Israel-Hamas War

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at U.S. military aid promises to Israel, increased Indo-Pacific deterrence of North Korea, and India-China border talks.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reiterate Washington’s unyielding support for Israel’s fight against Hamas. “You may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself, but as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to,” Blinken said during a press conference with Netanyahu.

Another key goal of Blinken’s trip is to try to secure the release of hostages captured by Hamas during its assault. As many as 150 hostages are being held by the Islamist militant group, including an unknown number of Americans. The U.S. deputy special envoy for hostage affairs as well as other U.S. officials accompanied Blinken on his trip.

The group will also be visiting Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia in the coming days, where Blinken said they “will continue pressing countries to help prevent the conflict from spreading and to use their leverage on Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release the hostages.”

In Jordan, Blinken will meet with King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The three leaders are expected to discuss humanitarian relief for the Gaza Strip and stopping Hamas’s attacks. Abbas condemned the violence on both sides on Thursday, calling the killing of civilians a violation of “morals, religion, and international law.”

On Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel to Israel to continue Blinken’s work. The United States also announced that it would send a nearly $2 billion aid package—complete with ammunition, interceptors, and other defense technology—to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome. According to top Biden administration officials, the White House is also planning to submit a supplemental funding request that would include more aid to Israel as well as assistance to Ukraine, Taiwan, and U.S. border security forces.

• The Geopolitics of Palestine, Explained by Allison Meakem
• A Guide to Palestinian and Other Anti-Israel Factions by Alexandra Sharp and Rishi Iyengar
• Can Hamas Be Destroyed? by Anchal Vohra

Anchor down. Seoul welcomed the arrival of a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier on Thursday, when the USS Ronald Reagan and its battle group docked at South Korea’s southern port of Busan. The aircraft carrier had recently finished South Korean-U.S.-Japanese trilateral military exercises in international waters.

This is the first such U.S. vessel to arrive in South Korea since late March. It will remain in Busan until Monday as part of a bilateral agreement to enhance “regular visibility” of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula in an effort to deter North Korean aggression in the region.

Border talks. Top Indian and Chinese military officials met this week to discuss clashes and other issues along their shared, contested Himalayan border, government spokespersons announced on Thursday. The two-day talks were the 20th round of dialogue between the two nations and one of the first to create diplomatic channels to advocate for peace in the region.

At least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed in border clashes in June 2020, the deadliest incident in 45 years. In the years since, bilateral ties have soured, with India reducing visas for Chinese citizens and China refusing to post an ambassador to New Delhi. This week’s dialogue could rekindle relations, especially after Chinese President Xi Jinping snubbed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi by not attending the India-hosted G-20 summit this year.

Shifting away from Kyiv. Former Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is expected to form a new government after reaching a coalition deal with center-left and nationalist parties on Wednesday. Fico’s left-wing Smer party won parliamentary elections on Sept. 30. With Fico at the helm, Slovakia is expected to ally closer with Hungary and curb military aid to Ukraine.

Slovakia is not the only nation potentially pivoting from Ukraine. Poland’s conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party is expected to win parliamentary elections this Sunday, polling 7 percentage points ahead of the opposition Civic Coalition. If Warsaw’s far-right, anti-establishment PiS wins, there will be little pro-Ukrainian lawmakers can do to support Kyiv, journalist Mateusz Mazzini argued in Foreign Policy.

The British royal family may be posh on the outside, but their text messages are anything but. In a BBC Radio 1 interview on Tuesday, Prince William revealed that his No. 1 used emoji is not the crown but rather the eggplant—or “aubergine” as Brits call it. The emoji is frequently used to represent male genitalia, but we’d prefer to think the prince is just a big fan of vegetables.