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News Review 05/07/2023
Zionist Launch Jenin Attack
‘Israeli’ forces launched a large-scale counterterrorism operation targeting Palestinians in the West Bank city of Jenin that has killed 12 people so far and wounded over 120 people, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leader Ziad Nakhaleh said, "Al Quds Brigade will respond to put a halt to this massacre." Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip has not yet responded to developments in Jenin and could conduct rocket attacks that are even stronger than PIJ. ‘Israeli’ officials said they expect the operation, which reportedly involves as many as 1,000 troops, to last one to three days. ‘Israeli’ forces conducted an airstrike that reportedly targeted a joint operations room used by multiple Jenin-based groups. Egypt brokered a cease-fire between ‘Israel’ and PIJ on May 13 after five days of fighting. The fighting was the biggest flare-up between the Jewish entity and a Palestinian group since August 2022 and was one of the Jewish entity’s biggest operations since the end of the second intifada in 2005.
China Retaliates Against the US
Chinese exports of industrial products and materials containing germanium and gallium will require a license starting on Aug. 1, according to an announcement from China's Ministry of Commerce. These restrictions aim to disrupt Western production of semiconductors and dual-use technologies in retaliation for Western restrictions on China's own semiconductor sector. This is the first time China has responded strategically and demonstrate that she is willing to engage in direct retaliation against US semiconductor restrictions, something it had largely avoided previously. China is the leading producer of both germanium and gallium and, according to the US Geological Survey, produced around 67% and 86% of the two elements' global supplies. Gallium and germanium are commonly used in the semiconductor industry, such as for gallium nitride semiconductors that are becoming increasingly attractive as an alternative to silicon semiconductors in the electrical vehicle and 5G industries. Gallium arsenide is also commonly used in solar panels.
French Protest
French police said the number of arrests connected to nationwide protests over a June 27 police killing had fallen to 157 on the night of July 2, down from 719 the night before. French mayors also called for people to gather at town halls across the country to express their opposition to violence. Street unrest seems to be easing in France after almost a week of riots and looting. But the structural issues behind the ongoing violence (which include racism and inequality in France) remain unaddressed. On the morning of June 27, a police officer shot and killed a 17-year-old French-Algerian delivery driver during a traffic stop in the western Parisian suburb of Nanterre. Since then, France has experienced nationwide violent protests, causing the government to deploy around 45,000 police officers across the country.