All posts tagged: weapons

Biden administration says Israel isn’t violating US weapons terms

Biden administration says Israel isn’t violating US weapons terms

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[ad_1] The Biden administration said Friday that it was “reasonable to assess” that Israel has violated international law in Gaza, but that the country hasn’t violated terms of U.S. weapons agreements. In a report to Congress, the State Department said it hasn’t verified specific instances that would justify withholding military aid. “While the U.S. has had deep concerns during the period since October 7 about action and inaction by Israel that contributed significantly to a lack of sustained and predictable delivery of needed assistance at scale, and the overall level reaching Palestinian civilians — while improved — remains insufficient, we do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance” under the Foreign Assistance Act, the report said.  The State Department noted that its assessment is ongoing and that “we will continue to monitor and respond to any challenges to the delivery of aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza moving forward.” This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. [ad_2] Source link

€3B assets package ‘almost nothing,’ Ukrainian minister says – POLITICO

€3B assets package ‘almost nothing,’ Ukrainian minister says – POLITICO

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[ad_1] “If we are talking about the needs of Ukraine and the needs of the war, military and non-military, €3 billion is actually almost nothing— we need hundreds of billions in order to win the war,” Maliuska told POLITICO at the G7 justice ministers’ meeting in Venice on Thursday. “It’s a good first step,” he said. Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU has immobilized more than €200 billion of Russian state assets to help Kyiv’s reconstruction efforts. “The Ukrainian government really would like to get full confiscation [of Russian assets] and really believe this is lawful and this is the only approach which will be decisive in terms of the resolution of the war [with Russia],” he added. In February, EU leaders agreed on an additional €50 billion support package for Ukraine within the bloc’s budget, with European Council President Charles Michel saying: “This locks in steadfast, long-term, predictable funding for Ukraine.” [ad_2] Source link

As Rafah hangs in the balance, will Bibi defy Biden? – POLITICO

As Rafah hangs in the balance, will Bibi defy Biden? – POLITICO

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[ad_1] 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 …

Israel will stand alone, Netanyahu says after Biden’s Rafah weapons threat

Israel will stand alone, Netanyahu says after Biden’s Rafah weapons threat

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[ad_1] Video captured by NBC News’ crew on the ground has shown several homes reduced to rubble amid Israeli strikes, with the bodies of those killed, including children, seen wrapped in shrouds at the Kuwait specialized hospital in Rafah. Leaders of the hospital have also warned of a mounting crisis trying to treat the injured after the Al-Najjar hospital in eastern Rafah was forced to stop operating due to Israel’s evacuation orders, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The World Food Programme warned on Thursday that “no aid” has entered from the southern Rafah crossing, which borders Egypt, in two full days. “Only 1 bakery is still working. Supplies of food & fuel in Gaza will only last 1-3 days,” WFP director for Palestinian territories Matthew Hollingworth said in a post on X. “Without them, our operations will go into standstill.” UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths warned Thursday that aid must be allowed into Gaza through the crossing. “Civilians in Gaza are being starved and …

For some Russians, Putin’s Victory Day is the darkest of the year – POLITICO

For some Russians, Putin’s Victory Day is the darkest of the year – POLITICO

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[ad_1] But the unified front hailed by Putin and amplified by Russian state media is only part of the story. For a portion of Russian society, Victory Day is an excruciating annual reminder of the current war in Ukraine, which they see as tarnishing their country’s reputation and distorting its history, as well as that of their families. “For me this is not a celebration but a day of mourning,” said Valeria, 20, whose father has been mobilized. Like others quoted in this article, she declined to give her full name, fearing repercussions for speaking out.  “The essence of this day used to be that there should never be another war — that is what our ancestors gave their lives for. But somehow the exact opposite is happening.”  She and a small group of similar-minded people on Thursday gathered at Moscow’s Poklonnaya Gora war memorial site on the coldest May 9 since 1945, wearing white scarves or carrying white flowers or ribbons, symbols of anti-war protest.  Some were approached by police and asked for their …

‘Fight with our fingernails’: Israel’s Netanyahu defies US weapons warning | Israel War on Gaza News

‘Fight with our fingernails’: Israel’s Netanyahu defies US weapons warning | Israel War on Gaza News

Published by Sam

[ad_1] 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 …

In Victory Day speech, Putin accuses West of ‘distorting history’ – POLITICO

In Victory Day speech, Putin accuses West of ‘distorting history’ – POLITICO

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[ad_1] “Today we see how they’re trying to distort the truth about WWII. It interferes with those who are used to building their essentially colonial policy based on hypocrisy and lies,” the freshly (re)inaugurated president told the assembled crowd, according to the Russian press. The Red Army was part of a much broader allied coalition including the U.S., the U.K., Poland, France, Canada and others. Soviet Victory Day, commemorated a day later than the day marked by the other allies, also signals the beginning of the USSR’s half-century occupation of most of Central and Eastern Europe, mass deportations to Siberia and forced collectivization of local economies. Although Russia was only a part of the USSR, today’s Russia has tried to monopolize the Soviet victory as its own, and Putin uses the memory of the war to buttress Russian nationalism. That extends to tarring opponents of his regime as “Nazis.” “Revanchism, abuse of history, and an attempt to justify the current Nazi followers is part of an overall policy of the Western elites to stoke new …

Biden vows to cut off offensive weapons for Israel if it invades Rafah

Biden vows to cut off offensive weapons for Israel if it invades Rafah

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[ad_1] While some Palestine defenders on Wednesday welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden’s threat to withhold bombs and artillery shells from Israel if it launches a major invasion of Rafah, critics noted that an invasion is already underway and accused the American leader of walking back a previous “red line” warning against an Israeli assault on the southern Gaza city. Biden said for the first time that he’ll stop sending bombs, artillery shells, and other arms to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians forcibly displaced from other parts of the embattled Gaza Strip are sheltering alongside around 280,000 local residents. Referring to Israel’s use of U.S.-supplied 2,000-pound bombs—which can destroy an entire city block and have been used in some of the war’s worst atrocities—Biden told CNN‘s Erin Burnett that “civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers.” Even the U.S. military—which has killed more foreign civilians than any other armed force on the planet since the end of World …

Israel reacts to Biden weapons pause over Rafah

Israel reacts to Biden weapons pause over Rafah

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[ad_1] TEL AVIV — Israel is recalibrating the next steps of its war against Hamas following warnings by President Biden that the United States will cut off offensive weapons shipments if the Israeli military advances into Rafah, the southern Gazan city that is harboring more than 1 million Palestinians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to respond to Biden’s unprecedented policy shift. But Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to Netanyahu, said that “the surprise” of the warning has caught Israel off guard and will compel the war cabinet to reconsider whether and how it will enter Rafah — “if it will bear the consequence of going in without American support, or if it will stop the operation, which will allow Hamas to be unharmed in the area.” [ad_2] Source link