Netanyahu moves to consolidate power as pressure mounts over Gaza war
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Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Israeli PM says to brief army on Gaza war plan
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Monday to update Israel's Gaza war plan, a day before a UN Security Council meeting on the fate of hostages still held in the Palestinian territory. Addressing a cabinet meeting with the war well into its 22nd month, the Israeli leader told ministers that later in the week he would instruct the military on how "to achieve the three war objectives we have set". Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 and the Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted officials in Netanyahu's office saying that the "updated strategy" would be to re-occupy all of Gaza, including areas in Gaza City where the military believes hostages are being held. The cabinet would meet on Tuesday to endorse the plan, the reports said. There was no immediate official confirmation, but the Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry denounced what it called a "leaked" plan and urged the international community to intervene to quash any new military occupation. Netanyahu is facing mounting domestic and international pressure to bring the remaining hostages in Gaza home and allow much more aid into the starving territory. Israel -- backed by the United States and Panama -- is preparing to convene a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday to highlight the fate of the hostages. Netanyahu on Monday reiterated that Israel's three war goals remained "the defeat of the enemy, the release of our hostages and the promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel". His statement came after hundreds of retired Israeli security chiefs wrote to US President Donald Trump to urge him to convince Netanyahu to end the war. - 'Immediate mortal danger' - Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said ahead of the UN meeting that "the world must put an end to the phenomenon of kidnapping civilians. It must be front and centre on the world stage". Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The UN session was called after Palestinian militant groups last week published three videos showing hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David appearing weak and emaciated, causing shock and distress in Israel. Netanyahu said he had asked the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide food and medical treatment to the Israeli captives. Hamas's armed wing said it was willing to allow access to the hostages in exchange for opening aid corridors into all of Gaza, where UN-mandated experts have warned famine is unfolding. Netanyahu's government has faced repeated accusations by relatives of hostages and other critics that it has not done enough to rescue the captives. "Netanyahu is leading Israel and the hostages to ruin," said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group. "For 22 months, the public has been sold the illusion that military pressure and intense fighting will bring the hostages back. "The truth must be said: expanding the war endangers the lives of the hostages, who are already in immediate mortal danger." - 'Only through a deal' - Mediation efforts led by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have failed to secure a truce. Hundreds of retired Israeli security officials including former heads of intelligence agencies have urged US President Donald Trump to pressure their own government to end the war. "It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel," the former officials wrote in an open letter shared with the media on Monday. The war "is leading the State of Israel to lose its security and identity", said Ami Ayalon, former director of the Shin Bet security service, in a video released to accompany the letter. The letter argued that the Israeli military "has long accomplished the two objectives that could be achieved by force: dismantling Hamas's military formations and governance". "The third, and most important, can only be achieved through a deal: bringing all the hostages home," it added. - 'We are starving' - The October 2023 Hamas attack that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally of official figures. Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed at least 60,933 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which are deemed reliable by the UN. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli fire on Monday killed at least 19 Palestinians, including nine who were waiting to collect food aid from a site in central Gaza. In Gaza City, Umm Osama Imad was mourning a relative she said was killed while trying to reach an aid distribution point. "We are starving... He went to bring flour for his family," she said. "The flour is stained with blood. We don't want the flour anymore. Enough!" UN rights chief Volker Turk on Monday said "the images of people starving in Gaza are heart-rending and intolerable. That we have reached this stage is an affront to our collective humanity." He called on Israel to urgently allow aid into the territory, adding that denying it "may amount to a war crime". He also described the videos of hostages as "shocking", calling for the ICRC to be allowed immediate access to them. bur-ami/dc/smw
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hebron Republicans, Democrats endorse their slate of candidates
HEBRON — Hebron Democrats and Republicans have endorsed their chosen candidates to run for municipal offices this fall. The town has a town manager style of government, overseen by a five-member Board of Selectmen. Three of the seats on that board are up for re-election. Democrat Tiffany Thiele has been endorsed to run again, and Jan Lawrence was also nominated by the Democratic Town Committee to run for the seat that is currently held by Democrat Claudia Riley. The Republicans nominated Rob McLaughlin to serve on the board. There are currently three Republicans on the Board: Keith Petit, who is the current chair, Daniel Larson, the current vice chair, and Sean Fitzgerald, who was just appointed in June to succeed Peter Kaspar, who had to resign mid-term due to a relocation out of town. Fitzgerald's term, as is Petit's, runs to November of 2027. McLaughlin is running for Larson's seat. Larson was first elected to the Board of Selectmen in 2009, and served a stint as Board Chair, but has been involved in different town roles for decades. 'I've been serving the town and putting my life on the line since 1980,' said Larson, an electrician who has been in the Hebron Fire Company and is a former fire chief. He's also been a fire maintainer, emergency medical technician, burning official, deputy fire marshal and fish and game warden, to name a few roles. He said he's seen a lot of change, arriving in town when the population was approximately 3,500 people and 'there were more cows than people' and watching the town grow to almost 10,000 residents. 'There comes a point in time when you have to bow out gracefully,' Larson said. 'It's time I take care of myself and my family a little bit. It was a hard decision. I've met a lot of fantastic people. It's just time.' However, he will never stop working to make the town better, even if unofficially, saying that one of his goals is to improve cell service in town. 'Service is markedly worse, with more dead zones and more dropped calls,' Larson said, noting he planned to gain aid from state legislators for this problem. 'There are less land lines to fall back on as everyone switched to cell phones. The cell phone companies need to be making upgrades that benefit everyone. If people can't make emergency calls, that's a problem.' Thiele, a public relations manager and former journalist, was first elected as Selectman in 2021. Democratic Town Committee Chair Chris Lawrence said there was a mix of returning Democrats and new faces among the candidates this year. 'It's a good slate,' she said. For the Town Clerk, incumbent Francesca Villani was cross-endorsed by both the Democratic and the Republican caucuses and will return for another term. For the Board of Finance, Democrats endorsed Ryan Herrick and Adam Ockman, while Republicans selected Brian O'Reilly and Michael Beaulieu. For the Board of Assessment Appeals, Maura Curran Baker was nominated by the Republican caucus. For the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Republican Party selected Chad Livernois, Christopher Cyr and Brenda Nicolo; Democrats picked David Sousa. Cyr currently sits on the commission. For Planning and Zoning Commission alternate, Democrats nominated Davis Howell, an incumbent. For the Zoning Board of Appeals, Adam Thiele is the Democratic candidate, while Jason Guidone, Martin Halloran and Brian Tyler are the Republican nominees. Catherine McSweeney, a Democrat, and June Danaher, a Republican, are the candidates for Zoning Board of Appeals alternate; Danaher is an incumbent. For the local Board of Education seats overseeing Hebron and Gilead Hill Elementary Schools, the Republican candidates are Toni Livernois and Alyson Nadeau-Schmeizl; Nadeau-Schmeizl is the incumbent. The Democrats endorsed Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Nicole Matthews and Heather Petit. Matthews and Petit are current incumbents and Petit is now the board chair. For the regional Board of Education, which oversees RHAM Middle/High School, Hebron residents who were endorsed included Republicans Amy D'Amaddio, who previously served on the Board, including a stint as chair; Rudy Dellafiore Jr. and Jessica Hall. Hebron Democrats Michele May, Brandie O'Reilly and Keith Petit were also nominated for seats on the regional school board. Lawrence, the Democratic Town Committee chair, did note some of the candidates were endorsed as place-holders and may not be on the ballot in November. The Democratic party will host a fundraiser on September 13, staff an informational booth at the town's Harvest Moon Festival in October, and is planning an candidate forum ahead of the elections. The Republican Town Committee meets on the fourth Monday of every month.
Bloomberg
39 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Modi Needs the White House Off His Back
What began as a US-China trade war has suddenly turned into an open and ugly confrontation between Washington and New Delhi. Donald Trump has escalated the conflict, but the onus for defusing it is squarely with Narendra Modi — and both sides know it. With two days to go before the US president's reciprocal trade taxes come into effect, he's doubling down on his threat to impose a 'substantially higher' tariff on India than the 25% already announced.
