A statement issued by Ishtaye’s office in Ramallah said that he told the meeting “due to these policies, the Palestinian land is shrinking, settler violence is escalating, and the access to our resources decreases daily”…reports Asian Lite News
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye has called on the donor countries to take more serious measures to boycott the Israeli settlements.
“The real situation is deteriorating due to Israel’s policies of expanding settlements in the Palestinian territories,” Xinhua news agency quoted Ishtaye as saying during an online meeting of the international donors on Wednesday.
A statement issued by Ishtaye’s office in Ramallah said that he told the meeting “due to these policies, the Palestinian land is shrinking, settler violence is escalating, and the access to our resources decreases daily”.
According to the statement, Norway chaired the meeting for around 40 donor countries and international institutions, including the UN and the World Bank.
“The meeting discussed the political and financial developments in the Palestinian territories and the preparations for the donors’ conference, which is scheduled to be held in Oslo in February next year,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Ishtaye explained that “economic development in Palestine is not separate from the political and national goals”.
“Economic developments along with achieving the national and political goals for the Palestinians would lead to ending the occupation and establishing the Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the Prime Minister added.
According to the Palestine Liberation Organization, about 124 Israeli settlement outposts have been built in the West Bank since the 1990s without any official Israeli approval.
Palestinian rights groups said about 700,000 settlers have been living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967.
The Israeli settlements built on the Palestinian territories are regarded as illegal by the international community.
However in 2019, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that Washington no longer considered Israeli settlements as inconsistent with international law.
Moscow, the worst-hit region, confirmed 7,750 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours…reports Asian Lite News
Russia’s overall Covid-19 caseload has increased to 2,375,546 after 28,145 people were reported to be infected in the last 24 hours, a new record in single-day cases since the onset of the pandemic, health authorities said on Thursday.
The anti-coronavirus crisis centre said in a press statement that with the country’s average infection growth rate has now climbed to 1.2 per cent, TASS News Agency reported.
The lowest growth rates were registered in the Nenets Autonomous Region (0.2 per cent), Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region, the Republics of Dagestan and Mari El (0.6 per cent).
Moscow, the worst-hit region, confirmed 7,750 new Covid-19 cases in thelast 24 hours.
Some 3,692 coronavirus cases were recorded in St. Petersburg, 481 in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, 472 in the Republic of Karelia and 399 in the Arkhangelsk region.
The country’s Covid-19 death toll has reached 40,630.
Negotiations must continue and there can always be alternatives, Lebanese President Michel Aoun noted…reports Asian Lite News
Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Wednesday said that Lebanon and Israel can overcome the difficulties that emerged in their latest negotiations on maritime border demarcation, according to a statement by Lebanon’s presidency.
“The difficulties … can be overcome through in-depth discussions based on international rights and articles of the law of the sea,” Aoun said during his meeting with John Desrocher, head of the US delegation mediating in the indirect border talks between Lebanon and Israel.
Negotiations must continue and there can always be alternatives, Aoun noted.
Lebanese officials said on Monday that the next round of negotiations with Israel over the maritime border demarcation was postponed, Xinhua reported.
The Lebanese delegation has pushed for an additional 1,430 square km to be included in Lebanese territory besides the already disputed 860-square-km area.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua/IANS)
A day earlier, the Iranian Parliament passed a Bill which urges the government of Rouhani to stop UN nuclear watchdog’s inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities..reports Asian Lite News
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday criticized a Parliament’s Bill calling for suspension of UN inspections of the country’s nuclear facilities, IRNA news agency reported.
“The government does not agree with the Bill passed by the Parliament yesterday,” Rouhani was quoted as saying.
“It would be detrimental to diplomatic efforts,” he added.
A day earlier, the Iranian Parliament passed a Bill which urges the government of Rouhani to stop UN nuclear watchdog’s inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities, Xinhua reported.
It also calls for a boost in Iran’s uranium enrichment in case the European signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement, namely Britain, France and Germany, fail to protect Iran’s interests amid US energy and banking sanctions.
The Bill falls short of an approval of Iran’s Guardian Council of Constitution to become a law.
Tuesday’s move by Iran’s Parliament is a reaction to the recent assassination of top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh near the capital Tehran.
The Iranian government suspected that the assassination was performed by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. Israel has so far neither confirmed nor denied the allegation.
Iran’s parliament promoted a bill, seeking among other measures to stop all the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections in Iran beyond the requirements of the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s (NPT) Additional Protocol…reports Asian Lite News
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said that any restrictions on the international monitoring of the country’s nuclear program require the approval of “higher instances”.
“With regard to access (to Iran’s nuclear facilities), we will make sure that it remains within its defined and normal limits,” Xinhua news agency quoted Kamalvandi as saying in a statement on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Iran’s parliament promoted a bill, seeking among other measures to stop all the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections in Iran beyond the requirements of the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s (NPT) Additional Protocol.
The bill was given “double-urgency” status after Iran’s top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated on November 27, but Kamalvandi said that hostile attacks should not be generally linked to the IAEA inspections of Iranian facilities.
The spokesman did not specify which “instances” he was referring to, but every bill in Iran requires the ratification of the Guardian Council to become law, and according to the country’s Constitution, it is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who “determines the overall policy” of the country, “after consultation with the Expediency Council”.
The vote to debate the bill, which would need to pas through several other stages before becoming law, was a show of defiance after the killing of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist last month.
The official IRNA news agency said 251 lawmakers in the 290-seat chamber voted in favor, after which many began chanting “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”, the Arab News reported.
The bill would give European countries three months to ease sanctions on Iran’s key oil and gas sector, and to restore its access to the international banking system. The US imposed crippling sanctions on Iran after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear agreement, triggering a series of escalations between the two sides.
The bill would have authorities resume enriching uranium to 20%, which is below the threshold needed for nuclear weapons but higher than that required for civilian applications. It would also commission new centrifuges at nuclear facilities at Natanz and the underground Fordo site, the Arab News reported.
The bill would require another parliamentary vote to pass, as well as approval by the Guardian Council, a constitutional watchdog.
Iran nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh
The bill was first tabled in parliament in August but gained new momentum after the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who headed a program that Israel and the West have alleged was a military operation looking at the feasibility of building a nuclear weapon. The International Atomic Energy Agency says that “structured program” ended in 2003. US intelligence agencies concurred with that assessment in a 2007 report.
Israel insists Iran still maintains the ambition of developing nuclear weapons, pointing to Tehran’s ballistic missile program and research into other technologies. Iran long has maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Meantime, Iran President Hassan Rouhani has blamed Israel for the killing of a top nuclear scientist on Friday, and said it would not slow down the country’s nuclear programme.
Rouhani also said Iran would retaliate over Mohsen Fakhrizadeh’s killing at a time of its choosing. An Israeli cabinet minister said he had “no clue” who was behind the ambush by gunmen on Fakhrizadeh’s car, the BBC reported on Saturday.
Israel has previously accused the physicist of being key to a covert nuclear weapons programme.
Fakhrizadeh was Iran’s most renowned nuclear scientist, who headed the ministry of defence’s research and innovation organisation.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif
His killing threatens to escalate tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme with the US and its close ally Israel.
President Rouhani said on Saturday his country would respond “in due course” but that Fakhrizadeh’s killing would not push Iran into making hasty decisions.
“Iran’s enemies should know that the people of Iran and officials are braver than to leave this criminal act unanswered,” he said in a televised cabinet meeting.
“In due time, they will answer for this crime,” he added.
In an earlier statement, the president accused the “the mercenaries of the oppressive Zionist regime” – referring to Israel – of being behind the attack.
The assassination of martyr Fakhrizadeh shows our enemies’ despair and the depth of their hatred… His martyrdom will not slow down our achievements.”
Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also called for the “punishing” of the perpetrators of the attack “and those who commanded it”, in a tweet on Saturday.
His military adviser, Hossein Dehghan, had earlier vowed to “strike” the attackers like thunder.
To pass such a one sided resolution on Kashmir that is devoid of historical facts and the current status of Jammu Kashmir can only be seen as a double standard set by OIC when it comes to India…writes Amjad Ayub Mirza
At the 47th Council of Foreign Ministers session of the 57-member strong Organisation of Islamic Community (OIC) held on November 27-28 in Niamey, the communal organisation has finally succumbed to the pressure and blackmail of three Islamic states and passed a resolution against the Indian governments rightful abrogation of Article 370 and 35A of her constitution.
Among these three countries are Malaysia who’s Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein issued a statement on October 28 against freedom of speech exercised by France, Turkey who’s leader Tayyip Erdogan called for ‘mental treatment’ of the French president after he refused to condemn freedom of speech that France has cherished since the French revolution. And Pakistan who’s selected prime minister could find time from his global begging campaign to issue a statement demanding that the United Nations declares an international day to ‘combat Islamophobia’.
The above mentioned three Islamic countries, which have nothing Islamic about them accept vilification of democracy, curbing freedom of the individual to express herself, persecution of religious minorities and threaten the world with an imaginary Islamic jihad, have over the recent years come closer and formed an informal alliance that reminds me of the fascist alliance formed between Italy and Germany before the Second World War that led to the destruction of Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Africa and cost world community 600 million lives.
Family Photo of the 47th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers
The question is why did the OIC give in to the pressure from these rouge states at Niamey? The answer can be found by looking at the economic and political bindings of OIC.
Firstly, we should consider the existential threat OIC faced after Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi threatened to call a meeting of likeminded brotherly Islamic states (Malaysia and Turkey) if OIC does not give up its reluctance in calling for a special session to condemn Indian decision of August 5, 2019 to abrogate article 370 and 35A.
Pakistan’s rebellious demeanour did not go unpunished. Leader of the OIC retaliated by cancelling the $3 billion oil credit line to Pakistan and demanded that the former pay one billion dollars that she already owed to the kingdom. However, Pakistan continued to hold talks with Turkey, Malaysia and even China and kept the threat of a split in the OIC alive. In other words Pakistan was using political pressure as a blackmail tactics to get things done its way.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan
As competition for regional economic dominance amongst OIC countries intensifies and Turkey and Saudi Arabia race towards establishing political hegemony among the so-called Islamic world, the latter has been cowed into taking ultra-compromising steps to avoid a split in the OIC. However, as new global economic alliances banter for regional dominance in the Middle East and South and Far East Asia as well as in North Africa, and the war of economic dominance translates into political spheres of influence, sooner or later the OIC will have to be done away with. It will breakup.
The second reason for OIC to succumb to the pressure of the evil troika of Pakistan, Malaysia and Turkey stems from the fear of failure of Arab capitalism in a post COVID 19 pandemic economic environment.
SESRIC report published on November 2 confirms these economic anxieties. The reports concludes: “The OIC economies which recorded a growth rate of 2.4% in real terms are also expected to contract by 2% in 2020”. In a post COVID pandemic economic environment it is thought to be absolutely crucial for a sustainable economic recovery that nation states stick together and mutually bear the brunt of domestic devastating effects of corona crisis.
Soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir. (Photo: IANS)
In my opinion this is not going to work as long as OIC remains a conglomerate of economies struggling to free themselves from the enslavement of autocratic and totalitarian forms of governance. However, the fear of OIC disintegrating into opposing factions is also a reason for OIC’s haste in taking a false stand over Kashmir.
And finally it wouldn’t surprise me if it is revealed at some point in the future that China played a decisive role in the apparently sudden decision taken at Niamey to add Kashmir to the agenda at the last minute. China is a major lender to OIC countries and some arm twisting of North African States and even Saudi Arabia herself should be looked into.
To imagine that post COVID pandemic global economic environment would be dictated by the old world order that was cluttered in antagonist groups is naive. The post second world war world has witnessed Cold War between the totalitarian closed door nationalised economies hidden behind the iron curtain and also the 40 years of neo liberal economic model based on Milton Friedman’s economic doctrine of unfettered capitalism.
But since the economic crisis of 2008, and the precipitating aftermath, we have now convincingly entered the post-neo liberal era of modern capitalism. Organisations such as NATO, OIC, BRICS, and similar ones that were dictated by the need of Cold War and neoliberalism have become obsolete. The future of global market economy will now depend on mutual interdependence between individual economies and not blocks of economies tied together.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) Council of Heads of State Meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on June 14, 2019. (File Photo: IANS)
These smaller individual economies will have to choose between emerging economic giants such as China and India while be free at the same time of any military obligations to ‘protect’ or ‘police’ the free market.
India will prove to be a far better choice for the Middle Eastern and African economies than China, which is driven by the lust of economic expansionism and the hidden agenda we call the Chinese debt trap. A Sabatini business model is developing in India under Modi government that puts people before profit and friendship before competition and this is the only foreseeable way forward in a post COVID pandemic world.
The resolution passed by the OIC has failed to take into account the fact that Pakistan attacked the state of Jammu and Kashmir on October 22, 1947 and is an aggressor and an occupier. It also does not address the plunder of the rivers in pojk which are having devastating effects on ecology and lives of the locals. The resolution fails to acknowledge the double colonisation of Gilgit-Baltistan by Pakistan and China and the illegal CPEC agreements.
It conveniently ignores the elections held in the occupied territory of Gilgit-Baltistan on November 15 which were highly disputed and violent protests have been the norm since. The resolution stubbornly ignores the October 26, 1947 instrument of accession signed by the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir with the Republic of India which makes any issues between the centre and the union territory a matter of internal affair Not only that, the resolution fails to observe the recent high turnout in the Direct Development Council elections held in union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
To pass such a one sided resolution on Kashmir that is devoid of historical facts and the current status of Jammu Kashmir can only be seen as a double standard set by OIC when it comes to India.
In todays context a biased and one sided approach to global conflicts demonstrates only one thing that OIC is outdated and fast becoming another obsolete conglomerate that should have by now become a reminiscent of the past.
(Dr is an author and a human rights activist from Mirpur in PoJK. He currently lives in exile in the UK)
Israir’s inaugural flight is part of a broader engagement between the UAE and Israel to further peace, dialogue and stability and promote sustainable development..reports Asian Lite News
Dubai International, DXB, added a new member to its airline family with the arrival of Israeli carrier Israir’s inaugural flight from Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
Flight 6H 663, which departed Tel Aviv-Yafo at 10.00 am local time arrived at DXB at 5:10 pm UAE time on Tuesday with 166 passengers on board, made Israir the first Israeli carrier to operate a commercial flight into Dubai, a DXB statement said on Tuesday.
Israir’s inaugural flight is part of a broader engagement between the UAE and Israel to further peace, dialogue and stability and promote sustainable development. The engagement has resulted in organisations of both countries commencing new economic and trade partnerships across sectors.
Israel’s Israir announces first flight to Bahrain
Israir will operate up to 14 weekly flights using its Airbus A320 aircraft between the two destinations. The launch of the new service coincides with the beginning of the holiday season during which DXB typically witnesses an uptick in passenger volumes passing through the airport.
Israir’s flight will boost DXB’s international connectivity by linking two of the region’s major trade and tourism destinations, bringing more choice and convenience for travellers and expanding trade and logistics opportunities between the two countries.
Dubai International Airport maintained its position as the world’s busiest hub for international passengers for the sixth consecutive year in 2019, handling 86.4 million passengers last year. The airport continues to be one of the world’s most prominent travel and logistics hubs despite the challenges faced by the global travel and aviation sectors due to the pandemic.
Russia confirmed 26,402 Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 2,322,056, the federal response centre said on Tuesday.
Many of Russia’s new infections have been reported in Moscow, with 6,524 new cases in the past day, raising the cumulative count for the capital to 612,248, Xinhua news agency reported.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 40,464 people have died in Russia from the disease with a record number of 569 deaths registered over the past day.
The number of recoveries increased by 24,763 to 1,803,467.
Russia currently ranks fourth globally and first in Europe for the total number of infections.
The country has so far conducted more than 76.7 million tests.
The meeting touched on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the efforts being made to confront its fallout…reports Asian Lite News
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Mohammad Haneef Atmar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, reviewed the prospects of fostering relations between the two nations across various fronts.
This came as the UAE top diplomat welcomed the Afghan minister and discussed growing cooperation in the fields of logistics and food security in addition to exchanging views over a number of regional and international issues of interest.
The meeting touched on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the efforts being made to confront its fallout.
Sheikh Abdullah reaffirmed the UAE’s determination to reinforce relations with Afghanistan across various domains.
The Afghan minister congratulated Sheikh Abdullah on the 49th UAE National Day, commending the developmental achievements and the prestigious stature boasted by the UAE regionally and internationally.
Attending the meeting was Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs.
“With the participation of the countries of the SCO, the EAEU, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other regional blocs, we will be able to build the Greater Eurasian Partnership, a space for joint development and security,” Mishustin added…reports Asian Lite News
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that his country and its partners are “actively” dovetailing the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Agreements have been reached covering several areas of cooperation, Mishustin said on Monday at the 19th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held via video link, reports Xinhua news agency.
“It is necessary to work out specific parameters for connecting national strategies and multilateral projects.
“The SCO serves as a key link in the formation of an open, mutually beneficial and equal space for cooperation in Eurasia,” he said.
Mikhail Mishustin attended the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting. More on trade and economic cooperation, projects and priorities of the member states https://t.co/rvL5PvtBNppic.twitter.com/9j8NJMCFgl
The SCO has “a strong potential” to ensure sustainable economic development and security in the region, and its member states have “large room for cooperation” in many areas from economics and politics to security and humanity, Mishustin said.
The Prime Minister said the SCO should pay great attention to the digital economy, the introduction of modern technologies, the development of transport infrastructure, and inter-regional cooperation.
“With the participation of the countries of the SCO, the EAEU, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other regional blocs, we will be able to build the Greater Eurasian Partnership, a space for joint development and security,” Mishustin added.
