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"Israel pulls troops from Southern Gaza."

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Russ Roberts (https://trendsingeopolitics.blogspot.com and https://hawaiigeopoliticalnews.net).

Daily News Brief April 8, 2024

Top of the Agenda

Israel Reports Troop Withdrawal From Southern Gaza’s Khan Younis

Israel pulled (WaPo) all but one of its brigades from the southern Gaza Strip after it “concluded its mission” in the city of Khan Younis, the military said yesterday. The announcement came as international envoys began meeting (NYT) in Egypt yesterday for a new round of talks over a potential cease-fire and hostage release deal. Meanwhile, Israel reported that 322 aid trucks entered Gaza yesterday following its opening of aid routes. That is the largest daily total since the start of the war six months ago, though humanitarian officials say the enclave needs at least five hundred trucks per day to avert widespread starvation.   Israel said its drawdown in the south aims to allow its forces to “recuperate and prepare for future operations,” and a senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official said yesterday that “we are far from stopping” in the war. Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden called on leaders from Egypt and Qatar to increase pressure on Hamas to reach a deal to halt fighting and turn over hostages.

Analysis “I think the fact that the Israelis had to go back to Shifa Hospital and that they have continued to engage in combat in the Northern Gaza Strips speaks to how difficult an operation this has been for the IDF in order to clear Hamas,” CFR expert Steven A. Cook tells The President’s Inbox podcast.   “Six months after Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, the war in Gaza is in limbo. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing for beleaguered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who’s fighting for his political survival,” Axios’ Barak Ravid writes.   Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Rwanda Marks Thirty Years Since Genocide

Rwandan leaders and envoys from around sixty nations attended a ceremony (NYT) in the capital, Kigali, yesterday that marked the thirty-year anniversary of a genocide that killed some eight hundred thousand people, most of whom were ethnic Tutsis. President Paul Kagame pledged in a speech that Rwandans will never “be left for dead again.” Kagame’s governing party ended the 1994 genocide and he has ruled Rwanda since then; he is up for reelection in July.   This In Brief by CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo looks at how Rwanda rebuilt its society and where the country stands today.    Chad: Prominent opposition leader Yaya Dillo Djérou appeared to have been shot in the head at close range when he was killed by the military in February, five forensic experts told Reuters. Chad’s military said he had died in an exchange of fire, though the latest findings were “incompatible” with this scenario, one expert said. Dillo was widely expected to run against Chad’s military leader, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, in May’s presidential election.

Pacific Rim

Yellen Says U.S.-China Relations on ‘Stronger Footing’ as Visit Wraps

In Beijing today, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said (FT) bilateral ties were on a “stronger footing” than this time last year due to U.S. efforts to stabilize relations. Some tensions remain, however, as Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said Beijing rejected Washington’s criticism that it was unfairly flooding markets with cheap goods, saying the Chinese government would actively support companies in safeguarding their interests.    For the Follow the Money blog, Volkmar Baur and CFR’s Brad W. Setser and Michael Weilandt explore China’s manufacturing surplus. New Zealand: The country will impose tighter restrictions (BBC) on its main temporary work visa in response to “unsustainable” levels of migration, the government announced yesterday. Low-skilled workers applying for visas will need to meet English-language requirements and will now only be approved to stay for three rather than five years.

South and Central Asia

Myanmar Officials Begin Evacuating Eastern Town After Rebel Offensive

The rebel gains in the town of Myawaddy along Myanmar’s border with Thailand represent one of the army’s most significant setbacks since its February 2021 takeover of the country, Nikkei reported. More than six hundred military personnel have surrendered to the rebels in the area amid recent attacks on military bases.   For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR expert Joshua Kurlantzick gives an update on Myanmar’s collapsing military.  India/Pakistan: After a Guardian report alleged that the Indian government authorized a series of recent killings in Pakistan, India’s defense minister said the country would kill (BBC) any terrorist who fled to Pakistan after disturbing peace in India. Pakistan’s foreign ministry called the remarks “myopic and irresponsible,” and said they undermined regional peace.

Middle East and North Africa

Iran to Release Four Environmental Activists After More Than Six Years in Prison

The environmentalists had been jailed (RFE/RL) for alleged espionage and were among a group pardoned to mark the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, their lawyer said. Environmental activists have fallen under scrutiny in Iran for highlighting corruption. A former Iranian lawmaker said in 2019 that the country’s Ministry of Intelligence found no evidence of espionage in the activists’ case.

Europe

Pro-Russia Candidate Wins Slovakian Presidential Election

President-Elect Peter Pellegrini defeated (BBC) a pro-Western candidate, winning 53 percent of the vote. He is an ally of Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has called for an end to Western military backing of Ukraine in stark contrast to Slovakia’s previous role as one of Ukraine’s most ardent allies. Ukraine: Drone strikes hit (WaPo) the Zaporizhzhia power station, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, yesterday. UN nuclear watchdog leader Rafael Mariano Grossi said such strikes “cannot happen,” as they heighten the risk of a major nuclear accident. Ukraine and Russia blamed each other for the strikes.

Americas

Mexico Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Ecuador After Police Raid at Embassy

Ecuadorian police raided (AP) the Mexican embassy in Quito on Friday to detain a former senior Ecuadorian official who had been sheltering there since December. The incident prompted a wave of international condemnation and calls for the two countries to address the incident in accordance with international law. Brazil: The country’s top court named (AP) Elon Musk as a subject in an ongoing probe into the dissemination of fake news after Musk said he would cease to comply with court orders to block certain accounts on his social media company X. A Brazilian justice said that Musk had waged a “disinformation campaign” by his actions.

United States

Chip Giant TSMC Will Up Total Investment in U.S. to $65 Billion

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) unveiled plans (FT) to make its most advanced products at an Arizona plant currently under construction and build an additional factory in the United States. The U.S. government will provide it with support worth up to $6.6 billion in grants and up to $5 billion in loans.

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