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National

CIA director Bill Burns is visiting Israel and other countries in the region this week for talks on the war in Gaza and the efforts to release hostages held by Hamas, two Israeli officials confirmed to Axios. 

Why it matters: Burns' trip is part of the Biden administration's ongoing engagement with key parties in an effort to get a humanitarian pause in the fighting and prevent a regional war. 

Secretary of State Tony Blinken arrived in the region on Friday.

Driving the news: Burns arrived in Israel on Sunday. He is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Mossad chief David Barnea and other senior defense and intelligence officials, the Israeli officials said.

Burns is also expected to visit Qatar, which plays a key role in the talks to secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas, and Egypt, which plays a central role in efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza. He is also expected to visit Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Burns' visit to the region was first reported by Israel's Channel 13.

What they're saying: Burns will meet with several of his intelligence counterparts and leaders in the Middle East to "discuss issues of mutual concern including the situation in Gaza, support for hostage negotiations, and the US commitment to continuing to deter state and non-state actors from widening the conflict between Israel and Hamas," a U.S. official told Axios.

Burns "will reinforce our commitment to intelligence cooperation, especially in areas such as counterterrorism and security," the official added. 

A CIA spokesperson said the agency doesn't comment on the director's schedule.

CIA chief visiting Israel and other Middle East nations as war in Gaza grinds on

Burns' trip is part of the Biden admin's ongoing engagement with key parties in an effort to get a humanitarian pause in the war.

CIA director William Burns testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 10, 2022. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Israel

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

World

Understanding the complexities of the lead-up to the Israel-Hamas war is required in discussing the conflict, former President Barack Obama said. 

The big picture: "You have to admit that nobody's hands are clean, that all of us are complicit to some degree," he said during a Pod Save America interview, a show hosted by aides of the former president. 

The full interview will be released on Nov. 7.

What's happening: "If there's any chance of us being able to act constructively, to do something, it will require an admission of complexity and maintaining what on the surface may seem contradictory ideas," he said. 

"That what Hamas did was horrific and there's no justification for it. And what is also true is that the occupation and what's happening to Palestinians is unbearable."

In the interview clip, Obama also touched on the significance of recognizing anti-Semitism in the response to this conflict, as well as the Palestinians without any connection to Hamas' actions who are dying as a result of the war. 

Obama urged Americans to speak to people whose opinions differ from their own, especially outside of social media. 

"I would rather see you out there talking to people, including people who you disagree with," he said. 

"If you genuinely want to change this, then you've got to figure out how to speak to somebody on the other side and listen to them and understand what they're talking about." 

Context: Last month, Obama said an Israeli ground operation in Gaza could "backfire," affecting Israel's security in the future and eroding global support for the country. 

Go deeper: Obama: Israeli operation in Gaza may "backfire" if civilians aren't protected

Obama: Israeli operation in Gaza may "backfire" if civilians aren't protected

Obama says "nobody's hands are clean" in Israel-Hamas war

"What Hamas did was horrific and there's no justification for it," he said, adding that "the occupation and what's happening to Palestinians is unbearable."

Obama speaks at a lectern in front of a blue background 

Former President Obama speaks to attendees at the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum on Nov. 3 in Chicago. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Barack Obama

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

At least four House Democrats affiliated with the left-wing "Squad" faction are facing serious primary threats next year, fueled by their vocal criticism of Israel's war against Hamas in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.

Why it matters: These primaries, pitting the most progressive lawmakers against more traditional liberals, will offer a clear test of the ideological direction of the Democratic Party.

They're also a barometer of how much space there is within the party for hostility toward Israel in the aftermath of the deadliest attack against Jews since the Holocaust.

Progressives, especially younger ones, have grown increasingly critical of Israel in recent years. But polls in the first few weeks after Oct. 7 indicated a spike in Democratic support for the Jewish state.

Context: The initial Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack killed more than 1,400 people inside Israel. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, more than 9,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in nearly a month of war.

Biden officials are pushing for "humanitarian pauses" in the fighting to allow more aid to flow. Israel's government hasn't allowed a temporary ceasefire unless Hamas frees the hundreds of hostages it kidnapped.

Driving the news: The four Democratic lawmakers facing competition from the party's center are Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).

Bush was the latest one to draw a credible challenger this week — St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell. In his campaign announcement this past week, he criticized her anti-Israel stance: "We cannot give aid and comfort to terrorist organizations."

Bush, in a tweet last Sunday, accused Israel of committing "ethnic cleansing" in its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

Her remarks were criticized by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who said on CNN: "Israel is not conducting an ethnic cleansing campaign. Israel is not engaged in genocide. Israel was brutally attacked in the most horrific way on Oct. 7 that resulted in the largest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust."

Bush's St. Louis-area district is home to the largest Jewish community in Missouri.

What's next: Pro-Israel groups are signaling that Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), a Palestinian American who has accused President Biden of supporting genocide in Gaza through his backing of Israel, also will face a primary challenge in 2024.

The Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, one of the leading groups helping to elect pro-Israel Democrats, went up with a six-figure ad buy attacking Tlaib.

Go deeper: The Squad-affiliated lawmaker facing the biggest threat is Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), whose political troubles were compounded after he pleaded guilty to setting off a false fire alarm in a House office building.

Bowman's district, centered in Westchester County, New York, has one of the largest Jewish constituencies in the country — alongside a nonwhite majority electorate. The New York Times reported he spoke at an anti-Zionist rally calling for a ceasefire, but hasn't visited a synagogue in his district since the attack.

Longtime Westchester County executive George Latimer, a more-moderate Democrat, is seriously considering a campaign.

Between the lines: In previous primaries pitting pro-Israel Democrats against critics of Israel, foreign policy wasn't the explicit issue being debated. That's different now.

Bell told the Washington Post that the reason he decided to challenge Bush — after originally running for the Senate — was Bush's stance on Israel.

Borough councilor Bhavini Patel, Lee's Democratic challenger, told the New York Times: "Something that keeps coming up in my conversations is that Congresswoman Lee continues to equivocate. We're responding to something that is evil." Lee has called Israel's response to the Hamas terrorist attack a "genocide of innocent Gazans."

"Normally foreign policy is not an important electoral issue unless American troops are fighting a war," said Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, who founded DMFI.

"But Israel is the number one news story in the world right now and polls demonstrate it is a salient issue for a large majority of Americans."

Zoom in: In 2022, Rep. Omar was the only Squad-affiliated lawmaker to face a serious primary scare. She narrowly won her primary against former Minneapolis city councilman Don Samuels, who is planning to run again.

But this time, Samuels isn't the only prospective challenger against Omar. Attorney Sara Gad, a pro-Israel progressive, is already running and attacking Omar over her Israel record. Omar's re-election chances would be boosted if there's split opposition against her.

By the numbers: Only nine House Democrats voted against a bipartisan pro-Israel resolution last week that condemned Hamas, and another six voted present. The resolution passed 412-10.

The bottom line: In recent years, we've seen a proliferation of more extreme views within both parties, with party leaders largely unable to crack down against the ideologically driven rebels.

If more-moderate Democrats end up ousting several of the most far-left members in the Democratic caucus, it would be an atypical development that shows there's still a political constituency for the mainstream majority.

accused Israel of committing "ethnic cleansing"

Squad under fire in primaries amid deepening divides on Israel

These primaries will offer a clear test about the ideological direction of the Democratic Party.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.). Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

House Democrats

Punctuation in messages to colleagues is out. Talking about mental health at work is in. 

Why it matters: The labor force's youngest members are revamping the workplace with internet speak, attention to well-being and uncanny realness. 

Older colleagues notice "just how frank, non-deferential and empowered younger generations are in speaking their mind, calling things out" at work, said Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, a professor of business administration at the University of Michigan. It's even motivated them to do the same.

80% of Gen Z employees in a survey conducted by Deloitte said mental health support and policies are important to them when considering an employer. For millennials, it was 82%.

Between the lines: The shift in young employees' openness spans everything from well-being to money. 

Unlike some older colleagues, Gen Z has embraced salary sharing, said Christine Cruzvergara, the chief education strategy officer for career platform Handshake. They use this information to hold their employers accountable.

Younger employees seek out salary audits and data based on gender, race or location from their employers, she said.

"All of those things are now just expected," she said.

Maren Hogan, a member of Gen X and CEO at Red Branch marketing and advertising agency, said Gen Z employees helped normalize frankness about mental health in her workplace.

"They're more open if they think it's going to impact their work, or they just want to talk about it," she said.

Of note: Elon Ciriaco, a Gen Z-Millennial cusp who has worked in real estate, fintech and hospitality, said she doesn't relate to her older colleagues' guilt about forgoing overtime. 

Getting along with her manager and coworkers though? Key. 

"If I'm working late, I'm working late to help a friend," she said.

Zoom out: Younger colleagues, who grew up with social media, have been more likely to talk casually and about aspects of their personal life in the workplace, Sanchez-Burks said.

They have greater comfort "blending the way they can communicate with their friends and their co-workers," Sanchez-Burks said.

While virtual communication comes naturally, workplace jargon can read like alphabet soup.

For example, being "out of pocket" in the workplace can signal someone will be unreachable for a period of time. 

But to Gen Z, the expression's meaning, with origins in Black American English, refers to off-base or unhinged behavior.

And all those periods and ellipses? Passive aggressive.

Go deeper: How emoji can divide the workplace

Gen Z shakes up workplace communication

Internet terms, casual conversation and uncanny realness are in.

Illustration of a speech bubble shaped like a Z

Employment

Labor Market

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Before and after satellite images help reveal the mass scale of Israel's intensifying bombardment of Gaza in the four weeks since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. 

The big picture: More than 9,400 Palestinians, including 3,900 children, have been killed in the Strip since the war began, according to the Ministry of Health in Hamas-run Gaza. About 2,000 people have been reported missing — many of whom are believed to be under the rubble.

The bombardment has destroyed or damaged mosques, churches, bakeries, large parts of refugee camps, and other residential areas, according to satellite images, photos shared by journalists and statements from aid groups and authorities in Gaza. 

The Health Ministry in Ramallah reported last week that nearly half of all housing units in the besieged enclave, which is home to at least 2.2 million people, had been at least partially destroyed. 

A recent analysis of satellite data found at least one quarter of buildings in northern Gaza, where Israel has focused its ground operation, have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli strikes. 

Data: Damage analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University. Map: Will Chase/Axios

What's happening: Israel claims it only targets Hamas militants and the group's infrastructure, but areas with large numbers of civilians, including the Jabalia refugee camp — Gaza's largest — have been hit. 

Jabalia has been targeted multiple times, including on Tuesday, when Israel said it destroyed parts of the Hamas' tunnel system and killed a senior Hamas commander — a claim the militant group denied. Israel claimed it killed another commander in Jabalia on Wednesday.

Dozens of civilians were also killed in the strikes on the camp, according to health authorities. Before and after satellite images of Jabalia show massive craters from the strikes.

"Given the high number of civilian casualties & the scale of destruction following Israeli airstrikes on Jabalia refugee camp, we have serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes," the UN human rights office said on Thursday.

Under international humanitarian law, attacks against legitimate military targets are prohibited if it is expected to cause civilian casualties or damage to civilian objects that would be "excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated." 

A screen grab from a video shows Palestinians searching for survivors following an Israeli airstrike in the Jabalia refugee. Photo: Fadi Wael Alwhidi/DPA/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

A screen grab from a video shows Palestinians searching for survivors following an Israeli airstrike in the Jabalia refugee on Oct. 31. Photo: Fadi Wael Alwhidi/DPA/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Israel on Friday hit an ambulance convoy outside of Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital complex, killing at least 15 people, according to health officials in the enclave. 

Israel claimed the ambulance that was targeted was being used by Hamas militants, but the Palestine Red Crescent Society said the convoy was transporting wounded Palestinians to the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza. 

Satalite images taken on May 1 and Oct. 21  of the Beit Honoun, Gaza. 

Satellite images taken on May 1 and Oct. 21  of the Beit Honoun neighborhood of northern Gaza. Satellite image: Maxar Technologies via Getty Images

Before and after satellite images show scale of destruction from Israeli strikes in Gaza

The bombardment has killed thousands and destroyed or damaged churches, bakeries and refugee camps.

Axios

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