Qatar says Israel-Hamas cease-fire talks gain ‘momentum’ as attention shifts to Syria

 President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy is ramping up talks for a ceasefire and hostage release in the Israel-Hamas war ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration, according to reports.

Trump’s team has been traveling to Israel and Qatar to kickstart the diplomatic push, and has met with Qatari officials who have noted “fresh momentum” following the Trump’s November victory.

The Gulf country appears to have resumed its role as a mediator in the conflict, after pulling out of the talks last month.

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The Israeli army deployed additional troops near the Syrian border and carried out deployment drills amid escalating chaos in the country.Anadolu via Getty Images

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Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheik Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said the Gulf country is engaging with the incoming Trump administration on ceasefire talks.Getty Images

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President-elect Donald Trump is seeking an Israel-Hamas ceasefire before he takes office in January, according to reports.POOL/AFP via Getty Images

“We have seen a lot of encouragement from the incoming administration in order to achieve a deal even before the president comes to office,” Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheik Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said at a press conference Saturday.

“That’s actually made us … [try] to put it back on track,” Al Thani added.

Steve Witkoff, who will officially head the efforts, met in late November with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Al Thani, according to reports.

His efforts build on 14 months of unsuccessful efforts by the Biden administration, Qatar and Egypt to end the war with Hamas terrorists and free the Israeli hostages they hold.

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Palestinians inspect damage at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in the central Gaza Strip on Dec. 7.REUTERS

Hamas released a video on Saturday appearing to show Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker, 25, who was kidnapped on Oct. 7, calling for a deal with the terrorist group.

Einav Zangauker, Matan’s mother, celebrated the “sign of life,” rejoicing, “My Matan is alive,” the Times of Israel reported.

She called on Netanyahu, “End this war already and bring everyone home.”

The ramped up talks and pleas come as attention shifts to the rapidly developing situation in neighboring Syria, where Jihadist-backed rebels have overtaken several border towns and surrounded the capital city of Damascus on Saturday.

The Israel Defense Forces announced it was deploying additional forces to the border with Syria amid fears that President Bashar al-Assad’s regime is on the verge of collapse.

The IDF also conducted drills simulating deployment in the northern Jordan Valley and southern Golan Heights close to the border with Syria in the case of a sudden event in the region.

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The IDF reinforced air and ground forces in the Golan Heights in response to the ongoing civil war in Syria.Anadolu via Getty Images

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Men salvaged belongings amid destruction from Israeli airstrikes on Dec. 4 in Tyre, Lebanon.Getty Images
Meanwhile, the IDF confirmed on Saturday that it carried out a drone strike in southern Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah operative it said “posed a threat” to troops in the area, and violated the current ceasefire between the two countries.

Lebanese media outlets reported that a separate Israeli airstrike Saturday in the southern town of Beit Lif killed four and wounded six, which the IDF did not immediately comment on.

https://nypost.com/2024/12/07/world-news/qatar-says-trump-team-has-brought-momentum-to-israel-hamas-ceasefire-talks/

'FDA may outlaw food dyes ‘within weeks’, affect candy, soda, cakes, revolutionize American diets'

 The Food and Drug Administration will decide on a ban of certain food dyes in the coming weeks after receiving a petition to review the safety of Red 3, NBC News reports.

“With Red 3, we have a petition in front of us to revoke the authorization board, and we’re hopeful that in the next few weeks we’ll be acting on that petition,” Jim Jones, the deputy commissioner for human foods at the FDA, said during a Senate meeting this week, per NBC.

According to the FDA, the agency has reviewed the safety of Red 3 —which is derived from petroleum and found snacks, beverages, candy and more — in food and drugs “multiple times” since it was first approved in 1969, but the petition has requested for the additive to be reviewed once more.

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Red 3, found in fan-favorite sweets and other foods, could be banned in the US, NBC News reports.Africa Studio – stock.adobe.com

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The FDA will decide on the fate of the food dye Red 3, an additive found in cereals, candies and more that yields a vibrant cherry red hue, in the “next few weeks.”Getty Images

“With the holiday season in full swing where sweet treats are abundant, it is frightening that this chemical remains hidden in these foods that we and our children are eating,” US Representative Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), a ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, wrote in a letter to the FDA.

“While food companies must ensure that the food they market is safe, they are also only required to ensure that their products meet FDA’s standards. This means that thousands of products that contain this chemical can remain on the market.”

He argued that there is “no reason” for the additive to be in food “except to entice and mislead customers” to make products appear “more appealing.”

Thomas Galligan, who works at the Center for Science in the Public Interest as a principal scientist for food additives and supplements, echoed a similar sentiment.

“These food dyes only serve one function in food, to make them look pretty so you and I want to buy it, it’s a marketing tool,” he told NBC.

While the FDA has stated that food dyes are safe and do not pose health risks, the dye was banned from topical drugs and cosmetics in 1990.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be health secretary, has previously claimed the food dyes are linked to cancer.Megan Mendoza/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“There is something called the precautionary principle, which is basically the thought that it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health adjunct professor Jerold Mande, a former senior adviser for the FDA and former deputy undersecretary for food safety in the Agriculture Department, told NBC. 

“The U.S. wears it as a badge of honor that we don’t adhere to it.”

Red 3, however, is banned in other countries and in the state of California.

“We really don’t have the science we should have so these things are a little unclear, but these dyes and behavioral issues, there is an established connection,” Mande said, saying the “little science” conducted by the government is “most concerning.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be health secretary, has previously claimed the food dyes are linked to cancer.

Some studies have shown the potential harms posed by food dyes, such as ill effects on gut health and behavioral issues. Researchers have also found evidence that Red 3 causes cancer in animals, per NBC News.

“The evidence now shows pretty conclusively that when some kids eat these, they will experience nervous system effects that look like ADHD,” Galligan said.

“There are 27 human clinical trials that show these dyes do in fact harm children’s behavior.”

https://nypost.com/2024/12/07/lifestyle/fda-may-outlaw-food-dyes-within-weeks-bombshell-move-would-affect-candy-soda-and-cakes-revolutionize-american-diets/