Biden says killing of Hamas leader not helpful for ceasefire
US President Joe Biden has said the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh will not help ceasefire negotiations between the Palestinian group and Israel.
Speaking at Joint Base Andrews in the US state of Maryland, where a plane landed late on Thursday carrying detainees released by Russia, Biden said he had a “direct conversation” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the killing.
Haniyeh was killed in his accommodation in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Wednesday, in an assassination widely blamed on Israel.
Master of understatement. Netanyahu wants Trump in power, he'll keep undermining your ceasefire plan in any way possible. If you care at all about you legacy, you need to impose sanctions and stop sending more weapons to get a ceasefire secured.
Blinken speaks with UAE, Saudi foreign ministers as tension mounts
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Thursday, in a call in which the pair discussed “ongoing tensions and developments in the Middle East”.
“The Secretary emphasised the importance of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of hostages and reiterated the importance of preventing the escalation or spread of the conflict,” a State Department readout of the call said.
The same day, Blinken spoke with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in a call in which the pair also discussed a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as facilitating “increased and sustained levels of humanitarian assistance” to the Palestinian enclave.
More words without actions
Fighting censorship with err censorship
Turkey restricts Instagram after ‘censorship’ of Haniyeh posts
Turkey has shut off access to Instagram, according to its national communications authority, after a top government official slammed the social media platform for “censoring” Hamas-related content.
The communications authority said in a post on its website that “instagram.com has been blocked by a decision on the date of 02/08/2024”, without giving a reason for the block.
On Wednesday, the Turkish presidency’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, accused Instagram of blocking condolence posts on the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
“This is censorship, pure and simple,” Altun wrote on X, noting that Instagram had not cited any policy violations for its decision to block the content. “We will continue to defend freedom of expression against these platforms, which have repeatedly shown that they serve the global system of exploitation and injustice,” Altun said.
“We will stand by our Palestinian brothers at every opportunity and on every platform,” he said.
