Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said his country had launched a “large-scale and significant military operation” in Jenin, a Palestinian city in the West Bank, to “eradicate terrorism”. At least eight people were killed and 35 injured during raids, according to the Palestinian health ministry. On Monday Donald Trump reversed the Biden administration’s sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
Two dozen Democrat-run American states and cities joined lawsuits seeking to block Mr Trump’s attempt to end “birthright citizenship”. Both legal challenges argue that his executive order is unconstitutional. The president’s order aims to deter immigration by stopping the practice of automatically recognising the citizenship of children born to noncitizen parents in America, including those on temporary visas.
The chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said he would leave his post in March. General Halevi wrote that he took responsibility for the IDF’s failure to prevent the Hamas attacks on October 7th 2023. The head of the IDF’s southern command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, also said he would resign.
One day after Mr Trump assumed office Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader, spoke to Xi Jinping, his Chinese counterpart, in a video call lasting over 90 minutes, according to Russian state media. They “indicated a willingness to build relations” with America, a Kremlin aide said, adding that Russia was “ready for dialogue” over Ukraine. In 2022 Messrs Putin and Xi declared a “no-limits” partnership.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said that the global economy was “fracturing along new lines” and warned against a “race to the bottom” on trade in the face of Mr Trump’s tariff threats. China’s vice-premier, Ding Xuexiang, also spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He too cautioned against tariffs and said his country was open to foreign investment.
Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea’s suspended president, appeared at his impeachment trial at the country’s constitutional court for the first time. He denied all wrongdoing over his declaration of martial law on December 3rd, and said he was a believer in “free democracy”. Mr Yoon has been arrested on separate insurrection charges, and on Monday again refused to be questioned by investigators.
A fire at a ski resort in Turkey killed at least 66 people and injured over 50 more, according to the interior ministry. The blaze broke out at a hotel in Kartalkaya, a popular resort in Bolu, a north-western region; it is thought to have started in the hotel’s restaurant. The justice ministry said it was investigating the cause of the fire.
Figure of the day: $2.2bn, the amount that Venture Global, an American energy firm, aims to raise at its IPO. Read the full story.
Correction: A previous edition of The World in Brief included a quotation that we incorrectly attributed to George Orwell. Sorry.
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