Tag Archives: Israel

News: Israel-Gaza Assault, Nordic Council Meeting, US-South Korea Air Drills

The Globalist Podcast (October 31, 2023) – As Israel intensifies its attacks on Gaza, we assess the humanitarian situation on the ground.

Also, The Nordic Council meets in Oslo, the US and South Korea begin joint air drills and we speak with the mayor of Tromsø, Gunnar Wilhelmsen. Plus: Portuguese newspaper ‘A Mensagem’ unveils a mural in Lisbon’s port.

The New York Times — Tuesday, October 31, 2023

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Israelis Advance on Gaza City, as Netanyahu Rules Out Cease-Fire

An Israeli artillery position near the border with Gaza on Monday.

Israel’s leaders vowed to destroy Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, after the deadly Oct. 7 attack, and Israeli ground forces are closing in on the city from three directions.

Biden’s Support for Israel Now Comes With Words of Caution

The change in President Biden’s tone has occurred against the backdrop of global denunciations of Israel’s actions and an explosion of divisive protests in the United States.

The administration has become more critical of Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks, a shift that U.S. officials attribute to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

‘A Very Slow Game:’ Why the Pace of Israel’s Ground Operation Counts

Israel’s invasion of Gaza is proceeding more slowly than expected. That may suit the needs of its allies — and its adversaries, analysts say.

Police Were Told Maine Gunman Had Threatened to Carry Out Shooting Spree

The Army Reserve and a Maine sheriff’s department knew of a reservist’s deteriorating mental health five months before he carried out America’s deadliest mass shooting this year.

Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – Nov 6, 2023

People walk by The Cube at Astor Place at night.

The New Yorker – November 6, 2023 issue: The new issues cover features Jorge Colombo’s “Astor Place” – The artist discusses landmarks and his own New York City.

Why Maui Burned

A burned vehicle is seen through the branches of a tree.

Lahaina’s wildfire was the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. Now the community is grappling with the botched response as it tries to rebuild.

By Carolyn Kormann

At 4 p.m. on August 8th, Shaun Saribay’s family begged him to get in their car and leave the town of Lahaina, on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The wind was howling, and large clouds of smoke were approaching from the dry hills above the neighborhood. But Saribay—a tattooist, a contractor, and a landlord, who goes by the nickname Buge—told his family that he was staying to guard their house, which had been in the family for generations. “This thing just gonna pass that way, downwind,” Saribay said. At 4:05 p.m., one of his daughters texted from the car, “Daddy please be safe.”

In the Cities of Killing

Mourners carry multiple coffins in a line. Two busses are in the background.

The Hamas massacre, the assaults on Gaza, and what comes after.

By David Remnick

The only way to tell this story is to try to tell it truthfully and to know that you will fail.

On the evening of Wednesday, October 18th, with the entire Middle East in a state of mourning and outrage, I took a taxi to the information offices of the Israel Defense Forces, a heavily guarded compound in northwest Tel Aviv. Like many reporters, I’d accepted an invitation to see video evidence of the worst massacre of Jews in generations, certainly in the history of Israel—Hamas’s rampage through Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Kibbutz Be’eri, and other communities near the Gaza Strip, extending to an outdoor electronic-music festival, Nova. At last count, the attack throughout what Israelis call Otef Aza—“the Gaza envelope”—had claimed some fourteen hundred lives; thousands were wounded, and around two hundred and twenty people had been kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip. Hamas gave the operation a name, the Al-Aqsa Flood.

The New York Times — Monday, October 30, 2023

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How Years of Israeli Failures on Hamas Led to a Devastating Attack

Before the attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top Israeli security officials believed the greatest threats to Israel were Iran and Hezbollah.

Israeli officials completely underestimated the magnitude of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, shattering the country’s once invincible sense of security.

34 Hours of Fear: The Blackout That Cut Gaza Off From the World

Gazans line up at a bakery in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip on Friday.

As Israeli forces entered Gaza on Friday to fight Hamas, phone and internet service was severed, sowing chaos for Palestinian civilians and leaving rescuers driving blindly toward explosions.

Reaction to Hamas Attack Leaves Some Jews in Hollywood Feeling Unmoored

The response to the Oct. 7 assault, and to Israel’s retaliation, has revealed a schism in the entertainment world that many did not realize was there.

Matthew Perry, Star of ‘Friends,’ Is Dead at 54

He was known for playing the sarcastic but lovable Chandler Bing and for his struggles with drugs and alcohol, which he chronicled in a memoir.

Sunday Morning: Stories And News From London, Hong Kong And Helsinki

October 29, 2023 – From London, Emma Nelson, Isabel Hilton and David Bodanis on the weekend’s top news stories. Also, Monocle editorial director Tyler Brûlé in Hong Kong and our Helsinki correspondent, Petri Burtsoff.

The New York Times — Sunday, October 29, 2023

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Israel-Hamas War Enters ‘Second Stage,’ Netanyahu Says

Israeli armored vehicles near the border with Gaza on Saturday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel did not describe the ground incursion as an invasion, but it was accompanied by an enormous aerial and artillery bombardment.

Gaza’s Tunnels Loom Large for Israel’s Ground Forces

A man in a military uniform is seen holding a gun inside a dark narrow tunnel.

Hamas is believed to hide weapons, fighters and even command centers in miles of subterranean pathways and chambers.

For Mike Johnson, Religion Is at the Forefront of Politics and Policy

The new House speaker has put his faith at the center of his political career, and aligned himself with a newer cohort of conservative Christianity that some describe as Christian nationalism.

Kanye and Adidas: Money, Misconduct and the Price of Appeasement

A year ago, after producing hundreds of shoe styles and billions of dollars together, Adidas broke with Kanye West as he made antisemitic and other offensive public comments. But Adidas had been tolerating his misconduct behind the scenes for nearly a decade.

The New York Times Book Review – October 29, 2023

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THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (October 29, 2023): This week’s issue features  “A Haunting on the Hill,” by Shirley Jackson; ‘I Feel a Human Deterioration’ – making sense of the violence and loss in Israel; Is It Time to Pull Up Stakes and Head for Mars? – Probably not, Kelly and Zach Weinersmith argue in “A City on Mars”….

A Fitting — and Frightening — Homage to ‘The Haunting of Hill House’

Apparitions, black hares and time warps festoon the pages of Elizabeth Hand’s “A Haunting on the Hill,” set in the same moldering mansion as Shirley Jackson’s classic horror novel.

‘I Feel a Human Deterioration’

Etgar Keret at home in Tel Aviv. “I think that this entire nation is going through PTSD,” he says.

The Israeli writer Etgar Keret has spent the last few weeks trying to make sense of the violence and loss around him. So far, he can’t.

Is It Time to Pull Up Stakes and Head for Mars?

This is a black and white illustration of our solar system.

Probably not, Kelly and Zach Weinersmith argue in “A City on Mars.”

By W. M. Akers

A CITY ON MARS: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?, by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith


Face it, folks. Earth is finished. It’s overheated, overcrowded, overregulated. It’s the ultimate fixer-upper, a dump we inherited from our parents that we’d be cruel to pass on to our children. It’s time to pull up stakes. It’s time for Mars.

Or maybe not.

Lighting out for the solar system is an appealing fantasy, but “A City on Mars,” an exceptional new piece of popular science by the “Soonish” authors Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, suggests we shouldn’t be so quick to give up on Earth. Forceful, engaging and funny, it is an essential reality check for anyone who has ever looked for home in the night sky.

Saturday Morning: News And Stories From London

Monocle on Saturday, October 28, 2023: Terry Stiastny and Carlota Rebelo discuss overnight developments in the Israel-Palestine conflict and the new US House Speaker, Mike Johnson.

Plus, Monocle’s Alexei Korolyov meets the feminist non-binary choir taking Austria by storm. Join Monocle on Saturday every week for a review of the latest news, arts, and culture in the week’s global papers.

The New York Times — Saturday, October 28, 2023

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Israel Intensifies Gaza Strikes and Says It Is Expanding Ground Activity

Clouds of gray smoke rise amid buildings.

Cellular and internet service abruptly vanished for much of the territory, stoking fears that a full-scale invasion was imminent — or already underway.

Saudi Arabia Warns U.S.: Israeli Invasion of Gaza Could Be Catastrophic

Israeli troops during an artillery drill in southern Israel on Monday.

In discussions with their American counterparts, Saudi officials have framed a ground war as a potentially devastating blow to stability in the Middle East.

U.S. Airstrikes Contain Twin Messages to Iran, American Officials Say

The airstrikes were the latest gamble by the United States to modify Iran’s behavior, few of which have worked in the past.

Dave Chappelle and the Perils of Button-Pushing Comedy

His comments on the Mideast conflict have been the subject of news reports, but the polarizing coverage has ignored how comics have treated the situation.

Israel-Hamas War: The Threat Of Hizbullah

The Economist (October 27, 2023) – Hizbullah has been shooting rockets across the Israel-Lebanon border. If it intervenes in the Israel-Hamas conflict, it could lead to serious escalation.

Video timeline: 00:00 – The origins of Hizbullah 01:06 – Its political rise 02:00 – How big a threat is it?