From the Israel-Palestinian ceasefire agreement to Prince William, we bring you the most important national and international stories for May 20, 2021.
Biden speaks on Middle East: Israel and Palestinian reach ceasefire agreement
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire on Thursday after 11 days of violence, which will take effect at 2 a.m. local time.
Biden addressed the Nation confirming this agreement between Palestine and Israel.
“We’ve had intensive high-level discussions, hour-by-hour, with Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, and other Middle Eastern countries with the aim of avoiding the sort of prolonged conflict we’ve seen in previous years when hostilities have broken out,” said Biden.
In his address, he commended Prime Minister Netanyahu for bringing this conflict to an end in 11 days.
Prime Minister Netanyahu informed me that Israel has agreed to a mutual, unconditional ceasefire. The Egyptians have now informed us that Hamas and the other groups in Gaza have also agreed.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 20, 2021
President Biden stated he appreciated contributions made to putting an end to the hostility that has resulted in hundreds of deaths, including children in the Middle East.
On Wednesday, Biden had called Prime Minister Netanyahu, giving a firm deadline of when he would like to see a ceasefire.
Biden announced at the White House that he remains committed to working with the United Nations.
Biden believes Palestinians and Israelis should have freedom, prosperity, and democracy.
2. Biden signs Anti-Asian Hate Crime Bill
On Thursday, President Biden signed the Anti-Asian Hate Crime bill, in response to the rise in attacks on Asian Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden thanked Congress members for coming together to pass this bill. He stated that standing together against racism is what brings Americans closer together.
“My message to all of those who are hurting is we see you and the Congress has said, we see you and we are committed to stop the hatred and the bias” said Biden.
Incidents of hate against Asian Americans have seen a shocking spike over the last year. It’s wrong — and it’s un-American.
To all those who are hurting: we see you and we are committed to stopping the hatred and bias.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 20, 2021
The bill’s purpose is to make reporting hate crimes more accessible at the state and local levels.
The bill also directs the Department of Justice to appoint an individual to expedite the review of Covid-19 related hate crimes and approves grants to state and local governments to conduct crime-reduction programs to respond to hate crimes.
3. Prince William slams BBC for deceiving his mother, Diana for an interview
BBC’s Martin Bashir lied to obtain an interview with Princess Diana, which was allegedly discovered by the BBC but covered up.
Lord Dyson reports that Bashir commissioned fake bank transactions to land the interview, which is now being called a “serious breach” of the BBC’s guidelines.
Dyson said the BBC “fell short of high standards of integrity and transparency” over the 1995 interview.
A statement on today’s report of The Dyson Investigation pic.twitter.com/uS62CNwiI8
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) May 20, 2021
Prince William made a statement criticizing this behavior saying “It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia, and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.”
He went on to state that “if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she had been deceived. She was failed not just by a rogue reporter, but by leaders at the BBC who looked the other way.”
Both BBC and Bashir have since apologized.
New Body Camera Footage shows a black man being kicked, dragged, and tased by Louisiana Police
The Associated Press released bodycam footage, from 2 years ago, showing a black man, Ronald Greene, being punched, dragged, and tased by Louisiana state troopers, where he died while in custody.
Greene failed to pull over for a traffic violation, leading the police into a high-speed chase.
The video of the May 10, 2019 arrest, shows Greene apologizing and telling officers he was scared.
One officer can be seen putting Green in a chokehold and repeatedly punching him. After Greene had been cuffed, another officer can be seen dragging his face down.
He was left unresponsive and bleeding from the head and face.
Greene’s family was initially told he died in a car crash. His mom states that officers “murdered him.”