Daily Discussion - March 29, 2024

Germany Shifts Tone On Gaza War As Death Toll Mounts

Days after Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, was one of the first Western leaders to arrive in Tel Aviv.

Standing beside the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, he declared that Germany had “only one place — and it is alongside Israel.”That place now feels increasingly awkward for Germany, Israel’s second-largest arms supplier, and a nation whose leadership calls support for the country a “Staatsraison,” a national reason for existence, as a way of atoning for the Holocaust.

Last week, with Israel&r…  Read moresquo;s deadly offensive continuing in Gaza, the chancellor again stood next to Mr. Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, and struck a different tone. “No matter how important the goal,” he asked, “can it justify such terribly high costs?”With international outrage growing over a death toll that Gazan health authorities say exceeds 32,000, and the looming prospect of famine in the enclave, German officials have begun to question whether their country’s support has gone too far.

Polish Prime Minister Says Europe Must "Prepare For War."

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Europe is in a “pre-war era” but still has a “long way to go” before it's ready to face the threat ahead.

“I don't want to scare anyone, but war is no longer a concept from the past,” Tusk said in an interview with several European media outlets. "It is real, in fact it already started more than two years ago."

Tusk said what’s most worrying right now is that “literally any scenario is possible," adding that Europe has not faced a situation like this since 1945.

“I…  Read more know it sounds devastating, especially to people of the younger generation, but we have to mentally get used to the arrival of a new era,” he said. “The pre-war era. I don’t exaggerate. This is becoming more and more apparent every day."

U.S. Nears Deals With Palestinians To End "Pay For Slay" Program

The U.S. is near a deal with the Palestinian Authority to end its contentious “martyr payments” for people who commit acts of violence against Israel, two Biden administration officials said.

That would be a key win for the multifaceted U.S. push to reform the PA — from instituting anti-corruption measures to improving basic services — so that it can take over governance of the Gaza Strip whenever the Israel-Hamas war ends.

The PA oversees parts of the West Bank, and it is seen by the Biden administration as the best option for governing Gaza in the future. But the PA…  Read more is reviled by many Palestinians, as well as Israelis and Arab leaders, who see it as corrupt, inefficient and out of touch.

Virginia Governor Vetoes Legal Marijuana Bill

A push to establish a legal marijuana market in Virginia is officially dead after Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed legislation on Thursday.

Virginia has allowed adults over 21 to possess and cultivate cannabis at home since the Legislature passed legalization legislation in 2021. But the law required another vote to implement commercial sales, which failed after Republicans won the House of Delegates later that year.

“The proposed legalization of retail marijuana in the Commonwealth endangers Virginians’ health and safety,” Youngkin said in his veto statement. “It…  Read more also does not eliminate the illegal black-market sale of cannabis, nor guarantee product safety.”

Commercial Airlines Accuse Russia of "GPS Jamming" Planes

Airplanes flying over the Baltic region are reporting an increasing number of missing or fake GPS signals — and Russia is seen as the likeliest culprit.

The blackout episodes — known as GPS jamming — have been occurring regularly since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. The jamming seems to be concentrated around Russia's Kaliningrad exclave — a key military area for Moscow.

“Russia is regularly attacking the aircraft, passengers, and sovereign territory of NATO countries,” said Dana Goward, president of the U.S.-based Resilient Navigation and Timi…  Read moreng Foundation, a GPS users lobby group.

Israel Set Out to Destroy Hamas and Free Hostages—but Worries It Can’t Do Both

Israeli society is divided over how to give priority to the country’s two main war aims—destroying Hamas and freeing 130 hostages, including over 30 dead hostages, abducted almost six months ago. While Israel is seeking wartime unity, many see the goals as currently irreconcilable, since most hostages—hidden deep in tunnels—can’t be freed by force and Hamas is demanding that Israel allow the militant group to survive in order to release them.

“The two aims are clashing with each other, and both can’t happen,” said Mitchell Barak, a political anal…  Read moreyst at Jerusalem-based Keevoon Global Research. “There is no side that will be happy here.”

Israeli Missile Strikes Kill 40 In Syria

Israeli air strikes on Syria’s northern province of Aleppo have killed more than 40 people, most of them soldiers, according to news agencies and a war monitor.The fatalities included six members of Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group confirmed on Telegram.

The attacks about 1:45am on Friday (22:45 GMT on Thursday) targeted several areas in Aleppo’s countryside, Syria’s Ministry of Defence said. It did not provide casualty figures, only saying a number of civilians and military personnel were killed and property was damaged after Israel and unnamed armed groups carried out…  Read more the strikes, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.

U.S. Planing To Send Troops To Gaza After War

Biden administration officials are in preliminary “conversations” about options for stabilizing post-war Gaza, including a proposal for the Pentagon to help fund either a multinational force or a Palestinian peacekeeping team.

The options being considered would not involve U.S. troops on the ground, according to two Defense Department officials and two other U.S. officials, all granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door diplomatic and military negotiations. Instead, DOD funding would go toward the needs of the security force and complement assistance from other countries.

A…  Read moresked for comment, a senior administration official said “we are working with partners on various scenarios for interim governance and security structures in Gaza once the crisis recedes,” declining to detail specifics. “We’ve had a number of conversations with both the Israelis and our partners about key elements for the day after in Gaza when the time is right.”

China Launches A.I. Videos To Mock the ‘American Dream’

As storm clouds gather over an urban landscape resembling New York City, the words “AMERICAN DREAM” hang in a darkening sky as the video ends.

The message is clear: Despite its promises of a better life for all, the United States is in terminal decline.

The video, titled American Dream or American Mirage, is one of a number of segments aired by Chinese state broadcaster CGTN – and shared far and wide on social media – as part of its A Fractured America animated series.

Other videos in the series contain similar titles that invoke images of a dystopian society, such as Ame…  Read morerican workers in tumult: A result of unbalanced politics and economy, and Unmasking the real threat: America’s military-industrial complex.