|
|
Photo: Yuki Iwamura / AP
|
|
1. US Gaza cease-fire resolution was ‘cynically vetoed,’ says Secretary of State
A United Nations Security Council resolution proposed by the U.S. calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war failed to pass on Friday. Russia and China, two permanent council members, used their veto power to kill the resolution.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the resolution was “cynically vetoed,” but added that he’s optimistic that the 11 votes the resolution did receive from the 15-member council show a dedication to eventually reaching a cease-fire.
Before the vote, Russian U.N. ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the resolution “exceedingly politicized” and said it effectively gave Israel the go-ahead to invade Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where over a million Palestinians are sheltering in makeshift tent cities. The U.S. had cut language from an initial draft of the measure saying Israel’s Rafah offensive should not continue.
Friday’s vote marked the first time that the U.S. backed a Security Council resolution specifically calling for a cease-fire. The Security Council is expected to vote Saturday on a new resolution that calls for an immediate cease-fire during Ramadan. The U.S. said it may veto it.
In the past, the U.S. has used its veto power on the Security Council to defend Israel, vetoing resolutions critical of the nation more than any other council member – 45 times as of December 18, 2023, according to an analysis by Blue Marble.
Read more on Blue Marble: How the U.S. has used its power in the U.N. to support Israel for decades.
In other Israel-Gaza news:
- The House of Representatives officially passed a spending package Friday that includes a yearlong ban on funding for UNRWA, the United Nations Palestinian refugee aid agency that provides most of the humanitarian aid in Gaza.
- Finland announced Friday that it will resume its funding for UNRWA. Like the U.S., Finland had suspended funding in January amid Israeli allegations that UNRWA staffers participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks.
- Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and Malta agreed to take steps toward recognizing a Palestinian state, which they say is a vital part of a two-state solution, in which both Palestinian and Israeli states exist side by side.
- Israel declared nearly 2,000 acres of land in the West Bank “state land,” opening it up to Israeli settlements. According to Israeli advocacy group Peace Now, a record 12,349 housing units were “promoted in settlements” in the West Bank last year.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Friday as part of his sixth visit to the Middle East since Oct. 7. Netanyahu said he told Blinken that Israel is determined to send troops into Rafah, with or without U.S. support.
|
|
2. Ukraine faces widespread blackouts after Russia attacks power grid
Over a million Ukrainians lost power Friday after an aerial assault that Ukraine called the largest attack on its energy system in more than two years of war with Russia.
Russia launched more than 150 missiles and drones in the overnight attacks, which targeted a range of infrastructure sites, including Ukraine’s largest dam. Though it’s not believed that the dam’s structural integrity is compromised, the damage caused widespread blackouts.
The airstrikes came amid lagging financial support for the Ukrainian cause, as an American aid package is stalled in Congress.
“Russian missiles have no delays, unlike aid packages for Ukraine … [D]rones have no indecision, unlike some politicians,” President Volodomyr Zelenskyy wrote on the social media platform X.
The attacks also killed five people and injured 26, according to Ukrainian national police.
Related: The U.S. has asked Ukraine to stop striking Russian energy infrastructure, fearing Russian retaliation and increased world oil prices. Russia is one of the largest global oil product exporters and the second-largest crude oil exporter, according to the World Economic Forum. Oil prices have already risen about 15% this year.
|
|
3. Kate Middleton announces cancer diagnosis
The Princess of Wales announced in a video message Friday that she has cancer and is beginning “preventative chemotherapy.”
The news comes two months after she underwent abdominal surgery that prompted her to retreat from public duties, and amid a whirlwind of social media speculation over her whereabouts and well-being in the time since.
The princess revealed in Friday’s video that it was during this January operation that her cancer was discovered, though she did not say what type of cancer she has. Three staffers at the London hospital where Kate underwent the surgery are currently under investigation for allegedly trying to access her medical records.
The video is a much more straightforward acknowledgement of Kate’s condition than had previously been made by Kensington Palace, which controls the release of news about the Prince and Princess of Wales. On March 10, the palace released a photograph of the princess and her children that was later retracted by multiple news agencies after it was revealed to have been digitally “manipulated.”
King Charles is also currently in treatment for an unspecified form of cancer.
|
|
In other news
- Several gunmen opened fire at a concert in Moscow late on Friday, killing at least 40 people and wounding more than 100. Russian authorities are investigating the incident as terrorism, which, if proven true, would make it one of Russia’s deadliest terrorist attacks in recent history. [The Washington Post]
- Senegal is holding its presidential election this weekend, nearly two months after President Macky Sall attempted to delay the elections until the end of 2024. [NPR]
- Hundreds of Cubans took to the streets this week in the country’s largest demonstrations since 2021, protesting severe shortages in fuel and food. The government raised the price of gas this month by 500%. [The Wall Street Journal]
- A slew of Bollywood films promoting Indian prime minister Narendra Modi are coming out ahead of the country’s general election, which is a 44-day phased election beginning in April. Modi is seeking his third term. [Associated Press]
|
|
|
Say that again
“Water shortages not only fan the flames of geopolitical tensions but also pose a threat to fundamental rights as a whole,” said UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay.
Azoulay was speaking about a new U.N. report that found water scarcity is creating more conflict and instability across the globe. It also contributes to girls dropping out of school, since they often must travel hours to gather water. [ Al Jazeera]
|
|
|
‘Coffee lovers, we’ve got a situation!’
Blue Marble’s Kyra Dahring walks us through the hottest new coffee bean being farmed in Vietnam and how it could save your morning cup from a warming planet.
|
|
|
|
What we’re listening to
I’ve been enthralled by the recent controversy surrounding French singer Aya Nakamura and the Paris Olympics. The Malian-born Nakamura is France’s most popular female artist since Edith Piaf, and rumors that she would cover Piaf’s songs at the Games set off a firestorm last week among the nation’s far right. Once you’ve had a chance to read up on her story, be sure to give her tunes a listen. Her 2018 hit “Djadja” has nearly one billion streams on YouTube. —Tria Raimundo, Director, Global Development Programs
Thanks for reading. We’ll see you Monday.
|
|
|
Hope O'Dell, Sarah Cahalan, and A.J. Caughey contributed writing and reporting for today's newsletter.
|
|
Was this newsletter forwarded to you?
Sign up here to receive The Overview for free.
|
|
|
|
|
