Welcome to World Brief. It examines the possible US decision to cut aid to Israeli military units, Germany’s arrest of three suspected Chinese spies, and the crumbling relationship between the US and Niger.
Welcome to World Brief. It examines the possible US decision to cut aid to Israeli military units, Germany’s arrest of three suspected Chinese spies, and the crumbling relationship between the US and Niger.
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Suspicion of human rights violations
Israeli officials react to reports that the US government is considering cutting off US aid to an Israeli battalion accused of human rights abuses in the West Bank ahead of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. was caught off guard. If this happens, it would be the first time the US government has announced such measures against Israeli military units.
The unit in question is the Israel Defense Forces’ Netza Yehuda Battalion, established in 1999 for ultra-Orthodox and religious nationalist soldiers. In one of Netza Yehuda’s most public human rights disputes, US authorities have called for an investigation into the unit’s role in the 2022 death of Palestinian-American Omar Assad, 78.
The potential move comes after an internal U.S. State Department committee several months ago told Secretary of State Antony Blinken that U.S. This was in response to a ProPublica article published last week that recommended that the program be terminated. There were human rights violations, but Mr. Blinken took no action. The committee, called the Israel Leahy Review Forum, is tasked with ensuring that U.S. aid to Israel complies with the so-called Leahy Act. The law requires the United States to cut off aid to foreign military and police forces suspected of serious crimes. Human rights violations.
Blinken said last week that he had “made a decision” based on the committee’s recommendations after ProPublica’s report came out, and that details of the decision would be made public in the coming days. He did not say which Israeli military or police units were being evaluated, but U.S. sources told Axios that multiple units were investigated, but Netza Yehuda was not cleared because others had corrected their actions. only said that U.S. aid would be cut off. Media and human rights organizations have documented alleged abuses by Israeli security forces outside of Netza Yehuda, including sexual assault, torture, and extrajudicial killings. This includes the Israeli Border Police’s elite unit Yamam, which carries out anti-terrorism operations.
Reports about the possible cutoff of aid to Netza Yehuda have alarmed and angered Israeli officials, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu writing on X that doing so would be “the height of absurdity and moral degradation.” ” and the Israeli government vowed to “act.” By all means,” I oppose such a decision. Benny Gantz, Israel’s wartime cabinet minister, also urged Blinken to reconsider his decision in a conversation Sunday, according to Gantz’s office.
But even as the US considers suspending aid to the battalion, it appears the Biden administration still intends to pump billions more into military aid to Israel. Last weekend, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a foreign aid bill that would send approximately $26.4 billion in aid to Israel, some of which was earmarked for humanitarian aid in Gaza. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is widely expected to pass.
Separately on Monday, Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Hariba announced he was resigning, citing the ministry’s failure to warn of an impending Hamas attack on October 7. Hariba is the highest-ranking Israeli official to resign since the attack. In his resignation letter, Hariba said, “The Intelligence Directorate under my command was unable to carry out the mission entrusted to us.” “I’ve carried that dark day with me every day and night ever since. I’ll carry the terrible pain of war with me forever.”
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this week’s world
Monday, April 22nd: Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Monday, April 22nd to April 24th: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visits Pakistan for three days.
Wednesday, April 24 to April 26: Mr. Blinken visits China.
Friday, April 26: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz invites NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for talks.
what we follow
Spying for China? German authorities have arrested three German nationals suspected of spying for China since at least June 2022, officials announced Monday. The three, who authorities did not identify by full name, are believed to have transferred sensitive naval data and technical information for military use to the Chinese government.
“At the time of their arrest, the defendants were engaged in further negotiations regarding a research project that could be particularly useful for expanding China’s maritime combat power,” German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said in a statement. The arrest came days after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz concluded a three-day visit to China, during which he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.
Ecuador’s hard line. In a referendum on Sunday, Ecuadorians voted overwhelmingly to give President Daniel Novoa more powers to crack down on ongoing gang violence. Ecuador reported a record 8,000 murders last year, making it South America’s most violent country, but President Noboa told the military that Ecuador was in an “internal armed conflict.” ordered the gangs to be “neutralized”.
The approved proposals will allow the Noboa government to take tougher security measures, including establishing joint police and military patrols and introducing long sentences for those convicted of drug trafficking and terrorism. “We defended our country. Now we have more tools to fight crime and restore peace to Ecuadorian families,” Novoa posted on Instagram. Some human rights groups had previously criticized his approach, saying it led to abuses.
Breakdown of relationships. U.S. officials announced Saturday that the United States has agreed to withdraw more than 1,000 military personnel stationed in Niger, raising questions about the future of the U.S. position in the region as more African countries move closer to Russia. There is. The announcement came about a month after Nigeria’s ruling military government said it had ended the two countries’ military cooperation agreement and ordered the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Cameron Hudson, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, argued in Foreign Policy magazine earlier this month that U.S. policy toward Niger suffers from a “gap between rhetoric and reality.” “In a region now defined as the global epicenter of terrorism, Washington is on the back foot, increasingly blind to the plans of jihadist groups, and unable to do what is necessary to maintain its foothold. Goodwill is dangerously low, putting vital strategic interests at risk,” he wrote.
Probability and outcome
Emerson, the fat elephant seal, has become a local celebrity on a beach in Victoria, British Columbia. But when wildlife officials, concerned for his and the public’s safety, tried to move him to another beach 125 miles away, he pointed out that it’s hard to keep stars away from their rabid fans. I realized that. Emerson raced back to the beach, swimming about 20 miles a day, to continue the show for his favorite followers.
