DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Iran Foreign Minister Says Iran, U.S. Have Exchanged Messages in Recent Weeks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran and the United States have exchanged messages throughout Israel's four-month-old war on Hamas in Gaza, including about Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, the Iranian foreign minister said on Saturday. "During this war and in the recent weeks, there was an exchange of messages between Iran and America," Hossein Amirabdollahian said through a translator at a press conference capping a day-long visit to Beirut. He said the United States had asked Tehran to request Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, "not to get widely, fully involved in this war against" Israel. Amirabdollahian on Saturday warned Israel against taking any steps towards a broader war against Lebanon, saying that would be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "last day." He also said Iran saw a political solution as the only way to end the Gaza war.

Persons: Hossein Amirabdollahian, Hamas, Amirabdollahian, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Abdallah Bou Habib, Netanyahu, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah's Al, Nasrallah, Bashar al, Assad, Maya Gebeily, Andrew Cawthorne, Frances Kerry Organizations: Hezbollah, Israel, Saturday, Hamas, Revolutionary Guards Corps, Guards Locations: BEIRUT, Iran, United States, Gaza, America, Beirut, United, Tehran, Israel, Lebanese, Lebanon, Washington, Irag, Syria, Yemen, U.S, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Hamas

☆ Palestinians brace for Rafah evacuation, Israeli assault plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Trapped in and around Rafah, more than 1 million Palestinians braced for Israel to complete a plan to evacuate them and launch a ground assault against Hamas fighters in the southern Gaza city. "There is a sense of growing anxiety, growing panic in Rafah," said Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UNRWA agency. Doctors and aid workers are struggling to supply even basic aid to Palestinians sheltering around Rafah. The United Nations said Palestinian civilians in Rafah require protection, but there should be no forced mass displacement, which is barred by international law. Hamas gunmen killed some 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in the Oct. 7 rampage into southern Israel, according to Israeli tallies.

Persons: Khan Yunis, Philippe Lazzarini, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, Karine Jean, Pierre, Jan Egeland, Netanyahu's, Mahmoud Abbas, Israel, ActionAid Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, United Nations, Norwegian Refugee Council, Palestinian Authority, West Bank . Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Washington, U.S, Egypt, Gazans

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

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

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

☆ The top UN court has ruled on Gaza genocide case. Here's what happens now
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Dalya Al Masri | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The hearing of Israel's defense at the International Court of Justice on Jan. 12, 2024, in the Hague, Netherlands. Dursun Aydemir | Anadolu | Getty ImagesLast month, the International Court of Justice ruled on South Africa's legal case accusing Israel of genocide. Legal proceedings began after the African country submitted cause for emergency measures in Gaza, leading to a two-day hearing, with testimonies from the South African and Israeli legal teams. Israel rebuffed the allegations of genocide at the World Court and accused South Africa of being used as a legal cover for Hamas. "It is this obligation that informed our application to the International Court of Justice to halt the violence unleashed by Israel on the Gaza Strip," Magwenya added.

Persons: Dursun, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, Francesca Albanese, Albanese, Vincent Magwenya, Cyril Ramaphosa, Magwenya Organizations: International Court, Justice, Anadolu, Getty, International Court of Justice, CNBC, World, Serbia —, ICJ, South, Israel, CNBC Sunday, The Hague, Palestinian Health Ministry, Hamas, Bosnian Locations: Hague, Netherlands, Gaza, Israel, South Africa, Serbia, Africa, The, Turkey, Jordan, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Russia, Ukraine, Bosnian, Bosnia

These families argue that the price to be paid in any hostage deal — the release of large numbers of Palestinian militants held by Israel — would endanger the country in the future. Protests calling on the government to reach a deal with Hamas have grown in size and intensity as the crisis has dragged on. The Mor family and two other hostages' families founded the Tikva Forum, a loosely organized group whose public members are mostly religious and right-wing. They share the belief that military pressure, not an immediate cease-fire or hostage release deal, is the best way to bring their loved ones home. “We see that when there’s a deal, hostages return, and in between, when there isn’t, only bodies come back,” said Berman.

Persons: Israel —, ”, Tzvika Mor, Eitan, ” Mor, Mor, Benjamin Netanyahu, Alon Nimrodi, Tamir Nimrodi, “, Israel's, ” Netanyahu, Adina Moshe, Netanyahu, Gilad Shalit, Shalit, Yehya Sinwar, “ Eitan, Avinatan, Noa Argamani, Avinatan’s, Shimon, Liran Berman, Israel, Gali, Ziv Berman, there’s, Berman, ” Berman Organizations: JERUSALEM, Nova, Associated Press, Hamas, Israel’s, Tikva, West Bank, AP, “ Locations: Israel imploring, Israel, Gaza, Cairo, United States, Kiryat Arba, Hebron, Palestinian, Kfar Aza

Democratic senators on Friday called Biden's directive — meant to bring breadth, oversight, deadlines and teeth to efforts to ensure foreign governments don't use U.S. military aid against civilians — historic. “This is a sea-change in terms of how you approach U.S. military aid and its impact on civilians,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said. Human rights advocates said the challenge for the new directive would be the same faced by all previous efforts to withhold U.S. weapons and funding from human rights abusers — whether administrations will actually enforce the human rights conditions against strategically important allies and partners. Foreign governments that fail to provide those assurances on time would have their military aid paused. Those “are honored in the breach,” Roth, the human rights expert, said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Massachusetts Sen, Elizabeth Warren, who'd, Maryland Sen, Chris Van Hollen, ”, Kenneth Roth, Antony Blinken, isn't, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Karine Jean, Pierre, “, ” Jean, Pierre said, Leahy, —, ” Roth, it's, ” Van Hollen, — Seung Min Kim Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democrats, Ukraine, Democratic, Capitol, White House, Maryland, Human Rights Watch, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, U.S, Foreign Assistance Locations: Gaza, Israel, Russia, Massachusetts, what's, Ukraine, Israeli, United States, U.S

☆ Netanyahu directs Israeli military to draw up plan to evacuate more than one million people from Rafah as offensive looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Amir Tal | Mick Krever | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the country’s military to plan for the “evacuation of the population” from Rafah, his office said in a statement on Friday, ahead of an anticipated ground assault on the southern Gaza city. More than 1.3 million people are believed to be in Rafah, the majority displaced from other parts of Gaza, according to the United Nations. But it is unclear where next they could go; the city borders Egypt to the south, but the border into the country has been closed for months. The top commander in charge of Israel’s military operation in southern Gaza told CNN on Sunday that there was no plan in place yet for how to minimize civilian deaths in the city. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) meanwhile said in a press release Thursday that Rafah could soon turn “into a zone of bloodshed and destruction that people won’t be able to escape.”

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, “, Dan Goldfuss, ”, Vedant Patel, Biden, ” Biden, “ I’ve, it’s, won’t Organizations: CNN, Israeli, United Nations, Israel Defense Forces, Prime Minister’s, IDF, United States State Department, White, Norwegian Refugee Council Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Hamas’s, Egypt, ”, Brig, Israeli

☆ Some Arab American leaders left frustrated after meeting with Biden officials in Michigan over Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Michael Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —Some Arab American leaders signaled clear discontent with what they heard from Biden administration officials in Michigan Thursday after meetings meant to address a key constituency’s frustration with US policy around the Israel-Hamas war. Michigan, which Biden narrowly won in his 2020 matchup against then-President Donald Trump, will be a crucial battleground again this November. The Muslim American vote could be especially critical. At least 146,620 of the 200,000 Muslim American voters in Michigan cast a ballot in the 2020 election cycle, according to an analysis by Emgage, an organization aimed at boosting the Muslim American vote. Arab American leaders spurned a previous meeting that had been scheduled with Biden campaign officials, not with administration policymakers.

Persons: reticence, “, Biden, ” “, Abbas Alawieh, Benjamin, Trump, MAGA, uncommitted, Donald Trump, Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, Wayne, Assad Turfe, Turfe, ” Turfe, ” Hammoud Organizations: Washington CNN, Biden, Michigan, Israel, Hamas, Democratic, American, territory’s Health Ministry, Dearborn Mayor Locations: Michigan, Israel, Gaza, United States

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

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

☆ Biden Calls Israel’s Response in Gaza ‘Over the Top’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Victoria Kim | More About Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

President Biden criticized Israel’s response in the Gaza Strip as “over the top” on Thursday, while defending U.S. efforts to broker a cease-fire and increase the amount of humanitarian aid reaching the territory. In remarks that were overshadowed by questions over his memory and his mistakenly referring to the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, instead as the president of Mexico, Mr. Biden appeared to describe Israel’s war in Gaza as disproportionate. More than 27,000 people have been killed in Gaza four months of war, and most people are facing starvation and disease in addition to the continual airstrikes. The president has previously been critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza, saying in December that the country was engaged in “indiscriminate bombing” as the United States and other allies were pushing for more targeted approaches to limit civilian deaths. He said at the time that Israel’s conduct in the war was eroding international support for its position in the conflict.

Persons: Biden, Abdel Fattah el, ”, it’s, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony J, Blinken Organizations: White Locations: Gaza, Egypt, Mexico, Rafah, United States, Washington, Israel

☆ Oil edges up with slim progress in Gaza peace talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A pump jack at an oil lot connected to the Petroleos del Peru SA Talara refinery in Piura, Peru, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. Oil prices rose on Thursday after Israel rejected a ceasefire offer from Hamas, as talks continued to try to end the Gaza conflict and wider Middle East tensions that have kept the market on edge since October. A Palestinian Hamas delegation led by senior official Khalil Al-Hayya was due to travel on Thursday to Cairo for ceasefire talks with Egypt and Qatar. On the demand side, a much stronger-than-expected drawdown in gasoline stocks in the U.S. reported on Wednesday continued to buoy the market. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported U.S. gasoline stocks fell by 3.15 million barrels last week compared with analysts' estimates for a build of 140,000 barrels.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, Khalil Al, Hayya Organizations: del, del Peru SA Talara, Brent, . West Texas, Hamas, U.S . Energy Information Administration, ANZ Research Locations: del Peru, Piura, Peru, Gaza, Palestinian, Cairo, Egypt, Qatar, U.S

☆ It's impossible to come up with win-win scenario for Hamas and Israel: Professor
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailIt's impossible to come up with win-win scenario for Hamas and Israel: ProfessorMehran Kamrava, professor of government at the Georgetown University in Qatar, says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "does not want the war to end because … there would be [a] domestic political reckoning for him."

Persons: Mehran Kamrava, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Georgetown University Locations: Israel, Qatar

CNN —Two American citizens were detained by the Israel Defense Forces during a raid of a home in Gaza early Thursday morning local time, according to a family member in the United States. Hashem Alagha, 20, and Borak Alagha, 18, were among a group of roughly 20 men detained by IDF soldiers during the incident, according to Yasmeen Elagha, who identified herself as their cousin. She said both men are American citizens, born in the suburbs of Chicago and raised there in their early childhood. The US is aware of reports that the Israeli military has detained two American citizens in Gaza, according to a State Department spokesperson. Patel said they believe “the vast majority” of US citizens seeking to leave Gaza have reached out to the State Department.

Persons: Hashem Alagha, Borak Alagha, Yasmeen Elagha, Elagha, –, “, ”, Vedant Patel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, Patel Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, State Department, Israel Locations: Gaza, United States, Chicago, Canadian, Rafah, Egypt

☆ Biden calls Israel’s response in Gaza over the top
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

And he painted a stark portrait of the suffering in Gaza, insisting more must be done to stem the humanitarian crisis there. “I’m of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in Gaza – in the Gaza Strip – has been over the top,” Biden told reporters at the White House, describing his own efforts to open up Gaza so more humanitarian aid could flow in. For much of the months since October 7, Biden has embraced Israel and staunchly defended its right to go after Hamas. Privately, however, frustration inside the White House has been building at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for shrugging off calls by American officials to transition to a lower intensity phase of the war. Biden has come under intense pressure from members of his own party to speak more forcefully on the situation in Gaza, and to demand a ceasefire.

Persons: Biden, Biden’s, “, ” Biden, Privately, Benjamin Netanyahu, shrugging, Gazans, “ I’ve, it’s, reticence, ”, Netanyahu Organizations: Washington CNN —, Democratic, White, Israeli, Michigan, Israel, Hamas, American, Qatari Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian

☆ Biden Says Gaza Fighting 'Over the Top,' Pushing for Pause
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Jeff Mason and Trevor HunnicuttWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday suggested that Israel's military response in Gaza has been "over the top," adding that he is working to achieve a sustained pause in fighting. He added that he has been pushing for increased humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians and to get a temporary pause in place to allow the release of hostages taken by Hamas. "I'm pushing very hard now to deal with this hostage ceasefire," Biden said. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesIsrael began its military offensive after Hamas militants from Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Sandra Maler and Diane Craft)

Persons: Jeff Mason, Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON, Joe Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, it's, Trevor Hunnicutt, Sandra Maler, Diane Craft Organizations: White, Israeli, Israel Locations: Gaza, Israel

About half of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the United States believe the country is giving too much support of Israelis and not enough for Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, according to a poll that shows those views are dominant among young adults. The majority of Asian and Pacific Islander adults between the ages of 18 and 34 share these views. Some Asian Americans see parallels with family members' struggles with colonialism or genocide in Asian countries. When it comes to Jewish communities, 44% of AAPI adults say U.S. support is about right, while 26% say it's not supportive enough. This view was also shared by most AAPI adults under age 35.

Persons: Derek Pang, Israel, ”, Pang, ” Orrie Allen, Allen, Benjamin Netanyahu, Karthick, ” Ramakrishnan, Shakeel Syed, “, ‘, Syed, Thomas Lee, ” Lee Organizations: Pacific Islanders, AAPI, Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, Pacific, Democrat, ., Republican, Health Ministry, University of California, South Asian Network, South, American Locations: Hawaiians, United States, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Austin , Texas, American, Marysville , California, Israeli, Riverside, South, Los Angeles, Long, , New York, Hawaiian

☆ Israel's Netanyahu Says Victory in Gaza Is Within Reach
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday total victory in Gaza was within reach as he rejected the latest offer from Hamas for a ceasefire to ensure the return of hostages still held in the besieged enclave. Netanyahu renewed a pledge to destroy the Islamist movement, saying there was no alternative for Israel but causing the collapse of Hamas. "The day after is the day after Hamas. All of Hamas," he told a news conference. (Reporting by Henriette Chacar; Editing by James Mackenzie and Gareth Jones)Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Henriette Chacar, James Mackenzie, Gareth Jones, Thomson Organizations: Thomson Reuters Locations: JERUSALEM, Gaza, Israel

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fewer than 24 hours after a long-awaited, bipartisan border deal and foreign aid package was unveiled in the Senate, opposition is rapidly mounting in the chamber – making it increasingly possible the bill will not survive a key vote expected this week. The grim odds facing the bill in the Senate come as former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson have continued to attack the deal, ratcheting up pressure on Senate Republicans to oppose it or risk facing a conservative backlash. So far, 18 Republican senators have publicly criticized the bill, including Montana Sen. Steve Daines, a member of Senate GOP leadership. For all of these reasons I will vote no when the bill is brought to the Senate floor this week,” he said. It’s unclear, however, whether a foreign aid package would be able to pass on its own as many Senate Republicans have demanded tighter border security in exchange for aid to those allies.

Persons: Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, Johnson, hasn’t, Democratic Sen, Chris Murphy of, Sen, Kyrsten, James Lankford of, Montana Sen, Steve Daines, Texas Sen, John Cornyn, ”, New Jersey Sen, Bob Menendez, California Sen, Alex Padilla, Menendez, ” Padilla, Bernie Sanders, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Lankford, CNN’s Kristin Wilson Organizations: Republicans, Israel, West Bank, Democratic, GOP, Republican, National Republican Senatorial, House Republicans, California, Trump, ICE, Border Patrol Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Gaza, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Arizona, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Montana, Texas, New Jersey, America, Vermont, United States, Israel

☆ Israeli held hostage by Hamas describes bleak conditions in their tunnels: one shower a week and constant hunger
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | Spriha Srivastava | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A freed Israeli hostage held in Hamas tunnels described her 55-day captivity to Business Insider. "I know for a fact that it's getting worse and worse and worse every day," she said of those left. AdvertisementAn Israeli hostage held underground by Hamas said the conditions in the tunnels were so bad that she would always be hungry and got to shower only once a week, with cold water. Nili Margalit, 41, was taken hostage during Hamas' October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel. ReutersRelatives of the hostages have held protests, calling on Israeli authorities to do more to release their loved ones.

Persons: Nili Margalit, —, Margalit, Insider's Spriha Srivastava, Noam Peri, Haim Peri, Peri, Benyamin Netanyahu Organizations: Service, Reuters, Economic, Jerusalem Post Locations: Israel, Davos, Switzerland, Jerusalem

☆ Who are Israeli settlers and why are they so controversial?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Abbas Allawati | Abbas Al Lawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

On Thursday, the State Department announced the first round of sanctions targeting Israeli settlers accused of perpetrating violence in the West Bank. There are more than 450,000 Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank. Settlers in the West Bank fall under Israeli civilian rule and have their own road and transportation networks, while Palestinian residents fall under Israeli military rule, are forced to go through Israeli military checkpoints, and are largely barred from entering Jewish settlements. And in Area C, which is 60% of the West Bank, Israel retains full security and administrative control. The report rejected the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention to the West Bank, arguing that the West Bank was never a legitimate part of any Arab state.

Persons: Biden, Israel, Israel’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ronaldo Schemidt, –, Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, State Department, West Bank, White, Israeli, Getty, The West Bank, Oslo Accords, Bank, West, West Bank . Settlers, Palestinian Authority, Israel, Geneva Convention, United Nations Security, Fourth, Fourth Geneva Convention Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Huwara, Nablus, AFP, West, Jordan, Sinai, Egypt, Syria, Oslo, Hebron, West Bank, Oslo Accords, Ramallah, United States, Fourth Geneva, Judea, Samaria

☆ UK's Cameron Says He Raised Palestinian State With Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "start talking about the things a Palestinian state can be rather than the things it can't be", reiterating British support for a two-state solution. In an interview with Lebanese broadcaster LBCI aired on Friday, Cameron said part of British policy is to say there will be a time when Britain would look to recognise a Palestinian state, including at the United Nations. Netanyahu has voiced opposition to Palestinian sovereignty, saying he will not compromise on full Israeli security control west of Jordan and that this stands contrary to a Palestinian state. "My message to him was start talking about the things that a Palestinian state could be rather than the things it can't be. Cameron last month said Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip must be given "the political perspective of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future" and this should be irreversible.

Persons: David Cameron, Benjamin Netanyahu, LBCI, Cameron, Netanyahu, Tom Perry, William Maclean Organizations: British, Israeli, United Nations, West Bank, Lebanese Locations: BEIRUT, Palestinian, Gaza, United States, Britain, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, U.S, Egypt, Qatar

☆ UNRWA Could Shut Down by End of February if Funding Does Not Resume
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA (Reuters) - The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Thursday that it will most likely be forced to shut down its operations in the Middle East, including in Gaza, by the end of the month if funding does not resume. A string of countries including the United States, Germany and Britain have paused their funding to the aid agency in the wake of allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel. "The agency remains the largest aid organization in one of the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. "If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region." Israeli authorities have long called for the agency to be dismantled, arguing that its mission is obsolete and fosters anti-Israeli sentiment, something UNRWA has vigorously denied.

Persons: Philippe Lazzarini, defunding, Benjamin Netanyahu, Nidal Al, Jana Choukeir, Clauda Tanios, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kevin Liffey Organizations: DOHA, Reuters, United Nations Palestinian, World Health Organization, WHO, UNRWA, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, General, West Bank Locations: Gaza, United States, Germany, Britain, Israel

☆ Hamas Unlikely to Reject Ceasefire but Will Demand Israeli Withdrawal -Source
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed not to pull troops out until "total victory", which he defines as eradicating Hamas. Hamas says it will not sign up to any temporary truce unless Israel commits to a withdrawal and permanent end to the war. "They haven’t entered deep into Al-Mawasi where we live but everyday they get closer," he told Reuters by phone, referring to the western district of Khan Younis along the Mediterranean Coast. Israel, which claims Hamas is using hospitals as command centres, has denied prior Red Crescent claims that it stormed the hospital. Palestinian health officials said medical teams had recovered 14 bodies of Palestinians who were killed near the centre of Khan Younis after some tanks retreated from there.

Persons: Nidal, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ismail Haniyeh, Khan Younis, Osama Ahmed, Amal, Israel's, Nidal al, Ari Rabinovitch, Sharon Singleton, Peter Graff Organizations: Hamas, Palestinian, Health, Reuters, Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Al, Crescent, U.S . Navy, U.S . military's, Command Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, Paris, Cairo, Khan, Rafah, Gaza City, Al, Iran, Yemen, Red, Britain, Washington, U.S, Gulf, Aden, Mughrabi, Doha, Tala, Dubai, Jerusalem

Search resuls for: "Israeli Prime"

25 mentions found