Good Riddance 2023! - by Wisley Lau

Inside the UN, a vote within the Security Council keeps being delayed between Wednesday and Thursday (21-22/12) over US objections to who would inspect aid going into Gaza. That happened while the Gazan Health Ministry claimed more than 20,000 have died since the war began. Then late Thursday (22/12), after a week of negotiations, the US proclaimed it had arrived at a measure it could back, while the UN also reported Gaza is facing a catastrophic risk of famine and hunger. Friday saw the US abstaining from the Security Council vote. They have acted to boost humanitarian aid while calling for urgent steps "to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities," but with no mention of a ceasefire.

On Saturday (24/12), the Wall Street Journal reported Biden convinced Netanyahu to halt a pre-emptive strike against the terrorist group Hezbollah, in a sign of the US pressuring Israel to prevent a larger war in the Middle East. On Christmas day in Bethlehem, Christmas was effectively canceled while the pope prayed for peace in both Israel and Palestine while taking shots at Israel over the futility of war. Meanwhile, Netanyahu insisted it was intensifying its war effort while meeting troops in Gaza. Despite the Israeli-war cabinet meeting to discuss a peace plan offered by Egypt, the phased peace plan was coldly rejected by Hamas. Israeli troops then expanded their ground efforts into urban refugee camps on Tuesday, showing the country’s commitment to doing whatever it can and wanting to destroy Hamas even if it takes months to come.

As criticism and skepticism mount that Israel cannot dismount Hamas, a key objective in its war effort, Netanyahu refuses to discuss a postwar plan for Gazan governance as his troops push forward to central Gaza. On Thursday (28/12), the Israeli military expressed regret at civilian casualties that were unintentionally harmed during air strikes, while the New York Times extensively reported on Hamas and its weaponization of sexual violence during its attack on October 7. Then on Friday, South Africa launched a case to the ICJ accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians, the first of its kind being used to try and stop the war in Gaza. As the IDF claimed on the same day they had destroyed the hideout of a Hamas leader, the New York Times released a damning investigation that Israel has no plan for a Hamas attack or a massive invasion that led to disorganized troops and a horrifying mishandling of the situation on October 7.

In related Middle East crisis news, an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon has killed the top member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, as Iranian officials vow revenge in a worrying escalation. The US also struck Iranian-backed groups in Iraq after an attack on the country’s base left 3 injured and later cracked down on the money flow to the Iranian-linked Houthi Rebels. Many analysts are worried Israel’s war might spill over to other parts of the Middle East like Lebanon with Hezbollah or Iran which backs the Houthi Rebels and Hezbollah.

Christmas came early for Ukrainians this year, They celebrated the holiday on December 25 for the first time after ditching the January 7 date in tradition with Russia. On Christmas, Ukraine struck an overnight attack on a large Russian landing warship in occupied Crimea, which could hinder any Russian attempt to seize more Ukrainian territory along the Black Sea coast. Russian air strikes pounded missiles on multiple Ukrainian cities in an unprecedented countrywide attack on Friday (29/12), which was followed on Saturday (30/12) with Ukraine reciprocating in kind by launching missile and drone attacks in Belgorod.

The New York Times reported over the weekend that despite Putin’s bravado, he is mulling options for a ceasefire in Ukraine to save face, and as long as he can claim victory. In other Russian news, the former Russian television journalist Yekaterina Duntsova who planned to run as an independent was rejected by Russia’s Central Electoral Commission. After two weeks of concern after his disappearance, Alexei Navalny was revealed to be imprisoned in a Siberian penal colony in the Arctic. Analysts say news events show Putin’s vulnerability coming into the 2024 election, and his various attempts to quell any opposition voices against him. Meanwhile, an “almost naked” celebrity party organized by influencers generated outrage, especially among Russian conservatives, Putin then criticized the Gilded Elite as the celebrities involved were punished and jailed to please voters before the election.

About the war in Ukraine, Sweden got a jolt of good news on Tuesday after the Turkish Parliament’s foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden’s bid to join NATO. This pushes forward Sweden’s chances of officially being a member of NATO after a year of opposition from Turkey’s Erdogan. Also, the FT reported the EU is readying €20bn plan B to fund Ukraine after Hungary shot it down earlier this month. On Wednesday, the US announced what could be the final package of military aid to Ukraine unless Congress approves supplemental funding legislation currently stalled on Capitol Hill. Finally, The Washington Post reported late Saturday (30/12) that documents reveal Russia is trying to subvert France’s national support of Ukraine by using far-right politicians and enabling them to come into power.

On Friday (22/12), a bombshell decision came from the federal Supreme Court, as justices denied Special Counsel Jack Smith's request to fast-track the January 6 trial and side with Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution. In Wisconsin, the same day, the State Supreme Court justices ordered new legislative maps that could overwrite gerrymandering biased towards the Republicans. Trump also urged an appeals court over the weekend to grant him “absolute immunity” over the January 6 case. Meanwhile, Special Counsel Jack Smith argued Trump should not use the courtroom to sow misinformation and wanted to prevent the former president from using political persecution as part of his defense during his trials in federal court after the Christmas holiday. It comes days after Detroit News reported Trump and RNC chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel pressured Michigan election officers not to certify the 2020 election vote results.

On Wednesday, Michigan’s State Supreme Court rejected an “insurrectionist ban” case using the 14th amendment, keeping Trump on the 2024 primary ballot and in the odds against the recent Colorado ruling. At the same time, the Colorado Republican Party has asked the US Supreme Court to overturn the unprecedented ruling by its State Supreme Court that removed Trump from the state’s 2024 ballot. Then on Thursday (28/12), Maine’s Secretary of State removed Trump from the state’s primary ballot, the second state to do so under the pretense of the 14th Amendment. But California’s Secretary of State declined to remove Trump’s name after requests to disqualify him.

The technology sector also saw its mounting legal woes. Apple spent the end of 2023 fighting a ban imposed by the US International Trade Commission over a patent dispute by appealing the decision to an appeals court after the White House did not interfere with the ban after the emergency appeal was filed with authorities, the latest versions of the Apple Watch were able to resume sales on Wednesday. The New York Times sued Microsoft and OpenAi on the same day over using its content without permission and alleging copyright infringement. While on Friday (30/12), Google settled a lawsuit claiming Chrome tracks users when using incognito mode.

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Good Riddance 2023! - by Wisley Lau