Crowds lit bonfires and blocked traffic on a major highway after the Israeli prime minister sacked the defense minister, citing “gaps” between their views on handling the war in Gaza. Source link
There are at least two ways for mutual deterrence between states—also known as mutually assured destruction—to come to an end. As the Cold War taught us, one side in the conflict can simply collapse. But deterrence can also break down when one party decides to upend the equilibrium. For more than nine months after Hamas’s horrific October 7 attack on southern Israel and the start of Israel’s devastating onslaught in Gaza, hostilities between Israel and the Iran-led “axis of resistance” (the alliance that also includes Hezbollah, Syria, Iraqi paramilitary groups, and Ansar Allah—commonly known as the Houthis—in Yemen) built steadily. The fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in particular defied both sides’ previous red lines. Yet they appeared to steer clear of provoking all-out war. Then, in late July, Israel attacked a residential guesthouse in Tehran, killing Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas. Just hours earlier he had attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. For Israel to assassinate Haniyeh while he was staying in the Iranian capital as an official state guest …
Israel has crossed ‘all red lines’ in pager ‘massacre’, says Hezbollah leader Jump to content Source link
Kamala Harris enjoyed a brief period of excitement as Democrats rallied behind her presidential bid ahead of November’s election. Only a few days in, however, she is being asked questions over her stance on Israel and the war in Gaza. With fewer than 100 days left, Joan Greve speaks to the former adviser to Barack Obama and co-host of Pod Save The World, Ben Rhodes, about the state of play for November 2024 How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know Source link
Israeli prime minister set to deliver address to Congress despite growing anger over his government’s abuses in Gaza. The top legislators in the United States have issued a formal invitation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver a speech to Congress in the latest show of support for Israel amid its war on Gaza. The invite by Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives on Friday came as the International Criminal Court considers issuing an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes. “To build on our enduring relationship and to highlight America’s solidarity with Israel, we invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror, and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region,” the letter said. It did not specify a date for the speech. I am honored to invite Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress. pic.twitter.com/rYKx0Z1p93 — Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) May 31, 2024 The letter was signed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Democratic House leader Hakeem …
Harry Davies and Yuval Abraham report on how Israeli intelligence agencies tried to derail an ICC war crimes investigation This week, an investigation by the Guardian and the Israeli-based magazines +972 and Local Call revealed how Israel has run a nine-year “war” against the international criminal court (ICC). Investigative reporters Harry Davies and Yuval Abraham tell Michael Safi about the findings. The investigation found that Israeli intelligence spied on the communications of numerous ICC officials, including the chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, and his predecessor, Fatou Bensouda, intercepting phone calls, messages, emails and documents. Continue reading… Source link
“It’s definitely an earthquake.” That’s how American diplomat Richard Haass described the stunning declaration by U.S. President Joe Biden that his administration would stop supplying certain weapons to Israel if it went ahead with a planned invasion of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. “This was building up for a while, and Rafah was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Haass, former president of the Council on Foreign Relations and policy advisor during the George W. Bush administration, said in an interview with Israeli newspaper Haaretz. “There’s real skepticism in the administration that Rafah will bring about a deal for the hostages, like the Israelis have been saying.” The last several weeks have seen a fraught back and forth between Israel and Hamas and the Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators trying to come up with a deal that will allow a cease-fire between the warring parties and a release of the hostages still held by the Palestinian militant group. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long pushed for an invasion of Rafah — Gaza’s southernmost …
It’s true. While American Democrats, who have long been urging for conditions to be placed on arms transfers, argue that Biden’s been underestimating Washington’s clout, the history of U.S.-Israeli relations suggests his leverage may not be as great as some progressives think. Sometimes bare-knuckle pressure works, sometimes not — and particularly less so when Israeli leaders believe their actions are fundamental to their national security. Indeed, Netanyahu is just the latest in a long line of Israeli leaders who brazenly disregarded U.S. presidents. Ben-Gurion, the country’s first prime minister, engaged in a battle of wills with Kennedy over Israel’s nuclear program. Reagan was furious with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin over Israel’s bomb raids on west Beirut in 1982, nine weeks into the Israeli invasion of Lebanon (though Reagan’s suspension of the delivery of did bring Begin round). And George H.W. Bush was one of several U.S. presidents who tried to halt Israeli settlement encroachments in the West Bank to little avail. In 2007, Olmert himself went ahead and targeted a suspected nuclear reactor at …
Prime minister and officials say Israel will continue fight even as US increases pressure over Rafah assault. Israeli officials have struck a defiant tone after US President Joe Biden warned that the United States would not provide weapons for a full-scale ground assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are hemmed in with no safe way to leave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in televised remarks on Thursday that Israel, which is heavily reliant on US weapons shipments, would “fight with our fingernails” if necessary. “Hamas [hearts] Biden,” Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right security minister, wrote in a social media post. Hamas ❤️Biden — איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) May 9, 2024 The US has consistently provided Israel with military support throughout the campaign in the Gaza Strip, defying growing international and domestic pressure and sidelining concerns over alleged violations of international law by Israeli forces. Biden, in an interview with CNN on Wednesday, said the US was still committed to Israel’s defence and would supply Iron Dome …
Joe Biden paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over fears it would invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Washington halted the load of 1,800 2,000-lb (907 kg) bombs and 1,700 500-lb (226 kg) bombs after Israel had not “fully addressed” US concerns about a major ground operation, marking the first time in the conflict that Mr Biden has halted military aid. News of the move comes as the White House criticised the “unacceptable” closure of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt after Israel sent tanks in earlier Tuesday – while holding out hope for a ceasefire with Hamas. Officials said Washington was “especially focused” on the use of the heaviest 2,000-lb bombs “and the impact they could have in dense urban settings as we have seen in other parts of Gaza.” Ceasefire talks involving Israel, Hamas, the United States, Qatar and Egypt resumed on Tuesday. “A close assessment of the two sides’ positions suggests that they should be able to close the remaining gaps, and we’re going to do everything we …
