UNRWA sotto accusa si difende. Europa-NATO in allerta su Trump. 🗞️ Rassegna del 13/02/2024

Israele

(Associated Press) Israel seeks to evacuate Palestinians jammed into a southern Gaza city ahead of an expected invasion

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered military preparations to evacuate the population of Rafah in preparation for an expected invasion, as around 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge there.
• The Biden administration and the United Nations have expressed concerns about an invasion without proper planning, warning of disastrous humanitarian consequences.

(BBC) Israel rescues two hostages in Rafah amid deadly strikes

• Israeli forces have rescued two hostages in a raid in Rafah, Gaza, marking progress in freeing captives held by Hamas. At least 67 Palestinians were killed during the airstrikes as part of the operation.
• The Israeli government aims to free all remaining captives and destroy Hamas' military and governing capabilities. However, rifts have emerged in Israel over the best approach to ending the hostage ordeal.
• The ongoing conflict has resulted in massive civilian casualties, with over 28,000 Palestinians killed and 80% of the population displaced, causing a humanitarian crisis.
• Il capo dell’UNRWA, Lazzarini, non intende dimettersi, dopo le accuse 

Stati Uniti:

(Washington Post) Biden moving closer to a breach with Netanyahu over war in Gaza

• President Biden and his top aides are closer to a breach with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [...], no longer viewing him as a productive partner who can be influenced even in private, according to several people familiar with their internal discussions
• Netanyahu has angered U.S. officials on several occasions in just the past few days. He publicly denounced a hostage deal while Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the region trying to broker an agreement. He announced the Israeli military would be moving into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a move U.S. officials have publicly opposed
• For now, the White House has rejected calls to withhold military aid to Israel or impose conditions on it, saying that would only embolden Israel’s enemies. But some of Biden’s aides argue that criticizing Netanyahu would allow him to distance himself from an unpopular leader

Paesi Bassi:

(Reuters) Dutch court orders halt to export of F-35 jet parts to Israel

• The Dutch government has been ordered by an appeals court to stop exporting F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel due to concerns over violations of international humanitarian law.
• Human rights organizations argued that the parts contributed to alleged war crimes committed by Israel in its conflict with Hamas.
• The court ruling requires the Dutch government to comply with the order within seven days.

Regno Unito:

(BBC) UK sanctions four Israeli settlers accused of violence

• The UK government is imposing sanctions on four Israeli settlers accused of human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank.
• The US has imposed sanctions on four other Israeli settlers due to a surge of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
• There is "grave concern" among selected EU countries, UK, Switzerland, Canada, and Australia about the increasing attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinians.

Ucraina

(Deutsche Welle) Russian forces using Musk's Starlink in occupied areas, says Ukraine

• "Cases of the Russian occupiers' use of the given devices have been registered. It is beginning to take on a systemic nature," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) quoted spokesman Andriy Yusov as saying
• GUR said it had intercepted an exchange between two soldiers discussing setting up the terminals. The agency didn't say whether the terminals had been procured from abroad or captured from Ukrainian forces.
• "If SpaceX obtains knowledge that a Starlink terminal is being used by a sanctioned or unauthorized party, we investigate the claim and take actions to deactivate the terminal if confirmed," a statement from the firm said this week.

Russia

(The Telegraph) Russia’s planes fall apart as West blocks repairs

• Gli incidenti aerei in Russia sono aumentati drasticamente a causa delle sanzioni occidentali che limitano l'accesso alle parti di ricambio per gli aerei di produzione occidentale.
• Nel corso dell'ultimo anno, il numero di incidenti di sicurezza su aerei russi è più che raddoppiato, con più della metà dei casi collegati a problemi tecnici.
• Le sanzioni hanno portato le compagnie aeree russe a cercare soluzioni alternative per la manutenzione, come l'importazione di parti da paesi alleati o l'uso di intermediari esteri, ma a un costo molto più elevato rispetto al passato.
• Le pressioni finanziarie e le restrizioni operative imposte dalle sanzioni stanno mettendo a dura prova le compagnie aeree russe, con proiezioni che indicano una significativa riduzione della flotta operativa nel prossimo decennio.

Europa

NATO:

(Wall Street Journal) NATO Leader Blasts Trump’s Suggestion He Would Encourage Russian Invasion of U.S. Allies

• NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and other Western officials on Sunday offered a harsh rebuke to comments made a day earlier by presidential candidate Donald Trump, who suggested that if he was re-elected he would encourage Russia to invade U.S. allies that failed to contribute enough military spending.
• The White House on Saturday night weighed in, saying President Biden had strengthened the alliance and that he would “continue to bolster American leadership and stand up for our national security interests—not against them.” 
• Trump’s allies have alleged that his tough talk has a way of eliciting action that advances U.S. interests, as he has long alleged that European and Asian countries have relied too much on the U.S. military for their own protection.

Polonia:

(Associated Press) Poland’s Tusk heads to France, Germany to strengthen alliance as fears grow over Russia and Trump

• Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk is traveling to Paris and Berlin to strengthen alliances amid concerns that former President Donald Trump could return to power and enable Russian aggression in Europe.
• Tusk's meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz aim to revive the Weimar Triangle, a political format for cooperation among Poland, France, and Germany.
• Trump's invitation for Russia to invade NATO members not meeting defense spending targets has shocked front-line countries like Poland, which fears Russian aggression due to its history of occupation and the war in neighboring Ukraine.

Finlandia:

(Associated Press) New NATO member Finland elects a president set to keep up hard line on neighboring Russia

• La Finlandia ha un nuovo presidente dopo che l'ex primo ministro Alexander Stubb ha vinto domenica scorsa. Prenderà il posto a marzo e guiderà l'integrazione del Paese nella NATO.
• Stubb, del centro-destra Partito della Coalizione Nazionale, ha ottenuto il 51,6% dei voti, mentre il candidato indipendente e ex Ministro degli Esteri Pekka Haavisto ha ottenuto il 48,4%.
• Il presidente finlandese ha un ruolo chiave nella formulazione della politica estera e di sicurezza insieme al governo, comandando anche le forze armate, specialmente dopo che la Finlandia si è unita alla NATO nell'aprile 2023 in seguito all'attacco della Russia all'Ucraina un anno prima.
• Durante la campagna, Stubb ha enfatizzato l'importanza di mantenere una linea dura nei confronti di Mosca, rafforzare i legami di sicurezza con Washington e aiutare l'Ucraina militarmente.

Ungheria: 

(Reuters) Hungarian president Novak resigns over sex abuse case pardon

• Hungary's president, Katalin Novák, resigned following public outrage over her pardon of a man convicted of hiding child sexual abuses in a state-run children's home.
• Novák acknowledged her mistake and the lack of justification for the pardon, which raised doubts about the country's zero tolerance for pedophilia.
• Another key Fidesz figure, Judit Varga, endorsed the pardon but announced her retirement from public life and resigned as a member of parliament.

Politica internazionale

Asia e Pacifico

Pakistan:

(Reuters) Pakistan's Khan-backed independents lead in final poll count

• The final results of Pakistan's national election put independents, backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in the lead with 93 of 264 seats
• The party of another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was second with 75 seats after Thursday's vote, lacking a clear majority but it was the largest single party in parliament as Khan's independents ran as individuals
• The former prime ministers and bitter rivals have both declared victory, adding to the uncertainty as the country faces numerous urgent challenges, including negotiating a new International Monetary Fund programme to keep a struggling economy afloat