Gaza death toll surpasses 20,000 as UN Security Council delays vote on aid
At least 20,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel began bombarding the enclave more than 10 weeks ago, according to Palestinian officials. At least 8,000 children and 6,200 women are among those killed, Gaza’s Government Media Office said on Wednesday. The grim milestone was passed as the United Nations Security Council postponed a key vote on a bid to boost humanitarian aid for Gaza for the third time to avoid a veto from the United States, which traditionally shields its ally Israel from UN action. Since a seven-day truce collapsed on December 1, the war has entered a more intensive phase with ground combat previously confined to the northern half of the territory now spread across its length. When asked about the ever-growing casualty count, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it is “clear that the conflict will move and needs to move to a lower intensity phase”. “We expect to see and want to see a shift to more targeted [Israeli] operations with a smaller number of forces that’s really focused in on dealing with the leadership of Hamas, the tunnel network and a few other critical things,” he said. “And as that happens, I think you’ll see as well the harm done to civilians also decrease significantly.” Air strikes continued across Gaza on Wednesday with at least 46 people killed and dozens wounded in Israeli attacks on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to the enclave’s Ministry of Health. In Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousand of people have been pushed since early December by Israel’s continued onslaught, air strikes hit a building near a hospital close to an Al Jazeera crew reporting live on air, killing at least 10 people. “More air strikes are conducted, more victims fall due to the expansion of the Israeli military operations in the areas that are supposed to be safe zones where the majority of Gazans have been urged to flee,” Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said in reporting from Rafah. “The air strike took place in an area considered to be very densely populated, and it’s a miracle that no more than this number of people were killed,” he added. Key Security Council vote postponed The UN Security Council vote on a bid to boost aid to the Gaza Strip and ask the UN to monitor humanitarian aid deliveries there has been delayed at the request of the US, diplomats said. According to the United Arab Emirates envoy to the UN, Lana Nusseibeh, the vote will take place on Thursday. “Everyone wants to see a resolution that has impact and is implementable on the ground, and there are some discussions going on on how to make that possible,” Nusseibeh, whose country drafted the resolution, told reporters in New York. The text aims to dilute Israel’s control over all humanitarian aid deliveries to the 2.3 million people of Gaza. The initial text has been reportedly modified to soften calls to end the fighting in Gaza to avoid yet another veto from the US. “We want to make sure that the resolution … doesn’t do anything that could actually hurt the delivery of humanitarian assistance, make it more complicated. That’s what we’re focused on,” Blinken told reporters on Wednesday. “I hope we can get to a good place.” Currently, Israel monitors the limited humanitarian aid and fuel deliveries to Gaza via the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the Israel-controlled Karem Abu Salem crossing, known as Kerem Shalom in Hebrew. On Wednesday, the first aid convoy entered Gaza directly from Jordan with 750 metric tonnes of food. The World Food Programme said half of Gaza’s population is starving and only 10 percent of the food required has entered Gaza since the war began on October 7. The US and Israel oppose a ceasefire, believing it would benefit only Hamas. Washington instead supports pauses in fighting to protect civilians and allow the release of captives taken by Hamas. Hamas leader in rare visit to Egypt Separately on Wednesday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh paid his first visit to Egypt for more than a month in a rare personal intervention in diplomacy amid hopes that the Palestinian group and Israel could agree terms for another truce. Haniyeh arrived in the Egyptian capital to meet with Cairo’s spy chief and other Egyptian officials who are acting as key mediators. Meanwhile, Israeli officials have indicated in talks with US and Qatari representatives that they could be open to a truce. The Hamas leader last travelled to Egypt in early November before the announcement of the only pause in the fighting so far, a weeklong truce that saw the release of about 110 of 240 captives taken by Hamas into Gaza on October 7. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a smaller armed group that is also holding captives in Gaza, said its leader would also visit Egypt in the coming days to discuss a possible end to the war. A source briefed on the negotiations said envoys were discussing which of the captives still held by Palestinian groups could be freed in a new truce and what prisoners Israel might release in return, the Reuters news agency reported. But there remains a huge gulf between the two sides’ publicly stated positions on any halt to the fighting. Hamas rejects any further temporary pause and says it will discuss only a permanent ceasefire. Israel has ruled that out and says it will agree only limited humanitarian pauses until Hamas is defeated. US President Joe Biden said he did not expect an Israel-Hamas deal for the release of captives held in Gaza to be struck soon. “We’re pushing,” Biden told reporters during a trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli strike hits during live report near hospital in Rafah
NewsFeed “There is no safe place in Gaza.” Al Jazeera correspondent, Hani Mahmoud reports as a missile strike hits behind him in Rafah. He continued to report as people ran in fear from the site, close to a hospital in a densely populated residential area. Published On 20 Dec 202320 Dec 2023 Adblock test (Why?)
Where does the conflict in Sudan stand after eight months?
Fighting shows no sign of ending and no political settlement on the horizon. It’s been more than eight months since the lives of millions of Sudanese were plunged into conflict and uncertainty. The paramilitary group, Rapid Support Forces, has gained momentum in recent weeks, consolidating its grip on the vast Darfur region and seizing new territory, including the second-largest city, Wad Madani. It’s been a major hub for people displaced from their homes. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) – a regional body which has been trying to spearhead peace talks – said last week that had it secured a commitment from the rival sides to implement a ceasefire and hold dialogue. So how does this latest development in Wad Madani change the dynamics of the conflict? Presenter: Cyril Vanier Guests: Hamid Khalafallah – Researcher and policy analyst specialising on Sudan’s constitution building Alan Boswell – Horn of Africa project pirector at the International Crisis Group David Shinn – Former US chief of mission in Sudan Adblock test (Why?)
North Carolina reports nearly 300,000 Medicaid enrollments in weeks after expansion
The number of North Carolina residents enrolled in Medicaid under the state’s new coverage for low-income adults is nearing 300,000 in the first weeks of the program, the state Department of Health and Human Services says. Medicaid expansion began Dec. 1 in North Carolina, after Republican legislators and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper agreed to legislation this year that accepted the coverage offered to states through the 2010 Affordable Care Act. The expansion coverage applies to people ages 19-64 who make too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid but not enough to benefit much from government-subsidized private insurance. NC GOV. COOPER, HEALTHCARE ADVOCATES, TAKE VICTORY LAP ON MEDICAID EXPANSION As of Dec. 12, the latest figures available from DHHS, there were 280,000 expansion enrollees. Nearly 273,000 were enrolled and covered by expansion on Dec. 1, with the first-day total largely coming from people who were already receiving Medicaid for family-planning coverage and were moved automatically through expansion for broader medical care. As the start date for expansion neared, the Cooper administration estimated that close to 300,000 would be enrolled on day one, with ultimately 600,000 receiving coverage over time. The data comes as DHHS unveiled on Wednesday an online dashboard that will update monthly expansion enrollment and demographic and health care trends. For example, the agency says, the dashboard shows the highest percentages of adults 19-64 now covered by Medicaid are in four rural counties — Anson, Edgecombe, Richmond and Robeson. DHHS also said more than 84,000 people had applied for Medicaid through Dec. 15, with county social service officials processing the application. And 49,000 prescriptions have been filled for expansion enrollees as of Dec. 12. “Hundreds of people each day are gaining health care coverage and getting the care they need,” state health Secretary Kody Kinsley said in a news release. “Our work continues with state and community partners to support enrollment efforts to ensure as many people as possible can get covered.” The state continues to operate an online dashboard that keeps track of overall Medicaid enrollment, which was about 2.85 million people as of November. North Carolina was the 40th state, along with the District of Columbia, to implement Medicaid expansion.
Trump lawyers say request to have SCOTUS hear immunity claims presents ‘momentous, historic questions’
Former President Trump‘s legal team has filed its written response to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request that the U.S. Supreme Court hear Trump’s immunity claims in the election interference criminal case against him. In their brief, the Trump team urged the high court not to rush things and accept the issue before the lower courts have heard the matter. “This appeal presents momentous, historic questions,” the brief states. “An erroneous denial of a claim of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution unquestionably warrants this Court’s review. The Special Counsel contends that “[i]t is of imperative public importance that respondent’s claims of immunity be resolved by this Court.” “That does not entail, however, that the Court should take the case before the lower courts complete their review. Every jurisdictional and prudential consideration calls for this Court to allow the appeal to proceed first in the D.C.” TRUMP DECISION SPLITS COLORADO SUPREME COURT ALONG ELITE EAST COAST LAW SCHOOLS, DENVER LAW LINES Smith is expected to file a final written rebuttal in the next few days to urge the court to quickly accept the case on its merits. The justices will then privately consider whether to review the case. DEM-APPOINTED COLORADO JUSTICE SAYS TRUMP BALLOT BAN UNDERMINE ‘BEDROCK’ OF AMERICA IN FIERY DISSENT Smith has made his request for the high court to act quickly to prevent any delays that could push back Trump’s trial until after next year’s presidential election. A federal judge previously ruled the case could go forward, but Trump said he would ask the federal appeals court in Washington to reverse that outcome. Smith is attempting to bypass the appeals court – the usual next step in the process – and have the Supreme Court take up the matter directly. “This case presents a fundamental question at the heart of our democracy: whether a former President is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office or is constitutionally protected from federal prosecution when he has been impeached but not convicted before the criminal proceedings begin,” prosecutors wrote. Trump faces charges accusing him of working to overturn the results of the 2020 election in which he lost to President Biden before the violent Jan. 6, 2021 protest by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol. He has denied any wrongdoing. Should the justices decline to step in, Trump’s appeal would continue at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Smith has asked for quick review there too, but said even a rapid appellate decision might not get to the Supreme Court in time for review and final word before the court’s traditional summer break. Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Roman Abramovich loses legal attempt to overturn EU sanctions
The EU imposed punishment on the oligarch in 2022 as part of measures targeting Russia and Putin’s close allies. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has lost a legal challenge aimed at overturning European Union sanctions imposed on him in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich had filed a lawsuit at the EU’s general court against the European Union Council, which imposed punitive sanctions on the 57-year-old in 2022 as part of measures targeting Russia and President Vladimir Putin’s close allies after Russia invaded Ukraine. The court in Brussels rejected the challenge and also dismissed his claims for compensation, noting his role in the Russian steel company Evraz and the fact that steel provided a major source of revenue to the Russian government. “The General Court dismisses the action brought by Mr Abramovich, thereby upholding the restrictive measures taken against him,” it said in its ruling on Wednesday. “The [European] Council did not in fact err in its assessment by deciding to include, then maintain, Mr Abramovich’s name on the lists at issue, in the light of his role in the Evraz group and, in particular, its parent company,” it added, referring to the sanctions lists. Chelsea sale Abramovich, who also holds Israeli citizenship and is a former owner of Premier League football club Chelsea, became one of the world’s most powerful businessmen after the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union. Forbes estimates his net worth at $9.2bn. In a statement issued on his behalf, Abramovich said he was disappointed by the ruling, which he can appeal. He said the court had not considered some of the arguments used by the EU Council, including the proposition that Abramovich had benefitted from the Russian government – which he said was a false suggestion. “Mr Abramovich does not have the ability to influence the decision-making of any government, including Russia, and has in no way benefited from the [Ukraine] war,” the statement said. “The court’s decision to maintain the sanctions against Mr Abramovich was based purely on the court defining Mr Abramovich as a ‘Russian businessman’ which under today’s very broad EU regulations is sufficient to remain sanctioned, even if you are just a passive shareholder in a business sector with no connection to the war.” The businessman has also been punished in the United Kingdom and had his assets frozen in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich was forced to sell Chelsea after being sanctioned by the British government for what it called his enabling of Putin’s “brutal and barbaric invasion” of Ukraine. The sale of the Premier League club for 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2bn) — then the highest price ever paid for a sports team — was completed by a consortium fronted by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly. It marked the end of the trophy-filled, 19-year tenure of Abramovich. The EU has imposed 12 rounds of sanctions on Russia since Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine almost two years ago. The measures have targeted the energy sector, banks, companies and markets, and made more than 1,000 Russian officials subject to asset freezes and travel bans. Adblock test (Why?)
US charges alleged Hezbollah member over 1994 Buenos Aires bombing
The bombing of a Jewish community centre killed 85 people, and Hezbollah has been accused of other attacks in Argentina. The United States has charged an alleged Hezbollah member, Samuel Salman El Reda, with giving material support to a “terrorist group”, accusing him of providing assistance for a 1994 bombing in Argentina. Federal prosecutors announced charges against the 58-year-old on Wednesday, linking El Reda to the truck bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people. “This indictment serves as a message to those who engage in acts of terror: that the Justice Department’s memory is long, and we will not relent in our efforts to bring them to justice,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the US Department of Justice’s National Security Division said in a press release. Rescue workers search for survivors and victims in the rubble left when a car bomb destroyed the Buenos Aires headquarters of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) on July 18, 1994 [File: Enrique Marcarian/Reuters] The US has long characterised the 1994 bombing as an example of the far reach of the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, which at the time of the bombing was locked in a deadly battle with Israeli forces occupying southern Lebanon. Iran and Hezbollah denied responsibility for the attack, which sent shockwaves through the city’s Jewish community. Small commemorative tiles with the names of those killed can still be seen on sidewalks around Buenos Aires. US authorities said El Reda, a dual Lebanese-Colombian citizen, has helped coordinate the activities of Hezbollah’s Islamic Jihad Organization in South America, Asia and Lebanon since at least 1993. The statement from the Justice Department said El Reda is based in Lebanon and “remains at large”. The US Department of State sanctioned him in 2019 and offered $7m for information regarding his whereabouts. The bombing remains a source of controversy in Argentina, where former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been accused of working to shield the perpetrators of the attack through a joint investigation with Iran, which helped found and nurture Hezbollah. Argentina has also accused Hezbollah of carrying out a 1992 attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, which killed 29 people. The country froze Hezbollah’s assets and branded it a “terrorist organisation” in 2019. Adblock test (Why?)
Venezeula, US reach prisoner swap deal
As part of the agreement, US President Joe Biden agreed to grant clemency to Alex Saab, an ally of Nicolas Maduro. The United States has reached a deal to secure the release of 10 citizens from Venezuela, including six people who it said had been wrongfully detained, according to the White House. As part of the agreement, US President Joe Biden agreed to grant clemency to Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman and ally of President Nicolas Maduro who was in a Miami jail awaiting trial on a charge of money laundering. “A statement from the White House talks about 10 US prisoners, six of them the US says were wrongfully detained by the Venezuelan regime. Another two were [former] members of US special forces that allegedly participated in a coup attempt back in 2019,” Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampietti reported from Bogota, Colombia. Saab, who was arrested on a US warrant for money laundering in 2020 – was released from custody and returned to Venezuela on Wednesday, the Venezuelan government said. “Alex Saab is a Colombian entrepreneur, a very close ally for Nicolas Maduro, a person who is seen here as a bag man for the Venezuelan regime,” Rampietti said. US prosecutors have accused Saab of siphoning off $350m from Venezuela via the United States in a scheme that involved bribing Venezuelan government officials. He has denied the charge. The White House said Venezeula had agreed to release at least 20 Venezuelan prisoners, including “political detainees”. The prisoner swap talks were facilitated by Qatar, the White House said. Qatar’s chief negotiator met Maduro last week. Six Venezuelan activists have already been freed, according to their lawyer and the wife of one of them. The longtime education campaigners were convicted on conspiracy charges this year and sentenced to 16 years but have proclaimed their innocence. The White House has said in recent weeks that it expected to see progress on prisoner releases if it were to continue with sanctions relief for Caracas, which was unveiled in October in response to an agreement by the Venezuelan government to hold fair elections in 2024. While relations between the US and Venezuela remain uneasy, the two nations have taken steps to ease tensions in recent months. In recent weeks, however, the White House had warned that it was considering an end to sanctions relief if more progress was not made on prisoner releases. Adblock test (Why?)
Texas begins flying migrants to sanctuary cities with first flight to Chicago
The state of Texas has started flying migrants to sanctuary cities, with the first flight arriving in Chicago on Tuesday evening, Fox News has learned – marking an escalation of Gov. Greg Abbott’s previous strategy of bussing migrants to ease the pressure on the border state. Fox is told that the first flight left El Paso Tuesday afternoon with 120 migrants on board and arrived at Chicago’s O’Hare airport later in the day. Sources in Abbott’s office told Fox that all migrants signed voluntary waivers, as they do with the buses. The decision was partially in response to Chicago’s interference of the buses traveling to the sanctuary city. The city has launched lawsuits against companies transporting the migrants. TEXAS IMMIGRATION LAW PUSHBACK MARKS LATEST TENSION BETWEEN BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND BORDER STATES OVER CRISIS The move from Abbott is an escalation from the strategy in place since April 2022 when he began bussing migrants first to Washington, D.C., and later expanded it to include other cities with “sanctuary” policies that forbid or limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Abbott’s office said this week that the state has bused over 82,900 migrants to cities, including D.C., New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles. Abbott has said the operation provides “vital relief” to border towns and has promised to keep doing it “until [President] Biden secures the border.” Critics have accused Abbott of performing an “illegal” political stunt, with mayors of Chicago and New York in particular excoriating Abbott for the buses. Chicago’s mayor this week accused Abbott of creating chaos across the country. TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT SIGNS BILL MAKING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION A STATE CRIME “The issue is not just how we respond in the city of Chicago,” Johnson added. “It’s the fact we have a governor, a governor, an elected official in the state of Texas, that is placing families on buses without shoes, cold, wet, tired, hungry, afraid, traumatized, and then they come to the city of Chicago, where we have homelessness, mental health clinics that have been shut down and closed. We have people who are seeking employment. The governor of Texas needs to take a look in the mirror, with the chaos he’s causing for the people of this country.” Abbott’s press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, told Fox News Digital that Johnson was “flat out lying.” “If he truly cared about these migrants, he would stop spreading falsehoods and complaining about a few thousand migrants being bussed into his sanctuary city,” he said. “Instead, Mayor Johnson should call on President Biden to take immediate action to secure the border – something the president continues failing to do.” Meanwhile, the chaos at the border itself continues with enormous numbers of migrant encounters. The daily record for encounters was broken this week when more than 12,600 migrants were encountered in a single day. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT BLOCKS BIDEN ADMIN FROM REMOVING TEXAS’ RAZOR WIRE AT SOUTHERN BORDER Customs and Border Protection sources told Fox News on Wednesday that December total migrant encounters have exceeded 190,000 and are on track to break another record for the highest monthly total – which was 269,000 in September. Sources told Fox that agents are averaging around 10,000 encounters a day, and Mexican sources say more are on the way. Fox News’ Griff Jenkins and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Democrat senator sounds alarm on ‘crisis’ at southern border, urges negotiators to strike a deal
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., lamented the escalating influx of illegal immigrants at the southern border, noting the absence of an agreement on a border framework to be included in the multibillion-dollar national supplemental aid package to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan as senators prepare to recess Wednesday afternoon. “What’s happening on the border is a crisis,” Warner said in a telephone press conference Wednesday. “I think we had yesterday over 12,000 people – the highest number ever.” He added, “We can’t say that Ukraine is a crisis, Israel is a crisis, the border is a crisis, and then not do our job.” According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection sources on Tuesday, there were more than 12,600 migrants encountered at the southern border in the preceding 24 hours, the highest figure recorded in a single day. SCHUMER AND MCCONNELL VOW TO TAKE ‘SWIFT ACTION’ ON SUPPLEMENTAL PACKAGE EARLY NEXT YEAR Talks have been ongoing with senators and Biden administration officials as Republicans have refused to pass some $60 billion in additional aid to Ukraine unless it is tied to strict border security measures, such as immediate screenings for asylum processing, more detention beds and quicker expulsions for illegal entrants. “The bad news is that we didn’t come up with a framework on the border negotiations before the end of the year and the other component parts that would travel along with that legislation,” Warner said. “The good news is and, and this is not just trying to be wishful Christmas thinking, is that the negotiations have finally gotten serious.” Initially, Republicans insisted on bolstering border security measures in the supplemental package last month, while Democrats remained firm in excluding any immigration policy alterations from advancing in the bill. However, negotiations gained momentum last week after GOP lawmakers blocked the supplemental bill’s progress to a vote. MANY SENATORS HAVE ALREADY LEFT TOWN AMID BORDER NEGOTIATIONS AS ILLEGAL CROSSINGS HIT RECORD “We’re basically going to be dramatically changing not only border policy, but in many ways, immigration laws in this package, and getting agreement and writing it takes some time… it really has to be broadly bipartisan,” Warner said. “We’ve got to get it done. The excuse that we don’t have enough time will disappear.” The total amount of supplemental aid the White House first requested in October amounts to roughly $106 billion and includes $14 billion to assist Israel. President Biden has been urging Congress to take action on the package, and Ukraine President Volodymr Zelenskyy made a final plea last week to both chambers in private meetings. The White House has sent more than $100 billion to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. Last week, Biden announced the administration would send $200 million in additional military aid to the Eastern European nation. However, Congress failed to reach an agreement this week, even after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., canceled part of the holiday recess so that senators could continue negotiations with Biden administration officials. The negotiations, led by Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., are now punted to January. LAWMAKERS UNLIKELY TO ADVANCE BORDER SECURITY, UKRAINE FUNDING LEGISLATION BEFORE CHRISTMAS “Our colleagues at the negotiating table are under no illusions about how difficult it is to fix our nation’s broken asylum and parole system,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the floor Wednesday. “They’re working on what would be the first serious repair in more than 30 years. But there’s no longer any disagreement that the situation at the southern border is unsustainable and requires the Senate to act.” Schumer called the negotiations “one of the hardest things this Senate has undertaken in a very long time.” “But make no mistake, the winter recess will be a busy and important few weeks for the U.S. Senate. Negotiations will continue around the clock, reaching an agreement on a critical national security supplemental,” he said.