The President's Daily Brief - November 3rd, 2023: Refugee Outcry, Biden's Motives, and Ukraine's Frozen Conflict

Episode Date: November 3, 2023

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We explore the recent strikes on a Gaza refugee camp and the resulting international outcry. Just who are Palestinian refugees? There’s a noticeable shift in the White House's policy on the IDF offensive in Gaza. What could possibly be the political motivations behind President Biden's stance? European border and immigration policies come under scrutiny as a series of tragic incidents brings them to the forefront of international debates. And finally, we take a look at Ukraine's halted counteroffensive against Russia. With Ukraine's top general admitting that the situation has turned into a deadlock, where does this leave the ongoing conflict? Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. Email: [e-mail]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Service is not available in all areas. And here we are at the end of another week. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Friday, November 3rd. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. In today's PDB, a pair of strikes on a Gaza refugee camp is causing international outcry. We'll take a look at the latest facts on that story and add some potentially helpful context. Later in the program, the Biden administration's latest shift in its Israel policy may be politically mostly. motivated, and when I say may, I mean 100% politically motivated. Also, a series of deadly attacks raises alarms in Europe. And finally, in the back of the brief, a candid acknowledgement from Ukraine's top general about the situation on the ground. But first up, the PDB spotlight.

Israeli defense forces are tightening their grip around Gaza's city, with the IDF announcing their latest moves in the Gaza Strip offensive. As battles intensify, the IDF reports engaging Hamas terrorists in intense close quarters combat, especially as the terrorists deploy guerrilla tactics emerging from tunnels, many in residential areas under civilian homes, for hit-and-run attacks. As the conflict rages on, the IDF claims to have neutralized approximately 130 Hamas combatants. And, of course, the IDF has faced their own losses, with 19 of its soldiers reported killed in the conflict so far. Now, despite the IDF's advisories for residents to evacuate Gaza City, a significant

civilian population remains, in part because Hamas made efforts to prevent civilians from heading south to the recommended safe zone. Now, an incident that's been making headlines involves a second Israeli irstrike on the Jabaliah refugee camp situated within a densely populated sector of Gaza City. This camp, saw a prior missile strike just days earlier, resulting in the death of a Hamas commander and, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, 25 civilian deaths. The IDF's rationale behind this second targeting inside Jabalium, well, they believed it served as a strategic base for Hamas leadership. Internationally, the strikes have led to significant outcry.

The United Nations Human Rights Office has expressed concerns that the air raid on the Jibalia refugee camp might meet the criteria for a war crime. Now, you may ask, what exactly is the UN Human Rights Council? Well, it has included such leading proponents of human rights as China, Kazakhstan, Venezuela, Russia, and Cuba. Honduras is also on the council. That country, led by the wife of former Honduran president, Mel Zelaya, has been turning into the latest socialist stronghold south of the U.S. border with increasing ties to the Chinese regime. The point being, apparently, you don't have to value human rights in order to be on the UN Human Rights Council. And to further prove that point, just a reminder that yesterday, Iran became the chair of a UN Human Rights Forum. Iran was appointed

to that position by the president of the UN Human Rights Council. Joseph Borrell, a fellow who carries the very posh title of, and bear with me on this, EU high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, try putting that on a business card. Well, he defended Iran's appointment, saying it was, quote, inconsistency with established UN procedures. Well, that's nice. Apparently, following established UN procedures is more important than calling out Iran for its consistent track record of torture, oppression, and decidedly anti-human rights behavior. Who knows? Maybe if the Iranian regime abuses even more human rights, they can get promoted to become a full member of the Human Rights Council. But returning to the two targeted attacks on the sites inside Jabalia camp, why would Israel be striking

a refugee camp? Well, here I want to provide a little context. When most hear refugee camp, images of temporary tent cities catering to the newly displaced come to mind, perhaps complemented by emergency services and aid deliveries from NGOs working alongside the refugees. However, Palestinian refugee camps, including Jabalya, are not refugee camps in any conventional sense. Existing not just in Gaza, but also in regions like the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, they've been in place since the aftermath of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Over seven decades on, these once-temporary shelters have transformed into urban neighborhoods, complete with apartment and office buildings and a developed infrastructure.

In fact, the use of the term refugee is not conventional either. The majority of the current inhabitants are actually descendants of those displaced in 1948, and later in the 1967 Six-Day War, and they're allowed by the UN to inherit the refugee title across generations. As the years rolled by, these camps morphed into vital parts of Gaza's economic fabric, integrating commerce, education, and social hubs, more akin to an urban neighborhood than a refugee camp. And just like other neighborhoods in Gaza City, Hamas uses these areas to launch

attacks and hide behind civilians as human shields, not to mention their tunnel networks underneath hospitals, schools, and other civilian structures. If you want to be outraged about Israel firing a missile at a Hamas building or site housing terrorist commanders or infrastructure in Jabalia, well, fine, of course, that's your right. But maybe also show some outrage that Hamas knows what they're doing and deliberately places Palestinian civilians directly in harm. arm's way. It is their standard methodology. Coming up after the break, a shift in the White House's stance on the IDF offensive in Gaza is raising questions about potential political motivations for President Biden. And European border and immigration policies are in the spotlight after a series of deadly

incidents. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the PDB. In a surprising, or maybe not so surprised, turn, the White House seems to be adjusting its stance regarding the ongoing IDF offensive in Gaza. The change surfaced during a Minneapolis fundraiser yesterday when a protester pressed the president for a ceasefire. Biden's unexpected reply, well, quote, he said, I think we need a pause. A pause means give time to get the prisoners out. Hmm. That was later corrected to hostages, not prisoners. Now, fast forward 24 hours, and the administration is advocating for, quote, humanitarian pauses. Apparently, U.S. policy is now made up on the fly based on who's heckling the president. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby got in front of the cameras after the president's comments to elaborate and clean up on aisle 7.

He all but pulled out a dictionary to define the word pause and how it differs from calling for a ceasefire. This pause concept will be on Secretary Anthony Blinken's agenda as he meets Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli officials today. The White House has been scrambling to clarify that a pause is distinct from a full-on ceasefire, arguing that a ceasefire might benefit Hamas, giving them a break from Israel's bombardments. So what's prompting this White House policy pivot? it? Well, it might not be directly related to Gaza at all. Instead, it could have its roots in Michigan. Now, Michigan has a very large and politically active Arab American community. Democrats from the state have cautioned that President Biden's approach to the Israel-Hamas situation could jeopardize his standing there, and by approach, they mean don't get to be

to pro-Israel. Given the importance of Michigan in Biden's reelection strategy, it's paramount for him to maintain voter support. After all, Michigan was one of the key states that went back into the Democrat column in 2020, and that handed Biden the keys to the White House. Okay, looking at that, I'm not sure, but I don't think if you're president, you actually get a set of keys to the White House. I might be wrong, but I don't remember seeing a president standing outside the White House under the Grand Portico, fumbling for his house keys after slamming a couple of beers downtown. down. Although, to be fair, that would be a nice return to normality. Anyway, point B, as we've discussed previously here on the PDB,

there is no doubt that the White House and Dem strategists are worried about losing the Arab-American vote and the progressive youth vote if they're seen as being too pro-Israel. So, they play this game called Speaking Out of Both Sides of Your Mouth. It might sound difficult, but if you're a politician, it comes naturally. One thing we've been keeping an eye on here at the PDB also is the growing threat at the U.S. border in light of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Just this week, we reported that FBI director Chris Ray informed Congress that the terror attacks that Hamas directed at Israel might spur threats echoing those of ISIS from previous years.

The U.S., however, is not alone in its concerns. European nations are also voicing worries about their own borders and with good reason. While they haven't received a lot of media attention in the U.S., Europe has seen a number of terrorist attacks and terror-related arrests in the month of October. Regular PDB listeners might recall a report from a few weeks back on the Brussels tragedy where an Islamist named Abdu Salam Nasud, a Tunisian illegally residing in Belgium, ambushed Swedish citizens heading to a soccer game. The attack resulted in one death and two injuries.

Brussels police subsequently located and neutralized Lusud. Prior to that, the city of Arras in northern France witnessed a bloody school attack, an aggressor yelling Al-Hu Akbar fatally knifed a teacher and gravely injured to others. Police have since detained this attacker. The telegraph from England recently highlighted another concerning incident. A man who entered the UK in 2020 was arrested post an undisclosed assault. he reportedly expressed that the assault was in retaliation for child casualties in Gaza. And over in Dweesburg, Germany, near the Dutch border, police detained a previously convicted terrorist.

He allegedly informed a contact in Syria about a potential attack plan, possibly targeting a pro-Israel rally. Local sources indicate he once trained with ISIS. And another incident in Brussels saw the arrest of a Palestinian individual who conveyed to a federal refugee agency, his distress about the Gaza situation, expressing his desire to, quote, die as a martyr by blowing himself up. This man had sought asylum in Belgium just last September. Now, what do all these attacks and arrests have in common? The perpetrators can all be tied back to Europe's liberal border and immigration policies. And the EU is now dealing with the fact that for years, they encouraged immigrants to celebrate their own cultures and national identities, rather than

encouraging and helping the millions of arrivals to assimilate into their new homelands. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, a deep dive into Ukraine's stalled counteroffensive against Russia, as the nation's top general acknowledges the conflict has reached a stalemate. I'll be right back. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money, whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings. There's a money side to every story. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. Welcome back. In today's back of the brief, we'll turn our focus to Ukraine and the ongoing counteroffensive that was first initiated back in June. At the time, the goal of the Ukrainian military, was to breach Russian defenses and reclaim vast regions of eastern and southeastern Ukraine. Now, fast forward six months, and the front lines seemed to have barely shifted. Ukrainians are now being forced to evaluate the realities on the ground.

For the first time, Ukraine's top commander, General Valeria Zilluzni, is acknowledging that his forces are in a, quote, stalemate with Russia, drawing parallels to the First World War. Zillusioni said, quote, just like in the First World War, we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate. There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough, end quote. So what's been holding them back? General Zillusioni attributes the stalemate to advancements in modern technology and precision weaponry used by both nations. The extensive deployment of drones combined with the ability to disrupt them, has made it challenging to break enemy lines. In addition, Ukraine's top commander said he underestimated Russia's readiness to sustain heavy

troop losses to extend the conflict. He admitted, quote, that was my mistake. Russia has lost at least 150,000 dead. In any other country, he said, such casualties would have stopped the war. Well, Zellusioni's transparency is commendable. The timing is, well, less than ideal. With Washington, D.C. and other Western allies becoming increasingly wary of extending further unlimited military support to Ukraine, the nation finds itself in a precarious situation. In the U.S., now, the House yesterday approved an aid package for Israel, totaling some $14 billion. Absent from that was any proposed spending for Ukraine. Now, New House Speaker Mike Johnson has stated this week that he did.

does intend to put forward a separate Ukraine aid package, which he intends to couple with spending for U.S. border protection. It's unlikely that the U.S. will finish out the year without committing further significant aid to Ukraine. There continues to be strong support on Capitol Hill, despite some rumblings from a group of Republicans in the House. But if the war against Russia's aggression does settle in to an obvious stalemate, with both sides firmly dug in for the winter, You can't expect calls and pressure for a negotiated settlement to increase. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Friday the 3rd of November. If you have any questions or comments, reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com.

I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back on Monday. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.