The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | June 11th, 2024: Ceasefire Hopes Rekindled & Russian Warships In The Caribbean

Episode Date: June 11, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    Hamas has accepted a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, however, mediators in Egypt and Qatar are tempering expectations, saying Israel and Hamas remain at odds over the details of the plan. Russian warships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, are on their way to the Caribbean for military drills off the coast of Cuba. We’ll discuss the implications, and why leaders at the Pentagon are not all that concerned. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. 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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I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, Hamas has accepted a UN Security Council resolution, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. However, mediators in Egypt and Qatar are tempering expectations, saying Israel and Hamas remain at odds over the details of the plan. Well, there's an understatement. Also, Russian warships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, are on their way to the Caribbean for military drills off the coast of Cuba. We'll discuss the implications and why leaders at the Pentagon are not all that concerned. But first, our afternoon spotlight, beginning in the Middle East, hope for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza

was rekindled, sort of, late Monday evening, after Hamas tentatively adorced a UN Security Council resolution calling for a truce and hostage exchange. In a bid to up the diplomatic pressure on Hamas to respond to a U.N. security council resolution, calling for a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution on Monday, calling on Hamas to accept the terms of the plan in a unanimous vote. The resolution also called for a two-state solution following the war, with the Gaza Strip and the West Bank being unified under the Palestinian Authority. Officials with Hamas, who had yet to formally comment on the ceasefire proposal, gave their endorsement to the U.N. ceasefire resolution, claiming that they were

open to the plan and ready to negotiate the details with mediators, that's according to a report from Reuters. Now, before anyone gets their hopes up regarding a potential hostage deal, we should stress that Hamas has only agreed to the spirit of the UN resolution. They've not accepted the formal details of the ceasefire proposal, and there is reason to believe that the terrorist group is engaging in basically an empty diplomatic gesture. Sammy Abu Zuri, a senior Hamas, official based outside of Gaza, told Reuters that while they were ready to negotiate over specifics, he reiterated. The group's demand that any ceasefire must include the total and permanent withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Now, this has been obviously a key sticking point,

as Israeli leaders continue to signal that a permanent end of fighting that allows Hamas to reconstitute is unacceptable. Abu Zui said, quote, the U.S. administration is facing a real test to carry out its commitments in compelling the occupation to immediately end the war in an implementation of the UN Security Council resolution, end quote. Well, there is nothing like being lectured to by a terrorist puppet of the Iranian regime, and also not exactly the words of a man that sounds eager to make concessions. Qatari and Egyptian mediators also urged caution on Tuesday, telling Reuters that they have not received formal replies from Fumas or Israel

regarding the ceasefire proposal, and that there still appears to be a wide gulf between the demands of both parties. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who's in Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli leaders, called Hamas's reaction to the UN resolution, quote, a hopeful sign, but stressed that they were still awaiting word directly from Hamas' leadership on the ground inside Gaza. On the Israeli side, U.S. officials are still seeking clarity regarding their stance on the ceasefire proposal. Blinken said Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had given him explicit assurances that he supports the plan. But the Prime Minister and senior Israeli leaders have sent, well, very mixed signals in public, according to a New York Times report. Just last week, Netanyahu called the idea of a

permanent ceasefire, like the one Harbass is seeking, a, quote, non-starter. At the UN Security Council on Monday, Israel's representative would not directly answer whether the Israeli government backed the truce proposal. On Tuesday, however, a senior Israeli government official told the New York Times that the proposal would allow Israel to achieve its wartime aims, though they also stopped short of confirming whether Netanyahu would ultimately back the plan. The official said, quote, Israel will not end the war before achieving all its war objectives, destroying Hamas's military and governing capabilities, freeing all the hostages, and ensuring Gaza doesn't pose a threat to Israel in the future. The proposal presented enables Israel to achieve these goals and Israel will

indeed do so, end quote. The current three-phase ceasefire proposal calls for an immediate pause in fighting and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in the first stage. This stage would also see the release of all the remaining hostages being held in Gaza in exchange for a large number of Palestinian prisoners. The second phase calls for Israel and Hamas to negotiate a permanent ceasefire, Now, if these negotiations take longer than six weeks, the temporary ceasefire would be extended. A third stage outlines plans for a multi-year reconstruction effort in the war-torn enclave. Despite the appearance of diplomatic progress, however, it does appear that Hamas' leaders in Gaza are in no hurry to end the war if they can't get guarantees that Israel will permanently end their military

operations. Leaked messages of Yaya Sinwar, Hamas's chief in Gaza, show that he has told mediators in Qatar and Egypt that he believes the war has helped turn Israel into an international pariah, while breathing fresh life into the Palestinian cause. Well, I guess frankly he's not wrong. Hamas has definitely been winning the narrative in the media and social media. Coming up after the break, if you're old enough to have enjoyed the 60s, well, congratulations, what's old is new again. Russian warships, including a nuclear power.

submarine are on their way to the Caribbean for military drills off the coast of Cuba. We'll discuss the implications when we return. I'll be right back. This episode is brought to you by Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home. With agents who close twice as many deals, when you find the one,

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Lorraine, devil-degs, and fresh-cut fruits to go. Celebrate Mom with Whole Foods Market. Welcome back. Let's turn the PDB periscope towards the Caribbean, where Russian warships, aircraft, and a nuclear-powered submarine are expected to arrive in Cuba sometime this week. As Yogi Berra said, it's deja vu all over again, although this time, apparently without the same level of fear. Pentagon officials say the Russian military presence is notable but not concerning. Russia is taking part in military exercises in response to continued U.S. support of Ukraine before possibly sailing to South America.

Now here's what we can expect. U.S. officials report that the three Russian ships are a frigate, a fleet oil tanker, and a salvage tug accompanied by the Kazan, a nuclear submarine. The sub is powered by nuclear energy, but happily, apparently not carrying any nuclear weapons. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby says, quote, we have no indication and no expectation that nuclear weapons will be at play here in these exercises or embarked on those vessels, end quote. Cuba's foreign ministry confirmed Kirby's statement that no nuclear weapons would be present in the exercises. According to U.S. officials, Russia's exercises this week will feature long-range bombers

and will be the first simultaneous air and naval maneuvers in the Caribbean since 2019. Regardless, with a Russian flotilla in the U.S. backyard, well, the U.S. military is deploying two American destroyers and two ships equipped with sonar to monitor the submarine. Additionally, another destroyer and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter are tracking the three Russian ships. And in the skies, surveillance appears to be conducted by at least one U.S. Navy P8A Poseidon in a Canadian CP 140 Aurora. The exercises come as Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted at possible asymmetrical steps, as how he put it, in response to President Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to use U.S. provided weapons on specific targets inside Russia. U.S. officials noted that militaries worldwide have the right to conduct exercise.

in international waters. For example, about 20 NATO countries, including the U.S., will begin the Baltops 24 exercise in the Baltic region near Russia on Friday. Hmm. The U.S. officials anticipate that the Russian ships will stay in the Caribbean throughout this summer. Oh, well, that sounds lovely. And here's a pro tip for our communist friends, while they're on their 1960s Cold War retro crews. They should definitely stop by the soggy dollar bar on Yost van Dyke for some painkillers. That'll take the chill out of the Cold War mentality. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Tuesday, 11 June. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And remember, to listen to the show

ad-free, well, be sure to check out our premium membership at pdbbpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Ryan Reynolds here for MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities, so do like I did and have one of your assistants assistants to switch you to MintMobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available.

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