For today, links to 10 reports: from the Anadolu Agency, Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Middle East Monitor, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor in the form of split-screen video; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE. GAZA 2-5-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM
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Israel withdraws from UN Human Rights Council, following U.S. lead, by Zein Khalil | Anadolu Agency JERUSALEM — Israel announced Wednesday that it is withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council following a decision by the US to no longer participate in the body. READ MORE . . .
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Trump insists on taking over Gaza, claiming Israel will hand over once fighting ends, by Efe Ozkan | Anadolu Agency ISTANBUL — U.S. President Donald Trump said today that the Gaza Strip would be handed over to the U.S. by Israel at the end of the fighting and that “no soldiers by the U.S. would be needed.” READ MORE . . .
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Israel orders army to prepare for ‘voluntary departure’ of Gazans after Trump unveils plan, by James Mackenzie and Jana Choukeir | Reuters JERUSALEM — Israel’s defence minister today ordered the army to prepare a plan to allow the “voluntary departure” of residents from Gaza, after U.S. President Donald Trump drew widespread condemnation for announcing plans to take over the strip. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from AP, NPR and Middle East Monitor.
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Trump’s Gaza plan has stunned the region. Here’s a look at the serious obstacles it faces, by Joseph Krauss | AP President Donald Trump’s stunning proposal to forcibly transfer hundreds of thousands of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip and develop it as a tourist destination faces major obstacles. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.
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Legal scholar David Scheffer discusses Trump’s plan to take ownership of Gaza. Steve Inskeep of NPR speaks with legal scholar David Scheffer, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, about President Trump’s proposal for the U.S. to take ownership of Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Gaza girl to Trump: Would you leave your home, country? From Middle East Monitor. Maria Hannoun, a survivor of Israel’s genocide on Gaza, sends a message to U.S. President Donald Trump and asks him . . . Click HERE to read, watch and listen.
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Gazans rebuild while Trump makes plans to erase them. From Middle East Monitor. U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech setting out his vision to take over Gaza, displacing Palestinians to elsewhere, is juxtaposed with video of residents who have returned to the enclave clearing out the rubble to rebuild their lives there. Click HERE to read, watch and listen.