Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

GAZA STRIP

Following developments after a prisoner exchange deal is reached between Israel and Hamas, which comes 47 days after the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip that resulted in the deaths of 14,128 Palestinians, including more than 5,600 children and 3,550 women. A four-day ‘humanitarian pause’ to allow release of 50 Israelis, 150 Palestinians, hundreds of aid trucks will be given access into the enclave.

WEST BANK

Following Israeli military raids across the West Bank amid growing tensions in the occupied territory. At least 218 Palestinians have been killed and 2,850 others injured by Israeli forces in the West Bank since Oct. 7 amid the ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

LEBANON

Monitoring growing tensions along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The Lebanese Al-Mayadeen channel, close to Hezbollah, announced that two of its journalists were killed in an Israeli raid. At least 77 Hezbollah fighters have so far been killed in the current conflict since Oct. 8.

THE NETHERLANDS

AMSTERDAM - Voters to head to the polls for early parliamentary election. They will elect 150 members of the House of Representatives for a four-year term. Prime Minister Mark Rutte has announced he plans to quit politics following elections.

GERMANY

BERLIN - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for talks on bilateral relations, international issues. Two leaders will also chair 32nd German-Italian intergovernmental consultations.

UNITED KINGDOM

LONDON - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to respond to questions from lawmakers.

LONDON - Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to make the Autumn Statement, presenting tax and spending plans.

LONDON - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

FRANCE

STRASBOURG - European Parliament to hold a debate on Gaza. Agenda includes a debate on the humanitarian situation in Gaza featuring Council/Commission statements, an address by Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov.

VATICAN

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis to meet with Israeli, Palestinian delegations amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

NORTH MACEDONIA

SKOPJE - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to take part in a meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, and Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob.

BELARUS

MINSK - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend a joint meeting of the councils of foreign and defense ministers and Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the Belarusian capital.

INDIA

NEW DELHI - India to host virtual summit of G-20 nations on Wednesday. Besides leaders of world’s top 20 economies, chair of the African Union, nine guest countries, and heads of 11 international organizations, have been invited to the summit. The term presidency of India will end this month.

RUSSIA

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova will hold a press conference on current issues of foreign policy.

UNITED STATES

NEW YORK - UN Security Council to hold meeting on situation in Middle East, including Palestinian question.

KOREAN PENINSULA

PYONGYANG - Monitoring reactions to North Korea's launch of its military satellite in third attempt.

THE ECONOMY

ANKARA - TurkStat to announce Turkish consumer confidence for November. Türkiye's consumer confidence index rose to 3-month high of 74.6 in October, but still pointing a pessimistic outlook due to remaining below 100.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Hospitals must not be attacked if civilian deaths outweigh military advantage: UN special rapporteur on Israel’s Gaza actions

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL - Interview with Ben Saul, UN special rapporteur for human rights and counterterrorism, about the ongoing Gaza crisis. He speaks about the legal aspects of the issue, particularly the provisions of international law and their application to Israel’s actions, such as the attacks on hospitals. The interview also includes comments from Saul on the question of proportionality in Israel’s response, the destruction and collective siege of Gaza, the disregard for provisions of the Geneva Convention, and the possibility of stronger mechanisms for international accountability.

‘Enough evidence’ of war crimes in Gaza, says Israeli-American professor

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON - Interview with Omer Bartov, professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University in the US, about the Israel-Palestine issue and the ongoing Gaza crisis. He speaks about potential Israeli war crimes in Gaza, saying there is enough evidence to prove these, specifically because of the “disproportionality between the military goals and the number of civilians killed.” Bartov also discusses the inflammatory rhetoric used by Israeli politicians during the ongoing crisis and how it could give soldiers “license to act against the rules and laws of war.” He also shares his views about the claim that criticism of Israel equates to anti-Semitism, pointing out why that is a flawed argument.

As inflation eases, US set for record Thanksgiving shopping rush

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL - Report about the expected turnout of American shoppers on this year’s Thanksgiving weekend, which spans from Thursday through Cyber Monday. The report includes data and consumer spending projections from various sources, including the US National Retail Federation, which estimates that around 182 million people will be shopping on those days. It also has figures for inflation rates in the US and details the consequent effect on consumer spending.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEOS - Latest developments in Israel-Palestine conflict

Reports covering developments in Israel-Palestine conflict, including packages from correspondents on the ground, updates about the overall situation, and other major developments.