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‘Gaza protests won’t hurt Biden’s reelection bid’

The White House optimism on the issue, which is shared by many in the Biden campaign, runs contrary to warnings from some Democratic strategists and youth organizers…reports Asian Lite News

Several top White House aides say they are confident protests across US college campuses against Israel’s offensive in Gaza will not translate into significantly fewer votes for Joe Biden in November’s election, despite polls showing many Democrats are deeply unhappy about the US president’s policy on the war.

The White House optimism on the issue, which is shared by many in the Biden campaign, runs contrary to dire warnings from some Democratic strategists and youth organizers who warn misjudging the situation could cost Biden dearly in a tight race with Republican rival Donald Trump.

Several aides said they are advising Biden to remain above the fray, rather than directly engage with the relatively small groups of protesters on college campuses, arguing their numbers are too insignificant to harm the president’s reelection campaign.

Faced with a choice between Biden and Trump in November, many officials remain confident even Democrats who oppose US policy will choose Biden. 

The issue returns to the spotlight Sunday, when Biden makes the commencement address at Morehouse College, over some objections by students and faculty, and a warning from the college’s president that the ceremony will stop if there are protests.

Most officials said they believe housing costs and inflation were the issues top of mind for young voters, not the war in Gaza, pointing to a recent Harvard poll that ranks Israel/Palestine 15th on a list of issues, after taxes, gun violence and jobs. Several aides refer to the protesters as “activists” rather than students.

Asked for comment on the issue, White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said Biden understands this is a painful moment for many communities and is listening. He has said too many civilians have died in the “heartbreaking” conflict and that more must be done to prevent the loss of innocent lives, Bates added.

Biden and Trump are nearly tied in national polls, and Trump has the edge in the battleground states that will decide the election, multiple recent polls show. On economic issues like inflation, Trump scores higher with voters overall than Biden.

A new poll found Democrats deeply divided over Biden’s handling of both the war in Gaza and the US campus protests against it, with 44 percent of registered Democrats disapproving of Biden’s handling of the crisis, and 51 percent of his handling of the protests.

Young voters still favor Biden, but support has dropped significantly since 2020, polls show. A poll in March showed Americans aged 18-29 favored Biden over Trump by just 3 percentage points — 29 percent to 26 percent — with the rest favoring another candidate or unsure if anyone would get their vote.

Two White House officials emphasized Biden’s support among young voters is not where it was in 2020 and said they worry the administration is not taking the drop seriously enough.

With over 35,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza since war began in October, US support for Israel’s government could weigh heavily on the presidential election in November, they said.

“There is almost a level of defiance when it comes to some of the president’s closest advisers on this issue,” said a senior White House official with direct knowledge of the matter, who did not wish to be named. “They think the best approach is to simply steer clear and let it pass.”

Protests over Israel’s war in Gaza have broken out at more than 60 colleges and universities this year, disrupted Biden’s events around the country, pushed Democrats in key battleground states to vote “uncommitted” and divided the Democratic party.

Biden, who is known for saying what he thinks, even when it’s not politically beneficial, has been cautious on the issue of protests over Gaza. He spoke in early May on the importance of following the law, while defending free speech and later on addressed the threat of antisemitism on college campuses.

Both times, he mostly avoided the issue that has sparked the protests — how young Americans feel about his support for Israel. But he also said bluntly that protests will not change his Middle East policy.

Groups organizing the protests say that a recent halt to some weapons to Israel was too little too late, and are planning fresh demonstrations, though the summer break may quieten action on campuses.

Michele Weindling, political director of the climate-focused youth group the Sunrise Movement, said “young people are incredibly disillusioned, they are angry at the way the president has treated this conflict.”

“A huge risk right now is that young voters will completely stay out of the electoral system this November, or deliberately vote against Biden out of anger,” Weindling said.

That has the potential to cost Biden dearly, given 61 percent of the more than half of Americans aged 18 to 29 that voted in the 2020 general election voted Democratic, a Tufts University research group found. The youth turnout was up 11 points from 2016.

ALSO READ: US Presses Israel for Gaza Strategy Amid Conflict

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US Presses Israel for Gaza Strategy Amid Conflict

Sullivan had previously met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman…reports Asian Lite News

US President Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has once again called on the Israeli government to link its military operations in the Gaza Strip to a political strategy.

The White House made the demand on Sunday after Sullivan met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem.

According to the White House, the suggested strategy aims to ensure a lasting defeat of the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas, the release of all Israeli hostages, and a better future for the Gaza Strip.

Sullivan had previously met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman.

The US has long been urging Israel to present a strategy for administering the Palestinian coastal territory and has repeatedly warned against a large-scale attack on the city of Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wrote on social media platform X after the meeting that they discussed in detail the continuation of the war in Gaza, particularly the approach in Rafah, and the intensification of humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip.

According to the White House, Sullivan also proposed a series of measures to ensure that more aid reaches the sealed-off Gaza Strip and discussed steps to establish fixed corridors within the coastal area to ensure aid reaches all civilians in need.

ALSO READ-Turkey Halts All Trade with Israel Over Gaza Violence

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US Evacuates 17 American Doctors Stuck In Gaza

The Americans who made their way out did so with the support of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

Seventeen of the 20 American doctors who were stuck in Gaza after Israel shut the border crossing from Rafah to Egypt have safely departed the enclave, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Friday.

“They’re out. There was 20 American doctors, 17 are out now, came out today. And all 17, they wanted to, they wanted to leave — I won’t speak for the other three, but just, I can assure you that any of them that wanted to leave are out now,” Kirby said.

The Americans who made their way out did so with the support of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, said a State Department spokesperson. “We have been in close contact with the groups that these US doctors are part of, and we have been in contact with the families of these US citizens,” the spokesperson added.

CNN reported, citing that the three American doctors who opted not to depart Gaza did so understanding that the US Embassy may not be able to facilitate their departure in the same manner, the source familiar said. They added that it “was an extremely unique operation.”

The Embassy team travelled to Kerem Shalom crossing to receive the doctors at the border, the source added, without providing details about how the doctors travelled to the border crossing.

CNN reported that the aid organizations will face challenges getting doctors back into Gaza following the departure of 17 of the 20 American doctors who were stuck there after Israel shut the border crossing from Rafah to Egypt.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby

Sources familiar with the efforts to help the American doctors escape said that backfilling them remains a major concern, largely because the Rafah crossing remains closed after the Israeli military seized it early last week.

The Rafah crossing, when it was operating, was the only entry and exit point for foreign aid workers. Israeli and Egyptian officials have so far failed to reach an agreement on reopening it.

One of the doctors who decided to stay behind is Dr. Adam Hamawy, who helped save Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s life 20 years ago in Iraq, according to a source familiar with the matter. Hamawy travelled to Gaza with the Palestinian American Medical Association and did not feel right leaving without other doctors coming in to take over, CNN reported citing source.

Many members of Congress, including Duckworth, are working with the Biden administration to push Israel to do more to get aid and humanitarian workers into Gaza, and to get the protections needed for those workers. Earlier this week, a top USAID official said that Israel was not doing enough to ensure the safety of aid works.

“The deconfliction measures are not where they need to be yet, given the complexity of the environment. So those conversations are ongoing, they need to continue and they need to get to a place where humanitarian aid workers feel safe and secure and able to operate safely. And I don’t think we’re there yet,” said Sonali Korde, assistant to the administrator of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, noting that Gaza is a “very dangerous place to work.” (ANI)

ALSO READ: Indian Embassy Pays Tribute to Fallen Colonel in Gaza

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Aid Access to Gaza Severely Hampered, Says UN

Shortly after its reopening on May 8, militants fired eight rockets from southern Gaza’s Rafah toward the Kerem Shalom crossing area in Israel…reports Asian Lite News

The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said that distributing humanitarian aid “is almost impossible” in Gaza, due to the irregular fuel supply and interrupted communications amid the ongoing intense war between Israel and Hamas.

OCHA in a statement posted on social media platform X on Thursday said that key crossings for aid into Gaza have been closed for several days and now the access to the Palestinian enclave is neither safe nor logistically feasible.

On May 5, Israel closed the only commercial crossing of Kerem Shalom with Gaza, in response to a Hamas rocket attack on an Israeli military point nearby that killed four soldiers.

Shortly after its reopening on May 8, militants fired eight rockets from southern Gaza’s Rafah toward the Kerem Shalom crossing area in Israel.

The attack came after the Israeli army announced on May 7 “operational control” of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing, which in effect closed this crucial entry point for truckloads of aid from Egypt into Gaza.

OCHA and other humanitarian organizations warned of the devastating impact of the crossings’ closure on over 2 million Palestinians in war-stricken Gaza, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Thursday, the Jordan Armed Forces said it conducted three airdrops of humanitarian aid over various locations in southern Gaza.

The move was part of Jordan’s commitment to assisting Gazans to overcome the difficult conditions, said the army without detailing further.

Earlier in the day, local sources and eyewitnesses in Gaza told Xinhua that aircraft were seen flying over and dropping food aid through parachutes in Al-Mawasi, an open area along the enclave’s southwestern coast that is now flocked with residents coming at the Israeli army’s evacuation order.

This is the first eyewitness report of an aid drop operation in Rafah since the Israeli army’s renewed attacks on the southernmost Gazan city last week.

ALSO READ-US military says Gaza Strip pier project is completed

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US military says Gaza Strip pier project is completed

Military leaders have said the deliveries of aid will begin slowly to ensure the system works. …reports Asian Lite News

The US military finished installing a floating pier for the Gaza Strip on Thursday, with officials poised to begin ferrying badly needed humanitarian aid into the enclave besieged over seven months of intense fighting in the Israel-Hamas war.

The final, overnight construction sets up a complicated delivery process more than two months after US President Joe Biden ordered it to help Palestinians facing starvation as food and other supplies fail to make it in as Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its push on that southern city on the Egyptian border.

Fraught with logistical, weather and security challenges, the maritime route is designed to bolster the amount of aid getting into the Gaza Strip, but it is not considered a substitute for far cheaper land-based deliveries that aid agencies say are much more sustainable. The boatloads of aid will be deposited at a port facility built by the Israelis just southwest of Gaza City and then distributed by aid groups.

US troops will not set foot in Gaza, American officials insist, though they acknowledge the danger of operating near the war zone.

Heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of Rafah has displaced some 600,000 people, a quarter of Gaza’s population, UN officials say. Another 100,000 civilians have fled parts of northern Gaza now that the Israeli military has restarted combat operations there.

Pentagon officials said the fighting in Gaza wasn’t threatening the new shoreline aid distribution area, but they have made it clear that security conditions will be monitored closely and could prompt a shutdown of the maritime route, even just temporarily. Already, the site has been targeted by mortar fire during its construction and Hamas has threatened to target any foreign forces who “occupy” the Gaza Strip.

The “protection of US forces participating is a top priority. And as such, in the last several weeks, the United States and Israel have developed an integrated security plan to protect all the personnel who are working,” said Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, a deputy commander at the US military’s Central Command. “We are confident in the ability of this security arrangement to protect those involved.”

Israeli forces will be in charge of security on the shore, but there are also two US Navy warships near the area in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Paul Ignatius. Both ships are destroyers equipped with a wide range of weapons and capabilities to protect American troops off shore and allies on the beach.

Aid agencies say they are running out of food in southern Gaza and fuel is dwindling, which will force hospitals to shut down critical operations and halt truck deliveries of aid. The United Nations and other agencies have warned for weeks that an Israel assault on Rafah, which is on the border with Egypt near the main aid entry points, would cripple humanitarian operations and cause a disastrous surge in civilian casualties.

More than 1.4 million Palestinians — half of Gaza’s population — have been sheltering in Rafah, most after fleeing Israel’s offensives elsewhere.

The first cargo ship loaded with 475 pallets of food left Cyprus last week to rendezvous with a US military ship, the Roy P. Benavidez, which is off the coast of Gaza. The pallets of aid on the MV Sagamore were moved onto the Benavidez. The Pentagon said moving the aid between ships was an effort to be ready so it could flow quickly once the pier and the causeway were installed.

The installation of the pier several miles (kilometers) off the coast and of the causeway, which is now anchored to the beach, was delayed for nearly two weeks because of bad weather and high seas. The sea conditions made it too dangerous for US and Israeli troops to secure the causeway to the shore and do other final assembly work, US officials said.

According to a defense official, the Sagamore’s initial shipment was estimated to provide enough to feed 11,000 people for one month. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public.

Military leaders have said the deliveries of aid will begin slowly to ensure the system works. They will start with about 90 truckloads of aid a day through the sea route, and that number will quickly grow to about 150 a day. But aid agencies say that isn’t enough to avert impending famine in Gaza and must be just one part of a broader Israeli effort to open land corridors.

Biden used his State of the Union address on March 7 to order the military to set up a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza, establishing a sea route to deliver food and other aid. Food shipments have been backed up at land crossings amid Israeli restrictions and intensifying fighting.

Under the new sea route, humanitarian aid is dropped off in Cyprus where it will undergo inspection and security checks at Larnaca port. It is then loaded onto ships — mainly commercial vessels — and taken about 200 miles (320 kilometers) to the large floating pier built by the US military off the Gaza coast.

There, the pallets are transferred onto trucks, driven onto smaller Army boats and then shuttled several miles (kilometers) to the floating causeway, which has been anchored onto the beach by the Israeli military. The trucks, which are being driven by personnel from another country, will go down the causeway into a secure area on land where they will drop off the aid and immediately turn around and return to the boats.

Aid groups will collect the supplies for distribution on shore, with the UN working with the US Agency for International Development to set up the logistics hub on the beach.

Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that the project will cost at least $320 million, including the transportation of the equipment and pier sections from the United States to the coast of Gaza, as well as the construction and aid delivery operations.

ALSO READ: Yoav Gallant opposes Israeli rule in post-war Gaza

ALSO READ: ICC probing Ukraine, Gaza war crimes defies threats

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ICC probing Ukraine, Gaza war crimes defies threats

The court in The Hague, Netherlands, has been investigating the Israel Defence Forces and the Palestinian organisation Hamas for alleged war crimes…reports Asian Lite News

The International Criminal Court prosecutor, Karim Khan, asserted his resolve on Tuesday to continue investigating possible war crimes in Ukraine and Gaza despite facing threats.

The court in The Hague, Netherlands, has been investigating the Israel Defence Forces and the Palestinian organisation Hamas for alleged war crimes in the Palestinian Territories – the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem – since 2021, and also in Ukraine.

During a UN Security Council meeting focused on his probe into war crimes in Libya, Khan faced criticism from the Russian and Libyan ambassadors. They accused him of inaction regarding alleged Israeli aggression against Hamas in Gaza, according to news agency AFP.

Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia hinted at a potential impact on the ICC’s effectiveness due to a proposed US Congressional bill to sanction ICC officials investigating US and allied actions, it was reported.

In response, Khan highlighted the threats against him and his office, emphasizing their determination to proceed with their investigations regardless of intimidation tactics.

Russia had previously included Khan on its wanted list after the ICC issued an arrest warrant against President Vladimir Putin for his role in deporting Ukrainian children to Russia during the conflict.

The ICC prosecutor’s office expressed concern over threats to its independence and impartiality, cautioning against any actions that could undermine the administration of justice.

This warning came amid speculation, fueled by US and Israeli media reports, regarding potential ICC warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders.

Despite facing powerful entities, Khan reaffirmed the ICC’s commitment to upholding justice and serving victims.

He emphasised the importance of abiding by the law with integrity and independence, underscoring the court’s duty to stand up against wrongdoing, even in the face of significant opposition.

Khan’s statements underscore the challenges faced by international bodies like the ICC in carrying out their mandates while navigating geopolitical tensions and resistance from powerful actors.

Palestine has been a state party since 2015. In 2021, the court determined that it also has jurisdiction over the territories occupied since 1967, such as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Neither the US nor Israel recognise the court.

Investigations are also underway into acts of violence committed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

ALSO READ: India, US convene second dialogue on Africa in Washington

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Qatar Seeks Peace in Gaza

The negotiation process is currently going through a state of stagnation, especially after what happened in Rafah….reports Asian Lite News

HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani stressed that the best way to stop the ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip, which the State of Qatar is demanding, is reaching an agreement, putting an end to the atrocities committed against civilians, and negotiating an agreement to release the hostages, considering that achieving this would enable an agreement to be reached within days.

During the opening session of the Qatar Economic Forum, His Excellency indicated that there is uncertainty about how to stop the war on the Israeli side, which is not inclined to this option, adding that when the talk is about an agreement to reach a ceasefire, a lot of politics say that they would go on with the war. His Excellency stressed that the State of Qatar would continue to work and pressure, along with partners to reach an agreement, provided that the warring parties help facilitate this as the issue is ultimately in their hands.

The PM pointed out that the negotiation process is long and stressful, as some momentum has been observed over the past weeks, but unfortunately things have not moved in the appropriate direction. The situation is currently going through a state of stagnation, especially after what happened in Rafah.

He added that Qatar has not stopped its role as mediator despite facing many challenges in the past few weeks, which prompted Qatar to conduct a re-evaluation. Qatar did not want to be exploited as a mediator and wanted to make clear to everyone that its role is limited to mediation. Qatar is doing this and will continue to do so, saying that he believes Qatar has achieved great progress.

Al-Thani also noted that what makes the negotiation process difficult is the presence of fundamental differences. There is one side that wants to end the war and then talk about the hostages, and the other side wants to release the hostages and continue the war. As long as there is no point of understanding between the two sides, it’s hard to reach a result, warning that what is happening in the Gaza Strip requires saying, “enough.”

He added that looking at the disaster in Gaza, most reports confirmed that reconstruction requires USD 40 to 50 billion and will continue until 2040. This is only what the pictures show, representing 10 – 20 percent of the actual destruction, in addition to the risks of war or violence spreading in the region and this is what happened in the Red Sea and Lebanon, and it will increase as the war continues.

Regarding the Hamas movement’s office in Doha, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs indicated that the presence of a political office for the Hamas movement in Doha began in 2012 with the aim of creating a channel of communication between them, the Israelis, and Americans.

He pointed out that this channel has proved to be effective in light of the various conflicts from 2014 until today, explaining that this office has played a major role, including the release of hostages (109 hostages) thanks to Qatari mediation in the negotiations, which is the only hostages’ release operation during the ongoing war and did not come as a result of pressure or military action.

Al-Thani considered that the continuation of the war requires a means of communication, and Qatar’s vision and point of view see the necessity of having access for all parties to resolve the conflict. His Excellency stressed that the State of Qatar is not a party to the conflict, adding that Qatar’s principles and policies that support the Palestinians in implementing the two-state solution have not changed, and as long as Qatar has the ability, it will help, as it has done so between Afghanistan, the Taliban and the United States of America, and between the various parties in Lebanon, Sudan, and others. This is at the core of Qatar’s foreign policy (to build on mediation to help resolve and settle disputes between the parties and work to find a regional consensus).

Regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip after the war, Al-Thani stressed that it is still too early to talk about this matter. His Excellency said that Qatar believes in a single Palestinian government responsible for the West Bank and Gaza. This Palestinian government must be formed by consensus among the Palestinians to lead the transitional process in the country, but the Israeli government’s statements reject the existence of the Palestinian Authority.

His Excellency indicated that with the total destruction of the Strip without a vision for the role of the Palestinian Authority, the situation will be difficult not only for Qatar but for the entire world. In this regard, His Excellency said that Qatar is working with its Arab partners, the Six-Party Committee, and the United States of America to think about the best way until the day after the war so that it does not affect the Palestinians and the Palestinian cause, and does not undermine the Palestinian Authority. 

Regarding Qatar’s investment plans and areas in the coming period, HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani stated that the sovereign wealth fund follows a diversification strategy, adding that the United States has been a significant market in recent years, and Asia is also attracting major Qatari investments. He added that the State of Qatar is looking to expand in emerging markets like Central Asia and Africa, while ensuring that investments are not high-risk and secure and offer guaranteed returns, especially considering these investments are for the benefit of future generations.

ALSO READ: Gaza Ceasefire Efforts Hit Snag: Qatar

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Rafah: Egypt warns against ‘dire humanitarian repercussions’

Egypt’s top diplomat stressed the serious security risks resulting from the ongoing Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip…reports Asian Lite News

Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry stressed the importance of resuming deliveries of aid to the Gaza Strip after Israel halted access through the Rafah Border Crossing in recent days, during a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, Shoukry reiterated the dire humanitarian repercussions that will affect more than 1.4 million Palestinians in Rafah as a result of the closure of the border crossing and the ongoing wide-scale Israeli attacks.

Egypt’s top diplomat also stressed the serious security risks resulting from the ongoing Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, especially in the Palestinian city of Rafah, and the relevant threats to regional stability.

360k fled Rafah

Almost 360,000 people have fled the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip since the Israeli army issued the first evacuation orders a week ago, according to UN figures.

“There’s nowhere to go. There’s NO safety without a #ceasefire,” the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) wrote on X on Monday

Rafah, which is already overcrowded with internally displaced persons, is seen as the militant Palestinian organization Hamas’ last stronghold.

Fierce fighting between Israel’s army and armed Palestinians continued on Monday at various locations in the north, south and centre of the coastal strip.

UNRWA’s statement added that in northern Gaza, bombardments and further evacuation orders have caused more displacement and “fear for thousands of families.”

The military arm of Hamas reported on Telegram about attacks on Israeli troops in various locations, including in Rafah in the south as well as in the refugee neighbourhood of Jabalia and in al-Saitun in northern Gaza.

There were fresh rocket alerts on Monday in Israeli border towns on the edge of the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant spoke by telephone with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the situation in the Gaza Strip, according to reports on Monday.

According to his office, Gallant discussed the “developments in Gaza, including [Israel Defense Forces] operations across the strip in the face of terror hotspots, and the precise operation in the Rafah area against remaining Hamas battalions, while securing the [Rafah border] crossing.”

Blinken reiterated that the United States remains opposed to a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, “where over 1 million people have taken shelter,” a US State Department spokesman said.

ALSO READ: Indian UN Employee First Foreign Victim in Gaza Conflict

ALSO READ: Blinken Urges Israeli Action to Protect Gaza Civilians

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 ‘Operation Chivalrous Knight 3’ gives ambulance

The Palestinian Ministry of Health expressed its gratitude to the UAE for its continuous support, which includes the provision of medical equipment, supplies, and medicines….reports Asian Lite News

“Operation Chivalrous Knight 3” has delivered an X-ray machine and a fully-equipped ambulance to the Al Marwani Field Hospital in the Gaza Strip. This donation is part of the UAE’s ongoing efforts to improve the quality of medical services provided to Palestinian families.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health expressed its gratitude to the UAE for its continuous support, which includes the provision of medical equipment, supplies, and medicines. This support is essential for keeping hospitals in the Gaza Strip operational, especially in light of the recent closures of several facilities due to the difficult conditions in Rafah city and other governorates in the Gaza Strip.

The UAE’s commitment to supporting the health sector in the Gaza Strip is unwavering, especially during these critical times faced by hospitals and healthcare institutions. The UAE continues to provide medical services to the injured and wounded at the Emirati field hospital in Rafah city, where medical teams are operating normally.

ALSO READ: Egypt, US Push for Flexible Ceasefire Deal

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Sunak accused of scaremongering over Gaza protest

A growing number of academics have backed students’ demands that their universities cut ties with companies supplying arms to Israel…reports Asian Lite News

Academics have called on the government to avoid “inflaming” the situation on British campuses, as students protest against the war in Gaza and their universities’ links to Israel.

Some senior staff accused Rishi Sunak of “scaremongering” by summoning vice-chancellors to Downing Street last Thursday to urge them to “take personal responsibility” for protecting Jewish students.

There are now 15 student protest encampments across England and Scotland, although vice-chancellors and academics say they are overwhelmingly peaceful, unlike the dramatic scenes on US college campuses, where hundreds of students and faculty members have been arrested.

Prof Steve West, former president of Universities UK who is vice-chancellor of the University of the West of England in Bristol, said there was “no evidence” student protests in the UK were getting out of hand. He said: “I would say to the government: please work with us to make sure we don’t inadvertently inflame a situation that is currently being managed well.”

West told the Observer: “We are trying to straddle complex and nuanced issues and manage tensions with an understanding of our own university environment, our staff and our students. I would argue that we are better placed to manage that than any member of government.”

A growing number of academics have backed students’ demands that their universities cut ties with companies supplying arms to Israel.

Hundreds of staff at universities including Cambridge, Oxford and Edinburgh have signed open letters expressing solidarity with the students camping out in tents and accusing their universities of complicity in Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Gaza. Staff are also giving food, sleeping bags and hot water bottles. Members of the University and Colleges Union at Leeds University have called for academics to organise talks or “teach outs” alongside the tents.

Vice-chancellors insist they have no desire to quell challenge or stop difficult discussions on their campuses, arguing that this is part of the core purpose of a university. But the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) has called on them to ensure that Jewish students feel safe.

Oxford professor Naomi Waltham-Smith, who has signed the Oxford pro-Palestinian solidarity letter, said: “One might say the prime minister’s actions this week were an attempt to scaremonger that we might see unlawful actions. I think it is irresponsible to raise anxieties among students.”

She argued that students’ “sense of security” was threatened far more by “other issues the government isn’t addressing”, including funding of universities, the cost of living crisis and the “crisis of productivity” that students would graduate into.

Waltham-Smith described the atmosphere at the Oxford encampment she visited this week as peaceful and “more like an extension of a tutorial”. I overheard students chatting in some depth about geopolitical issues and disagreeing but in reasoned intellectual conversations,” she said.

Edward Isaacs, the president of the UJS, told a round table hosted by the prime minister on Friday that they were in the middle of “the worst antisemitism crisis on campus that we have seen for a generation”. He cited hundreds of calls to the UJS’s welfare hotline, and told the 17 vice-chancellors present that Jewish students felt “alone, marginalised and vulnerable ”.

Downing Street said the discussions on Thursday covered the importance of using disciplinary procedures to crack down on any students who incited hatred or violence, as well as concerns over non-students joining campus protests and the role of the police.

Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute thinktank, said: “Vice-chancellors are definitely right not to invite police on to campus. That is something you regret for decades as the images live on in people’s minds.”

Academic freedom gave university staff more “room to manoeuvre” than employees in many other professions. But Hillman added: “It is reasonable to ask, as an academic, whether some of your students will feel less safe as a result of you signing this letter.”

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