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☆ How Joe Biden’s red line on Israel went from a ‘parlor game’ to a murky milestone
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Many Democrats, along with foreign leaders who the US counts as allies, say Israel’s actions clearly cross a red line – if not Biden’s, then their own and those of international law. Would that be a red line?” MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart asked during an interview. His answer, with its incomplete sentences, did not state what might constitute a violation of the red line or what his response would be. “I went over the red line issue, which I know is the obsession of this group, last week. Whether Biden drew a red line or not, his counterpart in Israel found reason to dismiss the president’s comments.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Biden’s, Jake Sullivan, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Sara Jacobs, Antony Blinken, “ I’m, ” Sullivan, Israel, Netanyahu, –, Jonathan Capehart, I’m, ”, … ” Biden, didn’t, I’ve, it’s, we’ve, ” Netanyahu, CNN’s Erin Burnett, “ We’re, Blinken, Kamala Harris, John Kirby, Kirby, CNN’s Alex Marquardt Organizations: Philadelphia CNN, CNN, Democrats, Foreign, White, Biden, Press, Gaza Health Ministry, White House Locations: Rafah, Israel, United States, California, American, Gaza, “, I’m, That’s

☆ Blinken Hints U.S. May Accept Ukrainian Strikes in Russia With American Arms
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken suggested on Wednesday that the Biden administration could be open to tolerating strikes by the Ukrainian military inside Russia, saying that the United States would “adapt and adjust” its stance based on changing conditions on the battlefield. Mr. Blinken said that the United States had neither encouraged nor enabled such attacks. But he said that the Ukrainians needed to make their own decisions on how to best defend themselves — a position he has stated before — and that the U.S. government had “adapted and adjusted as necessary” as the war evolves. When asked by a reporter whether his words meant the United States could support attacks by Ukraine inside Russia, he said, “Adapt and adjust means exactly that.”Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Washington has sent the Ukrainians military aid but has repeatedly asked that they not fire U.S.-made weapons into Russian territory for fear of escalating the war.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Biden, — Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Washington, U.S

☆ From Allies and Advisers, Pressure Grows on Biden to Allow Attacks on Russian Territory
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden is edging toward what may prove to be one of his most consequential decisions in the Ukraine war: whether to reverse his ban on shooting American weapons into Russian territory. He has long resisted authorizing Ukraine to use U.S. weapons inside Russia because of concern it could escalate into a direct American confrontation with a nuclear-armed adversary. Now, after months of complaints about the restrictions from Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, the White House has begun a formal — and apparently rapid — reassessment of whether to take the risk. Approving further uses of U.S. weapons would give Kyiv a way to conduct counterattacks on artillery and missile sites that now enjoy something of a safe haven just inside Russia. On Wednesday, in Moldova, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken became the first administration official to publicly leave open the possibility that the Biden administration might “adapt and adjust” its stance about attacking inside Russia with American weapons, based on changing battlefield conditions.

Persons: Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Antony J, Blinken Organizations: White Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moldova

CNN —Eighteen people, including a 12-year-old girl, are among those killed in a Russian strike that hit a large store in Kharkiv on Saturday, regional officials have said, making it the deadliest attack Ukraine has endured in several weeks. He said that 48 people were injured in the strike that hit the megastore building while nearly 200 people were inside. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city, which sits near its border with Russia, has seen a spate of Russian attacks in recent weeks. Emergency workers carry out the body of a victim of a Russian strike that hit a large store in Kharkiv. Photographs from inside the store following the attack show the building in complete ruin, with burnt stock and collapsed walls.

Persons: Oleh Syniehubov, Ihor Klymenko, Maria Myronenko, Iryna, Serhii Bolvinov, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Ukraine’s, Pedro Sánchez, ” Sanchez, Zelensky, Antony Blinken Organizations: CNN, Getty, Catholic University, Investigative Department, Kharkiv Regional Police, Zelensky, Patriot, United States Locations: Kharkiv, Ukraine, Ukraine’s, Russia, Kostiantyn, Spain, Madrid, Spanish, ”

☆ Bipartisan congressional delegation visits Taiwan following days of Chinese military drills around island
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Avery Lotz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Sunday following the election of the island’s new president and after days of Chinese military drills. The US will continue to stand by our steadfast partner and work to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. US officials condemned the drills, with the State Department urging the Chinese to “act with restraint.”Two years ago, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island, marking the first time a US House speaker had traveled to Taiwan in 25 years. Her visit was met with days of large-scale military drills and warnings of a “severe impact” on US-China relations from the Chinese government. In April 2023, then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy similarly defied threats from China, presenting a united front with then-President Tsai Ing-wen in a California meeting.

Persons: Michael McCaul, Lai Ching, China’s, Putin, Xi, ” McCaul, Xi Jinping, ”, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, Tsai Ing, “, Antony Blinken Organizations: CNN — House Foreign, Communist Party, US, Taiwan, House Foreign Affairs Committee, ” CNN, State Department Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, “ Taiwan, Taiwan Strait, America, Asia, China, California

☆ Israel faces unprecedented challenges as legal and diplomatic pressure mounts
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Abbas Al Lawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Never before has the Jewish state come under such intense and sustained international pressure from multiple fronts for its policies towards the Palestinians. But the most significant of those may be the legal and diplomatic action taken against Israel this month. They have accused critics of antisemitism and vowed not to relent in the face of international pressure. Israel and the US maintain that a Palestinian state should only be established through a negotiated settlement. This week, Ireland, Spain and Norway announced plans to formally recognize a Palestinian state, saying they hope the move would prod other European nations to follow suit.

Persons: CNN — It’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Sudan’s Omar Al Bashir, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Libya’s, Israel’s, ” Netanyahu, Yolanda Díaz, Israel, Netanyahu, Bill Burns, Gallant, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Karim Khan, Putin, ”, Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Antony Blinken, we’re, Lindsey Graham Organizations: CNN, Criminal Court, International Court of Justice, Hamas, United Nations, UN, Assembly, US, CIA, AFP, Getty, ICJ, ICC, Global Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Palestinian, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Palestine, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Germany, Nicaragua, United Kingdom, France

☆ Haiti: Why Kenya-led security assistance has still not arrived
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Caitlin Hu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Who are Haiti’s gangs? Complicating the situation is a torrent of smuggled guns and ammunition arming Haiti’s gangs, despite an arms embargo on the island. In October last year, the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) was finally greenlit by the United Nations’ powerful Security Council. More equipment, including armored vehicles and radios, is expected to arrive in Haiti for the MSS over the coming days and weeks. “We believe only the Haitian police can provide long term security for Haiti.

Persons: puncturing, Joe Biden, William Ruto, ” Ruto, ”, Viv Ansamn, Jovenel Moise, Antony Blinken, Al, Bill O’Neill, Ariel Henry, Ayub Abdikadir, Ruto, El Salvador, Felix Ulloa, “, SPNH17, Nou Pap, ’ Organizations: CNN, Kenyan, Haitian, Haiti’s National Police, Relations, Multinational Security, Multinational, United Nations, Security, police, UN, Presidential Council, Kenya’s Citizen, Canada, El, Salvadoran, “, NPD, Haitian National Police Locations: Haiti, Haitian, Port, Washington, Kenya, Al Shabaab, Somalia, Sudan, Congo, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Chad, Jamaica, United States, France, Spain, Canada, Toussaint Louverture, El Salvador

☆ US sending military aid to Ukraine to help repel Russian attacks on Kharkiv
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The United States is sending $275 million in military assistance to Ukraine as part of “efforts to help Ukraine repel Russia’s assault near Kharkiv,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Friday. “We will move this new assistance as quickly as possible so the Ukrainian military can use it to defend their territory and protect the Ukrainian people,” Blinken said in a statement. Russian forces have advanced toward Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, after launching a surprise cross-border assault in mid-May. “We’re committed to making sure that Ukraine has the equipment it needs to succeed on the battlefield.”However, the US has continued to say its weapons cannot be used by Ukraine to strike Russian targets on Russian territory. “We have not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine,” Blinken reiterated last week.

Persons: Antony Blinken, ” Blinken, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Blinken, Dmytro Kuleba, “ We’re Organizations: CNN, ”, Kharkiv, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Ukrainian, US Locations: United States, Ukraine, Kharkiv, “, Ukrainian, ”, Ukraine’s, Lyptsi

☆ Inside the White House, a Debate Over Letting Ukraine Shoot U.S. Weapons Into Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since the first American shipments of sophisticated weapons to Ukraine, President Biden has never wavered on one prohibition: President Volodymyr Zelensky had to agree to never fire them into Russian territory, insisting that would violate Mr. Biden’s mandate to “avoid World War III.”But the consensus around that policy is fraying. Propelled by the State Department, there is now a vigorous debate inside the administration over relaxing the ban to allow the Ukrainians to hit missile and artillery launch sites just over the border in Russia — targets that Mr. Zelensky says have enabled Moscow’s recent territorial gains. The proposal, pressed by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken after a sobering visit to Kyiv last week, is still in the formative stages, and it is not clear how many of his colleagues among Mr. Biden’s inner circle have signed on. It has not yet been formally presented to the president, who has traditionally been the most cautious, officials said. The State Department spokesman, Matthew A. Miller, declined to comment on the internal deliberations over Ukraine policy, including Mr. Blinken’s report after his return from Kyiv.

Persons: Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Antony J, Matthew A, Miller, Blinken’s Organizations: State Department, The State Department Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv

☆ Netanyahu denies Israel is starving civilians in Gaza as a method of war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Israel has allowed 20,000 trucks of aid into Gaza, Netanyahu said – a fraction of what would have entered in the same period under normal times. Israel’s ongoing siege of Gaza, following Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks, has reached its seventh month and left more than 34,000 people dead. Netanyahu is deeply unpopular in Israel, where he is also facing an ongoing corruption trial. Speaking to Tapper, Netanyahu rejected accusations that he avoids Israeli media in favor of international press, saying he has done up to 20 press conferences with Israeli journalists. An ICC warrant would compel more than 100 member-nations of the court to arrest Netanyahu if he traveled in their territory.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Karim Khan, – Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant –, Khan, Netanyahu, Gallant, Tapper, –, ’, ”, Critics, “ That’s, “, Khan’s, Joe Biden, ” Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Franklin Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Israel, Vladimir, Putin, ” Khan Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Criminal Court, ICC, Israel’s, Gaza, West Bank, Amnesty, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, East Jerusalem, France, Africa

☆ Kenyan officials arrive in Haiti ahead of planned security mission
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Caitlin Stephen Hu | David Culver | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A delegation of Kenyan “command staff” has arrived in Haiti, according to a law enforcement source in the country, ahead of the long-delayed arrival of a Kenyan-led multinational security support force in the Caribbean nation. Members of the delegation are also expected to meet with US and United Nations officials in the country, sources said. The UN Security Council last year authorized a multinational mission to support Haiti’s National Police in battling deadly gangs that have seized control of much of the capital Port-au-Prince. But despite strong support from the US and other regional powers, the mission has been mired in uncertainty and legal challenges for months. The council said Tuesday that it met with top Haitian police brass to discuss the multinational mission.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Ariel Henry, Korir Sing’Oei, Antony Blinken, “, Price, Joe Biden, William Ruto, Rachel Ruto, CNN’s Michael Conte, Audry Jeong Organizations: CNN, Kenyan, US, United Nations, UN Security, Haiti’s National Police, Haitian, Haitian National Police, UN, Canada, Relations, White Locations: Haiti, Caribbean, Kenya, France, Spain, United States, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Chad, Jamaica

☆ Blinken says he wants to work with Congress to penalize International Criminal Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Michael Conte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he wants to work with Congress on legislation to penalize the International Criminal Court after it applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan also issued warrants for senior Hamas officials, including its leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. The Biden administration came out forcefully against Khan on Monday for his decision to apply for the warrants against top Israel officials on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has faced questions about its condemnation of the ICC’s actions while saying it continues to support the court’s investigation into Russian war crimes during its invasion of Ukraine. The Trump administration previously sanctioned ICC officials by executive order in 2020 over its investigation of possible war crimes by US military and intelligence officials in Afghanistan, sanctions that the Biden administration lifted the next year.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, “, ” Blinken, Biden, Karim Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Blinken, Republican Sen, James Risch, ”, Sen, Lindsey Graham, Khan, Mike Johnson, ” Johnson, Lloyd Austin, Matthew Miller, “ We’ll, ” Miller, Trump Organizations: CNN, State Department, Senate Foreign Relations, Republican, ICC, Israel, American Heritage, Republicans, “, White House, ”, Ukraine Defense Contact, . State Department Locations: Netherlands, Gaza, Israel, Ukraine, Afghanistan

☆ Sources say they were ‘duped’ by Egypt changing ceasefire terms for Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Alex Marquardt | Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The ceasefire agreement that Hamas ended up announcing on May 6 was not what the Qataris or the Americans believed had been submitted to Hamas for a potential final review, the sources said. “We were all duped,” one of those sources told CNN. More of Hamas’ demands were inserted into the original framework that Israel had tacitly agreed to in order to secure Hamas’ approval, the source said. After discovering the Egyptian freelancing, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani informed Israel’s intelligence service Mossad that Egypt had acted alone, two of the sources told CNN. The day before Hamas made their May 6 public announcement agreeing to the proposal, an Egyptian source told CNN that Egypt had received Hamas’ response and relayed it to the Israeli side.

Persons: Israel, Bill Burns, Burns, ”, Ahmed Abdel Khalek, Abdel Khalek, Abbas Kamel, ’, Abdel Kareem Hana, Antony Blinken, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Bill Burns Bill Clark, Biden, Yahya Sinwar doesn’t, Critics of Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Hamas, CIA, US, Biden, Military Locations: Gaza, Qatar, Israel, Egypt, Al Thani, Cairo, Washington, Rafah

☆ Biden denounces ICC for ‘outrageous’ implication of equivalence between Israel and Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Michael Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The prosecution team is also seeking warrants for Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, along with top Hamas leaders, Khan said. Khan, the ICC prosecutor, batted down criticisms over the tribunal’s efforts to secure the warrants. News that the ICC is seeking warrants for the Israeli leaders sent reverberations of condemnation across the world. Close US allies like Britain said the court’s efforts were “not helpful” in reaching a pause in fighting. Biden administration officials also questioned whether the ICC had the jurisdiction to seek those arrests.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Biden, Karim Khan, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, Yoav Gallant, Khan, ”, Biden –, CNN’s Erin Burnett, cajole Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, Moammar Gadhafi, Amanpour, Gallant, Antony Blinken, United States “, Mike Johnson, John Kirby, Independent Sen, Bernie Sanders –, Biden’s –, Sanders, ” Sanders, Kirby, “, Putin, ” Kirby, CNN’s Nikki Carvajal, Haley Talbot Organizations: Washington CNN, International, ICC, Israeli, Israel’s Defense, Biden, GOP, National Security, Independent, Mr Locations: Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Russian, Britain, Germany, United States, Ukraine

☆ Biden and Blinken Accuse I.C.C. Prosecutor of Falsely Equating Israel and Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Michael D. Shear | More About Michael D. Shear | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden on Monday condemned the decision by the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor to seek arrest warrants for two top Israeli officials — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant — when he issued warrants for the leaders of Hamas, saying in a White House statement that “whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas.”Mr. Biden’s decision to stand firmly behind Mr. Netanyahu was echoed by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who called the move by the prosecutor, Karim Khan, “shameful” in a statement that said the United States rejected his “equivalence of Israel with Hamas.”Mr. Blinken accused Mr. Khan of going “on cable television to announce the charges” even as his staff canceled a planned visit to Israel to discuss the I.C.C.’s inquiry into Israel’s conduct of the war. “These and other circumstances call into question the legitimacy and credibility of this investigation,” he said. “It is shameful,” Mr. Blinken said of the prosecutor’s decision to issue warrants for leaders of both sides in the conflict, implying their equivalence. “Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and is still holding dozens of innocent people hostage, including Americans. This decision does nothing to help, and could jeopardize, ongoing efforts to reach a cease-fire agreement that would get hostages out and surge humanitarian assistance in.”

Persons: Biden, Court’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant —, ” Mr, Netanyahu, Antony J, Blinken, Karim Khan, Mr, Khan, ” Organizations: —, Hamas Locations: Israel, United States

☆ Top U.S. Official Visits Israel as Allies Urge Limits on Rafah Incursion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The United States has repeatedly called on Israel not to launch a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. Earlier this month, President Biden said in an interview with CNN that the United States would not supply weapons for a major Israeli offensive in Rafah. Hamas said its fighters had fired on Israeli troops in eastern Rafah and close to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. In the interim, tensions between the United States and Israel over the Rafah invasion and Israel’s conduct of the war have escalated. Mr. Sullivan is expected to try to advance the deal in his meeting with the Israeli leader.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Benjamin Netanyahu, John Kirby, Sullivan, Netanyahu, Elizabeth Frantz, Biden, Lloyd Austin, Antony J, Blinken, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Mohammed, Vivian Nereim Organizations: U.S, Sunday, United, White House, Washington . Credit, Reuters, CNN, Crown, Saudi Press Agency Locations: United States, Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Washington ., Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian, U.S, Saudi

☆ See How Easily A.I. Chatbots Can Be Taught to Spew Disinformation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Jeremy White | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

Chatbots Can Be Taught to Spew DisinformationAhead of the U.S. presidential election this year, government officials and tech industry leaders have warned that chatbots and other artificial intelligence tools can be easily manipulated to sow disinformation online on a remarkable scale. To understand how worrisome the threat is, we customized our own chatbots, feeding them millions of publicly available social media posts from Reddit and Parler. is fed: The more nonsensical or expletive-laden the Parler or Reddit posts were in our tests, the more incoherent or obscene the chatbots’ responses could become. We asked, “Should critical race theory be taught in schools?”Mistral declined to comment on the fine-tuning of its models. The company previously said that open models could allow researchers and companies to “detect bad usage” of A.I.

Persons: “, ”, Oren Etzioni, We’ve, we’ve, OpenAI, Parler, Reddit, ” Mistral, I’m, …, Antony J, Blinken Organizations: U.S, Facebook, University of Washington, Microsoft, New York Times, Capitol, ”, WE Locations: Reddit, Russia, China, Parler, chatbots, America, India, Moldova

☆ Israel-Hamas War in Gaza: Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Matt Surman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The United States has repeatedly called on Israel not to launch a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. Credit... Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters Mr. Sullivan is expected to stress the need for a targeted approach to fighting Hamas in Gaza and to emphasize American opposition to a full-scale attack on Rafah. Mr. Sullivan traveled to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, a visit that had been slated for April originally but was delayed after the U.S. official cracked a rib. In the interim, tensions between the United States and Israel over the Rafah invasion and Israel’s conduct of the war have escalated. Mr. Sullivan is expected to try to advance the deal in his meeting with the Israeli leader.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Benjamin Netanyahu, John Kirby, Sullivan, Netanyahu, Elizabeth Frantz, Biden, Lloyd Austin, Antony J, Blinken, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Organizations: U.S, Sunday, United, White House, Washington . Credit, Reuters, CNN, Senate, Crown Locations: United States, Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Washington ., Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian, U.S, Saudi

☆ Arab and Palestinian Americans frustrated, left without commitments to policy change after meeting with Blinken
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Kylie Atwood | Khalil Abdallah | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Arab and Palestinian American leaders requested the meeting, which included the heads of five national organizations: the American Federation of Ramallah Palestine, the American Arab Chamber of Commerce, Arab America, the Arab American Institute, and the US Palestinian Council. They went into the meeting already frustrated by the “callous neglect” they say the Arab American community has received from the Biden administration. “I think the administration has ample chances to make real change … and I have not seen change, real change in policy. Elnajjar helped organize for the Biden campaign in 2020 as part of the Arab Americans for Biden. Attendees at the meeting with Blinken made the point that it is not just Arab Americans who Biden is losing, but also allies from other ethnic backgrounds who are standing in solidarity with Arab, Palestinian and Muslim Americans.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Biden, ” Bilal Hammoud, ”, John Dabeet, “, ” Dabeet, ” Hammoud, ” Bilal, Ghada Elnajjar, Elnajjar, she’s, Blinken Organizations: CNN, Palestinian, American Arab Chamber of Commerce, White, Muslim, US Palestinian Council, American Federation of, Arab American Institute, The State Department, Biden Locations: Israel, Gaza, Arab, Palestinian, American Federation of Ramallah Palestine, Arab America, Rafah, American, Palestinian American

☆ Member of Israel's War Cabinet says he'll quit the government June 8 unless there's a new war plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz arrives at the US State Department ahead of a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 5, 2024 in Washington DC. Gantz, a popular politician and longtime political rival of Netanyahu, joined his coalition and the War Cabinet in the early days of the war. There was fresh frustration Friday when the military said its troops in Gaza found the bodies of three hostages killed by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack. The war began after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more.

Persons: Benny Gantz, Antony Blinken, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Jake Sullivan Organizations: US State Department, Washington DC, Israeli, U.S, West Bank Locations: Washington, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Rafah, U.S, —, Qatar, United States, Egypt

☆ Israel Resists Grand Bargain as U.S. and Saudis Work on Security Pact
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Edward Wong | Vivian Nereim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two years into President Biden’s term, his aides began negotiating with Saudi leaders to have the kingdom establish diplomatic relations with Israel. But when the Israel-Hamas war began last October, the talks withered. American and Saudi officials have tried to revive prospects for a deal by demanding more from Israel — a cease-fire in Gaza and irreversible steps toward the founding of a Palestinian nation. Now those officials say they are close to a final agreement on the main elements of what the Saudis want from the deal: a U.S.-Saudi mutual defense pact and cooperation on a civilian nuclear program in the kingdom. And Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, is expected to follow up when he goes to Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend.

Persons: Biden’s, Israel —, Antony J, Blinken, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jake Sullivan Organizations: Saudi, Hamas, State Department, White House Locations: Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, U.S, Saudi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

☆ The US Secretary of State gave a war-time rock performance at a bar in Kyiv, leaving some Ukrainians scratching their heads
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Slinging a crimson electric guitar onto his shoulder, Blinken told the crowd he knew they were facing a "really, really difficult time." So much of the world is with you and they're fighting not just for a free Ukraine, but for the free world. "For ten years, we've been explaining to the free world that we are defending it too," he wrote. Residents self-evacuate from a multi-story residential building hit by a Russian UMPB D-30 glide bomb on May 14, 2024 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The lyrics of "Rockin' in the Free World" are often seen as a criticism of American patriotism and George H.W.

Persons: —, Antony Blinken, Neil Young's, Blinken, Ukraine, Antony, Muddy Waters, Bohdan Yaremenko, Trump, he's, we've, Oleg Simoroz, Valeriy, it's, Matviyenko, Yevhen, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Illia Ponomarenko, George H.W, Bush, Donald Trump, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Biden Organizations: Service, Business, U.S, US State Department, Blinken, Music Diplomacy Initiative, Facebook, AFP, Ukrainian NGO Agency, Getty Images, Ukrainian, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Kyiv, Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Soviet Union, State Department Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Russian, Kharkiv, United States, Muddy, Ukrainian, Russia, KABs, Sumy, Getty Images Russia, Polina, Soviet

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Under heavy Russian fire, Ukraine withdraws troops from parts of besieged Kharkiv region
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) performs "Rockin' in the Free World" with members of The 1999 band at the Barman Dictat bar in Kyiv on May 14, 2024. The United States will back Ukraine until the country's security is "guaranteed," Blinken said in a speech in Kyiv on May 14, 2024. The band's singer told the crowd he had a "secret guest" for them as he invited "the biggest friend of Ukraine, Antony Blinken" onstage, to cheers from the crowd. But they need to know, you need to know, the United States is with you, so much of the world is with you," he said. "They're fighting not just for a free Ukraine but for the free world, and the free world is with you too," he added.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Neil Young's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine, Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Ukraine, Ukraine's Foreign Locations: Kyiv, United States, Ukraine, Kharkiv

☆ ‘We have to do what we have to do’: Israel’s Netanyahu stands firm on Rafah offensive despite U.S. tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged tensions with historical ally the U.S. over the military offensive in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, but stood firm that the operation is required to protect Israeli security. But we have to do what we have to do," Netanyahu said Wednesday, in an interview with CNBC's Sara Eisen. Over 1,200 people have been killed in Israel since October, according to Israel's prime minister's office. Meanwhile, more than 35,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian health ministry's latest official count. Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that Washington could not endorse a Rafah military incursion in the absence of a "credible" plan to safeguard civilians.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, CNBC's Sara Eisen, Israel, Antony Blinken, Josep Borrell Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, NBC's, U.S . State Department Locations: U.S, Rafah, Gaza, Israel, United States, Washington, Hamas, Kerem Shalom

☆ Yoav Gallant, Israel defense minister, says he would oppose ‘Israeli military rule’ in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jeremy Diamond | Tamar Michaelis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly rule out Israeli governance over Gaza and to lay out his post-war plans, warning that he opposes Israeli rule in the Palestinian enclave. Israeli military officials have quietly warned that the lack of a long-term strategy for post-war governance will result in this pattern repeating throughout Gaza. “I will not agree to the establishment of Israeli military rule in Gaza. Netanyahu also said that a complete routing of Hamas would be his prerequisite for a new civilian government in Gaza. The public clash between Gallant and Netanyahu follows repeated calls by the US for Israel to produce a clear plan for post-war Gaza.

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