After a difficult phone call between President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said that Israel had agreed to allow a crossing and that the agreement had been reached.
A Pied-à-Terre in Manhattan for Under $800,000? It Was Tried by Virginia Farmers couple.
After living in Boston for thirteen years, Stuart and Patti Rosenberg uprooted their lives and become farmers in rural Virginia.
Moving to Burkeville, Virginia, (population: 419), after retiring as president and chief executive officer of a medical institution linked with Harvard, was like coming home for 76-year-old Mr. Rosenberg. One of the town’s streets is named after his family, and his mother’s side of the family lived there.
His explanation was that they were farmers. “The other set of grandparents I have in my family came to Boston from Lithuania as Jews.”
The 66-year-old Ms. Rosenberg was skeptical. Some have joked that she wanted to be cremated after she died so that no bugs could contact her.
Health care professional Ms. Rosenberg first saw the farm as a side project, but after learning about American food systems she “was just appalled” and decided it was her true calling. After purchasing the 230-acre property from Mr. Rosenberg’s uncle, the pair turned it into an organic farm and agritourism attraction with three workers, a C.S.A., a flock of sheep, hens, horses, hogs, and cattle.
The joke, according to Mr. Rosenberg, will be that we will dispose of her in the compost after she passes away.
Have you just purchased a house? Send us a message. [The Hunt at Nytimes.com]
However, the Rosenbergs started to long for city life, particularly the cultural opportunities, as the years went by. Mr. Rosenberg exclaimed, “That was exciting.” He went on to say that he is skilled with tractors, hay baling, cutting, and mowing. “After a decade, though, I wonder if that’s been enough.”
Ms. Rosenberg had a client meeting in New York City last summer, so they took a trip there. While taking a leisurely walk on the Upper West Side, Mr. Rosenberg couldn’t help but peruse the window listings displayed by several real estate agencies. There was one apartment that piqued his interest, at around $650,000.
Real estate realtor and interior designer Nicky Rosendorff of the Corcoran Group came out to see if she might be of use. “Then I asked, ‘Who, me?'” According to Mr. Rosenberg, that was remembered.
He stated, “We had no idea of ever buying a place,” referring to the belief that real estate was too costly. “It must be worth a million bucks.”
New York had always been a favorite destination for the couple, so the thought of settling down there was thrilling. Repurposing the farm as a haven for native flora and fauna, they had just started cutting down on operations.
“We won’t ever leave Burkeville; that’s not the point,” Ms. Rosenberg stated. “However, visiting New York is an honor for us.”
After Ms. Rosendorff suggested they have a look around, they were soon in the midst of a frantic hunt for a pied-à-terre in Manhattan.
“At the time, buyers were hesitant to enter the market due to the higher interest rates,” Ms. Rosendorff explained. Therefore, it allowed consumers to make more informed choices in a slower market. Plus, there was a plethora of information to share with them.
Having up to $800,000 to spend, the Rosenbergs prioritized proximity to parks and cultural centers. Plus, parking was an absolute necessity due to their driving to and from Virginia.
Did the couple have any pets? That was the last inquiry Ms. Rosendorff had. At least 200, according to Ms. Rosenberg.
After a difficult phone call between President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said that Israel had agreed to allow a crossing and that the agreement had been reached.
President Biden threatened on Thursday to condition future support for Israel on how it addresses his concerns about civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, prompting Israel to commit to permitting more food and other supplies into the besieged enclave in hopes of placating him.
During a tense 30-minute call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, Mr. Biden for the first time leveraged U.S. aid to influence the conduct of the war against Hamas that has inflamed many Americans and others around the world. The announcement of additional aid routes hours later met some but not all of Mr. Biden’s demands.
“President Biden emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable,” according to a White House summary of the call. “He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps.”
The statement was the sharpest the White House has issued on Israel’s conduct in the six months of its war against Hamas, underscoring the president’s growing frustration with Mr. Netanyahu and his anger over this week’s killing of seven aid workers by Israeli military forces. But while the president repeated his call for a negotiated deal that would result in an “immediate cease-fire” and the release of hostages taken by Hamas, White House officials stopped short of saying directly that he might limit U.S. arms supplies if not satisfied.
Israel began to signal to Mr. Biden in the middle of the night in Jerusalem. A U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman says Israel has agreed to increase deliveries from Jordan, reopen the Erez crossing into northern Gaza for the first time since the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7, and use the Ashdod port to direct aid into Gaza.
Anonymous Biden administration insiders provided more details on the secret call, saying that Mr. Netanyahu agreed to additional assurances meant to reassure the president. The authorities stated that, among other things, Israel would pledge to take additional steps to lessen civilian losses and to give more power to negotiators who are trying to secure a temporary ceasefire in return for the release of the captives.
American officials allegedly reached an agreement while threatening Mr. Netanyahu with consequences if he refused. The challenge of increasing the flow of humanitarian supplies to Gaza has grown exponentially since the attack on aid workers caused some groups to reconsider their activities on the ground. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who dialed into the call between the president and prime minister, said afterwards that Israel needed to do more.
Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Mr. Blinken warned that becoming indistinguishable from the people we face was the danger of losing respect for human life. Despite significant initiatives taken by Israel to permit aid into Gaza, here is the present reality in Gaza: Insufficient and inadequate results have been observed on the ground.
The Biden administration is prepared to take action if Israel continues to reject its advice, as the secretary of state made plain. “Policy will be adjusted if the necessary changes are not achieved,” he said.
To affect Israel’s strategy in the conflict, the president has long resisted the idea of reducing the flow of weapons. Following Hamas’s October massacre of 1,200 innocent people and the kidnapping of hundreds of others, Mr. Biden reaffirmed his “rock solid and unwavering” backing of Israel. He has remained steadfast in his promise despite his growing criticism of the military operation for what he perceives as its excesses.
Even Senator Chris Coons, a fellow Democrat from Delaware and confidant of the president, is beginning to agree that Washington should have more control over the weaponry. This is due to the growing left-wing agitation, especially in states that could decide the election, such as Michigan.
“I believe we’ve reached that stage,” Mr. Coons stated on CNN last Thursday morning. “I would vote to condition aid to Israel” if Mr. Netanyahu wanted to send a battalion to attack Hamas without regard for civilians or humanitarian aid, or if he ordered the Israeli military to storm the southern Gaza city of Rafah with thousands of bombs, he said.
In his remarks on Thursday, Mr. Netanyahu seemed unfazed, though he did not immediately provide details about his conversation with Mr. Biden. President Biden has long advocated for a two-state solution to the Palestinian dilemma; during a meeting in Jerusalem with visiting Republican lawmakers organized by AIPAC, the prime minister firmly rejected this viewpoint.
According to Mr. Netanyahu, there is an effort to impose a Palestinian state on the Israelis. This state would serve as a sanctuary for terrorists and a springboard for more attacks, similar to the Gaza Strip’s Hamas state. “That is strongly opposed by Israelis.”
He spoke specifically about Iran’s danger in another video statement. Following an Israeli airstrike that killed seven Iranian military officers in Syria this week, Mr. Netanyahu stated, “Israel is acting against Iran and its proxies in both defensive and offensive operations.” He argued that Iran has been actively working against Israel for years, through both direct and indirect means.
“We will be prepared to defend ourselves,” he continued, “and our operations will be guided by the straightforward principle that whoever attacks us or attempts to attack us—we will attack them.”
While speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday—along with Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan—Mr. Biden stood for Israel in its fight against Iran, according to a statement released by the White House.
Iranian threats against Israel and its citizens were also a topic of discussion between the two presidents, according to the statement. “In light of those threats, President Biden made it very clear that the United States firmly backs Israel.”
The most recent White House statement, in contrast to earlier remarks, omitted both the now-ritual justification of Israel’s right to respond to Hamas and the events of October 7. It stated that Mr. Biden “urged the prime minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home” and stressed the need for “an immediate cease-fire.” On the other hand, according to an anonymous source with knowledge of the issue, negotiators, including C.I.A. director William J. Burns, will visit Cairo on Saturday for additional discussions over this potential arrangement.
