President Biden: Americans Killed in Israel-Hamas Conflict
On Monday, President Joe Biden confirmed that eleven Americans are confirmed dead in the recent fighting between Israel and Hamas; it is possible that more U.S. nationals have been killed in the clashes (ABC)
The president said in a statement that it is likely Americans are among the hostages being held by militants in Gaza; the Israeli ambassador to Washington previously indicated that Americans are being held by Hamas (NBC)
Israel Orders Full Siege of Gaza in Response to Shock Hamas Attack
Israel’s defense minister ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip today in response to the Palestinian militant group Hamas’s surprise weekend offensive; Hamas’s attack, the deadliest on Israel in recent history, has killed more than seven hundred people in Israel and triggered Israeli attacks on Gaza, stoking fears of a wider regional conflict (NYT)
Israeli forces battled to regain control of towns near the border with Gaza today, while both Israel and Gaza militants exchanged rocket fire; at least 560 Palestinians have been killed since Saturday, Gaza authorities said (Reuters)
In the wake of Hamas’s attack, the United States deployed warships near Israel, as well as pledged to provide munitions (NYT)
Qatar is reportedly mediating efforts to free Israeli hostages currently held in Gaza (Reuters)
A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry denied that Tehran was involved in the Hamas attack, though analysts said its sophistication required outside backing and Iran is a longtime Hamas sponsor (Reuters)
The conflict has also fueled concerns that the prospect of Israeli-Saudi normalization could be at risk (NYT)
Israeli Cabinet Formally Declares War Against Hamas
The government made a formal declaration of war against the terrorist organization on Sunday, one day after Hamas militants launched a deadly attack in southern Israel (CNN)
The Associated Press reported at least 700 people have been killed in Israel, and more than 400 people have been killed in Gaza (AP)
Israeli Soldiers and Civilians Reportedly Taken Hostage by Hamas
According to Israel’s military spokesman, Hamas fighters took Israelis hostage during the early hours of their surprise attack on cities in southern Israel (NYT)
The Israeli government set up a special command center for missing persons issues on Sunday (CNN)
President Biden Pledges Support For Israel
U.S. President Joe Biden pledged support to the government and people of Israel; the UN Security Council will meet on Sunday to discuss recent fighting in and near Gaza (VOA)
The fighting began when Hamas militants stormed and bombed Israeli cities in a surprise attack on Saturday morning, which also marked the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah (ABC)
Hamas Launches Surprise Attack Against Israel
Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Gaza, launched a coordinated attack against Israel on Saturday; the group fired rockets across the Gaza border and militants stormed nearby Israeli cities and towns (AP)
Approximately 600 Israelis and 370 Palestinians were killed in the first day of attacks and Israeli retaliatory operations (FT)
Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Militant in the West Bank
The military said soldiers shot two Palestinians who threw Molotov cocktails at an army post near Ramallah; the incident continues a months-long surge in violence in the West Bank (AP)
Saudi Arabia Reportedly Mulling Normalization with Israel in Exchange for U.S. Defense Pact
Saudi Arabia is willing to give up major demands regarding Palestinians’ bid for statehood as a condition of Saudi-Israeli normalization in order to secure a defense pact with the United States, three people familiar with the talks told Reuters (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Israel re-opened the border with Gaza after a two-week closure prompted by protests (Reuters)
U.S., Israel Announce Deal on Visa-Free Travel
The United States will offer entry to Israeli tourists and businesspeople without a visa in exchange for Israel ending bans and restrictions on the entry of Palestinian Americans and other Arab Americans; the policy, negotiated over the last year and a half, will go into effect on November 30 (NPR)
Palestinian Health Ministry: Israeli Forces Killed Two Palestinians
Israel’s military said the West Bank raid was a counterterrorism operation (AFP)
Bloomberg: White House Weighing Twin Defense Pacts With Israel, Saudi Arabia
The separate deals would be designed so that the two countries would formally recognize each other, Bloomberg reported; Saudi Arabia has asked for access to advanced U.S. weapons and assistance in building a nuclear energy sector (Bloomberg)
It also wants Israel to make concessions to Palestinians, but “has sent mixed signals” as to what those would be (CNN)
Biden, Netanyahu Talk Judicial Reform and Israel’s Relations With Palestinians, Saudis
The leaders of the United States and Israel met for the first time yesterday since Benjamin Netanyahu became Israeli prime minister last year; U.S. President Joe Biden urged Netanyahu to reach a compromise on his efforts to overhaul Israel’s judiciary and improve conditions in the West Bank (AP)
The leaders also discussed a potential normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia (Reuters))
Palestinian Officials Set Terms for Israeli-Saudi Normalization
Meeting with their Saudi counterparts in Riyadh yesterday, officials from the Palestinian Authority said they will demand hundreds of millions of dollars and more control over land in the occupied West Bank as part of any normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, the BBC reported; U.S. officials said a deal is not imminent (BBC)
Biden Nominates Israel Envoy
U.S. President Joe Biden is planning to nominate former Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew to be the next ambassador to Israel; if appointed, Lew will face several challenges, including increasing violence in the West Bank, protests over Israel’s recent judicial overhaul, and ongoing friction between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and Washington (WSJ)
Palestinian Motorist Targets Checkpoint in the West Bank
At least one Israeli soldier was killed in the attack, Israeli authorities said; it comes a day after Israeli police killed a fourteen-year-old Palestinian boy who had stabbed a man at a light-rail station in Jerusalem and Palestinian militants detonated a bomb near a convoy of Israeli troops (AP)
WSJ: Saudi Arabia Offers to Restart Funding to Palestinian Authority Amid Talks With Israel
The offer is an effort to secure the Palestinian Authority’s support for potential Saudi-Israeli normalization, the Wall Street Journal reported; Palestinian leaders criticized Gulf officials’ establishment of diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020 (WSJ)
Meanwhile, after leaked news of a meeting between Israeli and Libyan officials caused public outrage and resulted in the sacking of Libya’s former foreign minister earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued an order requiring his personal approval of any secret talks (Al Jazeera)
Israel To Increase Natural Gas Exports to Egypt
The cooperation is part of an effort to help bolster bilateral ties and assuage Egypt’s electricity outages; the move comes despite Egyptian criticism of Israel for its behavior amid its conflict with the Palestinians; Egypt did not immediately comment on the announcement (Al-Monitor)
Saudi Arabia Appoints First Diplomatic Envoy to Palestinian Authority
The move comes amid U.S. efforts to explore Saudi-Israeli normalization (NYT)
U.S., Saudi Arabia Make Progress Toward Saudi-Israeli Normalization Deal
The United States and Saudi Arabia reportedly agreed on broad tenets for a Saudi-Israeli normalization deal that would see Saudi Arabia distance itself from China in exchange for concessions to the Palestinians, but a U.S. National Security Council spokesperson said there was still “no agreed-to framework” (WSJ)
Security Forces Prevent Protests Against Hamas in Gaza Strip
Organizers said the protests were in response to Hamas’s tight political control and poor living conditions; several hundred Gazans participated in demonstrations last week in what was a rare large gathering given restrictions on freedom of expression (NYT)
Meanwhile, Israeli police shot and killed the assailant after he opened fire in the city center, killing a security guard; the incident follows a settler attack in the West Bank that killed one Palestinian the day prior (ABC)
Israeli PM: Judicial Reforms to Stop Short of Original Plan
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he still aimed to change how judges are selected but would stop short of pursuing the full judicial overhaul that he originally announced following widespread protests against the plan (Bloomberg)
Meanwhile, Israeli security forces killed three Palestinians suspected of planning an imminent attack in the West Bank (Al Jazeera)
Suspected Palestinian Gunman Shot Dead After Wounding Six Israelis
The Palestinian individual reportedly opened fire outside of a mall in the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the West Bank (Al Jazeera)
Credit Agencies Issue Warnings About Israel After Passage of Judicial Reform Law
U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley downgraded Israel’s credit rating yesterday after parliament passed the first pillar of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan; meanwhile, the financial services firm Moody’s Investors Service warned of “significant risk” and “negative consequences” for Israel’s economy and security (Times of Israel)
U.S. bank Citibank also warned against clients investing in Israel (Haaretz)
Israeli Demonstrators Gather as Parliament Votes on Judicial Overhaul
Protesters gathered in Jerusalem outside of Israel’s parliament as it began voting on a clause of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan that aims to limit Supreme Court oversight of legislative decisions (Al-Monitor)
Palestinian Health Ministry: Israeli Forces Killed Two Palestinians
The Palestinian ministry reported that two teenage boys had been shot and killed by security forces in confrontations with residents during unrest (Haaretz)