July 22, 2024
During the past weeks, developments of global public interest somehow diverted attention away from the war in Gaza until the Israeli strikes on Al-Mawasi, an area in southern Gaza where tens of thousands of Palestinians had fled to after the Israeli military declared it safe for civilians. The attack targeted Mohammed Deif, a Hamas commander, but also left nearly a hundred dead and more than three hundred wounded.
Okumaya devam etJuly 1, 2024
In recent posts, I said that Prime Minister Netanyahu could be thinking of continuing the war in Gaza in different ways depending on the battlefield requirements, lowering the loss of life among Gazans, keeping the talks over hostage-prisoner exchange and humanitarian aid alive, and thus gaining time until the upcoming US presidential election that might pave the way for another family visit to a Trump White House. But until then, should that prove to be the case, it would be a tough path for Mr. Netanyahu both at home and abroad with only a four-seat majority in the Knesset, an increasingly critical global view of Israel’s operations in Gaza, and now the prospect of a war with Hezbollah.
Okumaya devam etJune 17, 2024
On May 31, President Biden announced that Israel has offered a comprehensive new proposal. He described the three-phase Israeli plan as a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages. He added that the proposal had been transmitted by Qatar to Hamas.[i]
Okumaya devam etApril 15, 2024
Since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, I have held the view that Iran will continue to support its Middle East proxies but not to the brink of war with Israel. I still do.
Although Washington and its Western partners remained silent on the attack and ignored its international law dimension, Israel’s bombing of Iran’s diplomatic compound in Damascus on April 1 marked an unprecedented escalation by Israel against Iran. Tehran’s response was to fire more than 300 drones and missiles on Israel. Of these, 99% were intercepted overnight by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system. The US, UK, and France also helped to intercept the massive barrage of drones Iran fired. Thus, only several missiles reached Israeli territory, causing minor damage to an air base. There were no casualties.
Okumaya devam etMarch 11, 2024
Despite optimistic remarks by President Biden, the ceasefire and hostage release talks in Cairo failed to make any progress. The release of all hostages was never in the cards, unfortunately, since they happen to be Hamas’s principal bargaining chip until the end of the war. But even the freeing of some, alongside a temporary ceasefire, would have been an achievement. Washington now says that the ball is now in Hamas’s court.
Okumaya devam etJanuary 22, 2024
On January 18, Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed that Israel under his leadership will not compromise on less than total victory over Hamas, and they will win. “In any arrangement in the foreseeable future — with an arrangement or without one — Israel must have security control over all the territory west of the Jordan,” Mr. Netanyahu also said at a news conference, referring to the area that would supposedly belong to an independent Palestinian state. “This clashes with the idea of sovereignty. What can you do? The prime minister needs to be capable of saying no to our friends,” he declared.
Okumaya devam etJanuary 17, 2024
That the US and the UK reacted militarily to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea was no surprise. What is striking is how after years of war, Yemen, a country going through the world’s worst humanitarian crisis is becoming a party to another regional conflict.
Iran says it does not want to get involved in a wider conflict, but groups in the “Axis of Resistance” including the Houthis are carrying out attacks on Israel and its allies to show solidarity with the Palestinians. And, White House Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby says that the US is not looking for conflict with Iran or looking to escalate. But reportedly, the US now plans to put the Houthis back on its global terrorism list.
Okumaya devam etJanuary 2, 2024
On May 7, 2021, China initiated a virtual discussion at the UN Security Council on the future of the Organization and the international order.
In remarks to the Security Council, Secretary Blinken, after thanking China for the initiative, underlined respect for international commitments, particularly the legally binding ones such as the UN Charter, treaties and conventions, UN Security Council resolutions, international humanitarian law, and the rules and standards agreed to under the auspices of the World Trade Organization and numerous international standard-setting organizations.
Okumaya devam etDecember 18, 2023
For most of the past year, the war in Ukraine and Washington’s strategic competition with China dominated the global agenda. Then came the October 7 Hamas onslaught against Israel creating yet another maelstrom of uncertainty for the Middle East and beyond, leading me to say in an earlier post that at present Washington and its European allies are neither at war nor in peace. Today, Western countries do not have troops on the ground fighting in Ukraine, but they are deeply involved in the conflict providing Kyiv with huge sums of military assistance and military advice. They are not at war with Hamas, but they are politically involved. In brief, one may say with some exaggeration, that today Washington and its European allies are fighting a one-and-a-half war.
Okumaya devam etDecember 11, 2023
Jews are a gifted people. They have made great contributions to science, culture, and arts. Israel is among the top twenty countries winning the most Nobel prizes. However, the first Nobel prizes were awarded in 1901. Israel was founded in 1948. Had Israel existed in 1901, surely it would have been among the top ten if not the top five today. Unfortunately, Jewish people have experienced endless tragedies, persecution, pogroms, displacements, and annihilation attempts prompted by racism, anti-Semitism, and jealousy of their achievements.
Okumaya devam et
Diplomatik Yorum - Ali Tuygan 