Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at a Hamas suicide bombing in Israel, the rationale behind Ukraine’s incursion into Russia, and the start of the U.S. Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
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Hamas Targets Tel Aviv
Hamas’s armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad jointly claimed responsibility on Monday for a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, Israel, late Sunday. Israeli police and Shin Bet, the country’s domestic security agency, said in a joint statement that a “powerful explosive device” detonated near a synagogue where people were reportedly praying, injuring one person and killing the suspect carrying the device. “A major disaster was averted, and dozens could have been killed,” a police official told CNN on Monday.
The explosives are believed to have detonated before the suspect “managed to reach a more heavily populated area,” Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said. Authorities are investigating the incident as a terrorist attack.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad said their “martyrdom operations” (what they call suicide bombings) inside Israel would return so long as Israel’s “massacres, the displacement of civilians,” and “the policy of assassinations continue.” This appears to reference the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month, which Israel is widely believed to be responsible for. The last suicide attack to occur in Israel took place in 2016, when an explosive device detonated on a bus in Jerusalem injured more than 20 people. At the time, Hamas named the suspect but never claimed responsibility for the attack.
Sunday’s Tel Aviv bombing occurred just one hour after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to promote the latest Gaza cease-fire deal. Under the so-called bridging proposal—which U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari mediators presented on Friday following two days of talks in Doha, Qatar—Israel and Hamas would adhere to a six-week truce, Israeli hostages would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, and Israeli troops would withdraw from major population centers in Gaza, among other measures.
“This is a decisive moment—probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a cease-fire, and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” Blinken said on Monday, adding that it was vital for all parties involved to avoid taking steps that could derail the talks.
U.S. President Joe Biden expressed optimism that a deal could be reached later this week as technical teams work on how to implement the proposed terms. Yet, Israel and Hamas remain at odds. Blinken said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted the cease-fire and hostage release proposal, but it is unclear whether that agreement includes Hamas’s demand that Israeli troops withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor—the Israeli code name for the narrow strip of land separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt—which Netanyahu opposes doing.
Meanwhile, Hamas officials accused Washington of adopting all of Israel’s demands, alleging that the latest version of the agreement does not include a permanent cease-fire—something that Netanyahu has resisted in his push for “total victory” over Hamas.
Blinken called on Monday for Hamas to also accept the deal. He is expected to travel to Egypt on Tuesday to continue negotiation efforts. This is Blinken’s ninth trip to the region since the war broke out last October.
Today’s Most Read
The World This Week
Tuesday, Aug. 20: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim concludes a two-day trip to New Delhi.
Japan and India hold a 2+2 dialogue in New Delhi.
Wednesday, Aug. 21: Chinese Premier Li Qiang concludes a two-day trip to Moscow before flying to Belarus.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to Poland for a two-day visit.
Indonesia’s central bank determines its interest rate.
Thursday, Aug. 22: The central banks of Turkey and South Korea determine their interest rates.
Saturday, Aug. 24: Israel’s Bring Them Home movement holds a rally in Tel Aviv.
Monday, Aug. 26: African health ministers convene in the Republic of Congo for a multiday regional session of the World Health Organization.
Tonga begins hosting a weeklong leaders’ meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum.
What We’re Following
Kursk buffer zone. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Kyiv’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region aims to create a buffer zone to prevent future Russian attacks. This was the first time that Kyiv explicitly stated the rationale behind the operation, which began on Aug. 6 and took Russian forces largely by surprise. “It is now our primary task in defensive operations overall: to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions,” Zelensky said.
Moscow’s Investigative Committee accused Ukraine on Monday of targeting a third bridge over Kursk’s Seym River. According to Russian officials, Ukrainian forces have already used Western weapons, possibly U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, to destroy at least two of the river’s bridges. These attacks could hinder the Kremlin’s efforts to replenish its forces and evacuate civilians, especially as local media reported on Sunday that Moscow has deployed a regiment from its Aerospace Forces to Kursk due to a troop shortage.
Also on Sunday, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko accused Kyiv of having stationed more than 120,000 soldiers at their shared border. In response, Lukashenko said he has deployed nearly a third of Minsk’s military along Belarus’s entire border, though the exact numbers remain unclear. Lukashenko is a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Harris campaign. The Democratic National Convention (DNC) kicked off in Chicago on Monday for four days of campaigning and fundraising ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November. Vice President Kamala Harris will take the stage on Thursday to formally accept the party’s nomination. If Harris wins the election, she will be the first woman and first South Asian president in U.S. history.
Democrats are hoping to display a sense of unity at this year’s DNC after a rocky campaign start forced Biden to drop out of the race. Yet many U.S. liberals remain divided over the Democratic Party’s platform, particularly regarding the Israel-Hamas war. Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters are expected to convene outside of the convention this week to urge the administration to limit weapons sales to Israel.
Last week, the Biden administration approved a more than $20 billion arms sale to Israel that includes new F-15 fighter jets and thousands of tank and mortar shells. And on Sunday, the party unveiled its 92-page platform, which expresses support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but does not mention an arms embargo on Israel, a key demand of pro-Palestinian protesters and uncommitted delegates at the convention.
Sabina Shoal. Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships collided near the Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea on Monday, opening a new flash point in the two countries’ ongoing maritime disputes. The Sabina Shoal is an atoll in the Spratly Islands, where Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, and Malaysia also have overlapping territorial claims. At least two vessels were damaged in the collision.
Philippine authorities accused China on Monday of engaging in “unlawful and aggressive maneuvers,” while Chinese officials said Manila acted in an “unprofessional and dangerous manner.”
Although frequent disputes in recent months have centered on the Second Thomas Shoal, another atoll in the Spratly Islands, this is the first time that a direct confrontation has occurred over the Sabina Shoal. “The battle lines have moved closer to the Philippines,” SeaLight director Ray Powell told the New York Times. Sabina Shoal is one of the closest maritime features to the Philippines’ mainland.
Odds and Ends
Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts apologized to aspiring young artists on Saturday after a museum employee told a child to stop sketching a Pablo Picasso painting on his tablet computer. The staff member allegedly told the young doodler that copying the artwork is not allowed despite the practice being widely accepted in other museums around the world. Museum administration pledged to improve staff training to create a friendlier atmosphere going forward.
The post Terror Attack in Tel Aviv Threatens Gaza Cease-Fire Deal appeared first on Foreign Policy.
