Jonathan Este

Aug 1, 2024 | theconversation.com | Jonathan Este

News reports this week quoted anonymous sources from the US and Ukraine that the first six F-16 jets had been supplied by the Netherlands to the war-torn country and that more were expected to be supplied by Denmark. Video footage apparently showing F-16s flying above Ukraine have been doing the rounds. It is thought that the Ukrainian air force will be supplied with 20 of the jets this year of a total of 80 pledged by Kyiv’s western allies.

Jul 25, 2024 | theconversation.com | Jonathan Este

As the violence continued to rage in Gaza and on the West Bank – and Israeli protesters made their anger at their government felt on the streets of Tel Aviv – Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington for what was always going to be a fraught visit.

Jul 25, 2024 | theconversation.com | Jonathan Este |John Strawson

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, travelled to Washington this week for a series of high-level meetings. At the invitation of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, he addressed a joint session of the US Congress. More than 90 Democratic Party politicians did not attend, including the vice-president – and likely Democratic Party presidential nominee – Kamala Harris, who would normally preside over the session, but pleaded a prior engagement.

Jun 27, 2024 | theconversation.com | Jonathan Este

Fighting continues in central and southern Gaza, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to encounter resistance from units of Hamas fighters, despite a recent assessment by the Israeli government that the “intense phase” of the ground offensive is drawing to a close. The IDF will now switch to conducting raids, according to military sources posting on social media. This will mean keeping two divisions in Gaza.

Jun 13, 2024 | theconversation.com | Jonathan Este

First, the most important news. At last count, the death toll, as reported by Gaza’s ministry of health, stands at 37,232 people, including more than 15,000 children, with a further 84,932 people wounded. It’s not known how many people are buried beneath the rubble of the more than half of Gaza’s buildings that are reported to have been destroyed.