For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, the New York Times, National Public Radio, and the Grayzone, and to commentary by an Australian observer; some others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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NEWER Hamas says latest cease-fire talks have ended. Israel vows military operation in ‘very near future,’ by Josef Federman and Kareem Chehayeb | AP JERUSALEM — The latest round of Gaza cease-fire talks ended in Cairo after “in-depth and serious discussions,” the Hamas militant group said today, reiterating key demands that Israel again rejected. Israel didn’t send a delegation to the talks . . . READ MORE . . .
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NEWER Israel closes Gaza crossing after Hamas attack and vows military operation ‘in the very near future,’ by Josef Federman and Kareem Chehayeb | AP JERUSALEM — Israel closed its main crossing point for delivering badly needed humanitarian aid for Gaza today after Hamas militants attacked it, while the defense minister claimed Hamas wasn’t serious about a cease-fire deal and warned of “a . . . READ MORE . . .
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NEWER Police raid Al Jazeera after shutdown order. From Reuters. JERUSALEM / DOHA — Israeli police raided a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera as its de facto office today following a government decision to shut down the Qatari-owned TV station’s local operations, an Israeli official and an Al Jazeera source told Reuters. READ MORE . . .
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Hopes for Gaza ceasefire appear slim as Cairo talks continue, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters CAIRO — Prospects for a Gaza ceasefire appeared slim today as Hamas reiterated its demand for an end to the war in exchange for the freeing of hostages, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly ruled that out. READ MORE . . .
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Israel says Hamas attacks a crossing point into Gaza, wounding 10 Israelis and forcing its closure, by Josef Federman and Kareem Chehayeb | AP JERUSALEM — Hamas militants today attacked Israel’s main crossing point for delivering humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, reportedly wounding several Israelis and prompting Israel to close the terminal. The attack disrupted critical shipments of food and. . . READ MORE . . .
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Netanyahu’s Cabinet votes to close Al Jazeera offices in Israel following rising tensions, by Tia Goldenberg and Jon Gambrell | AP TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that his government has voted unanimously to shut down the local offices of Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera, escalating Israel’s long-running feud with. . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM MAY 4 Israel has briefed U.S. on plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians ahead of potential Rafah operation, by Aamer Madhani | AP WASHINGTON — Israel this week briefed Biden administration officials on a plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians ahead of a potential operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah aimed at rooting out Hamas militants, according to . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM MAY 4 Israeli officials weigh sharing power with Arab states in post-war Gaza, by Patrick Kingsley | The New York Times JERUSALEM — Behind the scenes, senior Israeli officials have been weighing an expansive plan for postwar Gaza in which Israel would offer to share oversight of the territory with an alliance of Arab countries, including . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM MAY 4 Pressure mounts for Netanyahu. Reported by Peter Kenyon | NPR Nearly seven months after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, pressure is mounting on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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NEWER Some campuses are going virtual and canceling commencement as protests continue. Reported by Debbie Elliott | NPR Campus protests have mushroomed across the U.S. in recent days but the protest movement actually started in October, not long after Israel began its war against Hamas in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM MAY 4 Senate races are roiled by campus protests over the war in Gaza as campaign rhetoric sharpens, by Marc Levy | AP HARRISBURG, Pa. — The student protest movement disrupting university campuses, classes and graduation ceremonies over the war in Gaza is also roiling Senate contests across the nation as Democrats tread . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM MAY 4 Students at some campus anti-war protests are reaching agreements with universities. Reported by Adrian Florido | NPR Thousands of protestors were arrested this week as some schools called in police to clear pro-Palestinian encampments. Others have been able to reach agreements with students to clear out voluntarily. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM MAY 3 The Israeli connection to the raid on Columbia University, by Wyatt Reed and Max Blumenthal | The Grayzone / Consortium News The violent crackdown carried out on Columbia University students protesting Israel’s genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip was led by a member of the school’s own faculty, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has declared. Just hours after the New York Police Department [Counterterrorism unit] . . . READ MORE . . .
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MAY 3 CNN compares campus protesters to Nazis, by Caitlin Johnstone | caitlinjohnstone.com.au / Consortium News “They’re calling for a ceasefire,” says CNN’s Dana Bash. “Well, there was a ceasefire on Oct. 6, the day before Hamas terrorists brutally murdered more than a 1,000 people inside Israel and took hundreds more as hostages.” This is a brazen . . . READ MORE . . .