For now, links to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, and Consortium News, followed by commentary from a Substack account and CN; other news and commentary are accessible by clicking on the sources’ names or initials below. (Today’s Ukraine entry is HERE.) — MCM
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Palestinians trapped in Gaza find nowhere is safe during Israel’s relentless bombing, by Najib Jobain, Samya Kullab and Ravi Nessman | AP KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes pounded locations across the Gaza Strip today, including parts of the south that Israel had declared as safe zones, heightening fears among more than 2 million Palestinians trapped in the territory that nowhere was safe. In the nearly two weeks since a devastating Hamas rampage in southern Israel, the Israeli military has relentlessly at . . . READ MORE . . .
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Biden says his Tel Aviv trip was a gamble. Tonight, he has another high-stakes moment. Reported by Tamara Keith | NPR Twenty four hours into a turbulent trip to the Middle East, President Biden made a rare appearance in the press cabin at the back of Air Force One and had news. “Look: I came to get something done — I got it done,” he said, describing a “very blunt negotiation” he had just . . . Click HERE to read more and listen.
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A State Department official has resigned over U.S.-Israel arms transfers. Michel Martin of NPR talks with Josh Paul, who was the director of congressional and public affairs at the bureau that oversees arms transfers to foreign nations, about why he resigned. Click HERE to listen and read.
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Western leaders are showing unified support for Israel in its war against Hamas. Reported by A Martínez and Aya Batrawy | NPR President Biden visited Tel Aviv on Wednesday and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today visits Israel. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Thousands of protestors turned out in Washington, D.C., to support Palestinians. From NPR. One large group of protestors marched in support of Palestinians, and sat down in the rotunda of a congressional office building chanting and singing. Click HERE to listen and read.
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Shortly after a Gaza hospital was hit, disinformation spread across social media. Reported by Michel Martin and Shannon Bond | NPR Disinformation ran rampant on the social media site formerly known as Twitter after explosions at a hospital in Gaza. Changes to the platform have made finding credible information harder than ever. Click HERE to listen and read.
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Current U.S. assessment is Israel ‘not responsible’ for Gaza hospital blast, White House says. From AP. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that limited humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza from Egypt following a request from President Joe Biden. The president’s visit came after hundreds of people were reported killed in an explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital. There were conflicting claims of who was responsible for the . . . READ MORE . . .
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U.S. vetoes UN Security Council action on Israel, Gaza, by Michelle Nichols | Reuters UNITED NATIONS — The United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Wednesday that would have called for humanitarian pauses in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants to allow humanitarian aid access to the Gaza Strip. Twelve members voted in favor of the draft text on Wednesday, while Russia and Britain abstained. READ MORE . . .
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Watch: U.S. vetoes UN resolution for ceasefire in Gaza. From Consortium News. The United States Wednesday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have called for a humanitarian pause in the fighting in Gaza as well as for Israel to rescind its order to 1.1 million Gazans to leave their homes and move to the south of their enclave. The resolution drafted by Brazil was . . . Click HERE to read article and access a video of meeting.
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What we know about the origins of the explosion at a Gaza hospital. Reported by Greg Myre and Geoff Brumfiel | NPR The origins of the blast that killed hundreds of people at the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza are unclear. Israelis and Palestinians are trading blame. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Biden makes deal on aid delivery to Gaza. Reported by Jackie Northam and Ruth Sherlock | NPR In his visit to Israel, President Biden made a deal on limited humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza. Twelve days ago, Hamas killed 1,400 people in Israel. More than 3,400 people have been killed in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Here’s what happened during Biden’s Israel trip. Reported by Mara Liasson | NPR President Biden paid a quick visit to Israel that become more fraught after an explosion at a Gaza hospital killed hundreds of people and sparked protest across the region. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Can the U.S. stand with both Israel and Ukraine? U.S. ambassador to NATO weighs in. Reported by Elena Burnett, Tinbete Ermyas and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR Kelly speaks with U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith about how the U.S. can support both Israel and Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Half of Gaza’s population is under 18. Here’s what that means for the conflict. Reported by Linah Mohammad, Tinbete Ermyas and Ailsa Chang | NPR About half of Gaza’s population is under 18. Ailsa Chang of NPR speaks with the University of Arizona’s Maha Nassar, who focuses on Palestinian people and history, about what this means for the war. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Visiting a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank. Reported by Megan Lim, Courtney Dorning and Ari Shapiro | NPR The Jewish settlement of Esh Kodesh was established in the occupied West Bank decades ago. Israel has since built more residential communities on the land Palestinians want for a country of their own. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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What is Biden telling Bibi? by Seymour Hersh | Substack The White House and Central Intelligence Agency are again at odds, as they have been during Ukraine’s losing war with Russia, over the facts on the ground as President Joe Biden suddenly decided to fly again to Israel, supposedly at the request of Benjamin Netanyahu, the beleaguered Israeli prime minister. Biden showed that, as he put it, . . . READ MORE . . .
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Backing the slaughter and silencing the critics, by Elizabeth Vos | Consortium News The media has thus far failed to fully control the public narrative around Israel’s worsening war crimes, especially as images of slaughter escape Gaza via social media, bypassing dishonest corporate media framing. In response to massive public outcry in solidarity with Palestinians, Western governments are cracking down on dissent and in doing so, further exposing the West’s real values when it comes to atrocities. The Western propaganda machine excuses, obfuscates, and covers up . . . READ MORE . . .
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MAY BE CONTINUED