On the 21st, the governments of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal announced their official recognition of the State of Palestine. When these countries announced, they all believed that the “two-state solution” was “the only way to peace.”
France and Saudi Arabia will co-chair an international conference on the implementation of the “two-state solution” at the United Nations headquarters in New York on the 22nd, when France and some other countries will also announce their recognition of the Palestinian state.
In response to the recent recognition of the Palestinian state by many countries, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a statement on the 21st saying that there will be no Palestinian state. He said that the number of Israel’s settlements in the West Bank has doubled in recent years and there will be no Palestinian state in the West Bank.
The 36th Division of the Israeli Army entered Gaza City
The Israel Defense Forces announced on the 21st local time that the Israeli army expanded its combat scope in the Gaza Strip and its 36th Division entered Gaza city.
Israel said that after about two weeks of enhanced preparation, the 36th Division’s troops have begun to enter Gaza City, part of the “Gideon Chariot 2” operation, aiming to expand the scope of the operation.
In addition, the Israeli army also stated that recently, under the leadership of the division-level firepower command, the IDF launched a strike against dozens of military targets in the Gaza Strip to separate combat areas and allow ground forces to enter the area.
Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon kill 5 people
The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health issued a statement on the 21st saying that Israel launched an air strike on southern Lebanon that day, killing five people, including three children and injuring two others.
The Lebanese-Israel ceasefire agreement will come into effect on November 27, 2024. According to the agreement, the Israeli army should gradually withdraw from southern Liberia within 60 days, that is, before January 26, 2025. Later, Israel accused Lebanon of failing to fully implement the ceasefire agreement and extending the withdrawal period to February 18. After the deadline expired, the Israeli army said it would be stationed in five strongholds in southern Lebanon “indefinitely” on the grounds of protecting residents in northern Israel. Lebanon demands that Israel withdraw from the occupied territories in Lebanon.
Afghanistan urges Trump not to interfere in internal affairs
Regarding US President Trump’s recent remarks about Afghanistan, the Afghan government issued a statement on the 21st, reaffirming its firm position to safeguard independence and territorial integrity, and urging the US to earnestly fulfill its commitments such as “non-interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs” in the 2020 Doha Agreement.
Trump recently said that the US is seeking to “retrieve” Bagram Air Force Base. He threatened on the 20th of Eastern Time that if Afghanistan does not “return” to the United States, it will face serious consequences.
Bagram Air Force Base is located about 50 kilometers north of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. With the arrival of US and NATO troops in 2001, Bagram Air Force Base became a military stronghold for US and Western countries. In July 2021, all U.S. and NATO troops evacuated the base. The Afghan Taliban took control of the base after taking power in August 2021.
Peskov: Russia looks forward to Trump helping peace in Russia and Ukraine
The All-Russian State Television Broadcasting Corporation website reported on the 21st that Russian President’s Press Secretary Peskov said that Russia hopes that the United States and US President Trump can provide assistance in a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian issue, and Russia “waits and sees” this.
In an interview with the company’s TV host, Peskov said that Russian President Putin, like Trump, intends to “push the Ukrainian issue on the track of a peaceful resolution.”
Peskov also accused European countries of further escalating tensions and instigating Ukraine to continue the war in various ways.
The US canceled the “hunger situation” investigation, criticized for covering up the problem
On the 20th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would cease collecting and publishing data for the 2025 Household Food Security Report, citing “excessive politicization.” This move sparked criticism from experts and scholars, who expressed concern that halting the report amidst high inflation and low employment in the US was a cover-up for the country’s hunger problem.
Since the mid-1990s, the USDA has surveyed approximately 40,000 households nationwide each December to determine whether they faced hunger that year. The survey results are used to publish the annual Household Food Security Report. For decades, the report has not only provided in-depth data analysis for research on agriculture and food security issues in the United States but has also served as a crucial basis for the development of food assistance programs and the evaluation of their effectiveness by governments at all levels.
