Tag Archives: Israel-Hamas war

US-mandated religious freedom group ends Saudi trip early after rabbi ordered to remove his kippah

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U.S. Congress-mandated group cut short a fact-finding mission to Saudi Arabia after officials in the kingdom ordered a Jewish rabbi to remove his kippah in public, highlighting the religious tensions still present in the wider Middle East. Speaking to The Associated Press, Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom …

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Mideast cease-fire efforts gain steam as US envoy visits. Mediators report ‘encouraging’ signs

JERUSALEM (AP) — International efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas appeared to gain new momentum Thursday as the White House said a visit by a senior envoy with Israeli leaders was “going well” and other mediators reported encouraging signs from the warring parties. The new signs of progress came ahead of an expected summit this weekend in …

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Why isn’t desperately needed aid reaching Palestinians in Gaza?

From the earliest days of the Israel-Hamas war, the United States and much of the international community have pressed Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. But as the fighting rages on with no end in sight, the humanitarian catastrophe there has only worsened. United Nations agencies and aid groups say the ongoing hostilities, the Israeli military’s …

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Ursula von der Leyen is seeking a second term as head of the EU’s powerful Commission

BRUSSELS (AP) — Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen will seek a second term as head of the European Union’s powerful Commission in a move that could make her the most significant politician representing the bloc’s 450 million citizens in over a generation. Following five years of leading the 27-nation bloc through multiple crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the first …

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UN Security Council to vote Tuesday on resolution demanding Gaza ceasefire, US vows to use its veto

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote Tuesday on an Arab-backed resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, which the United States announced it will veto. Algeria, the Arab representative on the council, put the draft resolution in a final form that can be voted on. Council diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because …

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Israel and Hamas are making progress in cease-fire and hostage-release talks, officials say

CAIRO (AP) — Israel and Hamas are making progress toward another cease-fire and hostage-release deal, officials said Tuesday, as negotiations went on and Israel threatened to expand its offensive to Gaza’s southern edge, where some 1.4 million Palestinians have sought refuge. The talks continued in Egypt a day after Israeli forces rescued two captives in Rafah, the packed southern town …

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A new report says the world faces a ‘dangerous decade’ as instability and military spending rise

LONDON (AP) — The world has entered an era of increasing instability as countries around the globe boost military spending in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Hamas attack on Israel and China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. That’s the conclusion of a new report released Tuesday by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which also highlighted …

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What to know about the situation in the Middle East this week

Violence has continued this week in the Gaza Strip, as well as across the broader Middle East. The U.S. administration has been pushing for a prolonged cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, but so far has not succeeded. Here’s what you need to know: ISRAEL SAYS IT WILL FIGHT ON IN GAZA Israel said Friday it would continue with its invasion …

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