Just went back through some of my old posts from Oct and Nov from last year, and they felt surreal, especially the ones about #Iran repeating #Carter 1979 and #Netanyahu's intransigence — Both were obvious from the very early days of the conflict.
It is still shocking that we knew these 4 months ago
⬆️ update
>> It is still shocking that we knew these 4 months ago
SEVEN months ago
Now voices in #israel are piling on.
We can’t let #Iran and #middleEast use a hostage crisis again and do to #Biden what Iran did to Carter in 1979.
Suggestion that Biden may be impeached for “abandoning American hostages” and withholding MOAB class bombs from Israel is deeply offensive
This #falseEquivalence must be forcefully rejected before it takes a life of its own 😡
⬆️ The fate of the latest #ceaseFire proposal hinges on #Netanyahu and #Sinwar
In what can only be seen as a symbiotic interdependence, neither seems to be in a rush to make concessions to end the war and free #hostages taken by #Hamas in its #Oct7 attack
#TimingIsNoCoincidence #Election2024
Hamas has accepted the broad outline of the plan but requested “amendments.” Netanyahu has PUBLICLY disputed aspects of it, even though the #US has framed it as an #Israeli plan
⬇️
The fate of the proposed cease-fire deal for Gaza hinges in many ways on two men: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. Each leader faces significant political and personal pressures that may be influencing their decision-making. And neither seems to be in a rush to make concessions to end the devastating eight-month-long war and free hostages taken by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attack. Hamas has accepted the broad outline of the plan but requested “amendments.” Netanyahu has publicly disputed aspects of it, even though the U.S. has framed it as an Israeli plan.
⬆️ #Netanyahu is ‘buying time’
Throughout the war, he has been criticized for letting personal political considerations get in the way of his decision-making.
His government is buoyed by two ultranationalist parties that oppose #ceaseFire deals. Instead, they prefer continuous military pressure to try to defeat #Hamas and free #hostages.
They also talk about “encouraging” #Palestinians to leave and reestablishing Israeli #settlements, which were dismantled when Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005
Thousands of #Iran-backed fighters offer to join #Hezbollah in its fight against #Israel after Israeli officials threatened a military offensive in #Lebanon if there is no negotiated end to push Hezbollah away from the Israeli border
Over the past decade, #Iran-backed fighters from Lebanon, #Iraq, #Afghanistan and #Pakistan fought together in #Syria’s 13-year conflict. The Iran-backed groups say they could also join together again against Israel
Iran-backed groups in the Middle East say thousands of their fighters are offering to come to Lebanon to join with the militant Hezbollah group in its battle with Israel. The offer comes amid fears the situation could escalate into a full-blown war along Israel's northern frontier with Lebanon that has seen almost daily exchanges since the Hamas attack on southern Israel in early October. Iran-backed groups from Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and other countries fought alongside Syrian government forces during Syria's 13-civil war. Hezbollah's leader says it has enough fighters and doesn't need foreigners to join. Israeli officials have threatened a military offensive in Lebanon if there is no negotiated end to push Hezbollah away from the border.
#Hezbollah has said it will not stop until there is a #ceaseFire in #Gaza.
#Netanyahu has said there will not be a cease-fire until #Hamas has been decimated and Israel has re-occupied all of Gaza.
#Hamas continues to hold hostages it shouldn’t have taken in 1st place
#Iran continues to laugh at the #Hamas-#Hezbollah pincer from its #AxisOfResistance.
#China and #Russia revel in their cunning, timed for #Election2024. #TimingIsNoCoincidence
https://www.reuters.com/world/israel-defence-chief-discuss-gaza-lebanon-us-trip-2024-06-23/
⬆️ #Netanyahu says #Israel is winding down its #Gaza operations . But he warns a #Lebanon war could be next.
Netanyahu also said there is no end in sight for the war in Gaza.
He said that while the army is close to completing its current ground offensive in #Rafah, that would not mean the war against #Hamas is over. But he said fewer troops would be needed in Gaza, freeing up forces to battle #Hezbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the current phase of fighting against Hamas in Gaza is winding down. He says that could set the stage for Israel to send more troops to its northern border to confront the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The comments Sunday threatened to further heighten the tensions between Israel and Hezbollah at a time when the two enemies appear to be moving closer to war. Netanyahu also signaled that there is no end in sight for the grinding war in Gaza. The Iranian-backed Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack that triggered the Gaza war. The Israeli leader spoke in a lengthy TV interview.
⬆️ Both #Netanyahu and #Hamas have perverse incentives to keep the #Gaza war going despite the catastrophic toll and mounting anger that Israel has not yet reached its aims of returning the #hostages and defeating Hamas.
The families of hostages have grown increasingly impatient with Netanyahu as tainted by political considerations. A group representing the families condemned Netanyahu’s remarks, which it viewed as an Israeli rejection of the latest #ceaseFire proposal.
The viability of a U.S.-backed proposal to wind down the 8-month-long war in Gaza has been cast into doubt after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would only agree to a “partial” cease-fire deal that would not end the war. His comments, made in an interview with a pro-Netanyahu Israeli TV channel late Sunday, sparked an uproar from families of hostages held by Hamas. Netanyahu’s comments did not deviate dramatically from what he has said previously about his terms for a deal. But they come at a sensitive time and could represent another setback for mediators trying to end the war.
⬆️There won't be a deal until after #US #Election2024
#Hamas is OK with more #Palestinians killed. Its main demand is that #Israel completely withdraw, failing which, they'd rather see more people in #Gaza killed than give up hostages.
#Netanyahu is OK with keeping fate of hostages in limbo. His main demand is Hamas be completely "destroyed" rather than just disarmed, failing which, he'd rather see more people in #Gaza killed than agree to a #ceaseFire.
He wants to #finishTheJob “a lot faster”
⬆️ #Israeli #hostages group publishes new #Oct7 video, as anger boils over #Netanyahu interview.
The group condemned Netanyahu’s suggestion that #Israel could strike a “partial deal” with the militant group #Hamas to free some, but not all, of the hostages.
Netanyahu’s comments were at odds with the aims of a broader Israeli ceasefire proposal outlined by #Biden last month, which sets out conditions to release ALL remaining hostages, in return for a permanent #ceasefire
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/24/middleeast/israel-hostage-forum-video-netanyahu-intl/index.html
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he was still “committed” to an Israeli ceasefire and hostage release proposal backed by the United States as he faced blowback from families of Israeli hostages for appearing to walk back his support of the proposal the day before.
#Netanyahu says he will ’only’ accept a partial cease-fire deal that would not end the war
Chyron: “After that, we will continue mowing the grass, we won’t give up to them.”👀
https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-mideast-latest-06-24-2024-02725bcefa1d1498bbb836b9a5d4a210
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will only accept a partial cease-fire deal that would not end the 8-month-long war in Gaza, casting doubt on the viability of a U.S. backed cease-fire proposal. Netanyahu made the comments late Sunday in an interview with Israeli Channel 14, a conservative, pro-Netanyahu station. He was he was ready to make a partial deal to bring back some of the 120 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, but “we are committed to continuing the war after a pause, in order to complete the goal of eliminating Hamas.” The comments come at a sensitive time as Israel and Hamas appear to be moving further apart over the U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal.
⬆️ #Hamas clears the way for a possible #ceaseFire after dropping key demand that #Israel commit up front to a complete end to the war..
The phased deal would start with a “full and complete” 6-week cease-fire during which older, sick & female hostages would be released in exchange for 100s of #Palestinian prisoners, while #Israeli forces would withdraw from densely populated areas of #Gaza and allow the return of displaced people to their homes in northern Gaza
A Hamas official and an Egyptian official say Hamas has given initial approval for a U.S.-backed proposal for a phased cease-fire deal in Gaza, dropping a key demand that Israel commit up front to a complete end to the war. The apparent compromise by the militant group could deliver the first pause in fighting since November and set the stage for further talks. But all sides warn that a deal is still not guaranteed. Inside Gaza, the Health Ministry says an Israeli airstrike on a school-turned-shelter killed at least 16 people and wounded at least 50 others, including children.
⬆️ #Israeli forces push deeper into #Gaza City as #Hamas warns that escalation threatens #ceaseFire talks
Israeli forces are advancing deeper into the Gaza Strip’s largest city in pursuit of militants who have regrouped there. Hamas warned that the latest raids and displacement in Gaza City could lead to the collapse of long-running negotiations over a cease-fire and hostage release. The two sides had appeared to have narrowed the gaps in recent days. The incursion into Gaza City came after Israel and Hamas appeared to draw closer to bridging gaps in negotiations. Israeli troops are again battling militants in areas that the army said had been largely cleared months ago in northern Gaza. The military ordered evacuations ahead of the raids, but Palestinians say nowhere feels safe.
⬆️ #Israeli military orders the evacuation of #Gaza City
Israeli military urged ALL Palestinians to leave Gaza City and head south
Israel says it is pursuing #Hamas fighters regrouping in various parts of Gaza
Israel informed people in Gaza of the evacuation order by dropping leaflets urging “all those in Gaza City” to take two “safe routes” south to the area around the central town of Deir al-Balah. Gaza City, it said, will “remain a dangerous combat zone.”
The Israeli military has urged all Palestinians to leave Gaza City and head south. The evacuation orders issued Wednesday indicated that Israel was pressing ahead with a fresh offensive across the north, south and center of the embattled territory that has killed dozens of people over the past 48 hours. The stepped-up military activity came as U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators were meeting with Israeli officials in the Qatari capital, Doha, for talks seeking a long-elusive cease-fire deal with Gaza’s Hamas militant group. Israel informed people in Gaza of the evacuation order by dropping leaflets.
⬆️ An #Israel offensive into #Lebanon risks an #Iranian military response.
#Iran supports #Hamas in #Gaza, but would give greater backing to #Hezbollah.
Israel’s military said it had “approved and validated” plans for an offensive in Lebanon, even as the #US works to prevent the cross-border attacks from spiraling.
Netanyahu said he would solve the problem “in a different way” if needed. ″We can fight on several fronts and we are prepared to do that”
https://apnews.com/article/israel-offensive-lebanon-82d714dfca0d34fd44f565cf859818c0
The top U.S. military officer says that an Israeli military offensive into Lebanon will risk an Iranian response in defense of Hezbollah, triggering a broader war that could put U.S. forces in danger. Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says Iran “would be more inclined to support Hezbollah.” He says Tehran supports Hamas, but gives greater backing to Hezbollah “particularly if they felt that Hezbollah was being significantly threatened." Brown spoke to reporters as he traveled to Botswana for a meeting of African defense ministers.
⬆️ #US and #Europe warn #Lebanon’s #Hezbollah (part of #Iran's #AxisOfResistance) to ease strikes on #Israel and back off from wider #MiddleEast war
U.S., European and Arab mediators are pressing to keep stepped-up cross-border attacks between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants from spiraling into a wider Middle East war that the world has feared for months. Hopes are lagging for a cease-fire in Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza that would calm attacks by Hezbollah and other Iranian-allied militias. With that in mind, American and European diplomats are warning Hezbollah about taking on the military might of Israel. Escalating strikes between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to at least level off this past week. But a former U.S. diplomat in the Middle East says Israelis still seem to be arranging themselves for “an entirely different magnitude of conflict.”
⬆️ #Israel and #Lebanon's #Hezbollah (part of #Iran's #AxisOfResistance) have been trading fire since #Oct7, and the two countries now edge closer to all-out war.
"If this conflict escalates to all-out war, it could dwarf the destruction in #Gaza, draw in Iranian-backed militias in #Iraq, #Syria and #Yemen, spread embers around the #MiddleEast and embroil the #US. Iran itself could intervene directly.
The United Nations has warned of a “catastrophe beyond imagination”.
⬆️ First #Israeli strike on #Yemeni soil since the #Israel-#Hamas war began on #Oct7 threatens to open a new front in the region as #Israel battles proxies of #Iran.
“The #Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav #Gallant said in a statement.
#Yemen’s port city of #Hodeidah is the main entry point for #Iranian weapons.
Palestinians health official say least 13 people were killed in three Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza. Palestinian ambulance teams said the three strikes hit Nuseirat Refugee Camp and Bureij Refugee Camp. Three children and one woman were among the dead. AP journalists counted the bodies at a nearby hospital. Earlier, a live baby was delivered from a Palestinian woman who had been killed in an airstrike. In Cairo, international mediators, including the United States, are continuing to push Israel and Hamas toward a phased deal that would halt the fighting.
⬆️ #Israel claims to kill #Hezbollah senior commander in #Beirut strike.
Summary:
✴️ Rocket fire from #Lebanon kills Israeli civilian earlier on day
✴️ Attack in retaliation for rocket strike that killed 12 youngsters in Israeli-occupied #GolanHeights
✴️ Israel says commander #FuadShukr was key aide to Hezbollah leader
✴️ Strike also killed three civilians
✴️ Hezbollah official rebuffs calls not to respond to any attack
⬆️ #US embassy in #Beirut urges citizens to leave #Lebanon on 'any available ticket'
The advisory follows a similar warning from #UK Foreign Secretary #DavidLammy, who said the regional situation “could deteriorate rapidly”.
#Iran has vowed “severe” retaliation against #Israel, which it blames for the death of #Hamas chief Ismail #Haniyeh in #Tehran on Wednesday. His assassination came hours after Israel killed #Hezbollah commander #FuadShukr in Beirut.
⬆️ >> #Netanyahu is “buying time”
“I wish that he would be a statesman and do what is right for Israel. We all love #Israel,” former House Speaker Nancy #Pelosi said recently on CNN. “We need to help them and not have him stand in the way of that for such a long time.”
Tensions between Netanyahu and #Biden have been seeping into the public.
As of now, no meeting between the leaders during Netanyahu’s Washington visit has been scheduled.
The last time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the U.S. Congress, nearly 60 Democrats skipped his speech nine years ago. To them, it was a slap in the face to then-President Barack Obama as he negotiated a nuclear deal with Iran. With Netanyahu scheduled to address U.S. lawmakers on July 24, the number of absences is likely to be far greater. Congressional Democrats are wrestling with whether to attend. Many are torn between their long-standing support for Israel and their anguish about the way Israel has conducted military operations against Hamas in Gaza. Some Democrats say they'll come out of respect for Israel. Others want no part of Netanyahu's appearance.
#Smotrich plans largest seizure of #WestBank land for #settlements. The land seizure was approved late last month but only publicized today
This isn't about #Gaza, #Hamas, #Hezbollah, or any of #Iran's other #AxisOfResistance outfits.
What's the point?
This is an extension of #Netanyahu's plans for Gaza after Hamas has been eliminated. Bibi said, “After that, we will continue mowing the grass, we won’t give up to them" ➡️ https://mastodon.social/@rameshgupta/112673163329530023
A settlement tracking group says Israel has approved the largest seizure of land in the occupied West Bank in over three decades. Peace Now said Wednesday that authorities recently approved the appropriation of 12.7 square kilometers (nearly 5 square miles) of land in the Jordan Valley. The group's data indicate it is the largest single appropriation approved since the 1993 Oslo accords at the start of the peace process. The Palestinians view the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank as the main barrier to any lasting peace agreement and most of the international community views them as illegitimate. Israel’s government considers the West Bank to be the historical and religious heartland of the Jewish people and is opposed to Palestinian statehood.
⬆️ For next 4 months, there will be unprecedented chaos in #US.
Don't take your eyes off what's happening in #Israel.
An Israeli anti-settlement monitoring group says the government has approved plans to build nearly 5,300 new homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank. It's the latest effort by Israel’s hard-line government to beef up the settlements as part of a strategy to cement Israel’s control over the West Bank and prevent a future Palestinian state. Peace Now says the government’s Higher Planning Council approved or advanced plans for 5,295 homes in dozens of settlements. Also on Thursday, Gaza cease-fire talks appeared to stir back to life, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office saying he's decided to send negotiators to resume negotiations. Hamas on Wednesday gave mediators its latest response to a U.S.-backed proposal for a deal.
Ramesh #NotGoingBack
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