Friday Briefing: Netanyahu’s plans for Gaza

The Israel prime minister appeared to rule out a two-state solution.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story January 19, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering the prospects of a Palestinian state and Germany's economy. Plus: The challenges for media companies. The Nur Shams camp for Palestinian refugees, in the West Bank. Zain Jaafar/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Netanyahu cast doubt on a two-state solution Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, appeared to rule out a postwar peace process that would lead to the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, rebuffing calls from the U.S. to start working toward that ultimate goal. He vowed not to compromise on the goal of "total victory" over Hamas and urged the public to prepare for long months of fighting. "Israel must have security control over all the territory west of the Jordan," he said, referring to an area that includes occupied territory that Palestinians hope will one day become their independent state. "This clashes with the idea of sovereignty. What can you do?" He said he had told as much to the U.S., a key ally to Israel. Matthew Miller, a U.S. State Department spokesman, reiterated the Biden administration's position, saying that there is "no way" to rebuild the Gaza Strip and provide lasting security and establish governance there without establishing a Palestinian state, and stressing that this position had been put to top Israeli officials. Security concerns: The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, said that Hamas's Oct. 7 surprise attack — which Israeli officials have said left 1,200 dead — had made most Israelis fear for their safety. "Every Israeli wants to know that he will not be attacked in the same way from north or south, or east," he said. In other news from the war: Satellite imagery shows about 1.25 million Palestinians in Rafah, the Gaza Strip's southernmost region. Many have been displaced and are now living in squalid, cramped conditions. Israel has dialed back the intensity of its military campaign in the northern Gaza Strip, giving residents a dose of relief, if only temporarily. Why Iran is the common link in conflicts from Gaza to Pakistan. German industry is struggling to cope with high energy costs. Kirill Kudryavtsev/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Germany is at an economic 'standstill' The German economy contracted 0.3 percent, official figures showed this week, meaning that the largest economy of the 20 countries that use the euro is also the worst performing. Industrial production has fallen five months in a row. Since it was rebuilt after World War II, Germany has been Europe's main driver of economic growth, becoming an industrial powerhouse known for vast factories and fine-tuned engineering. But its automakers are struggling to keep up with those in China, and it must compete with the U.S. to attract tech giants. Last year, Germany faced a fiscal crisis largely because of a 17-billion euro ($18.5 billion) gap in the budget. The discrepancy was driven by the country's so-called debt brake, a law enshrined in its constitution to keep public deficits low. Those restrictions are preventing badly needed investment in public infrastructure. Quotable: "The economy is at a standstill in Germany," said Siegfried Russwurm, the president of the Federation of German Industries. "We don't see any chance of a rapid recovery in 2024." Homes destroyed by lava in Grindavik, Iceland.  Phil Noble/Reuters Iceland scrambles to shelter volcano evacuees Thousands of people were evacuated from Grindavik, a fishing town of about 3,700 people in southwestern Iceland, after volcanic eruptions, and experts consider it uninhabitable in the near future. The authorities are now working to house the residents — around 1 percent of the nation of 400,000 people — and help to contain their financial losses. Some displaced residents are now living in hotels or apartments, while others are staying in summer cottages or with other family members. After the eruption, banks agreed to freeze mortgage payments, but residents said they could not receive insurance payouts unless their houses were directly destroyed. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Around the World Agence France-Presse — Getty Images A week after deadly protests that started with a pay dispute devastated the capital of Papua New Guinea, a brittle peace is holding. The U.S. blocked a former Guatemalan president from entering the country because of bribery accusations. In a rarity for Singapore, a government minister was charged with corruption and then hauled to court. He resigned from his post before pleading not guilty. Other Big Stories John Raoux/Associated Press A private mission launched four astronauts, including crew members from Italy, Sweden and Turkey, to the International Space Station. A report by the U.S. Justice Department found "cascading failures" in the police's passive, delayed response to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 21 people dead. Congress sent legislation to avert a partial government shutdown to President Biden. Discussions at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, have focused overwhelmingly on artificial intelligence and populist politics. The Week in Culture The British Library began restoring its online catalog, taking the first step in its recovery from a brazen cyberattack in October. Nelson Mandela's daughter is moving forward with an auction next month of his belongings after the South African government had tried to block the sale. A New York judge dismissed a lawsuit that the actress Sophie Turner filed last year against her then-husband, Joe Jonas. "Oppenheimer" earned the most nominations for the British Academy Film Awards, known as the BAFTAs. A Morning Read Sophie Park for The New York Times Emily Nagoski, a sex educator, wrote the book on women's sexuality. But privately she and her husband were cycling in and out of monthslong sexual dry spells stemming from work stress and health problems. The experience left her feeling "stressed. Depressed. Anxious. Lonely. Self-critical," she said. "Like, how can I be an 'expert' — and I say that with heavy, heavy air quotes — and still be struggling in this way?" SPORTS NEWS 'Not trying to be Guenther Steiner': The new Haas boss, Ayao Komatsu, lays out his vision for the Formula 1 team. Golf: What to watch for at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Harry Kane: Can he break Robert Lewandowski's Bundesliga scoring record? Australian Open: Wang Yafan of China beat Emma Raducanu of Britain. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. ARTS AND IDEAS Profiting from the news business The billionaires who own The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and Time magazine, despite their business acumen and tech knowledge, have struggled with the perplexing question of how to make money off their digital publications. Despite considerable investment and intensive efforts to drum up new revenue streams, all three outlets lost millions of dollars last year. Not every media organization owned by a billionaire faces such troubles. The Boston Globe has been profitable for years, and The Atlantic had more than 925,000 subscribers as of last summer, though it is not yet profitable. But the difficulties facing these companies and others like them are only getting more severe as web traffic and search referrals ebb. Read more about the challenges for the news media. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Sang An for The New York Times Cook: This comforting one-pot chicken dish features fragrant coconut rice studded with toasty cashews. Read: "Orbital," a novel set inside a space station, is among the new books that our editors recommend. Listen: Our music critic picked eight songs to get you excited about upcoming albums. Vacation: Read our travel predictions for 2024. Move: Make the most of a short workout. Detach: Cut down on your screen time. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. And a note: Thank you to readers to wrote in about yesterday's unusual subject line, which included the internal file name rather than the day of the week. We regret the glitch. Have a great weekend. — Natasha P.S. Photojournalists can apply for a free portfolio review from The Times. Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. 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