Fri, Nov 3 2023 1:45 AM EDT
UAE warns against risk of regional spillover from Gaza war
Gulf Arab power the United Arab Emirates warned on Friday that there was a real risk of a regional spillover from the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, adding that it was working “relentlessly” to secure a humanitarian ceasefire.
The UAE was the most prominent Arab country to sign the 2020 Abraham Accords, a series of pacts with Israel, which the latter hoped would pave the way to normalization of ties with Muslim superpower Saudi Arabia, but the war dealt those plans a blow.
“As we continue working to stop this war we cannot ignore the wider context and the necessity to turn down the regional temperature that is approaching a boiling point,” Noura al-Kaabi, a minister of state for foreign affairs, told a policy conference in the capital, Abu Dhabi.
“The risk of regional spillover and further escalation is real, as well as the risk that extremist groups will take advantage of the situation to advance ideologies that will keep us locked in cycles of violence.”
— Reuters
Fri, Nov 3 2023 1:40 AM EDT
German vice-chancellor: ‘Antisemitism is not to be tolerated’
Germany is cracking down on antisemitism.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck warned that “antisemitism is not to be tolerated in any form — whatsoever.”
“Jews must be able to live freely and safely in Germany,” he said, evoking Germany’s historic responsibility to Israel. More than 6 million Jews were killed by German Nazis during the Holocaust.
Since Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel, and the ensuing retaliatory strikes from Israel, tens of thousands have taken to the streets in support of Palestinians.
Germany has thrown its weight behind Israel since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, and supports Israel’s right to defend itself. Home to large Jewish and Muslim communities, Germany has banned pro-Palestinian protests in a bid to curb public disorder.
There’s no place for religious intolerance, Habeck said, making clear that “burning Israeli flags is a criminal offence, as is praising Hamas terror.”
Any citizen who does so will have to answer for such offences in court, and those who are not German citizens may have their residency status revoked, he warned.
— Joanna Tan
Thu, Nov 2 2023 10:15 PM EDT
Bahrain says envoy to Israel returned home; Israel says ties stable
Bahrain said on Thursday that the Gulf state’s ambassador to Israel had returned home and the Israeli ambassador in Manama had left the kingdom “a while ago,” confirming an earlier statement by parliament linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip in its war with Hamas which has killed thousands of people has angered Arab states who are concerned with sharply rising civilian casualties and Israel’s blockade of the densely populated coastal enclave.
The government statement did not confirm that economic ties had been severed, as the parliament had earlier stated, but said that flights between the two countries had been suspended for several weeks.
The statement did not clarify whether that meant the Israeli ambassador had been expelled.
Israel had earlier said it received no word of any such actions, saying its relations with Bahrain were “stable.”
In its statement, the parliament — a consultative body with no powers in the area of foreign policy — said the moves “confirmed Bahrain’s historic position in support of the Palestinian cause.”
“The Council of Representatives affirms that the Israeli ambassador in the kingdom of Bahrain has left Bahrain and the kingdom of Bahrain has decided on the return of the Bahrain ambassador to Israel,” the parliament said in a statement.
“The cessation of economic relations was also decided,” it said, without making clear who had made the decision.
Israel’s foreign ministry said in a statement: “We would like to clarify that no notification or decision has been received from the government of Bahrain and the government of Israel to return the countries’ ambassadors. Relations between Israel and Bahrain are stable.”
Any suspension of diplomatic and economic ties, if confirmed, would mark a significant setback for Israel.
— Reuters
Thu, Nov 2 2023 8:31 PM EDT
House passes Republican Israel-only aid, Democrats say dead on arrival in Senate
The Republican-led House on Thursday passed a bill that would provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel as it wages war against Hamas, but Democrats say it’s dead on arrival in the Senate and President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the measure.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., conducts a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center after a meeting to the House Republican Conference on Thursday, November 2, 2023.Â
Alex Wong | Getty Images
The Republican proposal would also rescind funds for the IRS in the same amount, from funding approved in last year’s climate, health and tax law.
Democrats said the IRS cuts amounted to a a poison pill, as the money was intended to amp up enforcement and catch tax cheats. A new Congressional Budget Office report says that the overall measure would add nearly $27 billion to the deficit.
President Biden and Senate Democrats are backing a broader approach, pushing for $106 billion for both Israel and Ukraine aid, humanitarian aid for Gaza, as well as funding for U.S. border operations in one package.
Read the full story here.
— NBC News
Thu, Nov 2 2023 6:29 PM EDT
Israeli military says it has surrounded Gaza City
People check buildings destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on November 2, 2023, as battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continue.Â
Majdi Fathi | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Israeli troops fought with Hamas militants and encircled Gaza City on Thursday, the military said, as the Palestinian death toll rose above 9,000. U.S. and Arab leaders raised pressure on Israel to ease its siege of Gaza and at least briefly halt its attacks in order to aid civilians.
The Israeli military’s chief of staff, Herzi Halevy, said his forces were encircling Gaza City from several directions and “fighting in a built-up, dense, complex area.”
Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari said Israeli forces were in “face to face” battles with militants, calling in airstrikes and shelling when needed. He said they were inflicting heavy losses on Hamas fighters and destroying their infrastructure with engineering equipment.
Nearly four weeks after Hamas’ deadly rampage in Israel sparked the war, U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading to the region for talks Friday in Israel and Jordan following President Joe Biden’s suggestion for a humanitarian “pause” in the fighting. The aim would be to let in aid for Palestinians and let out more foreign nationals and wounded. Around 800 people left over the past two days.
Israel did not immediately respond to Biden’s suggestion. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has previously ruled out a cease-fire, said Thursday: “We are advancing … Nothing will stop us.” He vowed to destroy Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip.
— Associated Press
Thu, Nov 2 2023 6:17 PM EDT
Scenes from the Rafah border crossing
Palestinians arrive at Rafah, the border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023.
Fatima Shbair | AP
British Embassy staff wait as foreigners and dual nationals who fled war-torn Gaza for Egypt are processed at Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip, on November 2, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
– | Afp | Getty Images
Foreign passport holders arrive in the Egyptian part of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip on November 1, 2023.Â
– | Afp | Getty Images
Wounded Palestinians enter the Rafah crossing to travel to receive treatment in Egypt on November 2, 2023 in Rafah, Gaza.Â
Ahmad Hasaballah | Getty Images
Thu, Nov 2 2023 5:57 PM EDT
U.S. lawmakers speak out on Israel-Gaza war casualities
A view of the area as civilians try to reach survivors, dead bodies amid destruction caused by Israeli strikes on Bureij refugee camp located in central Gaza Strip on November 02, 2023.
Ashraf Amra | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Representatives on Capitol Hill have taken to social media in support of humanitarian aid for Gazan civilians and pauses in fighting to evacuate hostages.
Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., called for the U.S. to work with allies to facilitate humanitarian pauses for delivery of crucial supplies to civilians.
“As the United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself, we must show leadership to reduce harm, including civilian casualties, to Palestinians and facilitate the immediate delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid,” Porter said in a statement.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., urged Israel to reconsider its approach to fighting Hamas as civilian casualties continue to rise.
In a statement posted to X, Murphy said Israel has not yet achieved the “right balance between military necessity and proportionality” in the wake of the airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp.
He urged Israel to “immediately reconsider its approach and shift to a more deliberate and proportionate counterterrorism campaign” while prioritizing civilian safety.
— Chelsey Cox
Thu, Nov 2 2023 5:56 PM EDT
Secretary Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs meet with Speaker Johnson as funding request looms
U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) listens as he waits for his turn to speak during a news briefing at the U.S. Capitol on November 2, 2023 in Washington, DC. House Republican held a Conference meeting to discuss party agenda.
Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The Pentagon said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chariman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Brown met with U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.).
The meeting on Capitol Hill comes as the Biden administration seeks more than $105 billion from Congress to support a variety of global security needs, including Ukraine and Israel. The new funding request calls for more than $61 billion for Ukraine and an additional $14.3 billion for Israel.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Johnson earlier in the week.
— Amanda Macias
Thu, Nov 2 2023 5:55 PM EDT
UNRWA shelters in northern and central Gaza are at capacity, United Nations says
Workers of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) agency in the playground of an UNRWA-run school that has been converted into a shelter for displaced Palestinian people.
Mahmud Hams | Afp | Getty Images
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, said its shelters in northern Gaza and in central Gaza are at capacity.
UNRWA said that there are approximately 690,000 internally displaced people sheltering in nearly 150 installations across the Gaza Strip.
United Nations Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric added that UNRWA staff working in Gaza and the West Bank have not received payment for the last two months.
“UNRWA, which as you know, is the largest provider of assistance for the United Nations in Gaza, still needs $100 million for its operations this year, including to pay its staff salaries in Gaza,” Dujarric told reporters at the United Nations.
“Even as it does its work in dangerous conditions in Gaza, UNRWA lacks almost 2 months’ worth of salaries for about 28,000 staff, both in Gaza and in the West Bank,” he added.
— Amanda Macias
Thu, Nov 2 2023 5:30 PM EDT
American voters support aid to Israel but worry about U.S. involvement in the Middle East
Wounded Palestinians enter the Rafah crossing to travel to receive treatment in Egypt on November 2, 2023 in Rafah, Gaza.Â
Ahmad Hasaballah | Getty Images
American voters support military aid to Israel, even as they are concerned that U.S. troops will be drawn into the conflict in the Middle East, according to a new poll.
A vast majority of voters, 84%, are worried about potential U.S. involvement in the Gaza region, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. But the poll also showed a slight majority, 51%, support sending more military aid to Israel.
Republicans polled (65%) indicated the most support for more aid, compared to 49% of Democrats and 46% of Independents.
A majority of voters, 75%, also think prejudice against Jewish people in the U.S. today is a “very serious” or “somewhat serious” problem. This is the highest percentage since 2017 when the question was added to the Quinnipiac poll.
Nearly 7 in 10 voters, or 68%, think similarly about prejudice against Muslim people in the U.S.
—Chelsey Cox
Thu, Nov 2 2023 5:05 PM EDT
Secretary of Education meets with Jewish students to discuss antisemitism on college campuses
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during the National Action Network’s National Convention in New York on April 12, 2023.
Jeenah Moon | Reuters
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona met with approximately 20 Jewish students from Towson University, Goucher College, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland-Baltimore to discuss antisemitism on college campuses.
“We’re here to listen and to get feedback from you on what you would like to see and what’s working,” Cardona told the students.
“I want to tell you that the Department of Education is going to do everything we can to make sure you’re safe on campus and that you get to celebrate the beauty of your culture without any fear because that’s what makes this country great,” he added.
— Amanda Macias
Thu, Nov 2 2023 4:55 PM EDT
Will the Israeli-Hamas conflict spark a wider regional war, pulling in the U.S.?
People check buildings destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on November 2, 2023, as battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continue.Â
Majdi Fathi | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Western officials are increasingly concerned that the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas will trigger a wider war in the Middle East.
“Growing outrage in Middle Eastern capitals and much of the world over the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza is adding more fuel to an already volatile mixture that has seen violence spread to the West Bank, Israel’s northern border, the Red Sea and to Iraq and Syria, where U.S. forces have come under repeated drone and rocket fire from Iran’s proxies,” reports Dan DeLuce of NBC News.
Read the full story.
— Amanda Macias
Thu, Nov 2 2023 4:28 PM EDT
TikTok denies pushing pro-Palestine content
Short-form video app TikTok said on Thursday that a hashtag expressing support for Israel in its war against Hamas has received more views than a pro-Palestine hashtag, refuting accusations the platform has pushed content in support of Palestine.
In a blog post, TikTok said U.S. views of the hashtag “standwithisrael” garnered 46 million views between Oct. 7 and Oct. 31, compared with 29 million views of the hashtag “standwithpalestine” over the same period.
“Over the last few days, there has been unsound analysis of TikTok hashtag data around the conflict, causing some commentators to falsely insinuate TikTok is pushing pro-Palestine content over pro-Israel content to U.S. users,” the company said in the blog post.
Hamas gunmen killed 1,400 people in Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel’s ensuing bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 9,000, according to Gaza authorities. TikTok said it had removed more than 925,000 videos in the region since Oct. 7 for violating policies about violence and misinformation.
The app, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, also said it took down 24 million fake accounts.
False claims about the conflict have spread on social platforms including X, Facebook and TikTok, Reuters previously reported.
—Reuters
Thu, Nov 2 2023 4:10 PM EDT
Kirby: White House is committed to securing ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Gaza
National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 2, 2023.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
President Joe Biden is committed to securing multiple humanitarian pauses for the release of hostages and more aid for Gazan civilians while stopping short of a call for a ceasefire, according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
“When we’re talking about humanitarian pause, what we’re talking about is temporary, localized pauses in the fighting to meet specific goals,” Kirby said.
The White House does not formally support a ceasefire, Kirby added, because they believe it would allow Hamas time to plan further attacks against Israel.
Kirby also said that he believes the “vast majority” of Americans in Gaza have made it to the Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border.
“We aren’t aware of American families that are trying to get down there but can’t,” he added.
—Chelsey Cox
Thu, Nov 2 2023 3:23 PM EDT
Blinken heads to the Middle East to discuss humanitarian aid and the release of hostages
Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks to reporters prior to boarding his aircraft at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on his way to the Middle East and Asia on November 2, 2023. Blinken is on his second crisis trip to the Middle East as he renews support for Israel but also seeks subtly to encourage the US ally to limit civilian deaths that have outraged much of the world. (Photo by JONATHAN ERNST / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JONATHAN ERNST/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Jonathan Ernst | Afp | Getty Images
Secretary of State Antony Blinken departed for Israel and Jordan to discuss ways to mitigate civilian deaths amid the ongoing Israel and Hamas conflict.
Blinken told reporters at Joint Base Andrews ahead of his flight that he would also raise U.S. concerns about the pace of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“We’ve been able to establish over the last couple of weeks efforts to get trucks moving. We’ve had about 50 to 60 trucks a day of assistance going in. We want that to increase and I expect you’ll see that in the coming days,” Blinken said.
Biden’s top diplomat said that he will also further efforts for the release of hostages held by Hamas and the safe passage of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals via the Rafah border crossing.
“We’re intensely focused every single day on the hostages and taking every possible step that we can in concert with others to secure their release,” Blinken added.
— Amanda Macias
Thu, Nov 2 2023 2:46 PM EDT
More than 220 trucks of humanitarian aid have entered Gaza so far, White House says
Trucks carrying aid enter through the Rafah crossing on November 2, 2023 in Rafah, Gaza.Â
Ahmad Hasaballah | Getty Images News | Getty Images
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said approximately 55 trucks carrying humanitarian assistance like food, water and medicine arrived in Gaza via the Rafah border crossing.
“We’re hoping that the number of trucks crossing into Gaza will continue to increase,” Kirby told reporters at the White House.
He added that since Oct. 21, more than 220 trucks have entered Gaza with humanitarian aid.
— Amanda Macias
Thu, Nov 2 2023 2:20 PM EDT
At least 74 Americans have arrived in Egypt from Gaza
Palestinians with foreign passports at Rafah Border Gate continue to cross into Egypt as the Israeli airstrikes continue on 27th day in Rafah, Gaza on November 02, 2023.
Abed Rahim Khatib | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The White House said that at least 74 Americans and their family members arrived on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing.
“I want to stress that these numbers are changing in real-time,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said during a daily press briefing.
A day prior, five U.S. citizens were able to make their way through the crossing from Gaza.
— Amanda Macias
Thu, Nov 2 2023 2:19 PM EDT
Bureij refugee camp airstrike kills at least 15, Gaza’s Civil Defense says
EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / People run to safety following an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on November 2, 2023, as battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continue. (Photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)
Mahmud Hams | Afp | Getty Images
An airstrike Thursday smashed a residential building to rubble in the Bureij refugee camp several miles south of Gaza City. One boy, his face covered in blood, cried as workers dug him out of the dirt and wreckage. Others rushed wounded men and women, covered in dust, away on stretchers or wrapped in blankets. At a nearby hospital, doctors tried to stanch the flow of blood from the head of a child laid out on the floor.
At least 15 people were killed, Gaza’s Civil Defense spokesperson said, and residents said dozens more were believed buried. The strike took place in the southern zone to which Israel has told residents of the north to flee.
Hours later, more than five minutes of heavy explosions raised clouds of smoke over Gaza City. Al-Jazeera television, which continues to broadcast from the city, said Israeli airstrikes were hitting an area of apartment towers in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood.
The barrage hit around 100 meters (yards) from Al-Quds Hospital, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in post on X. It said there were deaths and injuries but gave no more details.
There was no immediate comment by the Israel military on the strikes. Israel says it targets Hamas fighters and infrastructure and that the group endangers civilians by operating among them and in tunnels under civilian areas.
People check buildings destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on November 2, 2023, as battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continue.Â
Majdi Fathi | Nurphoto | Getty Images
A man is seen sitting among debris as civilians try to reach survivors, dead bodies amid destruction caused by Israeli strikes on Bureij refugee camp located in central Gaza Strip on November 02, 2023.Â
Ashraf Amra | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Thu, Nov 2 2023 1:58 PM EDT
Sens. Warren, Markey praise release of U.S. hostages
Family members of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, hold a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 30, 2023.Â
Ronen Zvulun | Reuters
Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey praised the release of U.S. hostages from Hamas custody “after weeks of public and private advocacy.”
“We repeatedly urged the White House, U.S. State Department, and the Egyptian and Israeli governments to do everything possible to help American citizens reach safety,” the Senators said after Wafaa Abuzayda, Abood Okal and their one-year-old son Yousef of Medway, Massachusetts were released.
“Their story was seen and heard by thousands of people praying for their safety, and President Biden made clear that securing safe passage for American citizens is a top priority,” they added.
Warren and Markey vowed to continue pushing for humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and support for U.S. citizens, “including our Massachusetts constituents, who seek to leave Israel and Gaza to immediately return home.”
— Chelsey Cox
Thu, Nov 2 2023 1:40 PM EDT
Maxar satellite images show destruction in Jabalia
GAZA — OCTOBER 31, 2023: 01 Maxar satellite imagery of before and after views of damage seen at Jabalia, Gaza (location: 31.533, 34.498). Please use: Satellite image (c) 2023 Maxar Technologies.
Maxar | Maxar | Getty Images
GAZA — NOVEMBER 1, 2023: 02 Maxar satellite imagery of before and after views of damage seen at Jabalia, Gaza (location: 31.533, 34.498). Please use: Satellite image (c) 2023 Maxar Technologies.
Maxar | Maxar | Getty Images
GAZA — NOVEMBER 1, 2023: 02b Maxar closeup satellite imagery of after view of damage seen at Jabalia, Gaza (location: 31.533, 34.498). Please use: Satellite image (c) 2023 Maxar Technologies.
Maxar | Maxar | Getty Images