NOTE: Completion of entries for this date will be late.

First, a link to a report from Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-20-25 and for today’s WEST BANK, SYRIA, GAZA and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

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Putin’s readiness to speak with Macron ‘welcome’: French presidency. From AFP. The French presidency today welcomed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was ready to speak with Emmanuel Macron, after the French leader said Europe should reach out to Russia again over ending the war in Ukraine. READ MORE in English. . . Click HERE for headlines of same AFP report in French, and HERE for others.

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NOTE: Completion of entries for this date will be late.

First, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 12-19-25 and up or down for today’s SYRIA, GAZA and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

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NOTE: Completion of entries for this date will be late.

For now, links to three reports: from the Associated Press, the Cradle, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for SYRIA 12-20-2025 and up or down for today’s UKRAINE, WEST BANK, GAZA and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 20  Jordan says its air force joined U.S, strikes on Islamic State in Syria. From AP. DAMASCUS — Jordan confirmed Saturday that its air force took part in strikes launched by the United States on Islamic State group targets in Syria in retaliation for the killing of three U.S. citizens earlier this month. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM DEC. 19  U.S. scrambles to ‘save’ Damascus-IDF integration deal amid Turkish threats: report. From the Cradle. Talks between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have accelerated ahead of a year-end deadline to merge Kurdish forces with the Syrian state, Reuters reported on Friday, citing Syrian, Kurdish, and western sources. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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First, a link to a report from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-19-25 and up and down for today’s UKRAINE, WEST BANK, SYRIA and MEDIA so far.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 20  Israel’s settlers gather to ‘raise flag’ in Gaza, by Nadav Rapaport | Middle East Eye  SDEROT, Israel — Settlers from the Nachala organisation gathered near Israel’s border with Gaza on Thursday for an event titled “Raising the Flag in Gaza.” As the name suggests, their aim . . . READ MORE . . .

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First, a link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 12-18-25, and scroll up for today’s UKRAINE, WEST BANK, SYRIA and GAZA so far.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 20  Covering vaccines in an age of distrust. Reported by Rob Stein, Linah Mohammad and Miles Parks | NPR  Stein explains why covering vaccines is no longer routine science journalism, but a political battleground. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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First, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for SYRIA 12-18-25 and today’s UKRAINE and GAZA so far.) — MCM

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U.S. bombs ‘ISIS targets’ in Syria hours after lifting sanctions on ISIS-linked govt. From the Cradle. The US military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of alleged ISIS targets in Syria on Friday, following an attack on U.S. military personnel last week. READ MORE . . .

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First, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, France24, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-19-25 and up and down for today’s SYRIA and GAZA so far.) — MCM

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Odessa port hit by Russian missile, killing 8, as U.S hosts as Russian envoy for talks. From AP. KYIV — A Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa in southern Ukraine killed eight people and wounded 27, Ukraine’s emergency service said Saturday, as a a Kremlin envoy was set to travel to Florida for talks on a U.S.-proposed plan to end the nearly four-year war, READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. 

For now, links to five reports: from Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, the Cradle, CNN, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-19-25.  Scroll up for today’s UKRAINE so far.) — MCM

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Israel kills six Palestinians in strike on Gaza school hosting wedding. From Middle East Eye. The Israeli army on Friday shelled a school being used as a shelter, where displaced Palestinian families had gathered for a wedding, killing at least six people, including a five-month-old baby. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for Dec. 19 report from AP.

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Armed gangs use Israeli-occupied areas of Gaza to target Hamas, seek to be ‘subcontracted’ for post-war role. From the Cradle. Israeli-supported armed gangs and militias are using Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza as a base to carry out operations to topple Hamas, CNN reported today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from CNN.

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FROM DEC. 19  Famine fades in Gaza, but experts warn hunger crisis not over. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  The leading food security organization says there is no longer famine in Gaza, but the situation remains fragile. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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For now, links to an article of commentary via Middle East Monitor and to two reports: from National Public Radio and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 12-17-25. Scroll down for UKRAINE and GAZA so far.) — MCM

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U.S. power, settler colonialism, and the UN: The political economy of impunity, by Ranjan Solomon | Middle East Monitor  Breaking from most members of the UN Security Council on Tuesday, the United States declined to condemn illegal Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank and opposed briefings on Resolution 2334 — the legal instrument affirming the illegality of Israel’s settlement project under international law. READ MORE . . .

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Israel is seizing an ancient historical site to turn it into a tourist site. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  Israeli authorities are encroaching on the ancient site of Sebastia in the West Bank to create a tourist attraction aimed at settlers, raising worries of the displacement of Palestinians. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM DEC. 18  Israel accused of carrying out ethnic cleansing in West Bank, displacing 44,000 Palestinians. From Middle East Monitor. Israel has been accused of carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing in the illegally  occupied West Bank, displacing tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees in a sweeping military operation aimed at permanently altering the demographic and geographic reality of the territory, according to a detailed report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz. READ MORE . . .

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For now, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, the Cradle, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-17-25 and up or down for today’s WEST BANK and GAZA.) — MCM

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EU leaders agree on 90 billion-euro loan to Ukraine after a plan to use Russian assets unravels, by Lorne Cook and Angela Charlton | AP  BRUSSELS — European Union leaders agreed today to provide a massive interest-free loan to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, but they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others, and HERE for second AP report, and HERE and HERE for report from AFP / AFP in English and French.

EU greenlights €90 billion loan to Ukraine after Belgium blocks theft of Russian funds. From the Cradle. EU leaders have reached a deal to lend Ukraine €90 billion over the next two years, which must only be repaid if Russia eventually pays reparations for its 2022 invasion of the country. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine welcomes 90 billion-euro EU loan, despite lack of deal on Russian assets, by Andrew Gray and Max Hunder | Reuters  BRUSSELS — Ukraine thanked the European Union on Friday for deciding to provide it with 90 billion euros ($105.46 billion) of support over the next two years – even if the ​bloc failed to agree on an ambitious plan to finance it using frozen Russian assets. READ MORE . . .

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Putin says at his annual news conference that Russia’s goals in Ukraine will be met, by Harriet Morris | AP  MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin emphasized Friday that Moscow’s troops were advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine and voiced confidence the Kremlin would achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv doesn’t agree to Russia’s conditions in peace talks. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. 

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