In Israel, Blinken Says ‘Time is Now’ for Cease-Fire, Hostage Deal |
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with (WaPo) top Israeli leaders while in the country today, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. Before a meeting with Herzog, Blinken said that the “time is now” for a cease-fire and hostage release deal in the Gaza Strip, and that Hamas is “the only reason” that the deal would not be achieved. He also stressed U.S. support for increasing the amount of humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza.
Blinken’s tour comes as Israel continues to consider launching a ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. In Saudi Arabia on Monday, Blinken said that Washington had not yet seen a plan that guarantees civilians in Rafah can be “effectively protected” if such an offensive occurs. The conflict in Gaza continues to prompt demonstrations on several U.S. college campuses, with some police moving to detain (NYT) protesters and shut down demonstrations yesterday amid rising tensions and concerns over safety.
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“Hanging over the visit are questions about whether the Biden administration can persuade the Israeli government to support an eventual Palestinian state so as to clinch a sweeping agreement that U.S. officials envision stabilizing the Middle East,” the Washington Post’s Steve Hendrix and Missy Ryan write.
“A cease-fire would refocus the world’s attention onto Hamas’s intransigence and the plight of the Israeli hostages. And it would help alter the skeptical narrative that has taken hold about Israel internationally and reduce the pressure on it to end the war unconditionally,” the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s David Makovsky and Dennis Ross write for Foreign Affairs.
Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.
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Australia to Overhaul Foreign Investment Framework With Eye to Security, Industrial Policy |
The government aims to ensure (Nikkei) foreign-backed projects are in the country’s “national interest,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers said in a speech today. He said the new approach would not single out any particular country, but Australia would take a “firmer” view of foreign state-owned enterprises. The policies also look to increase domestic production of green technology and energy.
Japan: Prime Minister Kishida Fumio departed (Kyodo) today on a six-day trip to France and South America. He will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, and later plans to visit Brazil and Paraguay as part of broader efforts to deepen relations with emerging and developing countries.
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Azerbaijan Climate, Pro-Democracy Activist Detained, Denies Charges |
Anar Mammadli is accused of smuggling on charges that he rejects (Reuters) as politically motivated. The U.S. State Department voiced concern over his arrest, and an Amnesty International researcher called the detention part of a “campaign of intimidation” against civil society. Azerbaijan is due to host this year’s UN climate change conference.
India: Ten rebels died after an encounter (Mint) yesterday between security forces and Maoist rebels in central India’s Chhattisgarh state, police said. Earlier this month, another clash in the area killed twenty-nine rebels. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
China Hosts Rival Palestinian Groups for Talks in Beijing |
Delegations from Hamas and Fatah attended talks that focused on reconciliation (Reuters), China’s foreign ministry said yesterday. Hamas praised Beijing’s efforts to facilitate dialogue, while Fatah did not immediately comment on the meeting.
This Backgrounder by CFR’s Kali Robinson looks at who governs the Palestinians.
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UN Peacekeepers End Operations in DRC’s South Kivu Province After Twenty Years |
South Kivu is the first province (AFP) from which UN peacekeepers are withdrawing as part of a phase-out plan agreed upon with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last December. The Congolese government said the mission in the country failed to protect civilians from armed groups in the area. This timeline traces the legacy of intervention in eastern Congo.
Mali: The country reached a preliminary deal (Bloomberg) with the International Monetary Fund to receive $120 million in emergency funding as it deals with the economic impacts of Russia’s war in Ukraine and Red Sea shipping disruptions, among other shocks.
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Russia Carries Out Second Deadly Strike on Odesa in a Week |
A Russian missile attack killed (NYT) at least three people and wounded another three overnight, officials said. The strike followed an attack on Monday that killed at least five people and wounded around thirty others, officials said. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone strike overnight sparked a fire (DW) at Russia’s Ryazan oil refinery, Russian media outlet Baza reported.
Brussels: European Union (EU) regulators opened a probe (FT) into twenty airlines over potentially misleading claims of environmental consciousness, including carbon offsets for flights, the European Commission said yesterday. Flying accounts for around 4 percent of EU greenhouse gas emissions.
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Haiti Transitional Government Selects New Council Leader, Prime Minister |
The seven voting members of the council selected (Miami Herald) former head of the Senate Edgard Leblanc Fils to lead the council, and Fritz Bélizaire, former youth and sports minister, as prime minister yesterday. Both choices were decided by a 4–3 vote.
Germany/Israel/Nicaragua: The International Court of Justice rejected (The Guardian) Nicaragua’s request to issue emergency orders to Germany calling for a halt in their arms transfers to Israel by a 15–1 vote. The court’s decision cited a drop in recent German arms sales to Israel, the overall defense nature of the weapons, and German government screenings to consider whether the arms would be used to carry out war crimes.
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Justice Department Plans to Reclassify Marijuana as Lower-Risk Drug |
The U.S. Attorney General yesterday recommended (CNN) reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug, a shift that could relax some of its harsher criminal consequences and facilitate health research and the expansion of the legal industry. Formalizing the change into an official rule would only occur after a public comment period.
For Think Global Health, Brooke Worster makes the case that the cannabis industry can learn cautionary lessons from the tobacco industry. |
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