The Biden administration believes Sinwar was the main obstacle to an agreement, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the region this week hoping to achieve a breakthrough. Among the options is an Egyptian proposal for a two-week cease-fire in exchange for the release of six hostages. Still, it is not immediately clear who would be the decision-maker for any proposal brought forward to Hamas, which has yet to choose Sinwar’s successor (Read more at NBC News).
Blinken said Israel had succeeded in ensuring there could be no repeat of last year’s Oct. 7 assault and it should be looking to bring home the remaining 101 Israeli and foreign hostages and end the fighting. “Now is the time to turn those successes into an enduring strategic success,” he told reporters as he prepared to leave for Riyadh on the next stage of his visit to the Middle East. Blinken repeated that the US rejected any Israeli occupation of Gaza and said he had been assured by Netanyahu that Israel had no such plans. “It’s been US policy, it will remain US policy, and it’s also, to the best of my understanding, the policy of the Israeli government, that I heard from the prime minister, who is the authoritative word on these things,” he said (Read more at Taipei Times).
In each call, US Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin said he cites the need for Israel to be more precise during military operations against Palestinian group, Hamas, to limit civilian casualties, and cites the need to get humanitarian assistance to the civilian population. “Failure to do that will create a generation of Palestinians that really will continue to resist cooperating with Israel in the future. So you’re actually increasing the numbers of insurgents … if you fail to do that,” Austin said. “It’s a strategic imperative in my view.” (Read more at Middle East Monitor)
Smoke, apparently from an intercepted projectile, could be seen in the sky above the hotel where Blinken was staying. A loudspeaker inside the building told everyone to stay inside. A second administration official said the rocket had been fired by the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group. The all clear from the citywide alert came approximately 10 minutes after the sirens started (Read more at NBC News).
Austin declined to say whether the system was operational, but added: “We have the ability to put it into operation very quickly and we’re on pace with our expectations.” “At the end of the day, that’s an Israeli decision, and whether or not the Israelis believe it’s proportional and how the Iranians perceive it, I mean those may be two different things,” he said (Read more at Arab Weekly)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said there was a need for a security and political change in Lebanon that would allow displaced Israelis to return safely to their homes. Netanyahu met with Blinken for 2-1/2 hours on Tuesday and the meeting was friendly and productive, according to a statement from the prime minister's office (Read more at MSN).
Nine members of Force 100 investigated over allegations of sexual assaulting prisoner at Sde Teiman detention camp that could lead to it being barred from receiving assistance. The investigation – a rare occurrence on the part of the US with regard to Israel – could result in the unit being penalised under a landmark peace of legislation known as the Leahy law, which prohibits the state and defence departments from rendering assistance to foreign security force units facing credible accusations of human rights abuses (Read more at Guardian).
Two demands are revealed: Israel wants freedom for its air force to operate in Lebanon’s airspace and for the Israeli military to be allowed to carry out “active enforcement” in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah. One US official said neither Lebanon nor the international community would likely agree to conditions that would “dramatically undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty” (Read more at Arabnews).
"We'd like to see Israel scale back on some of the strikes it's taking, especially in and around Beirut. And we'd like to see things transition to some sort of negotiation that will allow civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes," said the Pentagon chief at the G7 defense meeting in Naples, Italy (Read more at RBC-Ukraine).
Harris dodged a question on whether Arab American and Muslim anger over US support for Israel’s continued bombardment of Gaza and more recently in Lebanon could cost her the election in the battleground state of Michigan, but said she would continue speaking out about the tragic loss of innocent lives (Read more at Arabnews).
The documents marked top secret first appeared online via a channel on Telegram based in Tehran, claiming they had been leaked by someone in the U.S. intelligence community, then later the U.S. Defense Department. The information appeared entirely gathered through the use of satellite image analysis. The documents are attributed to the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, and note that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike. They were sharable within the “Five Eyes,” which are the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia (Read more at Associated Press).
Trump, speaking later to reporters in Philadelphia, said he had had "a very nice call" with Netanyahu on Saturday. The Israeli leader had asked his opinion about what to do with Iran, he said. Israel is pondering its military reaction to recent Iranian missile strikes. "He was asking what I thought. And I just said, you do what you have to do," Trump said (Read more at USNews).
"There's an opportunity in my view and my colleagues agree that we can probably deal with Israel and Iran in a way that ends the conflict for a while. That ends the conflict, in other words, that stops the back and forth," Biden said. Biden also said he has an understanding of how and when Israel was going to retaliate against missile attacks by Iran. He declined to elaborate (Read more at USNews).
He praised the Israeli leader as doing a good job while attacking President Joe Biden's administration. "He's called me. I haven't spoken to him. I'm going to speak to him probably now," Trump said. "Biden is trying to hold him back….and he probably should be doing the opposite actually." (Read more at USNews)
Israeli leaders are seeking to lock in strategic gains that go beyond military victories – to reshape the regional landscape in Israel's favour and shield its borders from any future attacks. By intensifying its military operations against Hezbollah and Hamas, Israel wants to ensure that its enemies and their chief patron, Iran, don't regroup and threaten Israeli citizens again (Read more at Business Standard).
US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death marks a moment of relief for Israelis while providing the opportunity for a “day after” in Gaza without the group in power. “I will be speaking soon with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to congratulate them, to discuss the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families, and for ending this war once and for all, which has caused so much devastation to innocent people.,” Biden said (Read more at Qatar Tribune).
“The U.S. has been saying to Israel that they have to improve humanitarian support to Gaza, but they gave one month delay. One month delay at the current pace of people being killed. It’s too many people,” Josep Borrell told reporters ahead of a European Union leaders’ summit (Read more at The Print).
"The Secretary encouraged the Government of Israel to continue taking steps to address the dire humanitarian situation, noting the recent action by Israel to increase the amount of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza," the Pentagon said in a statement. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Austin wrote to Israeli officials on Sunday demanding concrete measures to address the worsening situation in the Palestinian enclave, or face potential restrictions on U.S. military aid. The Pentagon summary after the Wednesday call did not mention the letter (Read more at Reuters).
In his final months in office, President Joe Biden is signaling new willingness to use U.S. military assistance to Israel as both a carrot and a stick to influence its high-stakes confrontation with Iran and Iran-backed militant groups. The 30 days Biden has given Israel to comply with its demands will run out after the Nov. 5 U.S. election, giving Netanyahu the ability to decide how fully he should comply, especially if the Republican candidate with whom he is close, former President Donald Trump, defeats the Democrat, Vice President Kamala Harris (Read more at Reuters).
The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the Security Council on Wednesday at a meeting convened by France UK and Algeria that such a policy “would not just be horrific and unacceptable” but also had “implications under international and US law”. The sudden surge in pressure is in part a response to growing fears that Israel may be trying to force Palestinians to leave northern Gaza using starvation, but also reflects a new assertive line being pushed by the US vice-president, Kamala Harris, worried her election prospects will be damaged if the administration is seen to have presided over an enforced mass exodus (Read more at Guardian).
Washington supports limited incursions by Israel to attack and degrade Hezbollah, but the US opposes a broad bombing campaign on Beirut and attacks that don’t avoid civilian harm, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the strike that destroyed the municipal headquarters in the southern Lebanon town of Nabatieh and killed 16 people including the mayor hit civilians meeting to coordinate relief efforts. Miller said if Israel intentionally targeted such a meeting that would be “unacceptable,” but said the circumstances would need to be verified. (Read more at Arabnews).
Two U.S. officials who resigned last year in protest over President Joe Biden's policy on the Gaza war have launched a lobbying organization and a political action committee to advocate for a revamp of Washington's long-standing stance on the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. Their PAC, called "A New Policy", would support candidates whose position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict center on aligning U.S. policies with human rights and equality and would ensure U.S. arms transfers to all countries in the Middle East including Israel comply with both U.S. and international law (Read more at Reuters).
President Joe Biden’s decision to send an advanced missile defense system to Israel – and the roughly 100 U.S. soldiers needed to operate it – serves as a reminder that the 2024 race might turn on the economy, abortion and immigration. But the winner will be commander in chief. The latest deployment is a deeply political act, an expression of national will that comes with the danger that service personnel could come under deadly fire in an escalating Middle East conflict (Read more at USNews).
“There are specific strikes that it would be appropriate for Israel to carry out. But when it comes to the scope and nature of the bombing campaign that we saw in Beirut for the past few weeks, it’s something that we made clear to the government of Israel we had concerns with and we were opposed to,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said (Read more at Swissinfo).
Israel is highly dependent on U.S. military aid as it fights a war on several fronts and has been under intense scrutiny as warnings emerge again about the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza. Israeli authorities closed crossings into Gaza earlier this month, halting deliveries of food and essential supplies to 400,000 Palestinians before some trucks were able to enter again (Read more at Axios).
"The battery will be fully operational capable in the near future, but for operations security reasons we will not discuss timelines" The Pentagon said (Read more at Reuters).
The November 5 US elections will mark the first time AAPAC has chosen not to endorse a candidate since the group's 1998 inception. It usually endorses Democrats (Read more at Rappler).
Netanyahu had told the Biden administration that he was willing to strike military rather than oil or nuclear facilities in Iran, suggesting a more limited counterstrike aimed at preventing a full-scale war. The retaliatory action would be calibrated to avoid the perception of "political interference in the US elections," the Washington Post quoted one official as saying (Read more at Irish Examiner).
The Pentagon said Austin expressed concern to Gallant about the dire humanitarian situation in northern Gaza and stressed that steps must be taken soon to address it (Read more at Axios).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Biden administration he is willing to strike Iranian military targets rather than oil or nuclear facilities, two officials familiar with the matter told The Washington Post (Read more at MSN).
The Pentagon has said it will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery and troops to Israel, even as Iran warned Washington on Sunday to keep American military forces out of Israel. Before then, the US sent a THAAD battery to Israel in 2019 for training. The THAAD advanced defence system each consists of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, and radio and radar equipment, which requires 95 soldiers to operate. The battery is considered a complementary system to the Patriot, but it can defend a wider area, with the capability to hit targets at ranges of 150 to 200 kilometres (Read more at Euronews).
Trump was asked when last he spoke to the Israeli leader during a Fox News interview. "Like two days ago and he came to my house in Florida, Mar-a-Lago with his wife who was lovely," he responded. Trump called the lack of conversation between Biden and Netanyahu in nearly two months "pathetic." (Read more at Strait Times).
As part of their attempts to avoid being caught in the crossfire, Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar are also refusing to let Israel fly over their airspace for any attack on Iran and have conveyed this to Washington. The moves by the Gulf states come after a diplomatic push by Tehran to persuade its Gulf neighbors to use their influence with Washington amid rising concerns Israel could target Iran's oil production facilities (Read more at Daily Sabah).
'Let’s be clear: conditions are catastrophic and will further deteriorate if additional steps are not taken,' says US envoy at UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield. The envoy also said the US is "concerned by the situation in northern Gaza, including the announcement by Israel of a new evacuation order for several communities ... We are particularly concerned that Palestinian civilians have nowhere safe to go," she said (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
The worsening trust crisis is magnified by Israel's planned retaliation against Iran for its massive missile attack, which requires coordination with the U.S. in case Iran responds. "Our trust of the Israelis is very low right now and for a good reason," one U.S. official said. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told Israel's minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer that the U.S. expects "clarity and transparency" from Israel about its plans to retaliate against Iran because it will have implications for U.S. forces and interests in the region (Read more at Axios).
The 30-minute call was the first known chat between Biden and Netanyahu since August. The call was “direct and very productive”, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, while acknowledging the two leaders have disagreements and are open about them (Read more at South China Morning Post).
He warned that the next US administration is unlikely to be able to secure enough votes to support the deal. “We can get you a treaty through the Senate between the United States and Saudi Arabia, a defence agreement like you have in Japan and Australia, if you do it on President Biden’s watch,” Graham, who is seen as close to Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, told reporters in Jerusalem. “The next president will have a very difficult time getting 67 votes,” he said in reference to the two-thirds majority needed in the US Senate for approving a defence treaty (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
The Pentagon declined to comment on reports that the trip was dropped because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to sign off on it until he gets “a phone call” with President Joe Biden, and the Israeli cabinet approves the response to Iran. “I am going to stay out of Israeli politics,” Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokesperson, told reporters at a news briefing. “I wouldn’t read too much into it.” Austin and Gallant have a “great relationship” and have spoken more than 80 times, Singh added (Read more at Aljazeera).
Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff “will plant a memorial tree on the grounds of the Vice President’s Residence in honor of the victims and deliver remarks,” according to the White House. Trump will deliver remarks in Miami at an Oct. 7 remembrance event (Read more at USNews).
"Military pressure can at times enable diplomacy. Of course, military pressure can also lead to miscalculation. It can lead to unintended consequences," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement (Read more at USNews).
Polls show Stein garnering just 1% in the Nov. 5 election, while Harris and her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, are almost tied with 49% and 48%. But Stein, who has been campaigning on a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an immediate U.S. arms embargo on Israel, won 40% of the Muslim vote in Michigan in an August poll. Democrats could win back those voters if they demanded and work to enact an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon (Read more at USNews).
Asked if he was worried an Israeli strike on Iran's oil facilities would raise oil prices, he said, "If a hurricane hits, prices are going to go up. I don't know; who knows." Biden was also asked why he had not spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days. He replied: "Because there's no action going on right now." (Read more at TRTWorld).
"The Israelis have not concluded what they are going to do in terms of a strike. That's under discussion," Biden said. Biden was also asked if he thought that by not engaging in diplomacy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to influence the Nov. 5 U.S. election in which Republican former President Donald Trump faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. "Whether he is trying to influence the election, I don't know but I am not counting on that," Biden said in response. "No administration has done more to help Israel than I have." (Read more at Reuters)
The Biden administration believes it is appropriate for Israel to continue with its ground and air attacks on Hezbollah for now, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday, even as he acknowledged the risk of the operation in Lebanon expanding beyond Israel’s current aims. Washington has repeatedly warned Israel against escalating the conflict, but a three-week ceasefire proposal put forward by the U.S. and other countries last week was quickly dismissed by Israel in favor of intensified operations (Read more at Arab America News).
The chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee urged President Joe Biden to speed up weapons shipments to Israel, including 2000-pound (907 kg) bombs that have been held up for months over human rights concerns. Michael McCaul, who reviews all major foreign U.S. weapons sales in his position as committee chairman, said he was also aware of more than 10 other planned weapons sales to Israel that have been awaiting final approval for more than four months and urged that they proceed quickly (Read more at USNews).
When asked by a reporter if he supported Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities, Biden said, “we’re discussing that. I think that would be a little… anyway.” Biden said he did not expect any immediate action from Israel — even if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently paid little heed to calls for restraint as he targets the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia in Lebanon (Read more at Defense Post).
Other US officials warned Iran would face “severe consequences”, with State Department spokesman Matthew Miller telling reporters he was not “ruling anything out”. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett explicitly called for such an attack in a post on X, saying Israel must “act now to destroy Iran’s nuclear program”. “We have the justification. We have the tools”, Bennett said (Read more at Aljazeera).
Iran launched around 180 ballistic missiles toward Israel in a two-wave attack on Tuesday that U.S. and Israeli officials say was largely repelled. This was Iran's largest-scale attack ever against Israel (Read more at Axios).
"Through these violent activities, Hilltop Youth is actively destabilizing the West Bank and harming the peace and security of Palestinians and Israelis alike. The group has carried out killings, arson and other attacks to intimidate Palestinians and has devastated communities in the process." Treasury said in a statement (Read more at Daily Star).
A U.S. official said that the Iranian strike could be as large or potentially bigger than one on April 14 in which Tehran launched more than 300 missiles and drones. "A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran," the second US official said (Read more at USNews).
The president said the attack appears to have been "defeated and ineffective." "This is testament to Israeli military capability and the U.S. military," Biden said in his first on-camera remarks on the issue. "It's also a testament to intensive planning between the United States and Israel to anticipate and defend against the brazen attack we expected." "Make no mistake, the United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel," Biden added (Read more at ABC).
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday offered support to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “dismantling attack infrastructure” along the border with Lebanon, after Israel launched “targeted ground raids” on Hezbollah. Austin also issued a warning to Iran of “serious consequences” should it directly attack Israel in response to their attacks on the Tehran-backed militant group (Read more at Defense Post).
“This is what they have informed us that they are currently conducting, which are limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. Asked to confirm they were limited ground operations, he said: “That is our understanding.” (Read more at AOL)
The United States is watching to see what Hezbollah does to try to fill its leadership vacuum "and is continuing to talk to the Israelis about what the right next steps are", White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said (Read more at Cyprus Mail).
Mark Kelly, chair of the Senate Armed Services Airland Subcommittee, said Israel used a 2,000-lb (900-kg) Mark 84 series bomb. JDAMs convert a standard unguided bomb using fins and a GPS guidance system into a guided weapon (Read more at NDTV).
Israel asked the U.S. to take steps to deter Iran from attacking Israel in response to the Israeli airstrike in Beirut that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a top Iranian general, two Israeli and U.S. Iran has been careful to avoid any attack on Israel that could pull it into such a war, but officials in Washington and Jerusalem are worried Friday's strike could push Tehran over the edge (Read more at Axios).
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told the reporters, "The US is "still assessing" the event, Singh said, adding she does not have any additional information or any further specifics to provide." When asked whether Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is alive, she said: "I don't have any information on the strike itself. We're still gathering information, as this just happened a few hours ago." (Read more at AnadoluAjensi)
Israel rejected global calls on Thursday for a ceasefire with the Hezbollah movement, defying its biggest ally in Washington and pressing ahead with strikes that have killed hundreds in Lebanon and heightened fears of an all-out regional war.Despite Israel's stance, the US and France sought to keep prospects alive for an immediate 21-day truce they proposed on Wednesday, and said negotiations continued, including on the sidelines of a United Nations meeting in New York (Read more at IrishExaminer).
The U.S. hopes the new deal could lead to longer-term stability along the border between Israel and Lebanon. Months of Israeli and Hezbollah exchanges of fire have driven tens of thousands of people from their homes, and escalated attacks over the past week have rekindled fears of a broader war in the Middle East (Read more at Associated Press).
Asked about "red lines" for U.S. support to Israel, Austin told reporters that the United States would not change its commitment to help Israel protect itself. He echoed U.S. calls for a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the crisis (Read more at USNews).
Israel rejected global calls on Thursday for a ceasefire with the Hezbollah movement, defying its biggest ally in Washington and pressing ahead with strikes that have killed hundreds in Lebanon and heightened fears of an all-out regional war (Read more at USNews).
Protesters chanted "Hands off the Middle East," "Free Palestine" and "Biden, Harris, Trump and Bibi; none are welcome in our city," demonstrated on Tuesday against American military support for Israel as risks have risen of a full-fledged conflict in the Middle East, with anti-war activists demanding an arms embargo against the US ally (Business Standard).
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh also said no Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon appeared imminent, but referred reporters to Israel for questions about its operations and plans. Asked about whether the United States was supporting Israel's operations in Lebanon, including with intelligence support, Singh said: "No. No support." (Read more at Reuters)
Washington is going to discuss "concrete ideas" with allies and partners to prevent the war from broadening. Asked if that is a disagreement with the Israeli stance, the U.S. official nodded. The spiraling conflict over Israel's northern border with Lebanon is a focus for Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly this week (Read more at USNews).
The crash of the Palestinian banking system could bring down the Palestinian Authority, creating a power vacuum that could throw the West Bank into chaos and exacerbate the conflict in the region. Israel's finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, an ultranationalist anti-Palestinian settler, has taken many steps over the last two years to weaken the Palestinian Authority as part of his ideology of annexing the West Bank (Read more at Axios).
US officials now believe that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza is unlikely before President Joe Biden leaves office in January, the Wall Street Journal reported. “I can tell you that we do not believe that deal is falling apart,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters before the Wall Street Journal report was published. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said two weeks ago that 90 percent of a ceasefire deal had been agreed upon (Read more at Aljazeera).
The officials said the U.S. did not get advance warning of the second wave of attacks, with walkie-talkie radios targeted. During a call with Gallant, Austin spoke about regional security developments and reiterated America’s unwavering support for Israel in the face of threats from Iran, Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies in the region (Read more at Stripe)
The source did not give a reason for the postponement. The trip would have come at a time of heightened tensions in the region after attacks that blew up Hezbollah radios and pagers, which Lebanon and Hezbollah have blamed on Israel (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "We will continue to stand by Israel's right to defend itself, but we don't want to see any party escalate this conflict, period. We have been engaged in the region for some time, and of course, since October 7th we have been engaged to try to bring down tensions. But ultimately, yes, every country is responsible, and every entity is responsible for the actions that they take." (Read more at USNews).
He is attempting to block over $20 billion in arms sales to Israel through a series of resolutions. Sanders said he has support for the proposal, which would halt the sale of missile systems, tank rounds, new fighter jets, and other weapons responsible for the destruction in Gaza (Read more at New Republic).
Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, questioned the Security Council’s effectiveness, asking, “Why has it been unable to stop this human tragedy, the worst of its kind to this day?” “Had the US not shielded one side time and again, multiple resolutions of this council would not have been flagrantly rejected and defied,” Shuang stated. He urged the US to “show a responsible attitude”, cease its passivity, and use its’ strategic influence to pressure Israel into ending its military operations immediately, as demanded by council resolutions months ago (Read more at Middle East Eye).
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week described Eygi's killing as "unprovoked and unjustified" and demanded an overhaul of Israeli military conduct in the West Bank. “If the first investigation plays out. … and we are not satisfied, we will of course look at whether any other measures are appropriate,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller added (Read more at Indian Express).
Hochstein's message came as the Israeli military and security cabinet have been ramping up preparations for a war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The U.S. envoy made clear to Netanyahu and Gallant that the U.S. remains committed to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon, "either together with a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal or on its own." Netanyahu told Hochstein that it would not be possible to return displaced Israelis to their homes without a fundamental change in the security situation on the border with Lebanon (Read more at Axios).
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "I don't have a timetable for you other than to say that we are working expeditiously to try to develop that proposal." Talks over months have so far failed to reach a deal to end war, now in its twelfth month, even after U.S. President Joe Biden in June publicly laid out a proposal that Israel had agreed to (Read more at Reuters).
For the last three months, the Biden administration has been caught between its interest in de-escalating the situation in the Middle East through a ceasefire deal in Gaza and an obstinate Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is not interested in bringing this unjust war to an end (Read more at Al Ahram).
Matt Nelson of Boston reportedly sets himself on fire outside Israeli consulate, becoming latest individual in US to self-immolate to protest Israel's genocidal war in Gaza being carried out with American weapons (Read more at TRTWorld).
The U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, accused the UN of "inordinately over-focus" on Israel. "There is no other country in the world that has a monthly meeting on the (Security) Council's agenda going back decades," the U.S. envoy said. Asked about recognizing the Palestinian state, Thomas-Greenfield gave an evasive response as she claimed that "a state has certain responsibilities for its people, and I do not believe the Palestinians, as they exist right now, have all of the elements to give it statehood." (Read more at Anadolu Agency).
It is to fund heavy-duty tank trailers. The systems include spare and repair parts, tool kits and technical and logistics support (Read more at ABCNews).
He called on the Justice Department to initiate independent investigations into the killing of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish American activist, by Israeli forces in the West Bank. He said, "By continuing to credulously accept the explanations of an extremist Israeli government whose stated goal is to annex the West Bank and push Palestinians off their land, the United States makes a mockery of its values." (Read more at Anadolu Agency)
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris called the Israeli military's killing of an American activist in the Israeli-occupied West Bank "unacceptable" and said Israel must do more to make sure it never happens again. Eygi's relatives called on Biden and Harris to speak to the family directly and order an independent investigation into her shooting (Read more at Reuters).
The United States said the shooting was “unprovoked and unjustified” and called for “fundamental changes” to Israel’s conduct, a rare direct rebuke of its close ally. Washington had urged Israel to investigate the circumstances around Eygi’s death and to ensure the findings were “thorough and transparent.” The Israel Defense Forces said in a brief statement published Tuesday that an initial inquiry found it was “highly likely” that Eygi was “hit indirectly and unintentionally by IDF fire, which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator” of the protest.” (Read more at CNBC)
That rare vote is scheduled to take place next month. A group of students made up of members of Brown Students for Israel, among others, are making the case in front of the Advisory Committee on University Resources Management (ACURM) that a vote on divestment is “functionally antisemitic” and that “there is no genocide in Gaza.” Brown Divest Coalition (BDC) is seeking to have the university divest its $6.6 billion endowment away from 10 companies in particular that have contributed resources and technology to Israel’s war on Gaza (Read more at Middle East Eye).
US Senator Chris Murphy said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a vested political interest in avoiding a ceasefire and that his coalition partners would likely not stand for a deal that includes releasing "Hamas prisoners". Murphy said a ceasefire feels less likely with every passing month and suspects Netanyahu doesn't want to hand Biden a diplomatic victory. Looking ahead at the upcoming November election Murphy said that both Israel and Hamas may not see it as in their political interest to deliver a deal by election day. "This is speculative, but it is not hard to believe that Netanyahu is rooting for Trump (Read more at Middle East Eye).
A breakthrough could offer a major boost, a vaunted “October surprise”, to Biden’s heir Kamala Harris in the razor-thin race against Donald Trump for the White House. Polling shows that Harris has more to gain than lose from a tougher stand on Israel, while the reverse is true for Trump. The Biden administration is striving for another prize ahead of the November election: Israeli-Saudi normalisation. But calm in Gaza is a prerequisite (Read more at Arab Weekly).
The Israeli foreign ministry “sent a classified cable” to the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, and to all Israeli consulates in the U.S.” about South Africa’s ICJ case. Israeli diplomats “were instructed to ask members of Congress to issue public statements condemning South Africa’s actions against Israel and threaten that it could lead to suspending U.S. trade relations with South Africa.” (Read more at Palestine Chronicle)
U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said, "Our understanding is that our partners in Israel are looking into the circumstances of what happened, and we expect them to make their findings public, and expect that whatever those findings are, expect them to be thorough and transparent." White House national security spokesperson John Kirby later said Israel was understood to be "moving swiftly on this investigation" and was expected to present its findings and conclusions in the coming days (Read more at USNews).
US settlement proposal includes all the contentious points, foremost among them the Philadelphia Corridor between the Gaza Strip and Egyp. It also focused on the number of senior Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails who will be released as part of the potential deal, rather than the total number of prisoners to be released (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
Support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia, reaching a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza and the tense situation in the Indo-Pacific are among the items on their agenda (Read more at Anadolu Agency).
The White House is reassessing its strategy for a hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza deal as President Biden's top aides deliberate whether there is a point in presenting a new proposal as Hamas and Israel both take tougher positions in negotiations, U.S. officials say. The murder of six hostages by Hamas, military control of the Philadelphi corridor, and the Hamas's new demand to release 100 more Palestinian prisoners who are serving life sentences for murdering Israelis caused significant pessimism at the White House. Officials feel Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar doesn't want a deal right now (Read more at Axios).
They said their agencies had “exploited our intelligence channels to push hard for restraint and de-escalation (Read more at Business Standard).
"Colleges will and must end the antisemitic propaganda or they will lose their accreditation and federal support," Trump said, speaking remotely to a crowd of more than 1,000 Republican Jewish Coalition donors in Las Vegas. In the United States, the federal government does not directly accredit universities but has a role in overseeing the mostly private organizations that give colleges accreditation (Read more at Reuters).
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged both Israel and Hamas to finalize an agreement for a truce in Gaza. In an interview with US news channel Fox, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sounded less optimistic a deal would be reached soon and said, "It's not close." (Read more at Times of Oman).
The incident occurred during a regular protest march in Nablus that has witnessed repeated attacks by settlers. Fouad Nafaa, head of Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, confirmed that the woman arrived at the hospital in critical condition with a severe head injury. “We tried to perform a resuscitation operation on her, but unfortunately she died,” Nafaa told Reuters (Read more at Media Line).
The meeting is one of several attempts in recent days to mend fences with Muslim and Arab voters, who resoundingly backed Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 but could withhold their votes from Harris in numbers that would cost her the key state of Michigan. Harris will meet with Emgage, which recently endorsed her, the American Task Force on Lebanon, and a long-standing friend of Harris, Hala Hijazi, who has lost dozens of family members in Gaza (Read more at New Strait Times).
Kamel Ahmad Jawad, from Dearborn, Michigan, was killed in Lebanon in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday, according to his daughter, a friend and the U.S. congresswoman representing his district (Read more at Reuters).
The meeting, which hasn't been announced by the White House or the Israeli government, was initiated by the Biden administration to take the pulse on the Israeli side and coordinate their policies about the situation in Lebanon. The virtual meeting lasted an hour. The U.S. team was led by White House national Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. President Biden's advisers Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk also participated. The Israeli team was led by the Minister for Strategic Affairs and Netanyahu confidant Ron Dermer (Read more at Axios).
He said Netanyahu is more concerned with retaining his grip on power than brokering an agreement to free hostages. He added, Netanhayu has made choices to pursue this fantasy of total victory over Hamas, but his idea of total victory is a messianic one, not realistic (Read more at TRTWorld).
He also said he believed a final deal to free prisoners held by the Palestinian group was “very close”. (Read more at Sarajevotimes)
After the operation, there are 101 hostages remaining in Gaza. IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the hostages were murdered by Hamas guards "shortly before IDF forces reached them." The body of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a U.S. citizen who became the symbol of the American hostages held by Hamas, was among those recovered (Read more at Axios).
at least 1.7 million Palestinians were crowded into a “safe zone” whose size is equivalent to just 70 percent of the total area of Washington’s Dulles International Airport. the US government has lobbied Israel on “several mitigating measures”, based on the assessment that Israel is “unlikely” to change its overall policy (Read more at Middle East Eye).
The problem that has been dogging any breakthrough is a lack of trust. This is largely because America cannot be a strong ally with Israel and at the same time an honest broker. Any proposal that leaves out an end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza will ultimately be rejected. If the members of the UNSC are serious about wanting an end to the war, they can simply pass a resolution that details steps to this end and that does not include any vague wording about allowing the Israeli army to stay in Gaza (Read more at Arabnew).
Israel told the United States that an initial review found that shots were fired at a World Food Programme (WFP) vehicle in the Gaza Strip after a "communication error" between Israeli military units, the deputy U.S. envoy to the United Nations said (Read more at USNews).
The United States has repeatedly voiced optimism for talks on reaching a truce proposed by President Joe Biden in the more than 10-month conflict, despite repeated differences voiced between Israel and Hamas. Kirby said that senior White House official Brett McGurk stayed in Cairo for an extra day to allow further talks at a lower level (Read more at Defense Post).
Constructive ambiguity is not a strategy. It is a mechanism to bypass awkward moments. The US markets a ceasefire deal without a ceasefire. Instead of an end to hostilities by all sides, it simply proposes a hostage-prisoner exchange during a pause in Israeli bombardment (Read more at Arabnews).
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield called on Hamas to accept a “bridging proposal” put forward by the US that appears to differ from a previous proposal adopted by the UNSC and agreed to by the Palestinian group (Read more at Aljazeera).
Disappointed Pro-Palestinian activists said Kamala Harris' speech to close the Democratic convention in Chicago failed to demonstrate any break from the status quo, after a week in which the most divisive issue facing the party was mostly ignored (Read more at USNews).
U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said in her Democratic National Convention speech: "I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself," Harris said while adding "what has happened in Gaza is devastating", and "heartbreaking." (Read more at USNews)
During their call, Biden asked for Israeli forces to be pulled out from a 1- to 2-kilometer strip along the Egypt-Gaza border during the first phase of the Gaza deal so negotiations on the deal can move forward. The Israeli officials said Netanyahu partially accepted Biden's request and agreed to give up one Israeli position along the border. Netanyahu's partial agreement resulted in the U.S. supporting the Israeli position that other IDF forces remain along the Philadelphi corridor in the first phase of the deal (Read more at Axios).
He sought to inject urgency into efforts to broker a Gaza ceasefire deal and said “the United States does not accept any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel ... the agreement is very clear on the schedule and the locations of IDF withdrawals from Gaza, and Israel has agreed to that." The US official said even if Hamas were to agree on the bridging proposal immediately, there would have to be additional conversations to iron out details on implementation of the deal (Read morea t Euractiv).
The United States disputed a report as saying Netanyahu might have convinced US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel should keep troops on a border strip between Gaza and Egypt. “The only thing Secretary Blinken and the United States are convinced of is the need for getting a ceasefire proposal across the finish line,” a senior administration official told reporters en route to Doha (Read more at Cyprus Mail).
“In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal – that he supports it,” Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv. “It’s now incumbent on Hamas to do the same." (Read more at Euractive).
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on his ninth visit to the Middle East since thw war on Gaza said in Israel warned against any moves that could heighten regional tensions, following threats from Iran and Lebanese group Hezbollah to avenge the recent Israeli assassinations of two leaders (Read more at AlAhram).
The Cuban top diplomat highlighted the recent bombings in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the deaths of at least 10 children, as clear evidence of Israeli aggression. He reiterated Cuba's condemnation of the "Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people" and criticized the US for enabling this through its unwavering support (Read more at Almayadeen).
If the party’s presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, does not change her policy on Israel, I will not be casting a ballot for her and I will not be the only one. More than 700,000 Americans have cast an “uncommitted” vote in the Democratic primaries (Read more at Aljazeera).
Blinken’s agenda includes four steps – getting an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, getting Hamas to release all remaining Israeli captives, trying to bring in badly needed humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza and, finally, trying to establish the conditions for a broader regional peace. Pundits here in the US and in the Middle East consider the latter as a bid to prevent an Iranian attack on Israel for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the former political chief of Hamas (Read more at Aljazeera).
The group blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for moving the goalposts and the U.S. for indulging him. The rejection makes President Biden's goal of getting a deal this week almost impossible (Read more at Axios).
A senior U.S. official said that unlike past rounds of talks, the Israeli team was "empowered" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate in real-time with more autonomy (Read more at Axios).
"It was consensus of all of the participants over the past 48 hours that there's really a new spirit here to drive it to a conclusion. The Israeli team that was here was empowered...We made a lot of progress in the number of issues that we've been working on," an official said (Read more at Reuters).
He said that the deal is now in sight, but he warned that it was "far from over." "There's a couple more issues. I think we've got a shot," he added, without elaborating (Read more at USNews).
Pro-Palestinian activists condemn Biden's administration for funding Israel during its war on Gaza (Read more at TRTWorld).
Trump added: “I will give Israel the support that it needs to win but I do want them to win fast.” (Read more at Arab Weekly)
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said "Israel's fundamental principles are well known to the mediators and the U.S., and Israel hopes that their pressure will lead Hamas to accept the principles of May 27, so that the details of the agreement can be implemented." A Hamas source told al-Jazeera the group was briefed by the mediators about Thursday's talks and said what is being presented now doesn't coincide with what Hamas accepted on July 2 (Read more at Axios).
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel, said the U.S. fully expects talks to continue and it would continue to work with the parties involved, adding that agreement was still possible (Read more at YahooNews).
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN Carrier Strike Group, equipped with F-35C fighters, to accelerate its transit to the Central Command area of responsibility, adding to the capabilities already provided by the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT Carrier Strike Group. Additionally, Austin ordered the USS Georgia (SSGN 729) guided missile submarine to the Central Command region (Read more at TRTWorld).
While AIPAC’s funding of Bush’s and Bowman’s defeats in Missouri and New York demonstrate the pro-Israeli lobby’s power and resources, they also show that it must now provide ever greater sums of cash to keep Congress Israel-friendly and minimise the impact of progressive members (Read more at Aljazeera).
Funds cames from a $14.5bn supplemental funding bill for Israel passed by the Congress in April. The supplemental budget comes on top of the more than $3bn in annual US military aid to Israel. The State Department said it had decided against sanctioning the unit – which would have been the first-ever blocking of aid to the Israeli military – saying it was satisfied with Israeli efforts to address “violations” and have been “effectively remediated” (Read more at Aljazeera).
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said that Smotrich's claims that a ceasefire deal would be a surrender to Hamas or that hostages should not be exchanged for prisoners are "dead wrong," and said the minister was misleading the Israeli public (Read more at Reuters).
Blinken stressed the "urgent need to reach a ceasefire in Gaza" that could release hostages held in the enclave and "create the conditions for broader regional stability." (Read more at USNews)
Harris' weak statements of 'concern' over Palestinian suffering in Gaza pale in comparison to her 'ironclad' support for Tel Aviv. The American political landscape is trapped between thuggish imperialism abroad and militant fascism at home on one side and liberal imperialism abroad and semi-sane domestic policies at home on the other (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Rahm Emanuel will not attend the event because it was “politicized” by Nagasaki’s decision not to invite Israel. He will instead honor the victims of the Nagasaki atomic bombing at a ceremony at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo (Read more at AP).
Pro-Israel advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over sanctions issued against individuals involved in settler violence in the occupied West Bank. Biden's executive order against settler violence in West Bank 'unconstitutionally chills' free speech, lawsuit argues (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Biden warned Netanyahu that if he escalates again, he shouldn't count on the U.S. to bail him out. At the end of the meeting with Netanyahu in the Oval office, Biden became emotional, raised his voice and told Netanyahu he needs to reach a Gaza deal as soon as possible. When asked if the assassination of Hamas leader Haniyeh has ruined the chances for a deal, Biden said: "It hasn't helped." (Read more at Axios)
The US Secretary of Defense ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and to send additional cruisers and destroyers which have a system for intercepting ballistic missiles to the U.S. European Command and U.S. Central Command regions. The Department is also taking steps to increase their readiness to deploy additional land-based ballistic missile defense and deploy additional fighter jet squadron (Read more at Axios).
Netanyahu's latest conditions weren't included in the proposal announced by US President Joe Biden in May, which Biden said Israel had agreed to (Read more at Anadolu Agency).
The White House, however, sought to downplay anxieties that an impending Israeli retaliation could trigger a broader regional war, with Kirby labeling such concerns “exaggerated” during a briefing with reporters. But the cautious optimism projected by the White House contrasted with defensive preparations taken by US troops in Iraq and Syria in anticipation of blowback from local militias in response to the impending Israeli strikes (Read more at AlMonitor).
Israel has so far not targeted Hezbollah in Beirut. U.S. and Israeli officials agree that an all out war between Israel and Hezbollah would cause huge destruction on both sides and could lead to a regional war. The Israeli official said Hochstein expressed concern that if the IDF strikes Beirut, Hezbollah would respond by firing long-range missiles at Israel, which would likely lead to even further escalation (Read more at Axios).
Earlier on Monday, the Israeli army admitted that its soldiers were responsible for the bombing of the water reservoir in Tal al-Sultan. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, an investigation into the incident has been initiated. Also, fuel restrictions imposed by Israel have further hindered the operation of remaining desalination facilities in the region (Read more at Anadolu Agency).
Her national security adviser Phil Gordon said "The Vice President has been briefed and is closely monitoring Hezbollah’s horrific attack on a soccer field in Majdal Shams" (Read more at Reuters).
the updated Israeli proposal includes a mention of the establishment of a foreign mechanism to monitor and prevent the transfer of militanta and weapons from the south of the Gaza Strip to the north. It also includes changes in the locations where the redeployment of IDF forces will take place in the Gaza Strip in the first phase of the deal as well as a determination that the IDF forces will remain in the Philadelphi corridor during the first phase's implementation (Read more at Axios).
An unnamed Israeli official said it was to be hoped that Harris' comments would not be interpreted by Hamas as indicating a gap between the United States and Israel "and thus push a deal into the distance." Both Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, leaders of two hardline religious nationalist parties whose support is vital for Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, condemned Harris' remarks (Read more at USNews).
Harris did pressure Netanyahu to help reach a Gaza ceasefire deal. She did not mince words about the humanitarian crisis gripping Gaza. But analysts do not expect there would be a major shift in US policy toward Israel, Washington’s closest ally in the Middle East (Read more at Arab Weekly).
Harris expressed her "unwavering commitment" to the existence of Israel and said the country has a right to self-defence, but added "how it does so matters." Trump dismissed questions that the relationship had hit a setback. "It was never bad, I would say it was always good. No president has done what I've done for Israel and we've always had a very good relationship," he said (Read more at Freance 24).
Within Israel itself, two states remain the most popular way to peace, a May poll by Tel Aviv University showed, though support fell to only 33% of respondents, from 43% before Oct. 7. The annexation of the West Bank by Israel and limiting rights for Palestinians living there, an option favoured by some settlers, had the support of 32% of Israelis, from 27% before Oct. 7 (Read more at Reuters).
The State Department said the ICJ opinion that Israel must withdraw as soon as possible from the Palestinian territories was "inconsistent with the established framework" for resolving the conflict. Washington said that framework took into account Israel's security needs, which it says were highlighted by the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas (Read more at USNews).
The State Department barred a former Israeli Defense Forces sergeant from traveling to the United States, accusing him of being involved in the extrajudicial killing of a Palestinian in the West Bank. Washington also imposed visa restrictions on a group of people involved in actions undermining peace, security and stability in the West Bank (Read more at USNews).
But Israelis emphasized Israel can resume fighting if it thinks Hamas violates the deal at any point. Shortly after the Jewish Sabbath ended, Netanyahu's ultranationalist coalition partners ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich issued statements attacking the Israeli proposal, which they heard about for the first time in Biden's speech. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid responded by issuing a statement committing to give Netanyahu a political "safety net" if needed in order to pass the deal (Read more at Axios).
Addresses to joint meetings of Congress by foreign leaders are a rare honour. This speech would make Netanyahu the first foreign leader to address joint meetings of Congress four times (Read more at Stratnewsglobal).
“There’s a major contradiction here and the fact that both the US and the Israeli side have said on the one hand, that they don’t want a future in Gaza in which Hamas has any kind of political role left. “At the same time, this is an agreement that would have to be reached through negotiations with Hamas, so, how do you do that? How do you eliminate them as a political force and at the same time reach a negotiated solution that is agreed upon by all parties?” (Read more at Aljazeera)
Netanyahu took issue with Biden’s presentation of what was on the table, insisting the transition from one stage to the next in the proposed roadmap was “conditional” and crafted to allow Israel to maintain its war aims. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called his counterparts from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on Friday to press the deal (Read more at Arabnews).
The first phase would last for six weeks and would include a “full and complete ceasefire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. 600 trucks would be allowed into Gaza each day. The second phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. The third phase calls for the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza (Read more at Euronews).
When it comes to red lines, the US has one rule for its enemies and another for its allies and clients. One of the most infamous historical examples of red lines was seen in the lead up to the 2003 US-led invasion and another example of red lines came with former US President Barack Obama’s warning to the Assad regime against use of chemical weapons in Syria. Needless to say, Israel was true to its word in ignoring Biden’s feeble and non-credible red line warning as it launched a major military operation on Rafah (Read more at TRT World).
The Biden administration said it opposes sanctions being pushed by Republicans in Congress against the International Criminal Court in response to its prosecutor's decision to seek arrest warrants against Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza (Read more at Axios).
National Security spokesman John Kirby told reporters: "We still don't believe that a major ground operation in Rafah is warranted. US President Joe Biden earlier said Washington would not continue providing aid to Israel if it moved forward with a long-threatened invasion of Rafah, but his “red line” has become increasingly blurry amid the continuing military operations there. Israeli troops are now estimated to occupy 60 per cent of the city, including the hill that overlooks the border with Egypt, according to the BBC (Read more at The National).
Some top House Democrats are going so far as to say Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) should not sign onto the invitation. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters on Wednesday he has "not spoken to [Schumer] personally, but our staffs have communicated and it seems as though he wants to sign on." (Read more at Axios)
His remarks referred specifically to a case at a different tribunal, the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ). He also amped up his criticism of the ICC, a separate war crimes court, saying that “we reject” ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan’s bid to arrest Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and its defense minister (Read more at Arabnews).
Key Arab leaders’ desire for a new “political horizon” for Gaza is only complicating President Joe Biden’s fraught efforts in the region — and his bid for a second term. Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser, said that is what some Arab leaders would need to see before making long-term commitments to help the Palestinian enclave after Israel’s war with Hamas comes to an end (Read more at Stripes).
The group was set up on 12 October, days after Hamas's surprise attack on southern Israel, to "change the narrative" on Israel, including by conveying "the atrocities committed by Hamas... to all Americans". Among the business leaders in the group were the CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, Dell CEO and founder Michael Dell, and Joshua Kushner, a financier and brother to Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. They urged New York City's mayor to use police to disperse a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University (Read more at Middle East Eye).
16 Largely symbolic vote underscores the divide in the Democratic Party over support for Israel. The lawmakers who broke ranks with their party include vocal democratic supporters of Israel such as Lois Frankel, Jared Moskowitz, Josh Gottheimer, and Ritchie Torres (Read more at Middle East Eye).
TikTok has altered the way how a large number of Americans view Israel and its occupation of the Palestinian territories. Two American lawmakers, who co-authored a controversial law aiming to ban TikTok in the US, received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funding from the pro-Israel lobby, according to official records (Read more at TRTWorld).
The package being sent includes about $700 million for tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds. It’s the first arms shipment to Israel to be announced by the administration since it put another arms transfer — consisting of 3,500 bombs — on hold earlier in the month. The administration has said it paused that earlier transfer to keep Israel from using the bombs in its growing offensive in the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah (Read more at Arabnews).
A few factors may have encouraged the American president to take the risk of to suspending “advanced weapons” to Israel at this time: First is the willingness of Republican politicians to outbid him. No matter how excessive President Biden’s defense of Israel becomes; Secondly, the student uprisings on university campuses all across the US, from coast to coast, have challenged the stagnation; Thirdly, the Israeli far-right's brazen and racist speeches have alienated all neutral or moderate observers (Read more at Arabnews).
Harrison Mann, an Army major, would be the first known DIA official to quit over U.S. support to Israel. "I was afraid. Afraid of violating our professional norms. Afraid of disappointing officers I respect," Mann wrote in a letter published on his LinkedIn profile (Read more at Reuters).
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell's comments are the clearest to date from a top U.S. official effectively admitting that Israel's current military strategy won't bring the result that it is aiming for. Likening the situation in Gaza to that of a recurring insurgency that the United States faced in Afghanistan and Iraq after its invasions there following the Sept. 11 attacks, Campbell said a political solution was required (Read more at Reuters).
Sullivan said the United States wants to see Hamas defeated. He also said that Palestinians caught in the middle of the war. Biden has sought to influence Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approach to the war, but Israel is a sovereign, democratic nation that ultimately makes its own decisions, Sullivan said (Read more at Reuters).
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant briefed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken about Israel's military operation in the southern Gazan city of Rafah and takeover of the nearby border crossing into Egypt (Read more at Anadolu Agency).
During the Suez Crisis of the 1950s, then-President Dwight Eisenhower leveraged the threat of sanctions to convince Israel to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula - In 1983, Reagan reaffirmed that he would not send F-16 jets to Israel until Israel withdrew its forces from Lebanon - In 1992, the Bush administration threatened to withhold the delivery of $10 billion in loan guarantees to Israel if it continued building settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza (Read more at Axios).
It would provoke "anarchy" without eliminating Hamas. Asked about a State Department report issued Friday that said Israel likely has violated norms of international law in its use of US weapons, Blinken said there was still too little evidence to warrant ending all military support (Read more at Al-Ahram).
“One, you have to have a clear, credible plan to protect civilians, which we haven’t seen. Second, we also need to see a plan for what happens after this conflict in Gaza is over, and we still haven’t seen that,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said (Read more at CNBC).
Israeli army is using a new AI-powered system, such as “Lavender” and “The Gospel” to decide on targets for its bombardment of Gaza. Israeli forces use Google Photos facial recognition service to scan the faces of Palestinians across Gaza for its dystopian “hit list” (Read more at Aljazeera).
Democratic megadonor and Israeli American Haim Saban emailed senior White House officials Wednesday asking them to pass along his criticism of Biden's recent move to pause bomb shipments to Israel over a possible ground operation in Rafah. He added: "Let's not forget that there are more Jewish voters, who care about Israel, than Muslim voters that care about Hamas." (Read more at Axios)
The report lists incidents that raise concerns about Israel's use of U.S.-made weapons in violation of international law. It also details efforts Israel made to operate in alignment with international law. Blinken said in the report, "although we have gained insight into Israel's procedures and rules, we do not have complete information on how these processes are implemented," (Read more at Axios).
It is too little, too late, to satisfy the left-leaning coalition of young voters and people of color who have led the protests against Israel's attacks, many say. But Republicans and some Democrats have accused Biden of putting the security of the U.S.'s closest ally in the region at risk (Read more at USNews).
Hamas said on Friday it would consult with other militant Palestinian factions on its strategy to negotiate a halt to the war triggered by its Oct. 7 onslaught into Israel. "We are working hard to keep both sides engaged in continuing the discussion, if only virtually," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said (Read more at USNews).
He said "if we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than fingernails." Israel says Rafah is the last stronghold of Hamas and that the army must go in if it hopes to dismantle the group and return scores of hostages captured in the Oct. 7 (Read more at ArkansasOnline).
MK-84 bombs have been used by the US military since the 1970s, first in Vietnam and then, more sparingly, in Iraq and Afghanistan due to their devastating impact on urban areas. Military experts say these deadly bombs may have already contributed significantly to the horrific death toll of the war in Gaza. This decision is the most spectacular sign to date of the mounting disagreements that are poisoning the Biden administration’s relationship with the Netanyahu government (Read more at France 24).
Just from a legal perspective within US domestic law, there’s a much wider body of rules that is being ignored right now. The US has been “selective in how it invokes international law” and “how it balances rights concerns with realpolitik”. Israeli army was acting with a “systematic disregard for international humanitarian law, and US weaponry was used in a significant number of these incidents, according to the report (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday he felt betrayed by President Joe Biden after learning that he is willing to withhold offensive weapons to Israel and accused the president of reneging on the deal they made to pass aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan last month (Read more at Politico).
Cameron said Britain “would not support some major operation in Rafah unless there was a very clear plan for how to protect people, but he said there is a “very fundamental difference” between arms shipments from the U.S. and the U.K., where the government grants individual licenses to companies wanting to export arms overseas. Moreover, the UK defense exports to Israel are responsible for significantly less than one percent of their total (Read more at Politico).
‘At no point during the war has Israel had a policy of deliberately withholding humanitarian aid from entering Gaza,’ Michael Herzog wrote to 88 lawmakers. Israel merely inspects trucks carrying goods to ensure they’re not transporting weapons or explosives, Herzog continued, adding that “there are today four humanitarian crossings from Israel to Gaza, including three to northern Gaza.” (Read more at Politico).
A senior administration official said the shipment would have consisted of 1,800 2,000-pound (900kg) bombs and 1,700 500-pound (225kg) bombs. the US was concerned about how the larger bombs could be used in a dense urban setting (Read and listen at the Skynews).
Analysts also point to wider attempts by the US to integrate Israel with the wider region fully as not having aided the Palestinian push for liberation and Statehood (Read more at TRTWorld).
"We continue to believe that a hostage deal is in the best interest of the Israeli and the Palestinian people; it would bring an immediate ceasefire and allow increased humanitarian assistance into Gaza," the US State Department's spokesperson said in an email (Read more on TRTWorld).
Two senior Israeli officials said that when the Hamas delegation was in Cairo over the weekend, the Egyptians gave them a new proposal without coordinating with Israel. One Israeli official admitted it was a mistake that led Israel to have less visibility into the talks. Israeli officials claim the Biden administration knew about the latest hostage and ceasefire deal proposal Egypt and Qatar negotiated with Hamas, but didn't brief Israel before Hamas announced it accepted it (Read more at Axios).
Kerem Shalom, the border crossing between southern Gaza and Israel has been the primary port of entry for aid deliveries. The Israeli leader "assured the President that it will be open very soon,” he said during a virtual briefing. The Israeli army said the 401st armored brigade took "operational control" of the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side (Read more at Daily Sabah).
“We are deeply concerned that your administration failed to notify Congress about this decision,” Joni Ernst, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, and Ted Budd said in the letter (Read more at The National)
The statement said Gallant relayed that message in an overnight conversation with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (Read more at Reuters).
Israeli officials were left scrambling as to why the shipment was withheld, Axios reported, while CNN reported that the decision was unrelated to U.S. opposition to an invasion of Rafah (Read more at The Hill).
It’s the most prominent critique yet from someone inside Biden’s orbit on the administration’s response to the war in Gaza. José Andrés, co-chairs the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, with more than 1 million X followers, called out the president to hold the Netanyahu government true to its commitments on humanitarian aid, and reiterating his calls for a cease-fire in Gaza (Read more at Politico).
The Israel Defense Forces recently told the U.S. government and aid groups that they had developed a plan to move people out of Rafah, the main to al-Mawasi, a small strip of land on the southern Gaza coast. The IDF has begun ordering tents for al-Mawasi (Read more at Politico).
ICC is preparing to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. The Israeli government warned the Biden administration that if the ICC issues arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, it will take retaliatory steps against the Palestinian Authority that could lead to its collapse (Read more at Axios).
Acquired in 1990, the Raytheon-manufactured system played crucial roles in neutralizing aerial threats during the 1991 Gulf War and the ongoing conflict in Gaza. But according to an IDF official, the Patriot system is becoming “obsolete,” making it difficult to maintain. The Patriot intercepted Scud missiles fired at the country from Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War. The system was operated by the US at the time. After the Patriot was officially transferred to Jerusalem that same year, it reportedly yielded poor results (Read more at Defense Post).
During a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden eiterated his position that an invasion in Rafah would be a “red line” for his administration, pushing Israel not to pursue a military campaign in the region without a credible plan to protect civilians in place (Read more at Politico).
After Amazon and Google signed a $1.2bn contract to launch Project Nimbus, providing cloud technology to the Israeli government and the military, tech workers started to notice more Israeli use of artificial intelligence against the Palestinian people (Read more at Aljazeera).
Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) report that an internal US State Department that reportedly raised “serious questions” about Israel violating international law in Gaza (Read more at Aljazeera).
Political analyst Tamer Qarmout says university protests across the US could have a broad impact on the economy since the country’s future workforce are criticising companies they may eventually work for (Read more at Aljazeera).
After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video on Wednesday criticizing ongoing campus protests across the U.S. as antisemitic, the independent lawmaker said antisemitism has always existed. But to suggest that when you have a significant majority of the American people who do not want to support more U.S. military aid to Netanyahu's war machine, we're not going to suggest that all of those people are antisemitic (Read more at NPR).
He suggested critics should focus their ire on Hamas who sparked the war with their 7 October attack on southern Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed and some 250 taken hostage. But as I’ve also said repeatedly, the way Israel goes about ensuring that 7 October never happens again matters profoundly. And we’re working every day to try to minimise the damage that’s done to innocent people (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
The United States has received new information from the Israeli authorities about a specific Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) unit that Washington was reportedly going to designate for human rights allegations in the West Bank. In light of the new information, Washington is looking into whether the unit is on a path to remediation. No final decision has been made (Read more at USNews).
Experts say growing protest movement on university campuses could help shift US policy on Israel in the long term. It could also threaten the bipartisan backing that Israel enjoys in Washington. We’re already seeing evidence of a generation divide on Israel, and that is going to be a long-term issue for the Democratic Party (Read more at Aljazeera).
Asked by a reporter if he believes the Israeli government is “a credible source” for information on the mass graves, Patel responded: “We do. We do.” Gaza’s civil defence agency says more than 300 bodies have been found buried in the courtyard of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis (Read more at Aljazeera).
