Connect with us

World News

Senate Democrat backs Biden plan to restrict visas of extremist West Bank settlers on November 19, 2023 at 5:17 pm

Published

on

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said in a Sunday interview he was “pleased” to see President Biden announce he would take measures to more forcefully combat settler violence in the West Bank, specifically noting his suggestion for a restriction on travel visas.

“I was pleased to hear the president say what he said, and I fully support the president’s plan to restrict visas from people who have a record of violence against innocent people,” Van Hollen said in an interview on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.”

“I think that’s an important first step,” he added.

Advertisement

Van Hollen’s remarks come as many Democrats have increased calls for the White House to focus more on the loss of life among innocent Palestinians as the war continues in the region.

On Oct. 7, Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization that governs the Palestinian territory of Gaza –  launched a surprise attack on Israel, brutally killing 1,200 Israelis and taking about 240 hostages. Israel responded with a barrage of airstrikes on Gaza and a ground operation in order to retrieve the hostages and destroy Hamas.

Amid heightened tensions in the region, reports of violence in the West Bank have skyrocketed, prompting Biden to respond in an op-ed on Saturday in The Washington Post.

“I have been emphatic with Israel’s leaders that extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop and that those committing the violence must be held accountable,” Biden wrote in the piece. “The United States is prepared to take our own steps, including issuing visa bans against extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank.”

Advertisement

Van Hollen welcomed Biden’s call.

“Extreme settler violence against Palestinians has been an issue for a very long time. We’ve seen a huge spike in extremist settler violence since the Gaza war started, as people have been focused on the war there,” Van Hollen said.

“I’m glad to see the President do what he did,” he added.

​ Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said in a Sunday interview he was “pleased” to see President Biden announce he would take measures to more forcefully combat settler violence in the West Bank, specifically noting his suggestion for a restriction on travel visas. “I was pleased to hear the president say what he said, and I… 

Advertisement

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

World News

Commercial companies to collaborate for DARPA’s new lunar economy study on December 6, 2023 at 9:54 pm

Published

on

By

Establishing commercial markets on the moon is going to require thinking a little differently. That’s DARPA’s hunch, anyway. DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is the U.S. Department of Defense’s R&D arm, which has just selected 14 companies to participate in a new study to develop technological frameworks for a lunar future. “The next decade […]

© 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

​ Establishing commercial markets on the moon is going to require thinking a little differently. That’s DARPA’s hunch, anyway. DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is the U.S. Department of Defense’s R&D arm, which has just selected 14 companies to participate in a new study to develop technological frameworks for a lunar future. “The next decade
© 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. 

Advertisement

Continue Reading

World News

Commercial companies to collaborate for DARPA’s new lunar economy study on December 6, 2023 at 9:54 pm

Published

on

By

Establishing commercial markets on the moon is going to require thinking a little differently. That’s DARPA’s hunch, anyway. DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is the U.S. Department of Defense’s R&D arm, which has just selected 14 companies to participate in a new study to develop technological frameworks for a lunar future. “The next decade […]

© 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

​ Establishing commercial markets on the moon is going to require thinking a little differently. That’s DARPA’s hunch, anyway. DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is the U.S. Department of Defense’s R&D arm, which has just selected 14 companies to participate in a new study to develop technological frameworks for a lunar future. “The next decade
© 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. 

Advertisement

Continue Reading

World News

Uganda accuses US of pushing ‘LGBT agenda’ after pushback to anti-gay law on December 6, 2023 at 7:52 pm

Published

on

By

Uganda accused the U.S. of pushing an “LGBT agenda” in the wake of pushback to an anti-gay law. 

“There’s a coup at the State Department in the U.S. It is being taken over by people who are pushing the LGBT agenda in Africa,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Okello Oryem said in a Wednesday Reuters article.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced an expansion of the previous visa restriction policy targeting “those believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic process in Uganda” Monday. This expansion is now aimed at officials or others who were behind or complicit in “policies or actions aimed at repressing members of marginalized or vulnerable populations.”

Advertisement

“These groups include, but are not limited to, environmental activists, human rights defenders, journalists, LGBTQI+ persons, and civil society organizers,” Blinken said in a statement. “The immediate family members of such persons may also be subject to these restrictions.”

Back in May, Uganda’s president signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which calls for capital punishment for cases of “aggravated homosexuality,” defined as acts carried out by those infected with HIV or homosexual acts that involve children, disabled people or those drugged against their will. It also calls for prison for those who have gay sex.

“This shameful Act is the latest development in an alarming trend of human rights abuses and corruption in Uganda. The dangers posed by this democratic backsliding are a threat to everyone residing in Uganda, including U.S. government personnel, the staff of our implementing partners, tourists, members of the business community, and others,” President Biden wrote after lawmakers passed the law.

The legislation faced condemnation from both sides of American politics. Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have all noted their disapproval of the bill.

Advertisement

“Any law criminalizing homosexuality or imposing the death penalty for ‘aggravated homosexuality’ is grotesque & an abomination,” Cruz said at the time. “ALL civilized nations should join together in condemning this human rights abuse. #LGBTQ.”

​ Uganda accused the U.S. of pushing an “LGBT agenda” in the wake of pushback to an anti-gay law.  “There’s a coup at the State Department in the U.S. It is being taken over by people who are pushing the LGBT agenda in Africa,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Okello Oryem said in a Wednesday Reuters… 

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending