Israel-Hamas deal?

Author

Global Recap
November 16, 2023 • Read in: 9 minutes

Hi Global Recap readers,

One of the most challenging aspect of writing Global Recap is selecting the “Top News” stories. There are so many intriguing topics to discuss, yet space is limited.

Today, however, I would like to include some “discarded” news that is too fascinating to simply disregard:

  • Americans are flocking to TikTok for news.

  • SpaceX’s second attempt at launching Starship is scheduled for Nov. 18.

🌐 Around the world:

  • German police raid Islamist groups.

  • Biden under fire for granting Iran $10 billion.

  • Israel-Hamas deal soon?

  • UN demands Israel to make way.

  • Biden and Xi: They meet again.

Let’s get into today’s news.

🕌 German Police Raid Islamist Groups

Islamic Center of Hamburg (IZH)

Germany has searched 54 locations linked to the Islamic Center of Hamburg (IZH), a suspected supporter of the Iran-backed terrorist group, Hezbollah.

The IZH runs the Blue Mosque, an Iranian regime extension in Germany.

I wonder how the Iranians will react to this.

🇺🇸 Biden’s $10 billion to Iran: “Reckless”

Remember yesterday’s In-Depth story about the Biden administration’s renewal of a sanctions waiver that grants Iran access to $10 billion from Iraq? Well, reactions to the news are in, and they’re not pretty.

Republicans and experts have slammed the move as “reckless and dangerous,” saying it will fund Iran’s terrorism and attacks on the US and Israel. The State Department claims the waiver is necessary for Iraq’s energy needs and that Iran can only use the money for humanitarian goods.

Regarding this argument: Read yesterday’s newsletter about the “fungibility” of money.

🚀 Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal?

  • Hamas has agreed to a deal to release some hostages for a short temporary “pause.”

  • Now, we know that Israel is reportedly considering such a deal.

Israel is facing pressure to agree to a hostage exchange in exchange for a “pause,” particularly from the hostages’ families.

Qatar is mediating the talks.

🚨 UN Demands Gaza Aid Access

The UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for humanitarian pauses and corridors in Gaza, where Israel’s siege targeting terrorist cells underneath hospitals is underway.

Countries that abstained: The US, UK, and Russia.

Despite reports of Israel considering a temporary “pause” deal with Hamas, Israel rejected the resolution and said it would continue its operations against Hamas.

Palestine urged the international community to hold Israel accountable and end the “madness.”

So, is it not “madness” to slaughter 1,200 innocent Israelis, hide in terrorist cells beneath civilian homes and hospitals, and hold hundreds hostage?

🎬 YouTube Success

🫤 YouTube? What? How do I even start? I dunno what to talk about. No one’s watching my videos…

Now: You can join a community of creators, together with whom you will start getting answers to these pressing questions. Getting started on successfully growing your own community is a click away.

Best of all: Sign up now and the 5-day course with all the answers is yours to keep - for FREE.

United States

Biden and Xi: They Meet Again

👥 Two Presidents, One Summit. Yesterday, Biden and Xi met face-to-face in San Francisco for the first time in a year, hoping to ease the tensions between the US and China.

We couldn’t fully cover the details yesterday, so here it is.

🌎 The Most Important Relationship. The US and China are the world’s two largest economies, militaries, and greenhouse gas emitters. The US-China relationship holds the future of billions and the planet in its hands. But their relationship has been strained by disputes over trade, human rights, Taiwan, nukes, cybersecurity, and more.

🤝 What They Wanted.

Biden: He wanted to put the relationship on a “normal course” and prevent a conflict or a confrontation. He also wanted to show the American people that he could defend their interests and deliver progress on their priorities.

Xi: He wanted to assert China’s rise and its legitimate rights and interests. He also wanted to signal to the US businesses that China is still an attractive market and a reliable partner.

🗣️ What They Said.

They agreed to:

  • Restore certain communication channels, especially between their militaries, to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations.

  • Go after Chinese companies that produce precursor chemicals to fentanyl.

  • Accelerate efforts to address the climate crisis.

  • Work together to advance the AI technology.

However, they seemed to have disagreed on Taiwan. According to a senior US official, while the US maintained its support for the “One China policy” and the arming of the island nation to prevent China’s potential use of military force, China stressed that the US should support the “peaceful reunification” of China and Taiwan. In other words, more of the same talk.

So what does such a reunification look like? Let’s look at the recent action by pro-China parties in Taiwan.

Left to right: Eric Chu, chairman of Taiwan’s main opposition party Kuomintang (KMT); Hou Yu-ih, KMT presidential candidate; Ma Ying-jeou, former Taiwan president; and Ke Wen-je, Taiwan People’s Party presidential candidate, Nov. 15, 2023.

🤝 Taiwan’s Opposition Unites. Two Taiwanese opposition parties, Kuomintang and Taiwan People’s Party, are joining forces to challenge the ruling party in the upcoming presidential election. They are both known for their “China-friendly” stance. Could this alliance signal a slow merge of Taiwan into China, à la Hong Kong?

Something to keep an eye out for.