Tag: Israel Hamas truce

Israel Hamas war: Hamas announces it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal

Post By World , , , , , , ,

Hamas announced its acceptance on May 6 of an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal, but Israel said the deal did not meet its “core demands” and that it was pushing ahead with an assault on the southern Gaza town of Rafah. Still, Israel said it would continue negotiations.

The high-stakes diplomatic moves and military brinkmanship left a glimmer of hope alive — but only barely — for an accord that could bring at least a pause in the 7-month-old war that has devastated the Gaza Strip. Hanging over the wrangling was the threat of an all-out Israeli assault on Rafah, a move the United States strongly opposes and that aid groups warn will be disastrous for some 1.4 million Palestinians taking refuge there.

Also Read | What is Hamas, the Palestinian militant group?

Hamas’s abrupt acceptance of the ceasefire deal came hours after Israel ordered an evacuation of some 1,00,000 Palestinians from eastern neighborhoods of Rafah, signaling an invasion was imminent.

Israel’s War Cabinet decided to continue the Rafah operation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said. At the same time, it said that while the proposal Hamas agreed to “is far from meeting Israel’s core demands,” it would send negotiators to Egypt to work on a deal.

The Israeli military said it was conducting “targeted strikes” against Hamas in eastern Rafah. The nature of the strikes was not immediately known, but the move appeared aimed at keeping the pressure on as talks continue.

President Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reiterated U.S. concerns about an invasion of Rafah. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said American officials were reviewing the Hamas response “and discussing it with our partners in the region.” An American official said the U.S. was examining whether what Hamas agreed to was the version signed off to by Israel and international negotiators or something else.

Palestinians react after Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on May 6, 2024.

Palestinians react after Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on May 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

It was not immediately known if the proposal Hamas agreed to was substantially different from one that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed the militant group to accept last week, which Blinken said included significant Israeli concessions.

Egyptian officials said that proposal called for a cease-fire of multiple stages starting with a limited hostage release and partial Israeli troop pullbacks within Gaza. The two sides would also negotiate a “permanent calm” that would lead to a full hostage release and greater Israeli withdrawal out of the territory, they said.

Hamas sought clearer guarantees for its key demand of an end to the war and complete Israeli withdrawal in return for the release of all hostages, but it wasn’t clear if any changes were made.

Israeli leaders have repeatedly rejected that trade-off, vowing to keep up their campaign until Hamas is destroyed after its October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war.

Mr. Netanyahu is under pressure from hard-line partners in his coalition who demand an attack on Rafah and could collapse his government if he signs onto a deal. But he also faces pressure from the families of hostages to reach a deal for their release.

Thousands of Israelis rallied around the country Monday night calling for an immediate agreement. About a thousand protesters swelled near the defence headquarters in Tel Aviv, where police tried to clear the road. In Jerusalem, about a hundred protesters marched toward Mr. Netanyahu’s residence with a banner reading, “The blood is on your hands.“

Israel says Rafah is the last significant Hamas stronghold in Gaza, and Mr. Netanyahu said Monday that the offensive against the town was vital to ensuring the militants can’t rebuild their military capabilities.

But he faces strong American opposition. Mr. Miller said Monday the U.S. has not seen a credible and implementable plan to protect Palestinian civilians. “We cannot support an operation in Rafah as it is currently envisioned,” he said.

The looming operation has raised global alarm. Aid agencies have warned that an offensive will bring a surge of more civilian deaths in an Israeli campaign that has already killed 34,000 people and devastated the territory. It could also wreck the humanitarian aid operation based out of Rafah that is keeping Palestinians across the Gaza Strip alive, they say.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Monday called the evacuation order “inhumane.”

“Gazans continue to be hit with bombs, disease, and even famine. And today, they have been told that they must relocate yet again,” he said. “It will only expose them to more danger and misery.”

Israeli leaflets, text messages and radio broadcasts ordered Palestinians to evacuate eastern neighborhoods of Rafah, warning that an attack was imminent and anyone who stays “puts themselves and their family members in danger.”

The military told people to move to an Israel-declared humanitarian zone called Muwasi, a makeshift camp on the coast. It said Israel has expanded the size of the zone and that it included tents, food, water and field hospitals.

It wasn’t immediately clear, however, if that was already in place.

Around 4,50,000 displaced Palestinians already are sheltering in Muwasi. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, said it has been providing them with aid. But conditions are squalid, with few sanitation facilities in the largely rural area, forcing families to dig private latrines.

Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, condemned the “forced, unlawful” evacuation order to Muwasi.

“The area is already overstretched and devoid of vital services,” Mr. Egeland said.

The evacuation order left Palestinians in Rafah wrestling with having to uproot their families once again for an unknown fate, exhausted after months living in sprawling tent camps or crammed into schools or other shelters in and around the city. Israeli airstrikes on Rafah early Monday killed 22 people, including children and two infants.

Palestinians celebrate in the streets following Hamas’s announcement that it accepted a ceasefire proposal in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on May 6, 2024.

Palestinians celebrate in the streets following Hamas’s announcement that it accepted a ceasefire proposal in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip on May 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
AP

Mohammed Jindiyah said that at the beginning of the war, he tried to hold out in his home in northern Gaza under heavy bombardment before fleeing to Rafah.

He is complying with Israel’s evacuation order this time, but was unsure whether to move to Muwasi or elsewhere.

“We are 12 families, and we don’t know where to go. There is no safe area in Gaza,” he said.

Sahar Abu Nahel, who fled to Rafah with 20 family members, including her children and grandchildren, wiped tears from her cheeks, despairing at a new move.

“I have no money or anything. I am seriously tired, as are the children,” she said. “Maybe it’s more honourable for us to die. We are being humiliated.”

Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 34,700 Palestinians, around two-thirds of them children and women, according to Gaza health officials. The tally doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. More than 80% of the population of 2.3 million have been driven from their homes, and hundreds of thousands in the north are on the brink of famine, according to the U.N.

The war was sparked by the unprecedented October 7 raid into southern Israel in which Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted some 250 hostages. After exchanges during a November cease-fire, Hamas is believed to still hold about 100 Israelis as well the bodies of around 30 others.

Source link

#Israel #Hamas #war #Hamas #announces #accepted #EgyptianQatari #ceasefire #proposal

Hamas chief in Egypt for talks on Gaza truce and hostage release

Post By World , , , , , ,

December 20, 2023 05:29 pm | Updated 06:09 pm IST – Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories

The leader of Hamas travelled to Egypt on December 20 as hopes grew that Israel and the Palestinian militant group may be inching toward another truce and hostage release deal in the Gaza war.

The Qatar-based Hamas chief, Ismail Haniyeh, arrived in Cairo for discussions on the “aggression in the Gaza Strip and other matters”, the group said in a statement.

He was due to meet Egypt’s spy chief for talks on “stopping the aggression and the war to prepare an agreement for the release of prisoners”, a source close to the group told AFP.

Haniyeh — who earlier met Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Qatar — was heading a “high-level delegation” to Egypt, a frequent mediator between Israel and the Palestinians, the source said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had told hostage families late on December 19 that he had twice sent his spy chief to Europe in efforts intended to “free our hostages”.

“It’s our duty, I’m responsible for the release of all the hostages,” the premier told the relatives of some of the 129 captives still believed to be held in Gaza.

“Saving them is a supreme task.”

“I have just sent the head of Mossad to Europe twice to promote a process to free our hostages. I will spare no effort on the subject, and our duty is to bring them all back.”

U.S. news site Axios reported on December 18 that Mossad chief David Barnea had met CIA director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Europe.

Qatar, backed by Egypt and the United States, helped broker a week-long truce in November in which 80 Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

A source close to Hamas told AFP the Egypt talks would focus on proposals including a week-long truce that would see the release of 40 Israeli hostages, including women, children and male non-combatants.

The truce would be open to extension if there is agreement on new conditions for further releases, the source said, adding that the proposals had been discussed between Qatar and Israel with the knowledge of the U.S. administration.

The war began when Hamas militants burst out of Gaza on October 7, killing around 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel began a campaign of bombardment, and then a ground invasion, that Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says have killed 19,667 people, mostly women and children.

U.N. vote expected

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also said on December 18 his country was “ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages”.

Another Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, meanwhile, released video footage it claimed showed two hostages in its custody in Gaza, ramping up pressure on Israel.

The U.N. Security Council was set to vote later on December 20 on a resolution calling for a pause in the conflict, three diplomatic sources told AFP, after two previous votes were delayed as members wrangled over wording.

The latest version of the text calls for the “suspension” of hostilities, the sources said.

The U.S. vetoed a previous ceasefire resolution, sparking condemnation by humanitarian groups, which urged more action to help civilians caught in the conflict.

For now, fighting was raging unabated after Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said on December 19 that troops were expanding operations in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis area.

“We must dismantle Hamas, and it will take as long as needed,” he said, as the Army reported 133 soldiers had been killed since ground operations began in late October.

Hamas sources said on December 20 at least 11 people were killed overnight in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip.

In Khan Yunis, residents searched by hand through the rubble of a building completely flattened by a strike.

The house was “full of people, full of human beings, why did they bomb it? What’s the reason?” said one distraught young resident, Amr Sheikh-Deeb.

“We managed to remove some bodies, but where are the rest of them? What did these people do?”

The U.N. estimates 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced and concerns are growing about the limited ability of aid groups to help.

“Amid displacement at an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink,” said Tor Wennesland, the U.N.’s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.

Gazans are facing a perilous winter, and the U.N. children’s agency warned that “child deaths due to disease could surpass those killed in bombardments”.

The United States, while strongly backing Israel, has also urged it to protect civilians in Gaza.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron called on Israel to take a “much more surgical, clinical and targeted approach” in its battle against Hamas.

Red Sea attacks

The Gaza war has sparked fears of regional escalation and seen Israel trade deadly cross-border fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels, meanwhile, have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at vessels passing through the Red Sea that they say are linked to Israel, in a show of support for Palestinians.

Major shipping firms have diverted their vessels as a result, taking the much lengthier route around Africa.

The United States announced a new multinational naval task force on December 20 to protect the waterway leading to the Suez Canal, through which more than 10% of global trade transits.

It now includes warships from the United States, which has its USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier in the area, as well as Britain, Canada, France, Italy and other countries.

A top Huthi official warned the rebels will keep up their attacks and that any country that acts against them “will have its ships targeted in the Red Sea”.

Source link

#Hamas #chief #Egypt #talks #Gaza #truce #hostage #release

India welcomes release of Israeli hostages by Hamas, calls for immediate, unconditional release of those remaining

Post By World , , , , , , ,

India has welcomed the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas and called for the immediate and unconditional release of those still held in captivity by the militant group, asserting that there can be no justifications for terrorism and hostage-taking.

Last week, an agreement was reached by Israel and Hamas, with the mediation of Qatar supported by Egypt and the United States, to release Israeli and other foreign nationals taken as hostages by Hamas during the October 7 attacks. About 1,200 people were killed in the attack and 240 Israelis and other nationals were taken hostage by Hamas.

So far, over 60 Israeli and foreign nationals have been released by Hamas in five groups and Israel has in return freed about 150 Palestinian prisoners.

“We are gathered today at a time when the security situation in the Middle East is deteriorating due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, with large-scale loss of civilian lives, especially women and children and an alarming humanitarian crisis. This is clearly unacceptable and we have indeed strongly condemned the death of civilians,” India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said on Nov. 28.

In her remarks to the U.N. General Assembly plenary meeting on ‘Question of Palestine and the Situation in the Middle East’, Ms. Kamboj said that in addressing this humanitarian crisis, it is necessary for all parties to display utmost responsibility.

“We are aware that the immediate trigger was the terror attacks in Israel on October 7, which were shocking and deserve our unequivocal condemnation. There can be no justification for terrorism and hostage-taking,” she said.

Ms. Kamboj said India welcomes the news of the release of the hostages, and also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the remaining hostages, underlining that the country’s thoughts are with those who have been taken as hostages.

“India has a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism. We also believe that there is a universal obligation to observe international humanitarian law,” she said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the release of hostages and renewed his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

During a press conference on Nov. 28, Mr. Guterres said the truce in the conflict was a step in the right direction and a “symbol of hope. But it doesn’t solve the key problems we face. That is why we have been insisting on the need for a humanitarian ceasefire, leading to the unconditional and the immediate release of all hostages and to the possibility to have effective humanitarian aid to all people in Gaza, wherever they live.” Ms. Kamboj said that India welcomes all efforts by the international community that would lead to a de-escalation and delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine.

Ms. Kamboj further termed the humanitarian pauses in the Israel-Hamas conflict as a “welcome step” to ensure the timely and continuous delivery of humanitarian aid. India has sent 70 tonnes of humanitarian goods including 16.5 tonnes of medicines and medical supplies.

Since a humanitarian pause in the conflict went into effect on November 24, the United Nations has scaled up the entry of aid into Gaza and sent aid to some northern areas that have been largely cut off for weeks. Mr. Guterres has noted that this aid barely registers against the huge needs of 1.7 million displaced people.

“The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is getting worse by the day,” a statement issued by his spokesperson has said.

Ms. Kamboj told the plenary meeting that since the start of the conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar have been in close contact with leaders of the region and beyond, where they have emphasised a consistent message “that it is important to prevent escalation, ensure continued delivery of humanitarian aid and work towards an early restoration of peace and stability”. She said that along with restraint, the Indian leaders have also emphasised a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

As the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is marked on November 29, Ms. Kamboj reaffirmed India’s long-standing relationship with the Palestinian people, based on deep-rooted historical and people-to-people ties, and Delhi’s consistent support to the people of Palestine in their endeavour for statehood, peace and prosperity.

She underlined that India urges the parties to work towards creating conditions necessary for peace and the restarting of direct negotiations between the parties, including through eschewing violence and de-escalation.

“India has always supported a negotiated two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue leading to the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine living within secure and recognised borders, side-by-side in peace with Israel,” she said, reaffirming India’s firm commitment to achieving a just, peaceful and lasting solution to the Israel-Palestine issue.

“We firmly believe that only a two-state solution, achieved through direct and meaningful negotiations between both sides on final status issues, will deliver an enduring peace that the people of Israel and Palestine desire and deserve,” she said.

Ms. Kamboj reiterated India’s continued support to the Palestinian people through the bilateral development partnership which covers a wide range of sectors including health, education, women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship and information technology, and said Delhi will also continue to send humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine.

The U.N. Chief has stressed that the dialogue that led to the agreement must continue, resulting in a full humanitarian ceasefire, for the benefit of the people of Gaza, Israel and the wider region.

He has urged all States to use their influence to end the “tragic conflict” and support “irreversible” steps towards the only sustainable future for the region: a two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side, in peace and security.

Source link

#India #welcomes #release #Israeli #hostages #Hamas #calls #unconditional #release #remaining

The Hindu Morning Digest, November 28, 2023

Post By Sports , , , , , , ,

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union Minister of State V.K. Singh with rescue officials after the successful evacuation of 41 workers from the collapsed Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi on November 28, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Tunnel ordeal ends, all 41 trapped workers rescued

With 41 workers walking out of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakashi on Tuesday evening, their 17-day ordeal in the dark under-construction passage that started early in the morning of November 12, the day of Deepavali, finally came to an end, spelling success for one of the most challenging and dangerous rescue operations taken up in India.

Supreme Court panel submits report on Manipur victims

Of the 166 civilians killed in the Manipur violence, 98 have been identified as members of the Kuki-Zo community while 67 hailed from the Meitei community, revealed information provided by the Manipur government to a Supreme Court appointed committee. In addition, one woman was from the Naga community. In all, nineteen women from both communities (Kuki-Zo and Meitei) were killed in the ethnic violence till October 7.

Silkyara tunnel rescue | After swinging between hope and despair, relatives of workers breathe easy

“I won’t send him here [Silkyara] ever again, no matter what,” said Romen Narajari, brother of Ram Poshak Narajari who is one among the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel after a collapse that took place on November 12, on the day of Deepavali. After multiple efforts, all the 41 workers were rescued on Tuesday.

More Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners exchanged on fifth day of temporary cease-fire

The latest swap of Hamas militant-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel took place Tuesday evening as part of an ongoing cease-fire agreement between the warring sides. Ten Israeli hostages — nine women and a 17-year-old girl — as well as two Thais were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and were back in Israeli territory, the military said. About an hour later, Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners.

Rajya Sabha privileges committee to call Opposition MPs against whom there are complaints

The Privileges Committee of Rajya Sabha that met on November 28 to deliberate on the pending complaints against Opposition MPs – AAP’s Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha, Trinamool’s Derek O’ Brien and Congress’s Jairam Ramesh – has decided to call them to present their defence in person, though according to sources, no date was fixed for their deposition. Mr. Singh is in judicial custody for over a month now after his arrest by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with Delhi excise policy scam.

Rat-hole miners’ talent, experience come in handy in rescue of 41 trapped workers at Silkyara

Rat-hole mining may be illegal but the talent and experience of rat-hole miners were used in the rescue operation to save the 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel, a National Disaster Management Authority member said on Tuesday. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt. Gen. (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain said that rat-hole miners did a phenomenal job by digging 10 metres in less than 24 hours.

Congress delegation meets Election Commission, reiterates complaint against PM Modi, Amit Shah

A Congress delegation on November 28 met the Election Commission (EC) to complain about three major issues, including reiterating one of its earlier complaints against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

Silkyara rescue operation is multi-agency effort co-ordinated by PMO, says NDMA member

Multiple Ministries, public-sector undertakings, and defence agencies pooled in expertise, personnel and equipment under the oversight of the Prime Minister’s Office for the Silkyara rescue operations.

No activity in INDIA bloc, even as sub-groups coalesce

It has been nearly three months since the last meeting of the INDIA bloc — the overarching anti-BJP pre-poll coalition. In its period of inactivity, the Congress’s consistent supporter and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin stood alongside the Congress’s persistent critic and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav while unveiling former Prime Minister V.P. Singh’s statue in Chennai’s Presidency College on Monday, posturing that the bloc need not necessarily run along the hub-spoke model with the Congress sitting as the central pivot. 

New protocol for Anganwadi workers to track children with disabilities

The Union Women and Child Development Ministry on Tuesday launched a special protocol for Anganwadi workers which will help them track and help children with disabilities in the 0-6 years age group. As part of the new protocol, Anganwadi workers will be provided with training that will help them spread awareness on the issue.

Gujarat court acquits Jignesh Mevani, six others in a 2016 case

A local court in Gujarat on Tuesday acquitted Congress legislator and prominent Scheduled Castes (SC) activist Jignesh Mevani and six others in a 2016 case registered against them for unlawful assembly and rioting. 

Nursing courses only for women?: Delhi HC seeks Centre, Delhi govt. stand

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Centre and Delhi government to respond to a plea challenging a rule that allows only female candidates to apply for admission to B.Sc (Honours) Nursing courses offered by AIIMS, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, and Delhi University.

Centre wants to extend Delhi Chief Secretary tenure for a ‘limited time

The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the Centre 24 hours to justify its “unilateral” decision to extend the tenure of Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar while asking if the Union was “stuck with just one IAS officer”. Mr. Kumar is retiring on November 30. The Centre wants to extend his tenure for a “limited time” while the Delhi government, represented by senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, on the other hand, wants a fresh face as there was a “absolute breach of communication, trust and faith of any kind between the Chief Secretary and the Delhi government”.

IFFI: Michael Douglas awarded Satyajit Ray lifetime achievement award

Cinema is one of the few mediums with the power to unite people, Hollywood star Michael Douglas said after receiving the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here on Tuesday.

IND vs AUS third T20I | Maxwell’s big show eclipses Gaikwad’s ton, helps Australia stay in the hunt

The Australian all-rounder played a blinder to give his team a stunning last-ball victory, by five wickets, in the third T20I at the ACA Stadium on Tuesday night. The win ensured the series was alive, as India’s lead was reduced to 2-1 with two matches remaining.

Source link

#Hindu #Morning #Digest #November

Where does India stand on the Israel-Hamas war? | Explained

Post By World , , ,

Palestinians leave the north walk through the Salaheddine road in the Zeitoun district on the southern outskirts of Gaza City on November 25, 2023, on the second day of a truce between Israel and Hamas.
| Photo Credit: AFP

The story so far: Over the past weeks, India has expressed itself in statements, joint statements, and votes at the United Nations on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, that saw a temporary pause for the exchange of hostages which began on Friday, November 24. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted two separate virtual summits, the concluding session of India’s G-20 and the second edition of the ‘Voice of Global South’ Summit, and spoke about the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, as well as the importance of heeding the concerns of the developing world. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar travelled to the U.K. for talks, held along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh “2+2” dialogues with their counterparts from the U.S. and Australia where joint statements reflected the West’s position much more.

What is the position India has articulated?

India’s position, as articulated since the October 7 terror attacks along the Israel-Gaza border by Hamas that killed more than 1,200 people, and then on the bombardment of Gaza by Israel where more than 13,000 have been killed, has been multi-layered. The Modi government has condemned terrorism in the strongest language and stood with Israel over the attack, although it hasn’t thus far designated Hamas as a terror group. The government has called on Israel for restraint, dialogue and diplomacy and condemned the death of civilians, and along with the U.S. and Australia, called for “humanitarian pauses” in bombardment, but has not so far called for a “ceasefire”. At the same time, India has reaffirmed its support for a “two-state solution” including a sovereign, viable state of Palestine existing in peace alongside Israel, supported the “socio-economic welfare” of the Palestinian people, and has sent 70 tonnes of humanitarian assistance including 16.5 tonnes of medicines and medical supplies via Egypt to Gaza in the past month, Mr. Jaishankar said at the BRICS emergency meeting chaired by South Africa this week.

Mr. Modi, however, skipped the BRICS plus summit attended by all other leaders of the 11-nation grouping, indicating a discomfort with the tough line taken by South Africa that has asked for the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel for alleged “war crimes” in Gaza. Meanwhile, at the United Nations, India abstained at a UNGA vote on October 26 that called on Israel for a ceasefire, but voted in favour of other draft resolutions at the UNGA’s “Fourth Committee” on November 9 against Israel’s settler policies in the occupied territories including the West Bank and Syrian Golan.

What do the latest votes at the UN mean?

India’s decision to vote in favour of five out of six draft resolutions critical of Israel was explained by officials as a repeat of its earlier stance and “routine”. However, while India abstained on the October 26 vote because it said there was no explicit reference to the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas, it made no such caveat during the draft resolution votes, which will be cleared in the UNGA in December. 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’. 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.

Is India’s position closer to the West or the Global South?

Traditionally, since its leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement, India’s position on the Israel-Palestine conflict has always aligned with the Global South, offering full support for the Palestinian cause. It has called for talks to end the conflict, while building a stronger strategic, defence, counter-terrorism cooperation and trade ties with Israel since 1992, after they established full diplomatic ties. Since the Kargil war, where Israel provided India crucial and timely shipments of weapons and ammunition, a study of India’s statements at the UN showed a softening of language against Israel, including toning down “condemnation” of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, although it voted regularly with the developing world to stop the violence. India’s vote on October 26, however, was a departure from that, where it lined up alongside 45 abstentions, mostly from European countries, rather than the 120 countries, mostly from the Global South, which included nearly all the countries of West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and South America that voted for the resolution. India also joined the U.S.-led formulation of total condemnation of the October 7 terror attacks and for “humanitarian pauses”, ostensibly to allow food, fuel and water into Gaza in between periods of Israeli bombardment, language that appeared in both its joint statements after the 2+2 dialogues with the U.S. and Australia.


Also read | India reiterates call for ‘sovereign, independent, viable state of Palestine’

India has stood apart from Western countries in that it has not thus far banned Hamas, or designated it a terror organisation as the U.S., U.K., Switzerland and Germany have moved to do. In an effort perhaps to push India to do so, Israel this week announced it was banning the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group responsible for the Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks that included Israeli victims, 15 years later.

How will this impact ties in West Asia?

While India’s relations with Israel have been increasingly “de-hyphenated” from its ties with Palestine, many experts have suggested that any change in its stance favouring Israel over all other ties with the Gulf and Arab world, will be watched closely. Each country has a rich history of ties with India. For several years, India has built special ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, calculating that the normalisation of ties between them and Israel is only a matter of time, as the Abraham Accords showed. As a result, the India-Israel-UAE-U.S. (I2U2) trade initiative and the recently launched India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor hinging on this normalisation could be one casualty of the Israel-Hamas conflict which has led to a strong reaction from the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. When asked this week, the U.S. Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, accepted that the conflict could pause infrastructure initiatives, but that in the long term, the logic of such plans would prevail.

India’s ties with Iran, Israel’s chief enemy, that have been strengthened by initiatives like the Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor to Central Asia and Russia could also be affected, if it seems that the Modi government is choosing one side more clearly than the other. Israeli companies have expressed interest in bringing in nearly a lakh of Indian workers to replace Palestinian workforce in the construction industry; New Delhi has thus far not jumped at the idea, keeping in mind the more than eight million Indians working in Gulf countries that could be impacted as well.

The Modi government, that is engaged in sensitive negotiations with Qatar over the fate of eight former naval officers sentenced to death for alleged espionage, will also avoid being overly critical of Qatari support to Hamas, where much of the group’s leadership is based. Qatar is also a key player in the negotiations with Israel over the hostage release and ceasefire in Gaza.

Source link

#India #stand #IsraelHamas #war #Explained

Palestinian families rejoice over release of minor, women from Israeli prisons amid ceasefire

Post By World , , , ,

Over three dozen Palestinian prisoners returned home to a hero’s welcome in the occupied West Bank on November 24 following their release from Israeli prisons as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

The procession of freed prisoners, some accused of minor offences and others convicted in attacks, at a checkpoint outside of Jerusalem stoked massive crowds of Palestinians into a chanting, clapping, hand-waving, screaming frenzy.

Fifteen dazed young men, all in stained grey prison sweatsuits and looking tight with exhaustion, glided through the streets on the shoulders of their teary-eyed fathers as fireworks turned the night sky to blazing colour and patriotic Palestinian pop music blared.

Israel-Hamas truce updates November 25

Some of those released were draped in Palestinian flags, others in the green flags of Hamas. They flashed victory signs as they crowd-surfed.

“I have no words, I have no words,” said newly released 17-year-old Jamal Brahma, searching for something to say to the hordes of jostling journalists and thousands of chanting Palestinians, many in national dress. “Thank God.” Tears fell down his father Khalil Brahma’s cheeks as he brought his son down from his shoulders and looked him in the eye for the first time in seven months. Israeli forces had arrested Jamal at his home in the Palestinian city of Jericho last spring and detained him without charge or trial.

“I just want to be his father again,” he said.

The release of the Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails came just hours after two dozen hostages, including 13 Israelis, were released from captivity in Gaza in the initial exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners during the four-day ceasefire that started on Friday.

Editorial | Cease fire: On the danger of Israel turning Gaza into an open prison on fire

Children hold Palestinian flags sitting atop a car as family members welcome released Palestinian prisoner Fatima Amarneh, amid a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, near Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on November 25, 2023.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

Although the atmosphere was festive in the town of Beitunia near Israel’s hulking Ofer Prison in the West Bank, people were on edge.

The Israeli government has ordered police to shut down celebrations over the release. Israeli security forces at one point unleashed tear gas canisters on the crowds, sending young men, old women and small children sprinting away as they wept and screamed in pain.

“The army is trying to take this moment away from us but they can’t,” Mays Foqaha said as she tumbled into the arms of her newly released 18-year-old friend, Nour al-Taher from Nablus, who was arrested during a protest in September at the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. “This is our day of victory.” The Palestinian detainees freed on Friday included 24 women, some of whom had been sentenced to years-long prison terms over attempted stabbings and other attacks on Israeli security forces. Others had been accused of incitement on social media.

There were also the 15 male teenagers, most of them charged with stone-throwing and “supporting terrorism”, a broadly defined accusation that underscores Israel’s long-running crackdown on young Palestinian men as violence surges in the occupied territory.

For families on both sides of the conflict, news of the exchange — perhaps the first hopeful moment in 49 days of war — stirred a bittersweet jumble of joy and anguish.

“As a Palestinian, my heart is broken for my brothers in Gaza, so I can’t really celebrate,” said Abdulqader Khatib, a UN worker whose 17-year-old son, Iyas, was placed last year in “administrative detention”, without charges or trial and based on secret evidence. “But I am a father. And deep inside, I am very happy.” Israel is now holding an all-time high of 2,200 Palestinians in administrative detention, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an advocacy group, in a controversial policy that Israel defends as a counter-terrorism measure.

Since October 7, when Hamas took roughly 240 Israeli and foreign citizens hostage and killed 1,200 Israelis in its unprecedented rampage through southern Israel, Palestinians have wondered about the fate of their own prisoners.

Israel has a history of agreeing to lopsided exchanges. In 2011, Hamas got Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a single captive Israeli soldier, Gilad Schalit.

A prisoner release touches Palestinian society to its core. Almost every Palestinian has a relative in jail — or has been there himself. Human rights groups estimate that over 7,50,000 Palestinians have passed through Israeli prisons since Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in 1967.

Whereas Israel views them as terrorists, Palestinians refer to them by the Arabic word for prisoners of war, and devote a good chunk of public funds to supporting them and their families. Israel and the U.S. have condemned the grants to prisoner families as an incentive for violence.

“These kinds of prisoner exchanges are often the only hope families have to see their sons or fathers released before many years go by,” said Amira Khader, international advocacy officer at Addameer, a group supporting Palestinian prisoners. “It’s what they live for, it’s like a miracle from God.” Since the Hamas attack, Israel has escalated a months-long West Bank crackdown on Palestinians suspected of ties to Hamas and other militant groups. Many prisoners are convicted by military courts, which prosecute Palestinians with a conviction rate of more than 99 per cent. Rights groups say Palestinians are often denied due process and forced into confessions.

There are now 7,200 Palestinians in Israeli prison, said Qadura Fares, the director of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, with over 2,000 arrested since October 7 alone.



Source link

#Palestinian #families #rejoice #release #minor #women #Israeli #prisons #ceasefire