Maybe?
But Gaza continues to be a Different Story….
A United States envoy said an agreement to end the Israel-Hezbollah war is “within our grasp” after talks in Lebanon on Tuesday.
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.
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.
The buffer zone would be policed by thousands of additional U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanese troops. Israel has called for a stronger enforcement mechanism, potentially including the ability to conduct military operations against any Hezbollah threats, something Lebanon is likely to oppose….
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The United Nations humanitarian office says virtually no food or humanitarian aid has been delivered to northernmost Gaza for more than 40 days because of the Israeli military’s siege there.
Experts say famine may already have set in in the north, where Israel has been waging a weekslong offensive that has killed hundreds of people and driven tens of thousands from their homes.
So far in November, OCHA reports that 27 out of 31 planned humanitarian missions to the north were rejected by Israel and the other four were severely impeded, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday. Devastated towns like Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and parts of Jabaliya remain cut off, he said.
Asked whether the U.N. believes Israel is trying to force the estimated 75,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza to move south by denying the aid deliveries, Dujarric replied: “I can’t speak to the intentions of the Israeli government and the Israeli policy. We’re just seeing the result of it and trying to deal with it.”…
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Biden veto’s a UN resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza…
Makes the US the sole counry against the resolution…
The United States on Wednesday vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where fighting has raged for more than 13 months and a humanitarian crisis is intensifying.
Underlining Washington’s diplomatic isolation on the issue, the United States cast the sole vote against the resolution, with the 14 other Council members voting in favor.
The United States said it vetoed the resolution, the fifth the Council has taken up, because it did not make the cease-fire contingent on the release of the hostages still being held in Gaza. The resolution does call for the release of all hostages, but the wording suggests that their release would come only after a cease-fire was implemented….
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In the eyes of many nations, the Biden administration’s legacy will be colored by its staunch defense of Israel.
“This will sadly further weaken Biden’s reputation in the U.N. bubble,” said Richard Gowan, the U.N. director of the International Crisis Group. “He was once seen as a welcome replacement for Trump. But he leaves office with low marks among most U.N. diplomats who think he has been egregiously obstructive on Gaza.”…
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Nov 20, 2024 – ISW Press
Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem announced in a November 20 speech that Hezbollah would require a permanent ceasefire and the preservation of Lebanese sovereignty in any agreement with Israel.
Note….
A look at the Lebanese Army….
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