World View: Poland Moving Thousands of Troops East in Reaction to Russian Threat

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Israel announces plans for 1000 new settlements in East Jerusalem
• Poland to move thousands of troops east in reaction to Russian threat

Israel announces plans for 1000 new settlements in East Jerusalem

A view of Jerusalem (Reuters)

In an announcement that’s generating strong emotions on all sides,Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved planning for 1,000new settlement home units in East Jerusalem. According to Israelimedia, the decision was forced on Netanyahu leaders in theultra-nationalist Jewish Home party, which is part of his governingcoalition, who are demanding an end to the “Obama building freeze.”However, it was only a planning announcement, with no pledge toactually erect the units.

Palestinian Authority executive Dr. Hanan Ashrawi condemned Netanyahu’s announcement, saying that it “exposes the true nature ofthis blatantly racist and extremist Israeli coalition.”

East Jerusalem has been the epicenter of increasing clashes betweenPalestinians and Israelis that were triggered by the abduction ofthree Israeli teenagers on June 10. They were the subject of anextensive manhunt throughout the West Bank, during which hundreds ofPalestinians, mostly members of Hamas, were arrested. Israel wasshocked three weeks later, when the teens were found dead in a pit inthe West Bank. There followed a spiral of violence that led to theGaza war in July and August. There have been continuing clashes inthe region around Jerusalem, and it is feared that this new announcementwill trigger even more.

Israel National News and International Middle East Media Center (Gaza) and Reuters

Poland to move thousands of troops east in reaction to Russian threat

Because of the threats to Poland posed by Russia’s invasion ofUkraine and annexation of Crimea, Poland is movingthousands of troops to military bases along its easternborders, in what is being called a historic realignment of the army.

According to Poland’s defense minister Tomasz Siemoniak:

The geopolitical situation has changed. We have thebiggest crisis of security since the Cold War and we must drawconclusions from that.

After World War II, Poland was a member of the Soviet bloc, and itsarmy was based along the country’s western border to defend apossible invasion from Europe. After the Soviet Union collapsed,Poland joined NATO in 1999, but today most most of Poland’s120,000-member army is still based in the west. The move to the eastis the first major realignment since the end of WWII.

Washington Post and Russia Today

KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Israel, Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu,Jewish Home, East Jerusalem, Hamas, Hanan Ashrawi,Poland, Tomasz Siemoniak, Russia, Ukraine, Crimea
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