Diary

Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

Israeli threats to expand military operation in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to expand a military operation on the northern front with Lebanon, the Israeli Channel 12 said Saturday.

Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets in southern Lebanon on Sunday urging residents to evacuate, according to local media. The leaflets called on residents of the town of al-Wazzani and its surroundings to leave, the state-run National News Agency reported.

The warning came as four people were injured by Israeli artillery shelling in Kfar Kila and Odaisseh in southern Lebanon as they evacuated their homes, the broadcaster said.

Israeli onslaught on Gaza

Humanitarian and military developments in Gaza, where Israel has killed over 41,200 Palestinians and injured more than 95,300 since the incursion last Oct. 7 by Palestinian group Hamas. The situation is deteriorating as Israeli attacks continue and aid grows more scarce in the besieged enclave.

Palestinians have warned of an imminent famine in the northern Gaza Strip as an ongoing Israeli blockade has forced five out of six functioning bakeries to shut down in the region.

Gaza authorities warned Saturday about a humanitarian disaster facing 2 million displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip ahead of winter.

"Seventy-four percent of the tents for the displaced people are no longer suitable for use, according to government field assessment teams,” the Gaza Media Office said in a statement.

West Bank raids

Israeli military raids on Palestinian cities and towns in the occupied West Bank since last October have killed at least 703 people, including 159 children, and injured 5,700 others, with over 10,400 taken into custody.

A Palestinian pregnant woman had a miscarriage after an Israeli military raid on her home in the West Bank city of Hebron, according to local media on Sunday.

Israeli forces raided several houses in southern Hebron and assaulted a Palestinian man and his wife, who suffered a miscarriage, the official news agency Wafa reported.

Cease-fire talks between Israel, Hamas

Latest on Israel-Hamas talks on possible cease-fire in Gaza and hostage swap.

No breakthrough in negotiations is expected as Israel continues to delay progress, obstructing talks by introducing new conditions.

The US recently accused Hamas of “changing some of its conditions” on a possible deal. Hamas denied this, asserting that in fact, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is the one adding new conditions.

Hamas reaffirms its readiness to implement an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip based on a plan backed by US President Joe Biden earlier this year. Hamas reiterated its refusal to add any new conditions to that proposal.

Protests against Israeli government

Mounting protests in Israel to pressure the government led by Netanyahu to either negotiate a hostage-prisoner swap deal with Hamas or resign.

Red Sea tensions

Continued Houthi attacks on commercial ships suspected of having links with Israel in the Red Sea and the US-led coalition airstrikes on the group's positions in Yemen.

Nine Israelis were injured on Sunday with minor wounds as they rushed to shelters following the launch of a surface-to-surface missile from Yemen toward central Israel. However, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed Sunday to “exact a heavy price” on the Houthi group in Yemen after the rocket attack.

Deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in Sudan

The humanitarian and security situation in Sudan continues to deteriorate amid clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

US envoy Hochstein's visit to Israel

Amos Hochstein, senior advisor to US President Biden, is set to arrive in Israel on Monday for talks focused on Lebanon. During his visit, the US envoy is expected to meet with the Israeli Premier Netanyahu, Defense Minister Gallant, and other top security officials.

White House spokesperson John Kirby noted that Hochstein’s trip is part of the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to prevent the opening of a second front.

Hochstein is also expected to present a proposal for redefining the border with Lebanon during his visit, the Israeli broadcasting authority said.

UN briefing on situation in Gaza

UN special reporters to brief the media on the situation in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. Francesca Albanese, UN’s special rapporteur on Palestine and George Katrougalos, special rapporteur on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, will be among the speakers.

British Premier Starmer visits Italy

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will host British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for talks on bilateral relations and international security issues.

Top French, Greek diplomats meet in Athens

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis will meet with his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne to discuss bilateral relations and regional security issues.

Turkish president to take part in opening ceremony

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to participate in opening ceremony of training program for assistant judges and prosecutors in the capital Ankara.

Biden's visit to Philadelphia

US President Joe Biden to will deliver remarks at the 2024 National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Statements from Biden administration on Gaza

Statements from the US' Biden administration on the Gaza war and the Israeli killing of Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the occupied West Bank on Sept. 6.

Apparent assassination attempt on Trump

Developments regarding the apparent assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump at his Florida golf club, the second time in two months as the presidential elections loom.

UN event on Gaza

UN Security Council members to receive a briefing from Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag on the implementation of Resolution 2720, which requested the secretary-general to appoint a coordinator mandated with establishing a UN mechanism for accelerating humanitarian consignments to Gaza.

Typhoon Bebinca approaches China

Typhoon Bebinca has killed six people in the Philippines and is approaching southeast China.

Beijing has issued an emergency response to flooding as the tropical storm Bebinca is expected to impact the southeastern regions of the country.

Chinese Foreign Ministry holds regular press briefing

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson will hold regular press conference in Beijing.

Race for Japan's ruling party leadership continues

A record nine candidates are locked in a 15-day election campaign to become the next leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and succeed Fumio Kishida as the prime minister. The election for the new party leader will be held on Sept. 27.

Meeting of top Russian, Egyptian diplomats

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to meet with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty.

The top diplomats will focus on the situation in the Palestinian territories. They also plan to exchange views on global issues, and prospects of bilateral cooperation.

⁠Fighting between Russian, Ukrainian troops continues in Kursk, Donetsk

Russia and Ukraine continue fighting in the border region of Kursk, where Kyiv began an incursion last month, and in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow continues claiming advances on multiple fronts. Ongoing developments in both conflict areas.

Huge population affected by floods in northeastern Nigeria

Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by floods in Nigeria’s Borno State, with some 37 deaths and 58 injuries. The UN and its partners are responding to the immediate food, health, shelter, and sanitation needs of those affected.

Mpox continues to spread in Africa

The number of mpox cases continues to rise in Africa, where the virus has been reported in 15 countries across all five regions of the continent. The Democratic Republic of Congo remains the epicenter of the outbreak.

Kenya reassures public of safety after US security alert

The Kenyan police assured the public of safety after the US Embassy in the capital Nairobi warned its citizens of possible terror attacks. At least 500 lives have been lost due to terror attacks in Kenya since the 1998 bombing at the embassy, which killed 213 people, including 201 Kenyans and 12 Americans.

Rwanda conducts Senate elections on Monday

Rwanda will hold elections on Monday for candidates contesting for seats in Rwanda's Senate, the upper chamber of the parliament.

A total of 32 candidates are vying for 26 seats in the Senate, according to the National Electoral Commission.

The Senate is composed of 14 lawmakers elected by electoral colleges from the national capital of Kigali, provinces, and higher learning institutions, eight appointed by the president, and four from the National Consultative Forum of Political Organizations. Public and private universities each have one seat in the Senate.

Top diplomats of the Alliance of Sahel states meet in Mali

Foreign ministers of the military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to meet in Mali’s capital Bamako for talks. The trio of states, which recently broke away from the Economic Community of West African States bloc, announced a new confederation of three Sahel states.

THE ECONOMY

Germany’s Destatis to reveal wholesale inflation for August. Wholesale prices have been contracting during the last 16 months.

The Eurostat to share foreign trade balance figures for July.

Türkiye to share budget balance figures for August.

SPECIAL REPORTS

How a former Israeli negotiator proposes to end the war on Gaza

By Rabia Ali

Istanbul - Interview with Gershon Baskin, an Israeli peace activist known for his role in facilitating past negotiations with Hamas, about his recent proposal to bring an end to the ongoing war in Gaza.

Baskin reveals the details of a cease-fire plan accepted by Hamas leaders, which could see all hostilities draw to a close within a span of three weeks, and explains the issues obstructing concrete progress, particularly Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stance.

He also shares his assessment of any future talks, emphasizing that the key lies with the US as it alone has the power to force Netanyahu and Israel to be more flexible in the negotiations for a cease-fire.

Germany’s border controls threaten EU’s Schengen idea, warns expert

By Ayhan Simsek

Berlin - Interview with senior migration expert Gerald Knaus about Germany’s recent border control measures, which include temporary checks at all land borders and turning away undocumented migrants.

Knaus, the co-founder of the Berlin-based think tank ESI, views the decision as a “desperate measure” taken hastily by the Social Democrat-led coalition government after a far-right party’s stunning win in a recent regional election.

He warns that such steps have proven futile in previous attempts by various European countries, stressing that it is “putting at risk what has been achieved, which is the biggest border-free area in the world,” referring to the EU’s visa-free Schengen zone.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO - Interview with Gershon Baskin, an Israeli peace activist and former negotiator, about a recent Gaza cease-fire proposal accepted by Hamas and the obstacles being put up by Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

VIDEO - Interview with migration expert Gerald Knaus about Germany’s new border controls, which he views as a “desperate measure” borne out of political pressure, warning that they will not work and only end up putting the EU’s Schengen idea at more risk.