For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Tass; to a program from Princeton Students for Justice in Palestine, via Consortium News; and to reports from National Public Radio and, via ScheerPost, Inside Climate News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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NEWER Russia and China veto U.S. resolution calling for immediate cease-fire in Gaza, by Edith M. Lederer | AP UNITED NATIONS — Russia and China today vetoed a U.S.-sponsored U.N. resolution calling for “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 million hungry Palestinians. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 11 members in favor, three against and one abstention. Before . . . READ MORE . . .
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NEWER UN Security Council fails to pass U.S. resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, by Daphne Psaledakis and David Brunnstrom | Reuters WASHINGTON — The United Nations Security Council today failed to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal after Russia and China vetoed the measure proposed by the United States. The resolution called for an immediate and sustained ceasefire lasting roughly six weeks that would protect civilians and allow for the delivery . . . READ MORE . . .
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NEWER Russia, China veto U.S.-initiated UNSC draft resolution on Gaza. From Tass. UNITED NATIONS — Russia and China have vetoed a U.S.-initiated UN Security Council draft resolution on the Middle East conflict, which notes the need for an immediate ceasefire but doesn’t explicitly call for it. Eleven out of the 15 members of the Security Council, namely the United Kingdom, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Slovenia, the United States, Sierra Leone, France, Switzerland, Ecuador, and Japan, supported the resolution. Along with Russia and China, the draft was voted down by Algeria. Guyana abstained. READ MORE . . .
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Israeli military says troops captured hundreds of fighters in Gaza hospital. From Reuters. JERUSALEM — Israeli forces have detained hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters including a number of security officials and military commanders during its extended raid into Gaza’s main hospital, the military’s main spokesperson said. Israeli troops entered the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City early this morning and . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM MARCH 21 Conversation on the Gaza genocide with Norman Finkelstein and Chris Hedges. From Princeton Students for Justice in Palestine / Consortium News. In the program on Thursday afternoon author Finkelstein speaks for about a half-hour or so, then he and journalist Hedges talk for a bit, and then students ask questions. Click HERE for intro and video.
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Blinken is in Israel aiming to negotiate a temporary cease-fire. Reported by Michel Martin and Aya Batrawy | NPR Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel after stops in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The war in Gaza is in its sixth month, and this is his sixth stop in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM MARCH 21 Aid is only trickling into north Gaza despite imminent famine. Reported by Fatma Tanis | NPR The U.N. says famine is imminent in north Gaza, as hundreds of thousands of people are facing the highest levels of starvations. And despite urgent calls for help – aid is still only trickling in. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM MARCH 15 As conflict rages on, Israel and Gaza’s environmental fates may be intertwined, by Kiley Price | Inside Climate News / ScheerPost The Israel-Hamas war has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people. Like all armed conflicts, it has also come with an environmental toll. From shell casings to Israeli bomb fragments, millions of tons of debris now litter the streets of Gaza, while a blanket of dust and toxic ash . . . READ MORE . . .