UN Security Council Passes Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution |
A resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip passed (NYT) the UN Security Council yesterday after five months of failed attempts. It called for an “immediate” cease-fire as well as the unconditional and immediate release of all hostages. Fourteen countries backed the resolution, while the United States abstained.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the resolution harms Israel’s war efforts and efforts to liberate hostages, and that he would cancel a planned delegation visit to the United States as a result. Meanwhile, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that nothing has changed (FT) about U.S. policy; the United States has long sought a cease-fire and hostage release, but abstained from the vote because the resolution did not explicitly condemn Hamas. Separately, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is in Washington today, where he is meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
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“The crucial variable is that the [Joe] Biden administration is obviously not happy with Israel’s military posture now, and allowing this resolution to pass was one relatively soft way to signal its concern,” the International Crisis Group’s Richard Gowan tells the New York Times. “The abstention is a not-too-coded hint to Netanyahu to rein in operations, above all over Rafah.”
“Netanyahu’s cancellation of [the Israeli delegation’s] trip to Washington is strictly performative. They are not military experts; they were instructed to be in listening mode only. The talks that matter are taking place at the White House now between Defense Minister Gallant and his IDF advisors,” CFR expert Martin Indyk posts.
Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict. |
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U.S., UK Announce Sanctions, Charges Against Chinese Hackers |
Hackers backed by the Chinese government carried out (AP) a yearslong campaign to target U.S. officials, journalists, campaign staffers, critics of Beijing, and the election watchdog in the United Kingdom (UK), U.S. and UK authorities said yesterday. Officials say the campaign began in 2010 to harass critics of the Chinese government and gather intelligence on U.S. trade and politics.
CFR’s Cyber Operations Tracker follows cyber incidents around the world.
Japan: The country’s cabinet eased restrictions (Kyodo) today to allow exports of fighter jets that will be jointly developed with Italy and the UK. It is the latest step away from Tokyo’s pacifist constitution, though its defense minister said Japan would maintain the “basic philosophy of a pacifist nation.”
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Sri Lanka Approves 40 Percent Increase in Minimum Wage |
Today’s measure seeks (Reuters) to alleviate the high cost of living in the country from tax and energy price hikes that have prompted months of student and union protests. It comes as Sri Lanka is implementing an International Monetary Fund-backed economic reform program to move past its financial crisis.
Pakistan: A separatist group claimed responsibility (Reuters) for an attack yesterday on a southwestern Pakistani military base that killed at least one soldier. All five assailants were killed in retaliatory fire, Pakistani officials said today.
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Middle East and North Africa |
War Monitor: Iranian Commander Killed in Strikes in Syria |
An Iranian military commander was among thirteen people killed (AFP) in air strikes in eastern Syria overnight, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks.
This Backgrounder unpacks Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
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Senegal’s President Recognizes Victory of Opposition Candidate |
President Macky Sall congratulated (AP) Bassirou Diomaye Faye on his victory based on strong partial results coming out of Sunday’s vote. Faye was released from jail only days prior to the vote and will become the country’s youngest-ever leader (BBC). He has pledged to fight corruption and vowed to reassert Senegal’s control over its natural resources.
South Africa: The country’s electoral court rejected (BBC) an effort by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to block a party linked to former President Jacob Zuma from running in May’s election. The Zuma-backed party could siphon votes from the ANC. |
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EU Regulators Notify Tech Firms They Are Being Probed |
The investigations are looking into (NYT) Alphabet, Apple, and Meta’s potential violations of the European Union (EU) Digital Markets Act, which came into effect on March 7. Alphabet and Apple are being scrutinized for unfairly favoring their own app stores, while Meta is being scrutinized for using data to sell advertising.
U.S./Russia: A Russian court extended (RFE/RL, TASS, Interfax) the pre-trial detention of U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich for three months in a closed-door ruling today. His employer, the Wall Street Journal, and the U.S. government have emphatically rejected the espionage charges against him.
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NYT: Brazil’s Bolsonaro Stayed at Hungarian Embassy While Being Investigated |
Security footage shows that former President Jair Bolsonaro spent two days at the Hungarian Embassy in Brasília in February during a period in which authorities seized his passport while they investigated him on charges of plotting a coup, the New York Times reported. Staying at the embassy temporarily shielded him from arrest.
Venezuela: The main opposition coalition said it was unable (BBC) to access the site where it would register its favored presidential candidate ahead of a midnight deadline. Would-be candidate Corina Yoris said her rights were being violated, and seven Latin American governments publicly called on (Bloomberg) Venezuela to allow candidate registrations.
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Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Case Seeking to Ban Access to Abortion Pills |
Anti-abortion groups have asked (Politico) the Supreme Court to block rules issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2016 and 2021 that eased access to the medication mifepristone, which helps terminate pregnancies up to ten weeks. The case is the biggest abortion case to be heard at the court since the 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. Mifepristone use has surged since the 2022 case restricted abortion access.
For Think Global Health, CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo looks at the global ripple effects of Roe’s repeal.
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