The Evening: Ground Incursion Preparation, Weapons Flood West Bank, Stairway to Heaven, and More

Email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser.

Good Evening,

It's Wednesday, October 25th.

Ground Incursion Preparation

In an address to the nation Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “exact the full price from the murderers,” and said the war cabinet was preparing a “ground incursion” into Gaza with the goal of eliminating Hamas and rescuing those they’ve captured, as The Washington Post reports.

Biden Calls for More Aid Into Gaza While Stressing Support for Israel

With just eight aid trucks making it into Gaza overnight and hospitals increasingly overwhelmed, President Biden called for more aid into Gaza and assurances that the help is reaching those who need it most. And, as the NYT reports, Biden offered another full-throated declaration of support for Israel, saying the country had “the right—and I would add responsibility—to respond to the slaughter of their people.”

Weapons Flood West Bank

Long before Hamas militants burst out of their Gaza stronghold to massacre scores of civilians with handguns and assault rifles, Iran and its allies had accelerated efforts to smuggle weapons into a different part of the Palestinian territories, the West Bank, as the WSJ reports.

Executive Education

Ready to take the next step towards policy success in Washington? Join CSIS experts November 13-16, 2023, at CSIS Headquarters for "Decoding D.C.: Policy, Power, and People," to unlock the secrets to thriving in the capital's unique policy landscape. Register by November 1 to gain access to interactive seminars and practical tools for success.

Audio Briefs

CSIS experts give short, spoken-word summaries on the biggest takeaways from their latest reports, white papers, and commentaries—in their own words.

Listen here: "Poland’s Election Could Transform the European Union" with CSIS's Max Bergmann.

In That Number

500

Roughly 500 militants from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad received specialized combat training in Iran in the weeks leading up to the October 7 attack, according to people familiar with intelligence related to the assault.
Source: WSJ

Critical Quote

“The Australian Government is deploying additional Australian Defence Force personnel and aircraft to the Middle East region.”

—Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister for Australia & Minister of Defense

iDeas Lab

CSIS's Ryan C. Berg breaks down the intersection of energy security, natural gas, nearshoring, and migration, and outlines areas for Mexico to cooperate with the United States on bolstering its domestic energy sector.

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.

Optics

(Photo credit: CSIS.) Today, CSIS hosted His Excellency Ayman Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, for a conversation on the Israeli-Hamas conflict at CSIS headquarters in Washington, DC.

This Town Tomorrow

At 11:00 a.m., CSIS welcomes Meg Rithmire of Harvard Business School for a discussion on her new book Precarious Ties: Business and the State in Authoritarian Asia.

Earlier, at 9:00 a.m., the Atlantic Council explores the key challenges and opportunities confronting Iraq’s future generations.

Then, at 2:30 p.m., AEI holds a conversation with Inter-American Development Bank President Ilan Goldfajn, on economic prospects for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Video

Today, the CSIS Middle East Program hosted His Excellency Ayman Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, for a conversation on the Israeli-Hamas war and potential avenues for peace. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

Susan Markham, Director of the Peace With Women Fellowship program at the Halifax International Security Forum, joins CSIS's Kathleen McInnis to discuss gender in foreign policy and her experience at USAID.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

I really needed a smile today. And music delivered big time. Here’s a clip of Robert Plant and Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor performing Led Zep classic “Stairway to Heaven” a few nights ago. The world really needs a Led Zeppelin reunion! It’s time.

I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz

The Evening is my daily guide to key insights CSIS brings to the events of the day. It is composed by Lauren Adler, Ava Rose, and the External Relations team.