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Geopolitics

Karzai/Taliban Secret Meetings, France Backpedals, World Cancer Day

Monday's winter storm brought 9 inches of snow to Philadelphia and up to 8 inches to NYC.
Monday's winter storm brought 9 inches of snow to Philadelphia and up to 8 inches to NYC.
Worldcrunch

KARZAI HAD SECRET MEETINGS WITH THE TALIBAN
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has held covert negotiations with Taliban officials, aimed at forging a peace agreement without the participation of Western allies, The New York Times reports. The discovery of these meetings seems to explain Karzai’s recent combative behavior toward the U.S., the Timesreports, citing his refusal to sign a security agreement that he himself had negotiated with Washington, his releasing Taliban members from prison, and his claims that the United States is guilty of war crimes.

HOLLANDE RETREATS ON FAMILY LAW REFORM
After some 100,000 protesters took to the streets of Paris and Lyon over the weekend, French government officials are saying they won’t, as previously planned, present legislation this year calling for family law reform to reflect “diversity” such as gay marriage, which is now legal in France. Many protesters wrongly believed the reform would mean that gay couples would be eligible for state-financed fertility services. President Francois Hollande, the most unpopular French president in modern history, is believed to be backtracking for the moment to mitigate further animosity toward his administration. Read more from France 24.

UKRAINE PARLIAMENT SEEKS TO LIMIT PRESIDENTIAL POWERS
As the Ukrainian parliament begins a new term today, opposition members are calling for scrapping the current constitution and resurrecting an earlier one that gives the legislative body more power over the formation of government — and therefore the ability to call for new elections. President Viktor Yanukovych’s authority has grown increasingly weak, as his prime minister and entire cabinet have already resigned amid protests against him that have continued since November. Read more from the BBC.
Here is a recent Die Welt/Worldcrunch piece: Tortured In Kiev: A Maidan Activist's Brutal Account.

FOOD AID HEADS TO NORTHEAST SYRIA
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today that it is airlifting enough food to feed close to 30,000 displaced people for a month from Iraq to Qamishli in northeast Syria.

NORTH KOREA’S HARSH WORDS FOR JAPAN’S ABE
An editorial by North Korea’s official news agency characterizes Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as an "Asian Hitler.”

U.S. SNOW STORM
A winter storm across the East Coast on Monday brought 9 inches of snow to parts of Philadelphia and 8 inches to New York, causing school closings, flight cancellations and power outages. The National Weather Service expects the East Coast to receive even more snow today and Wednesday and is also predicting that a similar blast is headed to the Midwest today, with accumulations expected to be heaviest in Kansas and Missouri.

IS SOCHI READY?
The New York Times delivers a pretty devastating story today about the construction projects in Sochi related to the Olympic Winter Games, some of which seem far from ready ahead of Thursday’s opening competitions. The good news is that the sports stadiums are primed, but some hotels and other developments appear a long way from complete.

JOAN MONDALE DIES
Joan Mondale, the wife of former Democratic Vice President Walter Mondale and a lifelong patron of the arts, has died at age 83.

A DRAMATIC RISE IN CANCER CASES
World Cancer Day today brings despairing news. The UN’s World Health Organization has issued a report projecting that new cases of cancer will rise by half by 2030, to 21.6 million per year compared to 14 million in 2012.

MY GRAND-PÈRE’S WORLD


CROCODILE ON THE LOOSE IN THE UK
Police are searching for a crocodile who was spotted under a bridge in Bristol, UK, Monday. The Independent reports that the elusive reptile has amassed significant interest, and even has its own Twitter page — Chris the Croc, with handle @TheBristolCroc, which has already amassed more than 1,000 followers.

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FOCUS: Israel-Palestine War

Bibi Blinked: How The Ceasefire Deal Could Flip Israel's Whole Gaza War Logic

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed ahead a deal negotiated via Qatar, for a four-day truce and an exchange of 50 hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners. Though the humanitarian and political pressure was mounting, Israel's all-out assault is suddenly halted, with unforeseen consequences for the future.

photo of someone holding a poster of a hostage

Families of Israeli hostages rally in Jerusalem

Nir Alon/ZUMA
Pierre Haski

Updated Nov. 22, 2023 at 8:55 p.m.

-Analysis-

PARIS — It's the first piece of good news in 46 days of war. In the early hours of Wednesday, Israel agreed to a deal that included a four-day ceasefire and the release of some of the hostages held by Hamas — 30 children and 20 women — in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners, again women and children. The real question is what happens next.

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But first, this agreement, negotiated through the intermediary of Qatar, whose role is essential in this phase, must be implemented right away. This is a complex negotiation, because unlike the previous hostage-for-prisoner exchanges, it is taking place in the midst of a major war.

On the Palestinian side, although Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is present in Doha, he does not make the decision alone — he must have the agreement of the leaders of the military wing, who are hiding somewhere in Gaza. It takes 24 hours to send a message back and forth. As you can imagine, it's not as simple as a phone call.

And on the Israeli side, a consensus had to be built around the agreement. Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right allies were opposed to the deal — in line with their eradication logic — even at the cost of Israeli lives. But the opposition of these discredited parties was ignored, and that will leave its mark.

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