The Times of Israel is liveblogging Tuesdsay’s events as they happen.
Julian Assange reaches plea deal with US that will let him return to Australia
WASHINGTON — Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty to a felony charge in a deal with the US Justice Department that will resolve a long-running legal saga that spanned multiple continents and centered on the publication of a trove of classified documents, according to court papers filed late Monday.
Assange is scheduled to appear in the federal court in the Mariana Islands, a US commonwealth in the Western Pacific, to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defense information, the Justice Department says in a letter filed in court.
The guilty plea, which must be approved by a judge, brings an abrupt conclusion to a criminal case of international intrigue and to the US government’s years-long pursuit of a publisher whose hugely popular secret-sharing website made him a cause célèbre among many press freedom advocates who said he acted as a journalist to expose US military wrongdoing. Investigators, by contrast, have repeatedly asserted that his actions broke laws meant to protect sensitive information and put the country’s national security at risk.
He is expected to return to Australia after his plea and sentencing, which is scheduled for Wednesday morning, local time in Saipan, the largest island in the Mariana Islands. The hearing is taking place there because of Assange’s opposition to traveling to the continental US and the court’s proximity to Australia.
US says Blinken pressed Gallant on Gaza aid, called to ‘avoid further escalation’ on Lebanon border
WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel to take additional steps to protect humanitarian workers and ensure the delivery of aid throughout Gaza during his meeting with visiting Defense Minister Yoav Gallant earlier today, the State Department says.
The US readout is a regurgitation of US talking points about the Israel-Hamas war.
It says the pair discussed ongoing efforts to secure a hostage-ceasefire deal, which Arab and Israeli officials said earlier today were complicated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim on Sunday that he was only interested in implementing part of the deal before resuming military operations in Gaza. The premier subsequently attempted to walk back his comments, insisting that he remains committed to the Israeli proposal outlined by US President Joe Biden last month.
During today’s meeting, Blinken “emphasized the need to take additional steps to protect humanitarian workers in Gaza and deliver assistance throughout Gaza in full coordination with the United Nations, the State Department readout says.
Blinken also updated Gallant on US planning for the post-war governance of Gaza and “emphasized the importance of that work to Israel’s security,” according to the US readout. Washington has repeatedly criticized Jerusalem over this issue, arguing that failure to plan for “the day after” will lead to Israel either permanently occupying Gaza or a state of chaos in the Strip that will allow for Hamas to reconstitute.
Regarding the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Blinken “underscored the importance of avoiding further escalation of the conflict and reaching a diplomatic resolution that allows both Israeli and Lebanese families to return to their homes,” the US readout says, adding that the secretary “reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.”
Jordanian police find explosives in Amman that are allegedly part of Iran-linked plot
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordanian security forces say they uncovered and detonated explosives hidden in a commercial warehouse in an industrial area southeast of the capital Amman that security sources say are part of an Iran-linked plot to destabilize a key US ally.
Witnesses earlier said security forces had sealed the Abu Alanda area in a wide scale security operation two days after authorities announced they had detonated explosives uncovered in another location in the capital.
The authorities say the explosives found Monday were hidden by the same group of suspects who stored the explosives uncovered on Saturday in a crowded residential area close to a military airport used by US army planes.
The authorities, who have not disclosed who was behind the storing of munitions or whether arrests have been made, say they will reveal details once the investigations are completed.
Over the past year, Jordan has said it has foiled many attempts to smuggle weapons by infiltrators linked to pro-Iranian militias in Syria, who it says have crossed its borders with rocket launchers and explosives, adding that some of the weapons managed to get through undetected.
Iran has denied being behind such attempts.
Security sources say some of the arms are bound for the neighboring Israeli-controlled West Bank, adding that they have arrested several Jordanians linked to Palestinian terrorists.
Security officials say the incidents are terror-related based on the quantities of explosives found. They say it is linked to Iran’s clandestine efforts to recruit agents to undertake sabotage acts within the kingdom to destabilize a key ally of Washington in the region.
Captive’s parents: New clip a reminder to leaders of people behind the word ‘hostage’
Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, parents of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, spoke to Channel 12 after the airing of the new clip of his capture.
“It’s a clip no parent in the world wants to see,” Jon said. “We the parents of the hostage don’t need a reminder. But maybe decision-makers in Israel and the world need every reminder — that we’re not just talking about a word, “hostage,” but about human beings, real people, with dreams, with families, with people who love them, who are waiting for them.”