Daily News Brief

March 29, 2024

Top of the Agenda

Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa presented the names (WaPo) of twenty-two ministers who will serve in a new cabinet yesterday, saying the group could help unify divided Palestinian institutions and fight endemic corruption. The United States and other international actors have urged such PA reform as part of preparations for how the Gaza Strip will be administered following the current war between Israel and Hamas, with the hope that the PA can help rebuild and govern the enclave. The Palestinian Authority currently governs part of the West Bank but not the Gaza Strip, though the new cabinet includes at least five members (AP) from Gaza. Mustafa, an ally of PA President Mahmoud Abbas, is due to serve as foreign minister; Abbas tapped Mustafa to serve as prime minister earlier this month. 

A U.S. State Department spokesperson praised the inclusion of Gaza-born ministers in the cabinet, saying it aimed to be “fully representative of the Palestinian people.” Hamas has described the new government as illegitimate and called for all Palestinian factions to form a power-sharing government.

Analysis

“The political shake-up addressed widespread international pressure as well as broad apathy and discontent with the Palestinian Authority,” the Washington Post’s Sufian Taha and Adam Taylor write.

“The PA must be overhauled. It was done in 2007, when the [George W.] Bush administration mobilized all of the PA’s donors to collectively insist that Abbas appoint an empowered prime minister,” the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Dennis Ross writes for Foreign Affairs. “Gaza’s reconstruction and Saudi normalization with Israel will not be achievable without a political reunification of Gaza and the West Bank.”

This Backgrounder by CFR’s Kali Robinson looks at who governs the Palestinians.

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

Pacific Rim

Russia invoked its veto at a UN Security Council vote yesterday to block the reauthorization (BBC) of a panel that monitors compliance with sanctions on North Korea. The panel said last week that it was investigating reports that Russia breached those sanctions by buying and using North Korean weapons in its war against Ukraine. The panel has been renewed annually for fourteen years; this is the first time Moscow has obstructed it. 

This In Brief by CFR expert Scott A. Snyder unpacks the perils of a North Korea-Russia partnership. 

Indonesia: The government will continue with plans to increase nickel output despite a global supply glut that has caused prices to drop 30 percent in the past year, a senior official told the Financial Times. Indonesia is the world’s top producer of nickel, which is a crucial component in electric car batteries.

South and Central Asia

Dmytro Kuleba urged India (FT) to stand by Ukraine on a two-day visit to New Delhi, saying that the “Soviet legacy” is the basis for India-Russia ties, but it is “evaporating.” Ahead of the visit that began yesterday, a spokesperson for India’s foreign ministry said India hopes for a peaceful resolution (PTI) to the war in Ukraine and is open to engaging in any means that could help achieve it.

China/Sri Lanka: Chinese oil giant Sinopec will begin work (Reuters) on a refinery in Sri Lanka by June, Sri Lanka’s power minister said yesterday. The project is set to become Sri Lanka’s biggest investment. The country’s prime minister just completed a multiday visit to Beijing, where China pledged to assist (PTI) with port and airport construction.

Middle East and North Africa

Israeli air strikes in northern Syria today killed at least thirty-eight people, including five fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, three unnamed security sources told Reuters. Israel did not immediately comment on the strikes, which appeared to be its most deadly in Syria in months. Israel has recently targeted sites linked to Iran’s allies in Syria.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Former President Jacob Zuma created a political party that could draw support from the ruling African National Congress in the upcoming May 29 election, but the election commission ruled yesterday that Zuma himself cannot be a candidate (AP) due to his convictions for defying a court order. He has until April 2 to appeal. 

U.S./Chad/Sudan: Washington is considering pushing for (Reuters) a cross-border United Nations mechanism to move aid to war-torn Sudan via Chad, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said yesterday. UN Security Council calls for a cease-fire in Sudan have gone ignored as the war approaches the one-year mark. At least half of the population needs aid.

For Think Global Health, Nahid Widaatalla looks at the humanitarian toll of gender-based violence in Sudan’s war. 

Europe

Sunday’s vote is being closely watched (CNBC) as a measure of the approval of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s party, which has ruled Turkey for more than two decades. Incumbent Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is seen as a potential future presidential challenger if he performs well.

Latvia: Foreign Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said he will step down (AP) on April 10 in the wake of an investigation over the use of private flights during his time as prime minister between 2019 and 2023. He had previously said he was interested in becoming the next head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Americas

The Americas saw three times (Axios) as many dengue cases between January and March as they did in the same period in 2023, the UN World Health Organization’s Pan American Health Organization said, putting the region on track to have its worst year on record for the virus. Climate change and the El Niño weather phenomenon are facilitating the spread of the disease. 

Canada: Four school boards sued (Reuters) social media companies including Meta and Snap for $2.96 billion in damages, saying their products harmed students and “rewired the way children think, behave and learn.” 

United States

Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced (ABC) to twenty-five years in prison for fraud yesterday and is required to forfeit $11 billion to compensate victims. U.S. prosecutors have called the case one of the biggest financial frauds in U.S. history.

Friday Editor’s Pick

Rest of World recounts protesters’ stories of how facial recognition technology cuts through the safety in numbers of mass demonstrations in countries where governments keep a watchful eye on opposition. 

Council on Foreign Relations

58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065

1777 F Street, NW — Washington, DC 20006

Shop the CFR Store

Forward This Email

Manage Your Email Preferences