Monday briefing: Biden clashes with Netanyahu
Biden clashes with Netanyahu
The leaders of the US and Israel are locked in an increasingly public dispute over Gaza.
President Biden said on Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel,” and chided him over the rising number of civilian casualties, even as he reaffirmed US support for Israel. “It goes against what Israel stands for, and I think it’s a big mistake,” Biden said. “So I want to see a ceasefire.”
Yesterday, Netanyahu rejected Biden’s assessment as “wrong.” He told Politico that he was doing what an “overwhelming majority” of Israelis wanted.
Biden’s comments highlighted the delicate position the US finds itself in: arming Israel while providing humanitarian aid to Gaza. Yesterday the US military said a ship had left to build a floating pier off the coast of Gaza to allow aid; the project can take weeks to complete.
Details: The floating pier will enable the delivery of as many as two million meals a day to Gaza, which has a population of about 2.3 million. But a Pentagon spokesman acknowledged that neither airdrops nor the pier would be as effective as sending aid by land — which Israel has blocked.
Haitian capital ‘is a war zone’
Haiti is facing an uprising unlike anything seen in decades.
Armed gangs have taken control of the main airport and are demanding Prime Minister Ariel Henry resign. But even though he is stranded in Puerto Rico — and U.S. and Caribbean leaders have tried to convince him that continued power is “untenable” — Henry has refused to resign, an adviser said.
To the ground: “It’s a war zone,” said a doctor in Port-au-Prince. Many citizens are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being hit by stray bullets. Food supplies are threatened and access to water and health care is severely limited. View photos of the crisis here.
Hong Kong is taking steps in the field of security legislation
Hong Kong officials, under pressure from Beijing, are trying to pass a tough, long-standing national security law in coming weeks. The full bill, known as Article 23, was made public for the first time on Friday and could impose life sentences for political crimes such as treason.
John Lee, Hong Kong’s top leader, said it was necessary to plug holes in an existing national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 that was used to suppress pro-democracy protests and jail opposition figures. Critics say the law will clamp down on more freedoms, reduce Hong Kong’s authority and give officials more power to curb dissent.
In Beijing: Even as growth falters, President Xi Jinping remains committed to his belief that his vision of technological dominance can secure China’s rise.
China is now using the propaganda channels it once used to promote its one-child policy to send the opposite message: have more babies. These images show the government’s shift toward promoting a “pro-birth culture.”
The Australian letter: New Zealand is likely to lose about 20 percent of its journalists and television news producers as stations close and programs ax.
Memory of Akira Toriyama
Akira Toriyama, one of Japan’s most important comic book writers, helped bring anime to the rest of the world. He died this month at the age of 68.
Toriyama was best known for ‘Dragon Ball’, a manga and anime franchise that achieved worldwide success. Known for its comedic characters and martial arts battles, the series follows a young boy named Son Goku, who sets out on a journey to collect seven magical orbs that summon a wish-granting dragon.
“Goku is Toriyama’s greatest creation,” writes our critic Maya Phillips in a review of his work. “He is timeless and unbeatable.”