🇧🇩 Israel and Hamas war in Gaza-----Can Bangladesh be a peace broker? (3 Viewers)

[Saif]

Foreign minister calls for greater OIC role to end Gaza atrocities​

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud. File photo

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud called on the OIC member states to take alternate measures to end the conflict in Gaza and to ensure rights for the Palestinian people.

The foreign minister reiterated Bangladesh's firm support for the Palestinian cause and called for an immediate ceasefire and opening of humanitarian corridors in the besieged territory.

While addressing the 19th Extraordinary CFM of the OIC on Israel's' aggression on the Palestinian People in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, he also stressed on the importance of the Islamic Financial Safety Net to ensure basic necessities for the Palestinians.

Foreign minister, mentioning the strong statement delivered by Bangladesh at the ICJ in February for the Palestinians, hoped that peace will be established soon in the region.

Noting the current stalemate at the United Nations Security Council, Foreign Minister highlighted the need for its reform so that decision on globally effecting issues could be reached.

He stressed the importance of Muslim Ummah's unity to stop atrocities against Palestinians, ensuring their safe and peaceful living in their homeland.

Earlier yesterday, Dr Hasan Mahmud paid a courtesy call on Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud at the OIC Secretariat in Jeddah.

Expressing satisfaction at bilateral ties, Dr Mahmud hoped for deeper cooperation between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, anticipating a visit from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Al Saud affirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to sophisticated economic cooperation.

They discussed increasing sectoral cooperation, trade, and investment opportunities, with Dr. Mahmud seeking cooperation in crude oil purchase, which Al Saud promised to consider, including investments in refinery and petrochemical industries.

Al Saud congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her re-election and praised her leadership in hosting Rohingya refugees, pledging Saudi Arabia's full support.

Hasan Mahmud also met with OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha.

Taha praised Sheikh Hasina's leadership and reaffirmed OIC's support for Rohingya people.

The foreign minister advocated for greater trade and investment among OIC member states to mitigate economic challenges stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, proposing a dedicated cell at the OIC Secretariat for trade-related information dissemination.​

 

[Bilal9]

This Inu guy is going nuts.

He is requesting MBS to come to Bangladesh, as if MBS has not much else to do.

 

[Saif]

This Inu guy is going nuts.

He is requesting MBS to come to Bangladesh, as if MBS has not much else to do.

I thought it's Hasan Mahmud not Inu who invited MBS to visit Bangladesh

 

[Saif]

Why China won’t fight the Houthis

The current turmoil in the Middle East is not bad news for China.

www.thedailystar.net

Why China won’t fight the Houthis​

Chinese policy in the Middle East is shaped by two factors: China's threat perceptions and its strategic calculus regarding its great power competition with the United States. And when it comes to dealing with the US, China's approach comes down to three "nos": no cooperation, no support, and no confrontation. This credo underlies China's decision not to push back against the Iran-backed Houthis as they carry out drone and missile attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes.

The Red Sea attacks—a response to Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza—have not directly threatened Chinese ships, and the Houthis insist this will not change: neither Chinese or Russian vessels will be targeted, a senior Houthi official declared last month, as long as they are not connected with Israel. But the attacks will still affect China's economic interests, and not only because of the need to avoid links with Israel. (COSCO, China's largest shipping conglomerate, has already been forced to suspend all shipping to Israel, owing to security concerns.)

The identification of ships (or their flag countries) is not always straightforward, and shipping that affects China's interests can still be targeted. But avoiding the area is costly. The Red Sea is one of the most sensitive chokepoints for world trade. If Chinese ships heading to Europe must circle around the Cape of Good Hope, rather than following the traditional route through the Suez Canal, a 26-day journey grows to 36 days and adds significantly to costs.

Longer shipping routes could also raise import prices, potentially fuelling inflation in China; if oil prices are affected, China's economy—already in the doldrums—will come under even more pressure. More broadly, continued shipping disruptions will hamper China's efforts to boost its economy by strengthening external trade.

So, whether they target Chinese vessels directly or not, Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping could undermine China's economic recovery. And things could get much worse: if Iran deepens its involvement in the conflict between the Houthis and the US-led coalition that is launching strikes against them, the Strait of Hormuz could be affected, threatening China's energy supplies.

Yet, for now, China does not seem to be treating the threat posed by the Houthis as either immediate or acute. Yes, Chinese officials have reportedly urged their Iranian counterparts to pressure the Houthis to curb their attacks. But, while China has some influence over Iran, it hardly controls Iranian policy. Nor is Iran fully in control of the Houthis, despite being their main backer. Given this—and contrary to what the US apparently thinks—China's ability to rein in the Houthis diplomatically is limited.

And China is unlikely to go much further. Since Chinese strategists tend to view developments in the Middle East through the lens of Sino-American relations, even regional instability might not appear all bad to China.

Among Chinese experts, there is no shortage of schadenfreude watching the US being forced to back Israel, at the cost of its strategic relationships with Muslim countries in the region. And China can only benefit from its great-power rivalry being sucked into a conflict in the Middle East, at a time when it is already heavily invested in the Ukraine war.

To be sure, China does not appear to be plotting to exploit America's distractedness, say, by making a move on Taiwan. But it does relish the decline of US credibility and leadership. The longer the US stands by Israel, the more opportunity China will have to consolidate its ties with other Middle Eastern countries, and the more credible China's alternative approach to regional security will appear.

Under no circumstances will China join the US-led coalition against the Houthis, not only because of the first "no," but also because this would upend its own delicate balancing act between Israel and the Arab world, and between Sunni and Shia Muslims. The fact remains, however, that the Houthis' activities in the Red Sea are costing China. So, what are China's options?

One possible response is to deploy naval escorts for cargo ships, as China has been doing in the Gulf of Aden since 2008. But the Gulf of Aden escorts—part of a counter-piracy effort—are deployed on the basis of a mandate from the United Nations: Security Council Resolution 1846. Without such a mandate, the Chinese have been reluctant to pursue similar actions in the Red Sea, though they have recently begun to do so.

But, for China, the easiest and most politically convenient response to the current Middle East crisis lies elsewhere. The key is to blame the turmoil since Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel—the event that triggered the current conflict—on the failure of the US and Israel to achieve a two-state solution with the Palestinians and to treat such a deal as the precondition for any practical resolution to the ongoing crisis. China knows well that reaching a two-state solution is highly unlikely to happen anytime soon, not least because it would fundamentally change Israel's national-security outlook and that of the entire Middle East. ​

---

Yun Sun is a senior fellow and Co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center.​

 

[Saif]

The Implications of the Israel-Hamas War for Bangladesh: An American perspective

Where does this new war leave Bangladesh?

www.thedailystar.net

Geopolitical Insights​

The Implications of the Israel-Hamas War for Bangladesh: An American perspective​

We dedicate this issue of our new weekly page, Geopolitical Insights, to offer perspectives on the devastating conflict erupting in the Middle East.


This picture taken on October 11, 2023 shows an aerial view of buildings destroyed by Israeli air strikes in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in Gaza City. Photo: AFP

The Israel-Hamas war, now in its third week, broke out at a moment when global geopolitics were already in a state of deep churn.

The world had experienced, over a period of just two years, multiple black swans – a term famously coined by Nassim Nicholas Taleb that refers to events that are wholly unforeseen and have massive ripple effects. First came the COVID pandemic, and then Russia's invasion of Ukraine. These two shocks slammed the globe amid intensifying great power competition, toxic nationalism, growing refugee crises, and worsening climate change effects – among other destabilising developments.

And now comes this new war. Because of the legacy of conflict in the Middle East in recent decades, it's not a total shock. But it is still difficult to grapple with Israel's massive intelligence failure, the horrific scale of Hamas's terrorism on October 7, the uncompromisingly brutal Israeli retaliation, and above all the immense human toll.
​

With Washington focused intently on the war, and also facing allegations of moral hypocrisy for failing to object to Israel's brutalities – some experts call them war crimes – against Palestinians, Dhaka might have hoped it would get a respite from the Biden administration's relentless pressure campaign on rights and democracy in Bangladesh. But it wasn't meant to be.

— Michael Kugelman​

Few countries will be unaffected, even if indirectly, by the war. There will be economic implications, especially global oil price spikes and impacts on energy trade. There will be security implications, from new terrorism threats to public unrest sparked by large and angry protests.

The jury is still out on the conflict's geopolitical impacts, but so far this much is true: Washington – and many of its allies and partners – won't be advantaged by a long war. The conflict has upended a new US vision of the Middle East, which revolves around a region that becomes a locus for trade, connectivity and infrastructure development with deeper links to Europe and South Asia. Washington wants to operationalise that vision by stitching together new integrative mechanisms – from the India-Israel-UAE-US quad to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. But these initiatives require stability and cooperation to succeed. The war delivers a tragic reminder that both remain elusive, even with less conflict in the region and new peace deals between Israel and some of its neighbors over the last few years.

Additionally, the war has diverted Washington's attention away from the Indo-Pacific and prompted the Biden administration to strengthen its force posture in the Mideast. This change, while likely temporary, may rekindle longstanding doubts in many Indo-Pacific capitals about Washington's true commitment to a rebalance to the region – and risk undermining very real recent progress toward that goal, including the implementation of a US Indo-Pacific strategy.

Furthermore, America's competitors benefit. With Washington and many of its European and Asian allies focused laser-like on the conflict, Moscow and Beijing will have opportunities to test a distracted Washington in Ukraine, or in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, respectively. South Korea has gone so far as to publicly threaten to suspend a military agreement with North Korea so that it can scale up surveillance of its neighbor, because Seoul fears Pyongyang may be tempted to do to South Korea what Hamas did to Israel. Meanwhile, Iran benefits because the war ends any immediate chances of new normalisation agreements between Israel and its Arab neighbors linked to the Abraham Accords, which Tehran has long rejected and Washington seeks to expand.

Not to mention, US competitors can exploit the rage that has erupted against the United States among publics in the Middle East and beyond about Washington's firm backing of Israel during the war despite the latter's brutal tactics against Palestinian civilians. They can point to this as another – and especially egregious – case of the US failing to uphold its oft-stated intention to champion moral causes abroad.

All this said, the war has generated far more solidarity among Western capitals than has been the case with their reactions to the provocations of Russia or China. (Many of them still depend on energy imports from Moscow and broader trade with Beijing).

That India has embraced the West's position also helps Washington and its Western partners. New Delhi will further strengthen a relationship with Israel that has been expanding for years – and especially during Narendra Modi's time in power.

Elsewhere in the Global South (and, to be sure, among large portions of the public in the West), reactions to the war have focused more on the plight of the Palestinians, the need for a cease-fire, and the imperative of a Palestinian state. These reactions are driven by various factors, depending on the country. They include a lack of formal ties with Israel; deep historical links to the Palestinians, especially through the Non-Aligned Movement; a preference to side with the perceived strongest moral position; hostility to the policies of the US, one of Israel's staunchest allies; and, in the Global South's many nonaligned capitals, a desire to avoid taking a position espoused by many within the Western alliance system.

Consequently, the war could deepen policy divides not only between the West and the Muslim world, but also between the West and the Global South. That latter schism is already considerable, due to triggers ranging from climate change mitigation financing to patent rights for pharmaceuticals.

Where does this all leave Bangladesh? Dhaka has emphasised the need for an "urgent cease-fire" and co-sponsored an ultimately unsuccessful UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to hostilities. Like so many countries, Bangladesh gains little from a long war, and especially because of the deleterious economic implications – and these will become even more serious if it expands into a regional conflict. Bangladesh relies heavily on oil from the Gulf, and the Middle East is a key destination for its textile exports. Bangladesh central bank data from earlier this year showed that two thirds of Bangladesh out-migration was to the Middle East, and that the Gulf region accounted by far for the largest source of remittances to Bangladesh.

Another ominous development for Dhaka is that the war is intensifying great power rivalry. Russia and China have thrown their support behind the Palestinians (even though both still have cordial relations with Israel). This will also bring them closer to Iran – another US rival, and a country already moving closer to both Moscow and Beijing well before the war began. Washington and New Delhi are seemingly lining up on one side of the conflict, and Beijing and Moscow on the other. This new fault line means geopolitical competition will grow even fiercer, exacerbating Bangladesh's challenge of balancing its relations with all four countries.

With Washington focused intently on the war, and also facing allegations of moral hypocrisy for failing to object to Israel's brutalities – some experts call them war crimes – against Palestinians, Dhaka might have hoped it would get a respite from the Biden administration's relentless pressure campaign on rights and democracy in Bangladesh. But it wasn't meant to be. Last week, a senior US official, Afreen Akhter, visited Dhaka and reiterated longstanding U.S. messaging about the importance of free and fair elections.

Clearly, even amid the war and so much global churn, some things have remained the same. That includes Washington's ongoing efforts to make Bangladesh a core focus of its values-based foreign policy.​

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Michael Kugelman is director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC.​

 

[Bilal9]

I thought it's Hasan Mahmud not Inu who invited MBS to visit Bangladesh

Kheyal kori nai bhai. Too many distractions.

 

[Old School]

Kheyal kori nai bhai. Too many distractions.

When two wild wolves fight, can a small, harmless animal mediate? How does the idea develop?

 

[Bilal9]

When two wild wolves fight, can a small, harmless animal mediate? How does the idea develop?

Rather useless initiative, as I mentioned. Time waster.

Bangladesh foreign policy should be restricted to maximizing export revenue, simple enough.

 

[Old School]

Rather useless initiative, as I mentioned. Time waster.

Bangladesh foreign policy should be restricted to maximizing export revenue, simple enough.

And foreign direct investments too.

 

[Saif]

Kheyal kori nai bhai. Too many distractions.

You have been excused

 

[Bilal9]

And foreign direct investments too.

Yes of course. Any grandiose plan for Bangladesh to play in the geopolitical arena is a fool's errand, nothing more.

As we say in Bengali, small-time Adrak-seller should not worry about port news and shipping movements (Adar byaparir jahaazer khobor nia luv nai).

We are not at that stage yet.

 

[Saif]

Can nothing stop Netanyahu’s genocidal mission?

For the past five months, those with a conscience have been asking: what will it take for Israel to stop its genocide against Palestinians?

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Can nothing stop Netanyahu’s genocidal mission?​

Israel must agree to a ceasefire immediately

For the past five months, those with a conscience have been asking: what will it take for Israel to stop its genocide against Palestinians? The UN's repeated calls for humanitarian action, mass protests across the world, and even the US pointing fingers at the country—all have, so far, failed to deter Israel. And now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that his state will push on with its offensive "against Hamas," intending to ravage the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Far from changing his stance, Netanyahu seems even more determined. "There is international pressure and it's growing, but particularly when the international pressure rises, we must close ranks," he said. "We need to stand together against the attempts to stop the war." He added that Israel must push back against a "calculated attempt" to blame it for Hamas' crimes. This begs the question: how are killing over 30,000 Palestinians (mostly women and children), instigating a potential famine, and turning a whole region into rubble not Israel's crimes?​

​

With Ramadan just a few days away, the whole world is hoping for an end to this atrocity. Unfortunately, talks of a ceasefire still show no sign of progress, as both Hamas and Israel refuse to capitulate. Hamas has given certain conditions: a ceasefire must be in place before hostages are freed, Israeli forces must leave Gaza, and all Gazans must be able to return to homes they have fled. Israel, however, merely wants a pause in fighting to get hostages out of Gaza and more aid in, and says it will not end its onslaught before Hamas is "eliminated." In short, Israel has proposed a delay of Palestinian deaths—an insult more than an offer. And yet, US President Joe Biden has said the deal is in the hands of Hamas.
History has shown how Israeli oppression ramps up during Ramadan. This year, the tyranny is on a whole new scale, as Netanyahu has announced that there will be no peace during this holy month. It's a depressing irony that right before the month of fasting, a large portion of Gaza's population is on the brink of famine, according to UN agencies. And it's infuriating when one reads that for Israel, this is merely a strategic "starvation campaign." As one UN expert put it, "Israel is not only denying and restricting the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel is destroying the food system in Gaza."

For 1.4 million Palestinians, this might just be the worst Ramadan they will have ever witnessed. For the sake of so many innocent, helpless, and unfortunate lives, we sincerely hope Israel will discover some humanity in itself, and a miracle will take place in the form of a ceasefire.​

 

[Saif]

Two-state solution for lasting peace highlighted in Munich conference

Top international organisations and government officials called for a permanent settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the ongoing 60th Munich Security Conference, saying that only the two-state solution can make the region achieve lasting security....

www.newagebd.net

Two-state solution for lasting peace highlighted in Munich conference
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha/ Xinhua . MUNICH, Germany | Published: 12:08, Feb 18,2024


-- BSS photo.

Top international organisations and government officials called for a permanent settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the ongoing 60th Munich Security Conference, saying that only the two-state solution can make the region achieve lasting security.

Addressing the conference at its opening ceremony on Friday, United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for peace and better global order, highlighting the two-state solution to the crisis.


He said that the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and a humanitarian ceasefire are the only way to massively scale up aid delivery in Gaza, and thus will lay the foundation for concrete and irreversible steps towards a two-state solution.

Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, expressed strong concern over the humanitarian situation and the wider consequences for the region. He emphasized the need to lower regional tensions and promote international efforts towards a two-state solution.

During a meeting here with Guterres, Borrell also underlined the need for increased EU cooperation with the UN in striving towards a two-state solution.


In his address at the conference, German chancellor Olaf Scholz also supported the two-state solution, saying that is the key for both Israel and Palestine to get out of the conflict and have a peaceful future.

Indian external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said at a penal discussion that eventually, there has to be a permanent fix, a long-term fix to the conflict, otherwise ‘we’re going to see a recurrence.’

‘India has long believed in a two-state solution. We have maintained that position for many decades. And I think today many more countries in the world feel that not just the two-state solution is necessary, but it is more urgent than it was before,’ he said.

Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told the audience at the MSC that he was firmly convinced that the only pathway towards security and stability for everyone in the region is through a Palestinian state.

Addressing a panel discussion on the Middle East situation, Faisal said that the greater the consensus in the international community on the two-state solution, the closer the world will get to it.

‘We agree that the two-state solution is the right solution. And it’s now time to put all of our efforts into making that happen,’ he stressed, adding that ‘we cannot hold the future of our region, the future of our generations hostage to politics or ideology, and we must push to move forward.’

Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said at the panel discussion that part of the reasons behind the failure of talks on the two-state solution in the past was the lack of political will.

‘I think we are totally committed and convinced that this is the only solution, a viable solution that can bring the region out of this cycle of violence and create normal conditions for everyone to prosper and to live in peace,’ he said.

Qatar’s prime minister and minister of foreign affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said that what’s happening now represents ‘a wake-up call’ that the situation was not sustainable and ‘we need to step up and to look at a better future for the people in the region.’

The two-state solution guarantees an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.​

 

[Saif]

Prof Yunus for urgent action to create Palestine state

Calling upon all parties to cease hostilities, Nobel Laureate professor Muhammad Yunus in a statement on Sunday said that the solution to the long standing...

www.newagebd.net

Prof Yunus for urgent action to create Palestine state
Staff Correspondent | Published: 21:29, Oct 22,2023


Nobel Laureate professor Muhammad Yunus

Calling upon all parties to cease hostilities, Nobel Laureate professor Muhammad Yunus in a statement on Sunday said that the solution to the long standing conflict between Israel and Palestine lies in the creation of two states in keeping with a United Nations resolution.

‘The solution right now is the creation of two states something which the United Nations has a resolution on but which remains unimplemented. There is no way to escape from this resolution if we want to bring peace to the region,’ he said.

Underlining the need for creating the state of Palestine with extreme urgency, he said that the key actor in bringing this to reality was the United States.

‘If the US moves fast others will follow. The Biden administration must lead the world on this vital and urgent issue without delay,’ he made the appeal in the statement sent by the Yunus Centre in Dhaka.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine was a very old problem which has become much more complicated now because of the treatment that the people of Palestine have been receiving from Israel, Professor Yunus mentioned.

‘It has been brewing over time and suddenly recently it became very explosive and unacceptable against any civilised standard,’ said the statement.

It said the top-most priority right now was to implement the long ignored UN resolution on creating two states.

‘Otherwise we don't know where this conflict will lead us to. It has the potential to set the whole region on fire and suck in a larger part of the world into that fire,’ said the Nobel peace prize winner economist and entrepreneur.

He urgently called upon ‘all parties engaged in the conflict to immediately cease hostilities, ensure the safety and well-being of the innocent children and civilians caught in the midst of this crisis’.

‘It is imperative to facilitate and expedite the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to the suffering population. It is time to focus on saving human lives, protect dignity and get to work on a permanent solution,’ he said.

He called upon all concerned to join hands to put an end to the suffering, ensure uninterrupted humanitarian access, and foster an environment conducive to meaningful peace negotiations and work out the modalities to create Palestine state at the fastest pace.

‘In this day and age, we should collectively recognise that war and bloodshed are inconsistent with the values and progress of our modern civilisation,’ he said.

Professor Yunus said that the world was watching and it was their shared responsibility to work towards a future where both Palestine and Israel can co-exist in harmony and peace together with friendly collaboration.​

 

[Saif]

The real Gaza death toll

SINCE the Hamas raid penetrated the multi-tiered Israeli border security on October 7, 2023, (an unexplained collapse of Israel’s...

www.newagebd.net

The real Gaza death toll
Published: 00:00, Mar 09,2024



A medic carries an injured Palestinian child into Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike on October 11, 2023. — Palestinian News & Information Agency/Atia Darwish

Ralph Nader says it matters greatly whether the aggregate toll so far, and counting, is three, four, five, six times more than the Gaza health ministry’s undercount


SINCE the Hamas raid penetrated the multi-tiered Israeli border security on October 7, 2023, (an unexplained collapse of Israel’s defensive capabilities), 2.3 million utterly defenseless Palestinians in the tiny crowded Gaza enclave have been on the receiving end of over 65,000 bombs and missiles plus non-stop tank shelling and snipers.


The extreme right-wing Netanyahu regime has enforced its declared siege of, in its genocidal words, ‘no food, no water, no electricity, no fuel, no medicine.’

The relentless bombing has destroyed apartment buildings, marketplaces, refugee camps, hospitals, clinics, ambulances, bakeries, schools, mosques, churches, roads, electricity networks, critical water mains — just about everything.

The US-equipped Israeli war machine has even uprooted agricultural fields, including thousands of olive trees on one farm; bulldozed many cemeteries; and bombed civilians fleeing on Israeli orders, while obstructing the few trucks carrying humanitarian aid from Egypt.


With virtually no healthcare left, no medications, and infectious diseases spreading especially among infants, children, the infirm, and the elderly, can anybody believe that the fatalities have just gone over 30,000?

With 5,000 babies born every month into the rubble, their mothers wounded and without food, healthcare, medicine, and clean water for any of their children, severe scepticism about the Hamas’s health ministry’s official count is warranted.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas, which he helped over the years, have a common interest in lowballing the death and injury toll. But for different reasons. Hamas keeps the figures low to reduce being accused by its own people of not protecting them, and not building shelters. Hamas grossly underestimated the savage war crimes by the vengeful, occupying Israeli military superpower fully and unconditionally backed by the U.S. military superpower.

The health ministry is intentionally conservative, citing that its death toll came from reports only of those named as deceased by hospitals and morgues. But as the weeks turned into months, blasted, disabled hospitals and morgues cannot keep up with the bodies, or cannot count those slain laying on roadsides in allies and beneath building debris. Yet the Health Ministry remains conservative and the “official” rising civilian fatality and injury count continues to be uncritically reported by both friend and foe of this devastating Israeli state terrorism.



Predictions of human catastrophe

IT WAS especially astonishing to see the most progressive groups and writers routinely use the same figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza as did the governments and outside groups backing the one-sided war on Gaza. All this despite predictions of a human catastrophe in the Gaza Strip almost every day since October 7, 2023, by arms of the United Nations, other besieged international relief agencies on the ground, eyewitness accounts by medical personnel and many Israeli human rights groups and brave local journalists in that strip, the geographic size of Philadelphia. (Unguided Western and Israeli reporters and journalists are not allowed to enter Gaza by the Israeli government.)

Then came the December 29, 2023, opinion piece in The Guardian by the chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, Devi Sridhar. She predicted half a million deaths in 2024 if conditions continue unabated.


In recent days, the situation has become more dire. In the March 2, 2024, Washington Post, reporter Ishaan Tharoor writes:

‘The bulk of Gaza’s more than 2 million people face the prospect of famine — a state of affairs that constitutes the fastest decline in a population’s nutrition status ever recorded, according to aid workers. Children are starving at the fastest rate the world has ever known. Aid groups have been pointing to Israel restricting the flow of assistance into the territory as a major driver of the crisis. Some prominent Israeli officials openly champion stymying these transfers of aid.’

Tharoor quotes Jan Egeland, chief of the Norwegian Refugee Council: ‘We must be clear: civilians in Gaza are falling sick from hunger and thirst because of Israel’s entry restrictions’, and ‘Life-saving supplies are being intentionally blocked, and women and children are paying the price.’

Martin Griffiths, the United Nations lead humanitarian officer, said, ‘Life is draining out of Gaza at terrifying speed.’

UN secretary general António Guterres, according to the Post, warned of an ‘“unknown number of people” — believed to be in the tens of thousands — lying under the rubble of buildings brought down by Israeli strikes.’

Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said, ‘All people in Gaza are at imminent risk of famine. Almost all are drinking salty and contaminated water. Healthcare across the territory is barely functioning’, and ‘Just imagine what this means for the wounded, and people suffering infectious-disease outbreaks… many are already believed to be starving.’

UNICEF, the International Rescue Committee, the Palestinian Red Crescent, and Doctors Without Borders are all relating that the same catastrophic conditions are getting worse fast.

Yet, and get this, in this article, the Post still stuck with the ‘more than 30,000 people in Gaza have been killed since the ongoing war began.’

Just like the entire mass media, many governments, even the independent media and critics of the war would have us accept that between 98 per cent and 99 per cent of Gaza’s entire population has survived — albeit the sick, injured, and more Palestinians about to die. This is lethally improbable!

From accounts of people on the ground, videos and photographs of deadly episode after episode, plus the resultant mortalities from blocking or smashing the crucial necessities of life, a more likely estimate, in my appraisal, is that at least 200,000 Palestinians must have perished by now and the toll is accelerating by the hour.


Imagine Americans, if this powerful US-made weaponry was fired on the besieged, homeless, trapped people of Philadelphia, do you think that only 30,000 of that city’s 1.5 million people would have been killed?

Daily circumstantial evidence of the deliberate Israeli targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructures requires more reliable epidemiological estimates of casualties.

It matters greatly whether the aggregate toll so far, and counting, is three, four, five, six times more than the health ministry’s undercount. It matters for elevating the urgency for a permanent cease-fire, and direct and massive humanitarian aid by the US and other countries, bypassing the sadistic cruelty against innocent families of the Israeli siege. It matters for the columnists and editorial writers who have been self-censoring, with some, like the Post’s Charles Lane, fictionally claiming that Israel’s military doesn’t ‘intentionally target civilians.’ It matters for accountability under international law.

Above all, it lets weak Secretary of State Antony Blinken and duplicitous president Biden be less servile when Netanyahu dismisses the low death toll by taunting them: What about Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

As a percentage of the total population being killed, Gaza can expose the Israeli ruling racist extremists to a stronger rebuttal for ending US co-belligerent complicity in this never-to-be-forgotten slaughter of mostly children and women. (The terrifying PTSD on civilians, especially children, will continue for years.)

Respecting the more accurate casualty toll of Palestinian children, mothers, and fathers presses harder for permanent cease-fires and the process of recovery and reparations for the survivors of their holocaust.

​

 

[Saif]

Houthis target bulk carrier, US destroyers in Red Sea

American and French forces downed dozens of drones in the Red Sea on Saturday after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis targeted bulk carrier Propel Fortune and US destroyers in the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November in what they say is a campaign of solidar

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Houthis target bulk carrier, US destroyers in Red Sea​

FE ONLINE DESK

Published :​

Mar 09, 2024 22:34

Updated :​

Mar 09, 2024 23:04

​

Representational image: Reuters

American and French forces downed dozens of drones in the Red Sea on Saturday after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis targeted bulk carrier Propel Fortune and US destroyers in the Gulf of Aden.


The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

The group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech on Saturday they targeted the cargo vessel and "a number of US war destroyers at the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with 37 drones".

US Navy ships and aircraft shot down 15 uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) by the Houthis in the Red Sea area, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said earlier on Saturday, Reuters reports.

The military was responding to a large-scale attack the group launched into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden between 4 am and 6:30 am (1300-1530 GMT), CENTCOM said in a post on social media platform X.

The UAVs were determined to present "an imminent threat to merchant vessels, US Navy, and coalition ships in the region", it said.

A French warship and fighter jets also shot down four combat drones that were advancing towards naval vessels belonging to the European Aspides mission in the region, a French army statement said.

"This defensive action directly contributed to the protection of the cargo ship True Confidence, under the Barbados flag, which was struck on March 6 and is being towed, as well as other commercial vessels transiting in the area," it said.

France has a warship in the area as well as warplanes at its bases in Djibouti and the United Arab Emirates.

Three seafarers were killed on Wednesday in a missile strike by the Houthis on the Greek-operated True Confidence, the first civilian casualties since the group started its attacks on the key shipping route.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also confirmed that there was an attempted attack on the Singapore-flagged Propel Fortune.

It said the shipping company reported two explosions in close vicinity of the bulk carrier, but all crew on board were safe and the vessel was proceeding to its next port of call.

"Based on sources, Propel Fortune, was likely targeted due to outdated US ownership data," UKMTO said in a statement.

Sarea said the Houthis would continue their attacks "until the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted".​

 

[Saif]

Gaza war rages on eve of Ramadan

Deadly fighting raged in Gaza on Sunday between Israeli forces and Hamas militants, with no truce in sight as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan...

www.newagebd.net

Gaza war rages on eve of Ramadan
Agence France-Presse . Palestine | Published: 01:51, Mar 11,2024


Displaced Palestinians transport their belongings in a vehicle along a street in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, amid the on-going conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. ‑— AFP photo

Deadly fighting raged in Gaza on Sunday between Israeli forces and Hamas militants, with no truce in sight as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan neared and a dire humanitarian crisis gripped the besieged Palestinian territory.


A Spanish charity ship with food aid prepared to sail from the Mediterranean island-nation of Cyprus to help alleviate the suffering in the coastal Gaza Strip, now in its sixth month of war.


The non-governmental group Open Arms said its boat would pull a barge with 200 tonnes of food, which its partner the US charity World Central Kitchen would then unload on the shores of Gaza.

Vessel tracking websites showed the Open Arms still in Larnaca on Sunday evening. It was expected to depart ‘in the coming hours’, Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told Cyprus News Agency.

With the UN repeatedly warning of famine, United States, Jordanian and other planes again airdropped food aid, but the United Nation’s aid coordinator for the area has said more supply by land is the best way to get assistance to territory’s 2.4 million people.


Weeks of talks involving United States, Qatari and Egyptian mediators have aimed for a six-week truce and the release of many of the roughly 100 hostages Hamas is still holding in return for Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails.

There have been no result so far.

The widely shared target had been to halt the fighting by the start of Ramadan, which is expected to begin as early as Monday depending on the first sighting of the crescent moon.

Both sides have blamed each other for failing to reach a deal, after Israel had demanded a full list of surviving hostages, and Hamas had called for Israel to pull out all its troops from Gaza.

Israel’s government accused Hamas of ‘entrenching its positions like someone who is not interested in a deal and is striving to inflame the region during Ramadan’.

Attention during the Muslim fasting month will focus on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in annexed east Jerusalem, a frequent flashpoint in the past as it is both Islam’s third holiest site and sacred to Jews who call it the Temple Mount.

A source with knowledge of the truce talks told AFP that ‘there will be a diplomatic push especially in the next 10 days’ with a view to securing a deal within the first half of Ramadan as negotiations between all parties continued.

United States President Joe Biden reiterated on Saturday that Israel has ‘a right to continue to pursue Hamas’, but also stressed his growing impatience with Israel’s right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

With the death toll ever-increasing, Biden told broadcaster MSNBC that Netanyahu ‘must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken’.

At this stage, said Biden, Netanyahu’s approach to the war was ‘hurting Israel more than helping Israel’.

The comments came after Israeli protesters again took to the streets of Tel Aviv for anti-government rallies, joined by some of the desperate families and friends of hostages still held by Hamas.

Biden also signalled he would be willing to speak directly to the Israeli people through an address to the Knesset legislature.

Hamas’s attack which started the war resulted in about 1,160 deaths, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures.

The militants also took around 250 hostages, dozens of whom were released during a week-long truce in November. Israel believes 99 hostages remain alive and that 31 have died.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the United Nations agency had delivered some medical supplies and fuel to two hospitals in northern Gaza on Saturday.

But he added that ‘we need sustained, safe access to health facilities in order to supply them with urgently needed lifesaving healthcare on a regular basis,’ and called for a ceasefire.

The UN has reported particular difficulty in accessing northern Gaza.

The territory’s health ministry said at least 23 children have died from malnutrition and dehydration.

In the southern Gaza city of Rafah, resident Mumen Ahmed told AFP a strike hit a packed car on Sunday morning, causing ‘a martyr and casualties’.

‘We expected with the arrival of Ramadan that the war would end,’ said Ahmed, displaced from Gaza City.

With Ramadan approaching there was no letup in fighting and bombardment in Gaza, with 85 killed in 24 hours, according to the health ministry.

The Israeli military said its troops had killed 13 militants in air strikes and with tank and sniper fire in central Gaza over the past day.

Troops were also engaged in ‘close-quarter combat’ in the southern city of Khan Yunis, where strikes had killed 17 militants.

The army reported the death of one more soldier in Gaza, bringing to 249 the number who have died there since ground operations began in late October. It says it has killed more than 10,000 militants.


Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel was preparing for ‘all possible operational scenarios’ during Ramadan.

He said, ‘Hamas is preventing a deal and is acting against what was raised by the mediators.’

Qatar-based Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh called for the speedy distribution of aid and the full opening of border crossings ‘to end the siege of our people’.

Biden last Thursday announced that the US military would build a temporary pier on Gaza’s coast to facilitate larger aid shipments by sea, but this would take about 60 days, according to the Pentagon.
​

 

[Lulldapull]

Iran's not goin back down on dis drama. Iran's created dis drama to draw de colored muslims away from da West......Any man n his dog should be able to put 2 n 2 together no? We got Pakistani converts talking it all up 'online' supporting Al-Balastinian/ muzlim cause.......but behind da scene's its Iran dats instigated all dis and has a dozen proxies numbering several million armed combatants. I'd like ta see which other muzlim country got da oompphh to do what Iran's doin?.......lol. Iran knows its cornered only 7 million hollywood people in Israel with millions of its proxies Armageddon/ Apocalyptic style.......lol. Sunni muzlim can't cut da mustard no?......lol.....The US/ UK/ Israel run Sunni/ wahabbi islam no?......lol.....Come on no? What do we do now?

 

[Muji.Iqbal]

As if Israel would care about Bangladesh.

China would be a better peace broker between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

 

[Lulldapull]

As if Israel would care about Bangladesh.

China would be a better peace broker between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Oh paee khuda da khauf kar tu.....lol....China chickunn/ Roosi communista doing what Irani turani tell dem to do in da middhal heest no?.....Saanu itthay bewquff bun ker betthay ne?......lol......Come on bro. $30 billion da irani tail China buying today annually no? Who you think China values more? us or da Irani? Suchh boleen......lol....What do we got on offer for China other than zabardasti dee anti-India rhetoric only? Twannu samajh nahi aata? Whats goin on? Come on bro.

 

[4MikeEcho]

This is what one would call either inflated ego on place in the world or complete lack of understanding of the situation. Here are the few countries that can potentially influence the situation:
1. Those threatening to provide troops right up to Israel's border
2. Those with natural resources thinking to reduce the export of those resources to Israel or its supporters
3. Or just outright sabre rattling by Arab countries that together can present a problem for Israel.

Yemen is proving that it can at least influence the trajectory of events. Everybody else, OIC and others are all just placating to their local population to seem legitimate.

 

[Saif]

Galloway, Gaza and global conscience

ON FEBRUARY 29, 2024, voters of England’s Rochdale constituency handed a landslide by-election victory to the veteran British...

www.newagebd.net

Galloway, Gaza and global conscience
Md Mahmudul Hasan | Published: 00:00, Mar 12,2024


George Galloway

ON FEBRUARY 29, 2024, voters of England’s Rochdale constituency handed a landslide by-election victory to the veteran British politician George Galloway. In his campaign for the parliamentary seat, Galloway focussed on Israel’s mass murderous atrocities in Gaza and took a swipe at the British political establishment for its continuous complicity with the apartheid state. His opponents used this as a political weapon against him and complained that he gave precedence to a foreign issue.

In this essay, I might be susceptible to a comparable charge as I intend to talk about a UK election event in a Bangladeshi newspaper. However, there are good reasons that will justify the selection of my topic and will remove any whiff of exoticness from my essay.

I have been familiar with political debates surrounding George Galloway for quite some time. When I went to the UK for higher education in the early 2000s, I heard his name buzzing around British politics. Various global events — such as the 2001 Western invasion of Afghanistan, the 2003 US-led war on Iraq and decades-long Israeli settler colonialism in Palestine — accelerated his rise as a political star and a political survivor.

Galloway was one of the organisers of and speakers at Britain’s February 15, 2003 anti-war rally at Hyde Park in London, which was attended by arguably two million people. I attended this and many other public gatherings in London where he was among the main speakers. I also attended a talk by Galloway at the University of Portsmouth where I was a doctoral student. Some of my friends, especially the late John Molyneux, organised the event for him to speak.

A landmark feat in the career of this political maverick happened in May 2005 when he was invited to give testimony before a US Senate committee hearing. It was about the allegation that he had benefited from the sale of Iraqi oil in the 1990s when Iraq was under controversial (and cruel) international economic sanctions. The way Galloway rebutted the accusations against him and defended himself at the US Senate was an instant hit that earned him praise. I clearly remember that the British media of all kinds beamed with pride in the stunning performance of a British politician at the US Senate.

Recently there has been an increased media spotlight on Galloway since he won the Rochdale by-election. This enabled his re-entry in the House of Commons. He bagged 12,335 votes while his nearest contender David Tully — an independent candidate who was previously little known beyond Rochdale — received 6,638 votes. The vote shares of the ruling Tory party and the opposition Labour party were significantly lower — 3,731 and 2,402, respectively. By the way, this is the seventh time that Galloway has been elected as a British MP.

Unfortunately, the humiliating defeat of Britain’s big political parties in Rochdale does not seem to have kindled any sense of humility in their leaders; their reactions to election defeat have exhibited signs of denial and arrogance. Instead of respecting people’s verdict, the British political establishment as well as the hostile media have made unflattering remarks about Galloway and his victory. The UK prime minister Rishi Sunak regarded the democratic choice of the people of Rochdale as ‘beyond alarming’. Such remarks are an insult to democracy and to the intelligence of those who voted for Galloway. By making such statements, power-wielding people both in the government and the opposition in Britain seem to have disregarded and disrespected people’s freedom to vote for who they chose to represent their constituency.

Many commentators have exaggerated the role of the Muslim vote in Rochdale in the victory of Galloway. However, statistics, common sense and the reality of facts on the ground may not support the assumption that the Muslim vote was the only reason for Galloway’s victory, or that Muslims are the only religious group who are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Muslims constitute 28 per cent of the population of the Rochdale constituency, whereas Galloway obtained 39.7 per cent of the casted votes. Moreover, it would be inconceivable to think that all Muslim votes went to Galloway. Other candidates, including the Muslim Azhar Ali, must have bagged their own shares of Muslim votes too. So, it will be a total betrayal of reality to claim that all Muslim voters (or only Muslim voters) in Rochdale cast their votes for Galloway.

It is equally untenable to deny the comprehensiveness of support for justice for Palestine. It is also preposterous to believe that only Muslims champion the continuous Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation and aggression. It is not only Muslims who sympathise with the Palestinian cause. Israel’s oppression of Palestinians is a human issue, not a religious one. The prolonged Israeli genocide in Gaza is a concern not only for Muslims, it is for all who believe in human dignity and human rights. The Palestinian issue has perhaps divided people of the globe into two camps: those who have unstinted and unreserved compassion for other human beings and those who put their vested interests ahead of concern for others.

Importantly, the dormant global conscience seems to be evolving; it is gradually waking up to the realisation that Palestinians are victims of Israeli occupation and that there is a need for concerted efforts to end Israeli apartheid. The people of Rochdale are no different from billions in the rest of the world who have been horrified by the extent of Israeli cruelty and depravity.

Galloway’s election victory in Rochdale corresponds to the renewed awakening of the global conscience in regards to the question of Palestine. Perhaps, people of Rochdale have realised that politicians who facilitate injustice in other shores are likely to be unjust to those in their own country. They are smart enough to understand that political leaders who support oppression in Gaza have lost their moral compass and should not be entrusted with public office.

There are other political leaders who pay only lip service to the Palestinian cause and ostensibly condemn Israel, but oppress their own people and maintain clandestine links with the apartheid regime. These are hypocrites and can be found in many countries.

Rochdale by-election results have proved that, in a democratic system, voters have the power to punish unjust politicians and that people cannot be deceived at the time. I hope such a democratic system will be restored in our country and we will be re-empowered to choose leaders who will run our country.




Dr Md Mahmudul Hasan is professor in the department of English Language and Literature, International Islamic University Malaysia.​

 

[Saif]

You don’t have to be a Muslim to feel for the Palestinians

It is heartening to note that many large demonstrations held in Western capitals and major cities were participated in by people of all religions.

www.thedailystar.net

You don’t have to be a Muslim to feel for the Palestinians​

Demonstrators protest in solidarity with Palestinians in London, Britain, October 14, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS

In the continuing act of Israeli barbarity, the newest phase of which commenced on October 7, 2023, the Israeli Defense Forces gunned down a bunch of hungry unarmed Palestinians seeking food and water from relief trucks—killing 112 and injuring more than 700 people. So far, nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza massacre, nearly 70 percent of Gaza's buildings have been destroyed, and more than 80 percent of its population has been displaced. Even Palestinian hospitals were not spared. The latest United Nations Security Council (UNSC) draft resolution for a ceasefire has been blocked by the US, the only council member to do so, and the UK, some refer to it as the 51st US State, since the Second Gulf War, abstained.

In an unpardonably cynical act, the US started airdropping relief on Gaza. What a mockery—a classic illustration of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds. Biden is air-dropping food pallets to the victims of the war machine he is arming with billions of US taxpayers' dollars!
​

What is going on in Gaza now is a pure and simple act of genocide, meeting all the criteria of the UN definition of the word. Not only has a people been decimated, but civilians have also been particularly singled out. To stem the flow of information, journalists have been targeted, and so far, reportedly more than hundreds of them have been killed, some of them deliberately.​

The world conscience seems to be unmoved by the genocide that Israel has been conducting since October 7. At the official level, the remonstration from the Arab and Muslim countries has at best been muted. But does one have to be a Muslim to feel for the Muslims?

No.

It is heartening to note that many large demonstrations held in Western capitals and major cities were participated in by people of all religions and, in some instances, the protest marches have been led by Jewish organisations. It was not a Muslim country that brought the case of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

A few weeks ago, Aaron Bushnell, a serving US Air Force member, was driven by the pangs of his conscience so much so that the only way open to him—to express his aversion to the ongoing genocide of a helpless nation, conducted by his country's proxy in the Middle East and actively aided and abetted by his country and supported by its Western minions—was to sacrifice the most precious thing he owned: his life. For Bushnell, living would have meant complicity in the act of planned elimination of a nation. He chose to end it, in the most painful way, perhaps sharing vicariously the pain and distress the Palestinians have been enduring—not for the last five months but for the last 76 years.

I have not bothered to delve into Bushnell's ethnicity or his religion. Why should I? He rose above the petty thoughts that confine us to a narrowly defined meaning and space of religion, race, or colour, and chose to be human. Through his extreme act of self-immolation, Bushnell has demonstrated that the Palestinian issue is no longer rooted in the narrow religious narrative but encompasses the larger issue of humanity. That is more than we can say of many of the leaders—religious or political, who continue to think still in binary terms. Just glance through the statement of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is only seized with the thoughts and concern for the Christian Palestinians.

What is going on in Gaza now is a pure and simple act of genocide, meeting all the criteria of the UN definition of the word. Not only has a people been decimated, but civilians have also been particularly singled out. To stem the flow of information, journalists have been targeted, and so far, reportedly more than hundreds of them have been killed, some of them deliberately. Humanitarian and aid workers are being barred from entering the occupied territories.

With every ongoing day of Israel's persecution of the Gaza war, the masks of the hypocrites, the peddlers of so-called human rights and children's rights and women's rights, and the rule of law and a world order based on equity and justice is peeling off. The Western media, some of the European countries, and some Arab nations too by their loud silence, have exposed their duplicity in a barefaced manner, unwilling to acknowledge the reality, even hesitant as we saw one prominent US newspaper lacking the moral courage to give out the actual figure of the victims of the Israeli massacre of a group of Palestinians gathered around a relief truck on February 29, choosing instead to say "many" killed. These countries and their leaders have lost all credentials and moral standing to talk about issues of human rights. It should not be lost upon those who are aiding and abetting the Israeli regime to perpetuate its barbarity, arming it to indulge in the wanton killing of civilians, something that is prohibited by the Geneva Convention, to lend themselves as good candidates for trial in the International Criminal Tribunal. Remember Milosevich!

However, the question is, what is the outcome of the problem? Will the saner section of world opinion allow the eviction and decimation of a nation to go unchallenged? Is there none to stop a pariah nation that has ridden rough-shod over international public opinion, UN sanctions, and ruling over the last 76 years, from continuing with its illegal persecution of war against civilians?

Unfortunately, it is not governments with the power to act who we can expect to side with the rule of law. They have their strategic interest motivated by the military-industrial complex to safeguard. The only force, I feel that can sway the respective government's position, is public opinion. And this has been demonstrated in some measure through the recent US primaries, which has made the administration modulate its position from the past. Critical comments, unheard of heretofore, of Israeli persecution of Gaza offensive, have come from the White House lately, both from the US President and Vice-President.

Only the people can change the situation. Not only individual acts of self-sacrifice like that of Bushnell's but also collective expression of reprehension and disgust at the current situation. And that must cut across religious and ethnic lines.

The other prospect, if change does not come soon, is hard to ponder. But it will no doubt be calamitous.​

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Brig Gen Shahedul Anam Khan, ndc, psc (retd) is a former associate editor of The Daily Star.

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[Saif]

Israeli strike in south Lebanon kills Hamas member

An Israeli drone strike on a car outside the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on Wednesday killed a member of Hamas from the nearby Palestinian camp of Rashidieh, a source from the faction told Reuters. The source identified the member as Hadi Mustafa but said he was not a senior figure. Two securit

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Bangladesh demands immediate ceasefire in Gaza​

FE ONLINE DESK

Published :​

Mar 13, 2024 22:03

Updated :​

Mar 13, 2024 22:03

Bangladesh has condemned Israeli efforts to deport people out of Gaza and demanded immediate ceasefire and full and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance.

"Full implementation of the three Rs -Relief, Review and Recovery can only be possible with an end of genocidal attack on innocent civilians and infrastructures," said Mohammad Tofazzel Hossain Miah, Principal Secretary, Prime Minister's Office in ILO Governing Body meeting on Wednesday, reports UNB.

In his statement, Tofazzel Hossain said Bangladesh would like to urge the international community to intensify pressure on the occupying power, Israel and its apartheid government, to stop this violent attack on civilians, to allow Palestinians to rebuild their economy with international support, and to allow the Palestinian workforce to resume employment in Israel.

He said Bangladesh aligns with the statement delivered on behalf of the majority of ASPAG countries and the statement of OIC.

Bangladesh expressed its profound concerns over 66 per cent loss of jobs with 85 per cent reduction of employment in Gaza strip as well as 40 per cet loss of employment in West Bank.

"The illegal war against the civilian and non-combatant population of Palestine has caused shrinking of the Palestinian economy by one third in the fourth quarter of 2023. Labour market governance institutions, labour administration, social protection, social dialogue got irreparably affected," said Tofazzel Hossain.

Bangladesh thanked the donors and partner countries who have contributed to the ILO's Development Cooperation Programme.

"My delegation also expresses its sincere appreciation to the Office for conducting a three-phase programme with priorities in Relief, Review and Recovery with an internal budget of 1.4 million initially," said Tofazzel Hossain.

"We would like to join our voices to enhance donor support for successful implementation of the programme," he added.

He highlighted the overwhelming necessity of employment-intensive infrastructure building and arranging suitable jobs for the family members of the murdered Palestinians, disabled persons.

"Bangladesh, like most other States, continues to recognise Palestine as a State in the fullest meaning of the term and identifies Isarel as the illegal occupying power of Palestine," said Tofazzel Hossain.

Bangladesh expressed its grave concerns in the genocidal attacks on unarmed civilians, including women and children, of Palestine by the occupant Israeli Armed forces as well as the targeting of civilian infrastructures and indiscriminate use of force.

"We condemn Israel for its blatant violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws," Tofazzel Hossain said.​

 

[Saif]

Israel says it will ‘flood’ Gaza with aid as pressure mounts to do more

Breaking News, International News & Multimedia

thedailynewnation.com

Israel says it will ‘flood’ Gaza with aid as pressure mounts to do more​

15 Mar 2024, 12:00 am

Reuters :

Israel will try to “flood” the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid from a variety of entry points, the main military spokesman said on Wednesday as international pressure mounted to address the growing problem of hunger in the besieged enclave.

After more than five months of war in Gaza, aid agencies have warned that the area’s 2.3 million population face a growing risk of famine unless food supplies are stepped up sharply and they have accused Israel of not doing enough to ensure sufficient aid gets through.

Israel says it has placed no limits on the amount of aid that it will allow in to Gaza, and blames failures by the aid agencies for delays but it has faced mounting demands even from its closest allies to do more.

“We are trying to flood the area, to flood it with humanitarian aid,” military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told a group of foreign reporters.

Earlier on Wednesday, the military announced that six aid trucks with supplies from the World Food Organization had entered the northern part of the Gaza Strip, where the hunger crisis has been especially acute, through a crossing in the security fence known as the 96th gate.

More such convoys would follow as well as deliveries from other entry points, complemented by air drops and seaborne aid cargoes, Hagari said.

“We are learning and improving and doing different changes so as not to create a routine but to create a diversity of ways that we can enter,” he said.

Hagari acknowledged, however, that getting supplies into the enclave was only one part of the problem and more needed to be done to solve the problem of how to distribute it fairly and efficiently to desperately needy people.
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