August 29, 2024

*) Israeli opposition parties agree to oust Netanyahu amid Gaza war Chairman of the Democrats Yair Golan has called on leaders of opposition parties to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Golan said in a recorded message posted to his X account that “the complete lack of public trust in the government and decisions made solely based on political considerations compel ... to rise to the occasion”. In response to Golan’s message, Israeli opposition leader and ex-PM Yair Lapid said they will continue to work with all parts of the opposition “until the disaster government that is destroying the country is overthrown”. *) Harris seeks to win over Arab American voters with high-profile hire Kamala Harris’ campaign for US presidential bid has hired an Egyptian American lawyer and former Department of Homeland Security official to help lead outreach to Arab American voters. Brenda Abdelall would be tasked with shoring up support from the community angered with unwavering US support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Arab American voters hold sway in some states that could help decide the November 5 election. *) France charges Telegram’s Pavel Durov over alleged criminal use of app France has formally charged Pavel Durov, the founder and chief of Telegram, with a litany of violations related to the messaging app. The charges concern alleged crimes involving an organised group including “complicity in the administration of an online platform to enable an illicit transaction”. Russian-born Durov was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris late Saturday and questioned in subsequent days under arrest by investigators. *) Allies’ fear of escalation major roadblock to end Russian offensive: Kiev Ukraine’s top diplomat has said that the biggest problem faced by Kiev as it battles Russia is that its allies are afraid of approving new policies to support Ukraine out of a fear of escalation. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba’s remarks came a day after Moscow said the West was “playing with fire” by considering allowing Kiev to strike deep into Russia. More than two and a half years since Russia’s full-scale assault, Kiev is pushing the West to give it long-range weapons — and the authorization — to strike targets deep inside Russian territory. *) Sweden to prosecute two men over Quran burnings Swedish prosecutors have said they would put two men on trial for setting fire to the Quran in a series of incidents last year that prompted outrage in the Muslim world. The Swedish Prosecution Authority said the two men committed “offences of agitation against an ethnic or national group” on four separate occasions when burning a copy of Islam’s holy book outside a mosque and in other public places. Sweden’s domestic security service raised its terrorism alert level as a result of the burnings, while neighbouring Denmark, which also saw a spate of Quran burnings, tightened its legislation to outlaw the practice.