Biden, Netanyahu Meet in Israel Following Deadly Hospital Blast |
U.S. President Joe Biden is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (NYT) and the country’s war cabinet in Tel Aviv today on the heels of a deadly explosion yesterday at a Gaza hospital that inflamed tensions across the region. Gaza’s health ministry blamed Israel for the blast, while the Israeli Defense Forces denied that claim, saying it was due to a rocket fired by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Following the hospital explosion, Jordan canceled a four-way summit that Biden was due to attend.
Ahead of Biden’s visit, a National Security Council spokesperson said he would show support for Israel while also asking Israeli leaders “tough questions” (Reuters) about their plans going forward. Biden was also expected to press for humanitarian aid in Gaza. The hospital blast sparked protests across the Middle East (WaPo), with many held in front of U.S. or Israeli diplomatic missions.
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“Whatever the facts & evidence as to the destruction of the hospital in Gaza, much of the region & world will hold Israel accountable, & the incident will be something of a turning point in this unfolding crisis as US & Israeli policy will have to take the reaction into account,” CFR President Emeritus Richard N. Haass posts.
“Intentionally or not, Mr Biden’s visit means that Israel’s ground operation will probably not start for some days, lest the American president be seen as giving the green light for what could be an especially destructive phase of the war,” the Economist writes.
Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.
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China’s Xi Pledges More Than $100 Billion in New Lending for Belt and Road Projects |
President Xi Jinping said that two Chinese banks will introduce $47.9 billion each (AP) in new financing for projects in developing economies, while investing an additional $11 billion in Beijing’s Silk Road Fund to support Belt and Road Initiative projects.
For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR expert David Sacks explores global participation in the Belt and Road Initiative as it enters its second decade.
U.S./China: The United States yesterday announced plans to block shipments (Reuters) to China of advanced artificial intelligence chips designed by U.S.-based tech firm Nvidia and others in an effort to close a loophole in previous regulations. The restrictions also cover shipments to Iran and Russia.
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UN Food Aid Program Appeals for $19 Million for Earthquake-Hit Afghanistan |
A series of recent earthquakes in Afghanistan are drawing down UN World Food Program funds (AP) after food aid was already reduced in the country earlier this year due to a lack of financing. The program is now working to provide emergency food assistance to 100,000 people in the region.
India: New Delhi will extend its current export curbs (Bloomberg) on sugar past their current expiration date of October 31, officials announced today. India is the world’s second-largest sugar producer, and global sugar prices are hovering at their highest in more than a decade amid its controls. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
U.S. Says It Intercepted Attempted Drone Attack on Its Forces in Iraq |
Two unnamed U.S. officials told Reuters that the U.S. military intercepted a drone attack on its forces in Iraq today for the first time in more than a year, but did not say who they suspected carried out the attack. Last week, Iraqi armed groups threatened to target the United States if it intervened to support Israel in its conflict with Hamas. |
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Ethiopia, China Upgrade Ties to ‘All-Weather’ Strategic Partnership |
The announcement came while Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was in Beijing for a state visit and to attend the Belt and Road Forum. The two countries signed twelve cooperation agreements (Addis Standard), Ahmed’s office said.
Sudan: The United Kingdom Minister for Africa told the BBC that the violence in dozens of western Sudanese villages bore “all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing,” the first time that the British government has used the term to describe events in the Sudanese war that began in April.
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Ukraine Uses U.S.-Supplied Long-Range Missiles for First Time |
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the missiles had “proven themselves” after launching a strike against two Russian airfields. Washington was initially reluctant to send the weapons to Kyiv over concerns of escalating the conflict, though Ukraine said it would not use the weapons inside Russia, the Wall Street Journal reported. This In Brief by CFR expert Max Boot explores what Ukraine needs to win the war.
France/Germany: Berlin withdrew its objections (FT) to enable Paris to use government subsidies to fund nuclear power plants, allowing a long-stalled European Union electricity market reform process to move forward.
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Venezuelan Government, Opposition Agree to Work Toward Elections in 2024 |
The deal, signed yesterday in Barbados, listed target conditions for Venezuela’s presidential election (Reuters) in the second half of 2024, including international monitoring. Unnamed U.S. officials have said that Washington is prepared to provide some oil-related sanctions relief if the Nicolás Maduro government makes democratic concessions, but it was not immediately clear how soon this would occur.
Brazil: A group of lawmakers will vote today (AP) on whether to approve a draft congressional report that recommends criminal charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro for his role in Brazil’s January 8, 2023, capitol riots. This photo essay shows the extent of Brazil’s riots. |
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House to Reconvene on Speakership After Jordan Fails to Win Sufficient Support in First Vote |
Members of the House of Representatives will resume deliberations (WaPo) over their leadership contest today after a Republican nominee for speaker, Jim Jordan (R-OH), failed to win enough support among his party during yesterday’s vote.
This episode of The President’s Inbox discusses the implications of the drawn-out impasse over the House speakership.
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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