Penang Mufti says Muslims support Palestine on humanitarian grounds, not against Israel due to anti-Semitism

New Age Islam News Bureau

14 November 2023

Penang mufti Datuk Seri Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor today said it is compulsory for all Muslims to support the Palestinian cause. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

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·         India’s Gaza tightrope walk—it won’t fully support Palestine & can’t fully support Israel

·         Gaza genocide: PPP questions silence of world

·         US secretly pushing Israel to speed up Gaza war: Russian intelligence

·         Biden says Gaza hospitals ‘must be protected’

·         Saudi Arabia leads condemnation of Israeli bombing of Qatar Committee for Reconstruction of Gaza HQ

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Southeast Asia

·         Cautioned over Palestine, Nanta says Sarawak shouldn't accept refugees from countries noted for violence, hatred

·         Anwar hopes evacuated Malaysian Nurul Ain will share info on situation in Gaza

·         Boycott more than to just show solidarity towards Palestine

·         Teacher nabbed for alleged sexual abuse against student

·         Are Palestinian refugees coming? Clear the air, Sarawak govt told

·         Top Indonesian Islamic Clerics Call for Israel Boycott

·         Nearly 200 Rohingya refugees land in Indonesia

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India

·         Indian opposition leader hits out at int'l community over killings in Gaza

·         'No justice for Muslims from courts': Father of Rajouri resident killed by army in Shopian

·         India’s vote on UN draft resolutions criticising Israel were ‘routine’; regular stance maintained: Government

·         'Pippa' Makers Issue Apology After Backlash Over AR Rahman's Rendition Of Bengali Poet's Kazi

·         After calls for Muslim Ocean & Afro-Asian Ocean, Pakistan has made peace with Indian Ocean

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Pakistan

·         OIC summit falls short of expectations: JI chief

·         Imran also ‘arrested’ in Toshakhana, Al-Qadir cases

·         No crackdown launched against Afghan refugees: Bugti

·         HBL opens Islamic Prestige Lounge in Rawalpindi

·         Bushra Bibi’s ex-husband granted bail

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North America

·         Biden meets with Indonesia president ahead of Xi summit

·         US journalist refutes Zionist enemy’s claims over civilians' killing in Doviev site

·         Far-left Jews protest outside Israeli consulate in Chicago, demanding Gaza ceasefire

·         University introduces committees to support Jewish, Arab, Muslim and Palestinian students

·         Muslim groups report 'skyrocketing' number of Islamophobic incidents across Canada

·         Don't relent on your efforts at inter-faith dialogue - Regional Imams urge Dr. Bawumia

·         Indonesian president urges Biden to help end Gaza ‘atrocities’

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Mideast

·         Lebanon’s Hezbollah launches retaliatory strikes against Israel infantry 'in support of Palestinians in Gaza'

·         Organization of Islamic Cooperation urges international push for cease-fire in Gaza

·         Arab, Islamic countries condemn Israeli bombing of Qatari headquarters in Gaza

·         MSF doctor warns of ‘inhuman’ conditions in main Gaza hospital

·         Hamas armed wing discussed releasing 70 hostages in return for 5-day truce

·         Turkish ship carrying field hospitals docks in Egypt near Gaza

·         Israel blocks Beirut-based TV channel’s websites

·         Jordan’s king rejects any Israeli plan to occupy parts of Gaza

·         Iran: Israeli massacre of people in Gaza blatant violation of human rights, international law

·         Iran hangs three members of Sunni Muslim armed group for bomb attacks

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Arab World

·         ‘We know how violence ends, and the consequences,’ Somalia’s president tells Arab News

·         Saudi and Australian defense ministers discuss situation in Gaza

·         Gaza mission: Fifth Saudi relief plane lands in Egypt

·         Saudi Crown Prince, Eritrean president hold meeting in Riyadh

·         Amir's speech expressed feelings of all Arab-Islamic peoples: Shura

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Europe

·         Brazil’s Lula welcomes citizens rescued from Gaza, condemns ‘inhumane violence’

·         Europe, Türkiye have common interest in de-escalating war in Gaza: Greek premier

·         British Palestinians with families in Gaza ask government to call for cease-fire

·         British Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison Over Terror Offenses With Islamic State

·         France: Jewish-Muslim group fights rising antisemitism

·         Brazil President says Israel response 'as grave' as Hamas attack

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South Asia

·         Iran deports over 21,000 Afghan migrants in a week

·         Pakistan’s special envoy urges Taliban to decide between Pakistan and TTP

·         WFP’s $400 million appeal to prevent Afghanistan winter food crisis

·         UN-brokered int’l meeting on Afghanistan may take place in near future: Moscow

·         Amnesty International urges Pakistan to immediately halt Afghan deportations

·         Nearly 400,000 Afghan Refugees Expelled from Pakistan in Past 2 Months

·         Jamaat follow BNP's footsteps in calling new blockade

·         PM opens 157 projects including Purbachal, Ctg expressways

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Africa

·         NEMA distributes relief materials to victims of Zaria mosque collapse

·         Islamist militants tie up, kill Congo villagers

·         Burkina: at least 70 dead, including children, in a massacre in early November

·         Uganda: rebel leader charged with killing tourists

·         Nigerian Government Begins Probe As Saudi Arabia Cancels Visa Of 264 Pilgrims Airlifted By Air Peace

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/penang-mufti-muslims-palestine-israel/d/131111

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Penang Mufti says Muslims support Palestine on humanitarian grounds, not against Israel due to anti-Semitism

By Opalyn Mok

14 Nov 2023

Penang mufti Datuk Seri Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor today said it is compulsory for all Muslims to support the Palestinian cause. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

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GEORGE TOWN, Nov 14 — Penang mufti Datuk Seri Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor today said it is compulsory for all Muslims to support the Palestinian cause.

But he made it clear that their support does not mean that Islam is anti-Semitic or against Judaism.

“Instead, we are against the oppression of Israel and those from Europe and all over the world who have displaced Palestinians, turning them into refugees in neighbouring countries,” he said in a statement.

“We are not against the Jews but those who had cruelly driven Palestinians from their country and homes and mistreated those remaining in the country,” he added.

He said for this reason, all Muslims and even non-Muslims should offer their assistance to the Palestinians based on humanitarian grounds.

“Those who wish to assist financially, can donate directly to the related non-governmental organisations,” he said.

He also said companies proven to have helped Israel should also be boycotted.

“However, we must be careful not to boycott companies that did not contribute towards Israel’s cause, such as McDonald’s Malaysia,” he said.

Wan Salim said the local management of the international fast food restaurant chain has repeatedly made it clear that it has never contributed to Israel’s coffers.

“I fully support the boycott of companies that had supported the Zionists as this could pressure the companies to review their stance in this issue,” he said.

He reminded Muslims to only offer assistance to the best of their abilities.

He said those working in companies related to Israel should continue working in these companies if they face difficulties in making a living or could not find another job to support themselves and their families.

“This is with the exception of jobs that directly help the Israeli to attack the Muslims such as factories producing weapons used in the war,” he said.

Source: malaymail.com

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India’s Gaza tightrope walk—it won’t fully support Palestine & can’t fully support Israel

JYOTI MALHOTRA

14 November, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. | PTI File Photo

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One day before foreign and defence ministers of India and the United States in Delhi last week jointly “expressed their support for humanitarian pauses” in Israel’s war in Gaza—but not an end to the conflict—New Delhi voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution condemning “Israeli settlements” in “Occupied Palestinian Territory”.

Certainly, the anti-Israel vote at the UN is to address the growing, but still largely unspoken, sentiment in India that Israel’s war against the Palestinians in Gaza has become revengeful. What else would you call the bombing of hospitals, schools, and UN compounds—ostensibly because Hamas fighters are hiding somewhere beneath those buildings? More than 11,000 people have been killed in fighting over the last month.

There are two parts to the Modi government’s response to the current Israel-Palestine conflict. The first is his tweet within hours of the horrific 7 October massacre by Hamas — as many as 1,200 were killed and another 200 taken hostage — expressing “solidarity” with Israel. This must be understood as the government’s fundamental belief that terrorism must be opposed at all costs.

The second part of New Delhi’s response is aimed at moderating the view that India has abandoned its moral and diplomatic support of Palestine — and by implication, cares little for Arab opinion — because it firmly believes in the Israeli cause.

That is why, despite being pretty much stunned into silence for a full five days after Modi’s 7 October tweet, the Ministry of External Affairs has been trying to re-balance its posture on this very grave and sensitive issue so as not to appear too pro-Israel in public.

UN abstentions

The 27 October abstention on the Jordanian-sponsored resolution is a case in point. India understood that abstaining, at a grave and sensitive time as this, made it look like it had fallen between two stools — unable to fully support its fast friend Israel and advocate for the Palestinian cause. Moreover, an abstention at the UN made it look both somewhat helpless and irrelevant because abstentions don’t count in the UN system.

But some would argue that India has abstained several times in the past and made its point, for example, on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. That “abstention” was pretty much a pro-Russia vote in reality.

The big difference between the Ukraine and Gaza abstentions is that more people have been killed in Gaza (above 11,000) in the past month than in the year and a half since Russia went to war with Ukraine (9,614).

Moreover, the simple act of counting body bags goes beyond moral outrage. Especially when about half of those are children.

Still, there remains the simple matter of India and Israel being special friends — from defence to agriculture cooperation as well as ideological proximity between PM Modi and his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. Under the circumstances, how could Modi be seen as unsupportive of Bibi?

In the last month, though, things have changed drastically even in the Western world. The US, which largely keeps Israel afloat, has found that its allies are falling off. France was the first to distance itself in the 27 October resolution by voting against Israel.

Similarly, the UK has been forced to allow huge protests in the heart of London every weekend since the war began, with people chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine should be free” — despite former Home Minister Suella Braverman describing them as “hate marchers”. Pro-Palestine sentiment has taken such a sharp turn in the UK that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was forced to sack Braverman Monday afternoon for her comments.

Arab response

And so, S Jaishankar, one of India’s most eloquent external affairs ministers, has been pushed to moderate India’s position and return it from the far-Right that favoured Israel to the Centre. He called Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on the Gaza crisis last week, knowing full well that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei only recently met the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Here, then, is the deal: India voted against the Israel resolution at the UN, hours before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Minister Lloyd Austin arrived in Delhi for the 2+2 dialogue, knowing full well that few care about UN General Assembly votes. All in all, it was a small price to pay for creating a diplomatic fog about where India’s sympathies really lie.

While it’s clear that the Modi government’s sympathies lie with Israel, few can look the other way when Israel is bombing Gaza back into the Stone Age.

There’s a third side to the story too, and that is the reaction of the Arab streets to the relentless bombing of Gaza. Except for Qatar, most Arab nations are pretty much going about their business, as usual. The Saudis, the custodians of the two holy mosques, are going ahead with their film and music festival —   “lighting up Riyadh with pulsating beats, mesmerising lights, and an all-star line up” — in the weeks to come. No one cancelled the Future Investment Initiative, the investment conference dubbed “Davos in the desert”.

Delhi very well understands the cynical behaviour of the Arab elite, the volatile streets, the need to take a strong position on the Israeli bombing of Gaza, its continuing need for Israel’s friendship, and the need to have the US on its side.

If you can see it this way, you will understand that there is no real contradiction between India’s anti-Israel vote at the UN and its strong, public support for Israel. Both are simply different sides to the same evolving story.

As they say in parts of India, “Picture abhi baaki hai” (The film is not over yet) for a full understanding of the situation.

Jyoti Malhotra is a senior consulting editor at ThePrint. She tweets @jomalhotra. Views are personal.

(Edited by Theres Sudeep)

Source: theprint.in

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Gaza genocide: PPP questions silence of world

 2023-11-14

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Vice President Sherry Rehman said that the "helplessness" of the world, including the United Nations, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has become a threat to world peace.

She said in a statement on Monday that international organisations and the world have failed to stop the massacre of innocent and helpless Palestinians since October 7.

“More than 11,000 Palestinians have been martyred, including 4,506 children. Figures show Israel has killed 320 Palestinians per day since October 7.Hospitals have been bombed and turned into graveyards,” she said.

The PPP leader said that the scenes in Gaza are a stain (stigma) on the moral standards of the world.

She asked how many more testimonies of innocent Palestinians and children do Israel and the world need for a ceasefire.

Source: brecorder.com

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https://www.brecorder.com/news/40273060/gaza-genocide-ppp-questions-silence-of-world

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US secretly pushing Israel to speed up Gaza war: Russian intelligence

13 November 2023

US President Joe Biden

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Russian intelligence authorities say the United States is pressing the Israeli regime behind closed doors to "speed up the operations" in Gaza in order to avoid the impacts of a prolongation of the conflict on President Joe Biden’s 2024 re-election bid.

Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said in a Monday statement that US government officials have been encouraging the Israeli regime to speed up its military operation in Gaza as they fear a delay may negatively affect Biden’s position in the run-up to the US presidential election in November next year.

The SVR statement, carried by state-run Sputnik news agency, said that US efforts to convince the Israeli regime to end the war in Gaza are in contrast to Washington’s open declaration of support for Israel’s more than month-long military action that has left over 11,000 Palestinians dead.

“The Israelis are being encouraged to speed up the operation in order to prevent it from being delayed, as this would negatively affect Biden's election positions,” said the statement.

Anti-Israel sentiments are on rise across the US as many keep calling on Biden to stop supporting the Israeli regime in its one-sided war against Gaza.

More than 10,000 people rallied in downtown Austin, in the US state of Texas, on Monday to demand an end to the Israeli aggression.

Meanwhile, Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen said on Monday that the regime has a window of two to three weeks to finish its operations in Gaza as he warned that rising international pressure may outweigh the support provided by the US and allies for the regime's military action in recent weeks.

“Politically, we are noticing pressure building on Israel. The pressure is not very high yet, but it is increasing,” Cohen told a press briefing, adding that the diplomatic clock was ticking for Israel to end its war in Gaza.

Source: presstv.ir

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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/11/13/714568/US-Israel-war-Gaza-end-Biden-2024-election-

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Biden says Gaza hospitals ‘must be protected’

November 14, 2023

Photo: REUTERS

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GAZA: US President Joe Biden said hospitals in the Gaza Strip must be protected and he hoped for “less intrusive” action by Israel as Israeli tanks advanced to the gates of the besieged enclave’s main hospital.

Israeli tanks have taken up positions outside Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza City’s main medical centre, which Israel says sits atop tunnels housing a headquarters for Hamas fighters who are using patients as shields.

Hamas denies the Israeli claim. Israel launched its war against Hamas after the Palestinian group’s Oct. 7 rampage into southern Israel.

Around 1,200 people died in that attack and 240 were dragged to Gaza as hostages according to Israel’s tally.

The armed wing of Hamas said it was ready to free up to 70 women and children held in Gaza in exchange for a five-day truce in the war.

Gaza medical authorities say more than 11,000 people have been confirmed killed in Israeli bombardment, about 40% of them children.

Roughly two-thirds of the people in the densely populated Mediterranean strip have been made homeless by Israel’s military campaign, in which it has ordered the northern half of Gaza evacuated.

China says climate talks with US a success

Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qidra, who was inside Al Shifa hospital, said on Monday 32 patients had died in the previous three days, including three newborns, because of the siege of the hospital in northern Gaza and a lack of power.

The Israeli military said early on Tuesday it had “initiated a humanitarian effort to coordinate transfer of incubators” from Israel to Al Shifa but made clear none of the devices, often used to keep pre-mature newborns warm, had been received by the facility.

There was no immediate comment from Al Shifa or from Hamas.

At least 650 patients were still inside Al Shifa hospital, desperate to be evacuated to another medical facility.

In his first comments since the weekend’s events, including patient deaths reported at Al Shifa, Biden said hospitals must be protected.

“My hope and expectation is that there will be less intrusive action relative to hospitals and we remain in contact with the Israelis,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Monday.

“Also there is an effort to get this pause to deal with the release of prisoners and that’s being negotiated, as well, with the Qataris … being engaged,” he added.

“So I remain somewhat hopeful but hospitals must be protected.” Israel says Hamas uses hospitals for military purposes and Israel’s military on Monday released video and photos of what it said were weapons the group stored in the basement of Rantissi hospital, a paediatric hospital specializing in cancer treatment.

Hostages for ceasefire?

Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, posted an audio recording on its Telegram channel saying the group was ready to release as many as 70 women and children hostages in return for a five-day ceasefire, an offer Israel is unlikely to embrace.

Biden plans November meeting with China’s Xi

“We told the (Qatari) mediators that in a five-day truce, we can release 50 of them and the number could reach 70 due to the difficulty that the captives are held by different factions,” said al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Ubaida said, saying Israel had asked for 100 to be freed.

Israel, which effectively blockades Gaza, has rejected a ceasefire, arguing that Hamas would simply use it to regroup, but has permitted brief humanitarian “pauses” to allow food and other supplies to flow in and foreigners to flee.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Washington would “like to see considerably longer pauses - days, not hours - in the context of a hostage release.”

A Washington Post opinion writer on Tuesday quoted an unnamed high-ranking Israeli official as saying Israel and Hamas are close to a deal to free most of the kidnapped Israeli women and children with Israel simultaneously releasing Palestinian women and youths held in its prisons.

An agreement could be announced within days if the details are worked out.

There was also fighting on Monday at a second major hospital in northern Gaza, al-Quds, which has stopped functioning.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said there was heavy gunfire around the hospital and a convoy to evacuate patients and staff could not get through. Israel said it killed “approximately 21 terrorists” at al-Quds in return fire after fighters shot from the hospital entrance.

It released footage it said showed men at the hospital gate, one of whom appeared to carry a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

Largest Gaza hospital ‘not functioning’ amid Israeli assault

Israel’s military and security services also said they had killed a number of Hamas commanders and officials in the last day, including Mohammed Khamis Dababash, who they described as the group’s former head of military intelligence.

Hamas media said more than 30 people were killed and scores injured in an Israeli air strike on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. An Israeli military spokesperson said the army was checking the report on Jabalia.

Source: brecorder.com

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Saudi Arabia leads condemnation of Israeli bombing of Qatar Committee for Reconstruction of Gaza HQ

November 14, 2023

LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday strongly condemned Israel’s bombing of the headquarters of the Qatari Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The ministry said the attack was a “continuation of the series of Israeli violations of all international laws and norms.”

It also expressed the Kingdom’s solidarity with Qatar and urged the international community to fulfil its obligations by putting an end to Israel’s “atrocities against civilians, hospitals, and critical infrastructure” in Gaza as soon as possible.

The Kuwaiti and Qatari foreign ministries on Monday said the bombing of the headquarters is an extension of Israel’s policy of targeting the Palestinian people, particularly given that the committee works to alleviate the suffering of Gaza’s population as a result of the siege and ongoing aggression.

Qatar called on Israel to stop using “insubstantial justifications” to target civilians, civilian infrastructure and health facilities. It also called on Israel to stop spreading misinformation.

The UAE, Oman and Jordan issued similar statements, calling for an immediate ceasefire to preserve civilian lives and ensure the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi denounced the Israeli military's actions, stating that the bombing was further evidence of the brutality and recklessness of the Israeli forces. 

Al-Budaiwi emphasized what he called the Israeli disregard for the lives of civilians, noting the targeting of committee headquarters, hospitals, schools, residential areas, and shelters. 

The GCC Secretary General commended the Qatari Committee for its significant contributions to Gaza's reconstruction efforts, calling on the international community to take immediate measures to resolve the crisis, including a cessation of hostilities and the establishment of secure corridors for humanitarian aid delivery.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) joined the condemnation, labelling the bombing as part of ongoing Israeli military aggression against Palestinian civilians and vital infrastructure. 

The OIC urged the international community to intervene, compelling Israel to abide by international humanitarian law and relevant United Nations resolutions. The organization highlighted a recent UN General Assembly resolution emphasizing the need for the protection of civilians, civilian facilities, and humanitarian workers.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Abul-Gheit echoed the condemnation, labelling the strike as a “war crime”. 

Abul-Gheit said such actions should not go unpunished, highlighting what he described as the criminal nature of Israeli attacks.

Source: arabnews.com

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Southeast Asia

 

Cautioned over Palestine, Nanta says Sarawak shouldn't accept refugees from countries noted for violence, hatred

 14 Nov 2023

KUCHING, Nov 14 ― Sarawak needs not accept any refugees especially those from countries that are noted for violence and torn by anger and hatred, Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said.

The Kapit MP stressed this when asked to comment today on the caution issued by social activist Peter John Jaban of Sarawak Association of People’s Aspiration and several other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on the probability of Palestinian refugees being allowed into Sarawak.

Nanta, who is also Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) secretary-general, said he supports wholeheartedly the stance of the NGOs.

“We must be very careful so as to maintain and nurture our peaceful state where the people are now happily living in perfect harmony. We do not need any element that can sow negativity, divisiveness and hatred among Sarawakians eventually,” he said.

“Prevention is better than cure (because) we do not want having to regret in the future.”

Nanta stressed that Sarawak should and must focus on socio-economic development for the good of her own people.

“We are just a small country. We cannot be burdened by refugees. We still have many poor people of our own who need our full attention and care,” he emphasised.

However, Nanta said that he would want all who can afford to contribute financially to help the war victims who are suffering, to buy essential supplies for them, and that would be more meaningful and safer for Sarawak.

“I have contributed some funds for the purpose. I want to plead to Sarawakians to contribute to the Tabung (fund) for the Palestinians who are suffering from the war. Let’s help the victims in the best and safest way that we can,” he added.

Earlier today, Peter issued a press statement titled ‘Don’t let the Borneo Territory of Sabah and Sarawak become the next Gaza’.

The activist said the Sarawak government must guard its immigration autonomy tightly, in view that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is maintaining support for Hamas, which the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) feared would lead to an influx of refugees from Palestine.

Peter also called on the Sarawak authorities to prioritise the state’s demographic mix and social harmony, reminding them that the state has its own social issues to contend with before it seeks to support the view of the prime minister.

“The whole world is horrified by what is happening to Palestinian civilians caught up in the conflict. Of course, Sarawakians feel keenly for all victims of war.

“Our prime minister’s insistence in maintaining his support for Hamas, however, is a different matter. Hamas is an Islamist, militant movement which is directly responsible for this phase of conflict and for the killing of Israeli citizens, many of them young children or elderly.

“It (Hamas) also openly supports the imposition of an Islamic Caliphate and has demonstrated that it is prepared to use terrorism to further this.”

Peter said Anwar’s continuing support for Hamas in particular suggests that there will be little attempt or requirement to properly vet any asylum seekers from Palestine and this risks entry by radicalised and violent factions who could disturb the social fabric of moderate and multicultural Malaysia.

This issue, he added, is all the more pressing in Sarawak and also recently identified as one of the poorest states in the Federation.

Meanwhile, Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation president Daniel John Jambun, in supporting Peter, reminded the Sabah government to also tighten the state’s immigration laws.

He pointed out Sabah is already swarmed with illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries squatting illegally in 543 colonies spread throughout the state.

“Any influx of refugees from Palestine will turn Sabah into a terrorist haven which would then be very hard to control as can be seen and felt now,” Daniel said. ― Borneo Post

Source: malaymail.com

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Anwar hopes evacuated Malaysian Nurul Ain will share info on situation in Gaza

13 Nov 2023

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hopes that Nurul Ain Haron, the Malaysian woman who was in Gaza with her Palestinian husband, Mohamed AM Shaat, will share information on the actual situation in Palestine with the people in Malaysia when they return home.

In a five-minute video call with the couple on Monday (Nov 13), Anwar, who is currently in Makkah, also expressed relief that they had been evacuated safely from the conflict zone through the Rafah Border Crossing.

"Insya-Allah we will continue to assist. I was waiting for (your) development here in Makkah, we are all praying (for your safety).

"Once you arrive in Malaysia, get some rest because, after that, you need to tell the stories (of what’s happening in Gaza) to all Malaysians. We pray for your safe return to Kuala Lumpur,” Anwar said during the video call.

Nurul Ain, 37, and Mohamed, 33, are scheduled to depart for Malaysia on Monday night.

The Foreign Ministry, in a statement earlier Monday, said Nurul Ain and Mohamed were successfully evacuated through the Rafah Border Crossing on Sunday (Nov 12), at 8:23pm local time (2:23am Malaysian time).

Anwar said the evacuation was successfully carried out following his meeting with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during his working visit to Egypt on Oct 23.

He also expressed gratitude to Abdel Fattah for facilitating the evacuation process for the couple.

"It wasn’t easy but we are doing our best by speaking to President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Egypt Abdel Fattah, President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"I’m doing my best to try to secure some sort of strong position to avoid the killing, and atrocities by Israel. This is beyond human imagination,” Anwar said.

Meanwhile, Nurul Ain thanked the Prime Minister and the Malaysian Government for bringing her and her husband safely out of Gaza.

She said they initially planned to stay in Gaza but decided to leave when the conflict escalated.

"Alhamdulillah, thank you for all the assistance, prayers and support. So far, we are all in good condition,” she said.

Nurul Ain said that due to her husband being a holder of a Palestinian passport, their journey together to exit Gaza through the Rafah Border Crossing was not easy and required a long wait.

Nurul Ain reportedly travelled to Gaza for the first time with her husband on Oct 1, after being married for six years. – Bernama

Source: thestar.com.my

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Boycott more than to just show solidarity towards Palestine

November 14, 2023

Ainun Jariah, Hakim Mahari

KUALA LUMPUR: Locals are persistently engaging in a boycott of brands and companies supporting Israel, not just to showcase solidarity towards Palestine but also for various other reasons.

As NST reporters strolled at a local shopping mall, many consumers vocalised their support for Palestine and underscored how they've ceased purchasing from companies targeted for boycott.

When questioned, some mentioned that their boycott had commenced long before the recent events involving ethnic cleansing in Israel and the Palestine conflict. Two young ladies in their early twenties said they have been joining this boycott for a while but claim to be not as extreme as others.

One of them said, "We have been boycotting this particular famous coffee brand for a while not only because it funds Israel but because it has become too pricey these days. She believed that seasonal boycotts are more effective than long-term ones. Thus, she felt satisfied with the boycott as she last ate at McDonald's in September.

"Because back then, I used to buy McDonald's every month because I didn't know what else to eat. But now, I opt for something like a roadside burger."I've been boycotting Starbucks for a long because it's overpriced.

"We've also tried Zus and Gigi, which are better than Company X. So much better. "If you want to talk about taste, everything is delicious. It's just that Company X is overpriced. They are merely just a name and a commercial brand, that's all," she added.

Meanwhile, a Malay couple sitting in a restaurant said they, too, have been participating in the boycott of the pro-Israel brands. The lady said, "Yes, we stopped eating at this particular fast food restaurant not only because of their contribution towards the funding of Israeli weapons but also because it was serving very unhealthy food, to begin with.

"Also, we are also non-coffee lovers; thus, boycotting Company X was not much of a struggle. We just stopped eating at fast food restaurants especially those fueling the blood of the Palestinian children and martyrs there". Furthermore, a mother in her forties also jumped on the bandwagon and stated she hadn't set foot in several restaurants and coffee shops since the boycott started.

"We just stopped eating there and ate at local Malay restaurants only. "Well, my husband used to drink coffee at Company X all the time.

"It was his go-to coffee shop, but now he only drinks coffee at home," said the mother, sounding melancholic.Previously, the ongoing boycott on the products allegedly linked to Zionist were organised by locals community in their solidarity towards the Palestinians.

The Palestinian ambassador to Malaysia also has commended the public's commitment to boycotting businesses and products allegedly linked to Israel.

Ambassador Walid Abu Ali emphasised that the measures taken by Malaysians play a significant role in increasing awareness and expressing a resolute stance against what he referred to as Zionist oppression.

"Any measures supporting Palestine and its people are deeply valued. The boycott of Israeli products and franchises supporting Israel serves to minimise the suffering of Palestinians."Whatever is done in Malaysia towards all those (businesses) who support Israel is very appreciated," he said.

Source: nst.com.my

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https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/11/978263/boycott-more-just-show-solidarity-towards-palestine

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Teacher nabbed for alleged sexual abuse against student

Mohd Roji Kawi

November 14, 2023

KUCHING: A teacher who also serves as a dormitory warden at a school in Padawan has been arrested on suspicion of committing sexual abuse against a male student at the school.

Sarawak Police Commissioner, Datuk Mancha Ata said the male teacher, in his 40s, was arrested after the police received a report from the victim's guardian last Sunday at 3.55pm.

Mancha said the incident took place when the suspect brought the 15-year-old male student to his home to attend to him as he was sick.

"However, as the victim was taking a bath, the suspect touched him in a sexually inappropriate manner," he said.

Mancha said the case is now being investigated under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 (Act 792).

If the suspect is found guilty, he could face imprisonment of up to 20 years and corporal punishment.

Source: nst.com.my

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https://www.nst.com.my/news/crime-courts/2023/11/978245/teacher-nabbed-alleged-sexual-abuse-against-student

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Are Palestinian refugees coming? Clear the air, Sarawak govt told

14 Nov 2023

THE Sarawak state government must give a clear stance on the question of allowing Palestinian refugees to take refuge in the state.

Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chien Jen, in making the above assertion, said: “The state government must make its position very clear on whether it is going to adopt the views expressed by Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi: that no Palestinian refugees should be allowed into Sarawak.”

“Even though we sympathise with the plight of the Palestinians, accepting them into Sarawak will result in clashes of ideologies and culture, and this will disrupt the existing harmony we enjoy in Sarawak.

“The state government must make it very clear that it will not open the state to the influx of these refugees,” he said in a statement today.

Chong, who is also Sarawak Pakatan Harapan chairman and Stampin MP, said it is important for the state government to make a public decision in this regard and to announce it to the people without delay.

Yesterday, Nanta said that he personally supports the stance of non-governmental bodies in Sarawak and Sabah who are against accepting Palestinians into the two Borneo states.

However, the Kapit MP did not specify that he was speaking on behalf of the Sarawak government.

He echoed the taken by the Sarawak Association for Peoples’ Aspiration (Sapa) and others cautioning the state government over the matter.

Today, Umno Youth chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh had reportedly demanded Nanta to issue an open apology and retract his statement on rejecting the idea of accepting Palestinian refugees to the state.

Protect immigration autonomy

Sapa information chief Peter John Jaban has expressed concern over the possible entry of “Hamas followers” among the asylum seekers.

“This issue is pressing for Sarawak, which was also recently identified as one of the poorest states in the country,” he said.

According to Dayak Daily, Peter called on the state to guard its immigration autonomy carefully and for Sarawak not to follow the federal administration blindly.

“If their Arab neighbours continue to deny them asylum, then what business does Malaysia have in going against global policy?” he said.

Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation president, Daniel John Jambun meanwhile said Sabah already has irregular migrants from neighbouring countries staying without documentation in 543 colonies spread throughout the state.

Sapa’s views were supported by 12 NGOs from Sabah and Sarawak.

These include Gabungan Orang Asal Sabah/Sarawak; Independent Coalition of Natives Sarawak; Gindol Initiative for Civil Society Borneo; Pertubuhan Kebajikan Rumpun Dayak Sabah; Persatuan Pembangunan Social Komuniti Sabah; Persatuan Etnik Dayak Asal Sarawak; Gerempung Raban Dayak Sarawak; Persatuan Veteran Tentera Kor Renjer; Persatuan Komuniti Bersatu Kanibongang Pitas; Forum Masyarakat Adat Dataran Tinggi Borneo; Human Rights Activist Sabah; and Sabah Sarawak Rights Australia New Zealand.

Policies for refugees

Meanwhile, a bipartisan MP group had earlier urged the government to issue a special pass for Palestinian refugees in Malaysia that will enable them to stay and work in the country temporarily.

Syerleena Abdul Rashid, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Refugee Policy, stressed the need to urgently “formulate policies that protect those who have sought temporary refuge on our shores, including those from Palestine”.

“We call for an immediate ceasefire, the urgent protection of civilians, the facilitation of unimpeded humanitarian aid, and the prevention of full-scale genocide in Gaza.

“(The government should also) start the implementation of the amended National Security Council Directive No. 23, which will grant temporary rights to refugees in Malaysia,” said the Bukit Bendera MP in a statement last month.

Currently, Malaysia is not a signatory to the United Nations’ 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.

There are some 600 Palestinian refugees and asylum-seekers registered with the UN High Commissioner For Refugees here as of end-October, said the body.

Over 11,000 killed

Israeli airstrikes have killed 11,078 Palestinians in Gaza as of November 10, a UN relief body confirmed.

The Gaza Health Ministry has not updated the death toll since yesterday after the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north, it added.

Palestinian Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al Qidra was quoted as saying that at least 32 patients at the al-Shifa Hospital have died over the past three days, including three premature babies, Al Jazeera reported yesterday.

Operations at the largest hospital in the besieged Palestinian territory were suspended after it ran out of fuel.

In the occupied West Bank, at least 186 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7, according to the health ministry. – The Vibes, November 14, 2023

Source: thevibes.com

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https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/99949/are-palestinian-refugees-coming-clear-the-air-sarawak-govt-told

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Top Indonesian Islamic Clerics Call for Israel Boycott

November 13, 2023

JAKARTA — The top organization of Islamic scholars in Indonesia has issued a religious ruling mandating that Muslims in Indonesia must support the Palestinian people's fight for independence, and that supporting Israeli "aggression" is haram, or forbidden.

Asrorun Niam Sholeh, the chairman of Fatwa Division of the Indonesian Ulema Council, abbreviated as MUI, issued guidance on Friday that said supporting Israel or assisting those "who support Israeli aggression" against Palestinians is forbidden.

"MUI recommends to the Muslim community to avoid, as much as possible, transactions such as buying and selling with businesses that openly support aggression and the Zionist activities of Israel," said Niam.

MUI recommends Muslims in Indonesia avoid buying Israeli products or any products affiliated with Israel. However, the organization does not list any products or companies.

The group has also recommended that the government take decisive steps to assist the people in Gaza by engaging in diplomacy at the United Nations and among member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation by urging them to collectively pressure Israel to stop the war.

Not everyone on board

Fadillah, a mother of two in the Bekasi area of West Java, was shopping at a supermarket in the area. The 50-year-old woman was checking the products on her list against a list of boycotted products, which she obtained from social media.

She says that she is determined not to buy Israeli products or products that support Israel.

"I don't want to contribute money that will be used to fight the people of Gaza," she said.

Indri Wulandari, a 35-year-old who lives in East Jakarta, feels the same way.

But, another resident, Vickry Hakim, who also resides in Bekasi, believes that boycotting Israeli products is not a solution to stop the violence in Gaza.

"Most products in Indonesia are from abroad," he said. "Especially if we boycott American products, I don't think it's possible because we use a lot of products from their country."

Effectiveness questioned

Mohammad Faisal, an economist with the Center of Reform on Economics, noted that an average citizen's knowledge of products affiliated with Israel is limited.

"In reality, there are many products, and many people do not know and consider them everyday products," said Faisal, who thinks it's still too early to measure the impact of the MUI fatwa, or edict.

Although the fatwa has yet to spread quickly on local social media networks, the intensity of the conflict means it could take hold.

Faisal also cautioned that if Israeli companies or those associated with Israeli interests employ Indonesian citizens, a decline in sales could lead to job cuts and layoffs.

The list circulating on social media among Indonesians includes international corporations including McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle, Starbucks, Puma, Hewlett-Packard, Unilever, AXA, Siemens, and others.

So far, only Turkey has openly removed Coca-Cola and Nestle products from restaurant menus.

Source: voanews.com

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https://www.voanews.com/a/top-indonesian-islamic-clerics-call-for-israel-boycott-/7353494.html

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Nearly 200 Rohingya refugees land in Indonesia

November 14, 2023

BANDA ACEH: Nearly 200 Rohingya refugees, including many women and children, landed in Indonesia’s westernmost province on Tuesday, a local official said, the largest contingent of the persecuted Myanmar minority to arrive in months.

Thousands of the mostly Muslim Rohingya risk their lives each year on long and expensive sea journeys, often in flimsy boats, to try to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.

The group of 196 landed Tuesday morning in a remote part of Aceh Province’s Pidie region, local navy commander Andi Susanto said in a statement.

Some of the new arrivals immediately fled inland, according to Marfian, a spokesperson for the fishing community, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

“Ten... immediately fled to the nearby hills. It seems that they were the middlemen that intentionally brought the refugees to the area,” he said.

The local government gave a lower number of seven who fled.

The refugees were being assisted by local authorities and residents.

“Local people have provided food and drink for them as it is their habit of helping stranded Rohingyas,” Marfian said.

Images shared with AFP showed tired-looking refugees, including women holding babies in their arms, waiting on the beachside for help.

More than 2,000 Rohingya are believed to have attempted the risky journey to Southeast Asian countries in 2022, according to the UN refugee agency.

Nearly 200 Rohingya died or went missing last year while attempting hazardous sea crossings, the agency has estimated.

In March, 184 Rohingya refugees arrived in the eastern Aceh town of Peureulak after they were dropped at sea by boat and made to swim ashore.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2408456/world

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India

 

Indian opposition leader hits out at int'l community over killings in Gaza

November 13, 2023

NEW DELHI:Senior leader of Indian main opposition Indian Congress party on Monday hit out at the international community, calling the death toll of 10,000 from Israeli strikes on Gaza “a deplorable and disgraceful milestone.”

“…over 10,000 people killed in Gaza of which almost half are children. One child is being killed every ten minutes according to the WHO, and “now tiny babies had to be removed from their incubators due to lack of oxygen and were left to die,” Priyanka Gandhi, the party’s general secretary, wrote on X.

Hitting out at the governments, she said: “Still, no shock to the conscience of those supporting this genocide, no ceasefire…just more bombs, more violence, more killings and more suffering.”

“Shame on the governments supporting this destruction. When is it going to be enough?” she wrote.

Israel has been carrying out relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip -- including on hospitals, residences, and houses of worship -- since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a cross-border attack on Oct. 7.

Since then, the number of deaths in the ongoing Israeli attacks has surpassed 11,100, including more than 8,000 women and children, as the war entered its 38th day on Monday.

The Israeli death toll is nearly 1,200, according to official figures.

Many world leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have criticized the silence of the international community over the Israeli war on Gaza.

Despite traditionally supporting a two-state solution in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the Oct. 7 offensive by Hamas that started the new conflict a series of "terrorist attacks."

Days later, after he spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Modi said he reiterated India’s “principled position” on the issue. India on Oct. 22 said it sent humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine.

During a top-level ministerial dialogue in the Indian capital New Delhi last week, India and the US extended “support for humanitarian pauses” in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Source: tribune.com.pk

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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2446195/indian-opposition-leader-hits-out-at-intl-community-over-killings-in-gaza

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'No justice for Muslims from courts': Father of Rajouri resident killed by army in Shopian

14.11.23

The 65-year-old father of a Rajouri resident who was killed with his two cousins by the army in an allegedly staged gunfight in Shopian said on Monday that Muslims can get "no justice from the courts" in the country.

Mohammad Yousuf Chouhan, the distraught father of Abrar Ahmad, was reacting to reports that the principal bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal had suspended the life sentence handed to Captain Bhoopendra Singh, questioning the findings of the court-martial.

The tribunal had granted the officer bail on November 9. The court-martial had in January found the officer guilty of six charges, including murder, and subsequently sentenced him to life.

“This is complete injustice. If he (Singh) accepted that he killed the men and is now released after three months, what can I say?” Yousuf told The Telegraph over the phone.

“You can’t understand what is happening (inside me). I can get no justice from the courts. The law (courts) should be shut down.”

Yousuf said he had learnt about the development from this correspondent.

“If they were from some other religion, they would certainly have got justice. They were Muslims kids…. Muslims have no value here.”

Yousuf said he had now lost interest in life after learning about the tribunal’s verdict.

He had recently told this newspaper that he was happy with the court-martial proceedings.

“But today I believe he was not court-martialled. Maybe it was all faked,” he said on Monday.

“Ten lakh rupees is the price of an innocent life here,” he added, referring to the ex gratia he had received from the government.

Reports from Delhi said that Justice Rajendra Menon, who heads the tribunal, said the court-martial proceedings had taken on record certain evidence that was “inadmissible” and “not convincing” enough to hold Singh guilty at the present stage.

“Prima facie, based on the material available on record, we are convinced that the applicant being acquitted after hearing of this appeal cannot be ruled out,” the tribunal said.

In his appeal, Singh had claimed he had “obediently complied with the orders of his commanding officer” and said his senior was part of the operation.

Abrar and his cousins Imtiyaz Ahmed, 22, and Mohammed Ibrar, 17, were killed in Amshipora, Shopian, in 2020. Their families claimed they were innocent, kicking up a political storm here.

Abrar worked in Kuwait but was prevented by the pandemic from returning to that country. The three cousins were working in Kashmir as labourers.

Source: telegraphindia.com

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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/no-justice-for-muslims-from-courts-father-of-rajouri-resident-killed-by-army-in-shopian/cid/1979782

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India’s vote on UN draft resolutions criticising Israel were ‘routine’; regular stance maintained: Government

November 14, 2023

Suhasini Haidar

India’s position on the United Nations’ votes that dealt with draft resolutions criticising Israel last week were “routine” and reflect its position on the same resolutions that are passed regularly each year, officials said, differentiating these from the UN General Assembly ceasefire resolution in October, where India had abstained. On Thursday, the Fourth Committee of the UNGA had voted to clear six resolutions that criticise Israel and support aid for Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and refugees elsewhere. India voted in favour of five of the six resolutions, abstaining in one resolution that deal with investigating Israeli practices and operations for human rights violations.

Of most significance was the vote criticising ‘Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan’ (A/C.4/78/L.15) that “condemns” Israeli demolitions of Palestinian villages and calls the occupation of those villages by Israeli settlers “illegal”, which India voted in favour of. The vote by India, which was not accompanied by any explanation, came despite statements by the envoys of Israel and the U.S., who called on members to vote against the resolutions which will be taken up at the UNGA plenary session, most likely in December.

The U.S. envoy called the resolutions “one-sided”.

“This year, we call on you to vote against the resolutions… because of what is not mentioned in the resolutions despite the Hamas terror attack against Israel on October 7. There is no mention of war crimes by Hamas. So vote against the resolutions,” the Israeli envoy said, speaking before the votes, citing over 1,400 Israelis killed in attacks by Hamas militants, and 240 Israelis still hostage, including infants, taken at different points along the border with Gaza.

In airstrikes and operations in response to the attacks by Israeli defence forces on Gaza, more than 11,000 Palestinians, including 4,000 children, have been killed, and more than 800,000 have been forced out of their homes to take shelter in south Gaza. 

India’s vote in favour of most of the resolutions on November 9 had led to speculation and commentary that the government had had another “rethink” on its UN voting policy. On October 26, India had abstained from the resolution at the Special Emergency Session, calling for an immediate ceasefire to Israeli operations, which was a shift in position seen as favouring Israel. At the time, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said that it had changed its vote from the past, to an “abstention”, to demonstrate its “zero tolerance” policy on terrorism, and that it could not vote in favour of resolutions that didn’t directly reference the October 7 attack.

Since the vote, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to a number of leaders from the Arab-Gulf countries, who have been calling for more support for Palestinians caught in the Israeli bombardment, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi; President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; and the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

When asked about why India had voted for the five draft resolutions last week (A/C.4/78/L.10,11,12,14 and 15) that were critical of Israel, and which did not refer to the issue of Hamas terrorist attacks or the return of hostages, an official explained that the draft resolutions are “annual, regular resolutions” that were routine, adding that the October 27 ceasefire resolution was a special vote that had taken place in the backdrop of the October 7 and Gaza incidents.

However, former diplomats said that India has shifted its stand to a more “transactional” one, balancing ties with Israel and the traditional policy on Palestine.

“It is clearly a more realpolitik, national interest-oriented foreign policy as understood by the people who make policy today,” former Ambassador to U.S. and U.K. Navtej Sarna said, speaking at a panel discussion organised by the Indo-America Friendship Association on Monday. He added that, at present, Arab countries had not themselves reacted very strongly to Israel’s actions.  “If there is a major reaction from Arab countries, then India’s vote will be a more significant indicator of how we stand. So far, we have stood with Israel, without abandoning our standard formulations on the two state solution for [Israel-Palestine],” he said.

The five draft resolutions India voted for dealt with the operations of the UNRWA, the UN agency that deals with Palestinians; assistance to Palestinian refugees; the issue of Palestine refugee properties; the area of Syrian Golan occupied by Israel; and Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including east Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan. India, however, abstained from the resolution titled ‘Work of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories’.

Source: thehindu.com

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https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/votes-on-un-draft-resolutions-criticising-israel-were-routine-regular-stance-maintained-government/article67529699.ece

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'Pippa' Makers Issue Apology After Backlash Over AR Rahman's Rendition Of Bengali Poet's Kazi Nazrul Islam's Song 'Karar Oi Louho Kopat'

14 NOV 2023

Music composer AR Rahman faced severe backlash for his rendition of Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam’s patriotic song 'Karar Oi Louho Kopat' in 'Pippa'. The film stars Ishaan Khatter and Mrunal Thakur.

Rahman was slammed on social media as netizens didn't like his rendition. Now, the makers of 'Pippa' have issued a statement on the controversy revolving around the song.

On Monday, Roy Kapur Films took to their official Instagram handle and shared a statement addressing the controversy on the song 'Karar Oi Louho Kopat'.

The statement read, “In light of the current discourse surrounding the song ‘Karar Oi Louho Kopat’ the producers, director, and music composer of the film Pippa wish to clarify that our rendition of the song is a sincere artistic interpretation, embarked upon only after securing the necessary adaptation rights from the estate of the Late Mr. Kazi Nazrul Islam.”

“We approached the making of this song by faithfully following both the letter and the spirit of the license agreement for the lyrics, as duly signed with the Late Mrs. Kalyani Kazi and witnessed by Mr. Anirban Kazi.'' the statement read further.

The makers also apologized for hurting sentiments as they wrote, “Our intent was to pay homage to the cultural significance of the song while adhering to the terms set forth in our agreement, which permitted us to use the lyrics with a new composition. We understand the emotional attachment that audiences may have to the original composition, and while all art is inherently subjective if our interpretation has hurt sentiments or caused unintended distress, we offer our sincere apologies.”

Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur, 'Pippa' also stars Priyanshu Painyuli and Soni Razdan. The film is based on the life of Captain Balram Singh Mehta of India’s 45 Cavalry regiment. The war drama released on November 10 on Amazon Prime Video.

Source: outlookindia.com

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https://www.outlookindia.com/art-entertainment/-pippa-makers-issue-apology-after-backlash-over-ar-rahman-s-rendition-of-kazi-nazrul-islam-s-song-news-330496

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After calls for Muslim Ocean & Afro-Asian Ocean, Pakistan has made peace with Indian Ocean

SANJEEV CHOPRA

14 November, 2023

Agrowing number of countries are rolling out their national security policies. Pakistan joined the list last year, a step ahead of India

While this document breaks the mould of Pakistan’s usual security roadmaps in many ways, one of the most interesting things about it is what it says about the Indian Ocean— specifically its name.

But first, let’s understand the crucial role of national security doctrines, where India currently stands on this front, and some of the most remarkable features of Pakistan’s document.

Why national security policies matter

All five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)— the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France— have published their national security doctrines or policies and follow-up strategic papers. In the last two years, Germany, Japan, and Pakistan have also made their strategic frameworks public.

These documents provide useful insights into the security priorities and objectives of these nations. They go beyond traditional concerns about territorial integrity and encompass a broader range of security challenges, including human security, cybersecurity, energy security, and environmental security— all of which have a major impact on lives, livelihoods, and supply chain logistics in an increasingly interdependent world.

The institutional arrangements behind the preparation of national security doctrines vary across countries. In the case of China, the Chinese Communist Party is responsible, while in the UK, the Cabinet takes charge. In the US, the task mandate is with the State Department, while in Russia and France, the initiative is driven by the President’s office. In Pakistan, the defence ministry has taken the lead.

A slow process for India

In India, the National Security Advisor (NSA) and the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) have been part of the Prime Minister’s Office, starting from the tenure of Brajesh Mishra who concurrently held the positions of principal secretary to the PM as well as national security adviser from 1998 to 2004.

It has taken two decades of deliberations within the military and strategic community to initiate the process of bringing in a National Security Strategy (NSS).

It was only in the first week of November this year that the NSCS was formally directed to  collate inputs from central ministries and departments to stitch together the strategic doctrine outlining India’s internal and external challenges.

This will serve as the foundational document for guiding principles in security, foreign policy, trade and investment, science and technology policy, and other areas. It will also  provide conceptual clarity on threats to national security in a world where everything is becoming securitised.

Such clarity is particularly crucial for a democracy like India, as it will help ensure that the state does not overreach in the name of security. Furthermore, it is also in the state’s interest to ensure that it does not waste its scarce resources by over-securitising, which in turn can hurt India’s developmental imperatives. The NSS can also provide an impetus for implementing regulatory and military reforms that can help India effectively address its security challenges.

However, as this document is still under process, I will examine the National Security Policy (NSP) of Pakistan, which was released in January last year.

Whether or not Pakistan’s NSP is credible will depend on if the Army ‘allows’ the civilian leadership to prevail. But having said this, the existence of a well-crafted 64-page publicly announced policy represents a positive step forward for Pakistan’s security governance.

‘Bold visions and big ideas’

Pakistan’s National Security Policy starts with an ambitious and sweeping statement attributed to Imran Khan, who was prime minister at the time of its release.

“Bold visions and big ideas lie at the heart of human progress and prosperity. Policies that encapsulate these contribute towards galvanising national sentiments in line with the vision and goals a nation sets for itself,” it says.

In keeping with this, the document covers not just territorial security, but also various aspects of human security and economic development, recognising the interconnectedness of these issues.

Rabia Akhtar of the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Centre was all praise for the “comprehensive approach” of the NSP in her detailed analysis of the document.

“This is the first time any NSP in Pakistan has taken a comprehensive approach to security, anchoring its drift in human security to achieve economic security. Whether it is about securing a citizen’s constitutional privileges, or about protecting a regular Pakistani from all forms of extremism, crime, terrorism, and violence—including war—the new NSP covers it all,” wrote Akhtar, who is also director of the Centre for Security, Strategy, and Policy Research at the University of Lahore.

Akhtar also noted that this was the first time that “gender security”, encompassing structural violence to workplace inequality, found mention in the NSP.

“These are not minor successes for a country which has been focused for the past seven decades on defining national security primarily in terms of territorial security and through the lens of traditional security battling internal and external threats. This is the comprehensive approach which had been missing previously from all NSPs and should be celebrated,” she added.

Of course, the NSP also plays to the gallery.

It talks about the benefits of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan’s commitment to Kashmir, and the perceived threat from Hindutva forces. However, the India obsession does not dominate the document. It also dwells on Pakistan’s aim to expand its ties with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Islamic nations like Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states.

But arguably the most important point in the NSP is the grudging acceptance of the name of the Indian Ocean.

An ocean by any other name…

In the 1960s and 1970s, Pakistan sought global support to rename the Indian Ocean as Afro-Asian Ocean, Eastern Ocean, or Muslim Ocean.

Notably, the first objection to the ‘Indian Ocean’ came not from Pakistan, but Indonesia. In July 1963, the Times of India reported the startling news that Indonesia’s President Sukarno wanted his navy to refer to the Indian Ocean the Indonesian Ocean.  His navy chief of staff Eddy Martadinata even issued an order to this effect.

Martadinata later became Indonesia’s ambassador to Pakistan, but there is no evidence on record that the Pakistan navy ever used this term.

The debate, however, continued well into the 1980s. For instance, in a 1988 piece, the now-defunct government-owned Pakistan Times railed against the unfairness of the name Indian Ocean.

“By calling itself India, the country seemed to have become heir to the entire history of the subcontinent,” ran the complaint.

The paper also argued that India was dismembered in August 1947 and after that “what remained outside Pakistan and Bangladesh should be called Bharat”.

Pakistani strategists also had other ideas about what the ocean should be named instead.

For instance, at a 1971 seminar at Georgetown University Latif Ahmed Sherwani of the Pakistani Institution of International Affairs advocated for the name Afro Asian Ocean.

To buttress his argument, he drew a parallel with the Mediterranean Sea, stating that it is not called the Italian Sea despite Italy’s prominent position along its coast. Similarly, he contended, the ocean should not be named after India.

However, the issue seems to have been firmly settled in favour of India, thereby making it the only country in the world to have an ocean named after it.

Sanjeev Chopra is a former IAS officer and Festival Director of Valley of Words. Until recently, he was Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration. He tweets @ChopraSanjeev. Views are personal.

(Edited by Asavari Singh)

Source: theprint.in

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https://theprint.in/opinion/after-calls-for-muslim-ocean-afro-asian-ocean-pakistan-has-made-peace-with-indian-ocean/1843519/

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Pakistan

 

OIC summit falls short of expectations: JI chief

 2023-11-14

LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Sirajul Haq has expressed disappointment, stating that the OIC Summit in Riyadh falls short of meeting the expectations of the Muslim Ummah, especially in light of the extraordinary challenges faced by the people of Palestine.

Talking to reporters at Mansoorah on Monday, he highlighted that despite the urgency of the situation, the rulers of the Muslim world issued a ceasefire appeal to a country openly supporting the Israeli forces atrocities in Gaza.

He observed that the leaders of the Islamic world seemed reluctant to take decisive action due to their apprehension towards Washington, which hindered them from announcing any practical measures to aid the people of Gaza. During the briefing, he shared insights from his six-day tour to Iran, Turkey, and Qatar.

Haq said he met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Doha and also held meetings with Turkish Assembly speaker Dr Numan Kurtulmus in Istanbul and foreign affair advisor to Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Qaumi in Tehran.

Haq said Haniyeh emphasized that the Palestinian leadership adheres to the principles of Islam, treating Israeli prisoners with respect. Haniyeh, resolute in his commitment, vowed that the people of Palestine would defend Gaza with unwavering determination, pledging not to abandon their homes.

Haq recounted that Haniyeh expressed gratitude to the people of Pakistan for their consistent support of the Palestinian cause. He also extended thanks to Pakistan’s representative in the UN for taking a firm stance on the Palestine issue.

The JI chief conveyed the sentiments of the Pakistani public to Haniyeh, rejecting the two-state solution imposed on Palestine by global powers. He underscored that this solution is unacceptable not only to Palestinians but also to the people of Pakistan. He asserted the Jamaat-e-Islami’s robust advocacy for the Palestinian cause.

In a gesture of solidarity, Haq invited the Palestinian leader to attend and address the upcoming historic Palestine solidarity rally scheduled to take place in Lahore on November 19.

He reminded Muslim rulers that their rule is a trust imposed by the people, emphasizing the responsibility of leaders to authentically represent the sentiments of the Ummah for the Palestinian cause. The JI leader also attended the meeting of the leaders of Islamic movements in Istanbul on Gaza situation.

Source: brecorder.com

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Imran also ‘arrested’ in Toshakhana, Al-Qadir cases

November 14, 2023

ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who is already imprisoned in Adiala Jail in the cipher case, has also been arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Al-Qadir Trust case and Toshakhana reference.

The accountability watchdog arrested the former PM on Monday after Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir ratified the arrest warrants and directed the Adiala Jail superintendent to execute them.

Earlier during the hearing, the judge asked the NAB prosecutor about the status of Mr Khan’s pleas to revive his bail petitions in the two cases.

NAB’s Deputy Prosecu­tor General Sardar Muza­f­far Abbasi said the pleas were pending in the Islam­abad High Court (IHC) and there was no restraining order issued so far.

Judge Bashir then asked about the further legal course. To which the NAB’s prosecutor said that under the law, the accused is required to be produced before the court within 24 hours of arrest.

He added that arrest warrants for under-custody suspects had been issued in the past, and the court might order Adiala Jail SP Jail to execute the warrants.

In response to another query regarding the Special Court (Official Secrets Act), Mr Abbasi said the Special Court judge has also accorded his approval.

The prosecution pleaded for Mr Khan’s custody “to conclude the investigation in both cases”.

Subsequently, the accountability judge permitted NAB to arrest and investigate the PTI chief.

The NAB has filed the reference against Mr Khan for allegedly misusing his authority as prime minister while retaining state gifts from Toshakhana.

In August, Mr Khan was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by an Islamabad trial court in a separate Toshakhana case. The case, filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), had accused Mr Khan of not mentioning the details of state gifts in his tax declarations.

Later, the IHC set aside the sentence and ordered his release. However, he was not freed as he was undergoing trial in the cipher case.

In the Al-Qadir Trust case, the PTI chairman and his wife have been accused of receiving billions of rupees and hundreds of kanals of land from Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz for allegedly legalising Rs50 billion that were identified and returned to Pakistan by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).

The former prime minister is also accused of misleading the federal cabinet by concealing facts and documents related to the settlement agreement reached with the NCA. The money received from the UK was supposed to be deposited in the national exchequer, but it was credited into the Supreme Court’s account against the Rs450bn penalty imposed on Bahria Town for illegal land acquisition in Karachi.

On May 9, NAB arrested the PTI chief in the Al-Qadir Trust case, which sparked countrywide protests by his supporters during which public and private properties were ransacked.

Source: dawn.com

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No crackdown launched against Afghan refugees: Bugti

November 13, 2023

Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti has clarified that no crackdown is being taken against Afghan refugees and an action is only underway against the illegal aliens in the country.

He said this while responding to a motion moved by Senator Sardar Muhammad Shafiq Tareen and others.

Dispelling the impression that illegal aliens are being sent back abruptly, the Interior Minister said the government has evolved a proper mechanism to repatriate such people. He said committees were formed at district level, which also includes proper feedback from a representative from the Afghan Chargé d'affaires.

Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti said the government first gave a timeframe for voluntary return under which over 2,90,000 foreign nationals return to their homeland, while only around eight thousand illegal Afghan were sent back by the government. He said around three hundred thousand illegal citizens have so far gone to their country. He further said a dedicated special portal and a telephone line have been established to receive any complaints about the repatriation of illegal aliens. He said 569 complaints were received and 82 percent of them have become satisfied as a result of consistent follow-up.

Rejecting any manhandling of illegal aliens, the Interior Minister said Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has given very clear directions that there should be no manhandling during the repatriation process. He also assured the House that any mismanagement on the borders will be checked and suggestions from the political leadership in this regard will be welcomed. He further said that no Afghan refugee having legal documents has been even touched. He said Afghans and Pakistanis are tied in a common string of brotherhood and they have great respect for one another. He, however, said as foreign forces have left Afghanistan and now refugees should too go to their country. He reiterated that action is only against illegal aliens, who have no valid travel documents, and the state of Pakistan wants to end this illegality. He said anyone, who wants to come to Pakistan on valid documents will be welcomed.

The Caretaker Interior Minister said that action against illegal social media Apps offering online interest based loans has been initiated. He said 111 such apps have been black listed, while a sum of 1.8 billion rupees confiscated and cases registered under cybercrime.

Speaking on the motion, the lawmakers urged the government to give sufficient time to ensure honorable and dignified repatriation of Afghan citizens. They also emphasized on evolving a comprehensive strategy and plan in this respect. They also suggested the chairman to convene a meeting of the “Committee of the Whole” with an invitation to relevant authorities for proper and detailed briefing on the issue.

Earlier, the Senate resumed its session at the Parliament House in Islamabad with Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in the chair.

It was a private members' business day in the House today. Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, on the behalf of the entire House, extended felicitations to the Pakistani Hindu community on Diwali festival.

Three bills were introduced in the House.

These include "The Banking Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2023", "The Pakistan Names and Emblems (Prevention of Unauthorised Use) (Amendment) Bill, 2023" and "The Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2023."

The chair referred the bills to the standing committees concerned.

The House will now meet tomorrow at 10:30 a.m.

Source: radio.gov.pk

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https://www.radio.gov.pk/13-11-2023/no-crackdown-has-been-launched-against-afghan-refugees-interior-minister

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HBL opens Islamic Prestige Lounge in Rawalpindi

November 14, 2023

Rawalpindi: HBL inaugurated its 8th Islamic Prestige Lounge located in GPO Haider Chowk, Rawalpindi. The Prestige footprint is now spread across 17 cities including an international footprint in Jumeirah, Dubai with plans to expand further.

The inauguration of the lounge was done by Muhammad Aurangzeb, President and CEO – HBL accompanied by valued clients and senior leaders of the Bank.HBL Prestige provides a world-class banking experience to high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs). This exclusive Islamic proposition offers Shariah-compliant banking solutions to our clients. The proposition includes seamless instant account opening with tailored solutions through dedicated digital & physical channels and portfolio managers. The account offers personalized banking services to its clients including but not limited to instant world elite debit card issuance, top-notch alliances, Multi-layered secure lockers, and dedicated conference rooms. The state-of-the-art Prestige Lounges are located strategically in high-visibility areas of key cities.

Commenting on the occasion, Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL said, “We are delighted to inaugurate our state-of-the-art HBL Islamic Prestige Lounge at GPO Haider Chowk, Rawalpindi.”

Source: thenews.com.pk

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Bushra Bibi’s ex-husband granted bail

November 14, 2023

ISLAMABAD:The Lahore High Court on Monday granted bail to former first lady Bushra Bibi’s ex-husband Khawar Farid Manika against surety bonds worth Rs100,000 in a case regarding occupying cemetery land.

Justice Ali Baqar Najafi heard the application filed by Manika’s lawyer.

Additional Prosecutor General Abdul Samad appeared before the court, opposing the bail application.

In the investigation, Samad said, the “petitioner is guilty”.

It was the responsibility of the Auqaf Department to take custody of the land.

Manika’s lawyer apprised the court that the anti-corruption officials arrested Manika for occupying the cemetery land.

“Manika is accused of illegal construction on the land of the cemetery,” the lawyer said, adding that the anti-corruption authorities arrested Manika on Sept 25.

He then requested the court to grant bail to his client.

The court approved the bail plea and ordered that Manika be released.

Source: tribune.com.pk

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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2446332/bushra-bibis-ex-husband-granted-bail

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North America

 

Biden meets with Indonesia president ahead of Xi summit

November 14, 2023

WASHINGTON: Leaders from the United States and Indonesia held discussions on Monday that will set the stage for US President Joe Biden’s first in person meeting in a year with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this week.

Biden greeted Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the White House as the two leaders prepare for a Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, where Washington hopes to reduce friction with Beijing. Biden is due to meet Xi on Wednesday.

The United States and Indonesia agreed to new cooperation in defense areas including cybersecurity, space, combined exercises and nuclear threats, the White House said.

On climate, they agreed on efforts to support the electrical grid and improve air quality. Reuters reported on Sunday that the two countries are working to advance a potential minerals partnership focused on the electric vehicle (EV) battery metal nickel, citing three people with direct knowledge of the conversations.

But the Biden administration is still concerned about environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards in Indonesia and is examining how such a deal might work.

The two sides will unveil a plan that will prepare the countries for negotiations on the issue, one of the US officials said.

The White House said on Monday that Biden would announce a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two sides on sustainable energy and mineral development.

Indonesia makes appeal to us on Gaza

Jokowi, as the president is known, pressed Biden on steps to end Israel’s war with Hamas.

“Indonesia appeals to the US to do more to stop the atrocities in Gaza. Ceasefire is a must for the sake of humanity,” Widodo said in the Oval Office at the start of talks with the US president.

We’ll do ‘everything in our power’ to free captive Americans: Biden

Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, is the largest Muslim-majority nation.

Many Muslims have been outraged by Biden’s support for Israel after Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages on Oct. 7, according to Israeli officials.

Palestinian officials have said Israeli strikes have killed more than 11,000 Gaza residents.

“The president will look to ask Indonesia to a play a larger role and to assist us,” in the Middle East, a US official said, without elaborating on what such an expanded role might entail.

Like several of its neighbors in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is economically intertwined with China as it navigates territorial disputes with its larger neighbor and wants to avoid getting caught in the middle by hostile Washington-Beijing relations.

Jakarta and Washington formally upgraded relations to the highest diplomatic tier as part of the leaders’ meeting.

The two leaders were expected to discuss Indonesia’s diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in Myanmar, where the military took control in a 2021 coup and has been engaged in clashes with rebel alliances, one of the officials said.

“It’s going to be time soon for us to think about what our next steps are together to deal with a situation that is untenable,” the person said.

Jokowi, first elected in 2014, is constitutionally required to leave office next year after serving the maximum two terms.

Source: brecorder.com

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US journalist refutes Zionist enemy’s claims over civilians' killing in Doviev site

[14/November/2023]

BEIRUT November 14. 2023 (Saba) - USjournalist Jackson Hinkle has commented on a video published by Zionist media of targeting of Doviev Barracks in the Upper Galilee by the Lebanese Hezbollah.

Henkel re-published the video clip targeting the barracks and commented on as saying “Hezbollah missiles strike Israel again and Israel claims that these strikes killed electrical installation workers, but we can clearly see the helmet of the Israeli soldier on the ground.”

On Sunday, the spokesman for the Zionist enemy army announced that there were six civilian casualties in an anti-armor shell fired from Lebanon on Doviev Barracks in the Upper Galilee.

Later, Hezbollah announced the targeting of a logistical force of the Zionist enemy army near Doviv Barracks in the Upper Galilee, confirming that there were casualties, including one dead and one wounded among the Zionists.

Source: saba.ye

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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3280510.htm

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Far-left Jews protest outside Israeli consulate in Chicago, demanding Gaza ceasefire

13 November 2023

CHICAGO, Illinois — Hundreds of far-left Jewish activists and their allies converged at a major train station in downtown Chicago during rush hour Monday morning, blocking the entrance to the Israeli consulate and demanding US support for a ceasefire as battles rage between Israel and Hamas in northern Gaza.

Midwestern Jews and allies traveled to Chicago from Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois for the demonstration, organizers said.

The Israeli consulate in Chicago is in a building connected to the Ogilvie Transportation Center, a major commuter rail station.

Over 100 protesters, who blocked escalators leading to the consulate, were arrested for misdemeanor trespassing and escorted out of the building, according to Ben Lorber, who helped organize the protest led by Chicago chapters of Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow, and Never Again Action.

That information was not confirmed by Chicago police, who could not immediately provide information on the number and reasons for arrests, and how many demonstrators participated.

Israeli Consul General to Chicago Yinam Cohen said in a statement that the demonstration was “not about peace.”

“Those who publicly support Hamas, a designated terrorist organization who murdered [roughly 1,200] Israelis on Oct. 7, rip down American flags, and chant ‘from the River to the Sea’ — a call to annihilate the State of Israel — do not represent peace,” Cohen said. “We are overwhelmed by the endless support for Israel by millions of Americans, Jews and non-Jews alike. We are looking forward to tomorrow’s March for Israel in DC, the largest rally for Israel in decades.”

War erupted in the Gaza Strip after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel, killing some 1,200 people and seizing over 240 hostages of all ages under the cover of a deluge of thousands of rockets fired at Israeli towns and cities.

Israel says its offensive is aimed at destroying Hamas’s military and governance capabilities, and has vowed to eliminate the entire terror group, which rules the Strip. It says it is targeting all areas where Hamas operates, while seeking to minimize civilian casualties.

Advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace led a similar sit-in in New York City’s Grand Central Station on October 27, where a sea of protesters filled the main concourse during evening rush hour, chanting slogans and unfurling banners demanding a ceasefire as Israel intensified its bombardment of the Gaza Strip. At least 200 demonstrators were detained by New York police officers.

And more than 300 people were arrested in Washington, DC, on October 19 for illegally demonstrating, and three people were charged with assaulting police, after protesters descended on Capitol Hill to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The Chicago rally is different from the previous Jewish Voice demonstrations because in the Midwest, “progressive Jewish communities are far smaller and separated by distance,” according to an emailed press release from organizers.

Chicago protesters cheered Monday as police led demonstrators from the building with hands zip-tied behind their backs, many in black T-shirts that read, “Not in our name.”

“We will not let a genocide happen in our name,” said Clara Belitz of IfNotNow Chicago during an Instagram livestream of the protest. “Our Jewish values compel us to speak out.” IfNotNow describes itself as a movement of American Jews organizing to end US support of “the Israeli government’s apartheid system.”

A spokesperson for Metra, the city’s commuter rail system, said that trains continued to run normally, but protesters blocked the southern exit and commuters were forced to leave the station through other doors.

“They shut down access to our platforms from the 500 West Madison building,” where the consulate is located, said Meg Reile, a spokesperson for Metra. “Trains continued to run throughout.”

Source: timesofisrael.com

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https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-protesters-block-israeli-consulate-in-chicago-demanding-gaza-ceasefire/

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University introduces committees to support Jewish, Arab, Muslim and Palestinian students

By Bertha Gonzalez

Nov. 13, 2023

Stanford President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez announced two new groups and new campus safety measures in an email Monday, following calls from community members demanding further support from the University for students affected by the Israel-Gaza war.

The two support groups — the Antisemitism, Bias and Communication Subcommittee and the Muslim, Arab and Palestinian Communities Committee — were created following a reported rise of hate crimes targeting Jewish, Muslim and Arab students on campus. Antisemitic messages have been written across campus and a hit-and-run targeting a Muslim Arab student on Nov. 3 is being investigated as a hate crime.

“The last several weeks have been challenging as our community has witnessed and responded to the Israel-Hamas war,” Saller and Martinez wrote in Monday’s email. “For many it has been a time of anguish, fear, worry, and anger.”

The Antisemitism, Bias and Communication Subcommittee falls under the Jewish Advisory Committee, a panel created in May to support and enhance the Jewish experience at Stanford. Saller and Martinez’s email highlighted the committee’s past progress, including the recent accommodation of Yom Kippur in Stanford’s academic calendar and efforts to expand accessibility to Kosher dinners.

The subcommittee’s primary responsibilities are to provide recommendations on educating the community and enacting measures to reduce, eliminate, and respond to antisemitism, to foster dialogue with the Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities and to consider ways to partner with members of the those communities, according to the Stanford Report.

The Antisemitism, Bias and Communication Subcommittee’s leadership is composed of co-chairs Ari Kelman, a professor in the Graduate School of Education, and Rabbi Laurie Hahn Tapper, the associate dean for the Office for Religious and Spiritual Life.

The Committee on Muslim, Arab and Palestinian Communities intends to provide recommendations that “educate the community on the sources and effects of Islamophobia, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias.” The committee will foster dialogue with all involved communities, including Jewish communities, according to the Stanford Report. 

The Committee on Muslim, Arab and Palestinian Communities leadership is composed of co-chairs Alexander Key, associate professor of comparative literature, and Abiya Ahmed, associate dean of students and the director of the Markaz Resource Center.

The report also announced new campus safety measures.

Saller and Martinez wrote that the University has deployed increased security at “key locations and events on campus in recent weeks.” They announced the launch of an independent, third-party campus safety review that will be conducted by The Riseling Group (TRG). The consulting firm provides services to organizations like law enforcement or colleges and universities, according to its website. TRG previously provided an independent review of an on-campus police stop in January, when a gun was drawn on a Black motorist.

The group will advise immediate and long-term steps towards improving campus safety, Saller and Martinez wrote.

The report shared a variety of supportive resources — including an expansion of resources for students — and directed students to community-based centers like Hillel at Stanford and the Markaz. 

Saller and Martinez reaffirmed the University’s stances against antisemitism and Islamophobia and also re-emphasized Stanford’s policies on protected and unprotected speech.

They emphasized the importance of the campus community coming together to reject “antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bias, anti-Palestinian bias, anti-Israeli bias, and all forms of hatred” to foster an environment of “civil, reasoned, deeply informed discussion that advances our mission of learning.”

“In these difficult times, we hope you’ll join us in supporting one another as members of one Stanford community,” Saller and Martinez wrote.

Source: stanforddaily.com

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https://stanforddaily.com/2023/11/13/university-introduces-support-groups-for-jewish-arab-muslim-and-palestinian-students/

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Muslim groups report 'skyrocketing' number of Islamophobic incidents across Canada

 Nov 13, 2023

In his nearly 30 years as co-founder and then president of the Canadian Muslim Forum, Samer Majzoub said he has never seen the level of anti-Islamic hate crimes and intimidation reported since Oct. 7.

“Honestly, it hasn’t just increased, it has skyrocketed,” Majzoub said Monday. “It has even exceeded the level we saw after the 9/11 attacks. And we’re seeing new types of anti-Islamic harassment.”

People have called in to report intimidation at their places of work, at schools and at universities. They include drivers spitting at people from car windows and individuals being pushed or verbally abused. People have seen their addresses published on Facebook. Incidents are being reported across Canada, and Montreal police have tallied a growing number of hate-related crimes against both Islamic and Jewish targets in the last month.

In late October, a mosque at the Badr Islamic Centre in St-Léonard was spray-painted with a swastika and the message “Kill all Musulman bastard” (sic).

Last Friday and Saturday, the Canadian Muslim Forum received reports of Muslim women being verbally attacked near mosques.

“These were just young women. They were students,” Majzoub said.

Montreal police received 98 reports of hate crimes or hateful incidents between Oct. 7 and Nov. 7. Of those, 73 were directed against the Jewish community and 25 against the Muslim-Arab community. The police release updated figures every Wednesday.

The true number is much higher because many citizens are hesitant to file reports for fear of intimidation or reprisals, or that their complaints won’t be taken seriously by police, as has been reported in the past. Lately, however, Majzoub said the Montreal police force has been proactive in communicating with members of the Muslim community.

Majzoub says certain members of Canada and Quebec’s political class are partly to blame as well as some media, who have used “inflammatory rhetoric” or language that “demonizes one population against another. They are trying to paint a whole population, a whole ethnicity or a whole religion with certain colours.”

At the same time, he denounced recent attacks on Jewish schools and a synagogue in Montreal.

“This is outrageous, that someone would even think of hurting children. This is scary and crazy at the same time.”

A Senate report released on Nov. 2 found that Islamophobia remains a persistent problem in “Canadian society and in many of our institutions,” and called for “urgent action to reverse the alarming trajectory of Islamophobia in Canada.”

The Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights found that incidents of Islamophobia “are a daily reality for many Muslims, that one in four Canadians do not trust Muslims, and that Canada leads the G7 in terms of targeted killings of Muslims motivated by Islamophobia.”

Some authorities are not equipped to handle explosive situations, “and this is where it becomes dangerous and alarming,” Majzoub said. Counter-protests between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators turned violent last week at Concordia University, resulting in one arrest and two minor injuries.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims has recorded a 1,300 per cent increase in the number of hate incidents reported since Oct. 7, said Fatema Abdalla, an advocacy officer with the organization. The council has received an average of eight complaints a day across Canada, with the majority of incidents happening in densely populated areas in Ontario, Alberta and Quebec. Reports were fairly evenly spread across the provinces, she said.

Incidents included being spit on in public spaces or at work or seeing messages like “Kill all Muslims” written on the walls of apartment buildings, or “You Muslims need to die” scrawled on the bathroom stalls of children’s schools.

“Part of the problem is the rhetoric political leaders have used when putting out statements,” she said. “Especially the statements we saw coming right after Oct. 7, a lot of them once again bringing it back to that notion of Muslims equate terrorism. That’s why we say it’s important for political leaders to put up principled but balanced statements when it comes to what’s happening overseas.”

Source: montrealgazette.com

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https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/muslim-groups-report-skyrocketing-number-of-islamophobic-incidents-across-canada

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Don't relent on your efforts at inter-faith dialogue - Regional Imams urge Dr. Bawumia

 Nov - 13 - 2023

The Vice President and Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has been urged to continue his unifying interactions with the Christian community in the country.

Addressing Dr. Bawumia during a courtesy call at his residence over the weekend, to congratulate him for his election as flagbearer of the NPP, the Council of Regional Imams, said recent attacks on the person of Dr. Bawumia by NDC MP for Ningo Prampram, Sam George, for the Vice President's constant engagements with the Christian community, were unfounded.

Sam George questioned the Islamic faith of Dr. Bawumia for his regular interaction with Christians, and described the Vice President as a "religious prostitute" - comments which have been roundly condemned.

Adding their voice during the visit, a spokesperson of the Imams, said the Vice President has done no wrong Islamically by his regular interactions with the Christian community to build religious harmony in the country.

"Your tolerance and respect for religious diversity is commendable. You are doing the right thing by maintaining a very strong relationship with the Christian community as a leader to strengthen harmony. We are one people," said the Imams.

"The Prophet Muhammad himself had a very good relationship with non Muslims and Islam does not forbid the building and strengthening of harmonious relationship between Muslims and Christians."

"When the Prophet went to Madina, he established a very good relationship with the Christians. There are also examples of Muslim leaders in the world, including in Muslim countries who have good relationship with their Christian colleagues."

While condemning the comments by Sam George, the Council urged the Vice President to continue to be for all because "we are one people in Ghana."

"The gentleman did not speak well at all because we are one people in this country.  By your position, you are a politician and a leader so you belong to everyone. Continue to be for all because we are one people in Ghana."

Source: graphic.com.gh

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Indonesian president urges Biden to help end Gaza ‘atrocities’

November 14, 2023

WASHINGTON: Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged US President Joe Biden during a visit to the White House on Monday to do more to end “atrocities” in Gaza and help bring about a cease-fire.

The Israel-Hamas war overshadowed the Oval Office talks, which had been meant to showcase an upgrade in ties as Washington tries to boost alliances against an increasingly assertive China.

“Indonesia appeals to the US to do more to stop the atrocities in Gaza,” Widodo, the leader of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, said as the two presidents met in front of a roaring fire.

“Cease-fire is a must for the sake of humanity.”

The Indonesian president had said Sunday he would bring Biden a “very strong message” from a joint summit of Arab and Muslim leaders in Riyadh at the weekend which condemned Israel and called for a cease-fire.

Widodo also said he would “deliver a specific message from President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine, who asked me to convey it to President Biden,” regarding the war.

US officials had said Biden would in turn urge his Indonesian counterpart to take a “larger role” in resolving the Israel-Hamas conflict in the talks at the White House on Monday.

“I think it will be critical to hear the perspectives from Indonesia about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East,” a senior US administration official said Sunday in a call with reporters.

This would include the “cease-fire issue” but also long-term goals such as a two-state solution after the war and rebuilding the shattered Gaza Strip, the US official said.

Indonesia last week denied an allegation by Israel that a hospital built in Gaza using Indonesian charity funding sits atop a network of Hamas tunnels.

The meeting had been aimed at showing unity ahead of Biden’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco this week, with Washington trying to counter Beijing in the Asia-Pacific region.

Indonesia and the United States were shaking hands on a new “comprehensive strategic partnership” — Indonesia’s highest level of diplomatic ties.

Biden unveiled a similar upgrade to ties with Vietnam on a visit to Hanoi in September, part of Washington’s push to bolster its network of allies in Asia and the Pacific.

Indonesia, like many emerging and developing countries, has received massive Chinese investment and loans, particularly for infrastructure projects.

The leaders will also discuss cooperation on critical minerals for electric vehicle batteries and other clean energy technologies, US officials said.

Biden and Widodo — who is set to leave office next year after reaching the end of a two-term limit — will hold one-on-one talks in the White House Oval Office before having tea.

Widodo’s Washington visit comes ahead of what the officials called a consequential week in which Biden hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco.

Biden will meet China’s Xi on the sidelines of the summit on Wednesday — their first talks since the G20 gathered in the Indonesian resort island of Bali in November 2022.

Indonesia and other countries will be watching the talks between the superpower rivals because “they want a situation that is not risking global conflict,” a US official said.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2408281/world

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Mideast

 

Lebanon’s Hezbollah launches retaliatory strikes against Israel infantry 'in support of Palestinians in Gaza'

13 November 2023

Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement has launched several retaliatory strikes against the Israeli occupied territories with confirmed casualties as tensions in the border areas fuel concerns that the war in Gaza might expand to other fronts.

Hezbollah announced in a statement on Monday that the resistance movement had targeted with guided missiles a military position for Israel’s infantry force in al-Dhahirah site in the north of the occupied territories.

“In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and in support of the valiant and honorable resistance, the forces targeted Zionist infantry force at the al-Dhahirah site with missiles, inflicting heavy losses among the enemy’s ranks,” the statement said.

Israel’s Army Radio confirmed the attack and reported two injuries as a result of anti-tank missiles fired from Lebanon.

Hezbollah said in another statement that its fighters targeted a Zionist infantry force near the Branit barracks with missiles from southern Lebanon. In a third statement, the Lebanese resistance movement added that its forces targeted al-Raheb site as well as al-Ramtha site in the Shebaa Farms and left several casualties.

Hezbollah slams Israeli attack on media reporters

In another development on Monday, the public relations office of Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement condemned an earlier attack by the Israeli regime against a media convoy in the border town of Yaroun in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli assault left a journalist wounded with minor injuries and damaged one of the broadcast vehicles.

“The Zionist occupation forces’ targeting of the media working in the south while on an announced tour in the town of Yaroun to cover the effects of the Zionist attacks is described as a crime and a blatant attack aimed at preventing the media from exposing their terrorist practices and ongoing crimes,” Hezbollah said.

‏“This new crime is added to the enemy’s record of crimes against journalists and media outlets in Palestine and Lebanon,” the resistance movement added.

“We are confident that this will not prevent free journalists from continuing to perform their honorable mission in conveying images of steadfastness, heroism and resistance, as well as exposing crimes of aggression.”

Since the start of Israeli war in Gaza last month, the occupying regime has conducted sporadic attacks on southern Lebanon, which have triggered fire exchanges between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah.

In a televised address on Saturday, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the resistance movement would continue to exert pressure on Israel to force the regime to end its brutal military campaign against the Gaza Strip.

Nasrallah says the Israeli regime will be eventually forced to back down in the face of resistance fighters in another humiliation for its military.

Israel waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Palestinian resistance groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, launched Operation al-Aqsa Storm into the occupied territories in response to the Israeli regime’s intensified crimes against Palestinians.

Since then, the occupying regime has embarked on an incessant bombardment of the Gaza Strip, with official reports saying the Palestinian death toll from Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 11, 240, including 4,630 children and 3,130 women. More than 28,000 others injured in the regime’s military onslaught so far.

The Tel Aviv regime has also blocked access to water, food, and electricity in Gaza, plunging the coastal area into a humanitarian crisis.

Israel has so far defied calls by the international community to implement a ceasefire in Gaza.

Source: presstv.ir

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Organization of Islamic Cooperation urges international push for cease-fire in Gaza

Sami Sohta

13.11.2023

Ambassadors of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states in Brussels on Monday urged the international community, with a particular focus on the EU, to exert pressure on Israel to halt its ongoing assault on Gaza.

At a news conference in Brussels, the ambassadors of the 57-nation bloc read a statement calling upon the EU to undertake all necessary efforts to prompt an immediate and comprehensive cease-fire and bring an end to Israeli aggression against Gaza.

The statement emphasized the crucial role of the EU in holding Israel accountable for the war crimes committed in Gaza, underscoring that the Israeli attacks on Gaza cannot be justified as self-defense.

Furthermore, the statement stressed that the establishment of a Palestinian state within the borders of 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital, is the sole pathway to achieving lasting peace in the region.

The statement follows a joint Arab-Islamic summit held in Saudi Arabia, which also called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the immediate entry of humanitarian aid.

As the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip entered its 38th day, at least 11,180 Palestinians have been killed, including over 7,700 children and women, and more than 28,200 others have been injured, according to the latest figures by Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave since last month.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,200, according to official figures.

Source: aa.com.tr

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Arab, Islamic countries condemn Israeli bombing of Qatari headquarters in Gaza

14.11.2023

Arab and Islamic countries and organizations issued statements late Monday condemning the Israeli bombing of the headquarters of the Qatar Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Egypt and Jordan along with the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned the Israeli airstrikes on the headquarters of the committee, which is responsible for Gaza's reconstruction.

Earlier in the day, the Qatari Foreign Ministry denounced the Israeli bombing, labeling it as “blatant aggression.” Qatar condemned the attack, considering it an extension of the occupation's policy of targeting civilians, hospitals and refugee shelters.

Qatar also called on Israel to “stop providing misleading justifications and information for these attacks.”

The Saudi Foreign Ministry in its statement condemned the “blatant aggression by the occupation forces on the Qatari committee's headquarters” and expressed solidarity with Doha, urging the international community to immediately put an end to "violations committed by the occupation authorities."

The UAE strongly condemned the Israeli attack on the Qatari committee's headquarters in a statement, emphasizing the need for an immediate cease-fire to prevent further bloodshed.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry also condemned the bombing, describing it as a "crime" and a "heinous act." It called on the international community to "put an end to these Israeli violations carried out under transparent pretexts and lies exposed to the world."

The Omani Foreign Ministry expressed condemnation for the bombing of the Qatari committee's headquarters, showing solidarity with Doha and affirming that this attack constitutes a new and blatant violation of international law, continuing Israel's brutal aggression against the Palestinian people.

Egypt also condemned the targeting of the headquarters, considering it a “new blatant extension of Israeli violations,” expressing solidarity with Qatar against “this heinous attack.”

Jordan in a statement from its Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli bombing of the Qatari Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, considering it a “reprehensible war crime” added to Israel's criminal record.

At the organizational level, Jassim Al-Budaiwi, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, condemned the Israeli bombing of the Qatari headquarters in Gaza, saying it was “further evidence of the brutality and recklessness of the occupation forces.”

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned the bombing of the headquarters, considering it within the “framework of the ongoing military aggression targeting Palestinian civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.”

Source: aa.com.tr

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MSF doctor warns of ‘inhuman’ conditions in main Gaza hospital

November 14, 2023

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories: Hundreds of people stranded in Gaza’s biggest hospital were enduring “inhuman” conditions on Monday while heavy fighting raged around them, a doctor said as Israel declared Hamas had “lost control” over the Palestinian territory.

“Terrorists are fleeing southward. Civilians are looting Hamas bases. They don’t have faith in the government anymore,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Israeli television without providing evidence.

“Hamas has lost control of Gaza,” he said, as Israeli troops battled with the militant group in the streets of Gaza City.

Palestinians wounded in the Israeli bombardment wait for treatment in Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. (AP)

Witnesses reported intense air strikes, with tanks and armored vehicles just meters from the gate of the Al-Shifa hospital, under which Israel argues Hamas has buried its military headquarters — a charge denied by Hamas.

“The situation is very bad, it is inhuman,” a surgeon with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the medical charity group, wrote on social media.

“We don’t have electricity. There’s no water in the hospital,” added the doctor, who was not named.

The Hamas government’s deputy health minister Youssef Abu Rish said the death toll inside Al-Shifa rose to 27 adult intensive care patients and seven babies since the weekend as the facility suffered fuel shortages.

Gaza has been reliant on generators for more than a month after Israel cut off power supplies following the October 7 Hamas attack, and the besieged territory’s only power plant ran out of fuel.

Flares rise over the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (AP)

A lack of fuel was also hitting the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. The agency’s Gaza chief Thomas White said operations “will grind to a halt in the next 48 hours as no fuel is allowed to enter” the territory.

The World Health Organization in the Palestinian territories said early Monday that at least 2,300 people — patients, health workers and people fleeing fighting — were inside the crippled Al-Shifa facility.

The Israeli army pushed on with their campaign, determined to destroy the movement whose gunmen it says killed at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 hostages in the country’s worst ever attack when they stormed across the militarised border from Gaza.

Israel said 44 of its troops have been killed in its Gaza ground operation.

But Israel is facing intense international pressure to minimize civilian suffering amid its massive air and ground operations that Hamas authorities say have killed 11,240 people, including 4,630 children.

This picture taken on November 12, 2023 from a position along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel shows a smoke plume erupting during Israeli bombardment on the Palestinian enclave amid ongoing battles. (AFP)

Separately, the Hamas-run health ministry said there were dozens of bodies on the streets of northern Gaza, where the heaviest fighting was raging, saying ambulances were coming under Israeli fire when they tried to retrieve them.

United States President Joe Biden on Monday urged his ally Israel to protect Al-Shifa.

“It’s my hope and expectation that there will be less intrusive action relative to the hospital,” he told reporters.

Israel’s top diplomat, as quoted by his spokesman, said the nation has “two or three weeks until international pressure really steps up.”

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen added that Israel is working to “broaden the window of legitimacy, and the fighting will carry on for as long as necessary.”

The Israel Defense Forces on Monday reported more heavy fighting and again stressed its claim that Hamas was hiding in civilian infrastructure.

“IDF troops are continuing to conduct raids... targeting terrorist infrastructure located in central governmental institutions in the heart of the civilian population, including schools, universities, mosques and residences of terrorists,” it said.

Teams of Israeli troops ran between jagged ruins in Gaza while air strikes shown on grainy military-released video shattered buildings.

Militants in southern Gaza fired a fresh salvo of rockets toward Israel.

Israelis are stunned by the October 7 attack and worried for the fate of the hostages. Demonstrators rallied on Monday outside the United Nations in Jerusalem to call for the world body’s help in freeing the captives.

The war in Gaza has also spurred concerns of a wider regional conflict.

At least eight pro-Iran fighters were killed in US strikes on eastern Syria, a war monitor said, in response to attacks on American forces.

It was the third time in less than three weeks that the US military has targeted locations in Syria. Attacks on American forces in the Middle East have spiked since the Israel-Hamas war began.

International attention has focused on the plight of Palestinians, and protests have been held worldwide in solidarity with the 2.4 million under bombardment and near-total siege for more than five weeks.

About 980 trucks carrying humanitarian aid have been let into Gaza since October 21, according to the UN humanitarian agency.

Before the war, 500 trucks entered every day, it said.

Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on the European Union and the United Nations to “parachute aid” into Gaza.

Fuel is in critical need, especially for hospital generators, but Israel has been concerned that any fuel deliveries could be diverted to Hamas militants.

Almost 1.6 million people — about two-thirds of Gaza’s population — have been internally displaced since October 7, according to UNRWA.

Some people were being allowed to leave the besieged territory via the Egypt-controlled Rafah crossing and on Monday more than 550 foreigners passport holders and nine wounded Palestinians wounded and companions crossed.

Israel’s military said it would observe a “self-evacuation corridor” Monday, allowing people to move from Al-Shifa southward, but admitted the area was still the scene of “intense battles.”

The area of fighting “currently includes the area surrounding the Al-Shifa hospital but not the hospital itself,” an IDF spokesperson told AFP.

The Israeli army also said its ground soldiers had hand-delivered 300 liters (80 gallons) of fuel near the hospital “for urgent medical purposes.”

Al-Shifa director Abu Salmiya said he told Israeli authorities he needed far more — at least 8,000 liters to run the main generators and “save hundreds of patients and wounded, but they refused.”

AFP was unable to independently verify his account or Israel’s claim that Hamas forbade the hospital from taking the fuel.

Source: arabnews.com

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Hamas armed wing discussed releasing 70 hostages in return for 5-day truce

November 14, 2023

CAIRO: The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Monday they told Qatari mediators that the group is ready to release up to 70 women and children held in Gaza in return for a five-day truce.

“The truce should include a complete cease-fire and allowing aid and humanitarian relief everywhere in the Gaza Strip,” Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, Alqassam Brigades,. said in a recorded audio published on the group’s Telegram channel.

He went on to accuse Israel of “procrastinating and evading” the price of the deal.

Source: arabnews.com

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Turkish ship carrying field hospitals docks in Egypt near Gaza

November 13, 2023

ISMAILIA, Egypt: A Turkish vessel carrying materials for field hospitals arrived Monday in Egypt’s port of El-Arish near the Rafah border crossing with the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, a port official said.

It is the first such aid vessel to arrive in Egypt since war broke out on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants in Gaza launched an attack on Israel.

Israel has responded with a furious bombing campaign and ground invasion that officials in the Hamas government say has killed over 11,000 people, also mostly civilians and including thousands of children.

A Turkish health official said the vessel was carrying “materials, generators, ambulances to establish eight field hospitals.”

The Turkish official added that Ankara had requested Cairo’s approval to build the field hospitals in El-Arish, which lies about 40 kilometers from the Rafah border — the only crossing to Gaza not controlled by Israel.

“We received the green light from Egyptian authorities. We will set up these hospitals to the areas shown by the Egyptian authorities,” the official said.

The delivery comes as Hamas government officials said all hospitals in northern Gaza were “out of service” amid fuel shortages as a result of fighting with Israeli forces.

The Hamas government’s Deputy Health Minister Youssef Abu Rish said the death toll inside Al-Shifa rose to 27 adult intensive care patients and seven babies since the weekend as the facility suffered fuel shortages.

Source: arabnews.com

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Israel blocks Beirut-based TV channel’s websites

November 13, 2023

JERUSALEM: A Beirut-based, pro-Iranian TV channel’s websites have been blocked in Israel over “security” concerns, an official said on Monday, as the war in Gaza raises worries of a regional conflict.

Israel’s Communication Minister Shlomo Karhi said the security Cabinet had approved emergency measures to prevent Al-Mayadeen from harming the state’s security.

“Immediately upon the Cabinet approval this morning, I signed the first order to block the Internet sites of Al-Mayadeen in Israel,” Karhi wrote on his Facebook page.

“The broadcasts and reporters of Al-Mayadeen serve the despicable terror organizations,” Karhi said.

There was no immediate comment from Mayadeen in Lebanon, but the outlet’s Israeli correspondent said she “will abide by the law.”

The Israeli minister also requested that the army’s central command chief apply the same measure in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian production company working with Mayadeen in the occupied West Bank announced they had cut ties with the Lebanese channel.

A spokesman for Karhi said that Mayadeen television could not be blocked since it was broadcast via satellite, but officials intended to prohibit Mayadeen reporters from working in Israel.

In a Monday statement, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Mayadeen has “turned into a mouthpiece of Hezbollah.”

He accused the Lebanese network’s journalists of “supporting terror while pretending to be reporters.”

Last month, Karhi’s office presented the security Cabinet with a plan to close the Israeli operation of Al Jazeera in light of “evidence” the Qatari channel was broadcasting content “that harms national security.”

The 27 EU nations have meanwhile jointly condemned Hamas for what they described as the use of hospitals and civilians as “human shields” in the war against Israel.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that at the same time, the bloc asked Israel “for maximum restraint in targeting to avoid human casualties.”

At a meeting of the bloc’s foreign affairs ministers, Borrell brandished a statement he issued on behalf of the 27 nations as a show of unity following weeks of often contrasting views on how the group should address the Israel-Hamas war.

“You know how difficult it has been the last times, after the vote in the UN, where countries were voted in different ways, to present a completely united approach,” Borrell said.

Source: arabnews.com

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Jordan’s king rejects any Israeli plan to occupy parts of Gaza

November 13, 2023

AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdullah rejected any plans by Israel to occupy parts of Gaza or to create security zones within the enclave, saying the root cause of the crisis was Israel’s denial of Palestinians’ “legitimate rights,” state media said on Monday.

In comments he made at the royal palace, the king was quoted as telling senior politicians that there could be “no military or security solution” to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

He said the war-ravaged enclave of Gaza should not be severed by Israel from the other Palestinian Territories.

The king told the politicians that the “root of the crisis was Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its denial of Palestinians legitimate rights.”

“The solution starts from there, and any other path is doomed to failure and more of a cycle of violence and destruction,” he said.

King Abdullah said he had long warned about Israeli violations in the West Bank, with which Jordan shares a border, and Jewish settler attacks on Palestinian civilians could “expand the conflict and push the region “to the abyss.”

Jordan is home to a large population of Palestinian refugees and their descendants who fear that Israel could expel Palestinians en masse from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian inhabitants have surged since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

Israel has relentlessly pounded the densely populated Palestinian territory and sent in troops on a mission to destroy Hamas, sparking an escalating humanitarian crisis.

King Abdullah said this month the only path to permanent peace was revived negotiations on an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

US-brokered negotiations toward a “two-state solution” of Palestinian independence in Israeli-occupied territories have been frozen for almost a decade.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday he opposed an “immediate” cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

“I don’t think the calls for an immediate cease-fire or long pause — which would amount to the same thing — are right,” Scholz said in a debate organized by the German regional daily Heilbronner Stimme.
Source: arabnews.com

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Iran: Israeli massacre of people in Gaza blatant violation of human rights, international law

13 November 2023

Iran's foreign minister has strongly condemned the ongoing massacre of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip by Israel as a blatant violation of international law.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remark in a phone call with his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, on Monday.

During the conversation, the two top diplomats discussed various aspects of bilateral relations as well as the latest developments in the West Asia region, especially the situation in Palestine and Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Referring to deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza as a result of Israel’s savage crimes, Iran's foreign minister said, “Through [indiscriminate] bombardment and massacre of people in the Gaza Strip, this [Israeli] regime has blatantly violated all [norms of] human rights and international law.”

Amir-Abdollahian also underlined the necessity of mounting pressure on Israel by the international community to put an immediate halt on the regime’s aggression against Gaza, establish a ceasefire across the territory, and pave the way for the dispatch of humanitarian aid.

Israel started its war on Gaza on October 7 after the territory’s resistance groups launched Operation al-Aqsa Storm in response to the regime’s intensified crimes against Palestinians.

Since then the Palestinian death toll from Israeli strikes has climbed to 11,240, including 4,630 children and 3,130 women. More than 28,000 people have been also injured in the regime’s military onslaught.

Israel has also blocked supply of water, food, electricity, and medicines to Gaza, plunging the coastal area into a humanitarian crisis. The regime has been defying global calls for a ceasefire as well.

On Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sounded a stern alarm about the humanitarian situation in the besieged Gaza Strip, saying, "The situation [in Gaza] is rapidly approaching a humanitarian disaster."

"An unbearable human tragedy is unfolding in front of our eyes. People call us day and night saying they are afraid to open their doors for fear of getting killed and pleading to help them reach safety," said William Schomburg, head of the ICRC's sub-delegation in Gaza.

The International Committee of the Red Cross sounds a stern alarm about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

The ICRC also expressed alarm at the regime's targeting of heavily populated urban areas, saying, "Israeli attacks taking place in heavily populated urban areas in the [Gaza] Strip, including around hospitals, endanger the lives of the most vulnerable people like medical staff, patients, the wounded, premature babies, people with disabilities, and the elderly."

Elsewhere in his remarks, Amir-Abdollahian expressed satisfaction over the growing ties between Iran and Hungary, declaring Tehran’s readiness to hold a meeting of the two countries’ joint commission.

The Hungarian top diplomat, for his part, expressed hope that relations between the two countries would further develop in all areas of mutual interest.

Source: presstv.ir

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Iran hangs three members of Sunni Muslim armed group for bomb attacks

13 Nov 2023

Iran has executed three members of a Sunni Muslim armed group who were found guilty of carrying out a bomb attack targeting the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard.

The trio was sentenced to death for the 2019 bombing in the country’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan. The judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported on Monday that they were executed by hanging.

According to the judiciary, the men were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of bombing attacks targeting a police station and a patrol vehicle in Zahedan, the capital of the province. A suicide bomber killed 27 Revolutionary Guard members and wounded 13 others, in one of the boldest attacks on Iran’s most powerful military institution.

They were also found guilty of being members of the Sunni Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) group, which was formed in 2012 and is blacklisted by Iran as a “terrorist” organisation. The group claimed responsibility for the attack at the time.

Provincial Chief Justice Ali Mostafavinia added that the defendants were also convicted for “receiving military training, transferring and hiding bomb-making materials”.

Jaish al-Adl and its affiliate groups, based in neighbouring Pakistan, have been accused of committing cross-border attacks against Iranian forces.

Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president at the time of the 2019 attack, condemned the bombing, saying: “Without a doubt, all perpetrators and those who ordered this vicious, flagrant act will be punished soon with the hard work of the powerful security forces of the country.”

Unrest in Iran’s impoverished Sistan-Baluchistan province, on the border with Pakistan, has over the years involved drug-smuggling gangs, rebels from the Baluchi minority, and Sunni Muslim armed groups.

Record of executions

Iran executes more people annually than any other country except China, according to human rights organisations, including Amnesty International.

Earlier this year, the UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, said Iran has an “abominable” track record of executions this year with an average of more than 10 people hanged each week.

More than 600 people have been executed by Iran so far this year, already the highest figure in eight years, said the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) group in a November report. In 2015, Iran carried out 972 death sentences, according to the UN.

Irans has also issued death sentences and executed people detained during last year’s antigovernment protests, despite objections from human rights groups.

Source: aljazeera.com

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Arab World

 

‘We know how violence ends, and the consequences,’ Somalia’s president tells Arab News

November 13, 2023

RIYADH: Somalia knows from bitter experience that a political end cannot be reached by means of violence, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the Somali president, has said, discussing the ongoing cycle of violence between Israel and the Palestinians.

After decades of political instability, terrorist violence, and foreign intervention, the war-scarred nation on the Horn of Africa has seen a gradual shift toward stabilization, reflected in its recent outreach to African neighbors and the Arab world.

Mohamud told Arab News that the violence between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas would not address the root causes of the conflict — something that could only be achieved through a political agreement in the form of the two-state solution.

He said: “As Somalis, we have been in an environment of violence for a long time. We know where the violence ends up, and the consequences, and the result at the end of violence. No one can reach a political end by means of violence. It cannot happen.

“There is a worldwide accepted solution. Two states, Palestine and Israel, living together side by side, peacefully. And it can happen. It’s possible. Why don’t we go ahead with that?”

For more than a month, the Gaza Strip has been under intense Israeli bombardment in retaliation for the unprecedented Oct. 7 cross-border attack mounted by Hamas on southern Israel, in which 1,400 people were killed, most of them civilians, and 240 taken hostage.

Israel’s bombardment, and subsequent ground operation, has resulted in more than 11,000 deaths, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and the displacement of more than half the population of Gaza.

“What’s going on in Palestine, particularly today in Gaza, is a special case, something that is contrary to all human values in the moral sense.

“It’s not about religion only, it’s not about Arab only, it’s not about regionalism. This is humanity. Children are dying. Mothers are suffering. Innocent civilians are suffering,” Mohamud added.

The president spoke to Arab News following the inaugural Saudi-African Summit and the fifth Arab-African Summit, which took place in Riyadh on Nov. 11 and 12, bringing together representatives from both regions to discuss trade and cooperation.

He welcomed closer ties between Somalia and Saudi Arabia, highlighting their shared history, religious bonds, and common security interests.

Mohamud said: “Somalia and Saudi Arabia have a very, very long and historical relationship because of the proximity of our geographic locations and because of the common values that we have — the Islamic religion, the way of life, the Arab values and culture, of course. So, there’s a lot of issues that link us with Saudi Arabia.

“The 21st century and globalism is another challenge that makes us get together. We have a common enemy like the extremists, like the terrorists, like the fundamentalism in the wrong direction.

“Since we all have the common place of Islam, our heritage has always been linked together. So, that is the background that we are coming from,” he added.

Mohamud pointed out that he was especially grateful for the Kingdom’s humanitarian assistance, counterterrorism expertise, and diplomatic support, at a time when Somalia has suffered insurgency, instability, and economic crisis.

“Somalia has been in a difficult situation for the last three decades. And Saudi Arabia has always been with Somalia for all these three decades in terms of humanitarian, in terms of security, in terms of global politics and diplomatic support provided to Somalia. That is the level of our relationship.

“And today, under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, we are improving. Every day there is a new progress in our relationship, new confidence, new relations, new areas on that,” he said.

Mohamud noted that security and counterterrorism were a particularly strong area of cooperation.

“Somalia is a country that’s coming out of a long, long-term conflict. We went into a war with the terrorists, as did Saudi Arabia sometime in the past and succeeded. There is no better place than Saudi Arabia to seek advice and experience in the war against terrorism,” he added.

The Saudi-African Summit was organized in recognition of Africa’s growing importance as an emerging player in world trade and diplomacy.

Mohamud said: “In the 21st century, Africa is the destination. Destination in terms of economic development. Destination in terms of human capital. Destination in terms of resources. Destination in terms of strategy, you name it. So, the whole world is looking.

“If yesterday it was colonialism, if it was exploitation, in the 21st century (new change) is possible. It is a partnership, shared interests.”

He noted that Somalia, with the longest coastline on the African continent, a dynamic youth population, ample untapped natural resources, and the potential to become a major regional logistics hub, was ready for investment.

“For a long time, we have been struggling to stabilize Somalia. Make a safe and secure place. Only then we can hope investment will come. We are succeeding in this now. We are in the final stages of the stabilization and safety, and security of Somalia.

“We are defeating the terrorist groups that denied this right to the Somali people. Once we do that, that’s the right time — a conducive environment is created, enabling an environment that is created for investment.

“Somalia is a white paper. Every place is an opportunity. The blue economy is an opportunity. Food security is an opportunity. Minerals, rich in minerals: gold, uranium, copper, cobalt. All types of natural rare elements are available in Somalia.

“Somalia has close to 9 million hectares of arable land, with two permanent rivers throughout the year and a good number of rainy seasons. Somalia has one of the largest livestock (numbers) in the world.

“So, in Somalia, areas to invest, the sky’s the limit and it’s untapped and it’s unoccupied,” Mohamud added.

Somalia’s poor development is owed in large part to its decades of civil war, which have been prolonged by the involvement of international terrorist networks, including Al-Shabaab.

The terrorist group, which is based in Somalia but active elsewhere in East Africa, has been affiliated with Al-Qaeda since 2012, with suspected ties with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

With international support, Somalia has been fighting back against Al-Shabaab with conventional military means and counter-radicalization campaigns, and by cutting off the group’s means of financing its activities.

Mohamud said: “The Somali government and the world supporting Somalia, international partners, international community, international organizations, all of them that have been supporting Somalia, for which we are very much grateful, in the fight against terrorism.

“Al-Shabaab is not a local organization. It’s a global, regional (organization). It just happened to be in Somalia, because in Somalia there was a great space that was ungoverned for a long time. That is what makes them stay there.

“Secondly, we have been fighting with Al-Shabaab, the terrorists, with one method, which is the military. All the time we have been fighting with them in terms of military. We strengthened and increased the military front, but we’re at another front. We are at ideological war since Al-Shabaab is an ideology-based organization — we fight with them over ideology.

“The ideology they use is Islam. And they are not using it in the right way. So, no one is much better than us to express and explain to our people the right path of Islam. And that’s what we are doing.

“The third is the issue of the economy. Al-Shabaab is collecting a huge amount of money from our people. They call it zakat (tax), or they call it tabaro’at (charity). They give it so many names. But at the end of the day, it is our local resources.

“We have restricted those resources, closing the taps flowing to them. So, that is what makes the success that we are seeking, and we are achieving right now,” he added.

Despite the demands of his role, Mohamud was determined to continue serving the interests of the Somali people as the nation moved toward a more stable and prosperous future.

He said: “Of course, I’m not a young man, but Alhamdulillah, I’m healthy. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink. I don’t stay up late. I do enough work, not just mentally, but exercise as well. So, Alhamdulillah, I’m healthy. I’m the father of a good family and I have been serving Somalia all my life.”

Mohamud has been president since May 2022, having previously served in the same position from 2012 to 2017. Before entering politics, he was a civil rights activist and a professor and dean at SIMAD University in Mogadishu.

In 2013, he was named in the Time 100, Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, for his efforts at advancing national reconciliation, anti-corruption measures, and socio-economic and security sector reforms in Somalia.

“I’m someone whose background comes from education and humanity and serving the lives and the interests of the people. And I believe, still, I’m serving the people. What makes me happy, what gives me self-satisfaction, is how much I help a human being,” Mohamud added.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2408136/middle-east

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Saudi and Australian defense ministers discuss situation in Gaza

November 14, 2023

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman received a phone call from Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles.

During the phone call, they reviewed bilateral relations and discussed prospects of cooperation between the defense ministries of both countries.

Prince Khalid and Marles also touched on the most notable issues of mutual interest.

The latest developments in Gaza and its surroundings were also discussed during the phone call. The Saudi defense minister reaffirmed the importance of immediately halting military operations, sparing the lives of innocent civilians, and allowing entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave.

Source: saudigazette.com.sa

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https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/637709/SAUDI-ARABIA/Saudi-and-Australian-defense-ministers-discuss-situation-in-Gaza

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Gaza mission: Fifth Saudi relief plane lands in Egypt

November 13, 2023

RIYADH: A fifth Saudi relief plane carrying aid from the Kingdom for Gaza arrived at El-Arish International Airport in Egypt on Monday. The aid was dispatched from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

The plane transported 35 tons of materials, including food and shelter, as part of the Saudi campaign to assist the people of Gaza, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

This initiative was launched by order of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in alignment with the Kingdom’s longstanding commitment to supporting the Palestinian people during times of crisis.

Four Saudi relief planes, each carrying 35 tons of aid, arrived in Egypt on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively.

KSrelief, in line with the directives of the king and crown prince, also launched a national fundraising campaign on the Sahem platform to provide assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.

The Sahem platform by Monday had been accessed by more than 735,000 people, who donated over SR475 million ($127 million) to the campaign.

On Sunday, the first aid convoys from Saudi Arabia crossed Egypt’s Rafah Border Crossing, heading to the besieged Gaza Strip.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2408166/saudi-arabia

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Saudi Crown Prince, Eritrean president hold meeting in Riyadh

November 13, 2023

RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea in Riyadh on Monday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The two leaders discussed Saudi-Eritrean relations and opportunities for joint cooperation between the countries, particularly in the development and trade sectors.

A number of other issues of regional and international importance were also discussed.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, energy minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, foreign minister, and defense minister Prince Khalid bin Salman were among officials who also attended the meeting.

Source: arabnews.com

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Amir's speech expressed feelings of all Arab-Islamic peoples: Shura

 NOVEMBER 13, 2023

The Shura Council held on Monday its ordinary weekly session, under the chairmanship of its Speaker HE Hassan bin Abdullah al-Ghanim. At the outset of the session, the Council appreciated the participation of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, along with heads of state and heads of delegations, in the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary summit, which was held in Riyadh on Saturday.

The Council praised the contents of His Highness the Amir's speech, which expressed the feelings of all Arab and Islamic peoples and peace-loving peoples of the world, by pointing out the failure of the international community to take action that would stop the massacres and put an end to the hostile war on Gaza Strip. The Council also hailed His Highness' call on the UN to dispatch crews to conduct an immediate investigation into the claims and allegations used by Israel to permit the bombing of hospitals in Gaza.

The Council also praised the affirmation in the Amir's speech of Qatar's firm and historical position in support of the steadfastness of the brotherly Palestinian people and their just cause as well as His Highness' call for urgently reaching a humanitarian ceasefire, permanently opening safe humanitarian crossings to deliver aid without obstacles or conditions, and His Highness' emphasis that the only sustainable solution to this issue is the one that establishes the foundations of justice in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.

In this regard, HE the Shura Council Speaker asserted that the Amir's speech before the summit was marked by candidness and transparency, it ushered in a novel historical era in addressing the Palestinian predicament and standing up against the marginalisation perpetuated by the occupying entity. He said that it was an expression of the consciences of all free peoples, and that it included strong contents calling on the Arab and Islamic worlds to take action and take a firm stance and deterrent measures within international legitimacy and based on the political, economic and popular weight they have.

In the same context, the Shura Council condemned the continued massacres perpetuated by the occupying entity against the defenseless Palestinian people, its continued destruction of all forms of life in Gaza, and its continued bombing of population centers and educational and health facilities to which civilians took refuge believing that they were safe from the crimes of the occupying entity in accordance with international law and humanitarian norms.

The Council denounced the international community's failure to stop the massacres that claimed more than 11,000 lives, 70% of whom were women and children, expressing its categorical rejection of forced displacement of the residents of northern Gaza and all the brotherly Palestinian people from their land, and pushing them to neighboring countries.

The Council warned against the consequences of leading such policy, as it is considered a war crime against humanity prohibited by international law. Furthermore, the Council underlined the need for world parliaments and parliamentary unions to take action to protect the Palestinian people from the ongoing crimes, violations and massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces.

After that, HE the Secretary-General of the Shura Council Dr Ahmed bin Nasser al-Fadala read out the session's agenda, and the minutes of the previous session were approved. During the session, the Council discussed the response of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers to the proposal submitted by the Council related to the topic "The phenomenon of Qatari teachers' unwillingness to join the teaching career," the topic that the Council raised in its first session of the current legislative term, as part of a request for general discussion submitted by a number of the members.

The Shura Council had discussed in previous sessions the aforementioned topic, and in its previous session, it concluded by submitting a proposal at the request of the esteemed government, which included the Council's views and proposals regarding the aforementioned topic.

The proposal included a number of views and proposals that would contribute to reducing this phenomenon and developing solutions for it. After reviewing the response of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers to the proposal submitted by the Council, it decided to refer it to the Cultural Affairs and Information Committee to study it and provide the Council with its conclusions regarding it.

The Council also reviewed a draft law amending some provisions of Law No 9 of 1987 on Control and Regulation of Control and Regulation of Narcotic Drugs and Dangerous Psychotropic Substances (NDDPS) as referred to it by the esteemed government, and after extensive discussions on it, the Council approved the aforementioned draft law.

In another context, HE the Shura Council Speaker briefed the members on the results and outcomes of the 17th periodic meeting of Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) Speakers of Shura, Representatives, National and Ummah Councils, which was held in Doha last Tuesday. Within this framework, HE the Speaker referred to the active participation in the meeting by the heads of the Gulf legislative councils, in an effort to enhance co-operation and integration between the councils in supporting joint Gulf action, in addition to emphasising the importance of co-ordination and unifying positions and visions in regional and international parliamentary forums regarding issues of priority to the GCC countries.

He said that the results of the meeting focused on supporting the just causes of the brotherly Palestinian people so that they regain all their legitimate rights, most importantly the establishment of their independent state in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, in addition to emphasising the rejection, denunciation and condemnation of the barbaric aggression, genocide and brutal massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza and throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, demanding the need to stop the aggression and protect the brotherly Palestinian people, and the need to allow the rapid entry of aid into the Gaza Strip without obstacles.

HE the Speaker thanked all the parties and institutions that contributed to the success of the meeting of the heads of the Gulf legislative councils, praising their efforts in this aspect.

On the other hand, the Council reviewed the report on the participation of HE Eng Ahmad bin Hitmi al-Hitmi and HE Mohamed bin Fahad al-Musallam in the meeting of the Standing Committee on Budget and Planning of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA), which was hosted by the Iranian capital, Tehran, last July.

HE al-Hitmi said that the Council delegation also participated in the second session of the APA's Working Group on Statutory Document, that touched on enhancing the association's work and building its capabilities, as well as discussing the institutional steps that will be taken to enhance the association's efficiency and organisational capacity.

Source: gulf-times.com

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https://www.gulf-times.com/article/671735/qatar/amirs-speech-expressed-feelings-of-all-arab-islamic-peoples-shura

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Europe

 

Brazil’s Lula welcomes citizens rescued from Gaza, condemns ‘inhumane violence’

November 14, 2023

SAO PAULO: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday welcomed 32 nationals that his government managed to rescue from the Gaza Strip this week following a month of negotiations, receiving them at the Brasilia Air Base after a nearly day-long flight.

The Brazilians crossed the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt on Sunday and were taken to Cairo, where this morning they boarded an Embraer presidential airplane loaned by Lula and traveled to Brazil via Las Palmas, Spain.

Lula greeted passengers with hugs and kisses after their arrival late on Monday evening, offering his support to Brazilians still in or arriving from the Gaza Strip and condemning the killing of civilians in Gaza.

“I have never seen such brutal, inhumane violence against innocent people,” Lula said in a short speech on the tarmac.

The flight was the tenth in an operation launched by the South American country last month to repatriate citizens in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip after a war broke out in the region last month.

Monday’s flight brings the total of those rescued to 1,477 people, including three Bolivians, 11 Palestinians and one Jordanian citizen, as well as 53 pets.

The Gaza Strip has been under bombardment by Israel, which aims to annihilate Hamas.

Death toll in Gaza rises to 11,180

Gaza medical authorities say more than 11,000 people there have been confirmed killed, with about 40% of them being children. Lula echoed earlier criticisms of both Hamas for its attack against Israel and Israel for its reaction.

“If Hamas committed an act of terrorism and did what it did, the state of Israel is also committing several acts of terrorism by not taking into account that children are not at war, that women are not at war,” he said.

Source: brecorder.com

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https://www.brecorder.com/news/40273166/brazils-lula-welcomes-citizens-rescued-from-gaza-condemns-inhumane-violence

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Europe, Türkiye have common interest in de-escalating war in Gaza: Greek premier

14.11.2023

Europe and Türkiye have a common interest in de-escalating the war in Gaza, Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Monday.

Delivering a speech at a think-tank in the German capital Berlin, Mitsotakis underlined the importance of closer dialogue between European countries and Türkiye to address current issues.

He said he is planning to host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Greece in the coming weeks to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues.

“I completely disagree with comments of President Erdogan regarding Hamas. At the same point, this is no reason not to welcome President Erdogan in Greece,” he said at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

Erdogan was criticized by European politicians for his comments after he said the Palestinian group Hamas is not a terrorist organization but a group of people fighting for their homeland.

“At the end of the day, in spite of what President Erdogan said about Hamas, I think we all have an interest in making sure that this conflict does not escalate beyond the horrible situation we already have to address,” Mitsotakis said.

“For Türkiye also, it has the same interest. No one wants to see a further escalation of the conflict,” he added.

Mitsotakis said that during his upcoming meeting with President Erdogan, they will also discuss normalization of bilateral relations, EU-Türkiye relations and cooperation to stem irregular migration.

Speaking at the same panel discussion, Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said he shares Mitsotakis’ view and supports dialogue with Erdogan.

“It is obvious that a meeting between our German Chancellor (Olaf Scholz) and the president of Türkiye makes sense,” he said, referring to President Erdogan’s planned visit to Berlin on Friday.

“It would make no sense to ask him not to come to Germany. This is the right time to speak,” he added.

Erdogan’s planned visit was criticized by various German politicians and media outlets following his sharp criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Several opposition politicians had called on Scholz to cancel his meeting with Erdogan.

Source: aa.com.tr

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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/europe-turkiye-have-common-interest-in-de-escalating-war-in-gaza-greek-premier/3052983

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British Palestinians with families in Gaza ask government to call for cease-fire

14.11.2023

Burak Bir

Palestinians living in the UK with family members in the Gaza Strip have sent a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak demanding a meeting with him and asking him to call for an urgent cease-fire.

The letter, written on their behalf by Tayab Ali, the director of the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), was announced during a press conference Monday in central London organized by the ICJP.

Sunak has previously held similar meetings with other British communities who have families in the region.

Citing the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza with recent statements by international non-governmental organizations and UN agencies, the letter pointed out that "humanitarian law is not being upheld by Israel, as it is clearly violating the 'Principle of Distinction,' the 'Principle of Precaution' and the 'Principle of Proportionality.’”

"These violations put our loved ones in Gaza under severe danger, and it has resulted in us losing family members,” it said, noting that civilian infrastructure has been targeted by Israel, which "constitutes collective punishment."

Recalling the government's stance on refraining from calling for a cease-fire despite all their efforts, the letter said that instead, British officials have called for "humanitarian pauses, which are inadequate in protecting our family and loved ones in Gaza."

"We call upon the UK government to urgently exert its influence to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and to ensure the urgent and adequate provision of food, fuel, medicine and other humanitarian assistance to Gaza," it said.

The letter also called for the unconditional restoration of water and electricity, the protection of medical facilities and the facilitation of safe passage for the seriously injured and those requiring treatment abroad, including in the UK.

The families also demanded that their families in Gaza be permitted to immediately apply for the UK resettlement scheme.

"As British Palestinians with families in Gaza, we request an urgent meeting with you to express our concerns, similar to the meetings you have had with other British communities who have families in the region who have experienced distress similar to ours as a result of the conflict between the Israeli government and Hamas," it added.

As the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip entered its 38th day, at least 11,180 Palestinians have been killed, including over 7,700 children and women, and more than 28,200 others have been injured, according to the latest figures by Palestinian authorities.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,200, according to official figures.

Source: aa.com.tr

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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/british-palestinians-with-families-in-gaza-ask-government-to-call-for-cease-fire/3052927

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British Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison Over Terror Offenses With Islamic State

November 13, 2023

LONDON — A British convert to Islam who was convicted in Turkey of being part of the Islamic State group was sentenced to eight years in prison in Britain on Monday after he pleaded guilty to terrorism charges.

Aine Leslie Davis, 39, was deported from Turkey in August 2022 and detained on arrival at London's Luton Airport after serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence for membership in IS.

He pleaded guilty last month to having a firearm for terrorism purposes and two charges of funding terrorism.

Prosecutors said Davis, who left his home in London and travelled to Syria in 2013 to join the armed conflict there, enlisted his wife to persuade a friend to bring him $21,400 to support his cause. The friend was stopped at Heathrow Airport in 2014, and Davis's wife, Amal El-Wahabi, was convicted of funding terrorism.

Davis' defense lawyer, Mark Summers, issued an apology to the Syrian people on his behalf, saying he and others like him "caused more harm than good."

British authorities had long suspected that Davis was part of an IS cell known as "The Beatles" — so called because of the men's British accents — that tortured and killed Western hostages in Syria a decade ago, when IS controlled a large swath of Syria and Iraq.

Davis has denied being connected to the cell.

Two members of the "Beatles" cell, Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, were captured by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in 2018 and are serving life sentences in the U.S. A third, Mohammed Emwazi, was killed in a drone strike in 2015.

Summers asserted during the trial that prosecutors in the U.S. decided last year they would not seek to put Davis on trial as a member of the cell due to insufficient evidence.

The judge said he was sentencing Davis for the offenses on the indictment and not for the reported allegations.

Source: voanews.com

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https://www.voanews.com/a/british-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-over-terror-offenses-with-islamic-state-/7353982.html

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France: Jewish-Muslim group fights rising antisemitism

14.11.2023

On a recent Tuesday morning, half a dozen young people gathered around a van on a parking lot in Ris-Orangis, a southern suburb of Paris. The vehicle was covered in slogans. "We are more alike than it seems," one sticker read.

"How would you define discrimination?" Thibault, a Frenchman who converted to Islam, asked the youngsters.

"That's when you treat someone badly because of a presumed characteristic," one participant answered.

"How would you define ageism?" Thibault went on.

"That's when you discriminate against someone because of their age," another young man replied.

Rabbi Michel Serfaty was standing amongst the youngsters. The 80-year-old founded the initiative, called Group for Jewish-Muslim Friendship (AJMF), 20 years ago. It currently employs eight people, all of them Muslim.

"Our goal is to fight antisemitism and islamophobia," Serfaty told DW.

"We are raising awareness amongst young people in an indirect way. By speaking about discrimination to sensitize them, we make sure they don't fall into the trap of antisemitism," he added.

An older man talks to two younger men in a parking lot.An older man talks to two younger men in a parking lot.

'An underlying trend'

That seems even more crucial since the beginning of the current war between Hamas and Israel. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the West, and various Arab countries. Since Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, and Israel's declaration of war, the French authorities have registered almost 1,250 antisemitic acts.

"This number is alarming — and higher than any annual figure since systematic records began around 2000," said Michel Wieviorka, a sociologist at Paris-based University EHESS, to DW.

Wieviorka thinks the surge in incidents reflects how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been imported to France, which has the biggest Jewish population — as well as one of the largest Muslim communities — in Europe.

But, he said, this came on top of an underlying trend to antisemitism in France, where the annual number of antisemitic acts regularly exceeded 400 before the Israel-Hamas war.

This wasn't always the case. "People outside Germany were appalled when, in the 1970s and 1980s, they discovered how 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust — through filmmaker Claude Lanzmann's epic documentary 'Shoah'," the researcher said. "That created a lot of benevolence towards Jews," Wieviorka said.

"What's more, a vibrant cultural Jewish scene and a positive image of Israel — seen as the country where utopia is possible in the communal kibbutz settlements — shed a positive light on the Jewish community," he added.

But this effect has been waning away, the sociologist observed.

"The Shoah is still explained in schools and museums, but people have gotten used to the horror. And while the Jewish cultural scene is less vibrant now, the image of Israel has deteriorated due to its diverse conflicts," he said.

'Antisemitism and racism are opposite phenomena'

To counter that effect, Rabbi Serfaty's AJMF friendship group also regularly tours through France's most destitute housing estates in its van. The rabbi, who grew up in Morocco, thinks the heart of the problem lies in these districts.

"Many Muslims, especially young people in destitute areas, grow up with the idea that Jews are rich and rule over the world," he explained.

"These regions also have the country's highest crime rates, percentage of school dropouts and unemployment. We've seen that 95% of antisemitic acts have their origin there," he added.

Danny Trom, sociologist at France's National Centre for Research CNRS, says people from less wealthy parts of society can indeed be prone to antisemitism, as they feel excluded from society.

"Certain people — also those from former colonies who feel stigmatized — might turn against Jews thinking the latter are the ruling oppressor," the researcher told DW.

"Racism and antisemitism are thus opposite phenomena. The former happens as a part of humanity is seen as inferior, whereas the latter goes against Jews considered a dominating class," he added.

The Fremcj government has been stressing that police are doing what they can to bring perpetrators to court.

"10,000 police and soldiers are protecting 900 synagogues and schools across the country. We've arrested 486 people for committing antisemitic acts," French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin recently told French media.

Antisemitism 'has always been present across the political spectrum'

Rafael Amselem, public policy analyst at Paris-based market-orientated think tank GenerationLibre, says it's not that French Jews like himself don't feel supported by the government — they do.

"There is however a problem with certain political parties in France such as the far-left movement LFI [France Unbowed]," he told DW.

"Their leader Jean-Luc Melenchon called Sunday's marches against antisemitism meetings of those 'unconditionally supporting the massacre [by Israel in Gaza]' – that's unacceptable," Amselem said, adding that Melenchon seemed to think people could only oppose antisemitism if they, at the same time, dissociated themselves from Israel's actions.

Thousands of people stand in a public square. Someone holds up a French flag and in the background, people hold a banner saying: "The Republic united against antisemitism".Thousands of people stand in a public square. Someone holds up a French flag and in the background, people hold a banner saying: "The Republic united against antisemitism".

On Sunday, 182,000 people gathered in marches against antisemitism across France. The LFI officially boycotted the demonstration in Paris, although some LFI members ignored the boycott, attending protests outside of Paris. Members of far-right RN party, on the other hand, including former presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, participated at rallies.

"The paradox is that LFI helps the RN appear less radical," Amselem said. He believes the far right is depicting itself as the defender of Jews to attract their votes.

"But that's camouflage. They continue to have members, and be close to organizations, known to defend antisemitic views. … Jews, with their own customs and way of living, would not be tolerated by the RN," Amselem added.

Historian and antisemitism expert Tal Bruttmann, who's a member of Paris-based private Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah, says the latest political developments show that antisemitism is found across the political spectrum.

"Since the horrific events under the Third Reich, people thought that antisemitism was exclusive to the far-right, but they forgot that the former USSR [Soviet Union] also carried out antisemitic policies," he told DW.

Can 'Little Jerusalem' show the way?

Marc Hecker, Director of Research and Communications at Paris-based think tank Ifri, thinks France needs to do more to change that mindset.

"We need more educational programs on antisemitism to thoroughly address antisemitic stereotypes, just like the one in Ris-Orangis," he told DW.

One of the participants of the Ris-Orangis workshop indeed admitted his view on Jews had changed.

"Before I came here, I always thought that Jewish people kept to themselves. But I've realized that was a prejudice. We shouldn't judge people without knowing them," said the young man, who wished to stay anonymous.

This gives Rabbi Serfaty hope that Ris-Orangis can show the way. He calls the area Little Jerusalem because the synagogue, church and mosque are practically next to each other.

Ris-Orangis' religious leaders regularly organize joint events — such as a day of mourning immediately after the start of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.

As Rabbi Serfaty met local imam Haj Mouloid Elouasia after midday prayers, the two religious leaders reminisced about how long their friendship dated back.

"It's thanks to Rabbi Serfaty that we could open our mosque in this street 20 years ago," the imam told DW.

"He called the mayor and said, there is a building available here. The mayor replied — are you not afraid of the Muslims? Mr Serfaty said no — on the contrary. We want them to be close to us, so that we can be neighbors and brothers," he said.

Source: dw.com

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https://www.dw.com/en/france-jewish-muslim-group-fights-rising-antisemitism/a-67390631

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Brazil President says Israel response 'as grave' as Hamas attack

Nov 14, 2023

BRASILIA: Brazil's president on Monday accused Israel of "killing innocent people without any criteria" in the Gaza Strip, deeming its actions there "as grave" as the October 7 attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

"After the act of terrorism provoked by Hamas, the consequences, the solution of the state of Israel, is as grave as that of Hamas. They are killing innocent people without any criteria," said Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at an official ceremony in Brasilia.

The leader of Latin America's largest country also accused Israel of "dropping bombs where there are children, hospitals, on the pretext that a terrorist is there."

"This is inexplicable. First you have to save the women and children, then you fight with whomever you want," Lula said.

Representatives of Brazil's Jewish community denounced these remarks as "erroneous", "unfair" and "dangerous", adding that they "put Israel and Hamas on the same level".

They defended the "visible and proven" efforts of the Israeli authorities "to save Palestinian civilians".

"Our community expects balance from our authorities," added the Israeli Confederation of Brazil, which claims to represent some 120,000 Brazilian Jews, the second largest community in the region, in a statement.

On October 7, Hamas fighters attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to the authorities.

The Israeli army estimates that some 240 people have also been taken hostage by the group.

Since then, Israel has pounded Gaza relentlessly, killing some 11,240 people, mostly civilians, including 4,630 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there.

Israel denies deliberately targeting hospitals. It accuses Hamas of using these facilities, or the tunnels beneath them, as hideouts, which the Islamist militant group denies.

Lula's comments came as he welcomed to Brasilia 22 Brazilians and 10 members of their families who had been evacuated from Gaza on Sunday via the land border with Egypt, after more than a month of waiting in the conflict zone.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/brazil-president-says-israel-response-as-grave-as-hamas-attack/articleshow/105197043.cms

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South Asia

 

Iran deports over 21,000 Afghan migrants in a week

Fidel Rahmati

November 13, 2023

The commander of the border guards in Khorasan Razavi province revealed that Iranian border guards detained and deported back 21,407 Afghan migrants to Afghanistan who had crossed into Iran illegally.

In the first six months of this year, more than 328,000 Afghan migrants have been expelled from Iran.

Majid Shuja, the commander of the border guards in Khorasan Razavi, said in a press conference on Monday that these migrants had been identified during the past nine days when they entered Iran “illegally” and were handed over to a representative of the Taliban in the Dogharun district.

This comes as earlier reports from Afghan returnees to Iran indicated that some of them, even with official residency permits, were detained and deported.

Meanwhile, during the first half of this year alone, over 328,000 Afghan migrants have been repatriated from Iran.

Simultaneously, Pakistan’s interim government decided to expel Afghan migrants forcefully from its country on November 1.

Since then, Pakistan has expelled more than 220,000 Afghan migrants. This marks a significant effort on both sides of the border to address the issue of illegal migration and manage the movement of Afghan nationals.

The decisions taken by Iran and Pakistan are indicative of the complex and evolving situation in the region, where governments are navigating the delicate balance between humanitarian concerns and the need to enforce immigration policies and border control measures.

Source: khaama.com

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https://www.khaama.com/iran-deports-over-21000-afghan-migrants-in-a-week/

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Pakistan’s special envoy urges Taliban to decide between Pakistan and TTP

 November 13, 2023

In the wake of the recent tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghan Affairs, has stated that the de facto administration of Afghanistan should choose either Pakistan or the Pakistani Taliban, known as the “TTP,” as its ally.

This Pakistani diplomat recently emphasized the need for Islamabad to reaffirm its position on Afghanistan in the aftermath of the forced deportation of Afghan migrants and the worsening of bilateral relations between the two countries. He made these remarks during a television program titled “Ambassador’s Lounge.”

Asif Durrani, in his statements, has claimed that around six thousand Pakistani Taliban fighters are present in Afghanistan along with their families.

However, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Taliban administration, rejected these claims when speaking with the BBC.

Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghan Affairs also mentioned that following the resurgence of the Taliban administration, attacks in Pakistan have increased by 67%, and suicide bombings have seen a 15% upward trend.

With the increase in TTP attacks in Pakistan, authorities in the country attribute the insecurity to Afghan soil and call on the Taliban administration to hand over TTP militants to the Pakistani government.

Durrani noted, “The Taliban claim that security has been established in Afghanistan, corruption has been eliminated, and the economy is on the path to improvement; hence, the perception is that peace in Afghanistan translates to a nightmare in Pakistan.”

Following the decision to expel over a million undocumented Afghan migrants by the Pakistani government on the eve of winter, relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly.

Source: khaama.com

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https://www.khaama.com/pakistans-special-envoy-urges-taliban-to-decide-between-pakistan-and-ttp/

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WFP’s $400 million appeal to prevent Afghanistan winter food crisis

Fidel Rahmati

November 13, 2023

The World Food Program (WFP) in Afghanistan faces a pressing challenge as winter approaches, with a staggering $400 million needed to ensure food supplies for vulnerable communities.

As the harsh Afghan winter looms just weeks away, these funds are essential to prepare food resources and aid those who need it most.

Afghanistan continues to grapple with one of the most severe humanitarian crises globally, affecting more than 29 million people this year. Shockingly, over 90% of the population is living below the poverty line, and approximately 17 million individuals are facing acute food insecurity. The scale of the crisis is immense, underscoring the vital role of organizations like WFP in addressing this dire situation.

Adding to the complexity of the crisis are recent events, such as the devastating Herat earthquakes and the deportation of refugees from Pakistan.

These events have further exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, placing additional strain on resources and humanitarian efforts. The need for international support and funding is more critical than ever to alleviate the suffering of Afghan citizens.

In the face of such overwhelming challenges, the WFP in Afghanistan’s plea for $400 million is a call to action for the global community. The humanitarian aid required to mitigate the impending winter crisis and address the long-standing poverty and food insecurity issues is substantial. Timely and substantial contributions from governments and organizations worldwide are essential to prevent a catastrophic humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan.

As winter approaches rapidly, time is of the essence to mobilize the necessary resources and support to ensure that millions of vulnerable Afghans receive the food assistance they desperately need. Without immediate and substantial intervention, the suffering in Afghanistan is poised to deepen, with dire consequences for its population.

Source: khaama.com

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https://www.khaama.com/wfps-400-million-appeal-to-prevent-afghanistan-winter-food-crisis/

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UN-brokered int’l meeting on Afghanistan may take place in near future: Moscow

November 14, 2023

Another UN-mediated international meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan could take place in the foreseeable future, Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy to Afghanistan, has said.

“We are planning a range of broad international events on Afghanistan. We and our regional partners remember that UN Secretary General [Antonio] Guterres planned to gather special envoys, just as he did, you will remember, in Doha in the spring, after the presentation of a report from his special coordinator,” Kabulov told TASS news agency.

“As far as I can see, such a report has been presented and distributed. We will have to study it thoroughly, since he [the UN chief] said that after all the parties concerned analyze the report he would like to again bring everyone together somewhere to exchange views on it. Bearing this in mind, we are in no hurry. First, we will scrutinize this report, we have already begun, and then an invitation from New York will probably come,” he noted.

According to Kabulov, such a meeting would give an opportunity “to speak with partners and like-minded people” on its margins.

The conference on Afghanistan was held at Guterres’ initiative in Doha on May 1 to 2, 2023. It was attended by envoys from Russia, Great Britain, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, China, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, France, Japan, as well as from the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Source: ariananews.af

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https://www.ariananews.af/un-brokered-intl-meeting-on-afghanistan-may-take-place-in-near-future-moscow/

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Amnesty International urges Pakistan to immediately halt Afghan deportations

 November 14, 2023

Amnesty International on Monday called on Pakistan to immediately stop deporting Afghans.

According to Amnesty International, Afghan refugees in Pakistan are facing mass detentions and deportations. “Over 170,000 Afghans, many of whom have lived in Pakistan for years, have had to leave since the government gave an ultimatum for all ‘unregistered foreign nationals’ to depart Pakistan in October,” Amnesty International said.

The organization says that many Afghans in Pakistan are now facing police raids and the demolition of their homes without due process.

The organization also said that detainees have been denied the right to a lawyer and communication with family members, leaving loved ones in the dark as to their whereabouts.

“Women and girls, journalists, and those belonging to minority and ethnic communities face heightened risks if deported to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan,” said Amnesty International.

Meanwhile, the returnees say that they are facing many problems because they were prevented from bringing their assets with them.

At the same time, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie on Monday criticized Pakistan’s decision to “abruptly push back” Afghan refugees it says are residing illegally in the country, describing it as a “new tragedy” for the people of Afghanistan.

Jolie, a prominent American actress known for her outspoken views on social issues, has dedicated over 20 years of service to the UN Refugee Agency. She served as a Goodwill Ambassador from 2001-2012 and then as a special envoy from 2012-2022.

Source: ariananews.af

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https://www.ariananews.af/amnesty-international-urges-pakistan-to-immediately-halt-afghan-deportations/

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Nearly 400,000 Afghan Refugees Expelled from Pakistan in Past 2 Months

November 13, 2023

The consulate of the Islamic Emirate in Karachi, Pakistan, Abdul Jabar Takhari, said that the detention of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is still happening at a high rate and that nearly 400,000 refugees have returned home in the past two months.

He said that nearly 1,000 Afghan refugees are currently in detention.

“Since Pakistan started the deportation of the Afghan refugees in October, nearly 400,000 Afghan refugees have returned to the country. In addition to that, we have talked with the Pakistani officials about the release of the Afghan refugees being detained in Pakistan,” Takhari said.

The Afghan nationals who are detained in Pakistan voiced concerns about their situation, saying that they are struggling with severe challenges.

“It has been four months since I was detained here in Pakistan. I brought my father for treatment to the doctor, my father is now in the hospital, but I am in the prison,” said Hamidullah, an Afghan refugee.

“I have been in prison in Pakistan for the past two months and I am in prison without committing any crime,” said Abdullah, an Afghan refugee.

The head of the Afghan refugees’ council, Mir Ahmad Raufi, said that the Pakistani police have been conducting crackdowns to arrest the undocumented Afghan nationals.

“The Afghan refugees are facing pressure from the Pakistan police and there is no difference between legal and illegal refugees—both are being detained,” he said.

The Islamic Emirate has erected a camp for the deportees who return to Afghanistan through Torkham crossing.

Source: tolonews.com

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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186017

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Jamaat follow BNP's footsteps in calling new blockade

 Nov 13, 2023

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami today announced a 48-hour blockade programme from Wednesday to Thursday (Nov 15-16) in line with a programme announced by BNP.

Acting secretary general Maulana ATM Masum said in a statement that the current unelected government is once again planning to stage to come to power by a rigged election.

The government has turned the country into a dysfunctional, failed, and corrupt state with the ulterior motive of clinging to power illegally and the independence and sovereignty of the country is under threat, he said.

He said the blockade was called for the resignation of the government, the formation of a caretaker government during the election time, the release of Jamaat Ameer Jamaat Dr Shafiqur Rahman, and Ulama-Mashaikh, withdrawal of all political cases, and bringing down the price of goods, said a press release.

Earlier, BNP announced another round of 48-hour blockade.

Source: thedailystar.net

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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/countrywide-blockade/news/jamaat-follow-bnps-footsteps-calling-new-blockade-3468861

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PM opens 157 projects including Purbachal, Ctg expressways

Nov 14, 2023

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today inaugurated and laid foundation stones of 10,041 structures and houses under 157 development projects, including the Sheikh Hasina Swarani (Purbachal Expressway) and first elevated expressway in Chattogram.

She opened and laid foundation stones of the development schemes from the Gono Bhaban through video conference.

Of the projects, 4,644 were of various development infrastructure, and 5,397 were houses for landless and homeless people under the Ashrayan-2 project across the country involving Tk 97,471 crores under 24 ministries and divisions.

Among the schemes, 15 projects including the Purbachal Expressway, which was recently renamed the Sheikh Hasina Swarani, were completed under the housing and public works ministry while different agencies of the shipping ministries are implementing 15 projects.

Four of the projects are under the primary and mass education ministry.

Under one of the four projects, the authority has constructed buildings for 2,023 government primary schools across the country. The PM also opened at least 1,259 buildings of different educational institutions under the education ministry across the country.

Four day-care centres implemented under a project of the women and children affairs ministry were also inaugurated.

The premier opened two technical training centres in Manikganj and Narayanganj, which were built under a project of the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry.

A total 101 centres across the country were connected virtually to the programme.

A video documentary on the overall development of Bangladesh under the current Awami League government was screened at the function.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud and Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque among other ministers were present on the dais.

Source: thedailystar.net

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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/pm-opens-157-projects-including-purbachal-ctg-expressways-3469416

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Africa

 

NEMA distributes relief materials to victims of Zaria mosque collapse

November 14, 2023

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has distributed relief materials to victims of Zaria Mosque collapse in Kaduna.

Mustapha Habib, Director- General of the agency while presenting the items for onward distribution on Monday, said 100 persons would benefit from the relief assistance.

According to him, the gesture is not compensation for the loss of lives, but as a token to bring relief to the victims.

Represented by Abbani Garki, North-West Zonal Coordinator of the agency, Mr Habib condoled with the state government over the loss of lives and property to the accident.

He said that the items were 100 bags of rice, beans and maize, 50 cartons of sphagetti, 10 bags of salt, 20 kegs of vegetable oil, 10 cartons of seasoning, 100 blankets, plastic buckets, cups and plates.

Others were; 100 pieces of men, women and children’s clothes, 100 cartons of detergent, 50 cartons of toilet soap, 100 pieces of mattresses, bath towels, mosquito nets, 100 bundles of roofing sheets, 100 bags of cement and 20 packets of zinc nails.

He urged the beneficiaries to use the relief materials judiciously as a means to cushion their plight.

Receiving the items, Ahmed Bamali, Emir of Zaria, said the relief intervention was a welcome development as was coming at the right time that it would surely serve as a succour to them.

He commended the agency and other facilitators for the gesture that would also reduce the challenges of insecurity in the land, adding that, lack of means led to frustration by extension to other forms of crime.

Mr Bamali urged wealthy individuals and leaders to be generous by providing support for the needy individuals.

Usman Mazadu, Executive Secretary, Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency, KADSEMA, assured that the relief materials would be distributed to all the targeted beneficiaries.

Recall that the tragic event occurred on August 11, which left 10 persons dead while 30 persons sustained various injured.

Source: dailynigerian.com

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https://dailynigerian.com/nema-distributes-relief-7/

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Islamist militants tie up, kill Congo villagers

13 November 2023

Islamist militants tied up at least 19 villagers and killed them with machetes and other weapons in a raid in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo late on Sunday, a civil society leader said.

Other villagers fled but may have drowned as they tried to cross the Lamia river into Uganda, Maurice Mabele Musaidi told Reuters.

“There are still people missing,” he said.

Musaidi and a spokesperson for Congo's army said the attack in Beni territory's Watalinga chiefdom was carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group based in eastern Congo that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State.

The ADF formed in Uganda before moving over the border in the 1990s and has been blamed for thousands of killings in the last decade.

Congo's army said it killed at least six of the militants that night, without going into detail on the operation.

Army spokesperson Antony Mualushayi put the civilian death toll at 11, though he said that figure was provisional.

Source: timeslive.co.za

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https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/africa/2023-11-13-islamist-militants-tie-up-kill-congo-villagers-local-official/

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Burkina: at least 70 dead, including children, in a massacre in early November

November 14, 2023

At least 70 people, mostly children and the elderly died in massacres in north-central Burkina Faso in early November. The perpetrators remain unknown and the EU and the United States have called for an investigation.

According to a provisional report released on Monday by the Faso public prosecutor, Simon Gnanou, the killings in the village of Zaongo on 5 November claimed 70 victims, "mainly children and the elderly".

He added that "the perpetrators of the atrocities remain unknown for the moment".

On Sunday, the European Union referred to this massacre and a possible death toll of around one hundred, calling on the authorities in Ouagadougou to "shed full light" on the matter.

The US government, through Molly Phee, Head of African Affairs at the US State Department, condemned the "attack in the strongest terms" and called for an investigation.

The prosecutor said on Monday that interviewing "the relatives of the victims and the injured will make it possible to determine the exact number of dead".

A security source told AFP on Sunday that an investigation had been opened.

"The massacre took place two days after fighting between security forces and terrorists. Zaongo was one of the few villages in the area that had not yet been emptied by the terrorists. Some suspected the inhabitants of collaborating with them", a local citizen told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been caught up in a spiral of violence attributed to jihadist groups affiliated to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (EI) group, which has left more than 17,000 civilians and soldiers dead.

Many localities targeted by the violence have been deserted, leaving more than two million people internally displaced.

- Another massacre in April - The prosecutor explained that he had visited the scene on 11 November with a team including a military examining magistrate, members of the Special Anti-Terrorist Investigation and Organised Crime Brigade, and gendarmes.

He also praised the defence and security forces who had "cleared mines" along the route in this area where jihadist groups operate, and repelled "an attack on the convoy".

An investigation was opened in Burkina Faso in April, after another massacre of 136 people - including 50 women and 21 children - perpetrated on 20 April by men in military uniform in Karma, in the north of the country.

At the time, the President of the transition, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, called for "hasty conclusions" to be avoided and for the army not to be immediately accused of being responsible for the massacre.

Since then, there has been no official communication on the results of this investigation.

Captain Traoré, who came to power in a coup in September 2022, claims to be making the fight against jihadists his priority.

In April, he signed a one-year "general mobilisation" decree, allowing "young people aged 18 and over" to be requisitioned if necessary to fight jihadists.

HRW reported that "a dozen dissidents" had been "called by the security forces" and "requisitioned to take part in government security operations".

Source: africanews.com

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https://www.africanews.com/2023/11/14/burkina-at-least-70-dead-including-children-in-a-massacre-in-early-november/

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Uganda: rebel leader charged with killing tourists

13 November 2023

The leader of a rebel group in Uganda was charged on Monday with terrorism and murder following the fatal attack on two foreign tourists and their driver by an armed commando in a national park last month.

Abdul Rashid Kyoto, alias Njovu, a leader of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group, had been arrested in early November during a Ugandan army operation against the commando group accused of killing a British and a South African honeymooner and their guide in Queen Elizabeth Park (west) on October 17.

The attack was claimed by the Islamic State (EI) group, to which the ADF rebels have pledged allegiance. Njovu is also blamed by the authorities for a school massacre in June which left 42 people dead, mainly students.

Abdul Rashid Kyoto has been charged with terrorism, murder, aggravated robbery and membership of a terrorist organization as part of the investigation into the attack in the national park, the public prosecutor's office said in a statement on Monday.

According to the prosecutor's office, Njovu was arrested on Lake Edouard, which lies on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Two other members of the commando were killed, while "the others managed to escape by boat".

The army had previously indicated that Njovu was the only survivor of the seven-member commando.

Originally Ugandan rebels with a Muslim majority, the ADF made their home in eastern DRC in the 1990s. In 2019, they pledged allegiance to the EI, which claims responsibility for some of their actions and presents them as its "Central African Province" (Iscap in English).

They are accused of having massacred thousands of civilians in the DRC in recent years and of carrying out jihadist attacks on Ugandan soil.

Following the attack on October 17, President Yoweri Museveni called on the security forces to "annihilate" the ADF rebels. The army subsequently carried out several air raids against its positions in the DRC.

This murder in one of Uganda's most famous parks has sparked fears in the tourism sector, which contributed almost 10% of the country's GDP last year, according to official figures.

Source: africanews.com

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https://www.africanews.com/2023/11/13/uganda-rebel-leader-charged-with-killing-tourists/

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Nigerian Government Begins Probe As Saudi Arabia Cancels Visa Of 264 Pilgrims Airlifted By Air Peace

November 14, 2023

The Nigerian government has begun a probe into the shocking cancellation of visas by the Saudi Arabian government of all the 264 passengers airlifted by Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace, on arrival in the Middle East country from Kano State, insisting that they be returned to Nigeria.

This is coming at a time President Bola Tinubu is in Saudi Arabia attending the Arab-Africa summits.

Reacting last night, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement by the Special Assistant, Media and Communications Strategy to the minister, Alkasim Abdulkadir, said it was investigating the matter to see if any consular or aviation rule had been violated.

The ministry said it would ensure actions that would impact the welfare of Nigerian citizens were mitigated in the future, in line with the strategy of Tinubu.

“Nigeria has just participated in the Saudi-Africa Summit where bilateral discussions covering several sectors of the economy and mutually beneficial commitments were made,’’ the statement read.

When contacted, the Presidency said it was aware of the situation but was yet to get the facts of the matter.

Speaking with Vanguard, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Tope Ajayi, said: “I am aware of what happened but we don’t have the facts of what happened. We are waiting to get updates on the matter.”

The flight took off from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos via the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano on Sunday night and arrived Saudi Arabia’s major city, Jeddah, on Monday without issues.

However, on landing, the Saudi Arabia authorities announced that all the passengers’ visas were cancelled.

A source who pleaded anonymity, said all the passengers and the airline personnel were shocked at the cancellation of the visas because during check-in of the passengers, they went through the Advance Passengers Pre-screening System, APPS, which were also monitored by Saudi Arabian authorities before the flight left Nigeria.

The source wondered whether what happened was a strategy to discourage the airline from operating to the destination, having recorded high load factor since it started the operation.

It was also learned that even the flight to leave Jeddah today for Nigeria was already fully booked.

When the Nigerian embassy waded in, the Saudi government was said to have reduced the number of passengers that would be returned to 170 from 264.

Source: saharareporters.com

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https://saharareporters.com/2023/11/14/nigerian-government-begins-probe-saudi-arabia-cancels-visa-264-pilgrims-airlifted-air

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