Tuesday, December 24

Types of News: Brief

News briefs are shorter stories about current events. It’s the who-what-when-and-where. “Just the facts, ma’am.” Please see our writers guidelines.

Iraqi PM Says Its Time For US Troops To Go Home
6Jan By Patti MohrNo Comments
Arms Sales, Military Industry, Geopolitics, Middle East, Types of News: Brief

Iraqi PM Says Its Time For US Troops To Go Home

January 6, 2024—As Israel and Hamas continue battling in Gaza, the conflict is having a destabilizing impact on the wider region. It is impacting Iraq and Syria, where the U.S. military has forces, as well as Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, and shipping in the Red Sea. This week Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is making it clear to the U.S. government that he is ready for the 2,500 U.S. troops stationed there to go home. The government started "setting the date for the start of the bilateral committee to put arrangements to end the presence of the international coalition forces in Iraq permanently," the prime minister's office said on Friday, according to a Reuters news report. "We stress our firm position in ending the existence of the international coalition after the justif...
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G7 Foreign Ministers Call For Pauses In Gaza War
8Nov By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Foreign Aid, International Development, Middle East, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, Types of News: Brief

G7 Foreign Ministers Call For Pauses In Gaza War

November 8, 2023—A day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a call by the U.S. and world leaders to pause the war, G7 foreign ministers called for "urgent action to address the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza." Specifically, the G7 statement called for the protection of civilians. "We support humanitarian pauses and corridors to facilitate urgently needed assistance, civilian movement, and the release of hostages. Foreign nationals must also be allowed to continue to depart. We underscore the importance of protecting civilians and compliance with international law, in particular international humanitarian law." The calls for a ceasefire or pause have only grown during the month-long war as civilian deaths and casualties have grown. G7 minist...
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WHO Issues Warning About The Middle East
28Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Human rights, Middle East, Types of News: Bit, Types of News: Brief

WHO Issues Warning About The Middle East

October 28, 2023—The World Health Organization issued a warning about escalating hostilities in the Middle East. Specifically, the conflict and deteriorating health conditions are not limited to the Gaza Strip but are also in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Lebanon, and Syria. Furthermore, they pose a risk of "spilling over to other countries in the region, including Jordan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Iraq." Specifically, in Gaza, the situation is desperate: "The health system is on the verge of collapse and dwindling access to health services, clean water, food and fuel on top of an already weakened healthcare system risks further loss of civilian life. Massive displacement to shelters with inadequate resources will result in disease outbreaks." For more, see the Worl...
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Oxfam Warns That Starvation As A Weapon Of War Is Illegal
25Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Foreign Aid, International Development, Human rights, International Law, Legal Battles, Types of News: Brief

Oxfam Warns That Starvation As A Weapon Of War Is Illegal

Gazan Aid Is 2 Percent Of What It Needs Oxfam: People in line waiting for one bag of bread. People line up as early as 6 am before sunrise to get bread in Gaza city. October 25, 2023—Since October 7, people in the Gaza Strip has only received about 2 percent of the humanitarian aid that normally enters according to Oxfam International. A trickle of aid is now entering in—62 trucks, but it is not enough to prevent death by starvation and dehydration. International Humanitarian Law In a statement released today, Oxfam International warned that "International Humanitarian Law (IHL) strictly prohibits the use of starvation as a method of warfare and as the occupying power in Gaza, Israel is bound by IHL obligations to provide for the needs and protection of the population of Gaza....
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UN Chief Says Terror Attacks Cannot Justify ‘Collective Punishment’
25Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Human rights, Types of News: Brief, UN Security Council

UN Chief Says Terror Attacks Cannot Justify ‘Collective Punishment’

Guterres Stands By His Comments After Israel Misinterprets Message October 25, 2023—United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is standing by comments he made yesterday at the UN Security Council after Israel's ambassador erupted in rage. The flare-up occurred on the sidelines of a day-long meeting by the Security Council on the security situation in the Middle East, the Israel-Hamas war, and the massive humanitarian crisis in Gaza.     'Even War Has Rules' On Tuesday, Guterres clearly condemned the October 7 terrorist attacks against Israel by Hamas, acknowledged longstanding problems with Israel's 56-year occupation of the Palestinians, and reminded all parties that "even war has rules." https://youtu.be/XKSQMYsQEg4?si=qur83ZTBRnjshpz9 Guterres h...
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Western Leaders Release Statement On Israel
23Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Human rights, Middle East, Types of News: Brief

Western Leaders Release Statement On Israel

October 23, 2023—Leaders from six Western countries released a joint statement yesterday that supports Israel's war but urges the leaders to protect civilians. The leaders are U.S. President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. "The leaders reiterated their support for Israel and its right to defend itself against terrorism and called for adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians," the statement said. It appears the announcement about the statement is the statement itself. It comes a day after global leaders met at a Cairo Summit hosted by Egypt, where many regional leaders accused the Wes...
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Rafah Border Crossing Opens To Limited Convoy As Bombing Continued
21Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Foreign Aid, International Development, Human rights, International Law, Legal Battles, Middle East, Types of News: Brief

Rafah Border Crossing Opens To Limited Convoy As Bombing Continued

Bombing continues as a convoy of 20 trucks crosses into Gaza from Rafah. Source: Qatari-run Al Jazeera October 21, 2023—About 20 Red Crescent trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered southern Gaza today. It is the first time the Rafah border crossing has opened since the terror attacks of October 7 and ensuring war. But United Nations and humanitarian officials say relief is just a drop of what aid is urgently needed in Gaza. "This is miniscule. It's just a drop in the ocean of what is needed for the Gaza people," Palestine Red Crescent Director Marwan Jilani said in an interview today with the Qatari-run Al Jazeera. Millions of Lives At Risk Before the Israel-Hamas War, a million people in Gaza relied upon emergency food assistance from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Pal...
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UN Chief Calls For Sustained Humanitarian Aid, Not One Convoy
20Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Foreign Aid, International Development, Human rights, Types of News: Brief

UN Chief Calls For Sustained Humanitarian Aid, Not One Convoy

October 20, 2023—UN Secretary-General António Guterres is in Egypt, and he wants humanitarian aid to start flowing to people in Gaza. As of today, the Rafah border crossing is still closed. "We are witnessing a paradox," Guterres said, emphasizing the dire need for food, fuel, medicine, and water. "We are not looking for one convoy to come. We are looking for convoys to be authorized in meaningful numbers of trucks to go every day to provide enough support for the Gaza people." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOFV-sVhtH0 El Paid, October 20, 2023 The urgent call for opening up the border crossing comes two days after President Biden said he's negotiated a deal to allow 20 trucks into Gaza. The Biden administration, however, also vetoed a broader arrangement to allow more sustai...
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State Department Official Resigns Over Biden’s Middle East Policy
20Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Arms Sales, Military Industry, Human rights, Middle East, Types of News: Brief, UN Security Council

State Department Official Resigns Over Biden’s Middle East Policy

Arms Transfer To Israel Contributes To 'Massive Civilian Casualties' October 20, 2023—Josh Paul isn't the only State Department official who has concerns about the U.S. policy on Israel's military assault on civilians. But he might be the first one to resign. The resignation comes as President Biden asks Congress for a $14 billion military aid package for Israel and $9.15 billion for humanitarian aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Gaza. It also comes as the United States vetoed a resolution in the UN Security Council that would have created safe corridors for humanitarians to assist civilians in Gaza. U.S. diplomatic staff are taking notice. Acknowledging the morale problem, Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote to department staff saying the Middle East crisis "has not only been chal...
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US Vetos UN Resolution On Humanitarian Aid For Gaza
20Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
International Law, Legal Battles, Middle East, Types of News: Brief, UN Security Council

US Vetos UN Resolution On Humanitarian Aid For Gaza

Full Text of Security Council Resolution Offered By Brazil October 20, 2023—The same day President Biden negotiated a plan to allow 20 trucks to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza, the United States vetoed a resolution in the UN Security Council that would have called for protections for civilians, humanitarians, and UN personnel inside Gaza. The resolution would have created humanitarian corridors for distributing aid and helping civilians escape to safe zones. It also would have called for an immediate release of Israeli and American hostages held by Hamas. Fourth Resolution To Fail It was the fourth resolution related to the Israel-Hamas war to fail this week. It had the strongest chance of passing the Security Council. The veto by the United States, one of the five Permane...
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