Israel Plans Gaza City Occupation, Europe Seeks Rare Earth Independence

Good morning.

🇵🇸 Israel Plans Gaza City Occupation

Israel’s security cabinet approved Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plan for military occupation of Gaza City, marking a major escalation that will force tens of thousands of starving residents to evacuate by October 7. An Israeli official said the operation involves displacing “all Palestinian civilians from Gaza City to the central camps” while imposing a siege on Hamas militants and launching a ground offensive. UK Prime Minister Starmer called the plan “wrong,” saying it “will only bring more bloodshed,” while Hamas accused Netanyahu of abandoning hostages to serve his “personal interests and extremist ideological agenda” as nearly 200 Palestinians have died from starvation in the famine-stricken territory. More - Al Jazeera

🇪🇺 Europe Seeks Rare Earth Independence

Europe is expanding rare earth metal production to reduce dependence on China, which controls 70% of mining and 90% of refining, led by Belgium’s Solvay expanding its La Rochelle plant - one of only two processing facilities in Europe. The French facility aims to provide 30% of Europe’s rare earth needs by 2030 through recycling, supported by €20 million in French government tax credits as part of the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act targeting supply chain diversification. CEO Philippe Kehren says customers must commit to buying European rare earths at higher prices to make the expansion viable, as Western firms need more government support to compete with Chinese rivals who have been more willing to handle radioactive pollution from processing. More - BBC

Africa Stability Ratings and News Summary

More Unstable

🇩🇿 Algeria, 🇦🇴 Angola, 🇧🇯 Benin, 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso, 🇧🇮 Burundi, 🇨🇲 Cameroon, 🇨🇫 Central African Republic, 🇹🇩 Chad, 🇰🇲 Comoros, 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic Of The Congo, 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea, 🇪🇷 Eritrea, 🇸🇿 Eswatini, 🇪🇹 Ethiopia, 🇬🇦 Gabon, 🇬🇳 Guinea, 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau, 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast, 🇰🇪 Kenya, 🇱🇸 Lesotho, 🇱🇷 Liberia, 🇲🇬 Madagascar, 🇲🇼 Malawi, 🇲🇱 Mali, 🇲🇷 Mauritania, 🇲🇿 Mozambique, 🇳🇪 Niger, 🇳🇬 Nigeria, 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo, 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone, 🇸🇴 Somalia, 🇿🇦 South Africa, 🇸🇸 South Sudan, 🇸🇩 Sudan, 🇹🇿 Tanzania, 🇹🇬 Togo, 🇺🇬 Uganda, 🇪🇭 Western Sahara, 🇿🇲 Zambia, 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

More Stable

No countries were more stable over this period

Unchanged

🇧🇼 Botswana, 🇨🇻 Cape Verde, 🇩🇯 Djibouti, 🇬🇭 Ghana, 🇲🇺 Mauritius, 🇲🇦 Morocco, 🇳🇦 Namibia, 🇷🇼 Rwanda, 🇸🇳 Senegal, 🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe, 🇬🇲 The Gambia

Regional News Summary

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is grappling with significant challenges in its critical minerals sector, exacerbated by tariffs imposed by the United States. Critics argue that these backdoor tariffs, enforced under the Trump administration, are obstructing the flow of essential minerals from the DRC, severely impacting the local economy. As global competition for these critical resources intensifies, the DRC’s capacity to extract and export minerals is vital for its economic development. Calls for Washington to prioritize transparency and sanctions in Congolese mineral deals have emerged, emphasizing the need for responsible and sustainable practices in the industry [SOURCE - Forbes].

In Algeria, a regional diplomatic overture by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI aims to prevent geopolitical conflicts from spilling into North Africa. This initiative is seen as a crucial step towards maintaining stability in the region. Concurrently, Algeria, as a member of OPEC+, has agreed to increase oil production significantly, despite facing new tariffs imposed by the U.S. on numerous countries, including Algeria. This dual challenge of boosting production while navigating tariffs poses a complex dilemma for the Algerian economy [[SOURCE - Times of India]](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/talkingturkey/a-sagacious-appeal-moroccos-king-mohammed-vis-overture-to-algeria-is-a-wise-move-to-prevent-geopolitical-conflict-from-spreading-to-north-

Carpe tomorrow!