For today, links to five reports: from Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (IRAN, WEST BANK, UKRAINE and COVID ETC. entries for this date and a POETRY entry are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. GAZA 2-13-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM

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The Hind Rajab Foundation: Pursuing Israeli soldiers worldwide for Gaza war crimes, by Sondos Asem | Middle East Eye  For over 15 months, Israeli soldiers have taken to TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and other social media platforms to show off their handiwork in Gaza. Now . . . READ MORE . . .

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3 Israeli men named as latest to be freed in hostage release. From AP. The families of Israeli hostages still held by the Hamas militant group today welcomed the “joyous news” that three men, all taken from the same kibbutz on Oct. 7, 2023, are expected to be freed on Saturday. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Saudi Arabia spearheads Arab scramble for alternative to Trump’s Gaza plan. From Reuters. Draft ideas will be discussed at a meeting in Riyadh this month of countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Proposals may involve . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 10 and 13  Palestinian refugees in Syria have a message for Gazans: Don’t leave your land. Reported by Greg Myre and Jawad Rizkallah | NPR  DAMASCUS — Khadija al-Ali was just 3 years old when her family fled their home in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and came to this Palestinian refugee camp in Syria.  Click HERE to listen and read.

For now, a link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (IRAN, GAZA, WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries for this date and a POETRY entry are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. COVID ETC. 1-31-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 13  RFK Jr. confirmed as Trump’s health secretary, over Democrats’ loud objections, by Selena Simmons-Duffin | NPR  Despite millions of dollars spent by groups opposed to his nomination, the Senate voted to install Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from the Moscow Times, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (IRAN, GAZA, WEST BANK and COVID ETC. entries for this date and a POETRY entry are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. UKRAINE 2-13-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM   

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Zelensky says ready for direct talks with Moscow after common position is reached with U.S, From the Moscow Times. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today he was ready for direct talks with Moscow once Kyiv reached a common position with the United States and Europe on how to end the Ukraine war. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AFP.

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Putin assembling veteran negotiators for talks on ending Ukraine war, Bloomberg reports, by Tim Zadorozhnyy | The Kyiv Independent  Russian President Vladimir Putin is assembling a team of veteran negotiators to engage with U.S. President Donald Trump’s representatives in potential talks to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, Bloomberg reported today, citing . . . READ MORE . . .

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A drone damaged the outer shell of Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear plant. Radiation levels are normal, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — A drone armed with a warhead hit the outer protective shell of Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear plant early tday, damaging the structure and briefly starting a fire, in an attack Kyiv blamed on Russia. The Kremlin denied it was responsible. READ MORE . . .

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European leaders unhappy U.S. and Russia excluding them from conversation on Ukraine. Reported by Michel Martin | NPR  European leaders are meeting in Munich to discuss threats to global security. And they are not happy about the U.S. and Russia excluding them from the conversation about Ukraine.. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 13  Trump administration signals that it expects Kyiv to make hard concessions to Moscow. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  President Trump is pressing Ukraine to quickly end a war started by Russia. Ukrainians, meanwhile, are responding with dread as their government scrambles to find leverage. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, a poem courtesy of the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts; others are accessible by clicking on its name and subscribing to their free newsletter. (IRAN, GAZA, WEST BANK, UKRAINE and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. POETRY 1-17-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM

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For today, link to reports from Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA, LEBANON and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE. WEST BANK 2-12-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM

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3 Palestinians killed Israel amid West Bank assault. From Middle East Monitor. Three Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli occupation forces in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank Wednesday evening, the military said today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 12  Israel calls up reservists as fears for fragile Gaza ceasefire rise, by James Mackenzie, Jana Choukeir and Maha El Dahan | Reuters  Israel’s military has called up reservists in preparation for a possible resumption of fighting in Gaza if Hamas fails to meet a Saturday deadline to release more Israeli hostages and a nearly month-old ceasefire breaks down. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to seven reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (WEST BANK, LEBANON and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE. GAZA 2-12-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM

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Hamas says it will free 3 more hostages as planned, paving the way to resolve ceasefire dispute, by Samy Magdy and Melanie Lidman | AP  CAIRO — Hamas said today it would release three more Israeli hostages as planned, paving the way toward resolving a major dispute over the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Hamas had threatened . . . READ MORE . . .   Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and Middle East Eye.

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FROM FEB. 12  Israel calls up reservists as fears for fragile Gaza ceasefire rise, by James Mackenzie, Jana Choukeir and Maha El Dahan | Reuters  Israel’s military has called up reservists in preparation for a possible resumption of fighting in Gaza if Hamas fails to meet a Saturday deadline to release more Israeli hostages and a nearly month-old ceasefire breaks down. READ MORE . . .

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Egyptian aid trucks prepare to enter Gaza via Rafah crossing. From the Cradle. The humanitarian process to allow the entry of essential supplies into the besieged Gaza Strip [sped] up after Hamas’s recent announcement that it [would] delay the next prisoner swap until Tel Aviv holds up its end of the ceasefire deal. READ MORE . . . 

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FROM FEB. 12  Trump appears to shift on Gaza saying he ‘tasked’ Arabs to draw up a plan, by Yasmine El-Sabawi | Middle East Eye  WASHINGTON — Right before walking away from the podium at the White House press briefing on Wednesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she had one more note to add: US President Donald Trump, she said, has tasked Arab nations to present him with a plan for the Gaza Strip. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to three reports: from Reuters and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA, WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE. LEBANON 2-12-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 12  Israel has U.S. backing to stay in Lebanon beyond truce deadline, Israeli TV says. From Reuters. Israel’s public broadcaster said on Wednesday the U.S. had authorised a “long term” Israeli troop presence in southern Lebanon, after sources told Reuters Israel had sought an extension to a Feb. 18 deadline to withdraw its forces. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for Feb. 12 report from the Cradle.

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FROM FEB. 12  Israel calls up reservists as fears for fragile Gaza ceasefire rise, by James Mackenzie, Jana Choukeir and Maha El Dahan | Reuters  Israel’s military has called up reservists in preparation for a possible resumption of fighting in Gaza if Hamas fails to meet a Saturday deadline to release more Israeli hostages and a nearly month-old ceasefire breaks down. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eleven reports: from Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Reuters, and to commentary via the Moscow Times; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, WEST BANK and LEBANON entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE. UKRAINE 2-12-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM   

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Peskov says peace talk preparations have started following Trump-Putin call, by Leo Chiu | Kyiv Post  Dmitry Peskov, Russian president Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, said preparations for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have already begun after Wednesday’s phone call between US President Donald Trump and Putin. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from the Kyiv Independant and Tass.

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NATO allies insist Ukraine and Europe must be in peace talks as Trump touts Putin meeting, by Lorne Cook | AP  BRUSSELS — Several NATO allies stressed today that Ukraine and Europe must not be cut out of any peace negotiations as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied that the United States is betraying the war-ravaged country. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for a second report from AP.

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FROM FEB. 12  Trump says he will meet Putin to start talks to end the war in Ukraine. Reported by Danielle Kurtzleben, Teri Schultz, Joanna Kakissis, Charles Maynes and Willem Marx | NPR President Trump says he will be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after holding separate phone calls with the Russian leader and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wednesday to kick off talks to end almost three years of war. The governments of Russia and Ukraine each confirmed . . .  Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for report from Reuters.

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Trump has called for talks to end the war in Ukraine. Is a durable peace coming? Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with Jeremy Shapiro, research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, about the prospects of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. President Trump says peace talks should start to end it.  Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for another NPR report.

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Trump says he back Ukraine, but early concessions to Russia spark concerns, by Idrees Ali, Humeyra Pamuk and John Irish | Reuters  WASHINGTON / PARIS — U.S. President Donald Trump has promised a swift end to the Ukraine war but with talks about to begin the author of “The Art of the Deal” may have already complicated his task by sacrificing leverage. READ MORE . . .

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Putin won’t settle for less than a U.S. betrayal of Ukraine, by Sergey Radchenko | The Moscow Times  The Russian readout of Wednesday’s phone call claimed that Putin “supported” Trump’s view that “the time has come for our two countries to work together.” READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post, Tass, the Kyiv Independent, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, WEST BANK and LEBANON entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE and HERE. UKRAINE 2-11-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM   

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U.S. defense chief Hegseth calls NATO membership for Ukraine unrealistic, by Lorne Cook and Tara Copp | AP  BRUSSELS — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and in sweeping remarks suggested that the way forward for Ukraine was for the country to abandon hopes of a return to its pre-2014 borders and prepare for a negotiated settlement with Russia — one that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Critical week for NATO as Trump, Ukraine war test alliance, by Pyotr Kozlov | The Moscow Times  BRUSSELS — NATO faces a pivotal week as the alliance navigates uncertainty over the United States’ commitment to Ukraine and European security under President Donald Trump. As Russia advances in Ukraine, NATO . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine launches counterattacks in Kursk, Pokrovsk sectors, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  The Armed Forces of Ukraine have launched counterattacks and recaptured lost positions in eastern Ukraine and inside Russia, according to news and combat reports today. READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces pound Ukrainian UAV assembly workshops in massive missile strike. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces delivered a massive missile strike on workshops of Ukrainian military-industrial sites producing unmanned aerial vehicles and FPV drones, hitting all the targets, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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Russia rules out territorial exchange — vows to expel Kyiv’s forces from Kursk. From Kyiv Post. The Kremlin has rejected outright any discussion of a territorial exchange with Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told state media outlet RIA Novosti. His comments were a direct response . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE to report from the Kyiv Independent  and HERE for Feb. 11 report from AFP.

For today, links to eleven reports: from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, Middle East Monitor, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (WEST  BANK entry for this date is HERE. GAZA 2-11-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM

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Former U.S. ambassador to Israel Dennis Ross discusses risks to ceasefire in Gaza. Reported by A Martínez | NPR  Dennis Ross, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, talks about hostage release deadlines set by President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as other risks to the Gaza ceasefire. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM FEB. 11  Hamas’ threat to delay the next release of Israeli hostages raises fears for Gaza ceasefire. From AP. JERUSALEM — Hamas’ threat to delay the next planned release of Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip has jolted a fragile ceasefire that’s seen as having the potential to wind down the war. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 11  Netanyahu threatens to resume fighting in Gaza if hostages aren’t released Saturday, by Josef Federman and Sam Metz | AP  JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire in Gaza and directed troops to prepare to resume fighting Hamas if the militant group does not release more hostages on Saturday. READ MORE . . .

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Hamas welcomes Jordan and Egypt’s rejection of Trump’s plans. From Middle East Eye. Hamas says it welcomes Jordan and Egypt’s rejection of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza, Al Jazeera Arabic reported. Also, Wafa reported that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Jordan to take in thousands of sick children from Gaza as Trump pushes expulsion plan. From the Cradle. Jordan’s King Abdullah II promised to take in thousands of sick Palestinian children from Gaza during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday. Click HERE for report, which includes Sky News video.

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FROM FEB. 11  Trump pushes plan to claim Gaza and move Palestinians in meeting with Jordan’s king. Reported by Franco Ordoñez | NPR  Jordan’s King Abdullah met with President Trump at the White House, where they discussed the contentious issue of Palestinians leaving Gaza. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for report from Reuters.

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Israel expert: Trump, Netanyahu risk peace deals with Jordan, Egypt. From Middle East Monitor. Prominent Israeli analyst Zvi Harel has warned in a Haaretz article that U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza and transform the enclave to the “Riveria of the East” . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 11  At least $53 billion needed to rebuild Gaza, UN estimates. From AFP. More than $53 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza and end the “humanitarian catastrophe” that has gripped the war-ravaged territory, including $20 billion in the first three years alone, the United Nations said Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 11  Egypt says to present ‘vision’ for Gaza reconstruction without displacement. From AFP. CAIRO — Egypt plans to “present a comprehensive vision for the reconstruction” of the Gaza Strip that ensures Palestinians remain on their land, the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Tuesday — a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 11  Chopping wood to cook a meal is part of life now in Gaza City. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Anas Baba | NPR  The UN says more than half a million Palestinians have returned to Gaza City and the north, but the joy of returning home has crashed into the reality of a city devastated by Israeli airstrikes. Click HERE to listen and read.