Ashoka University.(photo: Ashoka University website)
The students urged the severance of ties until Tel Aviv University takes concrete steps to address ethical concerns….reports Asian Lite News
Students at Ashoka University have added their voices to the growing chorus of protests against the conflict in Gaza, urging the institution’s vice-chancellor to terminate all academic and research collaborations with Tel Aviv University in Israel, media reported.
The student government, representing the student body, penned a letter to the vice chancellor, expressing concern that the university’s affiliations with institutions associated with human rights violations contradict its purported commitment to justice and human rights, news agency PTI reported.
Citing the ongoing crisis in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians have lost their lives and many more have been injured, the students condemned what they termed as Israeli military brutality. They highlighted a trend among students across various universities to call for boycotts of Israeli academic institutions and exchange programs, emphasizing recent protests at Columbia University as a motivating example.
The students pointed out that Ashoka University, located in Haryana’s Sonipat, has established research partnerships, faculty exchanges, research collaborations, and joint programs with Tel Aviv University. They urged the severance of ties until Tel Aviv University takes concrete steps to address ethical concerns.
Allegations against Tel Aviv University include close associations with the Israeli military, support for the occupation of Palestinian territories, and collaboration with Israeli weapons manufacturers such as Elbit Systems. The students accused Tel Aviv University professors of involvement in drafting codes of ethics for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), providing legal defense for IDF members accused of war crimes, and shaping military doctrines.
Additionally, the students cited the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which advocates for the boycott of entities implicated in the Gaza conflict. They highlighted the destruction of Palestinian universities by Israeli forces and criticized Tel Aviv University’s alleged suppression of Palestinian voices.
The petition stressed Tel Aviv University’s obligation to uphold academic freedom, social justice, and human rights principles. It argued that maintaining ties with an institution linked to human rights abuses implicates Ashoka University in these violations. Against the backdrop of international concerns over the conflict, the students urged Ashoka University to demonstrate its commitment to ethical conduct and human rights by severing ties with Tel Aviv University.
Israeli soldiers aim their weapons at Palestinian protesters during clashes following a protest against the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank city of Hebron, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Mamoun Wazwaz/Xinhua/IANS)
The advisory comes after a man from Kerala working in a plantation in Israel was killed and two other Indian citizens were injured in northern Israel following a terror strike by Hezbollah….reports Asian Lite News
India on Tuesday issued an advisory for its nationals living in the border areas of Israel to relocate to safer areas within the country due to prevailing situations.
“In view of the prevailing security situation and local safety advisories, all Indians nationals in Israel, especially those working in or visiting border areas in the north and south, are advised to relocate to safe areas within Israel. The Embassy remains in touch with the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of all our nationals,” Indian embassy in Israel said in an official statement.
The advisory comes after a man from Kerala working in a plantation in Israel was killed and two other Indian citizens were injured in northern Israel following a terror strike by Hezbollah on Monday.
Additionally, Indian authorities have also issued a emergency helpline number (+972-35226748) and an email address (cons1.telaviv@mea.gov.in) for clarification and guidance in security related issues.
Moreover, Israeli envoy to India Naor Gilon today said that he has spoken with the relatives of deceased Indian and reassured his country’s support.
“I spoke earlier to the brother of the deceased Indian farm worker who was killed yesterday in Northern Israel. I offered my heartfelt condolences to him and the family and reassured that Israel will be by their side for anything and everything,” Naor Gilon posted on social media platform X.
Earlier today, the Israeli embassy in India confirmed that one Indian national was killed and two more Indians were injured in the terror attack by Hezbollah along the border with Lebanon in Northern Israel yesterday.
As per information, the deceased has been identified as 31-year-old Nibin Maxwell, son of Pathrose Maxwell, from Kollam district in Kerala. Reports have also confirmed that the other two injured are also from Kerala.
Nibin Maxwell had arrived in Israel two months ago and was working in a farm there.
In its statement, the Israeli embassy said, “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the death of one Indian national and the injury of two others due to a cowardly terror attack launched by Shia terror organization Hezbollah, on peaceful agriculture workers who were cultivating an orchard at the northern village of Margaliot yesterday early afternoon. Our prayers and thoughts naturally go to the families of the bereaved and those of the injured.”
“Israeli medical institutions are completely at the service of the injured who are being treated by our very best medical staff. Israel regards equally all nationals, Israeli or foreign, who are injured or killed due to terrorism. We will be there to support the families and offer them assistance. Our countries, who are sadly well versed in civilian loss, stand united in hopes of a speedy recovery for the injured and solace for the family of the bereaved,” the Israeli embassy in India said.
Meanwhile, the Times of Israel reported that Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets at northern Israel on Monday night, resulting in damage that knocked out power in several towns, as the military struck targets in Lebanon following a deadly cross-border attack by the terror group earlier in the day.
According to the Israel Defence Forces, at least 10 rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Western Galilee. Some of the projectiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defence system.
Fighting also continues in Gaza with the Israeli Defence forces claiming that they eliminated Islamic Jihad terrorists who fired rockets toward Kibbutz Be’eri and Kibbutz Hatzerim. Fifteen terrorists were eliminated using sniper, tank and aerial fire. IDF forces also struck terrorist targets and eliminated terrorists operating from within civilian areas in Western Khan Yunis. (ANI)
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar speaks at a news conference in New York on Saturday, September 24, 2022. (Photo: Arul Louis/IANS)
‘Indian Leaving Shores of Country Goes With Confidence’
Highlighting India’s unprecedented reputation at the international level, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday that the people leaving India to explore global work opportunities now have confidence in the present government that the regime would take care of them even when they are abroad.
“You can see, today, an Indian leaving the shores of India, does so with a confidence which they didn’t have before. They have the confidence that whatever happens out there, there is a government that will look after them. That’s a very big feeling because when we look at the state of the world, more and more Indians will explore global work opportunities,” EAM said.
Minister also underscored the significant contribution of Indian diaspora for strengthening New Delhi relations with other countries and said that the country is in the right path and doing right thing.
“There will be students going abroad. There will be people, you know, blue collar workers. There will be professionals. There will be, you know, people whose talents will be sought by companies across the world. So we have to give them that confidence. And we have shown in 10 years today,” he said.
“But those who live abroad also know, you know, that there are, that in many ways your hearts and minds are, a large part of it is always in India. So I know, you know, that all of you in different ways, contribute to the progress of our country. What is happening at home, the choices we make, the progress we make is very much in your minds. So I want today to both appreciate you as well as share with you that sense of confidence. I think that we are today on the right path, with the right leadership, doing the right thing, going up in the world,” he added.
Earlier, in his address at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy on ‘Broadening horizons: India-Korea Partnership in the Indo-Pacific’, Jaishankar stressed that it is time for two nations to introspect and strategise how the two countries could be doing more by making efforts differently.
EAM who is on a visit to South Korea said that ties between India and South Korea has expanded in different sectors and the benefits are visible to both nations. He said that India’s partnership with South Korea is acquiring “great salience” in a “more uncertain and volatile world.” (ANI)
Nearly 70 per cent of those reported killed in Gaza are children and women…reports Asian Lite News
UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini has said the killing of thousands of children in Gaza cannot be “collateral damage.”
Nearly 70 per cent of those reported killed in Gaza are children and women, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Save the Children, an international non-governmental organisation, reported that nearly 3,200 children have been killed in Gaza in just three weeks. This surpasses the number of children killed annually across the world’s conflict zones since 2019,” he said. “This cannot be ‘collateral damage.'”
Churches, mosques, hospitals, and UNRWA facilities, including those sheltering displaced people, have not been spared. Too many people have been killed and injured while seeking safety in places protected by international humanitarian law, he told the Security Council.
“The atrocities of Hamas do not absolve Israel from its obligations under international humanitarian law. Every war has rules, and this one is no exception,” he said.
The current siege imposed on Gaza is collective punishment, said Lazzarini.
Two weeks of full siege followed by the trickle of aid last week mean that basic services are crumbling and that medicine, food and water, and fuel are running out. The streets of Gaza have started overflowing with sewage, which will cause a massive health hazard very soon, he said.
In the latest blow, the communications blackout over the weekend has aggravated the panic and distress of people, he said.
The blackout meant that people could not communicate with their loved ones inside Gaza to know who was dead and who was alive, that they no longer knew whether they would receive bread from UNRWA, that they felt abandoned and cut off from the rest of the world, he said.
The communications blackout has accelerated the breaking down of civil order. Panic pushed thousands of desperate people to head to the UNRWA warehouses and distribution centers. A further breakdown in civil order will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for UNRWA to continue operating. It will also make it impossible to bring in convoys, he warned.
“I say this while being fully aware that UNRWA is the last remaining lifeline for the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
The horrific attacks by Hamas in Israel on October 7 were shocking. The relentless bombardments by the Israeli Forces of the Gaza Strip are shocking. The level of destruction is unprecedented, the human tragedy is unbearable, said Lazzarini.
One million people, half the population of Gaza, were pushed from the north of the Gaza Strip toward the south in three weeks. The south, however, has not been spared from bombardment, with significant numbers of people killed, he said. “I have said many times, and I will say it again: no place is safe in Gaza.”
What happened and continues to happen is forced displacement. Over 670,000 displaced people are now in overcrowded UNRWA schools and buildings. They live in appalling, unsanitary conditions, with limited food and water, sleeping on the floor without mattresses, or outside in the open, he said.
Lazzarini said there must be strict adherence to international humanitarian law. This means civilians and civilian infrastructure, including UN premises, schools, hospitals, places of worship, and shelters hosting civilians, must be protected all over the Gaza Strip and at all times. This is not an option, it is an obligation.
He called for a safe, unimpeded, substantial and continuous flow of humanitarian aid, including fuel, into Gaza and across the strip. For this to happen, there is a need for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.
“An immediate humanitarian cease-fire has become a matter of life and death for millions. The present and future of Palestinians and Israelis depend on it. I urge all (UN) member states to change the trajectory of this crisis, and work toward a genuine political solution – before it’s too late,” said Lazzarini.
Guterres used all his diplomatic prowess to get Israel to agree to allow the supplies from Egypt into Gaza in an arrangement involving Cairo, Washington and the UN….reports Arul Louis
After a fortnight of diplomatic cajoling and appeals to conscience by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and a dose of international pressure, a small convoy of 20 trucks loaded with relief supplies tentatively crossed the Rafah border from Egypt to bring succour to the 2 million people trapped by Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
For a UN powerless to deal with the Gaza crisis — or the broader Palestine issue for 75 years — sending aid to Gaza was a tiny victory and a stab at relevance.
Although Israel allowed the trickle of 20 trucks into Gaza nominally under its occupation and facing a threat of attacks on unauthorised vehicles, the UN programme’s future hangs in the balance.
But 200 other trucks loaded with food, medicine and fuel were parked at the Egypt-Gaza border while officials from Egypt, Israel, and the US haggled over the terms for them to move into Gaza.
“They are a lifeline to the people in Gaza”, Guterres said, “the difference between death and life, with water, with food, with medicines, with everything the people of Gaza need”.
Israel’s blockade of Gaza as reprisal for the terrorist attack launched on October 7 by the Hamas group that rules the territory has cut off power, water and supplies of medicine, fuel, and other essential supplies.
In that attack over 1,400 people were killed in Israel and about 200 were taken hostage by marauding Hamas terrorists.
Israel’s retaliation has caused nearly 4,000 deaths, Palestinian authorities say.
Guterres used all his diplomatic prowess to get Israel to agree to allow the supplies from Egypt into Gaza in an arrangement involving Cairo, Washington and the UN.
He got some help from US President Joe Biden who also pressured Israel to agree to allowing 20 trucks to cross into Gaza, far less than the 200 ready to roll.
However, for the UN and Guterres, the bigger goal is stopping Israel from launching the threatened ground offensive to annihilate Hamas that could cause massive civilian casualties and from the conflict spilling over the region.
One barrier to allowing the UN convoy – inspecting the trucks to ensure they are not carrying weapons – appears to have been breached, but others – whether they can go to northern Gaza which Israel has ordered to be emptied out as it prepares for ground invasion of the area, and resistance to allowing fuel to be sent in – remain.
Guterres said on Friday: “We are now actively engaging with all the parties, actively engaging with Egypt, with Israel, with the US, in order to make sure that we are able to clarify those conditions, that we are able to limit those restrictions in order to have as soon as possible these trucks moving to where they are needed.”
Guterres also wants the relief arrangement to go beyond 20 trucks to a regular arrangement.
“We are not looking for one convoy to come, we are looking for convoys to be authorized, with meaningful numbers of trucks to go everywhere into Gaza to provide enough support to the Gaza people,” he said.
That would be a tough sell to Israel, which is preparing a ground offensive.
The UN, ultimately, is at the mercy of Israel which can destroy convoys entering Gaza.
The blockade has been described as a collective punishment, which is a violation of international law.
Guterres said: “I have repeatedly said that the barbaric attack by Hamas needs to be condemned. But I’ve also said they can not be a pretext for a collective punishment of the Palestinian people. It’s absolutely essential to respect international humanitarian law.”
United Arab Emirates Permanent Representative Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, made the distinction earlier last week: “Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, or the people of Gaza, who are suffering immensely today.”
The UN launched in 1949 the aid programme for the Palestinian refugees displaced in the creation of Israel the previous year is the single largest such programme and it has an annual budget of $1.6 billion and more than 13,000 employees.
Known as the UN Relief and Works Programme (UNRWA), it operates in Gaza and the West Bank, but also in neighbouring countries with Palestinian refugees, running health centres, educational institutions and food distribution programmes.
UNRWA will be distributing the aid sent through the Rafah Crossing.
Guterres said: “To be able to distribute aid on that side, it is necessary that UNRWA has fuel and so we need to have the guarantee that we have enough fuel on the other side to distribute aid to the people in need.”
Israel has reservations about fuel going into Gaza because of fears it could be commandeered by Hamas for its military activities.
In the other major conflict, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where the UN has been rendered a helpless bystander because of the Security Council veto stalemate, Guterres gained a small symbolic victory through the Black Sea Grain Initiative that allowed food grains from Ukraine to be shipped out to stabilise the global supplies and to help nations facing severe food shortages.
But that was been shortlived because Russia has withdrawn from it threatening ships carrying Ukrainian foodgrains.
Accusing Israel of ‘massacres in Gaza,’ the representative stated, “Under international law, there is no justification for committing massacres. Israel is, on a daily basis, accused of perpetrating massacres in Gaza.”…reports Asian Lite News
Palestine’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Riyan Mansour, has slammed Israel, stating that killing more Palestinians will never make Israel more secure as he held the country responsible for the occupation of their land.
During an emergency session at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday, Mansour emphasized, “For 75 years now, Israel has explained, brazenly justified how it had to dispossess us, how it had to occupy our land, how it had to kill our people, all in full impunity.”
He continued, “Killing more Palestinians will never, never make Israel more secure. 75 years of experience should have been proof enough for those who want to learn there is no logic in this world, no moral in this world, and no law in this world that can justify the killing of people innocent children, women and men, as a pretext to make another secure.”
“The whole world is watching. They’re watching us. The events of the last ten days may shape the next ten years in our region and beyond. What happens next is decisive. If anyone thinks this is a situation under control for which you can plan and implement, they are making false and irresponsible assumptions. This is the kind of war where you know how it starts and have no clue how it ends until now,” he added.
Blaming Israel for ‘massacres in Gaza’, the envoy said, “There is no right to commit massacres in international law. Israel is perpetrating massacres in Gaza every single day. For over ten days now, you have witnessed it killing entire families, bomb shelters, schools, hospitals, residential buildings and convoys…You will all say civilian lives should be protected and yet some of you, until now, continue being unable to call for a stop to the assault, to call for an immediate ceasefire…:
“Had this Council called for a ceasefire two days ago and acted accordingly, it would have saved hundreds of lives. Maybe for some, saving hundreds of Palestinian lives is not such an important objective to pursue. But are you sure that Palestinian lives are the only ones you would be saving if you act? We told these Council months ago, act to save lives, all lives. You did not hear us then. Don’t make the same mistake now…This is the kind of war where you know how it starts and have no clue how it ends until now. It can be stopped and it should be stopped immediately. Any further delay is a risk no one should take,” he said.
He did not stop here but further went on denouncing Israel for the Gaza hospital blast.
“…the hospital massacre had such an impact on global public opinion that it had to change tactics and change its original story into a new one. So Israel will deny responsibility for the massacre in the Baptist Hospital Al Ahli, just as it made every effort to deny its responsibility in the killing of Sharina Abu Akli and Muhammad, and in the many massacres it had perpetrated over the decades…,” the envoy added.
The draft resolution on the Israel-Hamas war was not adopted on Wednesday after the United States vetoed the council’s call that would have asked for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver lifesaving aid to millions in Gaza.
Brazil, which headed the ‘call for action’ noted that the focus remains on the critical humanitarian situation on the ground. Brazil’s ambassador to the Security Council, Sergio Franca Danese, stated that his nation responded to a plea from Council members to develop a unified approach to the situation. Brazil is the Security Council’s President for October.
“We heeded the call with a sense of urgency and responsibility, in our view the Security Council had to take action and do so very quickly,” he said, according to the UN News.
“Council paralysis in the face of a humanitarian catastrophe is not in the interest of the international community,” he added.
Notably, 12 members of the UN Security Council voted in favour of the Brazil-led resolution, one (the United States) voted against it, and two (Russia, and the United Kingdom) abstained.
Explaining why the US went for veto, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that “this resolution did not mention Israel’s right of self-defence.”
“Israel has the inherent right of self-defence as reflected in Article 51 of the UN Charter,” she said, adding that the right was reaffirmed by the Council in previous resolutions on terrorist attacks, “this resolution should have done the same.”
Israel has been striking Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip since an October 7 assault by Hamas on Israeli communities near the Gaza border that caught Israelis off-guard. Fighting raged for days as the IDF initially struggled to clear out the terrorists.
More than 1,400 Israelis were killed and over 4,100 more injured. At least 199 hostages were taken to Gaza.
On Tuesday evening, Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, held a joint press conference with ambassadors from the Arab Group, a bloc of 20 Arab countries. Mansour called for an immediate ceasefire and accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of lying about who is at fault for the hospital strike.
The UAE, which was initially supportive of Israel following Hamas’s Oct 7 attacks, has since fallen back into its role as the voice of the Arab world in the Security Council. The Emiratis issued a statement on Tuesday evening that “strongly condemns the Israeli attack that resulted in the death and injury of hundreds of people.” (ANI)
The US imposed the financial sanctions on ten members and financiers of Hamas in the Middle East…reports Asian Lite News
The US government has imposed sanctions on 10 prominent figures in the Middle East for financing the militant outfit Hamas soon after President Joe Biden arrived in Israel and plunged into discussions with Israel leaders on how to prevent the war from blowing up into a larger Middle East crisis amid the hospital blast in Gaza.
The US imposed the financial sanctions on ten members and financiers of Hamas, in the Middle East , particularly Sudan , including figures tied to a covert investment portfolio meant to benefit the militant group, UK’s Independent reported.
The US Treasury Department said in a statement the new sanctions were targeted at “ten key Hamas terrorist group members, operatives, and financial facilitators in Gaza and elsewhere including Sudan, Turkiye, Algeria, and Qatar” as part of “a continuous effort by the US to root out Hamas’ sources of revenue in the West Bank and Gaza and across the region … in close coordination with regional partners and allies”.
Among those now subject to the US sanctions are Musa Muhammad Salim Dudin and Abdelbasit Hamza Elhassan Mohamed Khair — two Hamas financiers based in the West Bank and Sudan, respectively, reports said.
Dudin is a member of the group’s Political Bureau and Investment Office, who has also participated in negotiations over Hamas prisoners.
He is alleged to have worked to conceal Hamas’ interest in sanctioned companies by transferring their ownership.
He is also accused of working “directly” with another senior Hamas leader hit by sanctions, Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar, the Independent said .
Sudan based investor Hamza is alleged to have “managed numerous companies in Hamas’ investment portfolio and was previously involved in the transfer of almost $20 million to Hamas”, the Treasury Department said.
In the statement, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US was taking “swift and decisive action to target Hamas’ financiers and facilitators following its brutal and unconscionable massacre of Israeli civilians, including children”.
“We will continue to take all steps necessary to deny Hamas terrorists the ability to raise and use funds to carry out atrocities and terrorise the people of Israel.
“That includes by imposing sanctions and coordinating with allies and partners to track, freeze, and seize any Hamas-related assets in their jurisdictions,” she added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken clarified in a statement that the US sanctions did not target Palestinians but aimed at Hamas terrorists and their support network.
“Hamas alone is responsible for the carnage its militants have inflicted on the people of Israel” and called on the group to “immediately release all hostages in its custody”.
The US sanctions were announced as President Joe Biden was in the midst of a visit to Tel Aviv meeting Israeli leaders that topped the one with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet.
The President’s trip seemed in jeopardy last night as it came hours after an explosion at a Gaza hospital that killed at least 300 people, including many children and the meeting with the rulers of Jordan in Amman was abruptly cancelled.
President Biden, however, went ahead with the trip, described as a first war time visit by a US President, to show America’s steadfast support to Israel in the dark hours of terror in its history, reports said. The highest population of Jews outside of Israel live in New York. .
Addressing a joint meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden said he was “deeply saddened and outraged” by the explosion.
The Israeli Defence Forces says the explosion was caused by a botched rocket attack by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Meanwhile, the PIJ has denied involvement and Hamas has blamed Israel, media reports said.
The president seemed to agree with the Israeli assessment in his comments to reporters in Tel Aviv.
“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. But there’s a lot of people out there not sure, so we have to overcome a lot of things,” he said.
Hundreds of people, including the sick, wounded, and forcibly displaced from their residences, were being accommodated at Al Ahli Baptist Hospital….reports Asian Lite News
The Arab Nations have strongly condemned the alleged Israeli attack that targeted Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip resulting in the death of at least 500 people and injury of several others.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its deep regret for the loss of life and conveys its condolences to the families of the victims, wishing a swift recovery for all those injured.
The Ministry also stressed the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities and to ensure that civilians and civilian institutions are not targeted. The Ministry further underlined the importance of the protection of civilians, according to international humanitarian law, international treaties for the protection of civilians and human rights, and the need to ensure that they are not targeted in conflict.
The UAE called on the international community to intensify efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire to prevent further loss of life, to avoid further fuelling the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, and to advance all efforts to achieve a comprehensive and just peace, while preventing the region from being pulled into new levels of violence, tension and instability.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also condemned the attack. The Secretary-General of the OIC Hissein Taha called the attack a “war crime” and a “crime against humanity.”
Taha held the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes, terrorist practices, and brutal attacks against the Palestinian people, which contradict all human values and constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
The Muslim World League (MWL) also denounced the act “in the strongest terms.”
MWL chief Sheikh Abdulkarim Al-Issa denounced in a statement this “brutal crime that devoids its perpetrators of all religious and human values, calling on the international community to assume its responsibilities towards protecting civilians from these horrific massacres.”
Condeming the attack in the “strongest terms”, Saudi Arabia termed the attack “brutal” and called it “a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms, including international humanitarian law,” according to foreign ministry.
The ministry also denounced Israel for its “continuous attacks against civilians despite many international appeals” to stop.
“This dangerous development forces the international community to abandon double standards and selectivity in applying international humanitarian law when it comes to Israeli criminal practices. It requires a serious and firm stance to provide protection for defenseless civilians,” a ministry statement said.
The Kingdom also stressed the necessity of opening safe corridors immediately to deliver food and medicine to civilians trapped in Gaza, and said it holds Israeli forces fully responsible for their continued violation of all international norms and laws, the Arab News reported.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi issued a statement on Tuesday, saying: “I condemn in the strongest of terms Israel’s bombardment” on a hospital in Gaza, and calling it a “clear violation of intl law.”
Kuwait on Tuesday “strongly condemned and denounced the Israeli occupation forces’ barbaric airstrike on the Baptist Al-Ahli Hospital in the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of innocent civilians were killed,” the state news agency said.
“The occupation forces targeting of hospitals and public facilities is a violation of the International Humanitarian Law,” a statement by the foreign ministry said.
Qatar’s foreign ministry also issued a statement in which it strongly condemned the Israeli airstrike saying, “the expansion of Israeli attacks over the Gaza Strip to include hospitals, schools, and other population centers is a dangerous escalation.”
Jordan’s foreign ministry issued a statement on Tuesday strongly condemning the Israeli attack. King Abdullah said Israel’s bombing of the Gaza hospital was a “massacre” and a “war crime” that one cannot be silent about.
Israel Denies Responsibility
The Israel Defence Forces on Wednesday posted a video on social media which included multiple shots showing the deadly Gaza hospital explosion, saying it was caused by a “failed rocket launch” and not an airstrike.
The IDF posted the 30-second video on X and said : “A failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization hit the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza City.
“IAF (Israel Air Force) footage from the area around the hospital before and after the failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation.”
Using images showing fire damage to several vehicles in the hospital parking lot, the IDF video suggests that a fire broke out at the hospital as the result of the failed rocket launch, reports CNN.
The IDF added that there were no visible signs of craters or significant damage to buildings that would result from an airstrike.
Speaking to CNN on Wednesday, IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said the “first packet of information” was “evidence that clearly supports the fact that it could not have been an Israeli bomb”.
“There was no collateral or significant damage to the buildings around it. No crater, and nothing that is similar to locations where Israeli bombs have struck.”
Conricus also acknowledged that the IDF was slow to release information because it took hours for the Israeli military to “investigate and get to the bottom of the situation”.
The Islamic Jihad movement however, has denied Israel’s assertions that a failed rocket launch was responsible, claiming that it does not use public facilities such as hospitals for military purposes.
In a statement published on Wednesday , the group called the Israeli accusations as “false and baseless”.
At least 1,537 Palestinians have been killed and 6,612 others injured in the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza…reports Asian Lite News
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday arrived in Israel with President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola to express solidarity with the Israeli people in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack.
“I have arrived in Israel with @EP_President to express our solidarity with the Israeli people in the wake of the horrific Hamas terrorist attack,” the European Commission President wrote on ‘X’.
United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin also arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday even as high-ranking US officials continued their reachout efforts in the region.
I have arrived in Israel with @EP_President to express our solidarity with the Israeli people in the wake of the horrific Hamas terrorist attack. pic.twitter.com/4ktjwabx14
On arrival in Tel Aviv, Lloyd Austin said that US support for Israel was ironclad.
“Just landed in Tel Aviv. Today, I’ll meet with Prime Minister @netanyahu, Minister @YoavGallant & other senior leaders to demonstrate that America’s support for Israel’s security is ironclad & talk to them face-to-face about their defence needs. We stand w/ the people of Israel,” he posted on X.
Meanwhile, as the Israel-Hamas conflict entered the seventh day, the Israel Defence Forces called for an immediate evacuation of Gaza. In a statement, the IDF said that all civilians of Gaza City must move from their homes southwards for their own safety and protection and move to the area south of the Wadi Gaza.
The IDF asked civilians to distance themselves from Hamas terrorists who are using them as human shields. The IDF said they will continue to operate significantly in Gaza City and make extensive efforts to avoid harming civilians.
Hamas has dismissed Israel’s orders for Palestinians to evacuate the northern half of the Gaza Strip and asked the residents to stay put, the Times of Israel said.
At least 1,537 Palestinians have been killed and 6,612 others injured in the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza, CNN reported citing the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.
At least 36 people have died and more than 650 have been injured in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.
United Nations Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that more than 338,000 Palestinians have been displaced due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, CNN reported. He further said that nearly 218,000 of those are sheltering in 92 schools run by the UN Relief and Works Agency.
Earlier in the day, Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said that the death toll from the Hamas terror attacks on Israel has jumped to 1,300 and more than 3000 have been injured.
He also touched on the ongoing efforts to collect the bodies and bring them to Tel Aviv for identification before handing them over to their loved ones. Calling it a “tedious and detailed process”, he noted that Israel has never in history faced such a situation.
“Unfortunately the number of Israeli casualties has risen to 1,300 Israeli civilians and soldiers and more than 3000 wounded. There is a massive national effort involving almost all of the security organisations and many of the ministries of the Israeli state, which is focused on taking the bodies from the same communities that we spoke about yesterday, like for instance … and other communities and the entire southern area, collecting the bodies, bringing them to a centre in Tel Aviv, identifying them and then making sure they are next to their kin. Their loved ones are able to take them and to provide them with a final and respectable burial that’s ongoing,” Lt. Col. Conricus said. (ANI)
Beijing urged an “immediate cease-fire” in response to the Hamas attack on Saturday, reiterating support for a two-state solution with an independent State of Palestine, without condemning Hamas….reports Mohammed Anas
In the haze of the Hamas-Israeli conflict, the future of both China and the US, two major players weaving a myriad of alliances in the Middle East, looks uncertain. While the US clout was already waning, the recent conflict will make its position even more challenging. On the other hand, China is in a curious situation to win and lose.
In June this year, China had offered to mediate to settle the Israel-Palestinian dispute when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had visited Beijing. China had in fact pompously vowed to apply “Chinese wisdom, Chinese strength” as balm to cover festering wounds in the region.
China's Xi Jinping hosted visiting Palestinian President
Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted a welcome ceremony for visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon. After the ceremony, the two top leaders held talks,… pic.twitter.com/Z67UinkndM
In August, China sent a special envoy to Tel Aviv to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convey President Xi Jinping’s message, which according to the media, was to convince the rightwing leader for “concessions” in negotiations over the Palestine issue.
Within two months, these moves were shattered, much like US President Joe Biden’s efforts to broker a Saudi-Israeli deal!
Beijing’s official response to the Hamas attack on Saturday called for an “immediate cease-fire” and the repetition of its support for a two-state solution with an independent State of Palestine as a way out of the conflict. It did not condemn Hamas.
@ChinaEmbinCH
Later on Sunday, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Zhan Jun, said China was worried about escalation.
“What’s important is to prevent further escalation of the situation and casualties of civilians,” Zhang told reporters before an emergency closed-door security meeting. “We condemn all attacks against civilians,” he stressed.
President Xi has yet to make any public statement.
Initial Setback to Belt and Road Initiative
The current crisis may also hit China’s relationship with Israel. Beijing has long tried to adopt a balanced position, by supporting Palestinian statehood while also maintaining strong economic ties with Israel.
China has ramped up trade and investment in sectors from technology to infrastructure. Israel has participated in Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative.
Galia Lavi, a specialist in the Belt and Road Initiative and China-Israel relations at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, said Israel had been disappointed by China’s “lax response” to the Hamas attacks.
Wang from Northwest University agreed that Israel’s criticism of China may have some negative implications for the Belt and Road projects, but he did not expect existing schemes to be seriously affected.
“Projects like the Haifa Port, they may be affected and be suspended for now, but the impact would be very small.”
The Bayport terminal in Haifa, a strategic gateway to the Mediterranean, was built and operated by the state-owned Shanghai International Port Group.
Limited role as peacemaker
Experts say this initial response may expose Beijing’s limited influence in the region, despite official propaganda talking up China as the world’s new peacemaker.
“China doesn’t really have the experience or expertise in the region to make a meaningful change” on the long-running, complex Palestine-Israel conflict, said Jonathan Fulton, an Abu Dhabi-based senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council.
“You don’t see governments in the region saying ‘what’s China’s solution to this’ because they’re not seen as a credible actor here yet.”
Despite its claims of neutrality, coverage of the conflict on China’s state-run television appears more slanted.
Hamas fighters’ killing of Israeli civilians was given little air time on the country’s most watched news program on state broadcaster CCTV. Instead, the prime-time show focused primarily on Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza – and the scenes of devastation they created there.
Chinese state media were also quick to blame the US for the conflict now raging in the heart of the Middle East.
In an editorial Monday, the Global Times, a tabloid nested under the Party’s Peope’s Daily network, criticized Western countries – especially the US – for “taking sides” on the issue and “fanning the flames rather than cooling down the situation.”
“This is a consistent pattern for Western countries in many conflict regions, where they often create substantial obstacles to crisis resolution,” it said.
Gains for Beijing
Despite immediate hiccups, Beijing stands to gain the most in the post-conflict Middle East. While the US’ peace plans seem to have run into jeopardy and thus its image will be hit proportionately, Beijing’s partnerships with all parties – even Israelis and Palestinians – are not likely to suffer much. Israel will not push back mutual commercial interests with Chinese and infra projects that Chinese companies are pursuing in various Israeli cities, airports and ports.
Beijing’s relations Iran and Saudi Arabia too will remain intact; however Saudi’s relations with the US may not remain as flourishing. China will also cultivate more robust multi-pronged ties with Iran, and Russia also as a partner.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor that was supposed to link Israel and Saudi Arabia via trade links may not take off at least as fast as it was conceived. Since this corridor was touted to be a US counter to China’s BRI, Beijing will consider it a victory without efforts.
The US Navy had shifted a number of warships and aircraft carriers, some from the Indo-Pacific, to positions near Israel after the deadly Hamas attack keeping in view that the conflict might turn out to be broader putting Israel in serious peril.
The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which is the largest warship in the world, in addition to the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy and four Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyers — USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney and USS Roosevelt has been moved to the Mediterranean when it received orders to deploy. Depending on its precise location, it could have to travel over a thousand miles.
The US naval focus turning to the Mediterranean will give an edge to China in the Indo-Pacific. The US already sees China as a power which can initiate an aggressive conflict in the Indo-Pacific. This view along with China’s assertive posture in the region including its claims in the South China Sea, East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the Philippine Strait has raised security concerns among the countries here, including India. The fallout of the Hamas-Israeli conflict will aggravate such fears in the Indo-Pacific theater.
(Participants attend an Arab League (AL) extraordinary meeting at the level of foreign ministers at the AL headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
The resolution urges all parties to show restraint, condemns targeting of civilians on both sides, emphasises vital need to safeguard civilians….reports Asian Lite News
Arab foreign ministers on Wednesday called for an immediate halt of the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict and the revival of the stalled Palestinian-Israeli peace process.
In the final communique of an Arab League (AL) extraordinary meeting at the level of foreign ministers held in Cairo, the top Arab diplomats urged all parties to exercise self-restraint and warned of “the catastrophic humanitarian and security repercussions” of further escalation.
The session discussed ways of political action at the Arab and international levels to halt attacks on the Occupied Palestinian Territories following the recent unprecedented escalation in the Gaza Strip.
They emphasized the necessity of lifting the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip and immediately providing humanitarian aid, food, and fuel to Gazans.
The meeting was held on the fifth day of the deadly conflict that erupted between the Hamas militant group, which controls Gaza, and Israel. The conflict has left more than 2,000 people killed and thousands more injured on both sides.
The Arab foreign ministers condemned the killing of civilians on both sides, whether they were Palestinians or Israelis.
They also stressed the necessity of releasing relevant civilian hostages, detainees, and prisoners.
They said they will work with the international community for an urgent and active action to achieve de-escalation, according to the communique.
Participants of the meeting urged the Arab states and the rest of the international community to provide sufficient financial support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) at such a critical time.
“The way to guarantee security and stability in the region is to achieve just, permanent, and comprehensive peace that meets all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people,” the Arab foreign ministers underlined.
UAE Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar headed the Emirati delegation in the meeting.
AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said earlier during the opening session that the current crisis was created by the long-time “clogged political horizon” and the continuous construction of Israeli settlements, which limited the chances for peace through the internationally recognized two-state solution.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki emphasized the need to re-establish the political framework for resolving the conflict. He advocated for the revival of the peace process through a genuine political negotiation between the two sides, saying negotiation is the right way to attain security, stability, and prosperity in the region.
The extraordinary AL ministerial meeting was chaired by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, who urged international parties “to sponsor real consultations to revive the peace process.”
He called on the international community to develop “a roadmap with practical goals, including a timetable” for serious and purposeful negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis in order to agree on a final formula for resolving the Palestinian issue.
Arab Parliament Meeting
The Arab Parliament’s Palestine Committee convened on Thursday a meeting in the Egyptian capital Cairo to discuss the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, calling for international protection of the Palestinian people in all occupied territories.
The current serious escalation “could slide the region into a circle of mutual violence and lead to the fall of more victims,” Speaker of the Arab Parliament and head of the Palestine Committee Adel Al Asoomi said during the meeting.
“We call for providing international protection for the Palestinian people who have hundreds of dead and injured in the ongoing conflict,” the Arab Parliament chief added.
The meeting came on the sixth day of the deadly conflict between the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), the ruling faction of the Gaza Strip, and Israel.
Affiliated with the Cairo-based Arab League (AL), the Arab Parliament emphasized its firm position in support of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish their own independent state in accordance with the internationally recognized two-state solution.
MBZ, Erdogan Discuss Peace Efforts
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Türkiye, held a phone call yesterday to discuss efforts to contain escalation in the region and prioritise the protection of civilians.
They also discussed intensifying efforts to open safe corridors to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid in light of increasing violence and escalation, which threaten regional security and stability.
The leaders underscored the urgent need for regional and international action to promptly halt escalating tensions and stressed the significance of expanding prospects for inclusive and equitable peace, safeguarding the Middle East’s stability and security, and averting additional crises.
During the call, His Highness and the Turkish President also addressed ways to bolster bilateral cooperation and the strategic partnership that binds the two countries, noting their determination to explore opportunities to deepen ties in various fields.
