Hamas Proposes Administrative Changes in Gaza

This episode is brought to you by Street Easy Here's the thing, Wanna be the grandparents who bolted to the Burbs or the cool relatives still living in NYC? the city that people come to to be at the center of everything. With twenty years at NYC know how, StreetEasy has the tools, agents, and guidance to make you a forever New Yorker too. Visit streeteasy dot com to buy a rent in NYC Street Easy is an assumed name of Zillow Inc, which has licenses in all fifty states It's Monday, july sixth. Welcome to the PDB Anoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage N it. Let's get briefed First up, China conducts a rare submarine launch of a nuclear capable ballistic missile into the Pacific. We'll explain why U. S. allies are calling the test destabilizing, and what it reveals about Beijing's rapidly expanding nuclear capabilities and ambitions. Later in the show, Hamas says it's prepared to step aside in Gaza But there's a caveat here. The terror group still refuses to surrender its weapons. We' explain why that missing concession could keep President Trump's ceasefire plan deadlocked But first, today's afternoon' spotlight. China has carried out a rather rare and highly symbolic military test that's raising concerns across the Indo Pacific On Monday, the Chinese Navy announced that it successfully launched a long range ballistic missile from one of its nuclear powered submarines, sending a simulated warhead into a designated area of the Pacific Ocean Beijing insists the launch was nothing more than a routine military exercise conducted in accordance with international law but America's allies in the region Well, they're not buying that explanation warning instead that the test marks another step in China's increasingly assertive military posture According to China's state runun media, the missile was fired just aftern noon Beijingim and accurately struck its intended target somewhere in the Pacific Officials did not specify either the launch location or the exact impact point, Though outside analysts believe the missile was likely fired from waters near Northeastern China. before flying thousands of miles into the South Pacific Experts believe the missile was either the JL two or more likely, China's newer JL three submarine launched ballistic missile Both are capable of carrying nuclear warheads But the JL three represents a significant leap in capability withith an estimated range of more than six thousand miles It gives China the ability to threaten targets across a Pacific includluding much of the continental United States. Without its submarines, by the way, needing to venture far from Chinese waters Now it's worth noting that countries, including the U S, do routinely test ballistic missiles. What makes this launch significant isn't simply that China fired another missile It's where it fired it from and what that says about Beijing's evolving nuclear strategy To understand why, it helps to take a quick look at what's known as the nuclear triad Every major nuclear power seeks three ways to deliver nuclear weapons land based missiles, strategic bombers, and submarines. And that third leg is often considered the most survivable because submarines are, of course, difficult to detect and destroy And having multiple means of launching essentially guarantees a second strike capability, which is a cornerstone of nuclear deterrence. Historically, however, China's submarine force has been viewed as the weakest part of its nuclear arsenal Chinese submarines have generally been noisier than their American counterparts. And in the world of submarines, noisy isn't good. It makes them easier to detect and track For years, that limited the credibility of China's sea based nuclear deterrent But Beijing has spent the better part of the past decade now trying to change that Under Xi Jinping, the People's Liberation Army has undergone one of the most ambitious military modernization programs in the country's history China has constructed hundreds of new missile silos expanded its road mobile missile force, upgraded long range bombers to carry nuclear capable weapons then invested heavily in a new generation of submarines and submarine launched missiles U. S. Naval officials have already warned that China's rapidly expanding shipbuilding and submarine production could allow it to seriously challenge American undersea dominance by somewhere around twenty forty Monday's missile launch appears designed to demonstrate that Beijing is making tangible progress toward that goal Perhaps just as notable is the fact that China chose to conduct and publicly announce the test For decades, Beijing generally confined long range missile testing to remote areas within its own territory avoiding launches across the Pacific that might alarm neighboring countries Analysts say that this latest test represents a noticeable shift rather than minimizing the visibility of its growing military capability, China appears increasingly willing to showcase them And the reaction across the region was swift. Austrias foreign Minister Penny W called the launch quote destabilizing, arguing that it comes amid China's rapid military buildup and continued lack of transparency regarding its strategic intentions Japan issued a formal protest after being notified that debris from the launch could potentially fall near its exclusive economic zone, expressing what it called, quote serious concern over China's expanding military activities And New Zealand likewise condemned the launch, saying Pacific nations have no interest in becoming a testing ground for Chinese missile capabilities The timing also drew attention. The test coincided with Australia, signing a new defense agreement with Fiji, part of Canberra's broader effort to strengthen security partnerships across the Pacific, as China's influence in the region continues to grow Some analysts believe Beijing wasn't simply testing a missile. it was testing reactions not just whether the weapon performed as expected but how neighboring governments and the US would respond to another high profile demonstration of Chinese military power. If that's the case then Monday's launch wasn't simply about proving a missile works there was about signaling. that China's nuclear forces and particularly its submarine fleet are entering a new phase. All right, coming up next, Hamas is reportedly looking to revive President Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan but without agreeing to the one condition that Israel says is non negotiable I'll be right back Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, if you're like me, you enjoy the occasional night out, right? 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That's fastgrrowing trees d. com code PDB now is the perfect time to plant and use code PDB to save today. Offer is valid for a limited time, terms and conditions may apply Wonder where Tropicana got its name the tropics. And every time you enjoy a glass, you're not just drinking juice. you're taking a trip. Stepping into sunshine and embarking on a flavorful journey into the tropics where ripe fruit is crafted into wildly delicious juice. And the best part, no passport required Strawacanna, give life some juice Welcome back to the PDB afterfternoon Bulletin Hamas is apparently trying to convince the world that it's ready to step aside in Gaza The problem is, the terror group still isn't offering the one concession that could move President Trump's ceasefire plan forward, and that would be giving up its weapons, full disarmament. And that's because this messaging from Hamas appears aimed less at Israel than at Washington The terrorist group announced today that it' prepared to dissolve its government in Gaza and transfer administrative authority to the National commommittee for the addministration of Gaza, or NCAG. That's the technocratic body envisioned under the U. S. brokred ceasefire aggreement Hamas's announcement made no commitment to disarm The central requirement of the agreement's second phase and the issue that's repeatedly stalled negotiations So, what's Hamas actually trying to accomplish here Well, despite what this announcement might suggest The Iranian bac tteria group isn't suddenly preparing to surrender power. Instead, it's trying to convince Washington that it's politically ready to move Trump's ceasefire plan forward even while refusing the concession of giving up its weapons that's been demanded by Israel and the U S That's why Mohammed Shahada, a Gaza analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations says the announcement is really an attempt to quote, talk over Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said, appeal directly to Trump In other words, Hamas appears to be betting that if it can present itself as cooperative enough, Washington may increase pressure on Israel to implement the agreement's next phase without the disarmament requirement According to Shada Hamas views the NCAG as, quote, the only way to establish a Palestinian government in Gaza that the international community would recognize In his view, that makes this a rather savvy political maneuver, even if it may have come too late. And that Hels explain what happened next. Almost immediately after the announcement, Hamas appealed to Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and the broader international community pressure Israel into allowing the NCAG to enter Gaza In a statement, Hamas's government media office chief said,Qote, We call on all concerned and relevant parties to immediately accelerate the steps for the National commommittee for the administration of Gaza to enter quickly and assume its national and administrative duties and responsibilities. end quote Now, the terror group also insisted that it had already completed all administrative and legal preparations necessary for the handover. and argued that the existing government employees should simply continue working under the committee's authority A. There you go. What they're saying is that Hamas personnel currently working within the Hamas government should just keep working under the NCAG administration It's a bit like having Hamas personnel working within the UN I don't see how that could go wrong Now, as I mentioned, Hamas is clearly hoping that their political gambit here, combined with Trump's desire to advance the ceasefire agreement will increase pressure on Netanyahu to move forward with the plan's next phase again without giving up their weapons In that phase envisions the creation of a so called pilot area or areas where Palestinians would gradually begin living under the Technocratic Committee's administration, while governance transitions away from Hamas If that is Kamas's strategy, what would actually change? And the answer is not much. Despite the announcement, Hamas and its security forces still control much of Gaza outside the areas occupied by Israeli troops. whichich means the fundamental obstacle that stalled negotiations hasn't actually gone away Those of you who've been following our coverage of Gaza have heard me mention the Bard of peace before It's the international body overseeing implementation of the ceasefire aggreement. and it responded cautiously to Hamasas's announcement, saying it had quote, taken note but would judge by, quote, actions, not promises Now the logic behind the ceasefire plan has always been relatively straightforward. Hamas would relinquish political control, surrender its weapons and allow the NCAG backed by Palestinian security forces and an international stabilization mission to assume responsibility for governing Gaza instead The broader agreement has largely stalled The Board of Peace says it's preparing for the NCAG to take over, quote once the right conditions are met. Though those conditions have never been publicly defined One would assume that those conditions would include Hamas giving up control and disarmament Likewise, the international stabilization force, envisioned under the agreement, has yet to materialize And frankly, the likelihood that some international force would move into Gaza while Hamas retains their weapons, Well, that likelihood is minimal So Hamas may be offering to dissolve its government But until it's willing to surrender its weapons as well, the central obstacle preventing Trump's ceasefire plan from advancing into its next phase remains exactly where it's been for months And that my friends, is the PDB afternoon Bulletin for Monday, the sixth of July. Now if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDp at the firstirstTv d. com And of course, to listen to the show add free, it's very simple to do become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting pDppremium. com I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then Stay informed, Stay safe Stay cool. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever left the doctor's office feeling like you well got nothing out of it, right? Just standard instructions to eat right and exercise? Oh well, thanks for that. Well, that's why I want to tell you about superpower. It's a tremendous app that can help you stay on top of your health. Look One lab draw tracks over one hundred biomarkers. Their app provides detailed information on your heart, your liver, thyroid, your hormones, metabolism, even your true biological age. They send a licensed professional to your home or you can visit a nearby lab. 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