Israeli-Palestinian cauldron tests US as Blinken visits
An alarming spike in Israeli-Palestinian violence and sharp responses by both sides are testing the Biden administration as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plunges into a cauldron of deepening mistrust and anger on visits to Israel and the West Bank this week. What had already been expected to be a trip fraught with tension over differences between the administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new far-right government has grown significantly more complicated over the past four days with a spate of deadly incidents. Blinken’s high-wire diplomatic act begins Monday after he completes a brief visit to Egypt that has been almost entirely overshadowed by the deteriorating security situation in Israel and the West Bank.
Concerns over prayer breakfast lead Congress to take it over
The National Prayer Breakfast is one of the most visible and long-standing events that brings religion and politics together in Washington. But due to concerns the gathering had become too divisive, it’s now splitting from the private religious group that had overseen it for decades. The organizer and host for this year’s breakfast, which is scheduled for Thursday, will be a new foundation headed by former Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas. Sen. Chris Coons, a regular participant and chairman of the Senate ethics committee, says the move was prompted in part by concerns in recent years that members of Congress didn’t know important details about the larger multiday gathering that included the breakfast.
Report: drones attack convoy in east Syria coming from Iraq
Syrian opposition activists and pro-government media are reporting that drones have attacked a convoy of trucks in eastern Syria shortly after they crossed from Iraq. The Sunday night strike comes amid heightening tension between Iran and its rivals in the region. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack on the convoy in the Syrian border region of Boukamal that is a stronghold of Iran-backed militias. An opposition war monitor and a pro-government radio station said the strike targeted six refrigerated trucks. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
Erdogan might approve Finland’s NATO bid, ‘shock’ Sweden
Turkey’s president has suggested his country might approve Finland’s application for NATO membership before taking any action on Sweden’s. The two Nordic nations applied jointly to become members of the military alliance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a prerecorded video released Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated Turkey might sign off on only Finland. Turkey has accused Sweden of being too lenient toward groups it deems as terror organizations or existential threats. The Turkish government late Saturday issued a travel warning for European countries due to anti-Turkish demonstrations and what it described as Islamophobia. The warning came after pro-Kurdish groups held protests and an anti-Islam activist burned the Quran in Stockholm.
Elon Musk’s mysterious ways on display in Tesla tweet trial
Elon Musk’s enigmatic personality and unconventional tactics are emerging as key exhibits in a trial revolving around one of his most polarizing pursuits — tweeting. The trial, centered on a pair of tweets announcing Musk had obtained the money to take Tesla private in 2018, reeled the 51-year-old billionaire into a courtroom for three days of testimony that opened a peephole into his often inscrutable mind. Evidence submitted so far in a trial scheduled to end this week has shown Musk had made a proposal to lead a buyout, but that he hadn’t locked up the money to pay for it as he tweeted in 2018.
Tunisian voters shun elections seen as test for democracy
Voters in Tunisia have shunned parliamentary elections seen as an important test for their president and the country’s troubled democracy. Preliminary estimates from the national electoral commission said the turnout in Sunday’s runoff election was just 11.3% of Tunisia’s 8 million voters. Many disaffected Tunisians stayed away. The influential Islamist party Ennahdha and other opposition movements boycotted. Independent observers reported scattered violations. The runoff is seen as a step in President Kais Saied’s push to consolidate power, tame Islamist rivals and win back investors to save Tunisia’s teetering economy. But the low turnout casts doubt on the future parliament’s legitimacy and could complicate Saied’s plans. Preliminary results are expected Wednesday.
By wire sources