July 2024 roundup: UK election, Ukraine update, Israel-Gaza Update
A round up of news for July 2024
Good morning, afternoon or evening wherever you are,
I hope your summer is going great as mine has even with a lot of sports not happening this season, I have been enjoying things like going outside and exploring new parts of Edmonton with my bicycle as my headphones provide the soundtrack of this summer season along with reading books ranging from sports to politics
Also during the NHL playoffs, there was a lot of cool stuff going on, I took some pictures of some quotes from some of the players of the Edmonton Oilers, the one that I have here is from Wayne Gretzky (the great one as he is known), hope it inspires you in some way.
If you want to see everything from my summer playlists or books i’ve read this summer please let me know in the poll below.
Anyway, let’s get to the headlines.
#5: France Election: Left Wing coalition surprisingly wins the election uncertainty remains over control of parliment
France’s left wing coalition known as the New Popular front (NFP), shocked the country as they won in the second round of the French parliamentary election.
As of writing, the NFP lead with 180 seats, followed by Ensemble, French President Emmanuel Macron’s party, decreased to 159 seats, and in third the far right National Rally (RN), who won 142 seats.
The results come as a shock as the polls have been expecting in the last few weeks that the National Rally was going to win a majority in the French parliament. A situation which Macron was hoping to prevent by calling the snap elections.
National Rally won the first round of the elections, but the NFP and Ensemble agreed withdraw candidates in seats where they do not have a chance to win in the second round as both parties backed each others candidates to defeat the RN party.
In the streets of Paris, the mood was joyous as seen when the exit poll results were announced, by contrast it was more muted at the RN headquarters. Supporters of the left wing alliance celebrated into the night until police scattered supporters with tear gas.
France’s Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, has announced his resignation and that he would stay on as prime minister until the French assembly can decide his successor. The process for choosing the next prime minister will be difficult for both France’s left and centre parties and could spell potentially weeks if not months of uncertainty regarding that post.
Jean Luc Melenchon, seen by many as the leader of French left has been criticized as being a divisive figure and has been accused of using antisemitic language. The socialist and green parties which are a part of the left wing alliance have been contemplating on a more moderate face for prime minister, on July 15th they nominated economist and climate negotiator Laurence Tubaina, as the next prime minister.
French lawmakers were able to decide on the speaker of the national assembly, as Yael Braun Pivet, a member of Macron’s party, won the election as she got support from the centrist’s and some conservative lawmakers. Also notable was when left wing MPs refuse to shake hands with a far right MP, with one playing rock paper scissors as well.
#4: UK Election: Labour wins landslide victory as the Conservatives suffer their worst defeat in their history
The Labour party led by Sir Keir Starmer won a landslide election victory on July 4th as they won a majority government and beat the Conservative party led by Rishi Sunak, who led the party to it’s worst defeat in its over 130 year history. Starmer becomes the first Labour leader to win an election since 2005 under Tony Blair.
Labour won 412 seats while the Conservatives were reduced to 131 seats, followed by the Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) winning its best results with 72 seats and the Scottish Nationalists (SNP) reduced to 9 seat, the Reform party had a historic night with it’s seat count winning 5 seats. Same for the Greens who won 4 seats as well as a good night for independents who won 6 seats.
The election campaign was defined by the blunders of Rishi Sunak and his Conservative Party, ranging from calling the election in the rain, to shortening his stay at D-day commemorations for an interview, and some of it’’s candidates paying bets on when the election would be called. The Conservative’s also suffered from it’s 14 year stay in power which has ranged from criticism over austerity, partygate and the economic policy of Sunak’s predecessor, Liz Truss to name a few.
Meanwhile Starmer’s Labour campaign maintained a disciplined campaign as to portray themselves as stable with few controversies. The Labour campaign were dogged with questions over the selection process of some candidates, along with questions about what they would do in government. The Lib Dem campaign also got attention for the many campaign stunts of its leader, Ed Davey, ranging from bungee jumping to riding on roller coasters to paddle boarding, aimed at winning seats that have been held by the Conservatives for decades.
At the same the Conservatives also had to deal with losing support from the right to the Reform Party who focused on the issue of immigration specifically around boat crossings in the English channel. Its leader Nigel Farage, has been in the eye of British politics in the last few years having been seen as a key architect of the Brexit referendum in 2016.
Farage had previously said that he would not run in the election and focus on helping US president, Donald Trump get elected in the presidential election this November. He made a u-turn on that decision a few days later leading to the party surging in the polls in the last few weeks of the election. The party has been in controversy over comments made by candidates and campaign volunteers which contain racism and homophobia.
The Greens also celebrated their results as prior to the election they had one seat. Their campaign was focused on the environment and specifically attacking the Labour party for walking back on huge investment into it’s green energy and infrastructure plan as well as on the issue of the ongoing war in Gaza.
They were however not the only ones who focused on the war in Gaza as six independent candidates had won their elections on the issue as well. The most notable of those independents was the previous Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who was suspended from the party over his response towards a report regarding allegations of antisemitism in the party under his leadership and was expelled after he announced that he would run against the Labour party as an independent MP.
The SNP’s election night was just as bad as the Conservative’s with the party reduced from 48 MPs prior to dissolution, to being reduced to 9 MPs. Some of the reason for the bad result was that many pro independence supporters had flocked to Labour in a bid to get rid of the Conservative’s but also to send a message to the SNP led Scottish government in Edinburgh who have been mired in controversy over scandals and clashes on issues such as the environment and social issues.
Since winning the election, Starmer and his team has been dealing with issues on the domestic front such as focusing on housing, economic growth, and energy. There has been some rebellion in the party as seven mps voted against the party line on a vote on a child benefit policy, leading to all of them being suspended. In terms of the international front, there has been some signals of difference as Labour has directed to restore funding for the aid agency UNRWA. Questions still remain regarding how Starmer will deal with Britain’s relationship with Europe in the Post Brexit era.
#3: Ukraine Update
On the battlefield
Russian Shelling and missile attacks that occured on July 8th hit global attention. Where a children’s hospital in Kyiv was where the most critical of the strikes happened where a children’s hospital was hit killing 2 people and injuring 17 (among them 7 were children).The US, Ukraine, several European countries, and the UN, have condemned Russia for the attacks.
On the same day, in the city of Kryvyi Rih, 10 people were killed and 53 were injured after a strike had hit an administration building at a coal processing plant. Strikes also occurred in Dnipro, where one person was killed and 12 were injured. In Pokrovsk, three people were killed and three were injured.
Pokrovsk has also been described by Ukraine’s military chief as one of the “hottest situations” in terms of fighting.
Massive shelling attacks also occurred in the city of Kherson on July 13th according to the head of the city administration.
The Ukrainian army retreats from the town of Chasiv Yar according to military officials. The town has been the sight of increased fighting between both the Ukrainians and Russian armies.
The 79th brigade of the Ukrainian army said it pushed back Russian forces near the town Kurakhove. They said they fended 29 attacks from them.
Russian oil depots in the region of Krasnodar were attacked by drones on July 5th-6th according to local officials via telegram. Another drone attack also took place in the region of Kursk.
On July 14th, the Russians launched a double tap missile strike which killed two people in a village near the city of Kharkiv.
On July 17th, 14 villages in the Russian region of Belgorod were forced to “lock down” due to Ukrainian attacks in the region as a response to the Russian attacks in the Kharkiv region on the Ukrainian side.
Russia has claimed that it has captured the Ukrainian village of Urozhaine. Ukrainian military bloggers have said that the Ukrainian military has relinquished control of the village. Russia’s chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov, has thanked Russian forces for capturing the village and “set new tasks for further activity”. Russian officials also said that the village of Yurivka was also captured.
Ukraine’s armed forces has also said a drone attack hit a cargo ship which was moored in the Russian region of Krasnodar. They added that the damage to the ship was severe and that one person was killed, while four others were injured. A few days later, on July 25th, Ukraine’s navy said all Russian ships were pulled out of the sea of Azov, which is connected to the Black Sea.
On July 17th, Ukraine and Russia exchanged 95 prisoners of war (POWs) in an exchange deal. The 54th of such exchanges since the start of the invasion since February 2022.
Off the Battlefield:
Ukraine attended this year’s NATO summit (you can read more about it here) which saw its allies announce of aid packages for the country which contain more weapons such as air defence systems and batteries for them and the transfer of F-16 jets.
In a statement NATO allies said Ukraine’s path to NATO membership was a “irreversible” and NATO secretary general said the question of membership for Ukraine is “not if, but when.”
During the RNC, former president and the Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential race, Donald Trump had called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A Ukrainian official told POLITICO that the call went “exceedingly well” and that Trump had pledged to “achieve a just peace in Ukraine” if he wins. Trump also said he had “a very good call.”
Ukraine continues to call on the United States to lift restrictions on striking in Russian territory. Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, had made these calls at the NATO summit and were once again reiterated Ukraine’s defence minister, Rustem Umeirov when he met US secretary of defence, Lloyd Austin, when they met.
An ex Ukrainian nationalist MP, Irynia Farion was shot dead in the city of Lviv. Farion who was a linguistic professor was controversial due to remarks that “true patriots” of Ukraine should not speak Russian under any circumstance. An 18 year old man is currently under arrest over suspicion of the murder.
The Pentagon has found a 2 billion dollars worth of accounting errors in its calculations for ammunitions, missiles, and other equipment sent to Ukraine.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuebla, was in China meeting his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, and told him that Russia must be ready to negotiate in good faith. “Currently there is no such readiness on the Russian side.” He added.
On July 11th, the former general of Ukraine’s armed forces, Valery Zaluzhnyi, was sworn in as Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain. Zaluzhnyi has been popular with the Ukrainian public and soldiers in the armed forces for commanding the Ukrainian forces during the first months of the war. In early 2024, Zaluzhnyi was replaced as general in a surprise shake up of the top command.
Zelensky has said that Russia should be represented at a second peace summit for November. This comes a month after the first peace summit was held in Switzerland where Russia was not invited.
Zelensky has thanked the Pope and the Vatican for its efforts in seeking peace and helping with the release of prisoners. The pope has at times been controversial with the Ukrainian public and officials over past remarks where he said that Ukraine “should have the courage of raising the white flag and negotiate”.
#2: Israel-Gaza war
On July 31st, Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Hanniyah, was killed by a strike in Tehran early Wednesday morning. Along with the killing of a Hezbollah commander in the capital of Lebanon, Beirut (read below). Increasing tensions over a broader regional conflict in the Middle East. Iranian leaders have said they vowed revenge and that a retaliatory attack would come.
The Israeli military striked a building in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, saying that they killed a top commander of Hezbollah. The city was bracing for a retaliatory attack after last Saturday’s attack in the town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights which killed 12 children and injured 42. Israel and the US have blamed the militant group, Hezbollah for the attack, has denied responsibility for the attack.
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister told the Guardian that the strike was a shock given that he received assurance from Israel’s allies that it was planning a “limited attack that “would not produce a war”. Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Miktai condemned the strike as a “criminal act.” The attack comes as the US and its allies have been leading efforts to prevent Israel from hitting Beirut or Lebanese civil infrastructure which could lead to a full blown regional conflict.
A day after the attack in Majdal Shams, Israeli drones hit a remote road in southern Lebanon with two people reported to be dead.
The Israeli military said 10 rockets were fired from Lebanon, one Israeli civilian was killed. According to Israeli news channel, N12
Following the Golan Heights attack, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, returned immediately back to Israel from the United States where he gave a speech to congress and vowed “total victory” in Gaza and criticized student protestors in the country. He later met with US President, Joe Biden, Vice president, Kamala Harris and a day later with former United States president, Donald Trump, at his residence in Florida
Attacks have ramped up in Gaza in July as there have been several airstrikes from the IDF in several areas of the Gaza strip such as Khan Younis and Rafah. On Monday July 13th, Israeli airstrikes hit near the area of Al-Mawasi, which killed 90 people. IDF officials claimed that they targeted two Hamas officials.
Another attack took place on July 15th where two air strikes hit southern Gaza, with one of them hitting an Israeli “safe zone” where thousands of displaced people are located at. An official from Gaza said that 300 people were killed in an assault of Khan Younis on July 30th. The WHO has also said that cases of Polio are “very likely” as traces of the virus were found in wastewater.
A few days prior to Netanyahu’s visit, the ICJ gave an advisory ruling which called on Israel to end its occupation in Palestinian territories. The ruling which has been considered historic but non-binding, found multiple breaches in international law and includes activities that amount to apartheid. The office of the Israeli Prime Minister has rejected the ruling saying “ The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land – not in our eternal capital Jerusalem, nor in our ancestral heritage of Judea and Samaria [the occupied West Bank].”
An Israeli investigation looking into a case of abuse of a Palestinian detainee in the Sde Teiman facility, has been met by protest and out cry by Jewish settlers and Israeli MPs. Video footage has shown Israeli settlers entering an IDF base which was met by criticism from the IDF chief of staff and Israel’s defence minister, while Israel’s president had called for calm but also said that it was “understandable and justified” for the hatred of those who are accused of terrorist acts.
#1: US Politics: Trump Assassination attempt, Biden drops out and endorses Kamala Harris and RNC convention
You probably heard a lot of people who have used the quote of the former leader of Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin once said, “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” Well that last week in American politics has proven his point right.
On July 13th, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania for former US president and current Republican nominee, Donald Trump, a 20 year old gunman opened fire at the attendees and Trump, with one of the attendees killed, two others severely injured but alive, and a bullet which injured the upper ear of Trump. Secret service agents lunged at Trump for protection, as the former president got up, he put his fist up and told his supporters “fight,fight,fight”. Trump was whisked away by the agents to his motorcade. Authorities are investigating it as an assassination attempt.
Politicians from all corners of the political spectrum condemned the assassination attempt. US president, Joe Biden, said "Look, there's no place in America for this kind of violence. It's sick. It's sick. It's one of the reasons we have to unite this country... Everybody must condemn it." There have also been calls from some people for toning down the political rhetoric, citing the increase political polarization in the United States. Some members of the Republican Party members blamed Biden for inciting the assassination attempt.
The 20 year old gunman has been found to have donated to a progressive pac associated to the Democrats, but was also recently registered as a Republican. Classmates from his high school described him as “quiet and being bullied”, although the school denies this.
The Republicans held their convention in Milwaukee, two days after the shooting, with Trump appearing to the public for the first time on the first night of the convention. The convention was also highlighted by the announcement of Donald Trump’s vice presidential nominee, Ohio Senator, JD Vance, best known for being the author of the popular book, Hillbilly Elegy. Vance has been known for being a fervent ally to the MAGA wing of the Republican party, as he has opposes abortion, restricting gender affirming care to minors, and has been against sending further aid to Ukraine, wanting to instead focus on aiding and supporting Israel and the threat posed by China in the Asia Pacific region.
Trump gave his first speech since the shooting, at the convention, He discussed about the assassination attempt, while briefly mentioning the need for unity in the country, Trump accused Democrats for causing division through the many court cases against him, along with immigration, the economy, and world affairs.
On July 21st, Joe Biden, announced that he was ending his campaign of the 2024 Presidential race, after pressure from senior members and leaders of the Democratic party, along with donors, who were concerned with the chances of victory against Trump after a disastrous debate performance on June 27th. In a letter posted on X (formerly twitter), Biden said, “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Biden later announced that he endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Nominee for president. Minutes later many Democratic senators, congresspeople, and former president Bill Clinton and his wife and former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, have lined up in backing Harris as the nominee as well.
On July 23rd, Harris became the presumptive nominee after securing the majority of delegates to support her at this year’s convention in Chicago.
A number of names have been bought up for Harris’s potential VP pick such as Arizona Senator, Scott Kelly, Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, Kentucky governor, Andy Beshear, and Illinois governor, JB Pritzker.
At a conservative summit in Florida, Trump called on Christian voters to “go out and vote” and added, “Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years. You know what? It’ll be fixed! It’ll be fine! You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians. I love you, Christians!” Trump repeated once more in a Fox news interview.