population and its vibrant nightlife — has been brought to a standstill. It’s part of the atmosphere of escalating violence that has killed more than 130 Palestinians living in the West Bank since Oct. 7. But these were usually preceded by times of increased conflict, such as the first and second intifadas, or popular uprisings. In the West Bank, morale is low on the quiet streets. In the West Bank, we look around, and wonder: Could it happen here?

Persons: Shireen Abu Akleh, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Israel —, Benjamin Netanyahu, —, wasn’t, Dalia Hatuqa Organizations: West Bank, Al, National Security, New York, Facebook, Twitter Locations: Ramallah —, Gaza, Jenin, Al Jazeera, West, Israel, Qumya, Palestinian

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Tuesday said it imposed a third round of sanctions on a group of Hamas officials, members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad who work to transfer money from Iran to Gaza, and a Lebanese money exchange service that facilitates the transfers. The Treasury Department sanctions, coordinated with the United Kingdom, come in response to the surprise Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel that left roughly 1,200 people dead or kidnapped. The sanctions block access to U.S. property and bank accounts and prevent the targeted people and companies from doing business with Americans. This and two previous rounds of sanctions against Hamas and its affiliates are aimed at protecting the international financial system from abuse by Hamas militants and their enablers, the Treasury Department said. The State Department also is designating a Palestinian Islamic Jihad military leader for diplomatic sanctions.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Antony Blinken, “, Joe Biden, David Cameron, Mohammed Deif, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: WASHINGTON, Islamic, Treasury Department, Hamas, The State Department, Jihad, Israel, Iranian, U.S, Health Ministry, Foreign Locations: United States, Islamic Jihad, Iran, Gaza, Lebanese, United Kingdom, Israel, U.S, Syria, Iraq, West Bank, israel

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the White House initiative on climate change, at the White House in Washington, November 14, 2023. "Hang in there, we're coming," Biden said at the White House, when asked by reporters what his message to family members of hostages was. Hamas fighters surged across the border from Gaza into Israel on Oct.7, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials. The Israeli bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, around 40% of them children, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled territory. Reuters last week reported that Qatar, where several political leaders of Hamas are based, has been leading mediation efforts between Hamas and Israeli officials over the hostages.

Persons: Joe Biden, Tom Brenner, we're, Biden, Brett McGurk, Israel, Andrea Shalal, Steve Holland, Susan Heavey, Katharine Jackson, Doina Chiaacu, Deepa Babington Organizations: White, REUTERS, Rights, West Bank, Gaza, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, United States

☆ In Israel and Gaza, Biden Needs to Do More to Build Peace - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

It may not be possible to end the Gaza war this year, establish a post-Hamas peace in Gaza and restart a process to give Palestinians the state they deserve. Biden may be the single most popular person in Israel today, and the United States has leverage as Israel’s most important ally and diplomatic protector. Biden’s forceful backing of Israel after the Hamas terror attack won him enormous gratitude from a people not much used to such unequivocal support. To his credit, Biden has tried to nudge Israel in this direction, as has Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The Biden administration has already encouraged Israel to ratchet its assault on Gaza several notches toward the surgical end, by using smaller bombs and allowing humanitarian pauses.

Persons: Biden, Antony Blinken, They’ve, —, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, ”, General David Petraeus, Israel, Marwan Barghouti, Palestine’s Mandela Organizations: Israel, United Nations, Gaza Health Ministry, State Department, The United Nations, Israeli Army, Biden, United Nations Security Council, Jewish, West Bank Locations: Israel, Palestine, Gaza, United States, Iran, America, Iraq, Jerusalem

As a Palestinian resident of the West Bank, Handal needs a permit to enter Jerusalem. Israel controls all entry and exit points to the West Bank through roadblocks and checkpoints which are staffed by soldiers and armed police. Ivana Kottasova/CNNIsrael has occupied the West Bank since seizing the territory from Jordanian military occupation in 1967. In the early 1990s, under the Oslo Accords peace agreements, the West Bank was divided into three distinct zones: A, B and C.Area C, which comprises about 60% of the West Bank, is fully Israeli-controlled and forms one continuous territory. The increased violence is forcing many West Bank residents to stay at home.

Persons: Joseph Handal, ” Handal, Israel, Bani Moufleh, ‘ I’ll, ”, Mohammad Jamil, Jamil, Ibrahim, Ibrahim –, Ivana Kottasova, CNN Israel, Volker Turk, “, ” Turk, Mohamad Torokman, Joe Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Handal Organizations: West Bank CNN —, West Bank, CNN, Hamas, Getty, International Labour Organization, Palestinian Authority, West Bank ., Bank, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Jihad, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Fourth Geneva Convention, Reuters, ” Locations: Bethlehem, Old City, Jerusalem, Bethlehem ., Palestinian, Israel, Territories, Nablus, Tulkarem, Hebron, Oslo, Israeli, West Bank . Cities, Handal’s, Oslo Accords, Ramallah, That’s, “

☆ Opinion | Violence by West Bank Settlers Cannot Be Ignored
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Serge Schmemann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

“I continue to be alarmed about extremist settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank; pouring gasoline on fire is what it’s like,” President Biden recently said. Despite the national preoccupation with Gaza over the past month — or perhaps because of it — the zealots have kept at it. Mr. Smotrich has called for widening Palestinian no-go areas around Israeli settlements, including a ban on Palestinians harvesting olives near the settlements. In that same time, three Israeli soldiers were killed in attacks by Palestinians. Mr. Saleh was shot dead, the seventh Palestinian to be killed by settlers since Oct. 7.

Persons: Biden, “, Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Smotrich, Ben, Bilal Mohammad Saleh, Saleh Organizations: West Bank, ”, Hamas, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, The Times Locations: Israel, West Bank, Judea, Samaria, Gaza, Palestinian

☆ Israel Must Protect Palestinians in the West Bank - UN Rights Chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

AMMAN (Reuters) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday that Israel must take immediate measures to protect Palestinians in the West Bank as they find themselves targeted by more violence since the conflict with Hamas erupted last month. "I also appeal, as a matter of urgency, for Israeli authorities to take immediate measures, to take steps to ensure the protection of Palestinians in the West Bank, who are being on a daily basis subjected to violence from Israeli forces and settlers, ill treatment, arrests, evictions, intimidation and humiliation," Volker Turk told reporters in the Jordanian capital of Amman. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi in Amman and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Geneva; Editing by Linda Pasquini)

Persons: Israel, Volker Turk, Suleiman Al, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Linda Pasquini Organizations: United Nations, Human Rights, West Bank, Hamas Locations: AMMAN, Jordanian, Amman, Khalidi, Geneva

☆ Opinion | We Still Have Time to Stop the Worst
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Omer Bartov | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

But are Israel’s actions — as the nation’s opponents argue — verging on ethnic cleansing or, most explosively, genocide? That means two important things: First, we need to define what it is that we are seeing, and second, we have the chance to stop the situation before it gets worse. That’s well over five times as many people as the more than 1,400 people in Israel murdered by Hamas. War crimes are defined in the 1949 Geneva Conventions and subsequent protocols as serious violations of the laws and customs of war in international armed conflict against both combatants and civilians. There is still time to stop Israel from letting its actions become a genocide.

Persons: —, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gazans, “, Amalek, Yoav Gallant, Ghassan Alian, Giora Eiland, Amichai Friedman, Netanyahu Organizations: Gaza Health Ministry, Criminal, United Nations, Israel Defense Forces, ”, Israeli Ministry of Intelligence, Nahal Brigade, West Bank, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington , D.C Locations: Gaza, Israel, Geneva, Rome, The State, Sinai, Lebanon, ”, Washington ,, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem

☆ Israel-Hamas war live updates: Gaza health ministry says hospitals hit in overnight strikes; Israel agrees daily pauses in fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache Katrina Bishop | Ruxandra Iordache | Katrina Bishop | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk again called for a cease-fire in the Israeli-Hamas war and for the release of hostages held by the Palestinian militant group, while urging Israel to protect civilians in the West Bank. Türk condemned the "atrocious attacks" of Hamas on Oct. 7, which should "outrage each and every one of us," as well as the "indiscriminate effects" of Israeli attacks in densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip. He said the U.N. human rights agency continues to monitor strikes against hospitals in the Gaza enclave, adding, "Considering the predictable high level of civilian casualty and the wide scale of destruction of civilian objects we have very serious concerns that these amount to disproportionate attacks in breach of international humanitarian law." Israel has repeatedly said it does not target civilians and sets out to demilitarize Hamas positions. — Ruxandra Iordache

Persons: Volker Türk, Türk, — Organizations: Human, Hamas, West Bank, West Bank – Locations: Palestinian, Israel, Gaza, Jordan

☆ Jenin: 14 killed in West Bank city after Israeli incursion, Palestinian health ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Zeena Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —At least 14 Palestinians were killed in the refugee camp Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, following an Israeli military raid, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Militants and Israeli forces can be heard exchanging gunfire. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said Thursday that the death toll in the West Bank has risen to 176. The Palestinians were either killed by Israeli forces or Jewish settlers, the ministry said. Hours later, videos obtained by CNN shows the forces surrounding the house and the explosion inside the refugee camp.

Persons: “, Ibn Sina, Asil Suead Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israel Defense Forces, “ Engineering, Central Command, Israeli Army Radio, IDF, “, Israeli Border Police, Israel Police, Jerusalem Border Police, Border Police Locations: Jenin, “ Camp, Israeli, Gaza, Jerusalem, East Jerusalem

AMMAN/GENEVA, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief on Friday urged an investigation into what he called Israel's use of "high-impact explosive weapons" in Gaza, which he said was causing indiscriminate destruction in the besieged Palestinian enclave. Israel's air, sea and land bombardment of Gaza, accompanied now by a ground assault deep inside the territory, aims to destroy the militant group Hamas which controls Gaza. Israel's subsequent bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 10,000 Palestinians according to health authorities in the Palestinian enclave. "The extensive Israeli bombardment of Gaza, including the use of high-impact explosive weapons in densely populated areas ... is clearly having a devastating humanitarian and human rights impact," Turk told a news conference during a visit to Jordan's capital Amman. "But such conduct by Palestinian armed groups does not absolve Israel of its obligation to ensure that civilians are spared."

Persons: Volker Turk, Turk, Israel, Suleiman Al, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Emma Farge, Maytaal, John Davison, Linda Pasquini, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Human Rights, West Bank, Thomson Locations: AMMAN, GENEVA, Gaza, Israel, Amman, Khalidi, Geneva, Jerusalem, Beirut

☆ Palestinian Authority Open to Gaza Role if U.S. Backs 2-State Solution
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Mark Landler | More About Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Palestinian Authority has told the Biden administration that it is open to a governance role in post-Hamas Gaza if the United States commits to a full-fledged two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to a top official of its parent, the Palestine Liberation Organization. American officials say the Palestinian Authority must play a central role in Gaza after Israel completes its military mission to destroy Hamas, which the authorities say killed 1,400 civilians and soldiers in its Oct. 7 attacks. The Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank, has signaled that it is willing to take on a such a role. Mr. al-Sheikh said he had no confidence that the current Israeli government, which has pushed to annex large parts of the West Bank, would agree to those terms. “Where is the partner on the Israeli side?” he asked.

Persons: Biden, Hussein al, ’, Antony J, Blinken, Sheikh, Israel Organizations: Palestinian Authority, Palestine Liberation Organization, West Bank, The New York Times, White, Hamas Locations: Gaza, United, Palestine, East Jerusalem, Ramallah, Israel, Palestinian

☆ Opinion | The Road Back From Hell
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Daniel Levy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

The nations opposing a cease-fire — Israel, the United States, some European countries and a few others — might acknowledge the perils looming. The United States would need to push for such an outcome, working alongside Qatar and regional states that have Israel’s ear. Revived Palestinian national political structures will be a critical component in advancing broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution after this war. The road back from the hell of a zero-sum “us or them” begins with the humanizing of the other. Maybe it’s a road that eventually leads us back to a two-state dispensation.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel nixed, Bill Burns, Netanyahu, Israel, Israel’s overreach, ” Organizations: Gaza Health Ministry, West Bank, Qatar, Palestinian, Palestinian Authority, Palestine Liberation Organization, Nations Locations: Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Lebanon, United States, U.S, Qatar, Oslo

☆ More questions than answers as Israeli PM Netanyahu seeks security control over Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( James Mackenzie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference with defense minister Yoav Gallant and Cabinet minister Benny Gantz in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv , Israel , 28 October 2023. The challenges that are likely to confront any reshaped Israeli security mechanism have already been clearly demonstrated during more than 18 months of increasingly violent clashes in the nearby occupied West Bank. The PA used to run both Gaza and the West Bank, but was forcibly ousted from Gaza by Hamas in 2007, and now only governs sections of the West Bank, which is dotted with ever-growing Jewish settlements. Dermer said that while Israeli troops had physically entered West Bank towns, they had essentially been absent from Gaza for the last 17 years. Jordan's former deputy prime minister, Marwan Muasher, told Reuters he had seen no convincing initiative on how Gaza might be governed once the conflict ended.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Benny Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Israel, Netanyahu, Gantz, Ron Dermer, Antony Blinken, It's, Ariel Sharon, Mohammad Shtayyeh, Dermer, Jordan's, Marwan Muasher, Muasher, James Mackenzie, John Geddie, Crispian Balmer, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Rights, U.S, NBC, United Nations, Israel, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian, Reuters, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, ABIR, Gaza, Palestinian, United States, Tokyo, West, Oslo, Nablus, Jenin, West Bank, Washington, Dubai

☆ Belgium wants sanctions against Israel for Gaza bombings - deputy PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from Sderot in southern Israel, November 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Belgium's deputy prime minister called on the Belgian government on Wednesday to adopt sanctions against Israel and investigate the bombings of hospitals and refugee camps in Gaza. “It is time for sanctions against Israel. Israel struck at Gaza in response to a Hamas raid on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which gunmen killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Terror costs money and there must be sanctions on the companies and people who provide Hamas with money," De Sutter said.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Petra De Sutter, ”, Israel, De Sutter, Marine Strauss, Chizu Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Belgian, Israel, Nieuwsblad, European Union, EU, International Criminal, UN, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Sderot, Rights BRUSSELS, European, Belgium, The Hague

At the first two debates, Mr. DeSantis played the front-runner, attacking his opponents only when he was hit first. This has not been an easy stretch for Mr. DeSantis, in no small part because of the attacks from Mr. Trump on everything from his foreign policy credentials to his height. Mr. DeSantis has staked his bid on his performance in the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses on Jan. 15. Mr. DeSantis offered a similar criticism of the president while campaigning in New Hampshire in October. Unless Mr. Trump makes a dramatic last-minute appearance on the stage, that seems unlikely to change.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy —, Donald J, Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, It’s Nikki Haley’s, Haley, Mike Pence —, DeSantis, “ Haley, ”, Mike Murphy, Ms, Will, Haley’s, Kim Reynolds, Christie, I’ve, haven’t, Mike Johnson’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Donald Trump, Bibi Netanyahu, Scott, Mr, Ramaswamy Organizations: — Gov, Wednesday, Miami, Republican National Committee, South, United Nations, New, NBC, Trump, Republican Party, Democrats, Israel, Democratic Party, Republican Jewish Coalition, Republican Locations: Miami, Milwaukee, Tuscaloosa, Ala, South Carolina, United, Florida, New Jersey, Iowa, Ukraine, New Hampshire, “

Israeli troops have been battling Palestinian militants inside Gaza for over a week, and have succeeded in cutting the territory in half and encircling Gaza City. About 1,400 people in Israel have died, mostly civilians killed in the Oct. 7 incursion by Hamas that started the war. The military says a one-way corridor for residents of Gaza City and surrounding areas to flee south remains available. Residents in northern Gaza reported heavy battles overnight into Tuesday morning in the outskirts of Gaza City. Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war.

Persons: KHAN YOUNIS, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Netanyahu, Joe Biden's, Marwan Abdullah, ”, Mohamed Zaqout, Khan Younis, —, Mahmoud Abbas, Antony Blinken, Abbas, we’ve, ___ Magdy Organizations: Hamas, ABC News, White, United, Palestinian, United Nations, Health Ministry, Gaza, Associated Press, West Bank Locations: Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, Washington ,, Khan, Jerusalem, Egypt, rearming, Palestinian, Lebanon, Rafah, Cairo, ___, israel

☆ Israeli troops arrest Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi in West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Israeli military said it apprehended Ahed Tamimi, 22, in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. The text threatened to "slaughter" Israel's West Bank settlers. Violence has also flared in the West Bank, which has seen regular clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinians. Since Oct. 7, Israeli troops have killed at least 141 Palestinians in the territory, including 43 children, according to U.N. figures. Reporting by Ismael Khader in Nabi Saleh, West Bank; Writing by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ahed Tamimi, Raneen, NABI SALEH, Nabi Saleh, Tamimi, Nariman Tamimi, Hitler, Ismael Khader, Rami Ayyub, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Bank, REUTERS, West Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Nabi Saleh, West, West Bank, Israel, Gaza

☆ U.S. Gun Sale to Israeli Police Raises Human-Rights Concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Jared Malsin | Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Israel’s military said its forces conducted wide-scale assaults on Hamas infrastructure in Gaza. Several Palestinian families have taken refuge in vehicles after evacuating the northern part of the enclave. The decision, made in recent days, includes the transfer of roughly $30 million worth of automatic and semiautomatic weapons through licenses approved by the State Department. It comes as U.S. support for the campaign Israel is waging against the Palestinian-Islamist militant group Hamas inside Gaza receives new scrutiny. The international community has grown alarmed as thousands of innocent civilians caught up in the conflict have been killed with airstrikes and other operations as part of the Israeli ground incursion.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, Israeli, police, State Department, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian

☆ National Geographic announces 2024 ‘cool list’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

City breaksFor great food, museums and nightlife, head to some of the cities featured on National Geographic’s list. States of beingIn several cases, National Geographic highlighted entire states. National Geographic advises not only visiting New York City – the Empire State is also home to some natural beauty at Lake Placid and Niagara Falls. Meanwhile, National Geographic also lauded the northern Indian state of Sikkim, which is nestled in the Himalayas near the country’s borders with Bhutan and Nepal. Natural wondersThe National Geographic list is heavy on beautiful natural destinations.

Persons: •, Italy •, Germany •, Chile •, Argentina • Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, National Geographic, New, Geographic, Northern Ireland • Emilia, Scotland •, Finland •, Peru •, Peru • New York State, Argentina • Akagera Locations: Europe, Albania, China, Lima, Peru, Tainan, Taiwan’s, Texas, New York, New York City, Lake Placid, Niagara Falls, , Texas, Victoria, Australian, Melbourne, Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal, Nova Scotia, Canada, Chile, Dominica, Madagascar, Scotland, Galloway and Southern Ayrshire, Albanian, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Romagna, Italy, • Galloway, Southern Ayrshire, Scotland • Nordland, Norway, North Yorkshire, England, Italy • Saimaa, Finland, Finland • Tartu, Estonia, Germany, Germany • Valletta, Malta, Wales, Ireland, Atacama, Chile • Lima, Peru • New York, Miami, Florida, Dominica • Nova Scotia, Yucatan, Mexico, Wetlands, Argentina, Rwanda, Madagascar • Sierra Leone, India, Taiwan, Australia

☆ Jordan open to 'all options' as Gaza conflict intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Jordan also announced last week that Israel's ambassador, who left Amman shortly after Hamas' attack, would not be allowed to come back, effectively declaring him persona non grata. "All options are on the table for Jordan in our dealing with the Israeli aggression on Gaza and its repercussions," Khasawneh, whose country signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, told state media. Khasawneh said Israel's siege of the densely populated Gaza was not self-defence as it maintains. Jordan is reviewing its economic, security and political ties with Israel and may freeze or revoke parts of its peace treaty if the Gaza conflict worsens, diplomats familiar with Jordanian thinking said. The Israel-Hamas war has reawakened long-standing fears in Jordan, home to a large population of Palestinian refugees and their descendants.

Persons: Bisher, Najib Mikati, Mohamed Azakir, Jordan, Bisher al Khasawneh, Khasawneh, Israel, King Abdullah, Jens Stoltenberg, Ayman Safadi, Safadi, Jordan's, Antony Blinken, William Burns, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Mark Heinrich, Lisa Shumaker, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Jordanian, Lebanese, REUTERS, Rights, Jordan, West Bank, NATO, U.S, CIA, Thomson Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Rights AMMAN, Gaza, Israel, Amman, Jordan, Palestine, Brussels, Jerusalem, Jordanian, U.S

☆ Israeli Troops Arrest Palestinian Activist Ahed Tamimi in West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Israeli military said it apprehended Ahed Tamimi, 22, in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. The text threatened to "slaughter" Israel's West Bank settlers. Violence has also flared in the West Bank, which has seen regular clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinians. Since Oct. 7, Israeli troops have killed at least 141 Palestinians in the territory, including 43 children, according to U.N. figures. (Reporting by Ismael Khader in Nabi Saleh, West Bank; Writing by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Persons: NABI SALEH, Ahed Tamimi, Nabi Saleh, Tamimi, Nariman Tamimi, Hitler, Ismael Khader, Rami Ayyub, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: West Bank, Reuters, Bank Locations: West Bank, Israel, Gaza, West

The three proposed tranches of semiautomatic and automatic rifles are valued at $34 million and are being ordered directly from American gunmakers, but they require State Department approval and congressional notification. U.S. officials attributed that to the encouragement of settlers by the far-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and statements by some Israeli officials supporting the annexation of the West Bank. Since Oct. 7, more than 150 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank — nearly equal to the number in all of 2022, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Settler intimidation of Palestinians, leading to their displacement from strategic areas of the West Bank, makes any prospect of that much more difficult. State Department officials who oversee weapons sales have discussed potential concerns with Israeli counterparts.

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr, ”, Antony J, Blinken, Mahmoud Abbas, “, Jessica Lewis Organizations: State Department, West Bank, Department, New York Times, The State Department, West Bank —, Palestinian Health Ministry, Palestinian Authority, The Times, Israeli National Police Locations: United States, U.S, American, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Ramallah, Sunday, Israel, I.N.P

Search resuls for: "Settlers"

25 mentions found