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Iraq

Biden: Gaza Cease-Fire Up to Hamas

Voice of America - Tue, 03/05/2024 - 15:16
Categories: Iraq

White House Raises Hopes for Gaza 6-Week Cease-Fire Deal

Voice of America - Tue, 03/05/2024 - 07:08
Vice President Kamala Harris reiterated Monday support for an “immediate” six-week cease-fire in Gaza, meeting with a top member of Israel’s war Cabinet as the conflict teeters on the five-month mark. But analysts and protesters note that stopping the conflict hinges on negotiations the Biden administration won’t discuss, and that may not yield a deal before the White House’s stated deadline – the start of Ramadan. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House.
Categories: Iraq

UNRWA Chief: Israel Conducting Campaign to Eliminate Palestinian Aid Agency

Voice of America - Tue, 03/05/2024 - 05:44
UNITED NATIONS — The head of the embattled United Nations agency that assists Palestinian refugees accused Israel on Monday of conducting a campaign to eliminate it, when more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza are counting on their services to survive. “UNRWA is facing a deliberate and concerted campaign to undermine its operations, and ultimately end them,” Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini told a special meeting of the U.N. General Assembly. UNRWA is the acronym for the United...
Categories: Iraq

US: Low Iran Election Turnout Another Sign of 'Discontent'

Voice of America - Tue, 03/05/2024 - 03:02
Washington — The United States said Monday that the low turnout in Iran's election came as no surprise and was a new sign of discontent in the cleric-run state. "I don't think there's any doubt that there's discontent about the regime's rule," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. "We did not assess that these elections would be free and fair, and I believe that many Iranian voters would assess that the elections would not be...
Categories: Iraq

UN Mission Says It Has ‘Clear and Convincing’ Information That Hamas Sexually Violated Women

Voice of America - Tue, 03/05/2024 - 02:49
united nations — A U.N. mission that visited Israel to look into reports that Hamas raped and sexually abused women during the October 7 terror attacks said Monday that it had received “clear and convincing information” that such violence occurred and could be continuing in captivity. “We found clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, has been committed against captives,” Pramila Patten, special...
Categories: Iraq

Analysts: Iran Using Gaza War to Consolidate Regional Influence

Voice of America - Tue, 03/05/2024 - 00:41
Amman, Jordan — Iran has tried to use the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza to consolidate its influence in the Middle East through its sway over proxy militias in the region, say analysts. The analysts, however, question what, if anything, Tehran would stand to gain by helping the nearly five-month-old conflict to spread and intensify. Lebanese analyst Patricia Karam says Iran sees the conflict as an opportunity to exert more of its influence over its Shiite proxies in the Middle East. Iran is part...
Categories: Iraq

Conflict Spillovers Causing Surge of Human Rights Violations, UN Rights Chief Warns

Voice of America - Mon, 03/04/2024 - 21:33
Geneva — U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warns the potential spillover of dozens of conflicts around the world is threatening global peace and causing human rights violations to surge in all regions. Türk, who presented an update about the situation of human rights around the world at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva Monday, painted a frightening picture of a world where proliferating conflicts are devastating the lives of millions of civilians. “Rarely has...
Categories: Iraq

Ship Hit by Houthi Rebels Sinks in Red Sea

Voice of America - Mon, 03/04/2024 - 04:47
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A ship attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels has sunk in the Red Sea after days of taking on water, officials said Saturday, the first vessel to be fully destroyed as part of their campaign over Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The sinking of the Rubymar, which carried a cargo of fertilizer and previously leaked fuel, could cause ecological damage to the Red Sea and its coral reefs. Persistent Houthi attacks have already disrupted traffic in...
Categories: Iraq

Netanyahu Rival Visits US, Signals Wider Cracks in Israel’s Wartime Leadership

Voice of America - Mon, 03/04/2024 - 04:00
Tel Aviv, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuked a top Cabinet minister arriving in Washington on Sunday for talks with U.S. officials, according to an Israeli official, signaling widening cracks within the country’s leadership nearly five months into its war with Hamas. The trip by Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival who joined Netanyahu’s wartime Cabinet following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, comes as friction between the U.S. and Netanyahu is rising over how to alleviate the...
Categories: Iraq

The Justice of Israel’s War in Gaza Will Depend on How It Ends

NY Times Iraq - Mon, 03/04/2024 - 01:22
How to think about the moral complexities in the Israel-Gaza war.
Categories: Iraq

Hard-Liners Dominate Iran Parliamentary Vote That Saw A Record-Low Turnout And Boycott Calls

Voice of America - Mon, 03/04/2024 - 00:56
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iranian hard-line politicians dominated the country's vote for parliament, results released Monday showed, maintaining their hold on the legislature in a vote that saw a record- low turnout amid boycott calls. While praising Iranians for withstanding "bad weather and continuous propaganda by the enemy," Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the vote saw 25 million ballots cast — a turnout of just under 41%. The lowest previous came in the last...
Categories: Iraq

Iran Executes 'Terrorist' Over Alleged Israel Link to Attack

Voice of America - Mon, 03/04/2024 - 00:20
Tehran, Iran — Iran's judiciary has executed a "terrorist" over a drone attack that targeted a defense ministry site in central Iran last year, state media reported Sunday.  According to state TV, the person "planned to explode the workshop complex of the Ministry of Defense in Isfahan under guidance of the intelligence officer of Mossad," Israel's spy agency.  The date of the execution and identity of the accused person were not immediately clear.  Iran has...
Categories: Iraq

Gaza Cease-Fire Talks Resume in Cairo  

Voice of America - Sun, 03/03/2024 - 19:36
Categories: Iraq

Israel to Revise Eurovision Entries Said to Allude to Hamas Attack 

Voice of America - Sun, 03/03/2024 - 15:44
Jerusalem — Israel on Sunday said it had asked lyricists to revise its proposed Eurovision Song Contest entries, potentially heading off a dispute with organizers over political content. Authorities last week said Israel would not be able to participate in this year's edition of the popular competition if organizers rejected the song choice, which reportedly referenced victims of Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. Eurovision rules...
Categories: Iraq

Gaza Cease-Fire Talks to Resume Sunday

Voice of America - Sun, 03/03/2024 - 12:12
Categories: Iraq