On Iraq Visit, Pence Reassures Kurds, Discusses Protests with Prime Minister

US Vice President Mike Pence delivers remarks to US troops at a US military facility at Erbil International Airport in Erbil, Iraq November 23, 2019. (Reuters)
US Vice President Mike Pence delivers remarks to US troops at a US military facility at Erbil International Airport in Erbil, Iraq November 23, 2019. (Reuters)
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On Iraq Visit, Pence Reassures Kurds, Discusses Protests with Prime Minister

US Vice President Mike Pence delivers remarks to US troops at a US military facility at Erbil International Airport in Erbil, Iraq November 23, 2019. (Reuters)
US Vice President Mike Pence delivers remarks to US troops at a US military facility at Erbil International Airport in Erbil, Iraq November 23, 2019. (Reuters)

Vice President Mike Pence visited Iraq on Saturday to reassure Iraqi Kurds of US support after President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria drew criticism that Washington had betrayed its Kurdish allies there.

His trip included a visit with Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan region in Iraq, and also a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to discuss the unrest and protests over corruption that have rocked the country.

The visit also served to bolster US troops ahead of next Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.

Pence made two stops during his short trip, which was previously unannounced for security reasons. Traveling on a military cargo plane, he landed first at Al Asad Air Base northwest of Baghdad and talked by phone with Abdul Mahdi.

“We spoke about the unrest that’s been taking place in recent weeks here in Iraq,” Pence told reporters. “He assured me that they were working to avoid violence or the kind of oppression we see taking place even as we speak in Iran.”

“He pledged to me that they would work to protect and respect peaceful protesters as ... part of the democratic process here in Iraq.”

Hundreds have been killed since early October when mass protests began in Baghdad and southern Iraq. Protesters want to dislodge a political class they view as corrupt and beholden to foreign powers at the expense of Iraqis who suffer from poverty and poor healthcare.

A protester was killed on Saturday and dozens were wounded amid ongoing clashes in central Baghdad.

Security and medical officials said the protester died when security forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse crowds in Rasheed Street on the third day of violent clashes that have so far left 15 dead and over 100 wounded.

Clashes are focused on Rasheed Street near the strategic Ahrar Bridge.

Protesters have occupied part of three bridges — Ahrar, Jumhuriya and Sinak — in a standoff with security forces.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday the United States was prepared to impose sanctions on any Iraqi officials found to be corrupt as well as those responsible for the deaths and wounding of peaceful protesters.

The trip gave the Trump administration a chance to show it is working on foreign policy even as impeachment hearings led by Democrats consume Washington.

Pence said he reiterated Trump’s commitment to an independent and sovereign Iraq. “We continue to be concerned about the malign influence of Iran across Iraq,” he said.

Support for Kurds

The vice president went on to Erbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq, seeking to show US appreciation for Kurdish sacrifices and affirm a message of US support and partnership with Kurdish fighters.

Pence told Barzani at the beginning of their meeting at Erbil airport that he wanted on Trump’s behalf to “reiterate the strong bonds forged in the fires of war between the people of the United States and the Kurdish people across this region”.

Last month Turkey launched an offensive into northeastern Syria after Trump’s abrupt decision to withdraw all 1,000 US troops there. Pence brokered a pause with Ankara to allow time for Kurdish fighters to withdraw.

That truce aimed to mitigate the crisis sparked by Trump’s announcement, which US Republican and Democratic lawmakers criticized as a betrayal of Kurdish allies aligned with Washington in the fight against ISIS.

Asked whether he had to smooth over any sense of betrayal from the Kurds, Pence said: “I don’t think there was any confusion now among the leadership here in the Kurdish region that President Trump’s commitment to our allies here in Iraq as well as to those in the Syrian Defense Forces, the Kurdish forces who fought alongside us, is unchanging.”

Pence and his wife, Karen, served a traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey, cranberry sauce and other fixings to some 700 troops at the Al Asad Air Base, which Trump visited in a similar surprise trip last year.

Pence, on his first trip to Iraq as vice president, did not to go Baghdad to meet the prime minister personally because of safety concerns related to the protests, a US official said.



UN Peacekeepers Decry Escalating Violence on Lebanon-Israel Border

People inspect the damage at the site of an airstrike in Habbariyah, southern Lebanon, 27 March 2024. (EPA)
People inspect the damage at the site of an airstrike in Habbariyah, southern Lebanon, 27 March 2024. (EPA)
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UN Peacekeepers Decry Escalating Violence on Lebanon-Israel Border

People inspect the damage at the site of an airstrike in Habbariyah, southern Lebanon, 27 March 2024. (EPA)
People inspect the damage at the site of an airstrike in Habbariyah, southern Lebanon, 27 March 2024. (EPA)

The United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) deployed in the South along the border with Israel called on Thursday for ending the escalation a day after exchanges of fire killed 17 people.

The force known as UNIFIL said Thursday it is very concerned over the surge of cross-border violence between the Israeli military and Lebanese militant groups including Hezbollah.

On Wednesday, a series of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed 16 people and a barrage of rockets fired by Hezbollah killed one Israeli man, making it the deadliest day in more than five months of fighting along the border.

UNIFIL said the escalation has caused a high number of civilian deaths adding that it is imperative that “this escalation cease immediately.”

“We urge all sides to put down their weapons and begin the process toward a sustainable political and diplomatic solution,” UNIFIL said. It added that the peacekeeping force remains ready to support that process in any way it can.

The fighting along the border started a day after the attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas into southern Israel on Oct. 7. The violence has displaced tens of thousands in both countries, caused widespread damage in towns and villages and killed civilians, including journalists.

Nine civilians and 11 soldiers have died in Israel, and more than 240 Hezbollah fighters and about 50 civilians have been killed in Lebanon.


Palestinian Authority Announces New Cabinet as It Faces Calls for Reform

25 March 2024, Palestinian Territories, Ramallah: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a meeting with German Foreign Minister at his official residence In Ramallah. (dpa)
25 March 2024, Palestinian Territories, Ramallah: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a meeting with German Foreign Minister at his official residence In Ramallah. (dpa)
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Palestinian Authority Announces New Cabinet as It Faces Calls for Reform

25 March 2024, Palestinian Territories, Ramallah: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a meeting with German Foreign Minister at his official residence In Ramallah. (dpa)
25 March 2024, Palestinian Territories, Ramallah: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a meeting with German Foreign Minister at his official residence In Ramallah. (dpa)

The Palestinian Authority has announced the formation of a new Cabinet as it faces international pressure to reform.

President Mahmoud Abbas, who has led the PA for nearly two decades and remains in overall control, announced the new government in a presidential decree on Thursday. None of the incoming ministers is a well-known figure.

Abbas tapped Mohammad Mustafa, a longtime adviser, to be prime minister earlier this month. Mustafa, a politically independent US-educated economist, had vowed to form a technocratic government and create an independent trust fund to help rebuild Gaza. Mustafa will also serve as foreign minister.

Interior Minister Ziad Hab al-Rih is a member of Abbas' secular Fatah movement and held the same portfolio in the previous government. The Interior Ministry oversees the security forces. The incoming minister for Jerusalem affairs, Ashraf al-Awar, registered to run as a Fatah candidate in elections in 2021 that were indefinitely delayed.

At least five of the incoming 23 ministers are from Gaza, but it was not immediately clear if they are still in the territory.

The PA administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Its forces were driven from Gaza when Hamas seized power in 2007, and it has no power there.

It has little popular support or legitimacy among Palestinians, in part because it has not held elections in 18 years. Its policy of cooperating with Israel on security matters is extremely unpopular and has led many Palestinians to view it as a subcontractor of the occupation.

Opinion polls in recent years have consistently found that a vast majority of Palestinians want the 88-year-old Abbas to resign.

The United States has called for a revitalized PA to administer postwar Gaza ahead of eventual statehood.

Israel has rejected that idea, saying it will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza and partner with Palestinians who are not affiliated with the PA or Hamas. It’s unclear who in Gaza would be willing to take on such a role.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said it was too early to make any broad assessments of the new Cabinet and whether it would deliver on the “credible and far-reaching reforms” that the Biden administration has called for.

Hamas has rejected the formation of the new government as illegitimate, calling instead for all Palestinian factions, including Fatah, to form a power-sharing government ahead of national elections.

It has warned Palestinians in Gaza against cooperating with Israel to administer the territory, saying anyone who does will be treated as a collaborator, which is understood as a death threat.


World Court Orders Israel to Take Measures to Ensure Food Gets into Gaza

27 March 2024, Palestinian Territories, Gaza City: Palestinians line up to receive free meals during the Muslim's holy fasting month of Ramadan, at Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. (dpa)
27 March 2024, Palestinian Territories, Gaza City: Palestinians line up to receive free meals during the Muslim's holy fasting month of Ramadan, at Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. (dpa)
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World Court Orders Israel to Take Measures to Ensure Food Gets into Gaza

27 March 2024, Palestinian Territories, Gaza City: Palestinians line up to receive free meals during the Muslim's holy fasting month of Ramadan, at Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. (dpa)
27 March 2024, Palestinian Territories, Gaza City: Palestinians line up to receive free meals during the Muslim's holy fasting month of Ramadan, at Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. (dpa)

Judges at the International Court of Justice on Thursday unanimously ordered Israel to take all the necessary and effective action to ensure basic food supplies arrive without delay to the Palestinian population in Gaza.

The ICJ said the Palestinians in Gaza face worsening conditions of life, and famine and starvation are spreading.

"The court observes that Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine (...) but that famine is setting in," the judges said in their order.

The new measures were requested by South Africa as part of its ongoing case that accuses Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza.

In January the ICJ, also known as the World Court, ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza.

In Thursday's order the court reaffirmed the January measures but added Israel must take action to ensure unhindered provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance including food, water and electricity as well as medical supplies and medical care to Palestinians throughout Gaza.

The judges added that this could be done "by increasing the capacity and number of land crossing points and maintaining them open for as long as necessary". The court ordered Israel to submit a report in a month after the order to detail how it had given effect to the ruling. 


Battles, Bombardment in Gaza as Israel Reschedules Talks with US

US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Anderson told AFP if a parachute failed to open they tried to make sure it ends up in the water - AFP
US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Anderson told AFP if a parachute failed to open they tried to make sure it ends up in the water - AFP
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Battles, Bombardment in Gaza as Israel Reschedules Talks with US

US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Anderson told AFP if a parachute failed to open they tried to make sure it ends up in the water - AFP
US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Anderson told AFP if a parachute failed to open they tried to make sure it ends up in the water - AFP

Battles and bombardment pounded the Gaza Strip on Thursday, after Washington said Israel agreed to reschedule cancelled talks with tensions worsening between the allies.

United States criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has mounted over Gaza's civilian death toll, dire food shortages, and Israeli plans to push its ground offensive against Hamas militants into the far-southern city of Rafah, which is packed with displaced civilians.

World leaders have warned against a Rafah offensive which they fear would worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian situation for the Palestinian territory's 2.4 million residents.

The United Nations reported late Wednesday that famine "is ever closer to becoming a reality in northern Gaza," and said the territory's health system is collapsing "due to ongoing hostilities and access constraints."

Bombardment and fighting have continued despite a binding United Nations Security Council resolution passed on Monday demanding an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza and the release of hostages held by militants.

Netanyahu scrapped an Israeli visit to Washington to discuss the Rafah plan, in protest of the UN ceasefire resolution from which the United States abstained, allowing it to pass.

Netanyahu's government has since backtracked and agreed "to reschedule the meeting dedicated to Rafah", according to White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.

She added that they were working to find a "convenient date".

US officials say they plan to present Israel with an alternative for Rafah, focused on striking Hamas targets while limiting the civilian toll.

The health ministry, in a preliminary toll issued early on Thursday, said 66 people were killed overnight.

Fighting continued around three of the Strip's hospitals, raising fears for patients, medical staff and displaced people inside them.

The Al-Amal hospital in Khan Yunis, near Rafah, "has ceased to function completely", the Palestine Red Crescent said earlier this week, following the evacuation of civilians from the medical center.

Israel's military accuses Hamas of hiding in medical facilities and using civilians as shields.

Early on Thursday, the army said militants had been firing on troops "from within and outside the emergency ward at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

Troops began raiding Al-Shifa early last week, and on Wednesday night carried out an airstrike on the emergency ward "while avoiding harm to civilians, patients, and medical teams," the army said.

The UN has reported "intensive exchanges of fire between the Israeli military and armed Palestinians". It cited the health ministry as saying the army has confined medical staff and patients to one building, not allowing them to leave.

Israel's army said troops had evacuated civilians, patients and staff "to alternative medical facilities" it set up.

Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles have also massed around the Nasser Hospital, the health ministry said, adding that shots were fired but no raid had yet been launched.

The Red Crescent warned that thousands were trapped inside.

Gaza has endured almost six months of war and a siege that has cut off most food, water, fuel and other supplies.

Israel denies it is blocking food trucks but aid entering the Gaza Strip by land is far below pre-war levels -- around 150 vehicles a day compared with at least 500 before the war, according to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

With limited ground access, several nations have begun aid airdrops, and a sea corridor from Cyprus delivered its first cargo of food.

But UN agencies said these are no substitute for land deliveries.

Desperate crowds have rushed towards aid packages drifting down on parachutes, and Hamas on Tuesday said 18 people drowned or died in stampedes trying to recover airdropped aid.

Talks in Qatar towards a truce and hostage release deal, involving US and Egyptian mediators, have brought no result so far, halfway through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, before meeting visiting Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, stressed that "the number of civilian casualties is far too high, and the amount of humanitarian aid is far too low" in Gaza.

US criticism has mounted but President Joe Biden has made clear he will not use his key point of leverage -- cutting US military assistance to Israel, which amounts to billions of dollars.

Netanyahu, who leads a coalition including religious and ultra-nationalist parties, faces ongoing protests at home over his failure to bring home all of the hostages.

Alongside the bloodiest-ever Gaza war, violence has surged in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where medics and the army said three people were wounded in a gun attack Thursday that targeted a school bus.

The war has raised fears of wider regional conflict, particularly along the Israeli-Lebanon border.

Lebanon's Hezbollah movement on Wednesday announced the deaths of eight of its members after a day of cross-border fire with Israel that left at least 16 people dead.

Israeli first responders said they pronounced a man dead in an Israeli border town, after Hezbollah rocket fire followed an Israeli strike on what its military called a "military compound" in southern Lebanon.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Thursday that at least 32,552 people have been killed in the territory during more than five months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants.

The toll includes at least 62 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 74,980 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7.


Doctors Visiting a Gaza Hospital are Stunned by the War's Toll on Palestinian Children

A man assists another to carry an intravenous solution bag for him as they walk outside the Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City on March 27, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (Photo by AFP)
A man assists another to carry an intravenous solution bag for him as they walk outside the Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City on March 27, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (Photo by AFP)
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Doctors Visiting a Gaza Hospital are Stunned by the War's Toll on Palestinian Children

A man assists another to carry an intravenous solution bag for him as they walk outside the Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City on March 27, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (Photo by AFP)
A man assists another to carry an intravenous solution bag for him as they walk outside the Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City on March 27, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (Photo by AFP)

An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
One toddler died from a brain injury caused by an Israeli strike that fractured his skull. His cousin, an infant, is still fighting for her life with part of her face blown off by the same strike.
An unrelated 10-year-old boy screamed out in pain for his parents, not knowing that they were killed in the strike. Beside him was his sister, but he didn’t recognize her because burns covered almost her entire body.
These gut-wrenching casualties were described to The Associated Press by Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric intensive-care doctor from Jordan, following a 10-hour overnight shift at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the town of Deir al-Balah.
Haj-Hassan, who has extensive experience in Gaza and regularly speaks out about the war’s devastating effects, was part of a team that recently finished a two-week stint there.
After nearly six months of war, Gaza’s health sector has been decimated. Roughly a dozen of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are only partially functioning. The rest have either shut down or are barely functioning after they ran out of fuel and medicine, were surrounded and raided by Israeli troops, or were damaged in fighting.
That leaves hospitals such as Al-Aqsa Martyrs caring for an overwhelming number of patients with limited supplies and staff. The majority of its intensive care unit beds are occupied by children, including infants wrapped in bandages and wearing oxygen masks.
“I spend most of my time here resuscitating children,” Haj-Hassan said after a recent shift. “What does that tell you about every other hospital in the Gaza Strip?”
A different team of international doctors working at Al-Aqsa Martyrs in January stayed at a nearby guesthouse. But because of a recent surge of Israeli Israel strikes nearby, Haj-Hassan and her co-workers stayed in the hospital itself.
That gave them a painfully vivid look at the strain the hospital has come under as the number of patients keeps rising, said Arvind Das, the team leader in Gaza for the International Rescue Committee. His organization and Medical Aid for Palestinians organized the visit by Haj-Hassan and others.
Mustafa Abu Qassim, a nurse from Jordan who was part of the visiting team, said he was shocked by the overcrowding.
“When we look for patients, there are no rooms,” he said. “They are in the corridors on a bed, a mattress, or on a blanket on the floor.”
Before the war, the hospital had a capacity of around 160 beds, according to the World Health Organization. Now there are some 800 patients, yet many of the hospital's 120 staff members are no longer able to come to work.
Health care workers face the same daily struggle as others in Gaza in finding food for their families and trying to ensure some safety for them. Many bring their children with them to the hospital to keep them close, Abu Qassim said.
“It’s just miserable,” he said.
Thousands of people driven from their homes by the war are also living in the hospital grounds, hoping it will be safe. Hospitals have special protections under international law, though those protections can be removed if combatants use them for military purposes.
Israel has alleged that hospitals serve as command centers, weapons storage facilities and hideouts for Hamas, but has presented little visual evidence. Hamas has denied the allegations. Israel has been carrying out a large-scale operation in Gaza's largest hospital, Shifa, for the past week.
Israeli troops have not raided or besieged Al-Aqsa Martyrs but have attacked surrounding areas, sometimes striking close to the hospital. In January, many doctors, patients, and displaced Palestinians fled the hospital after a flurry of strikes.
Israel’s bombardment and offensive in Gaza have killed more than 32,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 75,000 more in the territory of 2.3 million people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The count does not differentiate between combatants and civilians, but the ministry says about two-thirds of those killed have been women and children.
Roughly half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are 17 or younger, the UN’s agency for children estimates.
Israel holds Hamas responsible for non-combatants' deaths and injuries because the group in Gaza operates from within civilian areas. It says over one-third of the dead are Hamas, though it has not backed up the claim with evidence.
The war was triggered on Oct. 7 by Hamas and other militants who attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages. The Israeli government believes around 100 hostages being held in Gaza are still alive.
In the early stages of the war, Israel severely limited the entry of food, fuel and medical supplies into Gaza. While the flow of aid has increased — and Israel says there are no longer any limits — the international community has called on Israel to let in more.
Aid groups say complicated inspection procedures at the border, continued fighting, and a breakdown in public order have caused massive slowdowns in convoys. Israel accuses the UN of disorganization.
The result has been catastrophic, with hospital staff struggling to cope with a shortage of spare parts to maintain medical equipment. Al-Aqsa Martyrs has also been short on anesthetics, meaning surgeries and other procedures are frequently performed without painkillers.
Haj-Hassan says there is only one way to end Gaza’s health care crisis.
“They need the war to stop,” she said.


Yemen’s PLC Evaluates Performance, Names Al-Zindani Foreign Minister

Smoke rises after a Western strike targeted a Houthi site in Sanaa (Reuters)
Smoke rises after a Western strike targeted a Houthi site in Sanaa (Reuters)
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Yemen’s PLC Evaluates Performance, Names Al-Zindani Foreign Minister

Smoke rises after a Western strike targeted a Houthi site in Sanaa (Reuters)
Smoke rises after a Western strike targeted a Houthi site in Sanaa (Reuters)

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) on Wednesday appointed Shayea Mohsen Al-Zindani as the country’s new foreign minister, succeeding Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak, who also serves as the country’s prime minister.
The PLC also stressed the need for good governance and equal opportunities.
Having previously held the position of Yemen's ambassador to several nations, Al-Zindani's most recent post has been Yemen's ambassador to Saudi Arabia since 2017.
The PLC, led by Rashad Al-Alimi, met on Wednesday to discuss economic, living, political, security, and military developments.
According to the “SABA” news agency, PLC members also reviewed executive measures needed for the state’s obligations ahead. Members addressed pending issues and assessed past performance, ensuring adherence to council directives.
The PLC stressed the importance of following laws and regulations strictly, promoting fair governance and equal opportunities in all state institutions.
This, PLC members said, is crucial for serving the public interest, improving the effectiveness, transparency, and integrity of government agencies, and enhancing their ability to tackle challenges and ease citizen suffering, worsened by Houthi attacks on oil facilities and international shipping routes.
Amid heightened Houthi naval activity and Western counterattacks, the group’s media confirmed Wednesday’s airstrike in Qatineh, Baqim district, Saada province, a Houthi stronghold, believed to be carried out by the US and UK.
Houthi media didn’t provide details of the strike’s impact, and the US military hasn't claimed responsibility yet. However, since Jan. 12, the US has been conducting nearly daily strikes to weaken Houthi capabilities.
The US aims to limit Houthi capabilities and safeguard ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
On Tuesday, new terrorism-related sanctions were imposed on financial brokers and traders associated with the Houthis, Iranian Quds Force, and Lebanese Hezbollah.
According to the US Treasury Department, sanctions were imposed on six entities, an individual, and two vessels for their alleged involvement in facilitating illicit shipments and financial transactions.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller affirmed that Washington will keep using all tools to target those who unlawfully ship goods for terrorist groups.
These actions come amid rising doubts among Yemeni citizens about the Houthis’ commitment to peace, amidst fears of widespread fighting if UN efforts fail to calm tensions.


US-Israel Rift Heads For Moment of Truth Over Rafah

Palestinians check the rubble of buildings that were destroyed following overnight Israeli bombardment in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip - AFP
Palestinians check the rubble of buildings that were destroyed following overnight Israeli bombardment in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip - AFP
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US-Israel Rift Heads For Moment of Truth Over Rafah

Palestinians check the rubble of buildings that were destroyed following overnight Israeli bombardment in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip - AFP
Palestinians check the rubble of buildings that were destroyed following overnight Israeli bombardment in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip - AFP

The United States has taken a public distance from Israel as never before over the Gaza war but the decisive test will be Rafah and whether Israel heeds US warnings against an offensive in the packed city.

The United States on Monday abstained at the Security Council, allowing a resolution to pass for the first time that called for an immediate ceasefire, infuriating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who delayed a delegation to Washington to discuss US concerns on Rafah, AFP reported.

But in a stance surely noted by Netanyahu, President Joe Biden has made clear he will not use his key point of leverage -- cutting US military assistance to Israel.

Annelle Sheline, who recently resigned in protest from the State Department, where she had been on a fellowship working on human rights, said the Biden administration may be shifting but that its actions so far -- including the resolution and plans for an emergency pier to bring in aid -- amounted to "PR stunts."

"I can only hope that things are starting to change. Unfortunately, I don't yet see the US actually using its leverage as far as ending or withdrawing support for Israeli military operations, turning off the tap of weapons," she told AFP.

Michael Singh, managing director of the Washington Institute who was a top White House aide on the Middle East under former president George W. Bush, said Biden was responding at the United Nations not just to domestic politics but to calls from US allies to compromise and not keep vetoing resolutions.

A resolution "is a signal, but it doesn't in any tangible way impact Israel's ability to prosecute the conflict," Singh said, while arms restrictions would "come at a much higher cost" strategically and politically.

Israel has been waging a relentless military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's surprise attack on October 7 that was the deadliest in Israel in its history.

The United States has repeatedly warned Israel not to attack Rafah, the southern city where more than 1.4 million Palestinians have taken shelter, but Netanyahu last week vowed to press ahead after a direct appeal from visiting Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

US officials say they will present alternatives to the Israeli delegation on Rafah that will focus on striking Hamas targets while limiting civilian casualties.

Stephen Wertheim, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that US officials' presentation of alternatives "indicates to me that they believe some sort of military operations will occur and they're trying to limit the damage of that operation."

Singh said the holding pattern on Rafah hurt the United States and Israel as international pressure builds.

"I would say that probably there's a desire in Washington for them to get on with whatever they're going to do one way or the other -- absolutely protect civilians from harm, but this kind of perpetual indecision, I think, is itself harmful," Singh said.

James Ryan, executive director of the Middle East Research and Information Project, said: "You do own it a bit more if you give them plans and they don't go well."

US criticism has been mounting against Netanyahu with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a staunch backer of Israel and the highest-level elected American Jew, in a bombshell speech criticizing the conduct of the war and urging new elections.

A Gallup poll released Wednesday said only 36 percent of Americans approved of Israel's actions, down from 50 percent in November.

Biden is a lifelong supporter of Israel who, facing a tough reelection fight in November, is feeling the wrath of the left in his Democratic Party on Gaza, where the United Nations is predicting famine.

Netanyahu, also battling for his political life at the helm of a far-right coalition, is a veteran fighter in Washington who has aligned himself with much of the Republican Party and clashed with three Democratic presidents.

"Both Biden and Netanyahu benefit from having some degree of friction between them," Wertheim said.

"Possibly the one thing that could save Netanyahu government once a new election occurs is for Netanyahu to be able to say to the public, I'm the one figure who was able to stand up to the Americans and also preserve America's support for us," he said.

Biden, in turn, is eager to show he is pushing back against Israeli "brutality" without imposing costs by restricting weapons.

"What we're seeing is a lot of theater that serves the political interests of the leaders," Wertheim said.


Gaza Aid Airdrops Questioned After 18 More Die On Ground

Jordan is coordinating airdrops for other countries - AFP
Jordan is coordinating airdrops for other countries - AFP
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Gaza Aid Airdrops Questioned After 18 More Die On Ground

Jordan is coordinating airdrops for other countries - AFP
Jordan is coordinating airdrops for other countries - AFP

Even before 18 people were killed when airdrops of aid into Gaza went disastrously wrong on Monday, many had questioned the sense in using planes when food can be delivered far more rapidly by road.

With only a trickle of aid getting into the starving north and the United Nations warning of "imminent famine" as it accuses Israel of blocking deliveries, foreign governments have turned to airdrops as "a way to show that they're doing something", said Shira Efron of the Israel Policy Forum.

The problem is that "airdrops are as inefficient as they are dangerous", according to a source from an international NGO working in Gaza who asked to remain anonymous.

And they can be deadly to the desperate people waiting on the ground.

Twelve hungry Gazans drowned trying to fish food packages from the sea on Monday and six more were killed in stampedes.

Others have been crushed by the crates after parachutes malfunctioned, with five killed and 10 injured earlier this month when crates fell "like rockets" on the Al-Shati refugee camp.

Despite the deaths and the risks, Palestinians like mechanic Ahmed Al-Rifi were back the day after the latest tragedy waiting for the next drop, on the same beaches where the 18 were killed.

"Everyday people get hurt or even killed fighting to get flour, water, lentils and beans," he said.

Taxi driver Uday Nasser said it was "deeply humiliating".

"The strong take from the weaker ones. Sometimes they use knives or even shoot," he said.

UNICEF's James Elder, who is in Gaza, said "typically food aid is delivered from the air because people are cut off and it's the only way to reach them".

"Here the lifesaving aid they need is a matter of kilometres away. We need to use the roads," he said.

Israel denies it is blocking food lorries but aid entering the Gaza Strip by land is far below pre-war levels -- around 150 vehicles a day compared with at least 550 before the war, according to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

And only a small amount of that is getting to the famine-threatened north, where the drops are concentrated.

After the latest tragedy, Hamas pleaded for foreign powers to stop the drops saying they were a "real danger to the lives of hungry citizens".

But the plea fell on deaf ears -- Jordan's army said five more drops were carried out on Wednesday with help from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Germany and Spain.

The United States also pledged to continue airdrops with US Central Command confirming it had dropped 46,000 powdered meals over northern Gaza on Monday.

Some of those dropping the aid admit it is little more than a gesture with so many of Gaza's 2.4 million people starving.

US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Anderson told AFP during a drop earlier this month that the aid delivered by air was only a "drop in the bucket" of what was needed.

He said that if a parachute failed to open they try to make sure it ends up in the water where "nobody is going to get hurt".

Tragically on Monday, people drowned as they tried to get the crates landing in the water, witnesses saying some of the dead were children.

"The countries doing the drops, particularly the US, know that it is making almost no difference," the humanitarian source claimed.

However, the drops are highly visible and make for striking television images.

You can see them from miles away -- military cargo planes flying low, leaving a trail of black, pink or grey parachutes behind them, each carrying up to a tonne of aid.

"I think it is a way of putting indirect pressure on Israel" to let more food aid in, the source added.

Washington insisted Tuesday it was working "around the clock" to increase the flow of aid into Gaza by land as well as setting up a sea corridor.

The US Army said a floating jetty that will enable aid deliveries via the sea in Gaza was now crossing the Atlantic.

Up to now, only one vessel carrying aid has been able to deliver -- a Spanish vessel towing a barge from Cyprus carrying 200 tonnes of aid earlier this month.

That was the equivalent of what 12 lorries can carry, said Elder, when "hundreds of trucks are waiting on the other side of the Gaza border" full of aid.


Widespread Anger in Iraq after Decision to Raise Fuel Prices

Traffic congestion in the center of the Iraqi capital (AFP)
Traffic congestion in the center of the Iraqi capital (AFP)
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Widespread Anger in Iraq after Decision to Raise Fuel Prices

Traffic congestion in the center of the Iraqi capital (AFP)
Traffic congestion in the center of the Iraqi capital (AFP)

Signs of a massive wave of anger are looming in Iraq as a result of the decision to increase the prices of car fuel, which was approved by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday.
Although Iraqis felt relative satisfaction by the government of Mohammad Shiaa al-Sudani during the past year, especially after it employed more than 800,000 persons in the public sector, the spike in car fuel prices triggered dismay among them.
The government increased the cost of premium gasoline (95 octane) from 650 Iraqi dinars ($0.50) to 850 Iraqi dinars ($0.65) per liter. The price of super gasoline (98 octane) will rise from 1,000 to 1,250 dinars, while the regular gasoline (low octane) will remain at 450 dinars. The cabinet said that the new rates would take effect on May 1.
Popular anger often causes a decline in the prime minister's electoral chances. This means that Sudani might go back on his decision to increase the price of fuel, or face its possible repercussions, according to observers.
In contrast to the explanations provided by the government for increasing fuel prices to contribute to eliminating severe traffic congestion in Baghdad, experts said that the decision came in the wake of the losses incurred by the state as a result of subsidizing fuel prices, in addition to pressures exerted by international financial institutions.
In a post on Facebook, Researcher Salim Souza said that the “increase in gasoline prices in Iraq (and perhaps soon an increase in the prices of water, electricity, sewage, and other services bills, as I have heard) has local, internal and external reasons related to international monetary requirements, the size of debt, and global aid to Iraq.”
Al-Sudani had announced earlier this year that Iraq would stop fuel imports in mid-2025 after completing the construction of refineries in Baiji and Karbala and their production reaching its maximum capacity.
In January 2024, Iraq advanced globally to become the 13th country with the most affordable gasoline prices, according to data from the Global Petroleum Press website.

 

 


Arab Summit in Bahrain is Another Event to be Held Without Lebanon’s President

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati receiving the invitation to participate in the Arab Summit from the envoy of the King of Bahrain and the ambassador to Syria, Wahid Mubarak Sayyar. (Prime Minister’s website)
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati receiving the invitation to participate in the Arab Summit from the envoy of the King of Bahrain and the ambassador to Syria, Wahid Mubarak Sayyar. (Prime Minister’s website)
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Arab Summit in Bahrain is Another Event to be Held Without Lebanon’s President

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati receiving the invitation to participate in the Arab Summit from the envoy of the King of Bahrain and the ambassador to Syria, Wahid Mubarak Sayyar. (Prime Minister’s website)
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati receiving the invitation to participate in the Arab Summit from the envoy of the King of Bahrain and the ambassador to Syria, Wahid Mubarak Sayyar. (Prime Minister’s website)

For the third year in a row, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati will be representing Lebanon in the Arab Summit, amid a vacuum at the top state post and the absence of any indications of ending the presidential crisis before the summit in May.
Mikati received an invitation from the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to participate in the 33rd regular session of the Council of the League of Arab States, which will be held on Thursday, May 16.
In his message, the King of Bahrain expressed his desire to “strengthen the process of joint Arab action and serve the interests of the Arab nation...” He stressed that Mikati’s “personal participation in the work of this important summit will have a great impact in light of the difficult circumstances and grave challenges facing our Arab nation...”
This will be the fourth time that Mikati participates in the Arab Summit at the head of a ministerial delegation, since the failure to elect a new president after the end of General Michel Aoun’s term in October 2022.
Lebanon’s constitution stipulates that the powers of the President of the Republic are transferred to the government in case of a presidential vacuum.
In this context, Legal expert Said Malek noted that the absence of the President of the Republic causes great harm to Lebanon’s image and representation abroad.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Lebanon is supposed to be represented by its president in the upcoming Arab summit, but in light of the presidential vacuum, the prime minister represents the state in accordance with the provisions of Article 62.”
This comes in light of divisions in Lebanon over the jurisdictions of the caretaker government, which some consider to be surpassing its constitutional powers. Mikati is also subject to widespread criticism, especially from some Christian parties and the Maronite Patriarch, Beshara al-Rai.