For now, links to five reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for today, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Diplomacy intensifies to halt the Israel-Hamas war and prevent wider regional war, by Ravi Nessman | AP  JERUSALEM — International diplomacy to prevent the war in Gaza from spreading into a wider regional conflict intensified today, with the British and French foreign ministers making a joint trip to Israel while internationally mediated cease-fire talks in Qatar were expected to enter their second day. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters, and HERE for AUG 15 report from NPR.

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FROM AUG. 15  Gazans are caught in a cycle of displacement by the Israeli military. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  As ceasefire talks hang in the balance, Palestinians in Gaza seem to be caught in an endless cycle of displacement as the Israeli military pushes into areas they have previously been. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for report from Reuters.

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Israel is slaughtering Palestinians with western arms, by Dr Ramzy Baroud | Middle East Monitor  While many are earnestly pointing at the devastation of war, the rampant human rights violations and the deliberate relegation of international and humanitarian law, there are those who see war from an entirely different perspective: profits. READ MORE . . .

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Why Arab regimes’ betrayal of Palestine may come back to haunt them, by Abdullah Al-Arian | Middle East Eye  Several Arab states have offered Israel significant support since it unleashed its assault on Gaza. This has brought into focus a long-developing regional picture of how these states have been enlisted in the US-Israeli security order. Some . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED