Biden says he doesn’t know whether Israeli PM is holding up peace deal to influence 2024 US election

Biden says he doesn’t know whether Israeli PM is holding up peace deal to influence 2024 US election
US President Joe Biden speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 4, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 05 October 2024
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Biden says he doesn’t know whether Israeli PM is holding up peace deal to influence 2024 US election

Biden says he doesn’t know whether Israeli PM is holding up peace deal to influence 2024 US election
  • Biden’s comments comes a week after Netanyahu rejected a 21-day Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire proposed by the US, France and other allies
  • The Israeli PM went on to order a ground invasion on Lebanon, in a major escalation of its war with Hezbollah

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden had terse words for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, and said he didn’t know whether the Israeli leader was holding up a Mideast peace deal in order to influence the outcome of the 2024 US presidential election.
“No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None. None. None. And I think Bibi should remember that,” he said, referring to the Israeli leader by his nickname. “And whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know, but I’m not counting on that.”
Biden, in a rare appearance in the White House press briefing room, was responding to comments made by one of his allies, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, who told CNN this week that he was concerned Netanyahu had little interest in a peace deal in part because of US politics.
“I don’t think you have to be a hopeless cynic to read some of Israel’s actions, some of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s actions, as connected to the American election,” Murphy said.
Biden and Netanyahu have long managed a complicated relationship, but they’re running out of space to maneuver as their views on the Gaza war diverge and their political futures hang in the balance.
For Biden, a diplomatic deal would help resolve a deep divide among Democrats over the war and shore up support for Vice President Kamala Harris, making one fewer global conflict for her to manage should she win next month. Netanyahu has his own political concerns closer to home: His far-right coalition would abandon him if he stopped the war, and he could lose power and have to face his own legal problems. And Israel has been decimating Hezbollah’s leadership, so there is little incentive to stop now.

 

Biden has long pushed for a diplomatic deal, and he and his aides have indicated several times over the past few months that such an agreement was close. But it never seems to materialize, and in some cases, Netanyahu has publicly resisted the prospect while US and Israeli officials continue to talk in private about eking out a deal.
Just last week, the US, France and other allies jointly called for an immediate 21-day Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, and expected Israel to welcome if not fully endorse the plan. Instead, Netanyahu publicly rejected it, telling leaders gathered for the UN General Assembly that Israel would “continue degrading Hezbollah until all our objectives are met.”
Israel has pressed forward on two fronts, killing top Hezbollah leaders and pursuing a ground incursion into Lebanon and conducting strikes in Gaza that killed dozens, including children. And the nation has vowed to retaliate for Iran’s ballistic missile attack this week.
Oil prices rose 5 percent Thursday as concerns mounted that Israel would hit Iranian oil facilities as payback; a surge in gas prices so close to the election would be a blow to Harris, particularly after strong economic news Friday.
Biden said there had been no decision yet on what type of response there would be toward Iran, though “I think if I were in their shoes, I’d be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields.”
He pushed back against the idea that he was seeking a meeting with Netanyahu to discuss the response to Iran. He isn’t, he said.
“I’m assuming when they make a decision on how they’re going to respond, we will then have a discussion,” he said.




A man walks amid the rubble of a building leveled in an overnight Israeli airstrike that targeted the neighborhood of Moawwad in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 3, 2024. (AFP)

But Netanyahu has grown increasingly resistant to Biden’s public charm offensives and private pleading, prompting the president’s more assertive pushback. And Biden has in turn publicly held up delivery of heavy bombs to Israel and increasingly voiced concerns over an all-out war in the Middle East.
Despite their long acquaintanceship, the two are not close or particularly friendly. When Biden was visiting Israel as vice president under Barack Obama, he and other US officials were taken aback by an Israeli government announcement of new Jewish settlements in the West Bank, something the administration strongly opposed.
Nevertheless, Biden has remained consistent in his support for Israel’s defense and security. In the aftermath of the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel, he hugged Netanyahu on the tarmac of the airport in Tel Aviv. Since then, with few exceptions, Biden has supported ongoing and enhanced US arms transfers to Israel while at the same time cautioning the Israelis to be careful in their responses to avoid civilian casualties.
“The Israelis have every right to respond to the vicious attacks on them, not just from the Iranians, but from everyone from Hezbollah to Houthis,” Biden said Friday. “But the fact is that they have to be very much more careful about dealing with civilian casualties.”
Biden has also ordered the US military to step up its profile in the region to protect Israel from attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and Iran itself. In April, and again earlier this week, the US was a leading player in shooting down missiles fired by Iran into Israel.
By contrast, Republican Donald Trump and Netanyahu have had a much more cordial relationship. Trump hosted Netanyahu in July. While president, Trump initiated policy changes that Netanyahu applauded, including recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, moving the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and rescinding a decades-old US legal determination that Jewish settlements in the West Bank were inconsistent with international law.
 


Pakistan deputy PM calls for accountability of Israel over ‘war crimes’ in Gaza

Pakistan deputy PM calls for accountability of Israel over ‘war crimes’ in Gaza
Updated 2 min 37 sec ago
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Pakistan deputy PM calls for accountability of Israel over ‘war crimes’ in Gaza

Pakistan deputy PM calls for accountability of Israel over ‘war crimes’ in Gaza
  • Ishaq Dar said this while attending the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Riyadh
  • The development came a day before Arab–Islamic summit to address Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza, Lebanon

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, on Sunday said Israel must be held accountable for its “war crimes” in Gaza, calling for an end to the “genocide” in the Palestinian territory.
Dar said this while attending the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in Riyadh to discuss Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
The development came a day before an extraordinary Arab–Islamic summit between the Arab League and the OIC on Nov. 11 to address Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza and Lebanon.
Speaking at the OIC CFM meeting, Dar condemned Israel’s “war crimes and crimes against humanity” in Palestine and demanded the world hold Israel accountable for them.
“[Dar] expressed alarm at Israeli adventurism in the Middle East that is endangering peace and security in the region,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.
“[He] called on the international community to bring an end to Gaza genocide.”
Since Oct 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed over 43,000 people and injured thousands more. Israeli strikes on Lebanon, Iran and Syria have also heightened fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”
The South Asian country has so far dispatched more than 1,300 tons of relief goods for Gaza and Lebanon, besides establishing the ‘Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for Gaza and Lebanon’ that aims to collect public donations for the war-affected people.
During his address, Dar also commended the OIC and the Arab League for their unwavering dedication to the Palestinian cause.
The Nov. 11 summit in Riyadh will be a follow-up to the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit held in November 2023 in Riyadh, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.
The summit will be attended by PM Shehbaz Sharif who will reiterate Pakistan’s full support to the Palestinian cause.
 


Arab, Muslim leaders to meet in Saudi Arabia for talks on Gaza, Lebanon wars

Arab, Muslim leaders to meet in Saudi Arabia for talks on Gaza, Lebanon wars
Updated 15 min 39 sec ago
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Arab, Muslim leaders to meet in Saudi Arabia for talks on Gaza, Lebanon wars

Arab, Muslim leaders to meet in Saudi Arabia for talks on Gaza, Lebanon wars

RIYADH: Arab and Muslim leaders will convene in Saudi Arabia for a summit scheduled for Monday that will focus on Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon, the Saudi Press Agency reported.  

“The escalating violence in the Palestinian and Lebanese territories, including the brutal Israeli aggression, has compelled Arab and Islamic leaders to take urgent action,” read a statement on SPA.

The summit builds on the Arab-Islamic summit to be held in Riyadh will address the dangerous and unprecedented developments in Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian territories.

“This requires solidarity among Arab and Islamic nations to confront these challenges and mitigate their consequences,” SPA added.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia, Nigeria, Palestine, and any other interested countries, along with the secretaries-general of the Arab League and OIC, to initiate immediate international action that seeks to halt the war on Gaza and pressure for a serious political process to achieve lasting, comprehensive peace based on internationally recognized principles.

The Saudi state channel Al-Ekhbariya news channel broadcast footage on Sunday of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati landing in Riyadh.


Fear grips travelers a day after deadly bombing at Pakistan train station

Fear grips travelers a day after deadly bombing at Pakistan train station
Updated 20 min 59 sec ago
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Fear grips travelers a day after deadly bombing at Pakistan train station

Fear grips travelers a day after deadly bombing at Pakistan train station
  • The suicide bombing at Quetta Railway Station killed 26 people and injured 64 others on Saturday morning
  • This was the deadliest attack since coordinated assaults in August that killed over 50 people in Balochistan

QUETTA: Fear gripped passengers traveling via trains on Sunday from Quetta to different parts of the country, a day after a deadly suicide bombing killed more than two dozen people in the southwestern Pakistani city.
At least 26 people were killed and 64 others injured when a bomb blast struck the Quetta Railway Station early on Saturday morning in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, according to officials.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest since a string of coordinated assaults on Aug. 25-26 in which more than 50 people, civilians and security officials, were killed in the region.
On Sunday, signs of destruction and blood stains were still visible at the railway station and passengers traveling from Quetta to other cities described the environment as “fearful.” 
“There is silence at the railway station this morning because everyone is in fear due to Saturday’s attack,” Muhammad Mubashir, a 24-year-old passenger who was traveling to Sibi, told Arab News.
“After any attack, the government increases the security arrangements but after a couple of days, they end the stringent security.”
Muhammad Ijaz, who came to see off his family at the railway station, was concerned about safety of his children who were traveling to Multan.
“The government must provide security to the commuters traveling through trains because it is a reasonable traveling service for poor passengers,” he demanded.
Imran Hayat, the Quetta divisional superintendent of Pakistan Railways, said they had beefed up security measures at the railway station following Saturday’s attack.
“It is very difficult to take preventive measures against suicide bombings, however, we have increased vigilance and due diligence at the Quetta Railway Station,” he told Arab News.
Balochistan is a resource-rich but impoverished province where separatist militants have been fighting a decades-long insurgency to win secession of the region. Insurgents say they are fighting what they see as the unfair exploitation of the province’s mineral and gas wealth by the federation at the center.
The Pakistani government and military deny they are exploiting Balochistan and have long maintained that neighbors such as India, Afghanistan and Iran foment trouble in the remote province and support and fund the insurgency there to impede its development potential. Balochistan is home to major China-led investment projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine.
In a statement shared with the media, the BLA said its suicide unit, the Majeed Brigade, had carried out the bombing to target a “Pakistani army unit” returning via train after completing a course at an infantry school. The claim has not yet been confirmed by the Pakistani military.
The rise in separatist attacks in Balochistan poses a major challenge for the weak coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which is battling an economic crisis and political instability as well as a rise in militant violence by both religiously motivated and separatist groups across the country.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Army Chief General Asim Munir visited Quetta on Saturday to attend funeral prayers of those killed in the railway station attack.
“We must battle this terrorism together. Apart from the Balochistan government and the federation, the people of Pakistan have to fight against it too,” Naqvi told reporters in Quetta alongside Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti.
“And you will see, God willing, as the chief minister said, we will eliminate this wave of terrorism.”
 


Saudi woman practices AlUla’s ancient shannah tradition

Saudi woman practices AlUla’s ancient shannah tradition
Updated 23 min ago
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Saudi woman practices AlUla’s ancient shannah tradition

Saudi woman practices AlUla’s ancient shannah tradition
  • Method for storing dates is kept alive

Riyadh: In the heart of the palm oases in AlUla, Hailah Al-Enezi stands out for her dedication to preserving the traditional craft of shannah, an ancient method for storing dates.

Boasting over 25 years of experience, Al-Enezi has skillfully kept this heritage craft alive, reflecting the rich history of the people of AlUla, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The process of creating shannah relies on techniques that Al-Enezi learned in her childhood.

It involves the preparation and traditional treatment of natural leather to produce durable and aesthetically pleasing containers in various shapes and sizes.

While shannah is primarily used for storing dates, it has also become a symbol of heritage and a connection between generations.

This traditional craft attracts tourists and heritage enthusiasts who often purchase these handmade pieces as gifts and souvenirs when visiting AlUla.

Al-Enezi not only crafts unique bags that preserve the quality of dates, but her work also contributes to enhancing the region's cultural identity.

Her products have become a symbol of heritage that appeals to visitors seeking authentic handmade items from AlUla.

In addition, Al-Enezi goes beyond her craft by passing on her knowledge to the next generation, training young women in the traditional art, the SPA added.

Her efforts help ensure both the continuity and the revitalization of the craft.


Bangladesh to seek Interpol alert for fugitive ex-PM Hasina loyalists

Bangladesh to seek Interpol alert for fugitive ex-PM Hasina loyalists
Updated 47 min 23 sec ago
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Bangladesh to seek Interpol alert for fugitive ex-PM Hasina loyalists

Bangladesh to seek Interpol alert for fugitive ex-PM Hasina loyalists
  • Dozens of Hasina loyalists accused of involvement in bloody crackdown have been arrested
  • Red notices issued by Interpol alert law enforcement agencies worldwide about fugitives

 DHAKA: Bangladesh said Sunday it would request an Interpol “red notice” alert for fugitive leaders of the ousted regime of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was toppled in a revolution in August.

“Those responsible for the indiscriminate killings during the mass uprising in July and August will be brought back from wherever they have taken refuge,” Asif Nazrul, the interim government’s law adviser, told reporters on Sunday.

“We will ensure they are arrested and brought to justice.”

Dozens of Hasina’s allies have been taken into custody since her regime collapsed, accused of involvement in a police crackdown that killed more than 700 people during the unrest that led to her ouster.

France-based Interpol publishes red notices at the request of a member nation, based on an arrest warrant issued in their home country.

Nazrul did not mention any individual by name, but Bangladesh has already issued an arrest warrant for 77-year-old Hasina — last seen arriving in India after fleeing by helicopter as crowds stormed her palace.

Hasina’s 15-year rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.

Red notices issued by the global police body alert law enforcement agencies worldwide about fugitives.

Nazrul said they would request a red notice “as soon as possible.”

India is a member of Interpol, but the red notice does not mean New Delhi must hand Hasina over.

Member countries can “apply their own laws in deciding whether to arrest a person,” according to the group, which organizes police cooperation between 196 member countries.

Hasina has been summoned to appear in court in Dhaka on November 18 to face charges of “massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity.”

Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), told AFP on Sunday that the court had “sought arrest warrants for more than 60 individuals,” and that “so far, around 25 have been arrested,.”