For today, links to eight reports: from Wafa, Middle East Monitor, Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Reuters, and, via ScheerPost, Antiwar.com; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA, UKRAINE and CARTER entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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UN Security Council holds emergency meeting on collapse of Gaza health system. From Wafa. NEW YORK — The UN Security Council today held an emergency session on the collapse of health services in Gaza. The meeting was requested by Algeria, which has just taken over the UN Security Council presidency in January. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli army storms Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital, orders its evacuation. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli occupation forces today stormed the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, made threats against its medical staff and patients, and ordered its immediate evacuation, the Palestinian Information Centre reported. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Middle East Eye and Wafa.

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Israeli strikes kill at least 30 in Gaza as ceasefire talks set to resume in Qatar, by Wafaa Shurafa and Sam Mednick | AP  AL DEIR-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes killed at least 30 people in Gaza, including children, overnight and into today, hospital staff said, as often-stalled ceasefire talks to end the Israel-Hamas war were set to resume in Qatar. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Gaza health ministry says 77 killed in 24 hours. From Middle East Eye.  The health ministry in Gaza said today that 77 people were killed in the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll of the war to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 1  U.S. has given Israel $22 billion in military aid since October 2023, by Dave DeCamp | Antiwar.com / ScheerPost  According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, from 2019 to 2023 U.S. weapons accounted for 69% of Israel’s arms imports. Since Oct. 7, 2023, that number has risen to 78%, demonstrating . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Cradle, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Consortium News and, via ScheerPost, Antiwar.com; other published matertial is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, UKRAINE and CARTER entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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German, French foreign ministers in Damascus to meet Syria’s new rulers. From Reuters. BERLIN / PARIS — The foreign ministers of Germany and France said they wanted to forge a new relationship with Syria and urged a peaceful transition as they visited Damascus today meet its de facto new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on behalf of the European Union. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM JAN. 2  Some fighters in Syria find new government’s aim to unite rebel groups a hard sell. Reported by Arezou Rezvani | NPR  A former ISIS fighter who fought alongside rebels to topple former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad says he will turn against the new Syrian leadership if strict Islamic rule is not imposed. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM DEC. 29  Six scenarios for Syria, by As`ad AbuKhalil| Special to Consortium News  Syria is in a state of uneasy transition and the political-military situation will remain in flux as long as the conflicts between the various armed and civic groups are not resolved. Local and regional conflicts will affect the country. Consider these scenarios: READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 1  U.S. has given Israel $22 billion in military aid since October 2023, by Dave DeCamp | Antiwar.com / ScheerPost  According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, from 2019 to 2023 U.S. weapons accounted for 69% of Israel’s arms imports. Since Oct. 7, 2023, that number has risen to 78%, demonstrating . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For today, links to three reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio, and to an interview from Consortium News — which does not mention Ukraine; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA, SYRIA and CARTER entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine’s Zelensky: Trump can be decisive in helping stop Russia’s Putin. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that US President-elect Donald Trump could be decisive in the outcome of the 34-month-old war with Russia and help stop Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.

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FROM JAN 2  How Trump can end the war in Ukraine, according to a former ambassador. Reported by Tinbete Ermyas, Jordan-Marie Smith, Andrew Limbong and Mallory Yu | NPR  Michael McFaul, who was U.S. Ambassador to Russia for two years during the Obama Administration, talks about the subject of his recent piece in Foreign Affairs, “How Trump Can End the War in Ukraine.” Click HERE to listen and read.

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An ignored U.S. diplomat’s warning on Russia, by Natylie Baldwin | Special to Consortium News  The National Security Archive recently published a 1994 memo, HERE, by E. Wayne Merry, a U.S. diplomat in Moscow, assessing U.S. policies toward a Russia that was in chaos. It  represented a different view of how the U.S.-led West could have managed its relationship with and guided reforms in post-Soviet Russia. READ MORE . . .

 

Links to reporting and commentary from Playboy, via ScheerPost, and Substack; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE,  HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM NOVEMBER 1976 and DEC. 29, 2024  Jimmy, we hardly know y’all, by Robert Scheer | Playboy / ScheerPost  On one level, the man is simply preposterous. On another, he seems reasonable, sincere, and eminently sensible. It is difficult for me to believe that after four months of following him around the country, listening to the same speech five or six times a day, and after many hours of one-on-one conversation . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 2  Jimmy Carter’s mixed legacy, by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack  Carter was a weak president and more of an instinctive hawk than he let on. He named Cyrus Vance, who had been McNamara’s deputy and fellow liar about the Vietnam War, as his secretary of state. His secretary of defense was . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to just two reports, from the Associated Press, including a map; others are accessible by clicking on its Initials below. (SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Middle East latest: Israeli strikes kill at least 18 in Gaza, including 3 children, officials say. From AP. Israeli airstrikes killed at least 18 people in the Gaza Strip today, including three children and two high-ranking officers in the Hamas-run police force, according to Palestinian and hospital officials. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for Jan. 1 report from AP.

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TO BE CONTINUED ON JAN. 3

For today, a link to just one report, from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and  HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 1  Syrian official makes peace overture to Israel. What’s the regional impact? Reported by Daniel Estrin, Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Leila Fadel | NPR  The governor of Damascus faced major backlash in the Arab world for his comments about making peace with Israel. But what do Israelis and Syrians want?. Click HERE to listen and read.

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TO BE CONTINUED ON JAN. 3

 

For today, links to seven reports from Reuters, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and  HERE.) — MCM 

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FROM JAN. 1  Zelenskiy says U.S. will be alongside Ukraine’s efforts to stop Russia. From Reuters. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late on Tuesday that no one would give peace to his country as a gift, but he believed the United States would stand alongside Kyiv as it fights to stop Russia’s 34-month invasion. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 1  Ukraine’s capital opens 2025 under a new wave of Russian drone attacks. Reported by Brian Mann and Leila Fadel | NPR  The attack began hours after Ukraine’s president addressed his nation. He acknowledged the agony of 2024 with heavy battlefield casualties and Russia’s army advancing along much of the 600-mile front. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE and HERE for report from Reuters and AP.

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FROM DEC. 31  Europe’s Russian gas era comes to an end as Ukraine transit stops. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia’s once-dominant gas supply to Europe via Ukraine, which flowed for decades, is set to end on New Year’s Day with the collapse of a contract between . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for Jan. 1 report from AP.

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FROM DEC. 30  Hundreds of soldiers freed in the latest prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. From AP. KYIV — Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war in the latest such swap that saw the release of hundreds of captives and was brokered with the help of the United Arab Emirates, officials said Monday. READ MORE . . .

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TO. BE CONTINUED ON JAN. 3

For today, links to eight reports: from Middle East Monitor, Reuters, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE. There was no GAZA entry for Dec. 30.) — MCM

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Heavy rain floods thousands of tents in Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. Thousands of Palestinian families in displacement camps across the Gaza Strip faced devastation last night as heavy rains and strong winds battered the area. According to Wafa news agency . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN body issues damning report on Israeli attacks on Gaza hospitals. From Reuters. The UN Human Rights Office report says Israeli attacks on hospitals in Gaza have devastated the Palestinian enclave’s health system and raise serious concerns about Israel’s compliance with international law. It concludes that the Israeli hostilities in Gaza have “destroyed” local healthcare. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli raid on a key hospital in northern Gaza forces the facility to shut down. Reported by Carrie Kahn and Aya Batrawy | NPR  Israeli forces raided the last hospital in northern Gaza able to treat children and intensive care cases. The raid followed months of intense attacks on the hospital and the area around it. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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The WHO urges Israel to stop attacks on Gaza’s medical infrastructure. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with the director-general of the World Health Organization, about medical access in Gaza. He also narrowly escaped an Israeli airstrike on an airport in Yemen. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Amid ceasefire push, Palestinians released from Israeli jails bear mential, physical scars. From Reuters. Alleged abuses and psychological harm to Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and camps are in renewed focus amid stepped-up efforts this month by international mediators to secure a ceasefire that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Major sticking points between Israel and Hamas have made a ceasefire elusive. Reported by Emily Feng and Leila Fadel | NPR   Throughout 2024 negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas were on again and off again. There were moments of great optimism and then months of no negotiations at all. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Dozens of patients and wounded evacuated from Gaza for treatment. From AP. Dozens of patients and the wounded have been evacuated for treatment outside the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, where the United Nations says Israel’s attacks on and around hospitals have pushed health care to the brink. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 31  In Gaza’s crowded tent camps, women wrestle with a life stripped of privacy, by Wafaa Shurafa and Julia Frankel | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza City — For Gaza’s women, the hardships of life in the territory’s sprawling tent camps are compounded by the daily humiliation of never having privacy. READ MORE . . .

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Jimmy Carter: Battling against apartheid. From Middle East Monitor.  Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, a leader who dedicated his life to diplomacy, democracy and humanitarian causes, passed away Saturday at the age of 100. His  role in shaping the Middle East’s geopolitical landscape remains . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, and to commentary from Middle East Eye and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM DEC. 30  Now Syria’s long-ruling Baath party is collapsing, too, by Bassem Mroue | AP  DAMASCUS — A few days after insurgents in Syria overthrew President Bashar Assad, his ruling Baath party announced it was freezing its activities, marking a stunning change in fortunes for the political group that had ruled for more than six decades. READ MORE . . .

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In Syrian military housing, former rebel leaders take the homes of Assad’s officers. From Reuters. DAMASCUS — Families of military officers who served under Syria’s ousted Bashar al-Assad are being evicted from their subsidised housing at a compound outside Damascus to make way . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s attacks on Syria threaten regional stability and will ultimately backfire, by Ali Bakir | Middle East Eye  On Dec. 10, mere days after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria, Israel launched the most extensive aerial military campaign in its history against a neighbouring country. Dubbed “Bashan Arrow,” it . . . READ MORE . . .

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Regional powers jostle for influence, by Mawadda Iskandar | The Cradle  Despite efforts by Syria’s rebel-led interim leaders to seek a fresh start focused on ‘zeroing problems,’ embracing inclusivity, and delaying decisions on critical issues, the arrangement of the country’s future that is shaped by Turkish–Qatari sponsors and U.S. allies faces daunting challenges. READ MORE . . .