2024年8月16日星期五

From Ancient Roots to Modern Strife: Israel and Gaza

The history of Israel is rich and complex, spanning thousands of years. Here’s a concise overview:

Ancient Times: Around 1020 BCE, the Israelites established a United Kingdom under King Saul. However, internal strife and external pressures led to the division of this kingdom into Israel (north) and Judah (south).

Bronze Age: Canaanite civilization developed around 2000 BCE. Egypt vassalized the region during the Late Bronze Age.

Iron Age: The kingdoms of Israel and Judah emerged, shaping the origins of Jewish and Samaritan peoples.

Roman Rule: After the Jewish-Roman Wars in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, many Jews were displaced or sold into slavery.

Christianity and Islam: Christianity replaced Judaism as the majority religion by the 4th century. Islam later conquered the region in the 7th century.

Crusades and Mongol Conquest: Intermittent religious wars occurred during the Crusades. Mongol conquest was halted by the Mamluk Sultanate.

Modern State of Israel: In 1948, Israel was proclaimed, leading to conflicts with neighboring states.

This is a brief summary. There’s much more to explore in Israel’s fascinating history! For details and accuracy, please Google or Bing the related information. And now we are going to overview Israel's relationship with Gaza:

Territorial Context: Gaza is a narrow strip of land along the eastern Mediterranean coast, bordered by Egypt to the south and Israel to the north and east.

Historical Background:

1948 Arab Israeli War: After Israel’s establishment in 1948, Gaza came under Egyptian administration.

1967 Six-Day War: Israel occupied Gaza, along with the West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, and Golan Heights.

1993 Oslo Accords: Gaza was transferred to Palestinian Authority control, but tensions persisted.

2005 Disengagement: Israel unilaterally withdrew its settlers and military from Gaza, leading to Hamas’s takeover.

Hamas Rule: Since 2007, Hamas (a Palestinian militant group) has governed Gaza, while Israel maintains a blockade.

Current Situation:

Blockade: Israel enforces a naval blockade on Gaza, restricting imports and exports.

Conflict: Periodic conflicts erupt, resulting in casualties and humanitarian crises.

Human Rights Concerns: The situation in Gaza involves human rights issues, including access to basic necessities and freedom of movement.

In last October (2023), Hamas fired over 3,000 rockets into Israel. Fighters penetrated deep into Israeli-controlled territory. This was the first invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 Arab Israeli War. These attacks initiated the ongoing Israel–Hamas war. 

And now, the US, Qatar and Egypt have presented a proposal that aims to bridge gaps between Israel and Hamas after months of deadlock in talks to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages. (Financial Time, 08/20/24)

Again, this is a brief summary. There’s much more to explore in this topic! For details and accuracy, please Google or Bing the related information. 

Gaza ceasefire talks resume for second day in Qatar | BBC News





2024年8月15日星期四

数千名士俄兵回到俄内 Thousands of Russian soldiers returned back

分析人士称,乌克兰的进攻有两个主要目的:将俄罗斯军队从乌克兰东部前线引开,并夺取可能成为未来和平谈判筹码的领土。两名美国高级官员告诉 CNN,现在俄罗斯似乎已将数千名士兵从乌克兰境内占领的领土调动到俄罗斯境内,以对抗乌克兰出人意料地成功的进攻,此举可能会削弱莫斯科的战争能力。

Analysts say that Ukraine’s offensive has two main aims: to draw Russian forces from the front lines in eastern Ukraine and seize territory that could serve as a bargaining chip in future peace talks. (The New York Times, 08/14/2024)

Russia appears to have diverted several thousand troops from occupied territory inside Ukraine to counter a surprisingly successful Ukrainian offensive inside Russian borders in a move that potentially weakens Moscow’s war effort, two senior US officials told CNN. (CNN, 08/15/2024)


OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

  • Russia is paying up to $4,000 a month for people to dig trenches to hold back Ukraine's offensive (Business Insider, 08/15/2024)

  • Russia sentences American-Russian woman Ksenia Karelina to 12 years in prison, for donating $51 to a charity that supported Ukraine.  (UPI News, 08/15/2024)

  • Ukraine claims it fully captured strategic Russian town of Sudzha  in Kursk region. Sudzha holds a measuring station for Russian natural gas that flows through Ukrainian pipelines to Europe. And Ukraine’s General Oleksandr Syrskii declared that Ukrainian forces have taken 1,000 square km (about 390 square miles) of the Kursk region. (Aljazeera, 08/15/2024)

  • Russia’s Belgorod region declares state of emergency after strikes by Ukraine (AP, 08/15/2024)

  • A Ukrainian Security Service unit operating in Russia’s Kursk region took 102 Russian servicemen as prisoners-of-war. (Star Advertiser, 08/15/2024

  • Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko urges Russian leader to end war with Ukraine in latest humiliation (The Sun, 08/15/2024)


庫爾斯克的俄軍“坐在森林裡喝咖啡” 奉上汪明荃的”熱咖啡“

一名烏克蘭士兵表示,庫爾斯克的俄羅斯軍隊“坐在森林裡喝咖啡”,沒有意識到自己遭到入侵A

朱莉婭戴維斯發表了一篇題為《即使是克里姆林宮的付費騙子也在乞求普丁結束謊言》的文章。這篇文章很有趣,有些要點記錄如下。詳細內容請查看原文

最近乌克兰军队采取大胆行动,深入俄罗斯库尔斯克地区,占领了数十个城镇和定居点。这次跨境袭击是俄罗斯入侵以来规模最大的一次,也是自二战以来外国军队在俄罗斯的最大一次驻扎。乌克兰士兵在行政大楼上升起了国旗,将俄语拼写改为乌克兰语,甚至控制了一个天然气设施。据称,乌克兰情报总局将库尔斯克行动命名为“库尔斯克号沉没”,与 2000 年库尔斯克号潜艇灾难相提并论。费多罗夫强调了这一局势的军事和心理方面。乌克兰占领库尔斯克地区一个重要的天然气枢纽苏扎,旨在迫使俄罗斯武装部队摧毁它。此举可能会扰乱对欧洲的天然气输送,影响匈牙利和斯洛伐克等国家。

而前俄罗斯副外长安德烈·费多罗夫批评​​了俄罗斯方面不断撒谎。他强调需要更真实的报道,特别是关于乌克兰军队实力的报道。同时,政治编辑马克西姆·尤辛敦促俄罗斯人面对现实。他建议为最坏的结果做好准备,包括牺牲领土而不危及生命。乌克兰人可能会在那里呆上几个月。