The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 22nd, 2024: Russia, Ukraine Trade Blame Over Deadly Donetsk Attack & Israel Rejects Peace Plan With 'Monsters Of Hamas'

Episode Date: January 22, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     Russia and Ukraine are pointing the finger at one another over a deadly shelling in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on Sunday that left nearly 30 civilians dead. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the latest peace plan regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, dismissing the idea of a Palestinian state and reiterating that Israel will never surrender to Hamas. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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It's Monday, January 22nd. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First up, Russia and Ukraine are blaming each other for a recent bombing and Russian-controlled the Netsk in the eastern Ukraine that left nearly 30 civilians dead. We'll discuss the latest updates regarding the incident as fighting. in the region intensifies. Also, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has rejected the latest peace

plan regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, dismissing the idea of a Palestinian state, and reiterating that Israel will never surrender to Hamas. But first, our afternoon spotlight. Russia and Ukraine are pointing the finger at one another over a deadly shelling in the Russian-controlled city of Dhenzsk in eastern Ukraine that left nearly 30 civilians dead. Russian officials lashed out at leaders in Kiev on Sunday, following the incident, claiming that Ukrainian forces targeted a bustling market area of shops in the city's Karovsky district. Russia claimed the attack came from the direction of the Ukrainian city of Avdivka.

The Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement on Sunday that said, quote, the neo-Nazi Kiev regime with the support of the United States and its satellites, once again committed a barbaric terrorist act against a civilian population, of Russia. The Russian side categorically condemns this treacherous strike against a civilian population. End quote. Officials with the Ukrainian military denied the Russian claims as propaganda. In a statement posted to Facebook, Ukrainian officials said, quote, the Russians are spreading misinformation about the strike on a market in Denezsk. Densk is Ukraine. Russia will have to answer for taking lives of Ukrainians. All told, the shelling of Denez killed at least 28 people, and

and left another 30 or so injured, including at least two children, the damage was reportedly not limited to the market area in Densk. Dennis Pushevyn, the Russian-appointed head of the Denezk region, said on Sunday that during the attack five additional people were injured and to school, shops, and a number of residential buildings were damaged elsewhere in other Russian occupied parts of the region. Officials said Russia's investigative committee has launched an investigation into the deadly incidents in Dinesk, saying, quote, all those involved and responsible for this and other terrorist

attacks on our soil will suffer inevitable punishment, end quote. Perhaps during their investigation, the investigative committee will discover that Denezk is on Ukrainian, not Russian soil. Meanwhile, Vadim Fulashkin, governor of the Ukrainian control part of the region, said in addition to the shelling of Denezsk, an attack by Russian forces on Sunday killed two people in areas just west of the city. Fulashkin said in the statement, quote, I call on everyone who remains in Densk evacuate. The carnage in Densk comes after a weekend of offensive successes for the Ukrainian military against their Russian foes. As we discussed earlier on the PDB, Ukraine began a new strategy of striking directly at the Putin regime's critical infrastructure, particularly their

oil refining industry. On Friday, a Ukrainian drone successfully targeted an oil store, facility in Western Russia, igniting fires and four oil reservoirs holding over one and a half million gallons of oil. And on Sunday, Ukrainian drone struck a major gas export terminal near the city of St. Petersburg, and that caused a large explosion in subsequent fire that forced officials to suspend operations at the facility. In addition to serving as a hub for Russia's international oil and gas exports, the facility reportedly was also used to supply Russian troops on the front lines in Ukraine with fuel. Ukrainian officials described the strike as an economic blow to Moscow that significantly complicates their ability to resupply troops. The situation regarding who was behind the deadly

attack in Denezk currently remains a mystery. The UN Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez condemned the shelling through a spokesman on Sunday, saying attacks on civilians are, quote, completely unacceptable and must stop immediately. All right, coming up after the break, the Israeli Prime Minister has rejected the latest peace plan regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, dismissing the idea of a Palestinian state and reiterating that Israel will never surrender to Hamas. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin.

I wanted to follow up on a story we highlighted this morning. As we reported, the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, are pushing a new peace plan designed to ultimately lead to the release of the remaining hostages and end the current conflict, advanced the recognition of Israel by its Arab neighbors, and ultimately facilitate the establishment of a Palestinian state. However, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is expressing firm opposition to key aspects of this initiative. Netanyahu rejected any suspension of Israel's military actions in exchange for the release of hostages held by Hamas, and dismissed the idea of a Palestinian state.

Hamas has indicated that one condition for moving forward would be that they remain in control in Gaza. Speaking on Sunday evening, Denyahu said, quote, To be clear, I reject outright the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas, adding, if we agree to this, our soldiers fell in vain.

If we agree to this, we will not be able to guarantee the security of our citizens, end quote. The Prime Minister's remarks brought a, swift response from Hamas. A senior official in the terrorist organization said Netanyahu's refusal to end the military offensive in the Palestinian enclave means there is no chance for the return of the Israeli captives. Meanwhile, both international and domestic pressure continue to mount on Netanyahu to resolve the hostage crisis and end the war. In Jerusalem, families of the hostages and other protesters blocks traffic near Netanyahu's private residence on Sunday.

demanding a resolution for the safe return of those in Hamas captivity. Some family members even set up tents vowing to stay until an agreement is reached. On the international front, the European Union's foreign ministers are convening today to deliberate potential sanctions against Israel if Prime Minister Netanyahu maintains his hardline opposition to Palestinian statehood. Additionally, UN Secretary General Gutierrez expressed his views over the weekend he criticized Israel's rejection of a two-state solution and the denial of statehood rights for Palestinians. Gutierrez said the right of the Palestinian people to build their own state must be recognized by all.

End quote. Well, not to sound cynical, but discussions and negotiations concerning a two-state solution have been going on for nearly 100 years, all the way back to the Peel Commission of 1937. At various times, Arab states, Israel, and Hamas have all blocked or dismissed various aspects or conditions of a potential two-state solution. Now, while on the surface, it sounds logical and achievable. In reality, it has proven unworkable, despite repeated international efforts to get it done. Whether it's the question of drawing borders, the right of return of refugees, acknowledging the existence of Israel, which Hamas has refused in passing.

efforts, or now the question of who will govern Gaza, this latest effort to revisit the two-state solution doesn't seem any more doable than past efforts. Now, I'm not saying it shouldn't be attempted, but perhaps the focus right now should first be on the immediate conflict at hand, resolving the hostages situation, bringing the military operations to a close, replacing Hamas with a non-terrorist form of governance in Gaza, and focusing on actual economic development and rebuilding for the Palestinian residents of Gaza. Insisting on a two-state solution, given the failed history of that dream, may do nothing more than delay or prevent bringing the current conflict to a close. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday, 22 January. If you have any questions

or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.