Editor’s Note: For the duration of the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties (COP28), the Daily News Brief will include a special section dedicated to developments at the climate conference. |
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Israel and Hamas End Cease-Fire, Resume Fighting |
Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas resumed hostilities today (FT), ending a weeklong cease-fire that saw Hamas release about 100 Israeli women and children, as well as some foreign nationals, and Israel release some 240 Palestinian women and children. International mediators had hoped to extend the pause for an eighth day, but the Israeli Defense Forces claimed that Hamas “violated the operational pause” and said they would resume fighting. Bomb sirens sounded across Israel and air strikes hit buildings in both the northern and southern Gaza Strip. Israel also dropped leaflets (AP) above some parts of southern Gaza, urging people to leave their homes. Qatari mediators said they are working to resume the cease-fire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said today that Israel is committed to achieving its war goals of “releasing the hostages, eliminating Hamas and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to the residents of Israel.” Yesterday, the New York Times reported on detailed plans for an attack similar to that carried out by Hamas on October 7 that were widely circulated among Israeli intelligence officials more than a year before the attack occurred, though they were dismissed. It was not clear whether Netanyahu or other top political leaders had seen the plans.
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Countries Pledge More Than $400 Million to Newly Established Loss and Damage Fund |
On the opening day of COP28 yesterday, several countries including the United States, Germany, Japan, and conference host United Arab Emirates (UAE) collectively pledged (Climate Home News) more than $400 million for the World Bank-housed loss and damage fund. The fund aims to help vulnerable countries deal with the effects of climate change.
In this In Brief, CFR’s Noah Berman and Clara Fong unpack global climate finance’s needs and challenges.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres kicked off (Reuters) leader speeches at the conference, warning that an international target for limiting global warming was only possible if the world “ultimately stop[s] burning all fossil fuels. Not reduce. Not abate.” COP28 President Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who is also CEO of the UAE’s national oil company, clashed with his stance (Reuters) that a phasedown was inevitable but that the fossil fuel sector should be included in global efforts to find climate solutions.
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U.S. Continues to Fly Osprey Aircraft in Japan Despite Calls for Pause After Crash |
Washington recognized Tokyo’s formal request (Kyodo) to suspend operations of the military aircraft after a crash earlier this week killed a crew member, but did not immediately pause flights.
China/Vietnam: The two countries are considering jointly upgrading a rail line that crosses Vietnam’s rare earths heartland, Reuters reported. The talks are part of preparations for a possible visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Vietnam in the coming weeks.
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Pakistan’s Top Court Challenges Deportations of Undocumented Afghans |
During today’s hearings, Pakistan’s Supreme Court noted (Express Tribune) that the country is a signatory to UN conventions safeguarding the rights of refugees. The lawsuit argues that Pakistan does not have a constitutional mandate to evict undocumented Afghans.
Afghanistan/China: An ambassador of Afghanistan’s Taliban government arrived in China today (AP). It is the first time the Taliban have sent an ambassador to another country since they returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. While no country recognizes the Taliban as the legitimate government, some countries such as China have an embassy in Kabul.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Israel’s President Asks UAE for Help Securing Hostage Releases |
In a meeting on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit yesterday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog asked (Reuters) UAE Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed for help freeing the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The UAE is a rare Arab state in that it has diplomatic ties with Israel and has called for Hamas to release hostages. |
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CFR’s Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins discuss COP28 in Dubai, Russia’s crackdown on journalists, China’s spike in respiratory illness, and more. |
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UN Security Council to Vote on Lifting Arms Embargo on Somalia |
Arms embargoes were first imposed on the country some thirty years ago during its civil war. For years, Somalia’s government has asked (Reuters) for the embargo to be removed in order to better combat Al-Shabaab insurgents. This Backgrounder by Claire Klobucista, Mohammed Aly Sergie, and CFR’s Jonathan Masters explains Al-Shabaab.
Guinea-Bissau: Residents in the nation’s capital, Bissau, heard heavy gunfire (BBC) this morning after soldiers went to free some officials who had been detained, including the country’s finance minister and secretary of state for the treasury. The president, who is currently out of the country for the COP28 climate conference, survived a reported coup attempt last year.
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Russia’s Top Court Declares Global LGBTQ+ Movement ‘Extremist Organization’ |
Russia’s justice ministry requested the designation (NYT) for yesterday’s ruling. Experts say it could make the work of LGBTQ+ rights organizations untenable and could lead to yearslong prison sentences for rights activists in Russia.
U.S./Turkey: A U.S. Treasury official for financial intelligence said at a press briefing yesterday that Washington is “profoundly concerned” (FT) about Turkey’s previous role in facilitating Hamas’s access to international financing. The United States has not detected new funding for Hamas from Turkey since the October 7 attack, he said, but last month Washington imposed sanctions on three people it said were Turkey-based Hamas operatives.
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Venezuela Prepares to Hold Referendum on Disputed Neighboring Territory |
On Sunday, Venezuelans will vote (AFP) on whether they agree that the country has rights over the oil-rich territory of Essequibo, which makes up around two-thirds of neighboring Guyana. Guyana has administered the area for more than one hundred years, but Venezuela revived the long-dormant territorial dispute after oil was discovered off of Guyana’s coast.
Argentina: A member of President-Elect Javier Milei’s transition team who is slated to become foreign minister said the country will decline an invitation (AP) issued earlier this year to join the BRICS economic bloc, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
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Judge Rules Federal Officials Can Remove Razor Wire at Southern Border |
The Texas government had tried to stop federal officials’ removal of razor wire at the U.S.-Mexico border, but a federal judge ruled that federal agents need to remove it (ABC) in part to prevent migrants from experiencing drowning or heat exhaustion. In the ruling, the judge said the status quo in the U.S. immigration system is a “harmful mixture of political rancor, ego, and economic and geopolitical realities that serves no one.”
This Backgrounder by Amelia Cheatham, Claire Klobucista, and CFR’s Diana Roy unpacks the U.S. immigration debate.
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Survivors of ethnically-targeted attacks in Sudan share their stories with Reuters of being caught in the carnage of the country’s civil war. |
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