WORLD BRIEFING: November 1, 2023
Israel - Gaza War
In a welcome development, severely wounded Palestinians are being allowed entry to Egypt via the Rafah crossing. In addition around 400 Palestinians with dual nationality and who are listed on a public manifest will be allowed to cross into Egypt. The deal was reportedly negotiated by Qatar. Local officials have told correspondent Rushdi Abualouf that 88 injured Palestinians will be given priority, and then about 500 dual nationals a day will be allowed to cross, the BBC reported
Restrictions are heightened, and security forces have stepped up operations in the West Bank as well. At least 11 Palestinians in Jenin have been killed in Israeli strikes and raids since Oct. 22, leaving residents wary.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., House Republicans have introduced a bill that would send roughly $14 billion in aid to Israel — but would not provide any funding for Ukraine. The money would be offset by $14 billion in spending cuts to IRS funding. NPR's Franco Ordoñez says the deal reflects a "broader shift in the Republican party away from hawkish foreign policy." - NPR
Israel's prime minister is downplaying a leaked intelligence ministry document that proposed the relocation of millions of Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. "This is a preliminary paper, like dozens of such papers prepared by all political and security echelons,” Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. “The ‘day after’ is a topic that has not been discussed by official Israeli channels, which are now focused on dismantling Hamas' governing and military abilities." The document is dated October 13 — just days after the Hamas terror attack — and was published on the website Sicha Mekomit. In it, the intelligence ministry lays out three options for dealing with civilians in Gaza after the Hamas attacks and the outbreak of war. The paper’s authors concluded that “Alternative C," which calls for relocating Gaza’s civilian population to the northern Sinai, would be best for Israel’s long-term security. As part of the plan, tent cities would be constructed in the area, with more permanent cities being constructed at a later date. The plan also calls for a humanitarian corridor to aid the resettled population and a security perimeter to be created to prevent them from entering Israel. The acknowledgment of the paper by the Israeli government will likely intensify suspicion amongst Arab nations in the region that Israel is deliberately trying to displace Palestinians permanently. Egypt and Jordan have warned that any plan to transfer Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank to their respective countries would escalate conflict in the region - CNN
The long-serving director of the New York office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights quit on Tuesday in protest of the organization’s weak response to the “genocide” of Palestinians and “grave humanitarian crisis” in Gaza. In a fiery letter to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, Craig Mokhiber wrote, “The European, ethno-nationalist, settler colonial project in Palestine has entered its final phase, toward the expedited destruction of the last remnants of indigenous Palestinian life.” He mentioned past genocides on which the UN failed, including the Tutsis, Muslims in Bosnia, the Yazidi, and the Rohingya people. “We are failing again,” he wrote. He then outlined a 10-point plan to end the violence, including establishing “a single, democratic, secular state… with equal rights for Christians, Muslims, and Jews” as well as destroying Israel’s arsenal of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. He called for the UN to “proudly join the anti-apartheid movement” and “stand on the side of justice.” Mokhiber’s office did not immediately respond to The Messenger’s request for comment - The Daily Beast
“What happens in Ukraine and what happens in Israel matters not to just Ukraine and Israel. It matters to us, it affects our national security as well”
Elsewhere
A Russian billionaire has been detained in France suspected of violating EU sanctions and tax fraud. In one of the first actions of its kind in France since the Ukraine war began, Alexei Kuzmichev was detained in Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera. Police raided properties in both Saint-Tropez and Paris which are linked to the tycoon, an ally of President Vladimir Putin. Lawyers for Mr Kuzmichev were not immediately available for comment. A co-founder of Russian finance consortium Alfa Group, he was detained on Monday in connection with alleged money laundering, tax evasion and violating international sanctions, French financial prosecutors confirmed to Reuters news agency - BBC
Russian forces struck a thermal power plant in one of Ukraine’s front-line regions late on Oct. 30, the country’s largest private energy company DTEK reported on Oct. 31. The attack significantly damaged the DTEK facility's equipment, causing electricity and water supply cut-offs in a nearby settlement, the company wrote. No casualties were reported. DTEK did not specify which region was targeted. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko saidthat Russian troops shelled an energy facility in Donetsk Oblast on the evening of Oct. 30. DTEK added that its employees were working to restore the energy and water supply to residents - Kyiv Independent
Pakistan gave 1.7 million Afghan refugees until 1 November to leave or face deportation. Most recently l, bulldozers begin tearing down a refugee camp, to the despair of its inhabitants.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday that he intends to end the participation of Gabon, Niger, Uganda and the Central African Republic in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade program. Biden said he was taking the step because of "gross violations" of internationally recognized human rights by the Central African Republic and Uganda. He also cited Niger and Gabon's failure to establish or make continual progress toward the protection of political pluralism and the rule of law - Reuters
Required reading…
On Gaza, the U.N. Struggles for Relevance
As the Israel-Hamas war rages on more than three weeks after it began, diplomats at the United Nations appear more focused on seizing the political narrative than on having any impact on the ground. In the General Assembly, resolutions are fraught, and then fought; the Security Council’s hands are often tied by vetoes.
“The U.N. is the world’s premier political theater,” said Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group’s U.N. director. “In situations such as Russia’s war on Ukraine and the current war in Gaza, where the major powers cannot see a way to agreement, the U.N. is basically a stage for speechifying and posturing.”
The U.N. General Assembly votes regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine, by comparison, have been pretty straightforward. In February this year, much of the world backed Ukraine, several big countries abstained, and a handful sided with Russia. This time, things are more complicated. Some NATO countries and other allies supported a resolution that Israel (and the United States) staunchly opposed; other important allies and partners such as India, Italy, and Ukraine abstained.
Read the full Foreign Policy analysis here