Biden Says U.S. Will Halt More Offensive Weapons Shipments if Israel Invades Rafah |
If Israel launches a major invasion of the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, U.S. President Joe Biden would place more pauses on U.S. shipments of offensive weapons, he told CNN yesterday. It was his first public conditioning of war aid to Israel since Hamas’s October 7 attack. Biden said that the United States is still committed to Israel’s defense and would supply it with rocket interceptors for its Iron Dome system and other defensive weapons, but said that the type of heavy bombs that Washington stopped supplying Israel last week had been used to kill civilians. Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan called (WaPo) Biden’s comments “very disappointing,” while Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel would continue its war “despite President Biden’s pushback and arms embargo.”
Biden’s statement comes amid international and domestic pressure to protect civilians in Gaza during Israel’s military campaign and to facilitate a cease-fire and hostage release deal. U.S. CIA Director William J. Burns met (NYT) with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday in Jerusalem regarding a potential deal as negotiators continued parallel talks in Cairo.
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“The hold on the bombs represents a significant turning point in the 76-year-old relationship between the United States and Israel, historically one of the closest security partnerships in the world. But it may not necessarily be a breaking point,” the New York Times’ Peter Baker writes.
“I think there’s a very broad consensus, at least in the security establishment in Israel, that they need to go into Rafah, unless there is a deal. The deal that [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar offered last few days is not acceptable to the Israelis,” CFR expert Elliott Abrams said in this virtual media briefing. This In Brief by CFR’s Christina Bouri and Diana Roy explains the few options for Gazans as Israel enters Rafah.
Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.
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Australia, Tuvalu Detail Terms of Climate, Migration, and Security Pact |
The countries issued (AP) a new memorandum of understanding today regarding a draft deal in which Australia would provide climate adaptation funds and refugee resettlement to Tuvalu, and in return, Tuvalu would give Australia veto power over security deals with other countries, such as China. The two countries declared (ABC) yesterday that there are only a narrow set of circumstances that would trigger such a veto. Some critics in Tuvalu said the deal threatens the island nation’s sovereignty.
China/Hungary: The countries are expected to sign (FT) more than a dozen cooperation agreements during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Hungary today. Xi praised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government for “defying” great power politics in a letter published in a Hungarian newspaper; analysts say his trip aims to exploit divisions in the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
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India, Sri Lanka Detain People Suspected of Recruiting for Russia’s War in Ukraine |
Sri Lanka arrested (Anadolu) two former soldiers accused of recruiting fighters for Russia, local site Newswire reported today. Their detention comes a day after India made four arrests in a similar case.
India/Maldives: The Maldives’ foreign minister is on his first visit (The National) to New Delhi after the new Maldives government that took power in November had campaigned on limiting India’s military presence in the country. India’s foreign ministry said it expected the visit would give “momentum to the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.”
This In Brief by Rhea Basarkar unpacks why the Maldives is moving away from India.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Prominent Iranian Film Director Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison |
Mohammad Rasoulof was sentenced (The Guardian) to eight years in jail, flogging, and confiscation of property on charges such as not obtaining proper permission to make his latest film and that actresses were not following hijab rules, his lawyer said. Rasoulou has been jailed before for his work, but this is his longest sentence. |
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Senegal’s New Government to Review Fishing Deals With Partners Including EU |
A deal that allows European ships to fish near parts of Senegal’s coast is due to expire later this year. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said yesterday that Senegal would review (Bloomberg) the terms of such deals in order to preserve the country’s resources and protect small-scale fishermen. Fishing accounts for about 10 percent of Senegal’s exports.
Mali: An extremist group linked to al-Qaeda committed mass killings in several villages in central Mali in January, Human Rights Watch said yesterday. Survivors said that they were targeted because of their ethnicity and called on the government to protect them. Mali’s junta has pushed out (AP) French and UN forces for security assistance in recent years.
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Preliminary EU Deal Would Use Windfall Profits From Frozen Russian Assets to Arm Kyiv |
Ambassadors from EU countries reached the preliminary agreement (BBC) yesterday regarding the hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian assets. It is subject to approval by finance ministers next Tuesday. The decision came as Russia’s largest air strike on Ukraine in weeks hit (Reuters) nearly a dozen Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities yesterday.
This In Brief by CFR’s Jonathan Masters explores how frozen Russian assets could pay to help rebuild Ukraine.
North Macedonia: The country’s right-wing opposition won (FT) legislative elections and a presidential runoff election yesterday. The victorious party, known as VMRO-DPMNE, has said it would not change the constitution to reference the Bulgarian minority, a matter over which Bulgaria has vetoed North Macedonia’s EU accession talks.
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Fresh Storms Interrupt Response to Brazil Floods That Have Killed More Than One Hundred |
Authorities paused (Reuters) some rescue efforts yesterday amid risk of lightning and high wind and as parts of Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state remained underwater. At least 128 people are still missing after the flooding in the last few days, authorities said.
Mexico: Around twenty of Mexico’s thirty-two states were hit (Reuters) by rolling electricity outages on Tuesday, which President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed on a heat wave and called “exceptional.” The government will increase coordination with private power plants to address the issue, he said.
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New U.S., Chinese Climate Envoys Hold Their First Talks in Washington |
John Podesta is meeting (VOA) with his Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin for two days of talks that began yesterday. They are tasked with following up on a November 2023 pledge to cooperate on issues including methane targets and carbon capture projects, though bilateral tensions on clean energy issues abound. Podesta has accused (NYT) China of distorting the global market for products like solar panels and batteries, while China has complained to the World Trade Organization about green subsidies.
On this episode of The President’s Inbox, CFR expert Brad W. Setser discusses China’s export surge. |
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