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Israel-Palestinian conflict: UN warns Trump over two-state reversal

by Rajdeep April 5, 2024

written by Rajdeep

The UN chief has warned Donald Trump against abandoning the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying there is “no alternative”.

It comes after Mr Trump went against decades of US policy, saying he would back whatever formula led to peace.

Palestinians reacted with alarm to the possibility that the US could drop support for Palestinian statehood.

The last round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down in 2014.

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, President Trump promised to deliver a “great” peace deal.

But he said both sides must compromise.

“So I’m looking at two states and one state,” he said. “And I like the one that both parties like.”

‘Substance, not labels’

Following the news conference, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged the international community to do everything it could to bring about a two-state solution.

He said there was no other option for resolving the conflict.

What is the two-state solution?

A “two-state solution” to the decades-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is the declared goal of their leaders and the international community.

It is the shorthand for a final settlement that would see the creation of an independent state of Palestine within pre-1967 ceasefire lines in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, living peacefully alongside Israel.

The UN, the Arab League, the European Union, Russia and, until now, the US routinely restate their commitment to the concept.

When he was asked about a two-state solution on Wednesday, Mr Netanyahu said he wanted to focus on “substance” and not “labels”.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, said he remained committed to the goal.

He also seized on President Trump’s comments urging Mr Netanyahu to “hold back on settlements for a little bit”.

Since Mr Trump took office last month, Israel has approved thousands of new homes in West Bank and East Jerusalem, land claimed by the Palestinians for a future state.

The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

Alternative concepts to a two-state solution:

Unitary, bi-national state: A single country of Israel and the occupied territories, with equal rights for Israel and Palestinians. Advocated for years by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) but opposed by many Israeli Jews, who say absorbing a large Arab population would mean national suicide
“State-minus”: Favoured by Benjamin Netanyahu, offering Palestinians enhanced self-rule without full statehood, with a permanent Israeli military presence in the Jordan Valley. Rejected by Palestinians as unacceptable.
Confederation: Sometimes referred to as the “three-state solution” comprising an Israeli and/or Palestinian confederation with Jordan, the majority of whose population is Palestinian. Floated as an idea down the years but has never taken root as an option favoured by any of the parties.
Unilateral withdrawal: Also known as “constructive unilateralism”. Envisages an Israeli pull-back on its terms from parts of the West Bank, setting its own borders and separating itself from the bulk of the Palestinian population. Assumes failure of peace process and has no support among international community.

The Israeli government is hoping for better relations with the White House after eight years of friction with the former Obama administration.

At Wednesday’s news conference, neither leader committed explicitly to back a future independent Palestine, a longstanding bedrock of US policy.

A Palestinian holds the Palestinian flag during a protest in the West Bank village of Twani, near Hebron, 10 February 2017. — Image captionThe idea of creating an independent Palestinian state that co-exists with Israel has underpinned Middle East peace policy for decades

It was the US and Israeli leaders’ first face-to-face meeting since Mr Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential election.

But France, which in January organised a multi-national conference which reaffirmed support for a two-state solution alone, seemed unimpressed with the apparent change in direction.

Its ambassador to the UN, Francois Delattre, told reporters “our commitment to the two-state solution is stronger than ever”, according to AFP news agency.

Regional media reaction: Refreshing or reckless?

In pro-Netanyahu Israeli daily Yisrael Hayom, Boaz Bismuth welcomes a “more refreshing era” in Washington, saying Mr Trump’s comments show he is “good for the Jews.”

But Barack Ravid – in left-of-centre Ha’aretz – accuses Mr Trump of acting “recklessly” in apparently conflating the one state and two-state plans.

Shimon Schiffer – in centrist Yedioth Aharonoth – makes a similar point, saying Trump adopted the “tone of someone for whom it is not really important whether he orders a portion or half a portion of falafel.”

For the pro-Fatah Palestinian newspaper al-Quds, Mr Trump has shown he is close to Israel’s position, and that the two-state solution has “withered”.

In Gaza’s Hamas-run Filastin daily, Fayez Abu-Shammala says it is “wonderful” that the White House has shown its “real position” rather than acting as “an enemy pretending to be a friend”. He adds that the “time for resistance has come”.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s choice for America’s next ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, faces a rocky confirmation hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, the Associated Press reports.

The right-winger is a strong critic of the two-state solution, supports Jewish settlement building and moving the US embassy to Jerusalem.

David Friedman in Jerusalem, Oct 2016 — Image captionDavid Friedman advised Mr Trump during his election campaign

Five former US ambassadors to Israel have written a letter to committee members declaring him unqualified because of his “extreme, radical positions”, AP says.

Asked on Wednesday about his campaign promise of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, Mr Trump said: “I’d love to see that happen.”

“And we’re looking at it very, very strongly. We’re looking at it with a great care, a great care, believe me. And we’ll see what happens.”

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their promised future state – but Israel claims the entire city as its undivided capital.

[Source:- BBC]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

News Update

Yemen conflict: ‘Deadly strike’ hits funeral party

by Rajdeep April 5, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Eight women and a child have reportedly been killed in an overnight air raid on a funeral reception near Yemen’s rebel-held capital, Sanaa.

At least 10 more women were wounded, medical sources said.

A Houthi rebel spokesman said the strike was followed by a second which hit emergency responders in Arhab, 40km (25 miles) from Sanaa.

The rebels blamed a US and Saudi-backed coalition for the bloodshed, who are yet to comment.

The coalition has been fighting the Houthis and forces loyal to a former Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, since March 2015.

Its aim is to restore the internationally recognised government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Abdel-Rahman al-Ahnomi, a spokesman for the Houthis, said the twin strikes killed and wounded dozens of people.

However, other reports from the scene said there was only one air strike. Conflicting reports are common in the chaos following air raids in Yemen.

Yemen’s war has killed more than 10,000 civilians and displaced more than three million people since 2015.

The conflict and a blockade imposed by the Saudi-led coalition have also triggered a humanitarian disaster, leaving 80% of the population in need of aid.

Doctors Without Borders warned this week of a worsening situation in the city of Taiz, where hospitals have been repeatedly attacked and where 200,000 people face food, water and medicine shortages.

A picture made available on 19 January 2017 shows a Yemeni child, suffering from malnutrition, being treated at a hospital in Sanaa, Yemen — Image captionHundreds of thousands in Yemen are facing devastating food and water shortages

The US was criticised last month over a raid on a village in central Yemen, in which a number of civilians died – many of them children. Its target was the house of a suspected leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

US media now report that the dead included a tribal leader allied to the internationally-backed president.

A US Navy Seal was also killed in the attack, and six American soldiers were wounded.

[Source:- BBC]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

News Update

Syria conflict: Army cuts IS supply route into al-Bab

by Rajdeep April 5, 2024

written by Rajdeep

People flee the battle for the Islamic State-controlled al-Bab (4 February 2017)

Syrian government forces have advanced towards so-called Islamic State’s last major stronghold in Aleppo province, cutting off the main supply route into al-Bab, a monitoring group reports.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops had captured Tal Uwayshiya, a hill 9km (6 miles) to the south-east.

It overlooks a key road linking al-Bab to the IS-controlled city of Raqqa, in a neighbouring province.

Al-Bab is now almost surrounded by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels.

The rebels are laying siege from the north, east and west.

It is not yet clear whether the Syrian government is also aiming to capture the town, which is considered a prize by all sides in the five-year civil war.

But a military source told the pro-government al-Masdar website that troops were now within striking distance of the village of Tadif, on the outskirts of al-Bab.

The government has denounced Turkey’s support of the rebel offensive, which was launched in August with the aim of clearing IS militants from a border area north of al-Bab and limiting gains to the east by Kurdish forces.

Despite that, President Bashar al-Assad’s ally Russia has carried out joint air strikes with Turkey on IS positions around al-Bab since January.

The Syrian Observatory also reported on Monday that Turkish troops and rebel fighters were engaged in deadly clashes with IS militants around the village of Bazaa, east of al-Bab, which was recaptured by the jihadists over the weekend.

Government forces were also battling IS in the central province of Homs, after capturing the Hayyan oilfield west of Palmyra, the UK-based monitoring group said.

Turkish and Syrian rebel forces in the Bazaa area, east of al-Bab, on 4 February 2017 — Image captionTurkish-backed rebel forces were driven out of the village of Bazaa, east of al-Bab, on Saturday

It comes as a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters begins a new phase of their offensive to isolate Raqqa.

The Syrian Democratic Forces announced on Saturday that it aimed to take areas east of the city, including the main road linking it to Deir al-Zour province, almost all of which is controlled by IS.

The operation is being supported by air strikes by the US-led multinational coalition against IS and several hundred special forces personnel on the ground.

[Source:- BBC]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

News Update

Syria conflict: Assad hopes for ‘anti-terror ally’ in Trump

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Damage in Aleppo, 15 Nov

Syria’s leader has said he hopes US President-elect Donald Trump will be an ally in fighting terrorism but remains “cautious in judging him”.

Bashar al-Assad said Mr Trump would be a “natural ally” if he fulfilled a campaign pledge to fight terrorism.

But he said it was “dubious” whether Mr Trump could “live up to his promises”.

Mr Trump had previously said it was “madness” to oppose both Syrian forces and IS militants, and that fighting Syria could lead to fighting Russia.

Conflict continues to rage in Syria. Government aircraft on Tuesday bombed besieged rebel-held eastern districts of the city of Aleppo for the first time in three weeks, activists said.

More than 300,000 people have died since the Syrian civil conflict began in March 2011.

‘Very cautious’

Speaking to Portugal’s RTP state television, Mr Assad said: “We cannot tell anything about what he’s going to do, but if… he is going to fight the terrorists, of course we are going to be [an] ally, natural ally in that regard with the Russians, with the Iranians, with many other countries.”

Mr Assad said that Mr Trump’s pledge to focus the fight on Islamic State (IS) militants was “promising”, but added: “Can he deliver?”

“What about the countervailing forces within the administration, the mainstream media that were against him? How can he deal with it? That’s why for us it’s still dubious… That’s why we are very cautious in judging him.”

Current US policy is to strike against IS and other jihadists while supporting moderate rebels opposed to President Assad.

Mr Assad regards those groups as terrorists.

Some US media, including the New York Times, have suggested Mr Trump is likely to end aid for the rebels fighting Mr Assad because “we have no idea who these people are”.

He has said fighting Syria could lead to fighting Russia and during the election campaign he had shown admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Monday, fellow Republican John McCain lashed out at Mr Trump’s planned attempt to reset ties with Russia, saying the price would be the “butchery of the Syrian people”.

In his interview, Mr Assad again condemned the current US policy, saying: “They think that they are the police of the world. They think they are the judge of the world. They’re not.”

He also called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “sick person” and a “megalomaniac… out of touch with reality”.

Turkey has carried out operations in Syria to back rebels opposing Mr Assad.

‘Hospital hit’

Meanwhile, conflict has resumed in Aleppo after a three-week lull by government forces and their Russian allies to allow civilians and rebels to leave.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported that at least five people had been killed as a number of areas were hit.

Map showing control of Aleppo, Syria on 15 November 2016

The Local Co-ordination Committees, an opposition activist network, also reported that a missile hit the town of Saraqeb in Idlib province, and that Russian warplanes had targeted the towns of Ariha, Ihsim, Khan Sheikhoun and Tal Nabi Ayoub.

The LCC also said there had been air strikes on several locations in Aleppo province on Tuesday, including one that damaged a hospital in Awaijel.

US state department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau condemned the renewed air strikes, adding that “Russia again has backed the Assad regime in their ruthless war against the Syrian people”.

She said reported attacks on hospitals and a mobile clinic in Syria would be a violation of international law.

[Source:- BBC]

April 4, 2024 0 comment

Education

Conflict, widespread poverty stall progress on education rates over past decade – UNICEF

by Loknath Das September 7, 2017

written by Loknath Das

This 11-year-old girl lost her left leg in a suicide attack in an internal displaced persons (IDP) site in the Lake Chad Region. After three months in a hospital, she is trying to start over. UNICEF/Bahaji

6 September 2017 – Pervasive levels of poverty, protracted conflicts and complex humanitarian emergencies have led to stagnation in reducing the global out-of-school rate over the past decade, prompting the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to call for more investments.

With 11.5 per cent of school-age children – or 123 million missing school today, compared to 12.8 per cent – or 135 million – in 2007, the percentage of out-of-school 6-15 year olds has barely decreased in the last decade, according to UNICEF.

“Investments aimed at increasing the number of schools and teachers to match population growth are not enough,” said UNICEF Chief of Education Jo Bourne.

“This business-as-usual approach will not get the most vulnerable children into school – and help them reach their full potential – if they continue to be trapped in poverty, deprivation and insecurity,” she added.

Children living in the world’s poorest countries and in conflict zones are disproportionally affected. Of the 123 million children missing out on school, 40 per cent live in the least developed countries and 20 per cent live in conflict zones.

UNICEF points out that war continues to threaten – and reverse – education gains.

The conflicts in Iraq and Syria have resulted in an additional 3.4 million children missing out on education, bringing the number of out-of-school children across the Middle East and North Africa back to 2007’s level of approximately 16 million.

With their high levels of poverty, rapidly increasing populations and recurring emergencies, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia account for 75 per cent of the global out-of-school primary- and lower-secondary school age population.

“Governments and the global community must target their investments at eliminating the factors preventing these children from going to school in the first place, including by making schools safe and improving teaching and learning,” she continued.

However, some progress has been achieved.

Ethiopia and Niger, among the world’s poorest countries, have made the most enrolment rate progress in primary-school-age children with an increase of more than 15 per cent and around 19 per cent, respectively.

Emergency funding shortfalls for education affect access for children in conflict to attend school.

On average, less than 2.7 per cent of global humanitarian appeals are dedicated to education.

Six-months into 2017, UNICEF had only received 12 per cent of the funding required to provide education for children caught up in crises. More funds are urgently required to address the increasing number and complexity of crises and to give children the stability and opportunities they deserve.

“Learning provides relief for children affected by emergencies in the short-term, but is also a critical investment in the future development of societies in the long-term,” underscored Ms. Bourne.

“Yet investment in education does not respond to the realities of a volatile world. To address this, we must secure greater and more predictable funding for education in unpredictable emergencies,” she concluded.

[“Source-un”]

September 7, 2017 0 comment