International Relations

Gaza's population of 2 million is at risk of "serious food crisis": Antony Blinken

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the BBC that Gaza's population of two million was at risk of a "serious food crisis".

This is the first time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war that such a statement has come out for the entire population of Gaza.

The United Nations agencies working in Gaza have said that if the war does not stop by May 2024 and the required amount of relief material is not delivered to Gaza, then Gaza may face severe starvation.

Antony Blinken is currently on a visit to the Philippines. American officials have said on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 that they are going to visit the Middle East soon.

This is Antony Blinken's sixth visit to the Middle East after Israel's attack against Hamas in October 2023. During his visit, he will discuss the possibility of extending the ceasefire.

Israeli mediators in Qatar are once again discussing a possible ceasefire from Tuesday, March 19, 2024. The discussion will include everything from delivering relief material to Gaza to the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

What did Blinken say?

BBC had asked Antony Blinken that if there is no ceasefire and the current situation continues, will it affect the future of the region.

In response to this question, Antony Blinken said, "If the situation is assessed, 100 percent of the population of Gaza is on the verge of facing a serious food crisis."

This is the first time that the situation of the entire population is being described like this.

A serious food crisis is a situation when a person's life is in immediate danger due to lack of food. If the situation does not improve, it can lead to starvation.

Houthi rebels attack cargo ship in Gulf of Aden, three killed

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Three crew members of a cargo ship have been killed in an attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels. This attack took place in the Gulf of Aden.

This cargo ship named True Confidence was flying the flag of Barbados. The ship suffered severe damage in the attack that took place on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Two people from the Philippines and one from Vietnam died in this attack.

Yemen's Houthi rebels have said amid the Israel-Hamas war that they will continue targeting ships in the Red Sea until Israel stops attacks on Gaza.

The US has said that for the first time there have been deaths in attacks by Houthi rebels on merchant ships.

The Central Command of the US Army has condemned this incident and said that after the attack by this group, they shot down two drones in Yemen.

A military spokesman for the Houthi rebels claimed they targeted the vessel because it was an 'American' ship, but the ship's owners denied this.

There were 20 crew members on board, including one from India, four from Vietnam and 15 from the Philippines. There were also three armed guards, out of which two were from Sri Lanka and one from Nepal.

Why did Hamas come out of the ceasefire talks in Gaza without any deal?

Thursday, March 7, 2024

The Hamas delegation has walked out of the ceasefire talks in Gaza in the Egyptian capital Cairo without any deal.

However, Hamas says that indirect talks with Israel are not over yet. Hamas had expressed hope that a 40-day ceasefire could be reached at the beginning of the month of Ramadan.

Israel did not send its delegation to Cairo.

Israel said it wanted a list of surviving Israeli hostages who would be released under the deal.

Hamas has said that Israel has not accepted the demand for the return of Palestinians displaced by the war from their places, nor has it accepted the demand for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza cities.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than 30 thousand people have died so far in the Israeli attack. On October 7, 2023, about 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel.

Israel-Gaza ceasefire: Israeli PM Netanyahu refuses to accept Hamas' demand

Thursday, 8 February 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected Hamas's conditions on the proposed ceasefire, saying that a 'complete' victory over Gaza is possible within a few months.

Netanyahu said this regarding several demands of Hamas in response to the Israel-backed ceasefire proposal.

Netanyahu said talks with Hamas were "moving nowhere" and the demands the group was making were "bizarre."

Negotiations regarding ceasefire are still going on so that a deal can be reached.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, Netanyahu said, "There is no other conclusion than a complete victory over Gaza. If Hamas remains in Gaza, the next massacre could happen at any time."

It was believed that Israel would negotiate on Hamas's terms, but this statement by Prime Minister Netanyahu clearly ended such possibilities.

Israeli officials say that Hamas wants to end this war on its own terms, which is completely unacceptable to them.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told news agency Reuters that Netanyahu's comments were "a form of political arrogance", and show he wants to escalate the conflict in the region.

A new round of talks, brokered by Egypt and Qatar, are expected to begin in the capital Cairo on Thursday, 8 February 2024, an Egyptian official source told the BBC.

An Egyptian official source said that Egypt has appealed to all parties for cooperation to reach a peaceful settlement.

According to Reuters, Hamas's conditions are-

Phase 1 – A 45-day pause in hostilities, during which all Israeli female hostages, male hostages under the age of 19, the elderly and the sick will be released. In return, Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons should be released. Israeli forces should withdraw from populated areas of Gaza and hospitals and refugee camps should be rebuilt.

Second phase: The remaining Israeli hostages will be released when the Israeli army completely withdraws from Gaza.

Third phase- Both the sides will give the bodies of those killed and their belongings to each other.

According to the Hamas-run health ministry, so far 27,700 people have died in Gaza and 65,000 are injured.

India will get fencing done on 1643 km long border with Myanmar

Tuesday, 6 February 2024

The Central Government of India has decided to fence the 1643 km long border with Myanmar. India's Union Home Minister Amit Shah gave this information by tweeting.

Amit Shah said that this will allow better surveillance, patrolling and tracking on the border. Amit Shah said that 10 km long border fencing has been done in Moreh in the Indian state of Manipur.

Amit Shah said, "Work is going on on two pilot projects of fencing through Hybrid Surveillance System (HSS). Under this, a kilometer long border will be fenced in the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur."

Amit Shah said that about 20 km long fencing in Manipur has been approved and work on it will start soon.

This announcement of fencing has come at a time when violence has been going on in Manipur for the last several months. Manipur state shares about 400 km long border with Myanmar. Recently, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh had accused the previous central governments of ignoring the northeastern states.

India asks its citizens not to travel to Myanmar's Rakhine state

Tuesday, 6 February 2024

India has asked its citizens not to travel to Rakhine state of Myanmar. The Ministry of External Affairs of India has issued an advisory in this regard.

According to an advisory from India's Ministry of External Affairs, "Due to the deteriorating security situation, disruption of communication services, including landlines, and acute shortage of basic goods, all Indians are advised not to visit Rakhine State in Myanmar."

"The Indians who are already present in Rakhine state should immediately vacate the area."

Violence has continued in Rakhine state since 2016. However, in recent days the conflict between Myanmar's military regime and the Arakan Army (AA) rebel group in Rakhine state has intensified.

Two people died in Bangladesh border area, Bangladesh summoned Myanmar ambassador

Tuesday, 6 February 2024

Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry has summoned Myanmar's ambassador over two deaths caused by mortars fired from across the border.

Due to increased conflict between Myanmar's army and rebel groups, an atmosphere of panic has arisen in some border villages of Bangladesh.

Many more soldiers of Myanmar army have fled to Bangladesh. The number of such civilians and soldiers who fled from Myanmar in Bangladesh has increased to 229.

Arakan rebels have reportedly captured several positions along the border.

What is the matter?

At least two people were killed in Bangladesh by a mortar fired from Myanmar on the morning of Monday, 5 February 2024.

Violent clashes have continued along Myanmar's 270-km border with Bangladesh since November 2023, when rebel Arakan Army (AA) fighters announced an end to the ceasefire that had been in place since the 2021 coup.

According to news agency AFP, people living in villages in Bangladesh bordering Myanmar say that they are living in an atmosphere of fear because of this conflict.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained a Myanmar Border Guard Police soldier seeking asylum in Ukhiya in Cox's Bazar district on Tuesday, 6 February 2024.

Aid agency Doctors Without Borders says it has treated 17 people injured in violent clashes on Sunday, 4 February 2024.

Doctors Without Borders reported on Monday, 5 February 2024, that all the injured had been shot. Of these, two were in danger and five were seriously injured.

Local police chief Abdul Mannan said the 48-year-old Bangladeshi woman, named Husne Ara, died on Monday, 5 February 2024. Apart from them, an unidentified Rohingya person also died on the afternoon of Monday, February 5, 2024.

Husne Ara's daughter-in-law said, "They were sitting in the kitchen when suddenly a mortar fell. She was serving food to that Rohingya man. We had hired that man to look after our farm."

America approves four billion dollar drone agreement with India
 
Friday, February 2, 2024

The US State Department has approved a four billion dollar agreement to provide 31 state-of-the-art armed drones to India.

The agreement for the MQ-9B Predator drone was announced during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US in June 2023.

The agreement was put on hold by the Senate Committee in December 2023 due to the investigation into the alleged conspiracy to murder an Indian in America.

Now this agreement has been approved by the US Congress.

The Pentagon said the deal includes the sale of 31 armed MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones, 170 AGAM-114R Hellfire missiles and 310 small diameter bombs, communications and surveillance equipment and precision glide bombs.

The prime contractor of this agreement will be General Atomics Aeronautics Systems.

According to news agency Reuters, Senator Ben Cardin said that the agreement was finalized only after the US government agreed to fully investigate the conspiracy behind the Gurpatwant Singh Pannu murder.

Senator Ben Cardin said, "The Biden administration has demanded that there should be investigation and accountability for the conspiracy on American soil and accountability should be fixed for such activities in India too."

In the year 2023, the US had accused the Indian government of conspiring to assassinate an American citizen who supported Khalistan.

On Thursday, February 1, 2024, the Pentagon said that "to strengthen the US-India strategic relationship, this proposed drone agreement with India will support US foreign policy and national security objectives."

Hundreds of bureaucrats from western countries against Israel's Gaza policy

Friday, February 2, 2024

Hundreds of officials working in America and Europe have warned their respective governments in a joint statement about Israel's Gaza policy.

They say that Israel's Gaza policy could be a serious violation of international laws. This joint statement has been signed by more than 800 serving officers from America and Europe.

"Their governments risked becoming involved in the worst humanitarian disaster in this century, and their expert advice was ignored," the statement said.

These are the latest signs of widespread dissatisfaction with Israel among the governments of some of its major allies in the West. One of the people who signed this statement is working in the US government.

He has more than 25 years of experience working in the field of national security. He told the BBC that his concerns were repeatedly dismissed.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said, "The voices of those who understand the region and its conditions are being ignored. If we are not able to stop what is happening, then how are we any different .We are actively participating in this, it is completely different from any other situation."

This transatlantic statement has been signed by the bureaucrats of America, European Union and 11 countries of Europe including Britain, France, Germany.

Their joint statement said that Israel has not followed any decorum in its military operations in Gaza. Because of this, thousands of common people have died there which could have been prevented. Israel is deliberately preventing aid from reaching Gaza. Due to this, the danger of people becoming victims of starvation on a large scale is looming.

Will Israel obey the ICJ order in the genocide case in Gaza?

Saturday, January 27, 2024

The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to take some immediate steps on the case filed by South Africa against Israel on the charge of genocide.

The International Court of Justice has asked Israel to immediately stop any harm being caused to Palestinians in Gaza.

This order cannot be considered a complete victory for South Africa or the Palestinians, because the International Court of Justice has not ordered Israel to establish a ceasefire or stop military operations.

The International Court of Justice acknowledged that the situation in Gaza was 'catastrophic' and could 'deteriorate further'.

The process of giving a final verdict on the charges of genocide on which this case is going on may take several years.

For this reason, the International Court of Justice has asked Israel to take certain steps. Most of these steps are in line with the nine demands put forward by South Africa.

The 17-judge bench of the International Court of Justice ruled by majority vote that Israel must make every effort to protect Palestinians from death and serious physical or mental harm.

The International Court of Justice also cited statements by the Israeli President and the Israeli Defense Minister as saying that Israel should do more to "stop publicly inciting" genocide and punish "those who commit it." .

At the same time, Israel has also been asked to take prompt and effective steps to stop the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza.

Even though the International Court of Justice did not call for a ceasefire, the demands it has made to Israel, if implemented, would bring major changes in the nature of Israel's military operation in Gaza.

Israel rejects accusations of genocide, saying that the Palestinian extremist group Hamas is responsible for the harm being caused to ordinary Palestinians.

Israel says that Hamas operates from under (tunnels) in Gaza's densely populated towns and refugee camps, making it almost impossible for Israel to prevent civilian deaths.

Israel also says that a lot has been done to protect and warn people from danger. Almost all Jewish citizens of Israel believe that the Israeli army is the most moral army in the world. Which is not correct. It would be wrong to call the Israeli army the most moral army in the world.

Since October 7, 2023, 85 percent of Gaza's population of 2.3 million has been displaced due to Israel's attack.

People fleeing the war are having to take shelter in camps already filled beyond capacity. On top of this, there is also a serious shortage of health facilities and essential items.

Will Israel obey the order of the International Court of Justice?

The biggest question is whether Israel will obey the order of the International Court of Justice? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that 'military action will continue until the destruction of Hamas'.

As Judge Joan Donohue, the US president of the International Court of Justice and leading the bench of 17 judges, began to speak, it became clear that the International Court of Justice's focus was on the suffering of the people of Gaza and Israel's efforts to end the case. Has failed in trying to do.

Judge John Donohue summarized what Palestinians living in Gaza are experiencing. Judge John Donohue described the suffering of the children there and said it was 'heartbreaking'.

However, this is not the final decision of the International Court of Justice regarding the charge of genocide. It may take several years for a decision to be taken in this regard.

But the steps that the International Court of Justice has asked to be taken are such that the Palestinians of Gaza can get some security.

Now Israel has to decide what to do on this? The decisions of the International Court of Justice are binding, but there is no system by which they can be implemented.

In such a situation, it is possible that Israel may completely ignore the decision of the International Court of Justice.

Efforts are already underway at the diplomatic level for a two-month ceasefire and the work to provide aid to Gaza may also accelerate in the coming times.

In such a situation, Israel can say that it is already taking steps based on the demands of the International Court of Justice.

Even if the situation improves, which currently seems unlikely, the charge of genocide against Israel will remain, because the International Court of Justice has found this case to be important enough to be heard.

Israel is a country that was born out of one of the worst examples of genocide.

Until the International Court of Justice gives its final verdict in the case filed by South Africa, Israel will have to live under the shadow of the accusation of genocide.

What did the International Court of Justice say to Israel on the ongoing Israeli attack in Gaza?

Friday, January 26, 2024

The International Court of Justice has issued an order on Friday, January 26, 2024, against Israel on charges of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

South Africa last year filed an appeal against Israel in the International Court of Justice on 29 December 2023.

Hearing on this matter was going on for the last few days.

On Friday, January 26, 2024, the ICJ issued its order in this case.

The International Court of Justice has said in its interim order that Israel should make every possible effort to protect Palestinians from harm in this conflict.

The International Court of Justice has said that Israel should ensure that the Israeli army does not carry out activities that amount to genocide.

The International Court of Justice has said that Israel should stop any public statement that amounts to incitement to genocide in Gaza and decide on its punishment.

South Africa expressed happiness over the decision of the International Court of Justice, what did Israel say?

South African lawyers have expressed happiness over this decision from the International Court of Justice.

South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor has said that "I wanted the order to include the word pause." But I am satisfied with the guidelines given.

A journalist asked Naledi Pandor of South Africa whether she expected Israel to comply with the order.

On this Naledi Pandor said that she never expected that this would be possible.

At the same time, Mark Regev, top advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, has said that South Africa did not succeed in achieving its objectives.

According to BBC International Editor Jeremy Wobben, what the judge said is a victory for South African lawyers and a defeat for Israel.

Jeremy Wobben has written - 'The judge did not say that you have to cease fire because under International Humanitarian Law, war is legally acceptable in the right circumstances and in the right legal framework. But what the judge has said means that under these guidelines Israel will have to make major changes in the way it fights wars.'

According to news agency Reuters, Palestinian Minister of the Palestinian Authority, which rules the West Bank, Riyad al-Maliki has expressed happiness over this decision.

Riyad al-Maliki has said that the ICJ judges, after examining the law and the facts, have ruled in favor of international law and humanity.

What allegations did South Africa make against Israel?

South Africa, in its 84-page appeal filed at the ICJ, said Israel's actions were genocidal in nature as their intention was to cause the maximum destruction of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

It said acts of genocide include killing, inflicting serious mental and physical harm on the Palestinian people, and creating conditions aimed at "their collective destruction."

According to the appeal filed in the ICJ, the intentions of genocide are also reflected in the statements of Israeli officials.

According to Juliet M., a law lecturer at the University of South Australia, South Africa's petition was 'very comprehensive' and 'very carefully written'.

What is genocide?

This term was coined in 1943 by the Jewish Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin. He linked the Greek word jenos, meaning race or clan, with the Latin word cid (kill).

Witnessing the brutality of the mass genocide of Jews during World War II, Dr Lemkin campaigned to criminalize genocide under international law.

Every member of Dr. Lemkin's family except his brother died in the Holocaust.

Due to the efforts of Dr. Lemkin, the United Nations Genocide Convention was accepted in December 1948, which came into force in January 1951.

Article 2 of the United Nations Genocide Convention defines genocide as any act committed with intent to destroy, in part or in whole, a national, racial, cultural or religious group.

- Killing members of a group.
- Causing serious physical and mental harm to members of a group.
- Deliberately forcing a group to live in such conditions that cause their partial or total physical harm.
- Taking such steps whose purpose is to prevent the birth of children in a group.
-Forcibly sending children from one group to another group.
- All member states that have signed the Convention have a common responsibility to prevent genocide from occurring and to punish those who commit it.