Raf Sanchez
@rafsanchez
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Foreign Correspondent @NBCNews | Covering Middle East + beyond | [email protected] | IG: https://t.co/aJyLESUn9T
Joined December 2008
My hotel in Moscow asked me to settle the bill early because they aren’t sure if credit cards are going to work once SWIFT sanctions kick in.
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I've just come back from three weeks in Moscow. I spent a lot of that time in our bureau, where the TVs are tuned to Russian state television. A couple observations on what ordinary Russians are being told - and aren't being told - about the war in Ukraine:.
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This is stunning. The US deputy secretary of state, on live television, acknowledges Giuliani was trying to take down the US ambassador in Ukraine. He also says a White House official circulated a dossier of misinformation in aid of that smear campaign.
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Russian state TV spent a lot of time talking about high gas prices in the US – saying they were a sign of American sanctions backfiring. And a lot of clips of Fox’s Tucker Carlson criticising the US or Ukraine. Like several times a day.
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Russian state TV also jumped on comments by Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn, who called Zelenskyy “a thug”. That got played over and over.
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Israel has finally acknowledged one its soldiers likely killed Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11, 2022. A quick thread on Israel’s changing statements on the killing over the last 117 days:.
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BREAKING: the ship is really moving now and horns are blaring in what sounds like celebration. The stern has swung away from us and it looks like it’s really facing the right way now after hours of being jackknifed across the channel.
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The Kremlin is showcasing individual Russian soldiers it says fell heroically in battle. And it’s showing senior officials pinning medals on lightly-wounded troops in hospital. But it isn’t saying how many Russian troops in total have been killed.
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Russian business television gets an analyst on to discuss the cratering Russian stock market. Analyst opens a bottle and offers a funeral toast: "Dear stock market, you were interesting. Rest in peace, dear comrade."
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Endless claims that Ukraine is led by neo-Nazis. Sometimes cloaked as a history lesson (a lot of talk about Bandera, a Ukrainian ultra-nationalist who died in 1959). But often it’d more blatant, like this clip claiming to show a Nazi flag in a captured Ukrainian base.
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The last update was on March 2, when the government said 498 troops had been killed. The Russian public has had no new numbers since then. (See our MSNBC coverage of that below.). Putin condemned the West this week for “speculating on the combat losses”.
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NEW: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is in Kyiv to meet Zelenskyy. Accompanied by Adam Schiff, chair of House intelligence, and Gregory Meeks, chair of House foreign affairs.
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Remember: these sanctions may also wipe out the savings of a lot of ordinary Russians who have nothing to do with Vladimir Putin's war. Our coverage on @MSNBC:
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An Orthodox Jewish man plays piano while a hijabi Muslim woman films and a Christmas tree twinkles in the background…. Feels like the start of a bad joke but it was a real - and quite sweet - scene at Brussels airport.
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Angelina Jolie popped into Lviv today and spent some time at the railway station meeting displaced people.
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BREAKING: The Syrian Democratic Forces officially confirm they are letting Assad's troops into their territory in a bid to stop the Turkish onslaught.
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Netanyahu's spokesman posted this video yesterday claiming it shows rockets fired by Hamas from Gaza. The video is actually several years old and appears to be from Syria: This has been pointed out dozens of times but the tweet still remains up.
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Put differently: America's no.2 diplomat publicly acknowledges that the president's lawyer is running a shadow foreign policy with help from inside the White House.
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New UK ambassador to Washington is a typically relaxed Englishman who is totally comfortable with physical contact
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NEW: US defence official says Russian warships have moved away from Ukraine’s southern coast after explosion on the Moskva. They’re now 80 nautical miles or more from the shore. Possible sign they’re trying to get out of missile range.
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Extraordinary bravery of these people.
People marching through central Moscow this evening chanting “No to War!”
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Scenes from Israel tonight look less like a protest and more like a popular revolution.
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Israeli police release video showing their officers ripping Palestinian flags off the hearse carrying @ShireenNasri coffin.
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Iraj Harirchi, Iran's deputy health minister, went on TV yesterday (left) to insist the Iranian government was getting the #coronavirus outbreak under control. Today it was announced Harirchi himself has the virus.
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The Israelis keep dropping tear gas with a drone on this communal tent full of women and kids. We’re 500+ yards from the border and I can’t see anyone throwing stones nearby or any other justification. #Gaza
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We got a sense of how careful Israel was to avoid civilian casualties during the airstrikes in #Gaza. The Israeli army called one guy we met and spent 45 mins on the phone with him, getting him to evacuate his neighbours, before they blew up a Hamas media building next to his.
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NEW: US killed the leader of ISIS in Syria in an airstrike earlier today, US officials tell @ckubeNBC. The strike targeted Maher al-Agal and his deputy. Al-Agal is dead but it’s not clear whether the deputy was killed or injured.
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@Millennial_Matt It appears @millenial_matt's profile picture is photoshopped. Here's the original Trump picture.
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His name is Omar Daqneesh and he is 5. Here he is after treatment by some extraordinarily brave doctors in #Aleppo.
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NEW: Prime ministers of Spain + Denmark are in Kyiv today visiting Zelenskyy. Both are NATO countries. The absence of American officials in Kyiv is becoming quite striking given the near-daily visits by European leaders.
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In a widely-shared video from Gaza, a mother rails against Hamas. “Our sons and daughters have lost 12 years of their lives. For what? Each son of a Hamas official owns an apartment, a car, a jeep, a building. While our sons have nothing at all."
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Police are asked why Adventures with Purpose, a volunteer diver team, found Kiely's car in a lake that the police had already searched extensively. "We're going to have to go back and debrief," says deputy from Nevada County Sheriff.
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CONFIRMED: Omran's parents are both alive. They were wounded last night in the airstrike but survived. #Aleppo
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Wild story: a 97-year-old billionaire / amateur architect donated $200 million to build a University of California dorm on the condition he gets to design it. The result: a plan for 4,500 students living in a single building - 94% of them without windows.
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Syrians are tweeting Omran's picture as they ask why the world is doing nothing about the killing in #Aleppo
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Every rocket attack on US forces in Iraq is going to be breathlessly covered in the wake of Soleimani’s death. But just remember this has been going on for months and the world has mostly ignored it.
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It's very early and the situation is very fluid. But it may be that we see a fullscale Kurdish surrender to the Assad regime tonight. Abandoned by the US, it looks like SDF will try to spare their cities from Turkish onslaught by allowing Syrian forces to take them over.
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I've covered a lot of funerals in Jerusalem. I've never seen anything like today. Israeli police beating Palestinians as they carry @ShireenNasri's coffin. Police say they were responding to rock throwing but their video shows only one man throwing a bottle. With @KatyTurNBC:
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Zoomed in + slowed down you can see very clearly Israeli police hitting Palestinians as they carry @ShireenNasri coffin out of the hospital.
The closest video of the #Israeli police suppressing the funeral procession of Shireen Abu Aqleh as the coffin was leaving the French hospital towards the cemetery
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The ship is moving slowly but steadily north up the canal now. It looks like it’s completely free and sailing away from the spot it’s been stuck the last seven days.
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NEW: Al Jazeera says its correspondent @ShireenNasri was killed by Israeli troops this morning in Jenin, occupied West Bank. The network says she was covering a raid by Israeli forces and was wearing a vest clearly marked with PRESS.
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Mazloum Kobani Abdi, the SDF commander, put it this way: "If we have to choose between compromises and the genocide of our people, we will surely choose life for our people.".
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Russian's ministry of defence went out of its way today to stress that only professional soldiers were going to Ukraine i.e. not conscripts. No way to know if that's true. But the fact they're saying it suggests an awareness that the war isn't popular among ordinary Russians.
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NEW: Putin says he is cancelling plans to storm the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol and is content for his forces to maintain the siege while taking control of the rest of the city. "There is no need to climb into these catacoms," he says at meeting with defence minister.
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Going, going, gone!. After a week of blocking the Suez Canal, the #EverGivenShip is sailing off with horns blaring in celebration. It looks like this crisis is coming to an end. We’ll have the latest on @MSNBC.
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Ultra-Orthodox Jews protested and blocked roads in Jerusalem against what they see as violations of Sabbath. Women responded by taking off their shirts, which promptly scared the religious protesters off. Story by neighbourhood correspondent @tombateman
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NEW: Blinken informed Zelenskyy that Biden will nominate a new US ambassador to Ukraine this morning, US official says. Bridget Brink is current US ambassador to Slovakia and career diplomat. First full ambassador since Marie Yovanovitch was ousted by Trump + Giuliani in 2019.
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We don't know exactly where Assad will take over. And we don't know if this will bring an immediate halt to the Turkish offensive. But we do know this is a death knell for Kurdish hopes of maintaining autonomy from Assad in their semi-state in northeast Syria.
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NEW: Netanyahu delivers an 11pm speech and indicates Israel will continue strikes in Gaza. "This operation will continue until we reach our targets," he says. He thanks Biden for his support and does not appear to be feeling pressure to head for a ceasefire.
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Erdogan meet with Hamas leadership in Istanbul today. Second from Erdogan’s right is Saleh al-Arouri, Hamas deputy leader. US has designated him a senior terrorist and has a $5m bounty on his head but Erdogan hosts him openly.
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@rafsanchez: We just met Brian, who is defending a liquor store on his own with a machete amid the riots #baltimore
http://t.co/dj8fXOD3Rg.
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On September 5 – two months after the US statement and 117 days after the shooting – Israel finally acknowledges that Abu Akleh was likely killed by one of its soldiers.
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With English subtitles:.
A snapshot of the Russian economy: an investment expert goes live on air and says his current career trajectory is to work as "Santa Claus" and then drinks to the death of the stock market. With subtitles.
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Arab leaders gathered in Sudan in 1967 to announce the Three No's: no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with Israel. Today, the leader of Sudan flew to Uganda to meet Netanyahu in person.
Netanyahu met Sudanese leader in Uganda - @Reuters citing senior Israeli official.
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SDF: "To protect the country's borders and preserve Syrian sovereignty the Syrian army will enter and deploy along the Syrian-Turkish border to support the SDF to repel this aggression and liberate the areas entered by the Turkish army and its hired mercenaries.".
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.@AndrewYang somehow won the Democratic primary and the national debate on economic policy.
Some of my Republican colleagues are calling for a $1,000, one-time check to Americans. Really?. That'll last you two or three weeks. What happens after that?. We need to give every person in this country $2,000 a month for the duration of this crisis.
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There must have been a million moments like this in Beirut yesterday. Normal life unfolding, the distant sound of the first blast, and then the absolute chaos of the second. Via @Reuters
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.@NBCNews’ @matthewgmull has geolocated the Al Jazeera video - which shows the moment of the shooting - to this location in Jenin. That area doesn’t match the alleyways shown in the video being put out by Israeli government. 32°27'49.7"N 35°17'02.4"E.
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In the hours after Abu Akleh’s death, Israel's prime minister says it “appears likely that armed Palestinians — who were firing indiscriminately at the time — were responsible” for the killing.
Prime Minister Bennett on the sad death of veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh:."According to the information we have gathered, it appears likely that armed Palestinians — who were firing indiscriminately at the time — were responsible for the unfortunate death of the journalist.
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Around 10% of Iranian MPs are now infected with the #coronavirus. It is staggering how poorly Iran is handling the outbreak and how dangerous its mismanagement is to the rest of the region. #CODVID19.
According to deputy of Iran's parliament speaker, 23 MPs are infected with #Corona virus,.
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Trump keeps talking about "securing the oil" in Syria. Behind that phrase is two ideas: . 1. A not very strategic but understandable US plan to deny the oil to both Assad and ISIS. 2. Trump's insane fantasy that the US can take the oil for itself.
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.@Reuters: CHERNOBYL POWER PLANT CAPTURED BY RUSSIAN FORCES, ADVISER TO UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE SAYS.
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Trump seems to think he's achieved some historic longterm peace deal between Turkey and the Kurds. "This An amazing outcome," he says. "This was something they’ve been trying to get for 10 years.".
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Press conference between Israeli prime minister and US president ends without any questions about the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh.
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Peskov refuses to answer any questions about the warship Moskva, referring everything to the defence ministry.
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Israeli military tweeted earlier "we know where every bullet landed" in Gaza. Reporters asked repeatedly how many live rounds were fired + how many people were hit but a spokesman said they didn't have figures. They've since deleted the tweet.
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NEW: Israeli defence minister appears to confirm reports the DOJ is investigating the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli troops. He says Israel will not cooperate with the American investigation.
ההחלטה של משרד המשפטים האמריקאי לחקור את מותה המצער של שירין אבו עאקלה היא טעות קשה. צה"ל ביצע חקירה עצמאית ומקצ��עית, שהוצגה לאמריקאים ששותפו בפרטים.
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US official says the US cannot confirm the fire was started by Ukrainian missiles and has no info on casualties among crew. The fire is “extensive, it’s big, it’s not a small fire.”. Says the Moskva is heading east, most likely to Crimea.
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Visit comes as Pelosi tries to steer Biden's massive $33 billion Ukraine aid package through Congress. Pelosi: "We are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom. Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done.".
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Brutal cartoon in @thetimes of London after G7 allies fail to convince Biden to extend his deadline. By @mortenmorland.
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This is a picture for the ages. #Khashoggi's son, Salah, is summoned to the palace and has to shake hands with the man accused of ordering his father's murder.
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US officials tell @NBCNews they are tracking specific ISIS threats against the evacuation at Kabul airport. Real concern about ISIS members joining the crowds. ISIS Khorasan, the group's Afghan affiliate, have fought against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
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The SDF are framing this as them and Assad joining forces to fight Turkey and take back Syrian territory. Much more likely is that Russia has, or will, broker a deal with the Turks so Assad and Erdoğan don't open fire on eachother.
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We met some young men earlier cashing $200 checks they got from Hamas after being shot by Israeli forced on Friday. The severely injured get $500 and the families of the dead get $3000.
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Some news: . I'm joining @NBCNews International as a correspondent in London in April. I'm really excited to try something new and see more of you in the UK. So grateful to @Telegraph and the best colleagues for 10(!) amazing years in London, Washington, and the Middle East.
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121 House Republicans watched the mob storm the Congress and then - when they were finally able to return to their chamber - they still voted to overturn the election results. Only 83 House Republicans voted against the move.
Majority of House Republicans support throwing out Arizona votes, 121-83. Storming of the Capitol didn't have the same impact with GOP in the House as the Senate.
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Israel’s government begins sharing videos showing Palestinian gunmen firing wildly in Jenin. Israel’s Embassy in Washington posts and then deletes a tweet implying the videos show the actual Palestinian gunmen who killed Abu Akleh.
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If it's true (again it's unconfirmed) it is desperately sad news. The Kurdish experiment in autonomy in NE Syria was not perfect. But for many it was a hopeful spot of freedom in a region full of horror and tyranny.
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Imagine being Mike Pence tomorrow, sitting across from a stony-faced Erdogan, insisting the US wants a ceasefire when Trump has made abundantly clear he doesn’t care what happens.
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Trump laments the repression in Iran. People there can vote, women can drive, and they aren't being bombed out of of existence like Yemen.
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NEW: Russian defence ministry says the Moskva warship has now sunk, Russian state media reports. Defence ministry says it went down while being towed back towards port in stormy conditions. Ukraine's military says it hit the ship with missiles last night.
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Watched Theresa May's resignation with a Palestinian colleague. His reaction: "You have to respect leaders like this. She had a strategy, it didn't succeed, she admitted it, and she resigned. Arab leaders never admit mistakes.".
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Pelosi will also meet Polish president + US troops in Poland. "Our delegation proudly delivered the message that additional American support is on the way, as we work to transform President Biden’s strong funding request into a legislative package"
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On May 13, the IDF raises the possibility that Abu Akleh was in fact killed by an Israeli soldier. It says the soldier was aiming at a gunmen near Abu Akleh. To this day, the IDF has not presented evidence she was near any gunmen.
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I was literally in Gaza today speaking to women not wearing the hijab. If you squint you'll see the source for these stats is "Information Provided By The IDF"
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1. The people of Sudan overthrow their authoritarian leader. 2. Saudi + UAE greenlight a brutal Sudanese military crackdown against civilian demonstrators. 3. China + Russia shield the Sudanese military from internationational criticism.
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In the weeks that follow several independent media outlets and human rights organisations conclude it’s likely that Abu Akleh was killed by an Israeli soldier. Here’s the New York Times investigation from June 20.
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Compare the angle it’s at now (left) to the angle it was at a few hours ago (right).
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AFP says it is welcoming the AP + Al Jazeera teams in #Gaza to use its offices after their own offices were blown up by Israeli military. Admirable moment of journalist solidarity. We all rely so much on these - mostly Palestinian - agency journalists on the ground in Gaza.
L’AFP a décidé d’accueillir dans ses locaux à Gaza les équipes de @AP et de @AJEnglish dont les locaux ont été détruits hier par l’armée israélienne #medias #AFP.
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Zelenskyy urged Blinken + Austin to ramp up sanctions on Russia. He presented them with a plan drawn up by @McFaul + Andriy Yermak, a senior Zelenskyy aide, according to Ukrainian read out.
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The next day, May 12, Israel’s government stops saying that Palestinian gunmen were likely responsible. Instead, the PM’s office puts out a statement condemning “hasty accusations against Israel that are being made right now”.
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A lot of inaccurate information coming from IRNA, Iran's official state news agency. It may be deliberate misinformation. -IRNA said the Front Altair tanker had sunk. It hasn't. -IRNA said Iran rescued all 44 crew of the two tankers. They didn't. 21 sailors are on a US ship.
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“The White House quickly tried to deny that the president meant what he seemed to be saying.”. This is the second time in less than a year that this White House is scrambling after Biden comments on Taiwan. Last time was October.
Breaking news: President Biden said the U.S. would defend Taiwan militarily if China invaded, appearing to step away from a policy of “strategic ambiguity.”
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Israel’s position is now that it’s not clear if a Palestinian gunman or an Israeli soldier killed Abu Akleh. Much of its messaging focuses on the refusal of the Palestinian Authority to agree to a joint investigation. The PA says it doesn’t trust Israel to conduct a fair probe.
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