Daybreak: Israel Lightens Blockade
Plus rumor is that Rahm’s out, and more in the news
June 21, 2010
White House chief-of-staff Rahm Emanuel.(Win McNamee/Getty Images)
• Israeli officially established an eased land blockade that should allow many more goods into Gaza. The move received praise from several quarters, including President Obama, who announced a White House meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu on July 6. [NYT]
• Heard the rumor? It’s that Rahm Emanuel—who once harbored ambitions of being the first Jewish Speaker of the House—will leave his chief-of-staff post by the end of the year. [Telegraph]
• U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Israel’s internal probe into the flotilla lacks “international credibility.” [NYT]
• More than a dozen U.S. warships, including an aircraft carrier, and at least one Israeli ship reportedly crossed through Suez toward the Red Sea Saturday, angering many in Egypt. [Haaretz]
• This morning, Iran stopped two U.N. nuclear inspectors from entering the country. [Reuters/NYT]
• Defense Secretary Ehud Barak is in Washington, D.C., for senior-level talks, primarily about Iran. [JPost]
Oh, and it’s the longest day of the year. So enjoy that.
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.
