Thursday Briefing: Israel launches major West Bank raids

August 29, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta and Justin Porter

Good morning. We’re covering a major Israeli military operation in the West Bank and charges against the founder of Telegram.

Plus, Massive Attack’s green festival.

Israeli soldiers stepping out of an armored vehicle and on patrol in a street.

Israeli soldiers near Tulkarm in the West Bank, yesterday. Jaafar Ashtiyeh/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Israel conducted major raids in the West Bank

Hundreds of Israeli troops, backed by fleets of drones and armored vehicles, raided the occupied West Bank yesterday. Palestinians in Jenin say they have been trapped inside, fearful of Israeli snipers or of having their homes stormed by soldiers.

At least 10 Palestinians were killed, according to the Palestinian health ministry. An Israeli military spokesman said the operation would continue and was concentrated in Jenin and Tulkarm, two cities which he said had become militant strongholds.

Israel has targeted militant groups in Jenin with raids for several years, but strongholds have persisted there, my colleague, Adam Rasgon, who is based in Jerusalem, told us. But this operation, he added, appears “to be a more significant effort than usual to challenge these groups and try to undermine their hold on authority.”

Context: The raid comes as U.S., Israeli and Iranian officials have said that Tehran is trying to flood the West Bank with weapons. “We are in the first stages of this operation,” an Israeli military spokesman said.

A man in a black shirt speaks at a conference.

Pavel Durov in 2014. Jim Wilson/The New York Times

Telegram founder charged with a range of crimes

Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram app, was charged yesterday in France with crimes related to illicit activity on the platform and barred from leaving the country.

It was a rare move to try to hold a top technology executive personally liable for the behavior of users on a major messaging platform. Telegram has featured in multiple criminal cases in France tied to child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking and online hate crimes, but has shown a “near-total absence” of replies to requests for cooperation, the Paris prosecutor said.

Background: Telegram has more than 900 million users globally. Light oversight has helped people living under authoritarian governments to communicate, but has also allowed for harmful content.

🇺🇸 U.S. ELECTION 2024

The presidential election is less than 70 days away. This is what we’re watching.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz in Georgia, yesterday. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

Why we’re watching New York and California

No matter who becomes the next U.S. president, how much he or she can get done will depend on which party controls Congress. So California and New York, which are nearly always locks for the Democratic presidential candidate, are battlegrounds with profound implications for the next four years.

Democratic candidates running for Congress in both states are facing more middle-of-the-road voters who have shown signs of unhappiness with their states’ leftward drift. Losing enough of these races could cost Democrats control of the House, much as it did in 2022’s midterm election.

Your questions:

We’re asking readers what they’d like to know about the election and taking those questions to our reporters. Today, we gave one to Alan Feuer, who covers Donald Trump’s criminal cases and writes the Trump on Trial newsletter.

How can a felon be a candidate of a political party for presidential elections in the United States? — Dr. Bilali Camara, Netherlands

Alan: There are many collateral consequences for being convicted of a felony in the U.S. Sometimes defendants lose their right to vote. Sometimes they are forbidden from owning guns or from obtaining certain professional licenses.

But broadly speaking, even felons can still run for — and hold the office of — president.

There are only a few federal crimes that bar people from entering the White House. Anyone found guilty of inciting an insurrection, for example, can be precluded from serving as president. But none of the felonies that Donald Trump has been convicted or accused of so far stand in his way of seeking to regain the nation’s highest office.

You can send us your questions here.

Here’s what else to know:

Vice President Kamala Harris has agreed to her first major interview as the Democratic presidential nominee. She will appear on CNN with Gov. Tim Walz, her running mate, today.
Trump claimed without evidence in an interview that President Biden and Harris were partly responsible for his assassination attempt.
Stay up-to-date: Live coverage | Poll tracker | The Run-Up podcast | On Politics newsletter

MORE TOP NEWS

Two people stand and watch as towering waves batter the coast.

Waves hitting western Japan on Tuesday. Hidetaka Komukai/Kyodo News, via Associated Press

Japan: The country sent evacuation orders to nearly 1 million people as the country braced for Typhoon Shanshan.
Ukraine: Russian strikes near the front line killed six people. Russian troops pressed ahead in the east, closing in on the key city of Pokrovsk.
Diplomacy: U.S. and Chinese officials discussed plans for a call between President Biden and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, and for talks between their military commanders.
Russia: The country barred a number of journalists from The Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, as well as dozens of other Americans, from entering the country.
U.K.: On a trip to Germany, Prime Minister Keir Starmer pushed for improved post-Brexit ties across Europe but did not commit to specific changes.
Climate: Wildfires in Canada last year produced more planet-warming carbon than the burning of fossil fuels in almost any country, researchers found.
Africa: The continent’s debt crisis is getting worse, sapping growth in many countries and stoking instability.
Germany: Polls show that extremist parties are expected to make gains in upcoming elections in three states in the former East Germany.

Sports

A Paralympic swimmer sits on the edge of the pool; his prosthetic leg is leaning up against the starting block.

Jack O’Neil, an American Paralympic swimmer, yesterday in Paris. Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

Paralympics 2024: The Summer Paralympics started yesterday. Here’s a complete guide to the events and the stars to watch out for.
U.S. Open, day 3: Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff and more are competing. Follow our coverage.
Soccer: Juan Izquierdo, a Uruguayan player who collapsed on the field during a game in Brazil last week, has died.

MORNING READ

In a video game screenshot, alarm clocks in various states of disrepair are piled near a curved wall. Four skulls protrude from a large clock face on the floor.

A screenshot from the video game The Indifferent Wonder of Edible Places. Studio Oleomingus

Studio Oleomingus’s video games have bright, chaotic color palettes inspired by cheap gum wrappers and vintage matchbox covers. Based in India, the studio uses these bright palettes to examine some of the country’s darkest chapters.

Dhruv Jani, the lead writer and designer, said the approach was inspired by postcolonial writers who used absurdism and magical realism to evoke the bizarre experience of being colonized.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Canadian favorites: The most well-known product of Quebec’s casse-croûtes — fast-food shacks — is definitely poutine. But when is pogo going to get famous? What about a pinceau?
A start-up city: A U.S. corporation built Próspera off the coast of Honduras to evade taxes and regulation. The Honduran government wants it gone.
Improvised Mozart: Robert Levin has long argued that the composer would have made up new material while performing, and he follows the master in a series of dazzling recordings.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

A band on stage against a backdrop of smoke.

Massive Attack playing in Bristol, England, on Sunday. Sandra Mickiewicz for The New York Times

A big show aiming for a small footprint

Coldplay and Billie Eilish have made headlines with climate-friendly stunts, but Massive Attack might have just set the standard for green shows.

All the electricity for the band’s daylong 35,000-person festival last weekend in Bristol, England, was provided by batteries charged by wind and solar power. The festival’s catering was vegan. Bristol residents were allowed to buy tickets first because they were more likely to walk or bike to the show. Even some of the toilet waste was sent to a firm that extracts phosphorus from urine. Read more about the band’s effort.

RECOMMENDATIONS

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Christopher Testani for The New York Times

Cook: These panko-Parmesan-crusted chicken breasts are baked, making for easier prep and cleanup.

Listen: Isabel Wilkerson discusses her first book, “The Warmth of Other Suns,” with our Books editor.

Train: These six exercises make everyday life much easier.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Gaya & Justin

A correction: Yesterday’s newsletter misstated Trump’s position on tariffs. The tariffs would be on imports, not exports.

We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.

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