Israele vuole evacuare i civili da Rafah. Dimissioni di Katalin Novák 🗞️ Rassegna del 12/02/2024

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.

(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

(Al Jazeera) UNRWA refutes Israeli implications of Hamas tunnel below Gaza HQ

• The chief of the UN’s aid agency in Gaza has said that it had no knowledge of what was beneath its abandoned headquarters amid Israeli claims that a Hamas tunnel ran below the Gaza City site.
• While few know the full extent of what some Israeli officials call the “metro”, the tunnels are believed to cross the entire enclave for hundreds of kilometres. Experts estimate a depth of 15 to 60 metres
• In the past, Lazzarini added, “protest letters” were filed to Hamas officials and Israeli authorities “whenever suspicious cavity was found close to or under UNRWA premises” and that the matter was “consistently reported” to the UN General Assembly.

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.

(New York Times) Short on Soldiers, Ukraine Debates How to Find the Next Wave of Troops

• [...] both the country’s former top commander and his replacement have emphasized the same looming problem: a need to relieve exhausted, battered troops whose combat tours have stretched nearly two years.
• In announcing the appointment of Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky to command the military, Mr. Zelensky said he wanted a “new management team” for the armed forces. He has signaled a search for a new strategy that accounts for exhausted frontline soldiers in Ukraine’s million-man army
• Mr. Zelensky, at a news conference that month, said General Zaluzhny’s staff had asked to draft 450,000 to 500,000 men, a comment that appeared intended to shift responsibility to the military for a decision to call up so many more soldiers, opposition politicians said. General Zaluzhny responded that the decision was not up to the military. He said the armed forces had prepared estimates of their manpower needs to allow for rotations of those serving now, replace soldiers killed or wounded in combat and anticipate future losses

Europa

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. 

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.

Politica internazionale

Medio Oriente

Qatar: (Associated Press) Post-World Cup, Qatar is pressing ahead with labor reforms but concerns for migrant workers remain

• The U.N.-backed International Labor Organization says reforms introduced following the World Cup have improved the situation of migrant workers. Meanwhile, human rights group Amnesty International says migrant workers still face abuses. The issue has faded to the background as Qatar once again plays host to a major international soccer tournament, this time the Asian Cup.

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

Africa

Senegal:

 (BBC) Senegal: Clashes spread over election postponement

• Senegalese President Macky Sall defends his decision to postpone elections amidst violent protests, rejecting allegations of unconstitutionality.
• The presidential vote in Senegal is marred by controversies, including deadly protests, disqualification of opposition leaders, and tensions over candidate eligibility.
• Faith in democracy has declined in Senegal, with concerns over repression of media, civil society, and opposition.

Somalia:

(Deutsche Welle) Somalia: 3 Emirati troops, Bahraini officer killed in attack

• Three soldiers of the United Arab Emirates and a Bahraini officer were killed in an attack in Somalia while on a mission to train Somali armed forces, UAE's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday
• The attack was claimed by al-Shabab which is linked to al-Qaeda and has waged a deadly insurgency against Somalia's central government and its foreign supporters since 2006 in a bid to establish its own rule.