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CNN —When top Biden administration officials conveyed their frustrations over the “unacceptable and unsustainable” situation in Gaza to Benny Gantz, they were delivering their message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin’s Netanyahu’s chief political foe. According to an Israeli official, Gantz emerged from those meetings with deep concerns and some surprise about the state of US-Israeli relations over the war in Gaza. Gantz was surprised by how critical the White House was about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a potential military offensive into Rafah, an Israeli official said. “Help us help you,” was the message, according to an Israeli official. “We’ve raised these things before, but there’s greater urgency now on the humanitarian front,” the administration official said.

Persons: Benny Gantz, Benjamin’s Netanyahu’s, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Gantz, Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu government’s, Joe Biden, ”, Harris, Jake Sullivan, ‘, “ We’ve, Blinken, “, we’re, Matthew Miller, Gantz “ Organizations: CNN, Biden, Israel, State Department, Government, ” Locations: Gaza, Washington, Israel, US, Rafah

☆ Paul Whelan tells CNN that Navalny’s death in prison is ‘extremely worrying’ for him
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia for more than five years, told CNN Tuesday that opposition figure Alexey Navalny’s death in Russian prison last month is “extremely worrying” for him. “It’s extremely troubling that someone like Navalny would die under suspicious circumstances, but it’s also extremely worrying for me that this is the sort of thing that goes on,” he said. Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 and imprisoned on charges of espionage that he has consistently and vehemently denied. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020. Whelan described it as “extremely odd” to be spending his 54th birthday in Russian prison.

Persons: CNN — Paul Whelan, Alexey Navalny’s, “, ”, Whelan, it’s, they’re, I’ve, “ It’s, Antony Blinken, Paul, Evan Gershkovich, ” Blinken, ” “, Joe Biden, Biden, I’m Organizations: CNN, ”, US State Department, Wall Street, National Security Council Locations: Russia, Mordovia, “, United States, Germany, Moscow, ”, Russian

☆ Biden announces US airdrops of humanitarian assistance into Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Kevin Liptak | Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The United States will begin air dropping food aid to the people of Gaza, President Joe Biden announced Friday, as the humanitarian crisis deepens and Israel continues to resist opening additional land crossings to allow more assistance into the war-torn strip. Speaking in the Oval Office, Biden said the US would be “pulling out every stop” to get additional aid into Gaza, which has been under heavy bombardment by Israel since the October 7 Hamas terror attacks. Biden said aid was not flowing into Gaza quickly enough, and said he was working to broker an immediate ceasefire deal that would allow additional aid in. Palestinians run along a street as humanitarian aid from Jordan is airdropped in Gaza City on March 1, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group. AFP/Getty ImagesSenior US officials have repeatedly pressed Israeli officials in face-to-face meetings on the urgent need to open additional crossings.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Netanyahu, Matt Miller, ” Miller, ”, Samantha Power, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, CNN’s Oren Liebermann Organizations: CNN, Office, AFP, Getty, Israeli Locations: United States, Gaza, Israel, ”, Jordan, Egypt, UAE, Qatar, France, airdropped, Gaza City

Smoke billows above the Lebanese village of Bint Jbeil during Israeli bombardment on February 28. “We are operating in the assumption that an Israeli military operation is in the coming months,” one senior Biden administration official said. An Israeli military operation is a distinct possibility.”The leadership of Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-backed paramilitary group, has expressed support for Palestinians and condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza. There have been months of daily, deadly cross-border strikes by both Israel and Hezbollah that have displaced tens of thousands of Lebanese and Israeli residents from their homes. That deal would likely postpone an Israeli incursion, US officials believe.

Persons: Bint Jbeil, Jalaa Marey, Biden, ”, “ Organizations: Getty, Biden, Hezbollah Locations: Lebanese, AFP, Israel, Lebanon, Israeli, Iran, Gaza

☆ US looking into possible airdrops of aid into Gaza, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The United States is looking into possible airdrops of aid into Gaza as the humanitarian crisis there deepens and assistance fails to reach the people in the war-torn strip, two US officials told CNN on Wednesday. One US official said the prospect of airdrops is being seriously considered based on the conditions on the ground. Earlier this week, Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, Qatar and France airdropped relief aid on various areas in the Gaza Strip in a sign of how desperate the situation has become. “We are talking to Israeli officials about the need to open up far more crossings, far more passages into Gaza, so that vitally needed humanitarian assistance can be dramatically surged,” Power said. “This is a matter of life and death.”Power met on Wednesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, one of the US officials told CNN.

Persons: Axios, Samantha Power, ” Power, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant Organizations: CNN, United Nations, US Agency for International, Israeli Locations: United States, Gaza, Jordan, Egypt, UAE, Qatar, France, Israel

☆ Iran has reduced stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium, says nuclear watchdog
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Adam Pourahmadi | Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Iran has reduced its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium in the months since October 2023, according to a confidential report from the International Atomic Weapons Agency (IAEA) viewed by CNN on Tuesday. In October, Iran possessed 128.3 kilograms (282.9 pounds) of uranium enriched to approximately 60%, the highest level documented by the IAEA. By February, the stockpile had been reduced to 121.5 kilograms, according to the report. Iran reduced the quantity of near weapons-grade uranium by mixing 31.8 kilograms of the stockpile with uranium enriched to a much lower level, around 2%, according to the report. However, while Iran had reduced its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium, the report also noted a steady increase in stocks of uranium enriched to 20%.

Persons: IAEA Rafael Grossi, Donald Trump, Eric Brewer, Ben Taleblu, Majid Asgaripour, they’ve, ” Brewer, Brewer, Taleblu, “, ” Taleblu, Matthew Miller, Yemen’s Houthi Organizations: CNN, International Atomic Weapons Agency, IAEA, Center for Arms Control, United, Experts, Nuclear Threat Initiative, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Governors, US State Department, American Locations: Iran, Bushehr, Israel

CNN —Negotiations to release Russia’s opposition leader Alexey Navalny in a prisoner swap had reached their “final stage” just before his sudden death, a top aide to Navalny has said. “Navalny was supposed to be free in the coming days because we had achieved a decision on his exchange,” Pevchik said. Putin had recently signaled his interest in a prisoner exchange with the West involving Krasikov and Gershkovich. Pevchik claimed that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich had served as “an informal negotiator” and delivered the prisoner swap proposal to Putin. Navalny’s body was returned to his mother on Saturday, more than a week after his death.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, ”, Navalny, Vadim Krasikov, Maria Pevchik, ” Pevchik, “, ” Navalny, CNN’s Matthew Chance, Dmitri Peskov, Ebrahim Noroozi, Matthew Miller, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Putin, Tucker Carlson “, Navalny “, Lyudmila Navalnaya, Pevchik, nodded understandingly, Henry Kissinger, Kissinger, Abramovich, Navalnaya, Alexey, ” Peskov, ” Kira Yarmysh, Alexey ” Organizations: CNN, YouTube, CNN’s, State Department, Wall Street, Fox News, Kremlin, “ Locations: Russian, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, Russia, Krasikov, Siberia, Ukraine, “

CNN —A man set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, on Sunday, according to a statement from the Washington Metropolitan Police Department. The adult male was transported by DC Fire and EMS to a local hospital and remains in critical condition, MPD said. By the time firefighters were dispatched to the scene, the fire had already been extinguished by US Secret Service, according to Vito Maggiolo, a public information officer from DC Fire. MPD is working with the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate the incident. CNN’s Rafael Romo, Jaide Timm-Garcia and Shawn Nottingham contributed to this report.

Persons: Vito Maggiolo, ”, CNN’s Rafael Romo, Jaide Timm, Garcia, Shawn Nottingham Organizations: CNN, Embassy, Washington Metropolitan Police Department, Metropolitan Police Department, United States Secret Service, DC Fire, US, DC, US Secret, Secret Service, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Consulate Locations: Washington ,, Atlanta

☆ First on CNN: Top US humanitarian official to travel to Middle East this week
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The US government’s top humanitarian aid official will travel to Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan this week in an effort to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that is veering into catastrophe. Power will “underscore the importance of protecting civilians and aid workers in accordance with international humanitarian law,” the spokesperson said. Power is the latest Biden administration to travel to the region to emphasize the US’ strong concerns over the deepening humanitarian crisis in the war-torn strip. Although the Biden administration has become increasingly critical of the toll of the Israeli offensive, it remains at odds with the international humanitarian community and nations like Jordan by vetoing calls for an immediate ceasefire. Ongoing outrage over the administration’s continued support for the Israeli military offensive threatens to be a political problem for Biden in an election year.

Persons: Samantha Power, “, Biden, –, Joe Biden, vetoing, ”, ” Christopher Lockyear Organizations: CNN, West Bank, US Agency for International Development, USAID, Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Biden, UNRWA, Congress, United Nations, Doctors, UN Locations: Israel, Jordan, Gaza, ”, Rafah, Michigan, States

CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday declared that any expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank would be inconsistent with international law - reversing a Trump era position that broke with longstanding US policy. “They’re also inconsistent with international law. The Trump administration had reversed US policy to declare that settlements did not violate international law. The top US diplomat said he was “disappointed” by reports that Israel would expand the settlements in the occupied West Bank. “It’s been a longstanding US policy, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, that new settlements are counterproductive to the cause of peace– frankly, they’re also inconsistent with international law, and this administration maintains this firm opposition to settlement expansion,” he said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, “ It’s, ” Blinken, “ They’re, Trump, Mike Pompeo, ” Israel’s, Bezalel Smotrich, Blinken, ”, John Kirby, they’re Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Republican, Democratic, Trump, White, National Security Locations: Buenos Aires, Israel

CNN —Two American brothers who were detained in Gaza earlier this month by Israeli forces are being held in Ashkelon prison, a US official tells CNN. The brothers were “arrested for collaboration with Hamas,” Israel’s Consul General to the Midwest, Yinam Cohen, told CNN on Thursday. When asked for comment, the IDF told CNN the brothers are not in their custody, referring questions to the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. As CNN previously reported, the brothers were among a group of roughly 20 men detained by IDF soldiers early on February 8, according to the brothers’ cousin Yasmeen Elagha. IDF did not respond to CNN’s request for comment at the time on the matter.

Persons: Alagha, Hashem Alagha, ”, Yinam Cohen, Maria Kari, Hashem, Borak’s, ” Kari, Yasmeen Elagha, –, Elagha Organizations: CNN, US, IDF, Israeli Security Agency, “ Locations: Gaza, Ashkelon, Israel, Chicago

☆ Israeli forces fired on food convoy in Gaza, UN documents and satellite analysis reveals
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Katie Polglase | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“A convoy that had food on it, heading to the northern parts of the Gaza Strip. In the wake of the strike on February 5, UNRWA decided to stop sending convoys to northern Gaza. The UN estimates that 300,000 people are still living in northern Gaza, with very little assistance. “Because of the level of desperation in Gaza, people would see an aid convoy, they would come to the aid convoy, take the stuff from the aid convoy,” Touma told CNN. “By the time we get the approval, the aid convoy is empty.”Other routes are impassable due to debris and craters, satellite imagery reviewed by CNN shows.

Persons: ” Juliette Touma, CNN’s, Al Rashid, ” Touma, Thomas White, Tom White, “, ” Janina Dill, it’s, ”, Philippa Greer, COGAT, Abed Zagout, Israel “, Craig Jones, ” Jones, ” Gianluca Mezzofiore, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: UN, CNN CNN, United Nations, CNN, UNRWA, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Ministry of Health, Al, X, Oxford University’s Institute for Ethics, Law, US State Department, “, Government, Planet Labs, Food, Getty, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Health Organization, International Court of Justice, Newcastle University Locations: Gaza, Israel, Wadi Gaza, Palestinian, “ Israel, Al, Gaza City, Rafah, Egypt, Anadolu, French, Palestine, United Kingdom

CNN —Talks on a hostage and ceasefire deal for Gaza appear to be at an impasse. During the process, Israeli troops would gradually withdraw from Gaza, hostages would be released and Palestinian prisoners in Israel – including those serving life sentences – would be freed. The Israeli leader has repeatedly said that the war in Gaza will continue until Israel destroys Hamas’ leadership and rescues the hostages. Even as talks continue in Cairo, the Israeli military has been conducting operations in Gaza designed to hunt down top Hamas figures. The Israeli prime minister on Wednesday said that Hamas must change its negotiating position before talks can continue in Cairo.

Persons: CNN —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bill Burns, David Barnea, Israel –, Said Khatib, ”, ’, –, Netanyahu, “, Matthew Miller, Ronen Zvulun, Shin Bet, Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu –, ” Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, “ We’re, we’re, Joe Biden, ” Miller Organizations: CNN, Hamas, CIA, Israeli, Getty, “, US State Department, ’, IDF, State Department, The Washington Post Locations: Gaza, Cairo, Israel, Rafah, Paris, AFP, Qatar, “ Qatar, Doha, Aqsa, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, “, Egypt, Albania, The Washington, Palestinian, United States

☆ Family of Palestinian-American detained by Israeli forces alleges mistreatment in custody
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The family also said that US officials have not been granted consular access to her more than a week after her detention. “Despite having had her prescription medication from the moment they arrested her, the IDF has declined to administer it,” the family statement said. According to the statement, Esmail was presented to a military commission on Monday and was granted bail, but the IDF appealed the ruling. They called on the US to do more to obtain consular access to Esmail. “The United States is not without tools to obtain consular access to Ms. Esmail and to end her ordeal.

Persons: Esmail, ”, “, Netanyahu, Matt Miller, don’t, ” Miller, Jonathan Franks, Ms, Franks, “ Ms, Esmail’s, ’, Hashem Alagha, Borak Alagha, Miller, Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour, Abdel, WAFA, CNN’s Lauren Izso, Gabe Cohen Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, U.S, Embassy, . State, Israel Prison Service, ”, Esmail’s Facebook, U.S . Embassy, “ Defense, Children – Palestine Locations: Palestinian, Israel, United States, Silwad, Louisiana, U.S, Gaza, Biddu

☆ Blinken spoke with detained American Paul Whelan on Monday
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Monday with Paul Whelan, an American who has been detained in Russia for more than five years, the top US diplomat said Tuesday. And they will until he and Evan Gershkovich and every other American wrongfully detained is back with their loved ones,” Blinken said at an event on hostage diplomacy at the Wilson Center. State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Tuesday that Blinken “assured Paul Whelan, as he has in his previous calls, that we’re with you. The time is now to take decisive action and bring this debacle to a close,” Whelan told CNN from his prison camp in Mordovia. Miller reiterated on Monday that the US has “put a significant offer on the table” to try to secure Whelan and Gershkovich’s release.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Paul Whelan, Paul, Evan Gershkovich, ” Blinken, Matt Miller, “, Biden, ” Miller, Whelan, Blinken, ” Whelan, Joe Biden, ”, Miller Organizations: CNN, Wilson Center . State, US State Department Locations: American, Russia, Mordovia

CNN —US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to talk on Sunday, according to a spokesman for the National Security Council. The call will focus on the hostages still held in Gaza, a source familiar with the expected conversation said. Biden and Netanyahu last spoke over the phone on January 19. Last week, Blinken also told Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials that the civilian toll in Gaza “remains too high” as violence continues in the region. And day after day, more people are killed,” Blinken said at a news conference last week after meeting with top Israeli officials.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, it’s, ” Netanyahu, ”, ” Biden, Biden, Antony Blinken, Blinken, ” Blinken, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: CNN, Israeli, National Security Council, US, Hamas, White Locations: Gaza

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

☆ 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

☆ Hamas has replied to Gaza hostage proposal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | Michael Conte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Hamas has replied to a proposal aimed at the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza and a sustained cessation in fighting, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Tuesday. “We are optimistic, and we have delivered the response to the Israeli party,” he said. The United States is reviewing the response from Hamas “now,” Blinken said. And we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it,” he said at the news conference. Blinken will meet with senior members of the Israeli government on Wednesday.

Persons: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Antony Blinken, “, ”, ” Al Thani, ” Blinken, “ I’ll, Blinken Organizations: CNN, Qatari, Blinken Locations: Gaza, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Doha, United States, Israel

CNN —US officials said Monday that Iraq was not notified ahead of a series of strikes on Iran-linked targets in the country, contradicting earlier statements that the Iraqi government was notified before the strikes occurred. We informed the Iraqis immediately after the strikes occurred,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a briefing on Monday. “Iraq, like every country in the region, understood that there would be a response after the deaths of our soldiers,” he noted. In a statement to CNN, Kirby said he “responded with information that I had been provided at the time” after the strikes on Friday. “For operational security reasons, we did not provide any kind of official pre-notification with specific details on these strikes,” the spokesperson said.

Persons: Vedant Patel, ”, John Kirby, Kirby, “, Pat Ryder, ” Ryder, we’ll Organizations: CNN, ” State Department, National Security, State Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, United, Pentagon Locations: Iraq, Iran, “ Iraq, Syria, Jordan, United States, Anbar Governorate, Iranian

☆ Group of Palestinian-Americans skip Blinken meeting over Biden admin’s support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

More than 26,000 have been killed, hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and Gaza is on the brink of famine. ‘Soul-searching’One of the invitees to the roundtable, Dr. Tariq Haddad, said in an intensely personal, 12-page letter to Blinken that he initially intended to go to the meeting. “My family are subsisting on animal feed, Secretary Blinken, because of your policies,” he said. Public oppositionAnd while Blinken was quietly confronted behind closed doors about the administration’s policy toward Gaza on Thursday, members of the administration, including Blinken, have also faced public displays of opposition. “And we are working 24/7 to try to dramatically expand the flow of food, medicine, shelter – I mean, so much is needed.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe, Biden, ”, “, Tariq Haddad, ” Haddad, Haddad, –, Matt Miller, ” Miller, Samantha Power, Power, doesn’t Organizations: CNN, Biden, Middle East, State Department, State, Palestinian, US Agency for International Development, USAID, Agency, USAID Missions Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, Thursday’s, ”

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden plans to issue an executive order targeting violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank whom he has said have undermined stability in the area, a US official and source familiar with the matter told CNN. Officials said they had compiled evidence they said offered proof of the individuals’ role in the West Bank violence that would withstand judicial review, including information from public reporting. The State Department can apply the policy to both Israelis and Palestinians who were responsible for attacks in the West Bank, Blinken said at the time. Dozens of Palestinians were killed in the West Bank in the weeks immediately following the Hamas attack as settler violence intensified. An estimated 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Matt Miller, ”, ” Biden, “, “ we’re, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: Washington CNN, West Bank, CNN, Politico, White House, The State Department, ”, Bank Locations: United States, West, Gaza, Huwara, “, Israel, East, America

☆ Group of Democrats call on Blinken to provide answers on bypassing Congress to approve arms sales to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A group of 19 predominantly Democratic lawmakers is calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide answers about why he bypassed Congress last month to approve arms sales to Israel. The top US diplomat made two emergency determinations in December to immediately approve the transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in military equipment to Israel. In their letter, the lawmakers noted the rarity of administrations using emergency declarations to immediately approve arms sales without congressional approval. “Use of a national emergency waiver does not exempt the U.S. government from assessing whether arms sales are consistent with” those standards, they wrote. I would say that the process that the secretary followed and the process that we follow here at the State Department is the process that the law actually prescribed,” Miller said at a State Department briefing.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe Biden, Independent Sen, Bernie Sanders, Democratic Sens, Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, Peter Welch, James McGovern, Earl Blumenauer, Joaquin Castro, Judy Chu, Raúl, Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Betty McCollum, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, Jill Tokuda, Maxine Waters, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Leahy, credibly, “ Israel, ”, ’, “, Matt Miller, ” Miller Organizations: CNN, UN, Independent, Democratic, State Department, Leahy, ”, Department Locations: Israel, Gaza, Hamas

☆ Biden administration tells Congress it intends to sell Turkey F-16s after Erdogan approved Sweden’s NATO membership
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The State Department also sent Congress a formal notification of its intent to sell $8.6 billion worth of F-35s to Greece. Blinken, in turn, told the Turkish president multiple times that members of Congress would not approve the sale of jets until Turkey allowed Sweden to join NATO. The Turkish Parliament finally voted in favor of Sweden’s NATO accession Tuesday, and Erdogan signed off on the instruments of ratification Thursday. The US official said this was to assure Congress there was no way for Turkey to back out of the deal. Hungary still must approve Sweden’s NATO bid for the nation to finally become a member.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Robert Menendez –, Turkey –, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Menendez, Sen, Ben Cardin Organizations: CNN, NATO, The State Department, Turkish, Foreign, The New, Greek, House Foreign Affairs Committee, State Department Locations: Turkey, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Vilnius, Lithuania, London, The New Jersey, Turkish, Hungary

Washington CNN —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday appeared to reject the idea of creating a Palestinian state, a statement that could contribute to growing tensions between Washington and Jerusalem. “This conflict is not about the absence of a (Palestinian) state but about the existence of a state, the Jewish state,” Netanyahu also said. American officials said Thursday they would not allow Netanyahu’s apparent rejection of an eventual Palestinian state to stop them from pressing the matter with their Israeli counterparts. “But they underscored that this can only come through a regional approach that includes a pathway to a Palestinian state,” Blinken said. And this is this is not a new comment by Prime Minister Netanyahu,” he said.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s, Joe Biden, Biden, Netanyahu, ”, he’s, Israel, ” Biden, Antony Blinken, ” Blinken, John Kirby, “ We’re Organizations: Washington CNN, Israeli, American, Israel, Biden, US National Security Council, Air Force Locations: Washington, Jerusalem, “, Israel, Jordan, Tel Aviv, Palestinian, Gaza

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