For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, and to commentary from ScheerPost, Consortium News, and a British observer; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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Key mediator Qatar urges Israel and Hamas to do more to reach a cease-fire deal, by Tia Goldenberg, Jon Gambrell and Samy Magdy | AP TEL AVIV — A senior Qatari official has urged Israel and Hamas to show “more commitment and more seriousness” in cease-fire negotiations, as pressure builds to reach a deal that would free some Israeli hostages and bring a cease-fire in the war in Gaza. Qatar, which . . . READ MORE . . .
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Abbas says only U.S. can halt Israel’s attack on Rafah, expected in days. From Reuters. RIYADH — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said today only the United States could stop Israel attacking the border city of Rafah in Gaza, adding that the assault, which he expects within days, could force much of the Palestinian population to flee the enclave. READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 27 Top diplomat Blinken will visit the Mideast again this coming week. What can he achieve this time? From AP. WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is returning to the Middle East on his seventh diplomatic mission to the region since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began more than six months ago, the State Department said Saturday. He will travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday and, according to an Israeli foreign ministry official, visit Israel on Tuesday. READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 27 Some U.S. officials say in internal memo Israel may be violating international law in Gaza, by Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters WASHINGTON — Some senior U.S. officials have advised Secretary of State Antony Blinken that they do not find “credible or reliable” Israel’s assurances that it is using U.S. supplied weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law, according to an internal State Department memo. Other officials . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 27 British troops may be tasked with delivering Gaza aid, BBC report says, by Danica Kirka | AP LONDON — British troops may be tasked with delivering aid to Gaza from an offshore pier now under construction by the U.S. military, the BBC reported Saturday. READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 25 Revolt in the universities, by Chris Hedges | Original to ScheerPost Not one university president has denounced Israel’s destruction of every university in Gaza. Not one university president has called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Not . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 27 DC police refuse GWU request to arrest students, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News This is a critical moment in the way the U.S. and European establishments deal with the exploding resistance to their unconscionable support for genocide. Either they face the stark reality that . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 26 Worse than you can imagine, by Craig Murray | craigmurray.org.uk / Consortium News I have no doubt at all that the Western political elite, paid tools of the zionist machine, are complicit in the genocide of Palestinians and ethnic cleansing of Gaza at a much deeper level than the people have yet understood. READ MORE . . .