WORLD ROUNDUPWhy Everything Changed in Haiti: The Gangs United | Violence Has Failed Palestinians | U.K. Government Strengthens Approach to Counter Extremism, and more
· Schumer Urges New Leadership in Israel, Calling Netanyahu an Obstacle to Peace
The top Senate Democrat, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States, spoke from the Senate floor to condemn Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and call for elections to replace him.
· Why Everything Changed in Haiti: The Gangs United
“The situation totally changed now, because the gangs are now working together,” a Haitian consultant said. Their unity forced the prime minister to resign.
· U.K. Government Strengthens Approach to Counter Extremism
Definition of extremism updated to respond to increased extremist threat since October 7 terror attacks in Israel
· US Imposes Sanctions on Israeli Settlers, Two West Bank Outposts
Washington has repeatedly asked Israel to hold violent settlers accountable and complained that its actions allowing settlement expansion diminish hopes for a two-state solution.
· Germany’s Far-Right AfD Seeking to Overturn Extremist Designation in Court
The AfD brought the case after the BfV, one of Germany’s security agencies, made the classification in 2021, meaning it could deploy intelligence tools such as phone taps and informants against the party.
· Violence Has Failed Palestinians
A pragmatic, peaceful approach is the only way to a real state.
Schumer Urges New Leadership in Israel, Calling Netanyahu an Obstacle to Peace (Annie Karni, New York Times)
Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, on Thursday delivered a pointed speech on the Senate floor excoriating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel as a major obstacle to peace in the Middle East and calling for new leadership in Israel, five months into the war.
Many Democratic lawmakers have condemned Mr. Netanyahu’s leadership and his right-wing governing coalition, and President Biden has even criticized the Israeli military’s offensive in Gaza as “over the top.” But Mr. Schumer’s speech amounted to the sharpest critique yet from a senior American elected official — effectively urging Israelis to replace Mr. Netanyahu.
“I believe in his heart, his highest priority is the security of Israel,” said Mr. Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States. “However, I also believe Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel.”
Mr. Schumer added: “He has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows. Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.”
Why Everything Changed in Haiti: The Gangs United (Maria Abi-Habib, Natalie Kitroeff and Frances Robles, New York Times)
Even as gangs terrorized Haiti, kidnapped civilians en masse and killed at will, the country’s embattled prime minister held on to power for years.
Then, in a matter of days, everything changed.
In the midst of political upheaval not seen since the country’s president was assassinated in 2021, Haiti’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, agreed to step down. Now, neighboring countries are scrambling to create a transitional council to run the country and plot a course for elections, which once seemed a distant possibility.
What made this moment different, experts say: The gangs united, forcing the country’s leader to relinquish power.
U.K. Government Strengthens Approach to Counter Extremism (U.K. Government)
Professor Ian Acheson, Senior Advisor, Counter Extremism Project said: “These are necessary next steps to confront and deter those who advocate for violent extremism. Hateful anti-British ideas that undermine our democracy creating intimidation and fear need ideologues to drive them. It is intolerable that the state underwrites people and organizations poisoning community life in one of the most successful multi-ethnic countries in the world.
