The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 29th, 2024: US Floats Post-War Palestinian Security Force & Texas-Biden Border Fight Intensifies

Episode Date: March 29, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     Officials in the Biden administration have begun having preliminary conversations regarding how to maintain peace and order within Gaza when the Israel-Palestine war finally comes to an end, including establishing a Palestinian peacekeeping team. As the fight over Texas’s border continues to drag on in the courts, another Republican governor is dispatching National Guard soldiers to the border to reinforce Texas law enforcement. 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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Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, the Biden administration is beginning to make post-war plans for Gaza, including establishing a Palestinian peacekeeping team, as could be the definition of getting out over your skis. Also, as the fight over Texas's border continues to drag on in the courts,

yet another Republican governor is dispatching national. Guard soldiers to the border to reinforce Texas law enforcement. But first, our afternoon spotlight. Officials in the Biden administration are having preliminary conversations regarding how to maintain peace and order within Gaza when the Israel-Khamas War finally comes to an end. White House officials stressed that they are not considering any options that would put U.S. boots on the ground. Their focus will instead be on working with coalition allies and regional powers to establish some kind of security force within Gaza. While the Pentagon would provide funding, the idea at least is for the force to be led by Palestinians, though it remains unclear who would train and equip its members, according to a report by Politico.

If all of this sounds fanciful and perhaps a bit of wishful thinking, well, yeah, it is. officials indicated a large part of any Palestinian-led security force would likely include some of the nearly 20,000 security personnel backed by the Palestinian Authority. Officials added that funding would also go towards reconstruction, building infrastructure, and providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza. A senior administration official, speaking anonymously, told Politico, quote, We are working with partners on various scenarios for interim governance and security structures in Gaza once the crisis recedes. We've had a number of conversations with both the Israelis and our partners

about key elements for the day after in Gaza when the time is right, end quote. We should note that significant hurdles remain for any post-war plan in Gaza, and yes, that, of course, is today's PDB statement of the obvious. Regional players whose support will be critical for long-term peace in the enclave have reportedly made it clear that their support for a security force will be contingent on the U.S. committing to establishing a Palestinian state. With Israeli leaders firmly opposed to rewarding Hamas with a two-state solution in the region, that will be a particularly difficult bridge to cross. Hamas, after all, did start this war with the slaughter and rape of innocent civilians back on 7 October, and that fact, Well, it probably bears repeating every now and then. Israeli leaders are also reportedly uncomfortable with the idea of a Palestinian-led security force

and are generally reluctant to make any post-war commitments until their priorities of defeating Hamas and securing the release of the remaining hostages are realized. Now, some in Jerusalem have advocated for Israel to occupy Gaza after the war, something that the Biden administration, of course, firmly opposes. An anonymous official told Politico, quote, Israel is the long pole in the tent. It would be one thing if the administration and the Israeli government were aligned on the way ahead, but that is just not the case.

End quote. Why is it that officials talk in that way? The long poll in the tent. There must be like a manual that has all the key phrases for officials and diplomats and government wants to recite. While the discussions which involve the White House, Pentagon, State Department, and their foreign counterparts will reportedly continue, none of America's regional partners have made any formal commitments. Despite opposition in Israel, the Biden administration has spent months signaling their support for a two-state solution and have been lobbying leaders in Israel

to remain open to the idea. Their efforts are likely in vain, however, particularly as U.S.-Israel relations hit a new low this week. As we previously reported on the PDB, the U.S. allowed a U.N. Security Council resolution to pass on Monday demanding a ceasefire in Gaza during the month of Ramadan, the first resolution demanding a ceasefire to pass at the council after four previous failures. Israeli officials accused the U.S. of turning its back on Israel and undermining their negotiating position with Hamas, blaming the U.N. vote for the breakdown in temporary ceasefire negotiations this week. While representatives for the Biden administration, Qatar, and Egypt appear hopeful that ceasefire negotiations will once again resume in the coming days, Israel is setting their sights

on the city of Rafa, and that would be, of course, Hamas' last remaining stronghold. Coming up after the break, as the standoff between Texas and the Biden administration continues in the courts, another Republican governor is dispatching National Guard soldiers to the border to reinforce Texas law enforcement. I'll be right back. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon.

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And the baseline transforms boring into maybe the best part of your day. Your life deserves music. Your music deserves Bose. Find your perfect product at Bose.com. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. As the dispute between the Biden administration and Texas Governor Greg Abbott continues to play out in U.S. courts, Republican governors are rallying around Abbott in a show of solidarity.

Republican Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa was the latest to enter the fray, committing on Thursday to sending more than 100 Iowa State Patrol officers and National Guard soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border in the coming months to support the efforts of Texas state law enforcement. Reynolds had traveled to Texas just last month to join Governor Abbott and fellow Republican governors at a press conference aimed at sending a clear message to the Biden White House that without concrete federal action, states would step up to the plate to tackle the current border chaos. On Thursday, Governor Reynolds took aim at President Biden, saying he has abjectly failed, not just failed, but abjectly failed, to protect our sovereign border and ensure the safety of the American people.

Reynolds added, quote, what Texas faces is nothing short of an invasion with historic levels of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs entering our country. Now, she says, every state is a border state, and with that comes a duty to protect the people of Iowa, end quote. As we noted, Reynolds is just one of several Republican governors who have deployed reinforcements to Texas to help reinforce barriers and aid in apprehensions. In February, Florida Governor Ronda Santis announced he was sending as many as 1,000 Florida National Guard and State Guard members to Texas. He was followed by Governor Christy Knoe of South Dakota and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. Most recently, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee-B Sanders committed to sending roughly 40 Arkansas National Guard members to the Texas border. and they'll stay to assist Texas authorities reportedly through the end of May. The latest developments come as a U.S. Appeals Court continues this week to block the

implementation of a controversial immigration law that would grant Texas authorities the power to arrest and deport individuals found illegally entering or re-entering the U.S. While the court deliberates the legislation, Governor Abbott continues to move forward with Operation Lone Star, and that's a state initiative aimed at securing the Texas border in the absence of meaningful action from the Biden administration. And speaking of the border and the Biden administration, which, of course, we have been, a new poll from Newsweek found that 65% of Americans agree that the U.S. is facing a migrant crisis, while 58% do not believe that the U.S. has control over its southern border. Of particular concern for the White House

is in this same poll, 62% of Biden voters from the 2020 election, believe the country is facing a migrant crisis, and over half of Biden's supporters, again, according to this Newsweek poll, believe that the U.S. has no control over the southern border. And finally, I just wanted to wish you all a very happy Easter. I have to admit, 2024 is moving so quickly that Easter kind of snuck up on us this year. Now, whatever your religion, whatever your beliefs, I hope you have an excellent weekend. I, for one, have always been fascinated with the connection between the resurrection of Christ and the appearance of a shockingly large bunny carrying marshmallow peeps and jelly beans and chocolates. Now, I didn't pay much attention in Sunday

school when I was a kid, but I swear there was no passage in the Bible where a gigantic rabbit appeared before a throng of mourners and muttered weep not while pelting them with colored eggs. But I digress. May your Easter be joyful and relaxing. And here's hoping it brings a bit more peace into the world, we could use it. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Friday, 29 March. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. And be sure to check out our new premium membership at pdbpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back on Monday. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.