Netanyahu hopes he and Biden can ‘overcome’ differences
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Joe Biden has made a mistake by pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, in comments made on the US talk show Dr Phil.
“I’ve known Joe Biden for many years, 40 years and more. We often had our agreements, but we’ve had our disagreements. We’ve been able to overcome them. I hope we can overcome them now,” Netanyahu said in the interview, aired on Thursday evening.
Netanyahu added that Israel “will do what we have to do to protect our country”, saying that the country has “no other choice” but to defeat Hamas.
Netanyahu on Dr. Phil? Wtf.
Wow, that intro. I can't even watch the interview, the tone has been set, pure propaganda. Is this what the older generations get fed on TV?
And the comments....
UN to vote on resolution reviving Palestine’s bid for UN membership
The United Nations General Assembly is expected to vote later today on a resolution that would grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and that, again, calls on the UN Security Council to favourably reconsider Palestine’s request for full UN membership.
The US vetoed a widely backed resolution on April 18 that would have paved the way for full UN membership for Palestine, a goal that Israel has worked strenuously to prevent and Washington has been instrumental in blocking on behalf of its key ally.
The US deputy ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, said on Thursday that the Biden administration remained opposed to Palestinian membership. During the April 18 vote, Palestine’s application received strong support with a vote of 12 in favour, the UK and Switzerland abstaining, and the US alone in voting no.
The State of Palestine appealed for support on Thursday, saying a vote for UN membership comes at “a critical moment for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State … [and] rightful place among the community of nations”.
Turkey-Israel trade – Turkish president cuts trade ties worth $9.5bn
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suspended $9.5bn worth of trade with Tel Aviv, in response to Israel’s war on Gaza. Many in Turkey believe the measure is intended to push other nations to act against the Israeli government.
EU crisis management chief condemns arson attack on UNRWA’s Jerusalem HQ
Janez Lenarcic, the European commissioner for emergency responses, has called on Israeli authorities to ensure the “security and safety of UN staff” after attackers twice set fire to the perimeter of UNRWA headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israeli authorities must “prosecute those responsible for the attack”, Lenarcic said.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini reported earlier that a crowd of Israelis, some armed, gathered to chant outside his agency’s office: “Burn down the United Nations”, noting that it took Israeli police and firefighters “a while before they turned up”.
“Over the past two months, Israeli extremists have been staging protests outside the UNRWA compound in Jerusalem, called by an elected member of the Jerusalem municipality,” Lazzarini said on social media.
“This week, the protest became violent when demonstrators threw stones at UN staff and at the buildings of the compound,” he said. “UN staff, premises and operations should be protected at all times in line with international law,” he added.
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