#Israel has started to deploy extra troops to its northern border in preparation for potential full-scale war with the powerful Lebanese group, #Hezbollah. #Gaza
Israel deploying extra troops to north near #Lebanon | Bethan McKernan
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/jun/27/israel-gaza-war-live-israel-warns-it-could-take-lebanon-back-to-the-stone-age-as-defence-minister-wraps-up-washington-trip?page=with:block-667d33b88f0879fc3d68e2f2#block-667d33b88f0879fc3d68e2f2
Judges at the #ICC ruled on Thursday they would allow the #UK to make legal arguments in the case as they consider whether to approve requests made by the ICC’s chief prosecutor for warrants against #Netanyahu and his defence minister, #YoavGallant. #Israel #Gaza #TheHague
ICC decision on Netanyahu arrest warrant may be delayed by UK
https://www.theguardian.com/law/article/2024/jun/28/icc-decision-benjamin-netanyahu-arrest-warrant-delay-uk
A political row has broken out in Israel after about 50 #PalestinianDetainees from #Gaza were released, including Muhammad #AbuSalamiya, director of the al-Shifa hospital in #GazaCity.
Release of detained #AlShifa hospital director sparks political row in #Israel
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/jul/01/israel-gaza-war-live-thousands-of-jewish-ultra-orthodox-men-clash-with-police-in-jerusalem-over-conscription-law?page=with:block-668267c98f086bfb3f8f1e6b#block-668267c98f086bfb3f8f1e6b
#Israel risks going to war against #Hezbollah to ensure Benjamin #Netanyahu’s political survival, but it would be a miscalculation that could lead to #MassCivilianDeaths in both #Lebanon and #Israel, a former US military intelligence analyst has warned. #Gaza
Israel risking disastrous war against Hezbollah for political reasons, says former US official
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/02/israel-hezbollah-war-warning
The #WhiteHouse predicted that the #Doha talks could convene as early as Friday. It said the #Hamas proposal was in line with the three-stage peace deal that #Biden outlined on 31 May, which has formally been accepted by the #IsraeliGovernment and endorsed by the #UNSecurityCouncil. #Israel
#US calls new Hamas ceasefire proposal for #Gaza a ‘breakthrough’
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/04/us-hamas-ceasefire-proposal-gaza-breakthrough-israel
“The proposal put forward by #Hamas includes a very significant breakthrough,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Israeli response to the Hamas proposal was in marked contrast to past instances where #Israel has said the conditions attached by #Hamas were not acceptable
Israel sends delegation to negotiate hostage release deal with Hamas
https://www.rappler.com/world/middle-east/israel-hamas-war-updates-july-5-2024/
Labour MP #ZarahSultana has spoken about the impact of conflict in #Gaza on the party in the election results. Sultana was re-elected in #CoventrySouth, and said the party had “moved in the right direction” by calling for a #ceasefire but said it had taken “a long time to get there”. #UK #UKElections2024 #Israel
Victory reflects deep dissatisfaction with direction of country and could bring greater cooperation with west.
#TheWest will now have to make a judgment on whether to help #Pezeshkian or maintain the blanket of #sanctions due to the continued escalation of #Iran’s #NuclearProgramme. #Israel #Gaza #Houthis #Hezbollah #Hamas
#Reformist #MasoudPezeshkian wins Iran presidential election
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/06/iran-reformist-masoud-pezeshkian-extends-lead-in-presidential-election-count
#Labour suffered significant election setbacks in areas with large #MuslimPopulations on Friday amid discontent over its position on #Israel’s war in #Gaza. #UK
#Starmer, the UK’s prime minister, has faced criticism for only gradually shifting towards calling for a #ceasefire.
#KeirStarmer: #PalestinianState an 'undeniable right' as part of #PeaceProcess
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2024/jul/07/keir-starmer-labour-uk-general-election-scotland-wales-northern-ireland-visit-latest-news?page=with:block-668aa7638f08115751de53c7#block-668aa7638f08115751de53c7
#Labour officials briefed that the party continued to believe that the #ICC, based in #TheHague, had jurisdiction over #Gaza.
In a submission to the ICC, made by the previous (Tory) government, the #UK had claimed the court did not have jurisdiction over #IsraeliNationals. #Israel #UK
Labour expected to drop challenge to ICC over #Netanyahu #ArrestWarrant
https://www.theguardian.com/law/article/2024/jul/08/labour-expected-to-drop-challenge-to-icc-over-netanyahu-arrest-warrant
#EU agency says 96% of respondents reported #AntiJewish behaviour, with conflict in #MiddleEast as one of the causes
Since 7 October, #Germany has also seen an increase in anti-Jewish violence, with the country’s antisemitism commissioner warning that it risked transporting the country “back to its most horrific times. #Israel #Gaza
#Europeans are experiencing a ‘wave of antisemitism’, survey finds
https://www.theguardian.com/news/article/2024/jul/11/europeans-are-experiencing-a-wave-of-antisemitism-survey-finds?utm_source=press.coop
The doctors say many of the #deaths, #amputations and life changing #wounds to #children they have treated came from the firing of missiles and shells – in areas crowded with civilians – packed with additional metal designed to fragment into tiny pieces of #shrapnel. #Israel
Israeli weapons packed with shrapnel causing devastating injuries to children in #Gaza, doctors say
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/11/israeli-weapons-shrapnel-children-gaza-injured
#US President #JoeBiden has hinted at progress in ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a #ceasefire deal in #Gaza, saying both #Israel and #Hamas have agreed to a “framework” he laid out six weeks ago.
#Biden hints at progress in #GazaCeasefire talks
https://aje.io/8sozsl?update=3043057
Don't miss the last 15 seconds.
---
The #IsraeliMilitary published on Thursday the findings of a first probe into its own #SecurityFailings during the devastating Oct. 7 #Hamas attack, acknowledging it hadn't protected the citizens of one of the worst hit communities, Kibbutz Be'eri. #ZacharyGoelman produced this report. #Israel #Gaza
Israeli army 'failed' on Oct. 7: military report [VIDEO]
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/israeli-army-failed-on-oct-7-military-report/vi-BB1pPiDz?ocid=emmx-mmx-feeds&PC=EMMX01
PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES — A senior #Hamas official told AFP Sunday that the Palestinian militant group has withdrawn from talks on a #ceasefire in the #Gaza war because of Israeli “massacres” and its attitude in negotiations.
Another Hamas official said the group’s military leader #MohammedDeif was “fine” and working despite #Israel’s huge bomb attack on a southern Gaza camp.
Senior Hamas official says group withdraws from #GazaTruce talks
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/242608/senior-hamas-official-says-group-withdraws-from-gaza-truce-talks?utm_source=(direct)&utm_medium=gallery
Shells rained down on the neighborhoods of #TalAlHawa, #SheikhAjlin and #AlSabra in #GazaCity, #AFP correspondents reported, while eyewitnesses said the #IsraeliArmy had shelled the #AlMughraqa area and the northern outskirts of the #Nuseirat refugee camp in central #Gaza. #Israel
Israel hits Gaza from land, sea and air as #Hamas halts talks
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/242765/israel-hits-gaza-from-land-sea-and-air-as-hamas-halts-talks
#TheHague, #Netherlands – The #UnitedNations’ highest court said on Friday, July 19, that #Israel’s occupation of #PalestinianTerritories and settlements there are illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible, in its strongest findings to date on the Israel-Palestinian conflict. #Gaza #ICJ
Top UN court says Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are illegal
https://www.rappler.com/world/middle-east/international-court-justice-opinion-israeli-settlements-palestine/
(3rd UPDATE) The World Court's opinion finds that the UN Security Council, the General Assembly, and all states have an obligation not to recognize the occupation as legal and not to give aid or support toward maintaining it
Reportedly, the arrest warrants from the #ICJ will be out in two weeks. That should help push this forward🤞
---
The #US has been working with #Qatar and #Egypt to try to arrange a #ceasefire in order to free hostages held since the 7 October #Hamas attacks, and get more humanitarian aid into the enclave devastated by Israeli airstrikes. #Gaza
#Israel-Hamas ceasefire close to the goalline, US secretary of state says
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/jul/20/israel-gaza-hamas-war-international-court-justice-icj-occupied-palestinian-territories?page=with:block-669b67d38f083fc6a547a3bf#block-669b67d38f083fc6a547a3bf
#JERUSALEM/#CAIRO, July 20 (Reuters) - Israeli fighter jets struck #Houthi military targets near #Yemen's #Hodeidah port on Saturday, killing at least three people and wounding 87, a day after a drone launched by the Iranian-backed group hit Israeli economic hub #TelAviv. #Israel #Gaza
Israeli jets strike Houthi targets in Yemen after Tel Aviv attack
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/houthi-tv-says-israeli-airstrikes-target-yemens-hodeidah-port-2024-07-20/
Even the #UK is starting to break lockstep with the #US, they have restarted funding the #UNRW.
---
The advisory opinion by judges at the #ICJ on Friday carries weight under #InternationalLaw and may weaken support for #Israel.
ICJ ruling against Israel’s settlement policies 'largely consistent with #EU positions', bloc's foreign policy chief says
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/jul/21/middle-east-crisis-live-israel-says-it-has-intercepted-missile-fired-from-yemen?page=with:block-669cb51a8f083fc6a547ab41#block-669cb51a8f083fc6a547ab41
#Harris’s absence during #Netanyahu’s controversial address underlines the mounting tension between the #Biden administration and the #RightWing prime minister, as the death toll from #Israel’s war in #Gaza surpasses 39,000. #Biden #KamalaHarris
Harris will not preside over the chamber when when Israeli Prime Minister #BenjaminNetanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/jul/22/biden-drops-out-endorses-kamala-harris-election-updates?page=with:block-669f15988f083fc6a547be0d#block-669f15988f083fc6a547be0d
Efforts to reach a #GazaCeasefire deal, outlined by #Biden in May and mediated by #Egypt and #Qatar, have gained momentum over the past month. #Gaza
#Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin #Netanyahu, has told families of the estimated 116 hostages still held in #Gaza that a deal that would secure their loved ones’ release could be nearing, his office has said.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/jul/23/kamala-harris-says-she-is-looking-forward-to-accepting-democratic-nomination-as-she-secures-support-of-enough-delegates-live?page=with:block-669f51508f083fc6a547bf83#block-669f51508f083fc6a547bf83
#Netanyahu is expected to meet #Biden, and #Harris, as he is under pressure from the highest echelons of the #IsraeliMilitary and much of the #IsraeliPublic to agree to a #ceasefire in #Gaza. #Israel
Netanyahu to arrive in #Washington as fears grow of wider war in #MiddleEast
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/22/lame-duck-or-legacy-maker-how-biden-announcement-could-affect-us-relations-with-foreign-leaders
Various #PalestinianFactions, including rivals #Hamas and #Fatah, have agreed to end their divisions and form a #NationalUnityGovernment during negotiations in #China.
Senior Hamas official #HusamBadran said the most important point of the #Beijing declaration was to form a Palestinian national unity government to manage the affairs of #Palestinians. #Israel
Palestinian factions agree to end divisions after talks in #China
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/23/palestinian-factions-accord-china-talks
More now about the #AntiWar protests on #CapitolHill, via AP:
Protesters against the #GazaWar staged a sit-in at a congressional office building Tuesday ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu’s address to Congress, with #CapitolPolice making multiple arrests. #Israel
“We have heard from defence and security forces that they're reaching the point of breaking a deal..And we have never before been in such a promising point at that sense.
Nothing should be distracting [us] at this point" - Ayelet Levy Shachar
#Gaza release deal has to happen now, hostage's mother says
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg3e05n1xy3o
#UnitedKingdom has said it will not proceed with efforts to question whether the #InternationalCriminalCourt (ICC) has jurisdiction to issue #ArrestWarrants for Israeli Prime Minister #BenjaminNetanyahu and Defense Minister #YoavGallant. #Israel #Gaza
#UK won’t challenge #ICC arrest warrant request for #Netanyahu, #Gallant
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/26/uk-wont-challenge-icc-arrest-warrant-request-for-netanyahu-gallant
A rocket attack on a football ground in the Israeli-occupied #GolanHeights killed 12 people including children on July 27, Israeli authorities said, blaming #Hezbollah and vowing to respond against the Iran-backed Lebanese group.
Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the strike, the deadliest in Israel or Israeli-annexed territory since the start of the conflict in #Gaza.
#Lebanon
#Israel says Hezbollah rocket kills 12 at football ground, vows response
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/nine-people-killed-as-rocket-hits-football-pitch-in-israeli-occupied-golan-israel-media
JERUSALEM/BEIRUT - Nine people were killed in a rocket attack on a football ground in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, Israeli Channel 13 reported, amid an escalation of fire between Israel and armed groups in Lebanon. Read more at straitstimes.com.
#EU foreign affairs chief #JosepBorrell on Saturday (27 July) called for a “political solution” to end the “madness” in #Gaza after the #Hamas-run territory’s health ministry said an Israeli strike on a school had killed 30 people.
"Ceasefire has to happen now. International #HumanitarianLaw has to be respected." Borrell said.
EU top diplomat urges end to ‘madness’ after Gaza school strike
https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/eu-top-diplomat-urges-end-to-madness-after-gaza-school-strike/
Israeli jets struck southern #Lebanon overnight as diplomats worked frantically to prevent a #RegionalWar after a rocket strike that killed 12 young people in the occupied #GolanHeights.
The Golan Heights was taken from #Syria by #Israel in the 1967 #MiddleEastWar and annexed in 1981 in a move not recognised by most countries.
Israel strikes Lebanon as diplomats try to prevent regional war
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/28/israel-strikes-lebanon-diplomats-prevent-regional-war-golan-heights-hezbollah
#Airlines suspended routes and canceled flights to #Beirut on Monday amid fears of a full-blown war between #Israel and Lebanese militant group #Hezbollah.
#Germany's national airline #Lufthansa said it had suspended five routes to and from the Lebanese capital until August 5 out of “an abundance of caution,” with its subsidiaries #SwissInternationalAir Lines and #Eurowings following suit.
Airlines suspend #Lebanon flights as fears of Israel-Hezbollah war grow
https://www.politico.eu/article/airline-suspend-lebanon-flight-israel-hezbollah-war-lufthansa-aegean-ethiopian-air/?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication&utm_source=press.coop
The governments of the #UnitedStates, #UnitedKingdom, and #Germany have advised their citizens to leave #Lebanon, amid growing concerns that the Israeli assault on the beseiged #GazaStrip could trigger a wider conflict in the region. #Israel
#US, #UK, and Germany advise citizens to leave Lebanon following days of protests and cross-border exchanges.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/19/us-uk-germany-tell-citizens-to-leave-lebanon-as-regional-tensions-rise
Opposition Leader #YairLapid said the riots on Monday showed that #Netanyahu is “weak” and has lost control over his government, urging him to fire ministers involved in the break-ins.
“We are not on the brink of the abyss, we are in the abyss,” Lapid warned in a statement. “All the red lines were crossed today.” #Israel #PrisonerAbuse #Gaza
Bordering on anarchy’: #IDF chief sounds alarm after #RightWing mob breaks into 2nd base
https://www.timesofisrael.com/bordering-on-anarchy-idf-chief-sounds-alarm-after-right-wing-mob-overruns-2nd-base/
#IsmailHaniyeh, the political leader of #Hamas, has been killed by a strike in #Tehran in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the group said, only hours after #Israel claimed it had killed a top #Hezbollah commander in #Beirut.
Hamas blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s death, which one official described as a “grave escalation”. #Gaza
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Iran, says Palestinian group
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/31/hamas-leader-ismail-haniyeh-death-raid-iran-home-israel-gaza-war
"My message to Australian citizens and residents in Lebanon is: now is the time to leave. If you are in #Australia and thinking of travelling to Lebanon, do not.
There is a real risk that the conflict in the region escalates seriously. The security situation could deteriorate quickly, with little or no notice" - Penny Wong
Now is the time to leave': Australian foreign minister urges #Australians to leave #Lebanon
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/jul/31/middle-east-crisis-live-updates-hamas-leader-ismail-haniyeh-killed-iran-israel-gaza-war?page=with:block-66aa458d8f089067a355e8eb#block-66aa458d8f089067a355e8eb
#Deif is believed to have been one of the masterminds of #Hamas’ 7 October attack on southern #Israel, which triggered the #Gaza war, now in its 300th day.
One of Hamas’ most dominant figures, Deif rose through the group’s ranks over 30 years, developing its network of tunnels and its bomb-making expertise.
Death of Hamas military leader Deif in July confirmed, Israel says
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/aug/01/middle-east-crisis-live-irans-supreme-leader-to-lead-prayers-at-hamas-leader-funeral-as-region-braces-for-fresh-unrest?page=with:block-66ab4dcc8f0814429273fec4#block-66ab4dcc8f0814429273fec4
The timing and location of the dual attacks, targeting very high-profile commanders in densely populated capital cities, made them particularly humiliating for #Iran and #Hezbollah, raising the risk of a slide towards full-blown #RegionalWar as #Tehran seeks to re-establish a military deterrent.
Fears of escalation mount after Israeli killings of #Hamas and Hezbollah leaders
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/31/israel-iran-hamas-hezbollah-lebanon-assassinations-middle-east
Haniyeh's former boss & mentor.
---
#Hamas sources said Meshaal is expected to be chosen as the paramount leader of the group to replace #IsmailHaniyeh, who was assassinated in #Iran in the early hours of Wednesday, with #Tehran and Hamas vowing retribution against #Israel.
#KhaledMeshaal, who survived #Mossad assassination attempt, tipped to lead Hamas
#Turkey had vetoed all #Nato engagement with #Israel since October, including joint meetings and exercises, viewing Israel’s “massacre” of #Palestinians in #Gaza as a violation of Nato’s founding principles.
Turkey has blocked cooperation between Nato and Israel since October because of the war in Gaza
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/aug/01/middle-east-crisis-live-irans-supreme-leader-to-lead-prayers-at-hamas-leader-funeral-as-region-braces-for-fresh-unrest?page=with:block-66ab873c8f08a0af63bb3c69#block-66ab873c8f08a0af63bb3c69
Bad, a very bad sign.
---
#Lufthansa Group has cancelled all its #passenger and #cargo flights to and from #TelAviv with immediate effect until 8 August, a spokesperson for the German airline said on Thursday.
“The reason for this is the current development in the region,” the spokesperson added.
The leader of #Hezbollah has said that the Lebanese group’s conflict with #Israel has entered “a new phase” after the back-to-back assassinations of a senior commander and #Hamas’s political chief that risk plunging the #MiddleEast into a regional war. #Gaza
Hezbollah chief says conflict with Israel is in ‘new phase’ after assassinations
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/01/funeral-for-hamas-political-leader-haniyeh-held-in-tehran-amid-security-fears
#KamalaHarris was at that meeting.
---
US President #JoeBiden told #israel's Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu to agree to a #ceasefire with #Hamas as the #WhiteHouse’s frustrations over the continuation of the war in #Gaza grow.
"We have the basis for a ceasefire,” Mr Biden told reporters. “He should move on it and they should move on it now.”
#Biden tells Netanyahu to accept ceasefire in ‘very direct’ call
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/biden-tells-netanyahu-to-accept-ceasefire-in-very-direct-call
The #UnitedStates is sending a #CarrierStrikeGroup, a #FighterSquadron and additional #warships to the #MiddleEast as the region braces for possible Iranian retaliation to the killing of a senior #Hamas leader in #Tehran earlier this week.
#US sending warships and fighter squadron to Middle East as region braces for Iranian retaliation
https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-hamas-haniyeh-iran-tensions-08-02-24#h_e64606e098e04eb3d92ff39ac55f8104
Two Israeli officials confirmed the details of the Israeli channel 12 report and said the director of #ShinBet confronted #Netanyahu and told him that if he wants to back away from the Israeli proposal for a #HostageRelease and #CeasefireDeal, he should just say it.
Israeli negotiators travel to #Cairo amid Netanyahu's new conditions for a #Gaza hostage deal
The #US told it's citizens there the same thing.
---
The British government on Saturday urged #UK nationals in #Lebanon to leave the country immediately amid growing fears of a regional war after the killing of #Hamas and #Hezbollah leaders this week, attributed to #Israel.
Leave now,’ UK tells British nationals in Lebanon
https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-us-to-nationals-in-lebanon-leave-now/?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication&utm_source=press.coop
#AntiGovernment rallies erupted in several cities across #Israel this weekend, as tens of thousands of Israelis demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu find a path to a deal with terror group #Hamas, in order to free more than 100 #hostages still held in #Gaza.
Anti-Netanyahu protests erupt in Israel over delayed hostage deal
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/03/middleeast/israel-hostage-deal-protest-int-latam/index.html
The authorities in #Tehran issued a #NOTAM dispatch to pilots, instructing airplanes to avoid the airspace over the center, west, and northwest of the country.
Some pilots have already changed their routes. On flight-tracking maps, there's increasing traffic over #Iraq and a noticeable "emptiness" over #Iran
Iran's warning to aircraft sparks fear of imminent attacks
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/iran-s-warning-to-aircraft-sparks-fear-of-imminent-attacks/ar-AA1ohIng
Exporters seeking #ArmsSales licences are reportedly receiving messages from the Department for Business and Trade saying that applications are suspended pending the review.
#Whitehall sources insisted this did not represent a change in policy and might be administrative procedures.
#UK reportedly suspends arms export licence applications for #Israel ‘pending review’
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/06/uk-arms-export-licence-applications-israel-review
#VladimirPutin has reportedly told #Iran to avoid #CivilianCasualties in any retaliatory attack on #Israel for the assassination of the #Hamas political leader #ismailhaniyeh an underlining of the constraints it faces as it frames its response.
Putin reportedly calls for Iran to limit damage in any retaliation against Israel
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/06/putin-reportedly-calls-for-iran-to-limit-damage-in-any-retaliation-against-israel
Several hundred ultra-#OrthodoxJews (#Haredim) clashed with Israeli police at the entrance to the army base in #TelHashomer. This is where the first draftees from this community were supposed to report on Monday. Previously, they had been exempt from service for years; now, they are speaking of a "#Holocaust of #UltraOrthodoxJews."
Ultra-Orthodox Jews clash with police over military draft in #Israel
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ultra-orthodox-jews-clash-with-police-over-military-draft-in-israel/ar-AA1okkJ8?ocid=emmx-mmx-feeds&PC=EMMX01
#US intelligence suggests
the goal for #Hamas is to survive — that would be victory for the group. #Sinwar likely believes Hamas can hold out while #Israel’s global standing deteriorates as the war in #Gaza, which has killed thousands of civilians, continues.
A senior Biden administration official put it bluntly: “He believes he’s winning.
Sinwar believes Hamas has upper hand in negotiations with Israel, officials say
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/11/politics/us-intelligence-sinwar-gaza/index.html
American Intelligence officials believe that Yahya Sinwar, the powerful leader of Hamas in Gaza who is thought to be the group’s key decisionmaker on any potential ceasefire deal, likely believes the group can survive Israel’s attempt to destroy it and feels confident it is well-positioned to approach negotiations from a place of strength, according to US officials familiar with recent assessments.
The statement said the three nations had forged a "framework agreement" that had "only the details of implementation left to conclude”.
#Israel said it would send negotiators to the proposed talks, which are pencilled in for 15 August in #Doha or #Cairo. Hamas did not immediately respond.
#US, #Egypt and #Qatar call on Israel and Hamas to resume talks
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07e99ver7ro
Why it matters: The results of the coming week will indicate whether the region is going to sink even deeper into crisis and a widening perpetual war, — or if, for the first time since Oct. 7, there will be a significant change of course. The outcome could shape President #Biden's legacy.
#Israel #Egypt #Qatar #GazaCeaseFire
#US prepares for crucial week as #Gaza deal faces "now-or-never" moment
https://www.axios.com/2024/08/10/gaza-israel-hamas-hostage-deal-regional-war
“I would imagine that he is going to devote a lot of time and energy to the situation in the #MiddleEast. He surely doesn’t want history to record that the final months of his tenure witnessed the outbreak of the first comprehensive Middle East war in decades, a war that he, like others, has been struggling to avoid." - Bill Galston, a former Clinton policy adviser
Not done yet: still-smarting #JoeBiden to focus on his legacy in final months
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/10/joe-biden-final-months-legacy
His statement said: “This unimaginable situation is overwhelmingly due to recurring failures by the Israeli Defense Forces to comply with the rules of war."
The #UN’s #HumanRights chief, #VolkerTürk has said that today marks “a grim milestone” with the news that the death toll from #Gaza has surpassed 40,000
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/aug/15/israel-gaza-war-live-ceasefire-talks-qatar-hamas-iran?page=with:block-66be096f8f08dd7a533a3629#block-66be096f8f08dd7a533a3629
Not going to happen.
---
Israeli Foreign Minister #IsraelKatz raised eyebrows on Friday when he said #Israel would expect international partners such as the #UK and #France to join Israel in responding to a potential strike from #iran “not only in defense, but also in attacking significant targets in Iran.”
Both France and the UK, however, have downplayed such a prospect.
Muted response from UK and France after Israeli FM calls for retaliation to any Iran strike
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/16/europe/israel-uk-france-iran-retaliation-intl-latam/index.html
"This is a decisive moment – probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the #hostages home, to get a #ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” #Blinken said on his ninth trip to the region since #Israel’s war on #Gaza began in October. #GazaCeasefire
Blinken says current talks ‘maybe last’ chance to free captives from Gaza
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/19/blinken-says-current-talks-may-be-last-push-to-end-israels-war-on-gaza
#HusseinHaridi, former Egyptian assistant foreign minister and former ambassador, says that “in principle,” all parties are in agreement on the ceasefire deal, but “differences in opinion remain”.
Next ’48 hours’ important for #ceasefire deal, says former Egyptian official
https://aje.io/vzysu0?update=3135006
@Norobiik Israel's current position is not sustainable either in terms of public opinion or cost. So the longer Hamas can hold them there the better for Hamas.
The strategic plan appears to have been to destroy Israel's international standing and immunity from criticism. That has been successful.
Very true, Israel has hardly any friends left. Even the UK is inching away bit by bit as the Gaza death toll mounts.
This is the guy that even hardcore Israeli intelligence says is 100% committed to the Palestinian cause (ie. he never cracked). And he's not tolerant of people who compromise with the IDF or security agencies either.
While still in prison, he held the face of one Palestinian fellow prisoner against a hot iron stove because of suspected collaboration with the Israelis.