Israel Carries Out Overnight Raids in West Bank

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Israeli military operations in the West Bank, Germany accusing Russia of leaking military intelligence, and abortion protections in France.

West Bank Raids

Israel conducted an overnight raid on the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian officials announced on Monday. It was one of Israel’s biggest raids on the Palestinian Authority’s administrative capital in years. During the six-hour-long so-called counterterrorism operation, which took place mostly at al-Amari refugee camp, Israeli forces apprehended two wanted suspects and seized “inciting material spread by Hamas,” Israeli officials said. When fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinians broke out during the offensive, Israeli forces opened fire and killed a 16-year-old boy, Palestinian officials said.

Israeli forces also detained at least 55 Palestinians across the West Bank in a series of separate raids last night, the Palestinian Prisoners Club reported. Israeli officials have detained around 7,400 Palestinians since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

The raids followed Israel boycotting cease-fire negotiations in Cairo on Sunday over Hamas’s refusal to agree to two key Israeli demands. Israel asked Hamas to specify which hostages held in Gaza are still alive and to accept the U.S.-proposed ratio for an exchange of Palestinian prisoners with Israeli captives. But Hamas said it would not accept any hostage deal until Israel agrees to permanently stop fighting in Gaza. International mediators hope to secure a cease-fire by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin on March 10.

To discuss ongoing cease-fire negotiations, Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz met with top U.S. officials—including Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan—in Washington on Monday. On Sunday, the Biden administration issued one of its toughest statements on the war to date when Harris called for a six-week temporary truce and pressured Israel not to impede aid workers from entering Gaza. “This would allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is secure and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom, and self-determination,” she said.

Gantz’s trip, however, sparked uproar back home. An Israeli official and member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party told The Associated Press that Gantz did not receive authorization for his trip; Netanyahu reportedly reminded Gantz that Israel has “just one prime minister.” Gantz is a member of the opposition National Unity party.

Netanyahu has found himself increasingly at odds with U.S. President Joe Biden as the Israel-Hamas war nears its five-month mark. The Biden administration continues to push for a two-state solution that would place the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, in charge of Gaza—a postwar plan that Netanyahu refuses to consider. Washington has also pressured Israel in recent weeks to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, going so far as to airdrop 66 bundles carrying 38,000 meals into the Gaza Strip on Saturday after dozens of Palestinians were killed at a food distribution site in Gaza City last Thursday.

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The World This Week

Monday, March 4: The United States and South Korea begin Freedom Shield 24 annual military exercises.

Australia hosts a three-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

Tuesday, March 5: French President Emmanuel Macron visits the Czech Republic.

Wednesday, March 6: Opposition activists hold a nationwide protest against Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hosts Nigerian counterpart Yusuf Tuggar.

Thursday, March 7: Biden presents the State of the Union.

The European Central Bank determines its interest rate.

Friday, March 8: Former U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Ireland holds constitutional referendums to enshrine gender equality.

The 2024 African Games begin in Ghana.

Sunday, March 10: Portugal holds early parliamentary elections.

What We’re Following

Military leak. Berlin accused Moscow on Monday of leaking an audio recording of senior German officials discussing the war in Ukraine. In the 38-minute call, recorded on Feb. 19 and published by Russian state media last Friday, top German officers debated sending Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv and potentially striking the Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia to the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz authenticated the audio and announced an investigation into the “very serious” leak on Monday. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called the leak part of Moscow’s yearslong “information war” on the West. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov argued that the recording proved “direct involvement of the collective West in the conflict in Ukraine.”

Experts said the audio highlighted internal dissent among German ranks by showing senior authorities countering Scholz’s decision to reject the future delivery of Taurus weapons to Ukraine. Scholz alleges that German troops would need to be deployed to operate the missiles, a move that he fears the Kremlin would interpret as an act of war. Officers on the call said that would not be necessary. Scholz remains one of the European leaders most adamantly against sending foreign troops to Kyiv, a suggestion that French President Emmanuel Macron made last week.

“Guaranteed freedom.” France became the first country in the world on Monday to enshrine abortion protections into its constitution. Across both houses of parliament, 780 lawmakers voted in favor of making abortion access a “guaranteed freedom,” meaning that future administrations cannot drastically change current funding laws. Only 72 parliamentarians voted against the measure. “Above all, we’re sending a message to all women: Your body belongs to you,” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said.

France has some of the most liberal abortion laws in Europe. It decriminalized the practice in 1975 and now allows fully funded abortions until up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, with no required waiting periods or counseling sessions. Later abortions are allowed if the pregnancy risks the birthing parent’s health or if the fetus has certain anomalies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Paris ruled that pregnant people could receive medical consultations virtually.

Prison break. Interim Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry declared a 72-hour state of emergency on Sunday after armed gang members stormed two major prisons over the weekend. Around 3,700 inmates escaped, and at least 12 people were killed. In response, the French Embassy closed its visa services, and the U.S. Embassy urged all citizens to leave Haiti “as soon as possible.” Violent gangs control around 80 percent of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

“We have chosen to take our destiny in our own hands,” gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier said. “The battle we are waging will not only topple Ariel’s government. It is a battle that will change the whole system.”

Chérizier coordinated the attack last Thursday to call for Henry’s ouster. The Haitian leader was scheduled to leave office by Feb. 7 but continuously pushed back elections, citing security risks. Henry traveled to Nairobi on Thursday to sign off on a multinational task force that would deploy 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haiti to help quell the violence—a decision that many Haitians argue Henry was not legally allowed to make since he is not an elected official. Henry came to power in July 2021 following then-President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination.

Odds and Ends

For all the Formula One fans out there, an old favorite is back in the limelight. British police found a red Ferrari on Monday that was stolen nearly three decades ago from Austrian Formula One driver Gerhard Berger. The sleek ride (now worth $444,000) was one of two cars stolen while their drivers were in Imola, Italy, for the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix. According to U.K. authorities, the car traveled from Japan to London late last year and was in the process of being sold to a U.S. buyer when it was flagged. The other vehicle remains in the wind. But hey, better late than never.