The White House takes pointers form NYPD blue with a Good cop, bad cop routine, Starmer in a power play on the world stage, Orban stands up to Brussels and more medics killed in Lebanon and more civilians butchered in Gaza by israel.
Good cop, bad cop routine at the White House
US President Joe Biden has authorised Ukraine to launch limited strikes into Russia using US-made long-range missiles, in a big policy shift before the end of his White House term in January, two people familiar with the decision said.
This is a common approach by the US administration, using a ‘good cop, bad cop routine’ which is designed to allow ‘the next’ to negotiate an opportunity to bring an end to the war. Allowing Ukraine one last attempt to dent to the Russian onslaught may also prove to give the Ukrainians a better opportunity at seeking a favourable deal, as Putin will have to recognise that if he doesn’t agree to a deal the US and its allies could be prepared to offer Ukraine further support and enhanced equipment.
The key point to consider here is that although Biden has allowed Ukraine to use the longer range missiles and to attack inside the Russian border, it does not mean Ukraine can. It has a short and limited supply of these missiles and they will not be replenished before Trump takes over.
It does seem now, Zelensky has realised there is no more money, and perhaps he will now be more agreeable to finding a truce.
Starmer in a power play
Sir Keir Starmer in a power play at the G20. Staying with the Ukraine war the British prime minister, will urge G20 leaders to “double down” on their support for Ukraine, as he seeks to rally support for Kyiv ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president in January.
Starmer will use his G20 summit to be more assertive and dominant on a global stage. He needs to generate some power and the ability to convince and lead the Europeans, mainly so that he does not dwindle into obscurity with the in coming president-elect Trump. If he can establish himself as force on the global stage Trump will take him seriously.
Orban is here to stay
Viktor Orbán has turned Hungary into the main home for Chinese capital in Europe, capturing more than a quarter of all Chinese investment coming into the continent over the past two years. He is one of the few politicians who is putting his country first and determined to stand up the EU and using the opportunity to leverage more favourable business inot Hungary.
Even against the backdrop of his rule of law dispute with Brussels, Orbán has exacerbated tensions with other EU capitals by maintaining strong diplomatic ties with both Beijing and Moscow.
Domestically, he is calling on rallying his Hungarians with talks about Hungary’s rich powerful history and reiterated how things could have been different if it wasn’t for the 1st world war.
So far he has attracted China’s investments into the motor industry including a wave of investment into EV factories, has been a stimulus to an otherwise struggling Hungarian economy hit by the EU withholding about €20bn of funding over rule of law concerns.
Many other European nations are watching how this turns out, with nationalist pretenders to the thrones, drawing up battle plans to take on Brussels.
Israel kills more 8 medics in Lebanon
Israel continues to pound Lebanon, killing eight more paramedics, after assassinating Hezbollah’s top media relations officer, Mohammad Afif, in an air raid on central Beirut.
Lebanese officials were studying on Friday a US truce proposal for the Israel-Hezbollah war.
On the day the US envoy Amos Hochstein will travel to the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday for talks on a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel
Israel has committed war crimes
Israel has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including pursuing a deliberate policy of forcibly displacing people and denying them the right to return home, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Thursday.
The report also labelled the likely permanent dispossession of Gazans in areas cleared by Israel to serve as buffer zones and security corridors as “ethnic cleansing”.
Meanwhile Hamas said it was ready for a ceasefire in Gaza. But Israel is continuing to target Refugee camps and hospitals in Gaza. International Committee of the Red Cross has began evacuating patients for fear that Israel will launch an assault on one of the last few functioning hospitals left in Gaza.
Israel has a very specific goal in Gaza, if t can get rid of 50% of the population it will be able to take 50% more land. It is cheaper to kill entire families than have to deal with surviving members fight in the courts. It is also flattening the old roads and landmarks to ensure that all the old records of streets and house numbers are completely destroyed, renaming the streets in the process.
Netanyahu chooses die hard supporter of illegal settlements
Netanyahu chooses die hard supporter of illegal Israeli settlements as new US ambassador amid Trump return
Yechiel Leiter, a staunch defender of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and vocal advocate for the war in Gaza, is set to become Israel’s new ambassador to the US. His appointment by Netanyahu comes just days after Trump’s re-election – signalling a policy shift aligned with renewed debates over annexation.
He has lived in America and has 8 children, five of whom are potential war criminals, serving in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), his eldest son was killed during the invasion of northern Gaza last November.