Saudi Arabia A Year of Strategic Alliances

In 2023, Saudi Arabia emerged as a pivotal diplomatic player on the world stage, marking a year of strategic alignments and hosting a series of significant global summits.

This remarkable ascendancy in international diplomacy was not only a testament to the Kingdom's growing geopolitical influence but also signaled a new era in its foreign policy approach.

The year saw Saudi Arabia navigate complex regional and international terrains with adeptness and agility, showcasing its capacity to manage crises and foster dialogue across a spectrum of global issues.

From orchestrating large-scale evacuations in conflict zones to brokering historic diplomatic reconciliations, the actions of Kingdom were marked by a combination of strategic foresight and diplomatic finesse.

Amidst a landscape of shifting alliances and emerging challenges, Saudi Arabia's role as a convener of critical discussions and a mediator in international disputes underscored its commitment to stability and cooperation.

As the world witnessed the unfolding of these diplomatic endeavors, the Kingdom solidified its position as a central player in shaping the global agenda.

Throughout the months of the year, the Kingdom hosted several significant international summits.

In August, Jeddah hosted a meeting concerning the Ukrainian crisis, attended by national security advisors from around 40 countries.

Then in October, a historic first summit took place between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In response to the developments in Gaza, an extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit was convened in Riyadh in November to address the Israeli aggression.

This was followed by a Saudi-African summit and the year concluded with a Saudi-Russian summit after Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Riyadh.

Saudi-Iranian Relations Resumed

On March 10, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced the resumption of diplomatic ties, with a plan to reopen embassies and diplomatic missions within 60 days, following Chinese-brokered talks.

The tripartite statement stressed the importance of respecting state sovereignty and non-interference in internal matters.

The embassies were officially reopened later in the year, and in November, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Saudi Arabia for the first time since the resumption of relations to participate in the Arab-Islamic summit about Gaza.

Saudi Evacuation Efforts in Sudan

In April, as the situation in Sudan abruptly escalated, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia mobilized its naval fleet in a globally lauded initiative.

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the evacuation of over 5,000 people from 100 countries, including 184 Saudis, amid clashes between the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces. This was described as one of the largest successful evacuation operations globally.

Gulf and Central Asia Summit

In a continuation of strategic and political dialogues, Jeddah hosted a summit in July for leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the five Central Asian countries.

The summit emphasized enhancing strategic dialogue and political cooperation between the two sides, fostering partnerships in various fields including political and security dialogue, economic and investment cooperation, and promoting people-to-people exchanges.

Jeddah Meeting on the Ukrainian Crisis

Jeddah hosted peace talks concerning the Ukrainian crisis in August. The meeting, chaired by Dr. Musaed Al-Aiban, a member of the Saudi Cabinet and National Security Advisor, was attended by national security advisors from about 30 countries.

Gulf and ASEAN Summit

In a historic first, leaders of 16 Gulf and Asian countries met in Riyadh in October. A joint action plan for 2024-2028 was initiated to map a clear road map and enhance cooperation and partnership in various fields, serving the shared interests of both regions.

Saudi-African Summit

Continuing its active foreign policy, Saudi Arabia hosted a Saudi-African summit in Riyadh in November.

The summit concluded with both sides committing to developing cooperation and partnership in development and laying foundations for continental integration for a sustainable future.

Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister, announced the launch of the King Salman Development Initiative in Africa during the summit, aiming to establish developmental projects and programs across the continent valued at over one billion dollars over ten years.

Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit

Due to the severity of the situation following Israeli aggression on Gaza, Saudi Arabia called for an extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh in November.

More than 57 countries participated in the summit, which concluded with significant decisions, including breaking the Israeli blockade on Gaza and emphasizing the need to stop the war and end the occupation.

Saudi-Caribbean Summit

Riyadh also hosted its first summit with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in November. The summit aimed to enhance partnerships in economics, investment, trade, energy, tourism, and other areas in line with Saudi Vision 2030.

A joint Saudi-Caribbean statement was issued, emphasizing mutual interests and friendly relations, exploring ways to expand and develop partnerships, including in education, health, maritime cooperation, communications, logistics, food security, energy security, and the tourism economy.

Saudi-Russian Summit

Before the end of 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Saudi Arabia, meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. The talks focused on mutual interests and issues concerning both countries, the Middle East, and the world.

The two countries emphasized the necessity of halting military operations in Palestinian territories and agreed that security and stability in Palestine could only be achieved through the implementation of international resolutions pertaining to a two-state solution.

They also agreed to enhance defense and security cooperation and commended the close cooperation within OPEC for stabilizing global oil markets.

Courtesy: Saudi Gazette

Who could be Israel’s next likely targets?

After an Israeli airstrike killed senior IRGC commander Sayyed Razi Mousavi, The Jerusalem Post published names of those who could be Israel's next targets?

Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech on Saturday night, in which he warned Iran and stated he would not detail any Israeli actions against it, Iran International has reported further Israeli elimination targets.

This comes after an airstrike in Syria attributed to Israel killed Sayyed Razi Mousavi, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) official in Syria. 

Mousavi was killed during an attack that occurred on November 25 near Damascus. He was the commander of the logistics bureau of the Lebanon Corps within the IRGC.

Mousavi was instrumental in establishing the Iranian presence in Syria, a key factor in the relationship between Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, and the advancement of weaponry to Israel's northern front.

Mousavi communicated directly with the Syrian regime and, through it, promoted Iranian interest in Syrian territory. He was a central factor and initiator, with much experience and extensive connections in the arena.

He was entrusted with the execution of most of the transfers of weaponry by land, air, and sea. For example, he would personally oversee the unloading of Iranian passenger flights carrying sensitive weapons for Iranian emissaries in Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

He was the head of the logistics bureau of the Lebanon Corps (Unit 2250) within the IRGC, which was established in order to carry out and facilitate transfers of weapons and Iranian equipment to Lebanon through Syria.

The unit is given special authorizations by the Syrian regime that includes transit permits throughout the country and access to Syrian airports.

The Iranian terminal at Damascus International Airport, for example, allows the reception of Iranian passengers together with weapons without the direct supervision of the security forces.

Oftentimes, the unit uses these authorizations in order to transfer weapons while the Syrian regime turns a blind eye and uses the authorizations they themselves have issued.

In addition, the logistics bureau is responsible for unloading the cargo intended for the forces at the port of Latakia, in December 2021, containers carrying weapons were attacked while they were being unloaded by these parties in Syria.

Unit 2250 has many logistical capabilities and assets throughout Syria that allow for the transfer of weapons, whose final destination is often Hezbollah in Lebanon. In light of the repeated Israeli attacks, there is no doubt that the unit's transferring capabilities have been significantly weakened; however, it still attempts to advance transfers in Syrian territory under the risk of being attacked.

Unit 2250 has many logistical capabilities and assets throughout Syria that allow for the transfer of weapons, whose final destination is often Hezbollah in Lebanon. In light of the repeated Israeli attacks, there is no doubt that the unit's transferring capabilities have been significantly weakened; however, it still attempts to advance transfers in Syrian territory under the risk of being attacked.

Unit 2250 works in close cooperation with Unit 4400, Hezbollah's strengthening and cooperation unit led by Haj Fadi, which is responsible for transporting sensitive equipment from Syria to Lebanon.

The Syrian regime allows these transfers of equipment and dangerous weapons to be carried out through the country and gives the unit full freedom of action. It is evident that Israel usually carries out many attacks against these transferal units, and as a result, Syria continues to pay the price for this time and time again.

Additional heads of the logistics bureau include Abdullah Abadi, Mousavi's right-hand man; Zin Shams Abu Andan, a key figure in the bureau and a close associate of Mousavi; Hadi Feiz-Abadi, a senior logistics commander and representative of Unit 190, the weapon-transfer unit in the Quds force headed by Behnam Shahriyari.

Feiz-Abadi recently replaced Meitham Catabi, who coordinated the transfer of weapons together with Unit 190.

Naftali Bennett openly inviting the US and others to attack Iran

It’s time for the peoples of the West to wake up to the reality that Israel is not their friend. In fact, Israel is their enemy.

For the West, Israel is now a strategic liability. Israel’s leaders would readily sacrifice their interests to achieve its goals of ethnically cleansing Palestine and dominating the Middle East.

Israel’s former PM and unrepentant war criminal Naftali Bennett is now openly demanding that the United States and its allies to attack Iran. Not only would a war with Iran cause devastating death and destruction, it would also result in massive damage to the global economy and consume huge amounts of public money that could be used to better the lives of the citizens of Western nations.

Bennett and other Israeli leaders want the world to fight their war because 1) they cannot defeat Iran by means of conventional warfare and 2) they could not care less about the lives of soldiers and citizens from other countries.

The simplest and most humane way to bring peace to the Middle East is for Israel to agree to the creation of a viable and truly sovereign Palestinian state along the 1967 borders - which is what the United Nations has demanded for decades. These racist lunatics would rather plunge the West into another catastrophic war than respect the will of the international community and the human rights of the Palestinian people.

 

Egypt and Iran poised to restore diplomatic ties

After decades of estrangement, Egypt and Iran are poised to fully restore diplomatic ties and swap ambassadors in the near future, according to a high-ranking Egyptian official.

Rakha Ahmad Hassan, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, stated that an ambassadorial swap is probably going to occur soon.

He made the remarks in an interview with Russia’s Sputnik news agency on Friday.

He noted that ties between Cairo and Tehran have reached a new height with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi congratulating his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on his recent victory in Egypt's presidential elections.

This month, Hassan stated that the two heads of state spoke over the phone on a number of topics, including the reestablishment of diplomatic relations and the ongoing events in the Gaza Strip and the Red Sea.

On December 23, Raisi and El-Sisi agreed to resolve the remaining issues between the two countries.

As subsequently reported by the Iranian president’s website, Raisi congratulated el-Sisi for winning Egypt’s latest presidential elections during the phone call. 

He also called on Cairo to use all its capacities to stop the Zionist regime's attacks on Gaza, start providing aid, and fulfill the rights of the people of Palestine.

The Egyptian leader, for his part, expressed his satisfaction with the opportunity to speak to Raisi adding, "Iran and Egypt can play an effective role in establishing stability and security in the region due to their high historical and civilizational position and having diverse capacities."

In recent months, Iran and Egypt have been working to cultivate a closer relationship and heal longstanding rifts. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry convened on September 20 during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani hailed the meeting as a pivotal moment in Tehran-Cairo relations, marking a positive step within Iran’s regional diplomacy initiatives.

In addition to diplomatic engagements, Iran’s Finance Minister Ehsan Khandouzi met with his Egyptian counterpart during a visit to Cairo in September. Both officials reached an agreement to establish a committee for overseeing joint projects. 

“The current level of relations between the two countries indicates that the exchange of ambassadors is imminent. Latest remarks by Oman’s ruler, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, also suggest that efforts are being made in the region in this regard as he touched on the matter and the consequences that the rapprochement could bring about,” the senior Egyptian official noted. 

He underlined that the cycle of resolving regional issues will be completed by the restoration of diplomatic ties between Egypt and Iran, particularly in light of the recent measures to settle the Yemeni crisis and the rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran. 

Hassan emphasized that Iran’s more active involvement in the Arab world will boost commercial interaction with Arab nations while also advancing stability and prosperity in the region.

Back in August, Chairman of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs noted that Cairo does not require mediation to fully reestablish diplomatic ties with Iran.

Speaking with the Arab World Press (AWP), Mohamed el-Orabi said that Cairo and Tehran are still in communication, but it is not necessary for them to be broadcast.

“It is very simple, it should not become complicated; Tehran-Cairo relations will be fully restored eventually, but Egypt has its reservations,” el-Orabi noted. 

The announcement comes amid rumors that the two regional powerhouses are holding behind-the-scenes talks and would soon reopen their respective embassies.

El-Orabi further noted that Egypt and Iran maintain ongoing diplomatic relations that have not been broken.

But when it comes to the re-establishment of relationships, he said, determining factors that are unique in essence should be taken into account.

“Iran is an active country in the region, and rapprochement with it is linked to other issues like the status quo in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon,” the senior Egyptian official stressed. 

He emphasized that while it is challenging to set a specific timetable for the restoration of Egypt-Iran ties, progress might be made if any of the aforementioned concerns were to be resolved.

Egypt severed its diplomatic ties with Iran in 1980 following its welcoming of the deposed Pahlavi ruler and its recognition of the apartheid Israeli regime. 

Presently, discussions are underway between the two regional heavyweights regarding the potential reopening of their respective embassies in Iraq.

Nevertheless, there are reports indicating that the Israeli regime is exerting pressure on Egypt to refrain from re-establishing ties with Iran.

According to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily newspaper, Israeli delegates have purportedly undertaken covert visits to Cairo in an attempt to dissuade the government of President el-Sisi from reciprocating steps to restore diplomatic relations with Iran.

 

South Africa initiates case against Israel at ICJ

"No one knows apartheid like those who fought it before," said one Palestinian rights advocate on Friday in response to the news that South Africa has taken a historic new step to hold Israel accountable for its relentless bombardment and violent years long occupation of Gaza—calling on the International Court of Justice to declare that Israel has breached its obligations under the Genocide Convention.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in South Africa said it is gravely concerned with the plight of civilians caught in the present Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants and called on the ICJ to take action to force Israel to immediately cease its current attacks on Gaza's 2.3 million residents.

The motion was filed as the death toll in Gaza surpassed 21,500 people and tens of thousands of displaced residents fled an Israeli ground offensive, as airstrikes continued in southern Gaza.

Noting that South Africa has consistently condemned all attacks on civilians, including the assault by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, the country's representatives at the ICJ said Israel's bombardment of Gaza is genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial, and [ethnic] group.

"The acts in question include killing Palestinians in Gaza, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, and inflicting on them conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction," reads the application filed at the ICJ.

South Africa took its latest action regarding Israel less than two weeks after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the government had submitted documents to the International Criminal Court (ICC) supporting its demand, made in November with several other countries that the court should investigate Israel for war crimes.

While the ICC prosecutes individuals and governments for committing war crimes, the ICJ operates under the United Nations to rule on disputes between countries. The ICJ's orders are binding for Israel, as the country is a UN member state.

South Africa has joined international human rights experts—including the UN's top expert on human rights in occupied Palestine—in saying Israel's blockade of Gaza and violent treatment of those in the enclave and the West Bank is a form of apartheid, comparing Israeli policies to the racial segregation that was imposed for nearly five decades by the white minority that controlled South Africa.

Last month, the government voted to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel until Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government agrees to a permanent humanitarian ceasefire.

"South Africa has continuously called for an immediate and permanent cease-fire and the resumption of talks that will end the violence arising from the continued belligerent occupation of Palestine," the government said Friday.

Journalist Jeremy Scahill was among those who recognized the significance of South Africa's application at the ICJ, noting that the country fought for its own liberation against an apartheid regime supported for decades by the US, which is backing Israel's assault on Gaza despite international outcry and protests within the United States.

"The UN Genocide Convention must be upheld. Israel must be held accountable," said former UN human rights official Craig Mokhiber, who resigned from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in October in protest of the UN's failure to stop Israel's massacre of civilians. International law must be preserved.

At the ICJ, South Africa called for an expedited hearing on Israel's actions and asked the court to indicate provisional measures under the Genocide Convention to "protect against further, severe, and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people.

Article 2 of the Genocide Convention, adopted in 1948, states that genocide includes acts committed with the intent to destroy, either in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, pointed out Friday that the three leading Israeli officials have declared the intent to wipe out Gaza's population.

Bishara noted that Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in October that all civilians in Gaza are responsible for Hamas' attack on southern Israel, days after Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the military would collectively punish the enclave's population, who he called human animals.

Netanyahu also said this week that so-called voluntary migration of Gaza residents is the ultimate objective of Israel's assault.

On Friday, the spokesperson for Israel's Foreign Affairs Ministry, Lior Haiat, dismissed South Africa's motion as baseless and a despicable and contemptuous exploitation of the court.

Despite top officials' recent statements, Haiat said the government has made it clear that the residents of the Gaza Strip are not the enemy.

Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director for Human Rights Watch, called South Africa's move "a vital step to propel greater support for impartial justice."

 

 

China: Dong Jun New Defense Minister

According to media reports, China has named Dong Jun as its new defense minister, two months after his predecessor was officially sacked. Dong, a former navy commander, takes over from Li Shangfu, who was last seen in public in August.

Dong's appointment was announced by China's top legislators at a Standing Committee meeting of the National People's Congress in Beijing on Friday.

The move follows a slew of dismissals of top military officials from the country's top posts earlier this year.

As well as Li, it included the removal of Qin Gang as foreign minister in July. No reasons were given for Li or Qin's dismissals. Both had been in their posts for only seven months respectively.

Further sackings took place this week too, with nine senior military officials removed from the Standing Committee on Friday.

Three executives at state-owned missile defense firms were also removed from Beijing's top political advisory body earlier this week.

Some analysts say this could indicate that a possible wider purge has taken place, targeting senior military leaders.

Dong was made commander of the navy in August 2021. His previous roles included serving as deputy commander of the Chinese military's Southern Theatre Command. Its area of operations includes the South China Sea - a disputed area, over large parts of which China claims sovereignty.

Dong's appointment comes after military personnel from China and the United States held their first high-level talks by phone in more than a year last week.

Relations between the two nations soured in 2022 after the then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. Taiwan is self-ruled, but China sees it as a breakaway province that will eventually unite with it.

In recent months, there has been a rapprochement between China and the US, with Chinese President Xi Jinping meeting his counterpart Joe Biden in California in November and agreeing to resume military communications. The two had not spoken for more than a year.

 

Hamas smashing Israeli army, says Sinwar

Hamas fighters are inflicting heavy losses on the Israeli military and will not submit to their conditions, the group's leader in Gaza, Yahya al-Sinwar, said in a message to the group's members outside of the territory, reports Middle East Eye. 

In a letter shared by Al Jazeera Arabic, Sinwar reassured the Palestinian group's leadership abroad about the armed wing's achievement after two-and-a-half months of Israeli bombing and ground operations.

He claimed that 5,000 Israeli soldiers and officers have been killed and wounded since the ground operations began in late October. One-third of them, around 1,660, were killed, he said, while the rest have been permanently disabled or seriously wounded. 

The Israeli military says 156 soldiers have been killed in ground combat so far, and 600 more have been wounded.

Israeli media outlets have reported a significantly higher number of wounded soldiers, citing discrepancies between figures provided by the army and cases documented by hospitals.

Sinwar added that Palestinian fighters, who are using guerrilla warfare tactics, such as snipers, anti-tank missiles and explosive devices, have completely or partially damaged at least 750 Israeli armoured vehicles, including tanks.  

"Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades are fighting a fierce and unprecedented battle against the Israeli occupation forces," Al Jazeera reported Sinwar as saying. 

He added that the brigades are smashing the Israeli army and will continue to do so, and that they will not submit to the conditions of the occupation. 

The Qassam Brigades are the largest Palestinian faction fighting the Israelis in Gaza. Others include Saraya al-Quds (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) and the smaller Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, which is aligned with the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Israel has reportedly proposed another temporary pause in fighting during which a group of Israelis could be released from Gaza in exchange for the release of some Palestinian prisoners. 

Hamas has publicly rejected the offer, saying no prisoner exchanges will take place before an agreement is reached to end the war permanently and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. 

While the unprecedented scale of Israeli bombing has killed more than 20,000 people and pushed Gaza to the brink of a humanitarian disaster, Hamas fighters still appear able to inflict heavy losses on the Israeli military. 

A total of 14 soldiers were killed over the weekend across the Gaza Strip, including in areas the army claims to have control over.

Since October 07, the Israeli army has released the names of 489 soldiers who have been killed in combat or died during the course of operations. That number includes former captives who likely died in Israeli bombardment.

Hamas and other Palestinian factions regularly publish videos of their attacks on Israeli positions, including images of Israeli weapons and ammunition seized during the fighting.

The Israeli military claims to have killed thousands of Hamas fighters and destroyed many tunnel shafts. However, no serious damage to the group's fighting capabilities has been acknowledged by the group so far. 

 

 

Gold discovered in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday the discovery of large potential gold resources along a 100km stretch south of its existing Mansourah Massarah gold mine in Al Khurmah governorate in the Makkah region, reports Saudi Gazette.

Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) said that it had discovered multiple gold deposits, indicating the potential to expand gold mining in the area. The mining giant said in a statement that this is the first discovery under the company’s extensive exploration program launched in 2022 and it aims to build a metal production line.

Encouraging drill results from multiple sites on Uruq South, along a 100km stretch south of Mansourah Massarah, have uncovered similar geological characteristics and chemistry to the Mansourah Massarah deposit.

Samples taken indicated the presence of high grade gold deposits of 10.4 grams per ton (g/t) gold and 20.6 g/t gold in two random drilling sites 400 meters from and under Mansourah Massarah, meaning a high density of gold was found in the ore tested from those locations. In light of these results, Maaden planned an aggressive escalation of planned drilling activities in 2024 around Mansourah Massarah.

Maaden has continued to expand its exploration footprint in the Jabal al-Ghadara and Bir al-Tawila prospects, 25 km north of Mansourah Massarah, where the company is transferring inferred resources amounting to 1.5 million ounces for measurement.

In combination, these positive drilling results have identified a potential 125 km strike with significant potential to become a major world-class gold belt in Saudi Arabia.

The near-mine drilling results around Mansourah Massarah indicate that the resource is open both at depth and along the strike, offering significant potential to expand resources at the mine and, potentially, extend the mine life with underground development. Mansourah Massarah had stated gold resources of almost seven million ounces at year-end 2023 and a nameplate production capacity of 250,000 ounces a year.

Robert Wilt, CEO of Maaden, said that these discoveries have the potential to be the center of the world’s next gold rush and are a strong part of our growth strategy.

“These discoveries are a significant demonstration of the untapped potential of mineral resources in Saudi Arabia, supporting the diversification of the country in line with Vision 2030 and establishing mining as the third pillar of the Saudi economy,” he pointed out.

Maaden is 67 percent owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, and the largest miner in the Gulf. In January 2023, it announced Manara Minerals, a joint venture with PIF, to invest in mining assets abroad.

It is noteworthy that Mansourah Massarah is the newest, the largest, and the most technologically advanced gold mine in Saudi Arabia. It produced 11,982.84 ounce of gold in 2022.

The mine consists of the Mansourah Massarah resources, which are being developed as conventional open-pit mines. The plant employs Carbon-In-Leach and Pressure Oxidation Processes and autoclave technologies for ore gold production. This mine is equipped with cutting-edge mining, processing, and environmental sustainability technologies.

US allies reluctant to join Red Sea task force

The response to the mantra of US President Joe Biden regarding formation of response force to Yemen's Houthi attacks on ships passing through Red Sea is disappointing. It seems many allies don't want to be associated with it, publicly, or at all.

Two of America's European allies who were listed as contributors to Operation Prosperity Guardian - Italy and Spain - issued statements appearing to distance themselves from the maritime force.

The Pentagon says the force is a defensive coalition of more than 20 nations to ensure billions of dollars' worth of commerce can flow freely through a vital shipping chokepoint in Red Sea waters off Yemen.

Nearly half of those countries have so far not come forward to acknowledge their contributions or allowed the US to do so. Those contributions can range from dispatching warships to merely sending a staff officer.

The reluctance of some US allies to link themselves to the effort partly reflects the fissures created by the conflict in Gaza, which has seen Biden maintain firm support for Israel even as international criticism rises over its offensive, which Gaza's health ministry says has killed more than 21,000 Palestinians.

"European governments are very worried that part of their potential electorate will turn against them," said David Hernandez, a professor of international relations at the Complutense University of Madrid, noting that the European public is increasingly critical of Israel and wary of being drawn into a conflict.

Reportedly, Houthis have been alleged for attacking or seizing a dozen ships with missiles and drones since November 19.

The navies of the United States, Britain and France have each shot down Houthi-launched drones or missiles.

The US believes escalating Houthi attacks call for an international response separate from the conflict raging in Gaza.

However, this kind of propaganda is being highlighted in US sponsored/ supported media. It may be recalled that Hothis has announced to target Israeli ships of vessels carrying to and from Israel.

Denmark's giant container firm Maersk said on Saturday it would resume shipping operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. But Germany's Hapag Lloyd said on Wednesday it still believes the Red Sea is too dangerous and will continue to send ships around the Cape of Good Hope.

While the US says 20 countries have signed up for its maritime task force, it has announced the names of only 12.

Although Britain, Greece and others have publicly embraced the US operation, several mentioned in the US announcement were quick to say they are not directly involved.

Italy's defense ministry said that it would send a ship to the Red Sea following requests from Italian ship owners and not as part of the US operation.

France said it supports efforts to secure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea but that its ships would remain under French command.

Spain has said it will not join Operation Prosperity Guardian and opposes using an existing EU anti-piracy mission, Atalanta, to protect Red Sea shipping.

But on Wednesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was willing to consider the creation of a different mission to tackle the problem.

Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates earlier proclaimed no interest in the venture.

There is also the risk that participating countries become subject to Houthi retaliation. The person familiar with the US administration's thinking says that it is this risk - rather disagreements over Gaza - driving some countries to steer clear of the effort.

That appears to be the case for India, which is unlikely to join the US operation, according to a senior Indian military official. An Indian government official said the government worries that aligning itself with the US could make it more of a target.

In reality, many European and Gulf countries already participate in one of several US-led military groups in the Middle East, including the 39-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

The EU's Atalanta operation already cooperates in a reciprocal relationship with CMF, according to a spokesperson for the group.

That means that some countries not formally joining the Red Sea maritime task force could still coordinate patrols with the US Navy.

Maersk schedules vessels through Suez Canal

According to Reuters, Denmark's Maersk has scheduled several dozen container vessels to travel via the Suez Canal and the Red Sea in the coming days and weeks, it said on Wednesday, in a further sign that global shipping firms are returning to the route.

The world's top shipping companies, including container giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, announced to stop using Red Sea routes after Yemen's Houthi militant group began targeting vessels earlier this month.

Maersk's share price fell 5% by 1330 GMT on Wednesday, partly reversing last week's gains, as a return to the shorter routes through the Suez Canal from voyages around Africa might prompt a freight rates correction.

Other shipping stocks also fell, including Hapag-Lloyd which dropped 6%, oil tanker group Frontline which was down 5.3% and car shipping service Hoegh Autoliners which was 3% lower.

Maersk said on December 24 it was preparing a return to the Red Sea for both eastbound and westbound journeys, citing the deployment of a US-led military operation to protect vessels against Houthi attacks, but provided few details.

The schedule remains subject to change based on specific contingency plans that may be formed over the coming days, the company said on Wednesday.

France's CMA CGM on Tuesday said it was increasing the number of vessels travelling through the Suez Canal.

Among the vessels listed in a Maersk advisory to clients on Wednesday was the Maren Maersk, which departed Tangiers on December 24, 2023 and would continue via Suez Canal with an estimated time of arrival in Singapore on January 14, 2024.

But many of its vessels are still scheduled to take the journey around Africa, the advisory showed.

Maersk has since December 19 rerouted ships around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope to avoid attacks, charging customers extra fees and adding weeks to the time it takes to transport goods from Asia to Europe and to the east coast of North America.

It announced on December 22 that it would add charges of US$700 for a standard 20-foot container travelling from China to Northern Europe, consisting of a US$200 transit disruption surcharge and a US$500 peak season surcharge.

The transit disruption charge was imposed last week with immediate effect while the peak season addition is valid from January 01, 2024. It was not immediately clear how the decision to restart some Red Sea shipments would affect the surcharges.

The company declined to comment further when asked about its vessel schedules.

"At the moment, we cannot say anything more than what has been shared," a Maersk spokesperson said in a statement.

German rival Hapag-Lloyd still considers the situation too dangerous to pass through the Suez Canal, a spokesperson for the company said on Wednesday, adding that it would continue to reroute its vessels via the Cape of Good Hope.

 

 

Moving Palestinians from Gaza to Sinai

According to a write up published in The Jerusalem Post, moving Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula has been termed the ideal solution to resolve Gaza crisis.

The writer believes, the Sinai Peninsula comprises one of the most suitable places on Earth to provide the people of Gaza with hope and a peaceful future.

The 365 km² Gaza Strip has remained a flash point in Israel-Egypt relations since its conquest by the Egyptian Army in 1948 as part of Egypt’s failed attempt to annihilate the newly-born State of Israel.

Egypt invaded Israel along two main axes, reaching the outskirts of Jerusalem and only 20 km. short of Tel Aviv, but the Israel Defense Forces pushed off this offensive. These battles generated a wave of refugees that found haven in the Gaza Strip, which remained under Egyptian military control until 1967.

Since 1948, and up until the current partial release of some of the Israeli babies, children, and women taken hostage by Hamas terrorists, the Egyptians have been significantly involved in the politics and economy of the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptians locked the residents of Gaza and the refugees of the 1948 War in the Gaza Strip, and, with the backing of the United Nations, still deny them the right to rebuild their lives in all Arab countries, including in the adjacent Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. This harsh policy was one of the major and long-term catalysts for the intensifying human stagnation of now circa 1.8 million inhabitants within the Strip.

According to the writer, beyond the abduction, mutilation, burning, rape, and murder of 1,200 Israelis and other nationals, the Hamas terrorist invasion of Israel on October 07 destroyed many Israeli agricultural villages. This barbarian murder-fest led the IDF to conquer the northern Gaza Strip and the Hamas-infested Gaza metropolis as part of Israel’s goal to destroy Hamas terror capabilities. As civilians were ordered to move south, the southern Gaza Strip became a haven for most of Gaza’s residents.

The battles in the northern Strip generated significant damage and destruction of buildings utilized by Hamas. Damage to the immense terror-tunnel system further destabilized the metropolis’s substrate. Major portions of the metropolis are considerably incapacitated and cannot be simply fixed. Rather, the damaged and destroyed structures must be completely torn down. The tunneled – and consequently exploded and bulldozed – soil must undergo extensive environmental and engineering rehabilitation.

In other words, the metropolis has to be fully evacuated, redesigned, monitored, and only then rebuilt to provide habitable and economic conducive conditions. Such an effort requires unique expertise and immense funding and will take considerable time that cannot be calculated.

Therefore, the war is anticipated to end with a unique humanitarian challenge of how to construct a better future for the people of Gaza.

Since Israel’s unconditional turnover of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority in 2005, Gazans have completely failed to generate a productive Palestinian-administered entity, despite generous economic support, mainly from America, Europe, Qatar, and the UN.

This may be associated with the coupled effect of an intrinsic hatred-focused, fanatic, anti-Israel Islamic culture, and links with Iran, along with limited geographical conditions, poor natural and human resources, and a high population density.

This situation raises serious doubts that any type of future self-sustainable efforts will yield a stable and free socioeconomic culture and promising future in the Strip. A creative solution is needed ASAP.

The adjoining Sinai Peninsula, in essence, is the exact opposite of the Gaza Strip, comprising one of the most suitable places on Earth to provide the people of Gaza with hope and a peaceful future.

Covering 60,000 km² (165 times larger than the Strip), its population is barely around one-third of Gaza’s, making it one of the emptiest places in the Mediterranean region.

Although under Egyptian governance, it is an integral geographic-geological continuation of Israel and the Gaza Strip, with which it shares a 200 km. and 14 km. long border, respectively.

Therefore, the geographic setting of the Mediterranean coast of northern Sinai is also a physical continuation of the Gaza Strip with ample, shallow groundwater in the northeast.

Due to the intensive smuggling of arms to Hamas via Sinai in the last few years, Egypt fully destroyed the residential infrastructure bordering the Gaza Strip, and expelled the local population.

In northwestern Sinai, Egypt has invested immensely in building for agriculture, including freshwater canals.

Furthermore, Egypt has surprisingly wired Sinai with excellent infrastructure, overshooting its civilian and industrial needs. These include an array of paved roads and highways connected by tunnels beneath the Suez Canal to mainland Egypt.

The facts demonstrate that the northern Sinai Peninsula is an ideal location to develop a spacious resettlement for the people of Gaza. Its open areas, along with the existing infrastructure, can easily host large-scale development projects that, if led by the Chinese and supported by local labor, for example, can easily mature in just one to two years.

Firm American and international guidance lined with financial and operative support can surely pave the way to this creative and prosperous solution and jointly help Egypt’s dire demographic and economic situation that is challenging its political authority.

Israel will also be cooperative in sharing its hi-tech-oriented agricultural capabilities with Egypt as it did following the Peace Treaty in the early 1980s.

If Egypt bravely chooses to change its rigid, old-fashioned policy of keeping Palestinian Gazans in constant distress and consents to such an endeavor, its geopolitical gains will be threefold: It will be hailed by the international community as the savior of the dire plight of Gazans; it will strengthen its status as a leader of the Arab world; and it will finally fulfill its 30+-year-old plan to settle the Sinai and strengthen its control of this zone.

However, history has taught us that Gazans, despite their complaints about their humanitarian situation, may object towards genuine rehabilitation programs. This stubbornness substantially relies on their desire to destroy Israel, which repeatedly comes at their own expense.

The ongoing obliteration of Hamas, which terrorizes Palestinian Authority officials and many Gaza residents, may pave the way to the emergence of the proposed Sinai solution, if presented in a wise and discrete manner that conforms to the Middle East mentality.

 

 

Raisi visit to Turkey to focus on Gaza

According to Reuters, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will visit Ankara on January 04, 2024 to meet his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan for talks likely to focus on the situation in Gaza and Syria as well as bilateral ties.

A visit by Raisi in late November was postponed due to the conflicting schedules of the two regional powers. At the time, Turkey's foreign minister was in New York as part of a contact group of Muslim countries on Gaza.

Turkey, which supports a two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has harshly criticized Israel for its attacks on Gaza, called for an immediate ceasefire, and said Israeli leaders should be tried in international courts for war crimes.

While it has ramped up its rhetoric against Israel since it launched its air and ground assault on Gaza in retaliation for Palestinian militant group Hamas' October 07 attack, Turkey has also maintained commercial ties with Israel, prompting criticism from some opposition parties and Iran.

Unlike its Western allies and some Arab nations, NATO member Turkey does not consider Hamas a terrorist group.

Its neighbor, Iran stands at the head of what it calls the Axis of Resistance, a loose coalition that includes Hamas as well as armed Shi'ite Muslim groups around the region that have militarily confronted Israel and its Western allies. It has voiced support for Hamas and warned of wider consequences if the fighting in Gaza continues.

Turkey and Iran have usually had complicated ties, standing at loggerheads on a host of issues, primarily the Syrian civil war. Ankara politically and militarily backs rebels looking to oust President Bashar al-Assad, while Tehran supports his government.

While several rounds of talks have been held between Syrian, Turkish, Iranian and Russian representatives to find a political solution to the war, Ankara has also moved to improve ties with Assad as part of a regional diplomatic push launched in 2020.

 

 

Shrinking number of OPEC members

Lately, Angola has relinquished its OPEC membership. Earlier Qatar, Indonesia had left the organization. These departures are not likely to have any considerable impact on total world market supply.

Generally, it seems OPEC is facing three challenges these days. The first one is the withdrawal of members. Over the past years, OPEC’s efforts to persuade other oil-producing countries to join it have been unsuccessful.

During the current year, OPEC repeatedly invited Guyana to become a member but the South American country rejected the invitation, apparently based on the assumption that it wants to maximize oil production and profits during an era in which oil demand could be in decline over the coming years.

Not only OPEC has not been able to attract new members it also faces new potential quits. After Qatar decided to exit the organization, at least for the past couple of years, UAE has been the largest threat to the unity of the organization.

The disarray between UAE and OPEC led by Saudi Arabia reached its climax two years ago when the country insisted on a higher baseline to its quota to allow for more domestic production.

If the UAE decides to exit the organization it could weaken the influence of the organization as far as it concerns setting oil prices because the Emirates is OPEC’s third-largest oil producer.

The second challenge of OPEC is that since more than a decade ago, three of its main members have played no role in making decisions in the ministerial meetings of the organization.

These three countries' position in OPEC, as the hawks of the organization, has declined considerably mainly due to the US sanctions.

Two of these countries are non-Arab founding members of the organization: Iran and Venezuela. And the third one is Libya as the most serious advocate of higher prices strategy among the African members of OPEC.

Libya's policies at OPEC were close to Iran and Venezuela which more and less were close to each other at OPEC against Saudi Arabia which mainly defended its market share.

When the three countries' influence eroded at OPEC either through the US sanctions or via the toppling of Qadhafi during the Arab Spring unrest, Riyadh probably felt that these developments have paved the way for its unchallenged dominance in OPEC’s decision-making meetings.

Their absence as members who are being excluded from the quota and limiting oil production mechanism may have weakened Saudi Arabia's stance in setting desired oil prices which has to cut oil production voluntarily in the hope of boosting oil prices.    

The read challenge OPEC faces is not from within but from outside. This challenge culminated at the COP28 in UAE when a great number of participating countries asked for fossil fuel phase-out.

Oil once lubricated the wheels of industrialized countries' economies and was the world's economic growth engine. Now it is considered, mostly by industrialized countries, as something redundant that humans should get rid of as soon as possible to save the planet against global warming, and OPEC’s reasoning that humans should get rid of emissions, not fossil fuels, apparently remains unheard.

 Even though the term phase out was eliminated from the final COP28 communiqué, 198 countries reached an agreement that emphasizes transitioning away from fossil fuels, and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “To those who opposed a clear reference to phase out of fossil fuels during the COP28: Whether you like it or not, fossil fuel phase-out is inevitable.”

Now OPEC through cooperation with ten non-OPEC oil producers called OPEC Plus tries to maintain its influence in the oil market but without that, it faces internal and external challenges that threaten the power once it enjoyed in the world oil market. 

 

Israeli strike in Syria kills Iranian commander

A senior Iranian commander was killed in a suspected Israeli strike in Syria, says Iranian media.

Seyyed Razi Mousavi was an experienced military adviser to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said.

It says he was killed in an air strike on the Sayyida Zeinab area south-east of Damascus.

Israel has carried out military strikes in Syria for years, against what it says are Iran-linked targets.

The strikes have increased in frequency over the past months following Hamas' attack on October 07.

Iranian forces have been present in Syria since the early stages of the Syrian civil war, where they helped support the regime of President Bashar al-Assad against widespread rebellion to his rule.

Mousavi is said to have been an aide to IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by the United States in 2020.

He was one of most senior IRGC operatives in Syria, according to Tasnim, and helped co-ordinate the relationship between Tehran and Damascus.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that Israel would pay for this crime.

There has been no immediate comment from Israel's military, which rarely discusses cross-border strikes.

Earlier this month, Iran accused Israel of killing two members of the Revolutionary Guards in Syria.

 

Get ready for closure of Mediterranean Sea and Gibraltar

The deputy coordinator of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said on Saturday that the United States and its allies might have to halt their activities in several more waterways due to their persisting crimes in the besieged Gaza Strip. 

“Yesterday, the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz were a nightmare for them, today the Bab-el-Mandeb and the Red Sea have grounded them, and with the continuation of these crimes, they should soon expect the closure of the Mediterranean Sea and Gibraltar,” said General Mohammadreza Naghdi.

The US has formed what it calls an international alliance to counter Yemen’s attacks in the Red Sea, which have been targeting Israeli-bound ships in recent weeks in response to the regime’s killing campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Attacks by the popular Ansarullah movement have been recorded against Israeli-linked vessels. This has caused Israel’s Eilat Port to see an 85% drop in activity. 

The high-ranking IRGC official warned that more resistance groups are to be formed in the future if the US and the Israeli regime do not put an end to their massacre of innocent people. 

"Today we all witness the unprecedented awakening of nations. The people in the entire world have been on the streets for nearly 80 days and are shouting for justice. Throughout these days, people file lawsuits and shout against the oppressors," he added.

The latest round of Israeli attacks on Gaza, which began after a successful operation by Palestinian resistance group Hamas on the occupied territories, has killed more than 20,000 civilians in the past 80 days. More than 70% of the dead are comprised of women and children.

Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubbles in the territory as those managing to flee from Israeli bombardments grapple with a lack of food, water, and medicine due to a full siege by the Israeli regime. 

Bangladesh: Garment Workers’ Strike Call

According to Bangladesh Chronicle, Sammilita Sramik (SSP) Parishad, an alliance of 10 labour rights organizations, on Saturday announced that the workers of the country’s garment sector would begin an indefinite strike from January 01, 2024 if their demands were not met by December 31, 2023.

The alliance made the announcement at a discussion at Dhaka Reporters Unity in the capital.

The SSP also said that the factories would remain closed until their demands were met and that they would conduct a mass contact program in all sectors on Sunday.

AAM Fayez Hossain, chief coordinator of the SSP, announced the program from the discussion.

The discussion was organized to demand the trial of killings of those killed during the wage hike movement, the treatment of the injured workers, the release of the arrested workers, the reinstatement of the dismissed workers and the review of wages announced in the garment sector by setting the minimum wage as Tk 25,000.

Fayez Hossain said that they held a rally on December 01 and raised the demands there.

‘Even after a month, the government is yet to respond in this regard,’ he said.

He urged all political parties, students, farmers and labour organizations to take the initiative to make the strike successful by turning it into an all-out strike.

Addressing the program, BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said that there were political reasons behind underpaying workers.

‘We are conducting a democratic movement in the country. We have come to a stage of the movement. Therefore, we are talking about boycotting the January 07, 2024 election. We urge people not to go to polling centres,’ he added.

Revolutionary Workers Party general secretary Saiful Huq urged the workers and other professionals to join the street movement to realize their demands as well as ousting the Awami League government.

Nagarik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna urged the workers to hold their movement in a manner that would lead the fall of the government.

Ganosamhati Andolan chief coordinator Zonayed Saki said that workers would not get justice for the killing of their fellows if they were not united.

He said that no case was even filed in connection with the recent killing of four garment workers.

Among others, Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar) chairman Mustafa Jamal Haider, former student leader and freedom fighter Fazlur Rahman, Islami Andolan Bangladesh presidium member Ashraf Ali Akand, Gono Odhikar Parishad president Nurul Haque Nur, State Reform Movement coordinator Hasnat Qayyum, Bhashani Onusari Parishad convener Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu and Bangladesh Garment Workers Solidarity Association chief Taslima Akhtar Lima spoke at the discussion.

Representatives of the Bangladesh Workers’ Federation, Bangladesh Workers’ Rights Parishad, Nationalist Workers’ Party, National Socialist Workers’ Alliance, Islamic Workers’ Movement Bangladesh, Bangladesh Multipurpose Hawker Association, National Workers’ Party (Zafar), Bangladesh National Workers’ Alliance, Garments Workers’ Movement, State Reform Workers’ Movement, Nationalist Workers Party, Nirman Sramik Sangam Parishad, Bangladesh Sramik Kalyan Majlis, Nagarik Sramik Oikya, Revolutionary Workers Solidarity, Government Employees Coordination Council, Bangladesh Revolutionary Garments Sramik Solidarity, Bhasani Sramik Parishad and Combined Garments Workers Alliance were also present.

 

Importance of Bab el-Mandeb

"Peace with the (Zionist) Jews is in Confrontation, Not in Shaking Hands with Them". This was the title of an article featured on Yemen’s Almaseera website on October 06, just a day before Hamas launched an attack on the southern occupied territories. 

This title serves as a window into Yemen's stance, the ongoing actions of the Ansarullah Movement, and their reaction to Israel’s bloodshed in the Gaza Strip.

On October 31, merely three days following Israel's ground offensive in northern Gaza, Yemen directed a barrage of missiles and drones at the southernmost point of the Israeli-occupied territories, specifically targeting Eilat port.

Following this incident, Yemen made a bold announcement, vowing not to permit Israeli and Israeli-bound vessels safe passage through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea.

On November 19, Yemenis reported the seizure of the commercial ship Galaxy Leader, diverting its course towards Yemeni shores, marking the beginning of multiple Yemeni attacks on commercial ships en route to Israeli ports.

The international maritime community has been quick to react, with numerous shipping and cargo companies announcing the suspension of transit through the Red Sea due to what they refer to as Ansarullah’s threats.

Looking at the world map, the significance of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in international maritime transport becomes apparent.

Located between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, Bab el-Mandeb stands as one of the most strategic maritime chokepoints worldwide.

After the Strait of Hormuz and Malacca, it is the largest and most pivotal route for oil transportation, with over 6 million barrels of oil, about 4% of the world's total oil flow, passing through daily, mainly bound for Europe. Beyond oil, 30% of the world's natural gas trade traverses this passage.

Passing through this maritime route significantly shortens the shipping routes for vessels circumventing the African continent to reach the Indian Ocean and countries in East and Southeast Asia.

It is a highly desirable and cost-effective route for international shipping and maritime transport companies.

Experts argue that the passage through Bab el-Mandeb reduces transportation costs by at least 15%. Given these considerations, any threat in this strait poses a severe challenge to shipping companies and, consequently, governments.

Increased insurance costs for these shipping companies, coupled with rising oil prices in destination countries and the impact on other commodities in the long term, are undesirable outcomes for any nation.

 

Israel-affiliated merchant vessel hit off India

Reuters has reported that an Israel-affiliated merchant vessel was struck by an uncrewed aerial vehicle off India's west coast, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Saturday, in the first such known attack so far away from the Red Sea since the Gaza war.

A fire on the Liberian-flagged tanker was extinguished without crew casualties in the incident 200 km (120 miles) southwest of the Indian city of Veraval, it said, adding some structural damage was also reported and some water was taken onboard.

"Merchant vessels are advised these types of attacks are typically targeted at Israel-affiliated shipping, but have in the past mistakenly hit previously Israel-affiliated vessels," Ambrey said. This event fell within Ambrey's Iranian UAV heightened threat area.

An Indian Navy official told Reuters that it responded to a request for assistance on Saturday morning.

"The safety of crew and ship has been ascertained. The Navy has also dispatched a warship to arrive in the area and provide assistance as required," the official said, declining to be named as he was not authorized to discuss the incident.

Indian news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake, identified the tanker as MV Chem Pluto carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia. Citing Indian defence sources, ANI said the tanker had around 20 Indians on board.

A Reuters tracker showed the ship was headed towards the Port of Mangalore in India's south.

The hit on the vessel follows drone and missile attacks in the Red Sea by Houthis, who say they are supporting Palestinians under siege by Israel in the Gaza Strip, on commercial shipping, forcing shippers to change course and take longer routes around the southern tip of Africa.

United States patronizing genocide by Israel

"Given the staggering death toll—with more than 20,000 killed in over two months—and the horrifying scale of destruction and devastation in Gaza, this is simply unacceptable," said the head of Amnesty International.

The United States on Friday abstained from voting on a UN Security Council resolution that it repeatedly stonewalled and lobbied to weaken in the face of intense international opposition as Israeli forces continue to kill hundreds of Palestinians daily.

The newly passed resolution—which was introduced by the United Arab Emirates—calls for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days to enable full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access.

Thirteen Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution. Russia joined the United States in abstaining.

 The resolution language is weaker than that of an earlier draft calling for an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities. Also removed from the final version was language condemning Israel's indiscriminate attacks on Palestinian civilians, tens of thousands of whom have been killed, wounded, or left missing during 77 days of Israeli onslaught.

The vote came just after Russia proposed an amendment that would have restored language calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities to the resolution. The US vetoed the amendment.

"It is disgraceful that the US was able to stall and use the threat of its veto power to force the UN Security Council to weaken a much-needed call for an immediate end to attacks by all parties," Amnesty International secretary-general Agnès Callamard said in a statement.

"This is a much-needed resolution—all efforts to address the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza must be welcomed—but it remains woefully insufficient in the face of the ongoing carnage and extensive destruction wrought by the government of Israel's attacks in the occupied Gaza Strip," Callamard continued. "Nothing short of an immediate cease-fire is enough to alleviate the mass civilian suffering we are witnessing."

"Given the staggering death toll—with more than 20,000 killed in over two months—and the horrifying scale of destruction and devastation in Gaza, this is simply unacceptable," she added.

In a statement giving a qualified welcome to the resolution, Mary Robinson—a former UN high commissioner for human rights and Irish president who currently chairs The Elders—said, "Agreement on this weak and overdue UN Security Council resolution is better than another US veto. But the test of the resolution's success will be how many lives are saved."

"The people of Gaza are facing starvation, they need food, not words," she added. "Neither Hamas nor Israel have complied with the previous resolution agreed last month. If the Security Council is to be credible, its members must push harder for implementation of its decisions."

Lamenting that the resolution "became increasingly meaningless" as US President Joe Biden "managed to delete the call for suspension of hostilities," Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said on social media Friday, "Biden's changes will help ensure that Israel's slaughter in Gaza continues while minimizing the UN's insight into what increasingly appears to be a genocide."

 Courtesy: Common Dreams

India abandoning pro-Israel stance

India is a country deeply wounded by colonialism. Apart from millions of people losing their lives during Britain’s centuries-long rule over India, the repercussions of the dark days continue to reverberate in the country's societal fabric to this day.

Challenges such as unemployment, famine, inadequate access to sanitation, education, and healthcare, as well as pervasive violence across caste, religious, and gender lines serve as poignant reminders that the impacts of the British colonial era are still alive and kicking in the Indian society.

This is why individuals within India and around the globe were astonished when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emerged as one of the only world leaders to join Western officials and condemn the October 07 Hamas operation against Israel, an entity that undeniably evokes parallels to the British Raj.

“Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel, our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour," Modi wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, a few hours after Operation Al-Aqsa Storm took place.

India has long been recognized by many Muslims as a fervent advocate for the Palestinian cause, evident in its rich diplomatic history replete with pro-Palestine actions.

From its vote against the partition of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in 1947 to its distinction as the first non-Arab state to support the Palestinians' liberation struggles during the 1960s and 1970s, the nation has consistently voiced solidarity with those enduring experiences akin to India's own during the 19th and 20th centuries.

While it is undeniable that India's solidarity with Palestinians has waned during the nine-year tenure of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Modi's complete solidarity with Israel on October 07, and his decision to abstain from voting for a UN resolution calling for a humanitarian truce in Gaza on October 27, were still seen as unorthodox.

“After the Cold War India has generally tried to turn to the West’s orbit. That’s why after New Delhi refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Modi thought that it would only be right that he stood alongside Western politicians regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict,” Dr. Nozar Shafiei, professor of international relations at the University of Tehran, told the Tehran Times.

Several theories attempt to explain why Modi’s government adopted a notably stronger pro-Israel stance than customary during the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Critics posit that the governing BJP party, accused of leveraging the backing of the Hindu majority, perceives parallels between itself and the Israeli regime. Both entities find themselves surrounded by Muslims viewed as posing a threat, and both espouse a form of nationalism rooted in religion. Additionally, it is argued that the BJP aims to capitalize on religious polarization to secure votes, making an anti-Muslim stance far more strategically advantageous.

With certain Arab states beginning to embrace normalization with Israel, Modi may have believed that by October 07, the Palestinian cause had lost significance within the Arab world. Consequently, he may have concluded that adopting a pro-Israel position would help please the West while not negatively impacting India’s relations with Arab countries.

It seems, however, that the Indian leader soon came to realize that he was kind of wrong in his calculations.

India’s response to the war in Gaza came in two stages. The first one was released a few hours after the October 07 operation by Hamas which was seen by the majority in India as hasty. People even accused him of reflecting the views of Hindu extremists.

India has a culture of peace and while it is true that some are extremely Islamophobic, the majority of people in the Indian society feel sympathetic towards the Palestinians. With growing opposition inside India and public opinion turning against Israel, the Indian government began to rectify its controversial position.

As lifeless bodies accumulated in Gaza and global demonstrations in support of the Palestinians intensified, the Indian government began to call upon Israel for restraint, dialogue, and diplomatic measures, while vehemently condemning the regime’s relentless targeting of civilians.

Once more, the two-state solution took center stage in Indian statements as the country endeavored to maintain a balanced stance, steering clear of further entrenchment within Israel’s sphere of influence.

India recalibrated its diplomatic posture as its officials recognized the broader regional and global significance of the Palestinian cause, an awareness shared by numerous nations in the region.

The events following October 07 underscored that not only do the Palestinians remain resolute against the Israeli occupation, but that normalization agreements have failed to diminish wide-ranging support for the resistance. India which aspires to emerge as a potential superpower in the future cannot possibly overlook the Palestinian issue if it aims to play a pivotal role in West Asia.

“Although it was unlikely that ties between India and Muslim-majority nations begin to fray due to New Delhi’s initial support for Israel, India's largely positive standing in West Asia may have been compromised by a continued pro-Israel posture. Such a trajectory could have posed severe challenges for India in its contest with China, which has garnered acclaim for its fair and wiser stance during the recent Israel-Gaza conflict.

Though India continues to tread cautiously to evade drawing the ire of its Western allies, the notably pro-Israeli stance that sparked controversy at the onset of the conflict has conspicuously receded.

While no one anticipates India to find a definitive solution to the Palestinian issue, it is also expected that the country refrain from expressing sympathy towards colonizers empowered with the aid of Britain.

Courtesy: The Tehran Times

UN Security Council approves humanitarian aid for Gaza

The United Nations Security Council on Friday approved a toned-down bid to boost humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and called for urgent steps to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities after a week of vote delays and intense negotiations to avoid a veto by the United States.

Amid global outrage over a rising Gaza death toll in 11 weeks of war between Israel and Hamas and a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, the US abstained to allow the 15-member council to adopt a resolution drafted by the United Arab Emirates.

The remaining council members voted for the resolution except for Russia which also abstained.

The resolution no longer dilutes Israel's control over all aid deliveries to 2.3 million people in Gaza. Israel monitors the limited aid deliveries to Gaza via the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing.

Weakening of language on a cessation of hostilities frustrated several council members - including veto power Russia - and Arab and Organization of Islamic Cooperation states, some of which, diplomats said, view it as approval for Israel to further act against Hamas.

The adopted resolution calls for urgent steps to immediately allow safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access and to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities. The initial draft had called for an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities to allow aid access.

"By signing off on this, the council would essentially be giving the Israeli armed forces complete freedom of movement for further clearing of the Gaza Strip," Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council before the vote.

Russia proposed the draft be amended to revert to the initial text calling for an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities. The amendment was vetoed by the United States. It received 10 votes in favor, while four members abstained.

Earlier this month the 193-member UN General Assembly demanded a humanitarian ceasefire, with 153 states voting in favor of the move that had been vetoed by the United States in the Security Council days earlier.

The US and Israel oppose a ceasefire, believing it would only benefit Hamas. Washington instead supports pauses in fighting to protect civilians and free hostages taken by Hamas.

Last month the United States abstained to allow the Security Council to call for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses in fighting for a sufficient number of days to allow aid access. The move came after four unsuccessful attempts to take action.

Washington traditionally shields its ally Israel from UN action and has already twice vetoed Security Council action.

Israel has retaliated against Hamas by bombarding Gaza from the air, imposing a siege and launching a ground offensive. Some 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to health officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

Most people in Gaza have been driven from their homes and UN officials have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe.

The World Food Program says half of Gaza's population is starving and only 10% of the food required has entered Gaza since October 07.

A key sticking point during negotiations on the resolution adopted on Friday had been an initial proposal for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a mechanism in Gaza to monitor aid from countries not party to the war.

A toned-down compromise was reached to instead ask Guterres to appoint a senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator to establish a UN mechanism for accelerating aid to Gaza through states that are not party to the conflict.

The coordinator would also have responsibility for facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying in Gaza, as appropriate, the humanitarian nature of all the aid.