Why Netanyahu has little choice but to extend the ceasefire
The Israeli government has declared it is opposed to any ceasefire with Hamas. But one of its key objectives ā and the top priority for Israelis ā is to recover hostages. And only the ceasefire can achieve that...
Monday marks the fourth and final day of the ceasefire agreed upon between Israel and Hamas. Does that mean the war resumes Tuesday in Gaza? Probably not, and here is why...
During the first three days of the ceasefire, 40 Israeli hostages, mostly women and children, were returned to the Jewish state. According to the terms of the agreement, three times as many Palestinian prisoners were released. Additionally, 35 Thai nationals and one Filipino, also kidnapped on Oct. 7, were released separately, as part of a negotiation that went through Iran. And one Russian citizen, according to Hamas, "in response to the efforts of Russian President (Vladimir) Putin and in appreciation of the Russian position in support of the Palestinian cause."
A fourth exchange is scheduled for Monday. Meanwhile, over these same past three days, hundreds of aid trucks have been able to enter Gaza, where humanitarian conditions are catastrophic.
What will happen Tuesday, considering that Hamas still holds more than 180 hostages? All communication channels have been hard at work for the past 24 hours, to extend this ceasefire and facilitate the release of more hostages and prisoners.
Qatar has been leading the negotiation efforts. An envoy from Doha arrived in Israel on a special flight on Saturday ā something worth noting, given that the two countries have no diplomatic relations. The United States is also very active, with President Joe Biden personally intervening on Saturday, when the agreement showed signs of impending collapse.
But more important maybe, on an emotional level, is the mobilization of the Israeli public around the return of the hostages. On Saturday evening, in the center of Tel Aviv, an estimated 100,000 people gathered to mark 50 days since the Oct. 7 attack.
It thus seems impossible for the Israeli government to resume the war Tuesday if it has the opportunity to save more hostages ā people would just not bear it.
The agreement, signed under Qatari supervision, stipulates that the ceasefire can be extended by 24 hours for every additional 10 released hostages. Hamas has expressed its readiness to do so ā which is in its interest: It is in dire need of a prolonged pause after the relentless bombings. And it holds onto the Israeli soldiers it captured on Oct. 7 in reserve: They will be the subject of a separate negotiation, at a higher price.
The Israeli government is opposed to a ceasefire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was with his troops in Gaza on Sunday, wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet, to reaffirm the three objectives of the war: recover all hostages, eliminate Hamas, prevent Gaza from becoming a threat to Israel again. And yet, it has become quite clear that it is only the ceasefire, not war, that has allowed Israel to recover said hostages.
Behind the scenes, it's the negotiations between the Americans and Israelis that counts most right now ā both about whether or not to resume the war and about finding a political solution to the crisis. For Biden, the latter is an imperative, not for Netanyahu.
The Israeli government has pushed back against anything and anyone calling for an end to the war. The Belgian and Spanish prime ministers who called for a ceasefire were sharply reprimanded this weekend by Israel.
Such nervousness speaks volumes about how decisive a moment this is for a war that the rest of the world no longer understands.
ā Pierre Haski / France Inter
ā¢ Four-day pause in talks may be extended as more hostages are expected to be released: Hamas says it is seeking to extend the current four-day pause in fighting with Israel and increase the number of hostages released. Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu has said the original agreement could be extended but that Israeli operations in Gaza would resume with full force after the truce period. Meanwhile, more Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners are due to be released on Monday, on the final day of the current truce period.
ā¢ Three students of Palestinian descent shot in Vermont: The families of three Palestinian students shot on Saturday in the U.S. state of Vermont have urged police to investigate the attack as a hate crime. Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ahmed and Kinnan Abdalhamid were shot by a man near University of Vermont Campus. Officers are investigating a possible motive, but say the victims were wearing keffiyeh, a traditional scarf, and speaking Arabic when attacked. A 48-year-old suspect was arrested on Sunday afternoon.
ā¢ UAE planned to use climate talks to make oil deals at COP28: The United Arab Emirates planned to use its role as the host of UN climate talks as an opportunity to strike oil and gas deals. According to the BBC, leaked briefing documents reveal plans to discuss fossil fuel deals with 15 nations. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe BidenĀ will skip the latest UN climate summit in Dubai, after two years of attending the talks. Back in June, Spanish outlet Ethic was already voicing doubts and concerns about UAE heading COP28.
ā¢ Police arrest more than 100 climate protesters at Australian coal port: A two-day blockade of the world's largest coal port has triggered 109 arrests. Hundreds of activists swam or used kayaks to occupy the Newcastle port's shipping lane in Australia, to protest against climate inaction. They claim the disruption prevented over half a million tons of coal from leaving the country. Australia is the world's second biggest coal exporter and relies on fossil fuel for its own electricity needs.
ā¢ Sierra Leone curfew lifted, president says āmost leadersā of unrest arrested curfew lifted: Sierra Leone's night-time curfew imposed after armed men freed prison inmates has been lifted for now. Detainees from a number of "major" facilities were released on Sunday morning, said the West African nation's information minister. President Julius Maada Bio later said most of the leaders behind the attack had been arrested. The incident occurred amid months of post-election unrest in the West African nation.
ā¢ Lightning strikes in India leaves 24 dead: Twenty-four people have died by lightning strikes and about 23 injured in rain-related incidents in the western Indian state of Gujarat over the past two days, government officials say, with rains continuing on Monday morning.
ā¢ New Zealand scraps world-first smoking āgeneration banā to fund tax cuts: New Zealand's new government says it plans to
scrap the nation's unprecedented smoking ban to fund tax cuts. The legislation, introduced under the previous Jacinda Ardern-led government, would have banned cigarette sales starting next year to anyone born after 2008. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in New Zealand, and the policy had aimed to stop young generations from picking up the habit. Health experts have strongly criticized the sudden reversal.
Hereās an international look at the worldās toughest anti-smoking laws.
Israeli daily Hayom devotes its front page to the release of 58 hostages over the past three days under a ceasefire deal, nearly two months after they were captured by Hamas militants during the October 7 attacks. In return, three batches of 39 Palestinian prisoners were freed. Eleven more hostages are set to be released Monday on the last day of the truce between Hamas and Israel.
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This yearās Formula One season ended with a record breaking Max Verstappen having obtained his 19th victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In the final race, the Dutch driver and his Red Bull team became the first to ever lead more than 1,000 laps within a single season. Other record breaking numbers from Verstappen this season include his 19 victories out of 22 races, his 527 points accumulated and the largest winning margin yet ā 290 points away from Sergio Perezās second place.
Legalizing moonshine, a winning political stand in Poland
Moonshine, typically known as ābimberā in Poland, may soon be legalized by the incoming government. There is a mix of tradition, politics and economics that makes homemade booze a popular issue to campaign on, writes Leszek Kostrzewski in Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza.
š„šø The situation on the vodka market is clear: prices are rising, which means that Poles are less likely to buy vodka in stores, both in larger and smaller packages. MichaÅ KoÅodziejczak's idea to enable the production of moonshine for personal use could, as the leader of Agrounia probably hopes, gain support among consumers for the new government. But this wasnāt an opposition-only idea, and people associated with PiS had similar plans.
āļø Before the 2019 elections, the then Minister of Agriculture, Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski, promised to legalize the production of alcohol on farms, a program which was called "Bimber plus" in the media. āI will strive to legalize the production of spirits, tinctures and distillates in Poland,ā he announced at the time. The problem within PiS was the subsequent reaction of Polish bishops, and as a result nothing came of the minister's promises. Will it come out now, after the change of government?
ā ļø Some, including Krzysztof BrzĆ³zka, hope not. āOver the last dozen or so years, the idea of legalizing moonshine has been revived among politicians who are not fully versed in the social determinants of alcohol use. This is often accompanied by a lack of imagination about the possible scale of the so-called home or family production,ā the former president of the State Agency for Solving Alcohol-related Problems says. Unsurprisingly, the entire spirits industry is also opposed, warning that the legalization of moonshine means a decrease in revenues to the state budget from excise duty.
ā”ļø Read more on Worldcrunch.com
āItās as if I told you that you would cut the Mona Lisa in half.ā
ā Ahead of a meeting with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has reiterated a longstanding demand that the British Museum return its half of the Parthenon marbles (also known as the Elgin marbles) to Greece. Mitsotakis compared the fate of the Ancient Greek sculptures ā brought to the UK by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century ā to splitting Leonardo Da Vinciās Mona Lisa: āYou will have half of it at the Louvre and half of it at the British Museum, do you think your viewers would appreciate the beauty of the painting in such a way?ā
šø PHOTO DU JOUR
Controversial billionaire businessman Elon Musk landed in Israel where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a visit of Kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel that was the site of some of the worst violence during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. They also visited families of people who have been taken hostage by Hamas. In recent weeks, Musk has been accused by civil rights groups of amplifying anti-Semitism through the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) he now owns. Musk is set to meet with cabinet minister Benny Gantz and President Isaac Herzog later today. ā Photo: Amos Ben Gershom/Israel Gpo/ZUMA
āļø Newsletter by Emma Albright, Valeria Berghinz, Anne-Sophie Goninet and Bertrand Hauger
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