Palestinian PM’s convoy struck in blast
Compiled from news services
JABALIYA, Gaza Strip — An explosion struck the convoy of the Palestinian prime minister on Tuesday as he was making a rare visit to Gaza, in what his Fatah party called an assassination attempt that it blamed on Gaza militants.
Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah was unharmed and went on to inaugurate a long-awaited sewage plant project in the northern part of the strip.
The blast further complicated what already is a troubled reconciliation process between Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group and the internationally backed Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
It also cast a cloud over a meeting later Tuesday at the White House, where international representatives were to discuss economic development and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Some officials in the Fatah movement quickly blamed rival Hamas for a “cowardly attack,” while others said it was too early to say.
The explosion went off shortly after the convoy entered Gaza through the Erez crossing with Israel.
Mattis on Taliban peace
KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited Afghanistan on Tuesday to meet senior U.S. and Afghan officials and discuss both the military campaign and the “peeling off” of some members of the Taliban to pursue a peace deal with the Afghan government.
The unannounced visit comes two weeks after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani made what many observers consider an unprecedented offer, inviting the Taliban to begin peace talks without preconditions to end the 16-year war.
The Taliban said last month that it is open to reaching a political settlement and negotiating, but it has not responded to Mr. Ghani’s offer.
Mr. Mattis, speaking on a flight to Afghanistan from Oman, said that talking about a peace settlement is “not [putting the] cart before the horse” and that it is backed by the ongoing efforts of the U.S. and Afghan militaries.
Some members of the Taliban may be willing to pursue peace, considering a fracturing in the group that has occurred over the past few years, he said.
Japan, S. Korea meet
Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon affirmed Tuesday their commitment to bilateral cooperation, as well as their trilateral ties with the U.S., in their efforts to denuclearize North Korea.
Mr. Abe held talks at his office with Mr. Suh, who visited North Korea on March 5-6 as a member of a special delegation dispatched by the South Korean government. Mr. Suh emphasized the importance of cooperation between the leaders of Japan and South Korea.
“It is quite significant that Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea, clarified his intention for denuclearization with his own words,” Mr. Suh said of the North Korean leader.
Mr. Suh has met Mr. Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump and conveyed the details of his meetings with those leaders to Mr. Abe.
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