Mediators Aim to Extend Truce

International mediators on Wednesday worked to extend the truce in Gaza, encouraging Hamas militants to keep freeing hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further relief from Israel’s air and ground offensive. The cease-fire will otherwise end within a day, as the AP reports.

No Conditions

President Joe Biden suggested that conditioning future military aid to Israel was a “worthwhile thought.” But days later, administration officials are shutting down any talk of that happening, as Politico reports.

OPEC+ Mulls New Production Cuts

OPEC and its Russia-led allies are considering new oil production cuts of as much as 1 million barrels a day, delegates said Wednesday, despite tensions in oil markets amid the conflict in the Middle East, as the WSJ reports.

Executive Education

The Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy (AILA) at CSIS is seeking aspiring global leaders to apply for its flagship leadership program, the AILA International Fellowship. The program brings together a diverse cohort of mid-career leaders to leverage their diversity to address the intellectual, ethical, cultural, and policy questions that are central to effective leadership in today’s world. Applications close December 1, 2023.

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: "On the Uses and Misuses of Venezuela Sanctions" with CSIS's Ryan C. Berg.

In That Number

3

Hamas claimed that 3 hostages, including a 10-month-old, were allegedly killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza.
Source: ABC

Critical Quote

“Hamas unleashed a terrorist attack because they fear nothing more than Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace. To continue down the path of terror, violence, killing and war is to give Hamas what they seek. We can’t do that.”

—President Joe Biden

iDeas Lab

In the midst of the Israel-Hamas war, solar power has proved to be a lifeline for Gazans, revealing the resilience of small-scale systems in conflict zones. These systems, however, have also become new military targets. Read full CSIS analysis here.

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: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images.) Israeli soldiers deployed on the southern border with the Gaza Strip on November 29, 2023, gather for a briefing next to battle tanks, as a truce between Israel and Hamas entered a sixth day after a deal was extended to allow further releases of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:30 a.m., the CSIS Korea Chair discusses developments on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea's satellite launch, cooperation with Russia, and increased activity along the Korean DMZ.

Then, 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Africa Program hosts a conversation on the ongoing war in Sudan and how the international community can attempt to mitigate its effects.

Later, 4:00 p.m., the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program hosts the second episode of COP Stocktake, an event series unpacking COP28.

Video

Today, the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development hosted a conversation on the role that U.S. agencies and companies play in advancing digital transformation in developing countries, and how they approach the different elements of digital public infrastructure. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

CSIS's Dan Runde is joined by Elizabeth Hoffman, Director of Congressional Affairs at CSIS, to discuss their takeaways from the recent Congressional staff delegation they led to Ukraine, Poland, and Moldova.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

If you read this space regularly, you know that I love it when young artists cover the greatest hits of superstars—especially when they reinterpret the songs and make them their own.

Indisputably, the hottest act in the jam band genre right now is Goose. Drawing more inspiration from Phish than the Grateful Dead, Goose has developed a rabid following. Last month, Goose began covering Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U” and I’m now bought in. Rarely do you hear a band approaching their peak interpret a hit song as beautifully and differently as this.

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.