The Times of Israel is liveblogging Thursday’s events as they happen.
US defense secretary slams Hezbollah in latest call with Israeli counterpart
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin condemns Hezbollah in an apparent escalation of US rhetoric against the Lebanese terror group.
During his latest call with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, Austin calls out Hezbollah for “threatening communities in Israel and called for calm along the blue line.”
The line stands out in the US readout, given that it doesn’t appear to be a regurgitation of Biden administration talking points.
Previous US readouts of the regular calls between Austin and Gallant that mention northern border tensions have generally only stressed the defense secretary’s concerns regarding the possibility of a flare-up.
The latest readout clearly points a finger at Hezbollah as responsible for the conflict on Israel’s northern border.
US House launches Republican impeachment inquiry against Biden
WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives voted Wednesday to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden based on his son’s controversial international dealings — a move Biden himself slammed as a “baseless” stunt.
Every Republican rallied behind the politically charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the president.
The Democratic-led Senate would be unlikely to convict the US leader even if the inquiry did lead to an actual impeachment trial.
Regardless, the procedure guarantees Republicans a new, high-profile platform to attack Biden as he campaigns for reelection in 2024 — and to distract from the federal criminal trials facing his almost certain challenger Donald Trump.
The 221-212 party-line vote put the entire House Republican conference on record in support of an impeachment process that can lead to removal from office.
Biden, in a rare statement about the impeachment effort, questioned the priorities of House Republicans in pursuing an inquiry against him and his family.
“Instead of doing anything to help make Americans’ lives better, they are focused on attacking me with lies,” the president said following the vote. “Instead of doing their job on the urgent work that needs to be done, they are choosing to waste time on this baseless political stunt that even Republicans in Congress admit is not supported by facts.”
Authorizing the monthslong inquiry ensures that the impeachment investigation extends well into 2024, when Biden will be running for reelection and seems likely to be squaring off against Trump — who was twice impeached during his time in the White House.
Trump has pushed his GOP allies in Congress to move swiftly on impeaching Biden, part of his broader calls for vengeance and retribution against his political enemies.
Families of Gaza hostages demand ‘urgent update’ from PM after report on no new talks
Family members of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza say they are “shocked” by a report earlier that the war cabinet decided against sending the head of the Mossad to Qatar to advance negotiations on a new hostage deal, and are demanding an “immediate explanation” from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Channel 13 news said tonight that the war cabinet directing the operation against Hamas is in disagreement over the extent of the efforts currently being made on talks toward a new hostage deal, and decided recently against sending Mossad chief David Barnea to Qatar, where he helped negotiate the hostage deal last month that saw the release of 105 civilians — Israeli women and children, and foreign nationals — during a weeklong fighting truce.
According to the report, Barnea offered to head to Qatar again. An unnamed diplomatic official told Channel 13 that, for now, Barnea “is not heading to Qatar, and the decision is that we are listening to suggestions if they come.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum says in a statement tonight that “families were shocked by the report on the rejection of the director of Mossad’s request to formulate an agreement for the release of the hostages,” which comes “in addition to the ignoring of the parents’ request to meet with the prime minister and the defense minister, which has not yet been answered.”
“The families demand an immediate explanation from the Prime Minister and cabinet members and to break the deadlock in negotiations,” the forum says.
It is believed that 135 hostages remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — of the 240 taken on October 7. Four hostages were released prior to the temporary truce and hostage release in late November, and one was rescued by troops. The bodies of four hostages have also been recovered. The Israel Defense Forces has confirmed the deaths of 20 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.
Earlier today, authorities confirmed that another two hostages — Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak resident Tal Chaimi and Tanzanian agricultural intern Joshua Mollel, who resided in Kibbutz Nahal Oz — were murdered by Gaza terrorists during and after the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel.
The families’ forum says: “The feeling is that every evening a Russian roulette of murdering hostages in Hamas captivity takes place. We are fed up with the indifference and deadlock.”
“The families request an urgent update, given the lack of progress in talks on the release of the hostages,” says the statement.
According to the Channel 13 report, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz is in favor of an Israeli initiative on new hostage talks, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant believe Israel should wait for a signal from Hamas that it is interested in another deal, following military pressure.
Israeli envoy to UK: ‘Absolutely no’ chance of a Palestinian state
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Tzipi Hotovely explicitly rejects the idea of a Palestinian state, doubling down on messaging from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who in recent weeks has butted heads with the Biden administration by ruling out the idea of the Palestinian Authority returning to govern Gaza after the war.
In an interview with Sky News, Hotovely is repeatedly asked whether a peace scenario with Israel can include a Palestinian state.
“The answer is absolutely no,” says Hotovely, who was a longtime member of Netanyahu’s Likud party before he tapped her as ambassador.
“I think it’s about time for the world to realize that the Oslo paradigm failed on the 7th of October and we need to build a new one,” the ambassador says, using the same rhetoric employed by Netanyahu days earlier.
“The reason the Oslo Accords failed is because the Palestinians never wanted to have a state next to Israel. They want to have a state from the river to the sea,” she says.
When the interviewer pushes Hotovely again on why she won’t support a two-state solution, the ambassador shoots back, “Why are you obsessed with a formula that never worked, that created these radical people on the other side?”
Speaking to Sky's @markaustintv, Israeli ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, dismissed the notion of a two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians.
???? https://t.co/S9xh7GsWi8 pic.twitter.com/aQxdCxmRFY
— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 13, 2023
The Israeli envoy goes on to argue that Gazans need to be “re-educated,” likening what she thinks needs to happen in the Strip to Germany and Japan after World War II.
“Those two societies turned out to be good Western countries,” Hotovely explains.
“At the moment, under the UN name, the UNRWA schools are becoming terror schools. If you have the UN involvement, forget about refugee camps. Why should they be refugees after 70 years of having an independent life? They could’ve built their own life, but they didn’t,” she continues.
The interviewer asks her whether she’s trying to replicate what China has done with the Uyghurs whom it has put into what it calls “re-education camps.”
“Absolutely not!” replies Hotovely. “This is what you did in Nazi Germany.”
“Obviously, we’re not interested in governing the Palestinians, but we are interested in making sure that Gaza won’t become another terror hub,” she says.
“We will demilitarize Gaza… and we believe that together with our allies and with the moderate Arab countries we can build a better future,” Hotovely claims.
Just yesterday though, the UAE announced that it would not support efforts to reconstruct the Gaza Strip after the war unless the initiative was part of a broader two-state solution initiative — a framework that Hotovely and Netanyahu flatly reject.
Israeli drone strike targets terrorists in Jenin as operation hits 40 hours
An Israeli drone strike has reportedly hit a group of Palestinian terror operatives in Jenin tonight, as the IDF’s search and arrest operation in the West Bank city continues to stretch and is close to its 40th hour.
According to Hebrew media, the operatives were hurling explosive devices at Israeli security forces carrying out the arrest raid in the city. Palestinian media sources report that a number of people were killed.
The operation, during which troops have so far detained hundreds of suspects and seized weapons, began Tuesday, also with an IDF drone strike on terror operatives hurling explosives.
Four operatives were killed.