Piano Biden su Gaza, infrastrutture ucraine, elezioni in Messico e Sudafrica 🗞 Rassegna 03/06/2024

Israele

(Reuters) Egypt demands Israel withdraws from Rafah crossing for it to operate again, sources say

• Officials from the United States, Israel and Egypt ended a meeting in Cairo on Sunday with Egypt sticking to its position that Israel must withdraw from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing for it to operate again, two Egyptian security sources said.
• Israel seized the crossing on the Gaza side in May during its offensive in the city of Rafah along the enclave's southern edge, angering Egypt which said it would stop cooperating with Israel on the crucial artery for aid into the strip and evacuations out of it.
• The Egyptian security sources said Sunday's meeting was positive despite there being no agreement on reopening of the crossing. 
• Tensions have risen between Egypt and Israel over the takeover of the southern border, which Israel said had been completed on Wednesday.
• While Egypt facilitated the entrance of aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing last week, the re-opening of Rafah is crucial as humanitarian agencies warn of looming famine in Gaza.

(New York Times) What We Know About the Latest Gaza Cease-Fire Proposal

• President Biden on Friday outlined a road map put forward by Israel that would begin with an immediate, temporary cease-fire and work toward a permanent end to the war and the reconstruction of Gaza.
• First Phase: Both sides would observe a six-week cease-fire. Israel would withdraw from major population centers in Gaza, and a number of hostages would be released, including women, the elderly and the wounded. The hostages would be exchanged for the release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees. Aid would begin flowing into Gaza, working up to some 600 trucks a day.
• During the first phase, Israel and Hamas would continue to negotiate to reach a permanent cease-fire. If the talks take more than six weeks, the first phase of the truce will continue until they reach a deal, Mr. Biden said.
• Second Phase: With a permanent cease-fire, Israel would withdraw completely from Gaza. All the remaining living Israeli hostages would be released, including male soldiers, and more Palestinian prisoners would be released in exchange.
• It was also unclear who would govern the territory under the agreement. Hamas could use a cease-fire to reconstitute its rule in Gaza. 
• Third Phase: Hamas would return the remains of hostages who had died. Rubble would be cleared and a three- to five-year reconstruction period would begin, backed by the United States, Europe and international institutions.

(Reuters) Biden's Gaza plan 'not a good deal' but Israel accepts it, Netanyahu aide says

• In an interview with Britain's Sunday Times, Ophir Falk, chief foreign policy advisor to Netanyahu, said Biden's proposal was "a deal we agreed to — it's not a good deal but we dearly want the hostages released, all of them".
• The first phase entails a truce and the return of some hostages held by Hamas, after which the sides would negotiate on an open-ended cessation of hostilities for a second phase in which remaining live captives would go free, Biden said.
• Netanyahu is under pressure to keep his coalition government intact. Two far-right partners have threatened to bolt in protest at any deal they deem to spare Hamas. A centrist partner, ex-general Benny Gantz, wants the deal considered.
• Hamas has provisionally welcomed the Biden initiative, though a senior official from the group, Sami Abu Zuhri, said on Sunday that "Hamas is too big to be bypassed or sidelined by Netanyahu or Biden."
• Hamas wants a guaranteed end to the Gaza offensive, withdrawal of all invading forces, free movement for Palestinians and reconstruction aid.

Ucraina

(New York Times) Russian Missiles Hit Ukraine’s Energy System, Again

• Russian forces struck several of Ukraine’s energy facilities with drones and missiles early Saturday, in a major air assault that targeted cities across the country, including some near the borders with NATO members.
• The Ukrainian Air Force said that Russia had fired 53 missiles at its territory, that it had shot down two-thirds, and that some had been heading toward the western Zakarpattia and Lviv regions, which border Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, countries that are part of NATO. 
• DTEK, the country’s largest private electricity company, reported serious damage to two of its power plants. 
• The Ukrainian authorities have discussed with Poland the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles with Polish air defenses.
• Ukrainian officials could cite attacks like Saturday’s assault in pressing their case, just as they pointed to Russia’s recent offensive in the northeast when urging their allies to lift a ban on Ukraine’s use of Western weapons to attack inside Russia.

Politica internazionale

America Latina

Messico:

(Reuters) Mexican voters about to elect first woman president

• Mexican voters endured long waits on Sunday to cast ballots in a historic election expected to make leftist Claudia Sheinbaum, the ruling party candidate, the country's first woman president.
• Sheinbaum has led in opinion polls over her main competitor Xochitl Galvez, who represents an opposition coalition comprised of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the right-wing PAN and the leftist PRD party.
• The campaign has been marred by violence, with 38 candidates murdered including a local candidate who was fatally shot on Saturday night. That is the highest toll in Mexico's modern history, stoking concerns about the threat of warring drug cartels to democracy.
• The new president will face tense negotiations with the United States over the huge flows of U.S.-bound migrants crossing Mexico and security cooperation over drug trafficking at a time when the U.S. fentanyl epidemic rages.
• Mexican officials expect these negotiations to be more difficult if the U.S. presidency is won by Donald Trump in November. 

(New York Times) Mexicans Go to Polls in Historic Election, as 2 Women Vie to Lead the Country

• The two main contenders, who have largely split the electorate between them according to polls, are women. The front-runner is Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist representing the ruling party and its party allies. Her closest competitor is Xóchitl Gálvez, a businesswoman on a ticket that includes a collection of opposition parties.
• Ms. Sheinbaum has appealed to voters mainly by promising to continue his legacy. Ms. Gálvez has cast herself as an alternative for those unhappy with Mr. López Obrador’s (the current president) leadership, vowing to reverse many of his policies.
• Whoever succeeds Mr. López Obrador will face daunting challenges.
• Cartel violence continues to torment the country, displacing people en masse and fueling one of the deadliest campaign cycles in recent Mexican history.
• The federal deficit ballooned to around 6 percent this year, and Pemex, the national oil company, is operating under a mountain of debt, straining public finances.
• Another challenge involves the broad new responsibilities granted to the armed forces, which have been tasked with running ports and airports, running an airline, and building a railroad through the Mayan jungle.
• Then there is the festering issue of fentanyl, which, the U.S. government says, cartels produce in Mexico using chemicals imported from China. Mr. Trump has suggested taking military action to combat the fentanyl trade.
• Handling such pressure from Washington, even in the form of incendiary campaign rhetoric, could prove challenging to Mexico’s next president.

Africa

Sudafrica:

(Reutes) South Africa's ANC wins 159 seats in national assembly, says electoral commission

• South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) won 159 out of 400 seats in the country's National Assembly after last week's general election, the electoral commission said on Sunday.
• The results showed the ANC had lost its outright majority in parliament for the first time since it came to power after the end of apartheid and white minority rule 30 years ago. In the previous election in 2019, the party had won 230 seats.
• ANC's main challenger, the pro-business, white-led Democratic Alliance, came second with 87 seats.
• A new party, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) - "spear of the nation" in the Zulu language, backed by former president Jacob Zuma, won 58 seats, while the radical left Economic Freedom Fighters, came fourth with 39 seats.
• The ANC has said it was open to talk to all political parties to form a coalition government following the election.