Daily News Brief

November 1, 2023

Top of the Agenda

A group of severely wounded Palestinians entered Egypt through the Rafah border crossing (NYT) by ambulance today, Egyptian state television and a local medical official said. Foreign nationals are expected to follow as part of a deal mediated by Qatar that came together yesterday after weeks of stalled negotiations. Meanwhile, Israel has deployed missile boats (Reuters) to the Red Sea after intercepting a missile attack on the country that was claimed by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. 

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testified yesterday (CNN) about the need for a $105 billion support package for Israel and Ukraine that includes both war and humanitarian aid. Blinken said that “today’s battles against aggression and terrorism will define global security for years to come.” The U.S. Senate confirmed Jacob J, Lew (NYT) as ambassador to Israel yesterday. On the battlefield in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces reported yesterday that eleven soldiers were killed (Times of Israel). Israel’s air strike targeting a Hamas commander hit a residential area of Gaza that holds its largest refugee camp; a nearby hospital said dozens were killed. 

Analysis

“Iran does not appear to seek a war that extends beyond Israel and Palestine. But given the tense environment and many pathways for escalation, it is not improbable,” Texas A&M University’s Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar writes for Foreign Affairs.

“Egypt’s control of the Rafah crossing has given it prominent status as one of Gaza’s main benefactors and an important player in the conflict, a position that analysts say could help it unlock more international financial support amid a crushing economic crisis in the North African nation,” the New York Times’ Vivian Yee writes. 

Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.

Pacific Rim

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet on the sidelines (Bloomberg) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in San Francisco this month, White House spokesperson Karin Jean-Pierre said yesterday. The last time the two leaders spoke was in November 2022.

For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR expert Joshua Kurlantzick explores the potential tensions and outcomes of the upcoming APEC summit. 

North Korea: Pyongyang could close (Reuters) more than a dozen international missions after shutting down its embassies in Angola and Uganda, a report from the website NK Pro said. The move appears to be a result of international sanctions, which have hindered North Korea’s ability to conduct business overseas. 

South and Central Asia

French President Emmanuel Macron signed deals with his Kazakh counterpart (AFP) on aerospace and pharmaceutical cooperation during a visit to the country today. French energy company EDF is among the firms vying to build Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power station. Macron will travel on to Uzbekistan next to discuss the rule of law. 

U.S./Myanmar: The United States announced new partial sanctions against Myanmar’s state energy company, its most lucrative state-owned enterprise, due to the military junta’s human rights violations. The new measures will go into effect (Bloomberg) beginning December 15. 

Middle East and North Africa

Saudi Arabia is still interested in moving forward (Axios) with previous U.S.-led negotiations to normalize relations with Israel after the war in Gaza ends, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said yesterday. Saudi Arabia’s defense minister is in Washington this week; the White House said his talks with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized the need for sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

On this episode of The President’s Inbox, CFR expert Steven A. Cook explains what an Israeli-Saudi peace deal could entail. 

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tanzanian politicians and activists have long called for reparations (Reuters) from Germany and the return of Tanzanian remains from German museums. During a visit to Tanzania today, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed “shame” (AFP) at Germany’s crimes during its three decades of colonial rule and asked for Tanzania’s forgiveness. He also said that he is ready to cooperate on repatriating Tanzanian remains and cultural artifacts.

Kenya: King Charles III, while on a visit to Nairobi that weighed the history of United Kingdom (UK) colonial rule in the country, said there were “no excuses” (WaPo) for the “abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence committed against Kenyans” during their struggle for independence. He stopped short of a broader apology, which many Kenyans have called for.

Europe

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is attending the artificial intelligence (AI) summit (NYT) alongside officials from twenty-six other governments, including China. As host, the UK has so far taken a more hands-off approach to regulating AI than the European Union (EU), while Harris’s visit comes on the heels of Washington’s announcement of an executive order on AI safety this week.

For the Net Politics blog, Rumman Chowdhury and CFR’s Kat Duffy and Kyle Fendorf discuss how to govern AI. 

Montenegro: After weeks of negotiations, Parliament voted in a new government (Politico) and prime minister yesterday, nearly five months after the country held its vote. New Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, Europe’s youngest prime minister at age thirty-six, said one of his main priorities is joining the EU.

Americas

Bolivia’s deputy foreign minister said yesterday that the decision was due to the “aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive” in the Gaza Strip. Colombia and Chile also recalled their ambassadors (The Guardian) to Israel for consultations, citing Israeli actions in Gaza.

Panama: Authorities announced yesterday that they will further reduce (FT) the number of ships allowed to transit the Panama Canal daily due to low water levels. Under normal circumstances, an average of thirty-six ships cross the canal per day, but this number is expected to drop to eighteen by next February. 

This In Brief by CFR’s Diana Roy explains how water levels are causing a logjam at the Panama Canal.

United States

The war has raised the potential for a terrorism attack (NYT) against Americans in the United States, FBI Director Christopher Wray told a Senate committee yesterday. He cited foreign terrorist groups who have issued calls to attack Americans and especially Jewish communities in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. He also noted that the number of antisemitic acts in the United States had already been rising before the Israel-Hamas war. 

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