France, in consultation with Egypt and Jordan, on Tuesday was preparing a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire, Zhang Jun, China s U.N. ambassador, and other diplomats told reporters. The move to put the U.N. s most powerful body behind a demand for Israel and Hamas to stop hostilities came after the U.S. repeatedly blocked what would have been a unanimous Security Council statement expressing concern about the fighting.
The White House has so far resisted the calls for ramping up public pressure on Netanyahu. It has made the calculation that Israelis will not respond to international resolutions or public demands by the U.S. and that its greatest leverage is behind-the-scenes pressure, according to the person familiar with the administration’s discussions.
Dem Leaders Thwart Leftist Attempt to Delay Military Assistance to Israel freebeacon.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from freebeacon.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Fear of Taliban conquering Kabul are overblown, says US envoy to Afghanistan 9 hours ago In this May 5, 2020, file photo, graffiti depicts Washington s peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the leader of the Taliban delegation, in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Rahmat Gul/AP) WASHINGTON Predictions that the Taliban will quickly overrun Afghan government forces and conquer Kabul once U.S. and coalition forces have fully withdrawn are unduly pessimistic, Washington’s special envoy to Afghanistan said Tuesday. “I personally believe that the statements that their forces will disintegrate and the Talibs will take over in short order are mistaken,” Zalmay Khalilzad told the House Foreign Affairs Committee, whose members expressed deep worry that President Joe Biden’s decision to fully withdraw by September will lead to chaos and intensified civil war.
AP source: US encouraging Israel to wind down Gaza offensive
ELLEN KNICKMEYER, AAMER MADHANI and LISA MASCARO, Associated Press
May 18, 2021
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1of12President Joe Biden speaks about distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, in the East Room of the White House, Monday, May 17, 2021, in Washington.Evan Vucci/APShow MoreShow Less
2of12US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint press conference following meetings with the Icelandic Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, at the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Blinken is touting the Biden administration s abrupt shift in its predecessor s climate policies as he visits Iceland for talks with senior officials from the world s Arctic nations. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)Saul Loeb/APShow MoreShow Less