May 16, 2024

Middle East

Shibley Telhami - Israeli PM Netanyahu: “Two state solution would be a reward for terrorists.”

Roll Call - House Republicans are preparing a vote this week on a bill that seeks to end President Joe Biden’s flexibility on delivering weapons to Israel as Democrats marshal their members to remain united in opposition in the closely divided chamber. The legislation, introduced late last week, could pass with only Republican votes, but the White House and House Democratic leadership are nevertheless working to minimize defections, seeking to paint the bill as unwarranted, poorly written, and a partisan power grab. The House adopted a rule 212-200 Wednesday, setting the stage for floor action on the bill from Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., the leader of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, as early as Thursday or Friday. The rule allows no amendments.  Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., introduced a draft companion bill that his office says has 17 GOP co-sponsors. But that measure has little chance of making headway in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The House bill would place multiple binding provisions on the executive branch, including a prohibition on any U.S. fiscal 2024 or prior-year funds from being used to withhold or reverse the delivery of defense support for Israel.

NPR - The United Nations has revised down its tally of women and children killed in the last seven months in Gaza. The revision, which now quotes only the number of women and children killed based on those who have been fully identified by Gaza's Health Ministry, caused some confusion in media reports. One was shared by Israel's foreign minister, claiming that the U.N. halved the number. U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq clarified that the Health Ministry's death toll of more than 35,000 people killed in the ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza remains reliable. The death toll estimate spans the seven months since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks that killed 1,200 people in Israel. Here's a closer look at the backlash

No comments: