Poll finds Democratic support rebounds for Biden's handling of Israel-Hamas war
Democratic support for President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war has rebounded, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center Public Affairs Research.
Around 59% of Democrats approve of Biden’s approach to handling the war, rising slightly from 50% in November, the poll found. Meanwhile, only 18% of the Republicans supported Biden on this issue, it added.
About half of the public said the top priority is to negotiate a permanent cease-fire and offer humanitarian relief to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, while around 34% said it is “extremely or very important” to provide military aid to Israel, the report read.
Criticism and concern over today's far-right march in Jerusalem
A march organized by far-right Jewish activists in Jerusalem set to take place today, the first day of Hanukkah, has drawn concern and criticism.
Dubbed "The Maccabi March," a flyer for the event says its purpose is to "renew full Jewish control in Jerusalem and Temple Mount," a site that is sacred in both Judaism and Islam.
It is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. ET) from Tzahal Square and continue through the Damascus Gate toward a site Jews call the Temple Mount, the spot where the biblical Temples once stood. Muslims call it the Noble Sanctuary, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock.
The event has been approved by Israeli police but some have expressed concern that it could inflame tensions in the holy city. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said it was an "attempt to set fire to more arenas and cause more destruction and death."
Israel blows up Hamas tunnels and considers flooding them
NIR OZ, Israel — Israeli troops say they’re making advances against Hamas in Gaza, killing its field commands.
Israel is also blowing up the entrances to tunnels and is reportedly considering flooding them with seawater, though some hostages might be inside.
Relatives grieve after strike in Rafah
A Palestinian woman embraces the body of a loved one killed in an Israeli strike outside a hospital morgue in Rafah, southern Gaza, today.
University leaders clarify positions on genocide after White House criticism
Two elite university leaders have attempted to clarify their positions after they appeared to sidestep the question of whether calling for the killing of Jews was against their students’ codes of conduct at a congressional hearing earlier this week.
Referring to the hearing yesterday, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement that it was “unbelievable that this needs to be said: calls for genocide are monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country.”
In a video posted to Facebook yesterday, Elizabeth Magill, president of the University of Pennsylvania, said she should have been focused on “the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate.”
“It’s evil, plain and simple,” she added.
In a separate statement posted to X, Claudine Gay, president of Harvard University, said: "Let me be clear: Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account."
Israel approves 'minimal' increase of fuel to Gaza
The Israeli security Cabinet approved a “minimal” increase in supplies of much-needed fuel to southern Gaza. The move was taken to "prevent a humanitarian collapse and the outbreak of epidemics," the Israeli prime minister's office said in a post on X.
UNRWA says required conditions to deliver aid 'do not exist'
The main U.N. agency for Palestinians said today that the conditions required to provide aid to the Gaza Strip “do not exist.”
Heavy bombardment and the resumption of military operations have made the situation “desperate,” the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said, citing a lack of aid and overcrowding in shelters.
“UNRWA operations are being strangled,” it added in a statement on X.
Exclusive: Jewish organization staffers call for White House to back Gaza cease-fire
While most major American Jewish organizations staunchly support Israel in its war against Hamas, dissent has quietly been growing among their often younger employees, some of whom are now speaking out to “demonstrate broad support within the Jewish community for a ceasefire.”
More than 500 staffers at over 140 Jewish organizations across the country signed on to an open letter to President Joe Biden, shared first with NBC News, calling for a cease-fire, the return of all hostages and a lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Saudi Arabia urges U.S. restraint as Houthis attack ships in Red Sea
Saudi Arabia has asked the United States to show restraint in responding to attacks by Yemen’s Houthis against ships in the Red Sea, two sources familiar with Saudi thinking said, as Riyadh seeks to contain spillover from the Hamas-Israel war.
The Iran-aligned Houthis have waded into the conflict that has spread around the Middle East since war erupted Oct. 7, attacking vessels in vital shipping lanes and firing drones and missiles at Israel itself. The Houthis are one of several groups in the Iran-aligned “Axis of Resistance” which have been attacking Israeli and U.S. targets since the start of the conflict.
With the Houthis stepping up attacks on shipping over the past weeks, two sources familiar with Saudi thinking said Riyadh’s message of restraint to Washington aimed to avoid further escalation. Riyadh was so far pleased with the way the United States was handling the situation, the sources added.
Overnight strike in Rafah displaces Palestinians
Palestinians gather near a building destroyed by an Israeli bombardment overnight in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip this morning.