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Jerusalem
CNN
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Shortly after 48 hours of shocking violence, bloody even by the standards of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Secretary of State Antony Brinken was fortunate enough to fly in to visit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week. directed to
He turned around without blinking.
Sitting down for an exclusive interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, he made it clear that Israel and the Palestinians are very unlikely to make any measurable progress towards long-term peace.
Netanyahu has made it clear that he is “open” to negotiations with the Palestinians and willing to work with them on security issues, but otherwise does little.
Netanyahu has never fully endorsed a two-state solution and has mixed definitions of what it means. In recent years, however, he has settled on the idea of being open to the Palestinian state – a deal unique among modern sovereign states, unless it has military or security powers.
Netanyahu told Tupper in Jerusalem on Tuesday, “We want them to have all the powers they need to govern themselves, but we know they have none that could threaten us.” I hope,’ he said.
He provided some new details about his conversation with President Biden on the matter, explaining that he once told Biden:[A]Any final agreement between Israel and Palestine would put Israel in control of security and nullify Jordan’s security responsibilities in the western territories.
“I said you can’t separate who controls the airspace. [between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean]. You have to cross it. It takes him two minutes for the plane to pass. So is Israel in control of it one moment and Palestinians in another?
“Like others have told me, he said to me – ‘You know, it’s not a perfect sovereignty.
“And I said, you’re right. But I don’t know what you call it, but they control their lives, elect their officials, run their It gives us the opportunity to operate, raise our flag, and have parliament, but we need to override security controls.”
Most Palestinians would view the deal as a continuation of the current occupation and an unacceptable starting point for peace talks.
Tupper pressured Netanyahu to implicate Israel in mass punishment of Palestinians following two shootings targeting Israelis around Jerusalem that killed seven and wounded five made an accusation. Measures announced by the Israeli Cabinet in response include issuing more gun permits to civilians, increasing security in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and killing people accused of engaging in or supporting terrorism. It included promoting a bill that could cancel Israeli residency for the families of those who were deported.
Netanyahu claimed he “doesn’t believe in collective punishment”, but most human rights groups refer to actions targeting the family members of attackers just like that.
“We are not targeting families. We are targeting families who were involved in acts of terrorism or supported them after they were committed … I think it discourages terrorists,” Netanyahu said. rice field.
A law to revoke the residence of an attacker’s family is likely to face legal challenges, and Israeli human rights group HaMoked has already vowed to do so.
Netanyahu made it clear to Tupper: his priority is normalization with Arab countries over peace with the Palestinians.
After the success of the Abraham Accords, Netanyahu told Tupper that he wanted to expand what he called the “circle of peace.”
For years, peace with the Palestinians was seen as a prerequisite for normalization agreements between Arab countries and Israel. But Netanyahu argued that the Abraham Accords changed the game.
“I think the way we will succeed is to not let the tail of the Palestinian rock the body of the Arab world,” he said.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “Make peace with Saudi Arabia, it is up to the Saudi leader to effectively end the Arab-Israeli conflict, and we can go back to the Palestinians and make a workable peace with the Palestinians.” I think,” he said. He said.
But amid fears of rising levels of violence from all sides, the rise of a far-right Israeli government under Netanyahu and the Palestinian authorities led by President Mahmoud Abbas may be an overly optimistic strategy. there is.
US warns Israel about policy, urges Palestinians to improve governance and accountability
Brinken called on Israelis and Palestinians to de-escalate tensions, stop violence and de-escalate tensions after meeting with Abbas in the West Bank on Tuesday. He warned against Israel’s moves to expand and legalize settlements. [Israeli settler] outpost, demolition, eviction [of Palestinians from their homes], the disruption of the historic status of the Holy Land, and of course the incitement and acquiescence to violence. ”
- Background: Blinken’s visit comes after Palestinians and Israelis suffered significant bloodshed last week. Thursday was the deadliest day for the Palestinian in the occupied West Bank in nearly two years, with a shooting near a synagogue in Jerusalem on Friday night. Israel considers him one of the worst terrorist attacks in recent years.
- Important reasons: Brinken’s visit was hoped to defuse tensions with growing fears that the situation in Israel and the West Bank could spiral out of control. Blinken has asked senior State Department officials to stay in the Middle East to support measures to “cool down” proposed to him by both Israel and Palestine.
Abu Dhabi’s IHC to invest $381 million in Adani Enterprises after damaging short sale report.
Abu Dhabi’s International Holding Company (IHC) said on Monday it will invest AED 1.4 billion ($381 million) in a follow-on public offering of India’s Adani Enterprises. The investment comes after the Indian conglomerate’s market value plummeted to around $70 billion following a damaging short-selling report.
- Background: This is IHC’s first investment of the year and the second investment deal with Adani Group, following its AED 7.3 billion ($2 billion) investment in a group company last year. Adani, one of India’s largest multinational conglomerates and its owner Gautam Adani (he is one of Asia’s richest men), said the conglomerate and Adani themselves had carried out the ‘biggest fraud in corporate history’. I was targeted by a research company that accused me of doing so. The report and the sale it triggered reduced the market value of the entire Adani group by about $70 billion. Adani said it complies with all local laws and makes the necessary regulatory disclosures.
- why it matters: The investment deal comes as IHC aims to increase global acquisitions by 70% in 2023. The market value of his IHC, Abu Dhabi’s largest listed company, has more than doubled in the last year. It is chaired by Sheikh Tahnnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the influential UAE National Security Advisor and brother of the UAE President.
Iran, Russia Link Banking Systems Amid Western Sanctions
Iran and Russia are connecting interbank communications and remittance systems to facilitate trade and financial transactions, Reuters quoted a senior Iranian official as saying on Monday. Iran’s central bank governor Mohammad Farzin said , welcomed the move. “Financial channels between Iran and the world are being repaired,” he tweeted.
- BackgroundSince the reimposition of US sanctions on Iran in 2018 after Washington abandoned Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, the Islamic Republic has been based in Belgium, a major international banking access point. Similar restrictions have been imposed on some Russian banks since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
- Important reasons: Since the start of the Ukraine war, Tehran and Moscow have acted to forge closer bilateral ties as they seek to forge new economic and diplomatic partnerships elsewhere. As the economy grows, many Iranians are feeling the pain of rapid inflation and rising unemployment. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Monday that the establishment faces “concrete welfare and livelihood problems” that cannot be resolved without economic growth.
Turnout for Sunday’s run-off election in Tunisian parliament, Reuters quoted the country’s electoral commission as saying. President Kais Said on Monday blamed voter hatred for low voter turnout in parliament, calling it “an institution of absurdity and a state within the state.” His critics said the voter turnout was evidence of public disdain for his agenda and his seizure of power, and the opposition called for his resignation.
Passengers were disappointed last weekend after spending more than 13 hours in the air on a flight that didn’t land at its intended destination.
Emirates had to fly back to Dubai on its way to Auckland, New Zealand, after the destination city’s airport was closed due to flooding on Friday.
The Airbus A380 Superjumbo turned back after reaching more than a third of the way to Auckland, west of Indonesia, a map from flight-tracking site Flightradar24 showed.
New Zealand’s largest city has been hit by record rainfall. An estimated 240 millimeters (9.8 inches) of rain — the equivalent of an entire summer’s rain — fell in Auckland on Friday, making it the wettest day on record.
Rain caused widespread travel disruption over the weekend. Flooding caused more than 2,000 people to stay overnight in the airport terminal on Friday, according to the airport. Domestic flights resumed on Saturday, but the international terminal was not operational until Sunday.
Emirates resumed its longest 14,200-kilometer (8,800-mile) Auckland route in December after nearly three years of hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With a flight time of 16 to 17 hours, it is one of the longest non-stop commercial routes in the world.
