US peace envoy George Mitchell arrived in Israel yesterday after saying it was critical to consolidate the Gaza ceasefire, as tensions rose after a deadly raid by Palestinian militants.
He flew into Israel from Egypt on the second leg of his maiden trip to the region, instructed by US President Barack Obama to “engage vigorously” in order to resuscitate the lifeless Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
“It is of critical importance that the ceasefire be extended and consolidated. We support Egypt’s continuing efforts in that regard,” he said after meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
He thanked Egypt for its efforts to turn into a lasting truce separate ceasefires Israel and Hamas declared on Jan. 18 after a devastating war and said Washington was “committed to vigorously pursuing lasting peace and stability in the region.”
“The decision by President Obama to dispatch me to come to this region less than one week after his inauguration is clear and tangible evidence of this commitment,” Mitchell said.
He arrived in Egypt on Tuesday amid the deadliest flare-up near Gaza since the fighting halted Israel’s 22-day campaign on the Islamists stronghold.
Palestinian militants killed an Israeli soldier near the border early on Tuesday and Israel retaliated with gunfire that left one man dead, an air strike that wounded three and bombing raids over border smuggling tunnels.
Senior Israeli officials, campaigning for Feb. 10 parliamentary elections, vowed that the Jewish state would hit back hard for the attack.
“The army’s reaction today was only operational. This was not the response to the killing of a soldier ... Israel’s response shall come,” a senior government official quoted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as saying.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
‘TROUBLEMAKER’: Most countries believe that it is China — rather than Taiwan — that is undermining regional peace and stability with its coercive tactics, the president said China should restrain itself and refrain from being a troublemaker that sabotages peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks after China Coast Guard vessels sailed into disputed waters off the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan — following a remark Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made regarding Taiwan. Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7 said that a “Taiwan contingency” involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, and trigger Tokyo’s deployment of its military for defense. Asked about the escalating tensions
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