#12 (11/18/2024-11/25/2024) The US last-ditch efforts to make peace in Lebanon were undergoing last week

Edited by Issa Adeli (isadeli.bsky.social)

US envoy, Amos Hochstein, spent several days in the Middle East last week to seal a deal between Israel and Hezbollah to end the conflict. However, the war between the two continued ceaselessly and many civilians were killed.

Here are all the headlines about the US foreign policy and the Middle East in the last week:

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24

November

US senator warns US allies over Netanyahu arrest

Republican US Sen. Lindsey Graham threatened to sanction US allies if they enforce International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.?"To any ally, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, if you try to help the ICC, we’re going to sanction you," Graham told Fox News in an interview late Friday (Read more at?IRNA).

23

November

Saudi Aramco unit in talks to invest $1 billion in US software maker Mavenir

The deal by Aramco Digital, the wholly-owned technology subsidiary of the oil giant, would be its first major transaction in the telecommunications industry as part of Saudi Arabia's?Vision 2030?plan, which focuses on technological advancements and economic diversification (Read more at?Reuters).

23

November

Israeli settlers set sights on Trump support for full control of West Bank

The West Bank has been transformed by the rapid growth of Jewish settlements since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned at the head of a far-right nationalist coalition two years ago. During that time, an explosion in settler violence that has led to US sanctions.?In recent weeks, Israeli flags have sprouted on hilltops claimed by some settlers in the West Bank’s Jordan Valley, adding to worries among many local Palestinians of greater control of those areas. Some settlers prayed for Trump’s victory before the election (Read more at?Arabnews).

23

November

Kurdish forces eye Trump’s return with caution

Various commentators suggest that Donald Trump will withdraw US forces from northeastern Syria. On 8 November, Robert F. Kennedy Jr?told?political commentator Tucker Carlson that Trump intends to pull American troops from the region to prevent them from becoming “cannon fodder”.?Four days later, Turkish Defence Minister Ya?ar Güler?stated?in an interview, “Trump gave instructions to withdraw troops from Syria three times during his presidency.” He expressed confidence that Trump would prioritise this issue and remove US forces from Syria and the broader region (Read more at?medyanews).

22

November

US Probes JPMorgan's Links With Iranian Oil Trader's Hedge Fund

The U.S. agency is scrutinizing whether JPMorgan complied with all rules and regulations when it took on UAE-based hedge fund Ocean Leonid Investments as a client.?U.S. federal law requires financial institutions to monitor for suspicious activity in an effort to prevent illicit funds from flowing through the country (Read more at?USNews).

21

November

Erdogan opposes Ukraine use of U.S. long range missiles

Turkey, a Black Sea neighbour of both Russia and Ukraine, also opposes Western sanctions against Moscow, with which it shares important defence, energy and tourism ties (Read more at?MSN).

21

November

US Senate rejects bids to block military sales to Israel

Senate votes defeating three resolutions show strong bipartisan support for Israel.?Opponents cite threats to Israel from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. Senator Sanders argues military aid violates U.S. law on human rights (Read more at?Reuters).

21

November

White House rejects ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant

"The United States has been clear that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over this matter. In coordination with partners, including Israel, we are discussing next steps."?a National Security Council spokesperson (Read more at?Anadolu Ajans?)

21

November

US lawmakers seek to halt weapons sales to UAE, citing Sudan

US Senator, Chris Van Hollen, has introduced legislation seeking to halt American weapons sales to the United Arab Emirates until the United States certifies that the UAE is not arming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan.?“The UAE is an important partner in the Middle East, but the United States cannot sit idly by as it aids and abets the humanitarian disaster in Sudan – we must use our leverage to try to bring this conflict to a peaceful resolution,” Van Hollen said in a statement (Read more at?Middle East Monitor).

20

November

US envoy says Israel-Hezbollah truce is within our grasp

Amos Hochstein, the Biden administration’s pointman on Israel and Lebanon, arrived as Hezbollah’s allies in the Lebanese government said the militant group had responded positively to the proposal, which would entail both its fighters and Israeli ground forces withdrawing from?a U.N. buffer zone in southern Lebanon.?However, there was?no such optimism in the Gaza Strip, where the looting of nearly 100 aid trucks by armed men worsened an already severe food crisis (Reade more at?Associated Press).

20

November

Biden administration pushes Democrats to block $20bn arms ban to Israel

The Joint Resolutions of Disapproval, co-sponsored by Senators Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch, Jeff Merkley and Brian Schatz, target six arms deals involving missiles, tank rounds, mortars, tactical vehicles and F-15 jets, with a vote expected Wednesday.?Although the measures are unlikely to pass due to strong bipartisan support for Israel, the push highlights growing divisions within the Democratic Party, following recent elections where Republicans gained control of the White House and Congress. According to?The Times of Israel, officials from the White House, State Department, and Pentagon have reached out to undecided Senators, urging them to oppose the legislation (Read more at?Middle East Monitor).

20

November

US envoy to travel to Israel in bid to seal Hezbollah ceasefire

Hochstein arrived in Beirut on Tuesday, seeking to clinch a ceasefire agreement after the Lebanese government and Hezbollah agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal, although with some comments.?Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said the group had given its own feedback on the truce draft and that it was shared with Hochstein. He said whether a ceasefire was reached now depended on Israel and whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was serious about one. Hezbollah stood ready to keep on fighting for a long time, he added (Read more at?Yahoo News).

20

November

US vetoes UN Security Council push to call for ceasefire in Gaza

UN Security Council voted 14-1 in favor of resolution but it was not adopted because of the US veto.?The resolution demanded “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in the war between?Israel?and the Palestinian group, along with “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages”.?Robert Wood, deputy ambassador to the UN, said that the US position remained that there had “to be a linkage between a ceasefire and the release of hostages”. (Read more at?Guardian)

20

November

The makings of a grand Trump deal in the Middle East

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak says it’s possible the new U.S. administration may enter into interconnected talks with Putin about Ukraine, Iran and the Middle East (Read more at?Politico).

19

November

Ukraine, Middle East Conflicts Eating Into US Air Defense Stocks

Biden’s administration has been steadily arming Ukraine and Israel with its most sophisticated air defenses. The US Navy has been directly defending shipping in the Red Sea in the face of missile and drone attacks from Houthi rebels in Yemen.?The United States last month deployed to Israel a THAAD, or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, and about 100 US troops to operate it. The THAAD is a critical part of the US military’s layered air defense systems.?The admission by Admiral Sam Paparo could draw the attention of members of President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, who are more skeptical of the war in Ukraine and who argue that President Joe Biden has failed to prepare for a potential conflict with China (Read more at?Arab News).

19

November

Israeli settler group slams US sanctions over West Bank

A statement by the group said the sanctions "result from baseless slander directed at Amana by hostile and extremist elements".?"Had the US administration bothered to verify the claims... it would have found them to be factually unfounded and refrained from taking action against us," the statement said (Read more at?France 24).

19

November

US Senate must vote to finally to end arms transfers to Israel – Oxfam

Ahead of the Senate vote on Bernie Sanders’ resolution to block a shipment of US arms transfers to Israel, Scott Paul, Director of Peace and Security at Oxfam America, said:?“We welcome Senator Sanders’ efforts to bring accountability to the Biden administration’s indefensible ongoing military support for the humanitarian nightmare unfolding in Gaza. President Biden has been unwilling to follow US law in order to save Palestinian lives, so we are depending on the Senate to do it with their vote on Wednesday (Read more at?Oxfam America).

19

November

Senate to Vote on Resolutions to Block U.S. Arms Sales to Israel

United States senators will vote Wednesday on whether the U.S. should halt $20 billion of arms sales to Israel. Bernie Sanders introduced the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval as the Biden administration has continued to violate U.S. laws that prohibit the transfer of weapons to governments committing human rights violations. Six senators have publicly backed the resolutions thus far: Jeff Merkley, Brian Schatz, Elizabeth Warren, Peter Welch, Chris Van Hollen, and Bernie Sanders (Read more at?Democracy Now).

19

November

US warns Turkey against hosting Hamas leaders

"We don’t believe the leaders of a vicious terrorist organisation should be living comfortably anywhere," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, adding that this especially applies in the Turkish capital — a "major city of one of our key allies and partners" (Read more at?Euronews).

19

November

Lebanon agreed to US proposal for ceasefire

"We have made a lot of progress. Lebanon has a very positive view on this proposal," a Lebanese official said.?Despite this progress, Israeli officials have yet to formally respond to the US truce plan. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed Monday that Washington has shared proposals with both the Lebanese and Israeli leadership (Read more at?ISNA).

19

November

US imposes sanctions on 6 senior Hamas officials

The Treasury Department said in a statement the sanctions targeted the group's representatives abroad, a senior member of the Hamas military wing and those involved in supporting fundraising efforts for the group and weapons smuggling into Gaza (Read more at?Daily Observer).

18

November

US, Israeli officials to discuss civilian harm in Gaza: State Department

"We have scheduled a meeting between senior officials here at the department and senior officials in the Israeli government in early December. It'll be the first meeting of that new channel," spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters (Read more at?Anadolu Ajans?).

18

November

COP29: US-UAE climate-friendly farming partnership grows to $29 billion

The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) was launched in 2021. Under the program, governments, companies, and non-government organizations pledge funding for projects to reduce the climate impact of agriculture and to make farming more resilient to the impacts of global warming (Read more at?Yahoo News).

18

November

U.S. hits Israeli settler group with sanctions over West Bank violence

The Amana settler group “a key part of the Israeli extremist settlement movement and maintains ties to various persons previously sanctioned by the U.S. government and its partners for perpetrating violence in the West Bank,” the Treasury Department said in a statement announcing the sanctions.?The sanctions block Americans from any transactions with Amana and freeze its U.S.-held assets. The United Kingdom and Canada have also imposed sanctions on Amana (Read more at?NBCNews).

18

November

Most Gulf markets fall on Fed rate cut concerns

The Fed's decisions have a significant impact on monetary policy in the Gulf as most of the region's currencies are pegged to the U.S. dollar.?Most Gulf stock markets fell on Sunday after US economic data and comments from Federal Reserve officials pointed to a slower pace of interest-rate cuts.?Investors increased bets on the Fed leaving interest rates unchanged at its December meeting and dialled back expectations for easing in 2025 (Read more at?ZAWYA).

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Edited by Issa Adeli (isadeli.bsky.social)