Security Council rejects Russia's proposal on Gaza Strip, Israel wants US to support 10 billion USD?

President Joe Biden will visit Israel, US soldiers are ready to support the Jewish State, the official election results in Poland are out... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after their meeting on October 16 in Tel Aviv. (Source: GPO)

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.

* Russia's assessment of the impact of the Polish election : On October 17, answering a question about the impact of the Polish election on relations with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "To be honest, it is unlikely to happen at this time. No part of the Polish government has openly or even implicitly hinted that it is necessary to restore relations with Russia. The truth is that the Poles still do not like or are friendly with us, they have a very hostile view on all issues related to us. We do not like that... It is absurd that two neighboring countries have such a hostile attitude towards each other."

Poland and Russia share a short border along the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Relations between Moscow and Warsaw have historically been tense, but have deteriorated since the conflict in Ukraine erupted in February 2022. Poland is one of Ukraine's key allies against Russia. (AFP)

* Ukraine warns of the “slow death” of the OSCE: On October 16, speaking at a press conference attended by Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Bujar Osmani, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that everything Russia does is harming this organization.

Warning that the OSCE could face a “slow death” if Russia remained a member, he also called on the organisation to move towards “a new life without Russia”.

Kiev has repeatedly called for Moscow to be expelled from international organizations over the conflict in Ukraine, including the G20, the UN Security Council and major sports organizations. Russia has also accused the West of trying to sabotage and “hijack” the OSCE, saying the organization has turned its back on its founding principles.

The OSCE was established in August 1975 to ease Cold War tensions and help members coordinate on issues such as human rights and arms control. It regularly sends observers to conflicts and elections around the world. It also runs programs to combat human trafficking and ensure media freedom. However, since the conflict in Ukraine broke out, the OSCE has struggled as Russia has blocked key decisions that require consensus to be implemented. (Kiev Post)

* Israeli intelligence chief takes responsibility for Hamas attack : On October 16, in a letter to employees of the Israeli domestic intelligence agency (Shin Bet), Director Ronen Bar stated: “Despite taking a series of actions, unfortunately, on Saturday (October 7), we did not give enough warning to prevent the attack. As the head of the organization, the responsibility for this lies with me. There will be an investigation into this. Now, we are fighting.”

According to Israeli media, there were signs of unusual activity in the Gaza Strip the night before the attack. However, Shin Bet only sent a small unit to the border. In the October 7 attack by Hamas, 10 Shin Bet personnel were killed. (VNA)

* US newspaper cited intelligence sources collected by Hamas to attack Israel : On January 16, the Washington Post (USA) quoted Ms. Miri Eisin, a former senior intelligence officer of the IDF, saying: "Hamas's operation was the result of at least two years of planning, a period that included two conflicts between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Islamic Jihad movement, a small militant group in the Gaza Strip. During this time, Hamas was criticized for standing by and watching Islamic Jihad leaders being killed by Israel in attacks." In addition, according to her, intelligence information about Israel's border towns could be partly obtained from thousands of Gazans who cross the Israeli border every day and work in those areas. (Washington Post)

* US President will visit Israel, go to Jordan to talk with Palestine : On the morning of October 17, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Mr. Joe Biden will visit Israel on October 18. After an overnight meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Mr. Blinken stated: "The President will reaffirm America's solidarity with Israel and our unwavering commitment to its security."

According to a White House statement, Mr. Joe Biden will also travel to the capital Amman of Jordan on October 18 to hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II.

For his part, the spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Brigadier General Daniel Hagari, said the visit was of "strategic importance." (AFP/VNA)

* US Secretary of State held overnight talks in Israel, 'huge' aid mentioned? On the morning of October 17, after 8 hours of overnight talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Secretary of State Blinken stated: "At our request, the United States and Israel have agreed to develop a plan that would allow humanitarian aid from donor countries and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza." Currently, US lawmakers are drafting an aid package for Israel and Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the New York Times (USA) quoted three officials as saying that Israel has asked the US for $10 billion in emergency aid. Previously, US President Joe Biden's National Security Advisor, Mr. Jake Sullivan, said that Washington planned to request more than $2 billion to support Ukraine, Israel and other needs.

For its part, NBC (USA) reported that some Republican congressmen in the US House of Representatives were skeptical about combining requests for military assistance to Ukraine and Israel. Even some who usually support support for both countries were skeptical.

* The US will deploy 2,000 troops to support Israel : According to a US defense official, about 2,000 US soldiers have been ordered to prepare for deployment to support Israel. The US soldiers were ordered to be on standby for 96 hours, now shortened to 24 hours. These soldiers have a variety of skills and expertise, including medical support and explosives disposal.

But the troops have not been deployed anywhere and they are not necessarily going to Israel or the Gaza Strip. If deployed, the official said, they would go to a “nearby country.” (NBC)

* UNSC rejects Russian draft resolution on Israel and Gaza Strip : On October 16, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) rejected Russia's draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Hamas-Israel conflict. Accordingly, the resolution did not receive the necessary 9 votes in favor.

Russia, China, the UAE, Gabon and Mozambique voted in favour of the draft resolution. Albania, Brazil, Ghana, Malta, Switzerland and Ecuador abstained. The US, the UK, France and Japan voted against it. Explaining her position, US Permanent Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that the Russian resolution did not contain any content condemning Hamas' actions.

The draft states: “The UN Security Council calls for an immediate, durable and fully respected humanitarian ceasefire.” The draft strongly condemns violence, military action against civilians and “all acts of terrorism.” It also calls for the safe release of all hostages and the smooth delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid and the facilitation of civilian evacuation.

For his part, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said that the UN Security Council had once again become a “hostage” to the wishes of the West. On October 14, he warned that the Middle East was on the brink of a full-scale conflict and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. The Russian ambassador compared the blockade and shelling of the Gaza Strip to the assault on Leningrad during World War II. (Sputnik)

* Colombia asks Israeli Ambassador to “be sober in his words” : Writing on social network X on October 16, Colombian Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva stressed that “the arrogance of the Israeli Ambassador to Colombia” in front of Colombian President Gustavo Petro will leave a mark in the history of global diplomacy. However, he affirmed that the Israeli Ambassador has not been expelled: Colombia only asked this diplomat to “be sober in his words” and respect President Gustavo Petro. However, the Colombian Foreign Minister said that he would suspend relations with Israel if necessary.

Earlier, the Jewish State also summoned Colombian Ambassador Margarita Manjarrez to protest President Gustavo Petro's statements expressing support for Palestine. Israel's first reaction to the above statement was to temporarily suspend the export of security equipment to Colombia. For his part, President Petro affirmed that his statement was only "reflecting historical facts". (Reuters)

Northeast Asia

* Japan protests Russia's ban on fish imports : On October 17, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu stressed: "Russia's unilateral decision not based on scientific data is unacceptable. On October 16, a protest note was sent to Russia through diplomatic channels to request its cancellation (of the import restriction)." According to this official, Tokyo has explained the safety of the radioactive water used to treat Japanese seafood to the international community, including Moscow, in a transparent and scientifically based manner.

Earlier, on October 16, Russia's agricultural safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor announced that the country had joined China's temporary ban on imports of Japanese fish products as a precautionary measure following the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. (Sputnik)

* Washington sees “worrying signals” in Russia-North Korea relations, what does Moscow say? On October 17, speaking to reporters after meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts in Jakarta, US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim called the relationship between North Korea and Russia “worrying”. He also affirmed that Washington will continue to step up efforts to protect its allies.

However, on the same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia rejected Western accusations that North Korea was sending weapons to Russia.

Earlier on October 13, the White House said that Pyongyang had recently provided Moscow with a shipment of weapons, calling it a worrying development in the expanding military relationship between the two countries. Meanwhile, last month, a spokesman for the British Prime Minister's Office said that London was urging Pyongyang to stop arms talks with Moscow. (Reuters/TASS)

* Armenia ready to sign peace agreement with Azerbaijan by the end of 2023 : On October 17, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Yerevan is ready to sign a peace agreement with Balku by the end of this year and will ensure the safety of all Azerbaijani citizens on its territory.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence in a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan if both sides showed goodwill and moved towards an agreement on their common border. (VNA)

* Russian State Duma approves cancellation of ratification of Nuclear Test Ban Treaty : On October 17, the Russian State Duma (Lower House) approved the cancellation of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with 412 votes in favor.

Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said that through the UN, the US has asked Russia not to cancel its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

For his part, President Vladimir Putin announced this month that Russia was canceling its ratification of the 1996 treaty because the United States had not ratified the document. He did not confirm whether Russia would resume nuclear testing. (Reuters)

* France opposes anti-nuclear energy policy : Speaking on October 17 ahead of a meeting to seek an agreement on reforming the European Union (EU) electricity market, French Energy Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said: “Discrimination against nuclear is against the interests of Europeans.” At the same time, this official affirmed that nuclear energy can improve the current energy security situation.

The deal to reform the electricity market had been delayed for months due to disagreements between Germany and France over whether Paris would be able to subsidize its large nuclear power plants under the rules. (Reuters)

* Polish House of Representatives election results officially announced: On the morning of October 17, the Polish National Election Commission (PKW) announced the results of the House of Representatives election. PKW also said that the voter turnout in the election held on October 15 reached a record high of 74.37%.

Specifically, with 99.97% of the votes counted, the PiS party came in first with 7,638,060 votes, reaching a rate of 35.39% of the votes in favor. The opposition Civic Coalition came in second with 6,622,871 votes, reaching a rate of 30.69%. The next parties were the Third Way party with 14.4% (3,108,961 votes), the New Left (NL) with 8.61% (1,857,527 votes) and the League (Konfederacja) with 7.16% (1,546,271 votes). These are also the parties that entered the House of Representatives. Thus, the PiS party will win 196 seats out of 460 seats in the House of Representatives. The Civic Coalition will have 158 seats, the Third Way 61 seats, the New Left 30 seats and the League party won 15 seats. (VNA)

* Hungary does not want to antagonize Russia : On October 17, meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in China ahead of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban affirmed that Budapest never wanted to antagonize Moscow, but wanted to build a close relationship. He also emphasized that the country is trying to salvage bilateral communication, amid increasing international tensions.

During the meeting, the two leaders also discussed gas and oil transport as well as nuclear energy. Prime Minister Viktor Orban stressed that ending sanctions against Russia and the conflict in Ukraine, as well as stopping the flow of migrants, were important issues for Europe, including Hungary. (Reuters)

Middle East-Africa

* EU maintains measures to contain Iran : On October 17, EU member states issued a joint statement stating: “The (European) Council has adopted legal texts to maintain the initial measures imposed by the UN on individuals and organizations involved in nuclear activities or ballistic missile activities, or associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The Council also agreed to maintain existing measures under the EU sanctions regime, in particular those related to Iran's nuclear proliferation, as well as the arms and missile embargoes.

The statement said this is not a new measure against Iran; EU sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) remain in place. Thus, the EU will continue to maintain restrictive measures against Iran under the nuclear non-proliferation sanctions regime after October 18, the expiration date of UN sanctions aimed at limiting Iran's purchase of ballistic missiles and drones under the JCPOA. (Reuters)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-1710-hdba-bac-de-xuat-cua-nga-ve-dai-gaza-israel-muon-my-ho-tro-10-ty-usd-246478.html