For today, links to five reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Monitor, the Anadolu Agency, and Wafa, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
– – –
FROM JUNE 14 U.S. is removing aid pier from Gaza coast again due to weather, officials say. From AP. The U.S.-built aid pier will be detached from Gaza’s coast for a second time due to rough seas, two U.S. officials said Friday, raising further questions about the viability of the sea route. Palestinians are facing widespread hunger because . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
Erdogan says Biden faces a test of sincerity in handling of the Gaza war. From Reuters. ISTANBUL — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said today that U.S. President Joe Biden is undergoing “a test of sincerity” in his handling of the Gaza war. He said Biden is expected to demonstrate that the Gaza ceasefire plan is not a calculated electoral tactic but a . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
Gallant attacks Macron: ‘Israel will not be party to trilateral framework proposed by France.’ From Middle East Monitor. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Friday attacked French President Emmanuel Macron after the latter announced on Thursday the formation of a committee with the participation of the U.S., France and Israel to discuss the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. On the other hand, high-ranking . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
UNICEF: Gaza’s children living in constant terror due to Israeli bombardment. From Wafa. GAZA — James Elder, spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund, said today that it is abnormal for the children of Gaza to live in “constant terror due to Israeli bombardment.” Speaking . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
‘We should not lose sight of West Bank,’ says U.S. senator, by Diyar Guldogan | AA WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has voiced concern about recent developments in the occupied West Bank, saying the Israeli premier is breaking international law in the Gaza Strip. “While the world is understandably focused on the destruction unfolding in Gaza, we . . . READ MORE . . .
– – –
Blinken is dragging the U.S. ever deeper into Israel’s quagmire, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye It takes a lot to get the diplomats of the Middle East to agree on anything. The behaviour of one man over the last eight months of the war in Gaza has, however, forged a consensus rare among such a group. READ MORE . . .