Dichiarati morti i Navy SEAL dispersi nel Mar Rosso, Donald Tusk a Kyiv 🗞️ Rassegna del 23/01/24

Israele

(Reuters) Israeli forces storm hospital as Khan Younis hit by bloodiest fighting of 2024

• Troops advanced for the first time into the al-Mawasi district near the Mediterranean Coast, west of Khan Younis, the main city in southern Gaza. There, they stormed the Al-Khair hospital and were arresting medical staff, Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qidra told Reuters
• The newest phase of the war has brought fighting deep into the last corners of the enclave packed with those fleeing bombardment. At least 25,295 Gazans have been killed since Oct. 7, Gaza health authorities said in an update on Monday

(New York Times) Protesters Storm Meeting at Israel’s Parliament to Demand More Action on Hostages

• Supporters and relatives of hostages captured in the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks burst into a meeting at Israel’s Parliament on Monday to demand that lawmakers take greater action to secure the captives’ release from Gaza
• On Monday, Mr. Netanyahu told representatives of hostage families that there was “no real proposal” from Hamas, but that Israel had put forward its own offer, without elaborating on its details, according to a statement from his office

(Wall Street Journal) Arab Peace Proposal for Gaza Takes Shape as Top Biden Adviser Lands in Region

• Saudi Arabia, which is one of five Arab countries making the proposal, is offering to normalize ties with Israel in return, a process derailed by the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7
• The proposal is still being finalized, according to Saudi and Egyptian officials, but has so far been rejected by Israel’s government, with the creation of a Palestinian state the main sticking point
• The Israelis have said they want Gulf countries to play a leading role in rebuilding the enclave, but those countries have pushed back unless there is a clear pathway toward a two-state solution.

Ucraina

(Reuters) Poland and Ukraine pledge quick end to political friction

• In his first visit to neighbouring Ukraine as prime minister, Poland's Donald Tusk delivered a message of friendship to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and said both sides "have reached a common understanding" over protests by Polish farmers and truckers
• The truckers agreed last week to suspend their protests, which had been aimed at revoking Ukrainian truckers' permit-free access to the European Union, until March 1
• Zelenskiy and Tusk also hailed plans between their countries for joint arms production, and Zelenskiy said on X that they had discussed "a new form of cooperation aimed at larger-scale arms purchases for Ukrainian needs". He did not give details

(New York Times) A New Concern on the Ukrainian Battlefield: North Korea’s Latest Missiles

• While many of the North Korean artillery rounds are proving to be duds — some appear to have been manufactured decades ago — they are giving the Russians something to fire at Ukrainian forces, who are rationing their own dwindling supply. European nations promised Ukraine a huge resupply, but for now seem to have been able to scrounge up only 300,000 or so artillery shells
• An analysis by Conflict Armament Research, an organization that has documented the arms used in Russia’s war in Ukraine, showed the missiles being provided to Russia are more recent in their design. And U.S. officials say the missiles are proving as accurate as Russia’s home-built equipment
• The Russian transfers are coming at a critical time in the war in Ukraine, as further American support hangs in the balance, subject to intense political debates on Capitol Hill. Ukraine’s ammunition needs will be a main focus of a virtual meeting of Kyiv’s allies on Tuesday, to be led by Mr. Austin

Russia

(Guardian) Critics of Ukraine war could have property seized under new Russian law

• The bill aims to allow the government to seize money and property used or intended to finance illegal activity or that which is believed to threaten national security, as determined by a court order
• It would also allow law enforcement to seize honorariums received by journalists or researchers convicted of writing “fake information” about the invasion of Ukraine, or to seize other, more valuable property including cars or flats as a substitute
• Legal experts have warned the law would make it easier for the government to punish anti-war Russians, many of whom have fled the country. “The proposed amendments are mainly aimed at combating the ‘internal enemy’ – opponents of the war, who spread their opinions and try to convince others,” said Maria Nemova, a lawyer for the Memorial human rights group

(Meduza) Journalist Asya Kazantseva, who opposed the war, left Russia. Her lectures were canceled, and State Duma deputy Andrei Lugovoi revealed her home address

• Explaining the reasons why she decided to leave the country, Kazantseva wrote: Firstly, the State Duma Ethics Commission explained that it did not see any problems in Deputy Lugovoi’s publication of my home address, because in Russia there is freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution. Secondly, I had two more lectures cancelled, in Moscow and Kazan, because there was a very large wave of hate in all kinds of pro-Kremlin publics and media. They report, among other things, on appeals from concerned citizens to the Investigative Committee regarding various of my anti-war statements
• After the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Asya Kazantseva openly opposed the war. She was detained several times for participating in anti-war protests, the last time when she was nine months pregnant
• State Duma deputy Andrei Lugovoi published Kazantseva’s personal data in his Telegram channel. The State Duma Ethics Commission, which was asked to check Lugovoy’s actions, found no violations

Europa

NATO:

(Bloomberg) Turkey Parliament Set to Vote on Sweden’s NATO Bid This Week

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party, which commands a majority in the parliament together with its nationalist ally, will seek parliament’s approval to ratify Sweden’s long-awaited NATO membership
• Erdogan’s [...] administration has been trying to acquire 40 new F-16 fighter jets and 79 upgrade kits to modernize an existing fleet of warplanes since 2021. President Joe Biden has made Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership a prerequisite for the sale of fighter aircraft to Ankara
• Sweden is expected to send hundreds of troops to Latvia to bolster NATO forces there once it gains full membership in the alliance

UE:

(Guardian) EU foreign policy chief says Israel failed to engage with Brussels peace summit

• Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, told reporters Israel Katz had come to the meeting to present plans for an artificial island off the coast of Gaza and a railway to India, concepts that had nothing to do with the peace talks
• The EU foreign policy chief has said he is determined to pursue a two-state solution in the Middle East, whether Israel is ready to participate or not
• His remarks came a day after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, reaffirmed a hard line against the establishment of any Palestinian state on the grounds it would pose “an existential danger” to Israel

Politica internazionale

Nord America

Stati Uniti:

(Reuters) US Navy declares two SEALs missing in Gulf of Aden as deceased

• The SEALs were reported missing after boarding the vessel in a Jan. 11 operation near the coast of Somali, the U.S. Central Command said on X
• A joint operation carried out by the United States, Spain and Japan searched more than 21,000 square miles of ocean for the missing SEALs, CENTCOM said in the statement. That mission had now become a recovery operation, CENTCOM said

Asia e Pacifico

India: 

(Associated Press) A temple to a top Hindu deity was built over a destroyed mosque in India. Here is why it matters

• Ayodhya has been at the center of India’s turbulent politics and the Hindu majoritarian quest to redeem the country’s religious past for decades. Its diverse, multicultural past was overrun by strident Hindu nationalism after mobs demolished the 16th-century Babri mosque in 1992
• Hindus won a prolonged legal battle in 2019, allowing them to build the temple. Hindus make up about 80% of India’s population but the country is also home to some 200 million Muslims who have frequently come under attack by Hindu nationalists
• Critics say the idea of a diverse, constitutionally secular state leading a Hindu religious ritual is deplorable. Most opposition leaders have declined the invitation, saying the event is being used for political campaigning by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, which promised to build a Ram temple as part of its election strategy