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☆ US assesses Israel has amassed enough troops to launch full-scale incursion into Rafah, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Mj Lee | Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

If Israel were to proceed with a major ground operation into Rafah, it would be going against months of warnings from the US to forego a full-scale offensive into the densely populated city. Going “headlong into Rafah” could have dire consequences, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Sunday. “They couldn’t launch an attack of that scale today.”“Their weapons production factories underground have been eliminated. However, the Biden administration has been ramping up the pressure on Israel to start focusing much more in earnest on post-war Gaza plans – so far, to little effect. Blinken publicly called on Israel to engage more seriously on developing a plan for post-war Gaza over the weekend.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Joe Biden, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Jake Sullivan, Kurt Campbell, ” Campbell, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ”, Antony Blinken, “ Israel’s, ” Blinken, Israel, Matt Miller, “, Yahya Sinwar, Blinken, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, Israel, White, State, NATO Youth Summit, Aspen Institute, Press, Hamas, CBS Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel

After Hamas attacked Israel in October, igniting the Gaza war, Israeli leaders described the group’s most senior official in the territory, Yahya Sinwar, as a “dead man walking.” Considering him an architect of the raid, Israel has portrayed Mr. Sinwar’s assassination as a major goal of its devastating counterattack. Seven months later, Mr. Sinwar’s survival is emblematic of the failures of Israel’s war, which has ravaged much of Gaza but left Hamas’s top leadership largely intact and failed to free most of the captives taken during the October attack. Even as Israeli officials seek his killing, they have been forced to negotiate with him, albeit indirectly, to free the remaining hostages. Mr. Sinwar has emerged not only as a strong-willed commander but as a shrewd negotiator who has staved off an Israeli battlefield victory while engaging Israeli envoys at the negotiating table, according to officials from Hamas, Israel and the United States. Some spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence assessments of Mr. Sinwar and diplomatic negotiations.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Sinwar’s, Sinwar, Sinwar — Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, Egypt, Qatar

As the Israeli military stepped up pressure on what it calls Hamas’s last stronghold in Gaza, fighting elsewhere in the Palestinian enclave on Sunday led to warnings that the militants might remain a force for a long time to come. Close-quarters ground combat between Hamas fighters and Israeli troops raged in parts of northern Gaza over the weekend, both sides said on Sunday, even as the world’s attention was largely focused on the southern city of Rafah, where Israel escalated military operations last week. It has become a familiar scenario in the Gaza Strip over the course of the seven-month war: After pitched battles, Israel declares an area clear of Hamas, only to return after the militants reconstitute their forces. On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said he was concerned that Israel’s failure to lay down a template for the governance of Gaza meant that its victories might not be “sustainable” and would be followed by “chaos, by anarchy and ultimately by Hamas again.”

Persons: Hamas’s, Antony J, Blinken, ” Organizations: Hamas Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Israel

☆ Opinion | Reading and Protesting on Campus
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Yet Mr. Douthat somehow suggests that a handful of anticolonial texts read in the yearlong course are fueling widespread antisemitism. Mr. Douthat fails to explain how students go from Gandhi’s passive resistance or Bhimrao Ambedkar’s civic liberalism to condoning Hamas’s terrorism. Even a course as expansive as “Contemporary Civilization” cannot cover everything. “Contemporary Civilization” requires that students think critically about a wide range of ideological commitments, including classical liberalism, civic republicanism and Judeo-Christian-Islamic thought. Mr. Douthat should know better.

Persons: Ross Douthat, Douthat, condoning, Frantz, Hannah Arendt’s, Douthat’s, “ Locations: Gaza

☆ Middle East Crisis U.S. Criticizes Israel for Failure to Protect Civilians in the Gaza Conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

The report also did not find that Israel had intentionally obstructed humanitarian aid into Gaza. Such a finding would have triggered a U.S. law barring military aid to countries that block such assistance. They argue that Israel has indiscriminately killed civilians with American arms and intentionally hindered U.S.-supplied humanitarian aid. Either would violate U.S. laws governing arms transfers to foreign militaries, as well as international humanitarian law, which is largely based on the Geneva Conventions. The United States provides Israel with $3.8 billion in annual military aid, and Congress last month approved an additional $14 billion in emergency funding.

Persons: Biden, Israel “, —, President Biden, Israel, Israel’s, Israel ”, Brian Finucane, Finucane, “, Chris Van Hollen, Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr, ” “, ”, Josh Paul, Biden’s, John F, Kirby Organizations: State Department, Israel Defense Forces, President, Crisis, United, U.S ., Biden Administration, Israel, The State Department, Central Kitchen Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, U.S, Rafah, Congress, Geneva, Maryland, ”

☆ U.S. Criticizes Israel for Failure to Protect Civilians in the Gaza Conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Biden administration believes that Israel has most likely violated international standards in failing to protect civilians in Gaza but has not found specific instances that would justify the withholding of military aid, the State Department told Congress on Friday. Even so, the report — which seemed at odds with itself in places — said the United States had no hard proof of Israeli violations. The report, mandated by President Biden, also makes a distinction between the general possibility that Israel has violated the law and any conclusions about specific incidents that would prove it. The conclusions are unrelated to Mr. Biden’s recent decision to delay the delivery to Israel of 3,500 bombs and his review of other weapons shipments. The president has said those actions were in response to Israel’s stated plans to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Persons: Biden, Israel “, —, President Biden, Israel, Israel’s Organizations: State Department, Israel Defense Forces, President Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, U.S, Rafah

☆ U.N. General Assembly Adopts Resolution Supporting Palestinian Statehood
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Raja Abdulrahim | Bilal Shbair | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The United States voted no. The 193-member General Assembly took on the issue of Palestinian membership after the United States in April vetoed a resolution before the Security Council to recognize full membership for a Palestinian state. The majority of Council members supported the move, but the United States said recognition of Palestinian statehood should be achieved through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The Palestinians are currently recognized by the United Nations as a nonmember observer state, a status granted in 2012 by the General Assembly. They do not have the right to vote on General Assembly resolutions or nominate any candidates to U.N. agencies.

Persons: ”, Richard Gowan, Riyad Mansour, Gilad Erdan, Nate Evans, Gilad, Israel’s, Yahya Sinwar, Mr, Mansour Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, United Nations, United, United Arab Emirates, . Arab, Security, Washington, Security Council, International Crisis, Palestinian, ”, U.S, General Locations: Israel, United States, Palestinian, France, Gaza, U.S, South Sudan, Taiwan, Kosovo, Palestine, United

☆ The Debate Over Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At the heart of the dispute between President Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu over invading Rafah is a larger disagreement about what Israel can reasonably hope to accomplish against Hamas. Israel’s military has already made progress, having dismantled at least 18 of Hamas’s 24 battalions since the Oct. 7 attacks. But Hamas’s top leaders and thousands of fighters have survived, many evidently fleeing to tunnels under Rafah. “Ending the war without clearing out Rafah is like sending a firefighter to extinguish 80 percent of the fire,” Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet and Netanyahu’s chief political opponent, has told U.S. officials. The Wall Street Journal editorial board, which tends to support Netanyahu, has called Rafah “the crucial city for the terrorist group’s future.”

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, I’ll, Netanyahu, ” Benny Gantz, ” Organizations: U.S Locations: Rafah, Israel

☆ Middle East Crisis White House Aide Warns Israel Against ‘Smashing Into Rafah’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Erica L. Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

John F. Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, said President Biden is concerned that an Israeli assault on Rafah would strengthen Hamas. Smashing into Rafah, in his view, will not advance that objective, will not get to that sustainable, enduring defeat of Hamas. But Mr. Biden has grown increasingly wary of a major assault in the densely populated city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Credit... Abir Sultan/EPA, via ShutterstockMr. Kirby also tried to assuage concerns that the United States was breaking with its closest ally in the Middle East. Mr. Biden’s decision to pause certain weapons shipments to Israel underscored brewing frustrations between Mr. Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

Persons: John F, Kirby, Biden, Israel “, ” Mr, Israel —, Israel, Mr, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Abir, Biden’s, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, God’s, ” Organizations: White House, ., American, Congress Locations: Rafah, Israel, Gaza, United States, “, I’m, Israeli, Abir Sultan, Egypt

☆ Opinion | President Biden’s Biggest Blunder
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Less laudably, but no less understandably, he also needs to shore up support among progressive voters who think that Israel’s use of American weapons implicates us in war crimes. And the consequences of Biden’s decision, if not soon reversed, will be the opposite of what he intends. The munitions cutoff helps Hamas. No Israeli government, even one led by someone more moderate than Benjamin Netanyahu, is going to leave Gaza with Hamas still in control of any part of the territory. If the Biden administration has ideas about how to do that without dislodging it from Rafah, we have yet to hear of them.

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu Locations: United States, Israel, Rafah, Gaza

☆ Middle East Crisis Biden Says the U.S. Will Not Supply Israel With Weapons to Attack Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Erica L. Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

President Biden acknowledged on Wednesday that American bombs have been used to kill Palestinian civilians as he warned that the United States would withhold certain weapons if Israel launches a long-threatened assault in southern Gaza. “If they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem,” Mr. Biden said in an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett. Mr. Biden had resisted earlier calls to condition aid to Israel. Mr. Biden said he had made it clear to Mr. Netanyahu and his war cabinet that they would not get support if they moved forward with an offensive in densely populated areas. Asked if he hears the message of those young Americans, Mr. Biden said:“Absolutely, I hear the message.”

Persons: Biden, ”, Mr, CNN’s Erin Burnett, We’re, we’re, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, “, Netanyahu, Joe ” — Organizations: U.S, Hamas Locations: Rafah, United, Israel, Gaza, United States, Iran, I’m, East, ”, Egypt

☆ The Campus Protests, the Democrats, and the Election - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The colleges had a choice; in most places, they chose to escalate. By May 2, according to The Appeal, a nonprofit criminal-justice news site, there were at least 100 encampments in nearly 40 states, and more than 2,000 protesters had been arrested. In proudly defending the mass arrests in New York, Mayor Eric Adams did not focus on trespassing or the disruption to campus life. What he emphasized instead was the urgent need to literally police an ideological threat. It is also a case study in the dynamics of escalation, and I’d like to emphasize three stories, each related, that may help explain the pattern.

Persons: Eric Adams, ” Organizations: Indiana University, University of Virginia, University of Texas, Columbia, New York City, Hamilton Hall, United Locations: U.C.L.A, Austin, New York, United States, Israel, Gaza

☆ Opinion | Israel’s Rafah Incursion Helps No One Except Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Shira Efron | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Three days after it began, Israel’s operation in Rafah looks like a microcosm of its seven-month-long fight in Gaza: an attempt to check a tactical box rather than a strategic move with a definitive goal in the fight against Hamas. As a limited incursion, it could be the least of Israel’s bad options, and even prove successful if it helps achieve a more favorable hostage deal or a cease-fire agreement. However, judging by the war’s conduct to date, it’s more likely that the operation will, in the end, backfire. Taking the crossing also removes Hamas control over a lifeline to the outside world and an international border — a strong symbol of sovereignty. In addition, Israel hopes that the operation will pressure Hamas to agree to a better hostage deal, which would bring about the return at least initially of all living women, elderly and injured men.

Persons: Israel Organizations: Israel Defense Forces Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Egypt

GAZA STRIP Israel Area of satellite image EGYPT Rafah crossing Israeli incursionA Satellite View of Israel’s New Front in GazaNew satellite imagery taken after Israeli forces pushed into Rafah shows widespread damage to the southern Gaza city — including large areas of flattened structures — and clusters of Israeli armored vehicles. North Israeli tanks Razed structures Damage between Monday and Tuesday Rafah crossing Rafah crossing Israeli tanks EGYPT EGYPT New debris GAZA GAZA Damage from Monday Smoke rising Smoke rising Israeli tanks Damage before Monday Israeli tanks North Damage between Monday and Tuesday Razed structures Rafah crossing EGYPT Israeli tanks New debris GAZA Damage from Monday Smoke rising Israeli tanks Damage before Monday North Israeli tanks EGYPT Damage between Monday and Tuesday Razed structures Rafah crossing New debris Israeli tanks GAZA Smoke rising Israeli tanks Damage from before Monday Source: Satellite imagery from Planet LabsWhile Israel has described the operation that began earlier this week as limited, imagery captured on Tuesday morning by Planet Labs, a commercial satellite company, shows significant destruction in parts of the city. A network of damaged buildings reaches more than two miles into the territory near Rafah’s border crossing with Egypt. Monday Tuesday GAZA STRIP Area of image Source: Satellite imagery from Planet LabsIsrael says Rafah is Hamas’s last stronghold, and a critical gateway for arms shipments smuggled into Gaza from Egypt. Local health authorities warned of a “significant increase” in the death toll because of intense Israeli bombardment across Gaza, particularly in Rafah.

Persons: Israel, Scott Anderson, al Balah, Khan, Rafah’s Abu Yousef al, Marwan al Organizations: North, Labs, Israel, Planet Labs, Tuesday GAZA, Residents, al Balah Residents, ISRAEL Residents, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Najjar, Hams Locations: GAZA, Israel, EGYPT Rafah, Gaza, Rafah, EGYPT EGYPT, EGYPT, Rafah’s, Egypt, Planet Labs Israel, Hamas’s, al, ISRAEL, Kerem, Deir, Kerem Shalom, Palestine, Local

☆ Hamas’s Offer to Hand Over 33 Hostages Includes Some Who Are Dead
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Peter Baker | More About Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The disclosure came as part of Hamas’s counteroffer to Israel’s latest proposal, which envisions a first-phase, six-week cease-fire in exchange for the return of some of the hostages taken during the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. It was not clear whether Hamas revealed how many of the 33 are still alive and how many are dead. The Israelis initially wanted 40 to be released in the first phase but came to understand that Hamas did not hold that many who fit the criteria. Israeli and American officials have long assumed that some of the hostages may be dead. Protesters blocked major roads in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv late Monday after Hamas’s counteroffer.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Hamas’s counteroffer Locations: Israel, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv

☆ Israel could win Eurovision. That would cause major headaches for the song contest’s organizers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

But this year, “the presence of Israel has become such a big issue (that) I think it’s going to overshadow the event,” he said. And they are leading perhaps the tensest three minutes in the contest’s history, when Israel’s competitor, Eden Golan, performs live. It doesn’t make sense,” Bambie Thug, Ireland’s participant, told CNN of extensive rules restricting any form of pro-Palestinian statement during the event. Ireland's Bambie Thug told CNN they disagreed with Israel's involvement in the competition. Long-standing rules preventing flags of non-competing countries and territories mean that Palestinian flags are banned from the crowd, which Bambie Thug told CNN they “100%” disagreed with.

Persons: Eden Golan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Golan, ”, Jessica Gow, ” Paul Jordan, Weeks, Johan Nilsson, Israel, Noel Curran, KAN, Bambie Thug, Patricia J, Garcinuno, ” Curran, “, Fredrik Persson, –, ” Jordan, SuRie, Karin Karlsson, Karlsson, ” Elina Pahnke, Saturday’s, Mohammad Ghannam, ” Lara Yosef, ” Yosef, ” Bambie Thug, Alyona Alyona Organizations: CNN, Music, Malmo, Eurovision, European Broadcasting Union, EBU, Getty, TT, Agency, Reuters, Israel, RAI, United, AFP, Malmo Arena, Artists, Aftonbladet, Israel’s National Security Council Locations: Swedish, Malmo, Israel, Gaza, Israel's, AFP, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Azerbaijan, Russia, Stockholm, Sweden's, seeping, Sweden’s Palestinian, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, “

Within the course of mere days, hopes for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip have been raised, dashed and raised again, with no clear explanation. Thursday, May 2A Hamas leader said that the group would soon send a delegation to Cairo to “complete ongoing discussions” on a cease-fire deal. Sunday, May 5The talks — which are held indirectly, through mediators — hit an impasse, and Hamas said its delegation had left Cairo. An Israeli official described the negotiations as in “crisis.”Late in the day, Hamas launched rockets at a border crossing between Gaza and Israel, killing four Israeli soldiers. Then it said would send a working-level delegation back to the talks in Cairo anyway.

Persons: Israel —, —, Israel Organizations: Hamas Locations: Gaza, Gazan, Rafah, Cairo, “, Israel, Egypt, Qatar

☆ Hamas has proposed a ceasefire deal. Here’s why that won’t bring an immediate end to the war in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —When Hamas declared on Monday evening that it has “agreed” to a ceasefire deal, it caught many off guard. But US officials have pushed back on Hamas’ claim that it had “agreed” to a ceasefire deal, instead characterizing the response as a counterproposal with changes. The Hamas proposal calls for an end to the war, which is a red line for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a senior American official told CNN. “Both sides only want a ceasefire deal that ensures their political survival,” Lowenstein said. It is not a list of individuals who can be killed or infrastructure and equipment that can be destroyed,” Ibish told CNN.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Israel, Bill Burns, Benny Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu, Matan Golan, Frank Lowenstein, Barack Obama, ” Lowenstein, Netanyahu — “, Netanyahu, Barak Ravid, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Hamas’s, Biden, doesn’t, Lowenstein, “ Bibi, he’s, Khan Younis, “, that’s, Bibi, it’s, ” Hussein Ibish, Ibish, ” Ibish, “ Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Hamas, CIA, Qatari, Israeli, Palestinian, Israel, AFP, Getty, Gulf States Institute Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Cairo, Israel, “, American, Tel Aviv, Washington ,, Qatar

☆ Hamas’s announcement adds to the uncertainty of the cease-fire talks.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The announcement by Hamas on Monday that it had accepted terms of a cease-fire added to the uncertainty that began over the weekend, when officials said that the armed group and Israel had reached an impasse after months of talks. As if to underscore that the fighting would continue, Hamas militants on Sunday launched rockets from Rafah, their last stronghold in Gaza, killing four Israeli soldiers. The terms Hamas had agreed to were not immediately clear, but a senior Israeli official quickly said that the terms were not those that Israel had agreed to. Hamas wants a permanent cease-fire. Israel wants a temporary truce.

Persons: Israel, Ismail Haniyeh Organizations: Sunday, Hamas Locations: Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Egypt, Qatar, Israeli, United States

☆ Netanyahu Asserts Israel’s Right to Fight Its Enemies in Defiant Speech
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Vivek Shankar | More About Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Sunday rejected international pressure to rein in its military campaign in Gaza and, speaking at a Holocaust memorial, asserted Israel’s right to fight its “genocidal enemies.”Nearly seven months into the war, Mr. Netanyahu has been steadfast in his goal of destroying Hamas. But Mr. Netanyahu has remained defiant. On Sunday, he spoke at Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, to mark the national Holocaust remembrance day. Hamas’s intention, Mr. Netanyahu said, was the same as that of the Nazis. In his speech, which lasted for about 15 minutes and was largely in Hebrew, Mr. Netanyahu rejected accusations that Israel was committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s, —, Israel Organizations: Israel, Sunday, Yad Vashem Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Jerusalem, Israel

☆ Middle East Crisis Israeli Military Warns Thousands in Rafah to Evacuate
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

“We were very close, but Netanyahu’s narrow-mindedness aborted an agreement,” Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, said in a phone interview. The Israeli official said that Israel had sought a written response to its latest proposal from Hamas before dispatching a delegation, but that the group never conveyed one. Mr. Abu Marzouk was the only one of the officials who spoke about the talks to allow the use of his name. Hamas, Mr. Abu Marzouk said, thought that Mr. Netanyahu wanted an agreement that would permit Israel to invade Rafah after its hostages are released. A report in Al-Qahera News, an Egyptian state-owned television channel, said that a Hamas delegation would return to Cairo on Tuesday, but the senior Hamas official said that the group hadn’t made a decision yet.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Mousa Abu Marzouk, Biden, won’t, ”, Abu Marzouk, Mr, Bill Burns, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Peter Baker, Michael Crowley Organizations: Hamas, Sunday, Central Intelligence Agency, Qatari, Qahera Locations: Gaza, Israel, Cairo, Rafah, Kerem, United States, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Doha, Al

☆ Israel Said Hamas’s Cease-Fire Proposal Fell Short
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senior Hamas officials announced today that they had agreed to a cease-fire deal drawn up by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. But the proposal — which officials said included Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza during three 42-day phases of cease-fire — failed to meet Israeli demands. Many people began to leave, fearing that Israel was moving ahead with its long-planned invasion of Rafah despite stiff international pressure. By night, Israel carried out another round of what it called “targeted strikes” in Rafah. Hamas has called for a permanent cease-fire, effectively ending the seven-month war; Israel wants a temporary halt in fighting to allow for the exchange of hostages.

Persons: Israel’s, —, “, Israel Organizations: Hamas Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Israel

☆ Eurovision braces for its most tense contest yet, as protesters and artists bristle at Israel’s presence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The competition – which tries desperately to retain its “apolitical” tag – has become the largest cultural event so far to be rocked by the repercussions of Israel’s war in Gaza. Those protesting or boycotting the song contest claim it is “artwashing” the conflict; others defend Israel’s inclusion, insisting the contest should not be dragged into geopolitics. It doesn’t make sense,” Bambie Thug, Ireland’s participant, told CNN of extensive rules restricting any form of pro-Palestinian statement during the event. Ireland's Bambie Thug told CNN they disagreed with Israel's involvement in the competition. Long-standing rules preventing flags of non-competing countries and territories mean that Palestinian flags are banned from the crowd, which Bambie Thug told CNN they “100%” disagreed with.

Persons: ” Paul Jordan, ”, Weeks, Eden Golan, ” Jordan, “, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Bambie Thug, Patricia J, Garcinuno, Noel Curran, KAN, ” Curran, Golan, Fredrik Persson, –, SuRie, Karin Karlsson, Karlsson, ” Elina Pahnke, Johan Nilsson, Saturday’s, Mohammad Ghannam, ” Lara Yosef, ” Yosef, ” Bambie Thug, Alyona Alyona Organizations: CNN, Music, Malmo, Eurovision, European Broadcasting Union, EBU, TT, Agency, AFP, Getty, Malmo Arena, Artists, Aftonbladet, Israel’s National Security Council Locations: Swedish, Gaza, Israel, Malmo, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Stockholm, Sweden's, seeping, Sweden’s Palestinian, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, “

CNN —Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he “cannot accept” Hamas’ demands to end the war in Gaza as the two sides traded blame amid fresh ceasefire talks that showed little sign of a breakthrough. But the latest comments from Israel and Hamas show how far apart the two remain. He said Hamas’s demand that Israel withdraw from Gaza was out of the question. Most recently, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held another round of high-stakes talks in Israel on Wednesday. Following the rocket barrage, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) blamed Hamas aid not reaching the besieged strip.

Persons: CNN —, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Vahid, Haniyeh, ” Netanyahu, ”, Antony Blinken, Yoav Gallant, ” Galant, ” Gallant, COGAT Organizations: CNN, CNN — Israel’s, Sunday, US, Israeli, ”, Defense Ministry, IDF, Israel Defense Forces, Brigades Locations: Gaza, Cairo, Israel, Egypt, ”, The State, “ Israel, Rafah, Gazan, Kerem Shalom, Territories

☆ Israel and Hamas Face Growing Pressure for a Cease-Fire Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official, said in a text message that the group’s representatives were arriving in Cairo “with great positivity” toward the proposed deal. “If there is no agreement, it will be because of Netanyahu alone,” he said, referring to Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. Mr. Sinwar is one of the presumed architects of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which left 1,200 dead and roughly 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. In Israel, Mr. Netanyahu faces substantial opposition within his own governing coalition to the proposed framework. Agreeing to the deal would be “humiliating surrender,” Bezalel Smotrich, the country’s finance minister, wrote on Facebook late last month.

Persons: Haitham Imad, United States —, Antony J, Blinken, ”, ” Mr, William J, Burns, Husam, Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, Sinwar, ” Bezalel Smotrich, Biden, “ Organizations: United, McCain Institute, Central Intelligence Agency, Qatari, Hamas, Hamas’s, Facebook, Biden Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Shutterstock, Cairo, Palestinian, Israel, Qatar, Egypt, United States, Arizona, Cairo “, Washington

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