Hi Global Recap readers,
Interview with Hamas, new Putin interview, Russia getting roasted with memes, and Iran claiming Antarctica… ?
We have everything today.
🌐 Around the World
🎙️ Interview: Hamas Commander
🇷🇺 Putin Prefers Biden
🔥 Israel Fires at Lebanon
💥 Ukraine Sparks Russia Memes
🇮🇷 Iran Claims Antarctica
Gaza
🎙️ Interview: Hamas Commander
CBS News correspondent Debora Patta interviewed a Hamas commander and recruiter in the West Bank, four months after the group’s war with Israel.
NOTE: This interview has several flaws and the interview’s direction is being rightly criticized by people.
Here are some:
[3:12] Gershon Baskin suggests that Israel should “share” territory with Hamas. However, this raises a question: How can this be achieved when Hamas advocates for the elimination of Israelis? It’s noteworthy that while no Israelis are residing in Gaza, Palestinians do live in Israel.
In the course of the interview, the recruiter repeatedly insists that Israelis should vacate “our land”. He isn’t just referring to Gaza; he means Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel.
The interviewer never questions why Palestinians have consistently rejected the proposition of a two-state solution.
To clarify, this doesn’t imply that the Israeli forces have always acted flawlessly according to regulations. Rather, it’s merely scrutinizing the potentially dubious reporting.
Russia
🇷🇺 Putin Prefers Biden
It’s not what you think
In a rare interview with Russian state television, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would rather see Joe Biden win a second term than Donald Trump. (Clip 1)
The reason? Putin thinks Biden is more experienced, predictable, and a politician of the “old formation.”
Health: Putin dismissed speculation on Biden’s health issues, saying he saw nothing of the kind when they met in Switzerland.
Carlson: Putin expressed disappointment with his interview with Tucker Carlson, saying he expected him to be more aggressive and ask tough questions. (Clip 2)
Lebanon
🔥 Israel Fires at Lebanon
Hezbollah, which has been backing Hamas in the Israel-Hamas conflict, vowed to make Israel “pay the price” for its attack on southern Lebanon that killed 10 civilians.
Context: The attack was a response to rocket fire from Lebanon that killed an Israeli soldier and wounded eight others.
Deadly: Lebanese civilians suffered the most deaths in four months of fighting with Israel.
Ukraine-Russia
💥 Ukraine Sparks Russia Memes
Ukraine says it blew up a Russian ship on Wednesday.
This was enough for the internet to have a field day with memes and jokes!
Ship: The ship, Caesar Kunikov, was the fifth one in Putin’s fleet to be sunk by Kyiv’s drones since the war began in 2022.
Reaction: Social media users posted jokes and images about the ship’s demise, calling it a Valentine’s Day gift to Ukraine.
History: Putin gave a long lecture to Tucker Carlson last week, but failed to mention his naval losses in the Black Sea.
More memes are in the comments section of the X post above.
Iran
🇮🇷 Iran Claims Antarctica
Iran’s navy commander said on TV that Iran owns Antarctica and plans to build a base there for scientific and military purposes.
This is an interview from Sept. 28, 2023, that I stumbled upon. Thought I’d share it with you all here.
"We have property rights in the South Pole. We have plan to raise our flag there and carry out military and scientific work.”
Ban: The announcement raised eyebrows as Iran is not a signatory to the Antarctic Treaty that bans such activities.
Funds: When asked, the US State Department denied that Iran can use the $6 billion unfrozen by the Biden administration for its Antarctic ambitions.
Reaction: Experts and analysts warned that Iran’s Antarctic scheme is a sign of its danger to world stability and its defiance of the rules-based order.
