Vox Sentences - What happens when the war in Gaza ends?

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Here’s what’s on tap today: 

UP FIRST: Netanyahu rejects a Palestinian state

CATCH UP: Lunar landing

– Nicole Narea, senior reporter

What happens after the war in Gaza?

Jacquelyn Martin/AFP via Getty Images

There is no end in sight to the fighting in Gaza, with the death toll surpassing 24,000. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has seemingly already ruled out the possibility of a Palestinian state after the war ends, potentially derailing US plans, and leaving millions of Gaza residents in limbo.

“In any future arrangement … Israel needs security control [of] all territory west of Jordan. This clashes with the idea of [Palestinian] sovereignty. What can you do?” he told reporters in Tel Aviv Thursday. “This conflict is not about the absence of a [Palestinian] state but about the existence of a state, the Jewish state.”

Here’s what this means for the next phase of the conflict and US relations with Israel:

• Biden and Netanyahu are at odds: US President Joe Biden has advocated for a two-state solution to the conflict and his administration is hoping to secure an Israeli-Saudi normalization deal in exchange for a Palestinian state. He and Netanyahu spoke Friday, reportedly for the first time in three weeks. 

• Israel aid prospects: Though Biden has continued to circumvent Congress to send weapons to Israel, a major aid package is held up in the legislative branch. Netanyahu’s comments could hinder congressional efforts to secure additional military aid for Israel, with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) telling reporters Thursday that “it does not help win votes.”

• Skepticism is starting to mount in Congress: A resolution from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that would have required a State Department investigation into whether Israel is using US weapons to commit potential human rights violations failed earlier this week. But the 11 senators who supported the resolution sent a clear message that American goodwill is waning.

• The US says it’s trying to persuade Netanyahu: A senior administration official told CNN that the Biden administration is trying to work toward an agreement with the Israeli government. “If we took such statements as the final word, there would be no humanitarian assistance going into Gaza and no hostages released,” they said about Netanyahu’s comments.

Japan’s historic lunar landing

STR/JIJI Press/AFP via Getty Images

Japan successfully landed its unmanned "Moon Sniper" craft on the lunar surface Friday, but not without some hiccups.

The craft’s solar generators have malfunctioned, and scientists are rapidly trying to fix them before its batteries deplete after a few hours. It’s not clear what went wrong; there’s some speculation that the craft may have landed upside down. But even if they can’t fix the generators immediately, there’s hope that, when the angle of the sun changes, the solar generators might start working again.

The mission has already been considered a success. But it would be even more successful if confirmed that the craft landed within 100 meters of its target — a “pinpoint” landing that will be critical to execute in future lunar missions. And yet more so if it can carry out its research mission, which is to look for water and other resources necessary for life on the moon. 

• Japan’s success comes after American failure: The US’s Peregrine lunar lander, the first launched in decades, erupted in flames Thursday following a propulsion fault and landed in the Pacific Ocean.

• Japan is making history: Japan is only the fifth country to achieve a lunar landing, after the US, China, the former Soviet Union and last year, India.

• This is supposed to be just the start: Japan has scheduled a joint unmanned lunar expedition to explore the moon’s poles with India in 2025.

• Ukrainian drone attack hits Russian oil depot: The strike may mark a shift in strategy that sees more attacks inside Russia. [BBC]

• More student loan debt canceled: Biden canceled a total of more than $5 billion in student loan debt for 74,000 people Friday, mostly for public employees such as teachers and firefighters. [New York Times]

• New pollutant regulation: The Environmental Protection Agency is set to introduce a new rule that would crack down on fine particle matter and improve air quality. [The Washington Post]

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