Israel has launched a new invasion of Gaza. What the media is writing
Israel launched a new invasion of the territory of Gaza and gained a foothold on its outskirts, which led to the flight of Palestinians from the city. At the same time, a plan for the construction of new settlements in the West Bank of the Jordan River was approved, which caused a negative reaction from the international community. How the world's media describe the escalation in the Middle East is in the Izvestia digest.
NBC News: Israel launches first phase of attack on Gaza City
Israel has begun the first stages of its planned assault on Gaza City, approving a plan to capture it that includes conscripting 60,000 reservists for an expanded military operation in the Palestinian enclave. Defense Minister Yisrael Katz has approved plans for a new major operation, which will also extend the service life of another 20,000 reservists. The attack is expected to force thousands of Palestinians from the northern Gaza Strip to move to the south of the strip, where the problem of hunger is worsening.
NBC News
"We have begun preliminary actions and the initial stages of the offensive on Gaza City, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are already holding positions on the outskirts of Gaza City," Effie Defrin, a spokesman for the Israeli Armed Forces, told reporters on Wednesday. "We will intensify attacks on Hamas in Gaza City, the political and military stronghold of the terrorist organization."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had ordered a reduction in the time frame for taking control of the last militant strongholds and defeating Hamas. The announcement of the expanded military operation came after Israel apparently ignored the news that Hamas had agreed to the latest proposal from Arab mediators for a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip that would free the remaining hostages.
Associated Press: Israel approves West Bank settlement plan
Israel has given final approval to a settlement project in the West Bank that will effectively divide the territory into two parts and, according to Palestinians and human rights groups, could destroy hopes for a future Palestinian state. Settlement construction on site E1, an open piece of land east of Jerusalem, was considered for more than two decades, but was frozen due to US pressure under previous administrations. The international community overwhelmingly considers the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal and an obstacle to peace.
Associated Press
The far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, a former settler leader, interpreted the approval as a rebuke to Western countries, which in recent weeks have announced their plans to recognize a Palestinian state. "The Palestinian state is being wiped off the table not by slogans, but by actions," he said on Wednesday. "Every settlement, every neighborhood, every apartment building is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea."
The location of E1 is important because it is one of the last geographical links between the major cities of the West Bank: Ramallah in the north and Bethlehem in the south. The distance between the two cities is 22 km, but Palestinians traveling between them have to make a long detour and pass through many Israeli checkpoints, spending several hours on the road. It was hoped that in the future Palestinian state this region would become a direct link between the cities.
BBC News: Palestinians flee Gaza City
Palestinians are leaving the territory of Gaza City after the Israeli military launched the first stages of a planned ground offensive. Israeli troops have gained a foothold on the outskirts of the city, home to more than a million Palestinians, after days of intense bombing and artillery shelling. This prompted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to reiterate his call for an immediate ceasefire.
The author of the quote
Hundreds of Palestinians from the Zeitoun and Sabra districts of Gaza City fled to the northwestern part of the city. An army spokesman said troops are already operating in the Zeitoun and Jabalia areas to lay the groundwork for the offensive, which Defense Minister Yisrael Katz approved on Tuesday and which will be presented to the Cabinet of Security Ministers later this week.
Many of Israel's allies condemned the plan to seize Gaza, and French President Emmanuel Macron warned that it "can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war." The International Committee of the Red Cross said further population displacement and increased fighting "risk worsening an already catastrophic situation" for Gaza's 2.1 million people.
The New York Times: Israel's actions defy global outrage
The approval of plans to launch a new operation in Gaza and build settlements in the West Bank has raised questions about whether the new cease-fire proposal, which officials say is similar to conditions previously approved by Israel, can be implemented. Experts said that these two steps indicate that Netanyahu is leaning towards the ideology of the extreme right in his coalition in order to remain in power even at the cost of Israel's international isolation.
The New York Times
"For Netanyahu, it doesn't matter if these steps — the war in Gaza and quasi—annexation in the West Bank — damage Israel's relations with the Arab world," said Michael Milstein, an Israeli analyst and former military intelligence officer. He noted that both events also demonstrated that Netanyahu believes that he can continue to rely on American support, even though Arab and European countries strongly condemn Israel's actions.
Although the United States has supported the so-called two-State solution for years, it has blocked recent attempts to recognize full Palestinian statehood under current conditions. The prospects for a functional Palestinian State have been vague for many years, and its borders have never been clear.
Reuters: Majority of Americans want recognition of Palestine
According to a new poll, 58% of Americans believe that every country in the United Nations should recognize Palestine as a state. About 33% of respondents disagree that UN members should recognize a Palestinian state, while 9% found it difficult to answer. The six-day poll revealed a pronounced partisan split on the issue: 78% of Democrats supported the idea, which is much more than the 41% of Republicans who agreed with it.
Reuters
Israel has long counted on billions of dollars in military aid and international diplomatic support from the United States, its most powerful ally. A decline in public support for the United States would be a wake-up call for Israel, as it has to deal not only with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, but also with an unresolved conflict with Iran, its arch-enemy in the region.
The survey was conducted just a few weeks after three countries, close allies of the United States — Canada, Britain and France — announced their intention to recognize a Palestinian state. This has increased the pressure on Israel amid the increasing famine in the Gaza Strip. The survey was conducted in the hope that Israel and Hamas would agree on a cease-fire in order to end the fighting, free some of the hostages and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
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