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Abraham Accords: First US Meeting and Hurricane Delta

Weather Channel: Atlantic Basin quiet for almost 2 months until Tropical Depression 26 forms on Sunday afternoon, October 4, becoming Hurricane Delta the afternoon of October 6

Hurricane seasons calmed: On Saturday, September 26, the Weather Channel stated the Atlantic Basin hurricane was blank for the first time in almost 2 months. That no tropical formation was expected in the next five days. On Sunday, October 4 the storm that became Hurricane Delta began as a tropical depression.

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Tuesday, October 6, 2020

US Sponsored Abraham Accords First Meeting Tuesday: Israeli, UAE foreign ministers meet in Berlin, which is ‘honored’ to host summit - Times of Israel

The foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Israel were meeting in Berlin on Tuesday for talks that Germany hopes will strengthen the nascent official ties between the two nations and bolster broader Middle East peace efforts in a summit that Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said it was a “great honor” to host.

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan were to meet, along with Maas, behind closed doors at a secluded government guesthouse on the outskirts of the German capital.

While the two have spoken over the phone, this will be the first public meeting between the two senior officials.

Maas said it was a “great honor that the Israeli and Emirati foreign ministers have chosen Berlin as the location for their historic first meeting” since the two countries agreed to normalize relations in a US-brokered deal.

Maas said the “courageous peace agreement” between the two countries is “the first good news from the Mideast in a long time, and at the same time an opportunity for new movement in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians.”

Germany is a strong supporter of Israel, but at the same time has been critical of its settlement policies and also works closely with the Palestinians and is in favor of a Palestinian state as part of a two state solution.

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Hurricane Delta major intensification to Category 4 the afternoon of October 6

Accuweather

AccuWeather meteorologists have put the Gulf Coast of the United States on high alert for what could be a disastrous strike later this week by a very dangerous hurricane. Overnight and through early Tuesday morning, Hurricane Delta escalated quickly into a Category 4 storm and forecasters warn it could strengthen even more before it strikes the Yucatan Peninsula. After that, forecasters expect Delta to emerge over the extremely warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where it could maintain its strength for a time.

The hurricane’s winds had increased to 130 mph by 11:20 a.m. EDT Tuesday just over 24 hours after it became the 25th tropical storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Delta became the first major hurricane to churn over the Atlantic basin during the month of October since Hurricane Michael in 2018Delta's intensification was the most extreme in 15 years for an October hurricane. The storm's maximum sustained winds increased by a whopping 70 mph — from 40 mph to 110 mph — in its first 24 hours as a named storm. Only Hurricane Wilma in 2005 exploded in a more significant fashion over that same 24-hour period. Delta has also set a speed record for strengthening from a depression to a Category 4 hurricane. Delta accomplished this in just over 36 hours, and surpassed Keith from 2000, which did so in 42 hours.

Koenig: On October 19, 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza made it clear that Israeli settlement construction between Jerusalem and Maali Adumin contradicted American policy. In a speech before the Senate Relations Committee, Rice said that the U.S. is concerned about settlement construction and expansion around Jerusalem, adding that the U.S. administration had reduced its financial support for Israel as a result of the continuous settlement activities. Within a few hours, Hurricane Wilma dramatically intensified to a Category 5 hurricane and became the most intense hurricane in Atlantic Basin history. Later in the day, Secretary Rice met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Washington, D.C.

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Hurricane Delta Intensified to Category 4 in the afternoon of October 6 --
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2020/al26/al262020.public.009.shtml?

ZCZC MIATCPAT1 ALL

TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM

BULLETIN

Hurricane Delta Advisory Number 9

NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL262020

500 PM EDT Tue Oct 06 2020

…EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE DELTA HEADING

TOWARD THE NORTHEASTERN COAST OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA…

…EXPECTED TO BRING A LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE AND EXTREME

WINDS…

SUMMARY OF 500 PM EDT…2100 UTC…INFORMATION

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LOCATION…18.9N 84.1W

ABOUT 215 MI…345 KM ESE OF COZUMEL MEXICO

ABOUT 240 MI…385 KM ESE OF TULUM MEXICO

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…145 MPH…230 KM/H

PRESENT MOVEMENT…WNW OR 300 DEGREES AT 17 MPH…28 KM/H

MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…956 MB…28.23 INCHES

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Thursday, October 8, 2020 – Germany and France staunch backers of the two-state plan, met in Aman, Jordan Thursday, September 24 and the Israel-UAE meeting was in Berlin this Tuesday (article above).

Germany: Health officials warn coronavirus could spread ‘out of control’ - Deutsche-Welle

France announces new Covid-19 restrictions as cases top 18,000 for a second day - France-24

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Thursday, October 8, 2020

Netanyahu to bring UAE deal for approval in cabinet, Knesset next week

Times of Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will bring Israel’s agreement on full diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates for cabinet and Knesset approval next week, his office said Thursday.

Netanyahu signed a “Treaty of Peace” with the UAE last month, but the pact must be ratified by ministers and the legislature before it takes effect.

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Abraham Accords byproduct: Risky? Flights originating in a range of Arab countries to use Israeli airspace in route to and from Europe, U.S., including flights that pass over Iranian territory - Ynet

Jerusalem and Amman on Thursday signed a deal to open more flight paths over both countries and shorten flight times between Gulf states, the Far East and Asia and Europe and North America.

The agreement signed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel and its Jordanian counterpart will take effect as soon as Friday, is expected to cut fuel costs and polluting emissions, and was finalized following Israel's signing of the Abraham accords with the UAE and Bahrain.

Among the new flight paths specified in the agreement are ones departing from Iraq, Qatar and Saudi Arabia as well as the UAE and even one path over Iran that would be used by flights taking off from China.

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Netanyahu mulls international aid plea as fires force thousands from their homes

Times of Israel

More than 5,000 evacuated from homes in Nof Hagalil near Nazareth, thousands more forced to flee as 250 wildfires sparked by heatwave hit communities across Israel, West Bank

Hurricane Delta closing in on record-setting landfall - Accuweather

Hurricane Delta Approaching Louisiana Coast: The Weather Channel