An uneasy calm prevailing in Pakistan’s neighborhood

Having lived in turmoil area for decades, I feel a bit uncomfortable when a clam prevails in Pakistan’s neighborhood, because it is usually followed by some uncalled-for incident. 

Most of us know that focus of the United States has shifted away from South Asia and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to South China Seas. India is still struggling to control widespread pandemic. Iran is getting ready for Presidential elections scheduled for 11^th June 2021. On top of all a ceasefire has been established between Israel and Hamas.

Afghanistan

As per plan, most of the US soldiers will leave Afghanistan over the next few weeks, which will require ensuring greater air-surveillance and setting up quick response teams to tackle any emergency, mainly because uninterrupted supply lines have to be maintained for thousands of the US contractors that will continue to work in Afghanistan after the departure of troops.

One of the fears is that Afghanistan will once again plunge deep into civil war. This time the situation will be more alarming because of presence of groups supported by United States, Russia, China, India and Iran. In the past Pakistan had faced influx of Afghan refugees, but this time the threat is greater, because of presence of hundred and thousands of militants, who may slip into Pakistan in search of safe heaven.      

India

At present India faces multiple issues, besides COVID. These include boarder issues with China, growing resentment in Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Lately, Maldives has also been offended because of Indian infiltration in its affairs and India not supporting Palestinian cause. India also faces expulsion from Iranian Chabahar port after Iran and China signed various economic cooperation agreements with Iran.    

Iran

A rather complex situation has emerged after the announcement of Presidential elections in Iran. Not only number of candidates is large, but internal rifts are being created to show cracks in the system. The biggest setback is slow down of JPCOA negotiations. It is also becoming evident that there is no likelihood of easing of sanctions in near future. Pakistan has been a victim of imposition of US sanctions on Iran, particularly due to abandoning of Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline.

Iran has been openly accused of proxy wars in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Israel has drilled into the minds of Arabs, “Iran is a bigger threat as compared to Israel”. This has not only smashed unity of Muslim Ummah, but also causing transfer of billions of dollars to the United States and other countries manufacturing lethal arms.

Is Israel handing over control of Gaza to Egypt?

There are many rumors that the Egyptians are planning to return to the Gaza Strip. Many people here are convinced that the Egyptian-sponsored reconstruction work is part of a plan to pave the way for a permanent Egyptian security presence in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptians are working to achieve Palestinian national reconciliation and reunite the West Bank with the Gaza Strip. Egypt has invited representatives of several Palestinian factions to Cairo as it supports the establishment of a Palestinian state comprising of West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

It may be recalled that during the 1948 War of Independence, the Arab League established the “All-Palestine Government” to govern the Egyptian-controlled Gaza. Palestinians living in the enclave were issued “All-Palestine” passports. Egypt did not offer them citizenship. After the dissolution of the All-Palestine Government in 1959, Egypt continued to control the Gaza Strip until 1967. The Egyptians never annexed Gaza and chose to administer it through a military governor.

After the establishment of ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on 21^st May 2021, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi has pledged US$500 million to help rebuild the houses and buildings that were destroyed during the fighting. Dozens of Egyptian bulldozers, cranes and trucks entered the Gaza last Friday. This created an impression among the Palestinians that Egypt is planning to return to the coastal enclave it ruled between 1948 and 1967.

It is not clear if Egypt wants to go back to the days when it was administering the Gaza. But Sisi’s decision to contribute to the reconstruction effort shows that he wants to be heavily involved with everything concerning Gaza.

Some critics go to the extent of saying that the presence of the Egyptian construction teams in the Gaza means that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will not be able to resume the rocket attacks on Israel.

They say, “It will be hard for Hamas to initiate another round of fighting with Israel when there are many Egyptians inside the Gaza Strip. If Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad starts firing rockets at Israel while the Egyptian construction teams are working in the Gaza, the two groups will get into trouble with Egypt.”

The Head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service, Abbas Kamel, last week made a rare visit to the Gaza, where he met with leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian factions and discussed with them ways of maintaining the ceasefire and the reconstruction efforts.

It is on record that relations between Egypt and Hamas were strained after Sisi came to power in 2013 after deposing President Mohamed Morsi and outlawing the Muslim Brotherhood. In 2015, an Egyptian court listed Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, as a terrorist organization. Morsi and other members of the Muslim Brotherhood were later charged with spying for Hamas and Iran.

Until a few years ago, Egypt’s state-controlled media had accused Hamas of helping Muslim terrorists who attacked Egyptian security forces in the Sinai. Hamas has strongly denied the charges, saying it does not meddle in the internal affairs of any Arab country. The relations between Egypt and Hamas have improved over the past few years.

Jerusalem flag march cancellation gets mixed response from Muslims and Zionists

A flag march through the Old City of Jerusalem was called off on Monday after Israel Police rejected the organizers' request that participants be allowed to march through the Old City's Damascus Gate. The march was viewed as a possible way to set off violence on the eve of the swearing in of a new government in the Knesset.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz held a briefing on Sunday to discuss the march and urged the police to cancel it. 

On Sunday, Hamas Spokesperson Khalil al-Hayya warned that ‘provocations’ against Palestinians should be stopped, including the flags march, so that this upcoming Thursday ‘is not like 11^th May, or Jerusalem Day, when rockets were hurled towards Jerusalem.

In protest, Palestinian activists groups are planning a counter-march for Thursday, N12 reported.

Israel Police emphasized that the current route of the march has been rejected, but that it could be approved if the route were to change to exclude Damascus Gate.

Religious Zionist MK Bezalel Smotrich called the decision a shameful surrender to terrorism and Hamas threats. His fellow party member, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said that he would still march the planned route. "I do not plan to give up," Ben-Gvir said.

Likud MK May Golan, who was heavily criticized on Monday for referring to Yamina and New Hope Party leaders Naftali Bennett and Gideon Sa'ar as suicide bombers due to their decision to form a government without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said she would join Ben-Gvir in marching anyway.

The Joint List released a statement in response to the cancellation which said that "Racist hate demonstrations and calls for murder are not protected under freedom of expression and protest. Especially when it comes to occupied territory."

"We will continue to stand firm against the Right's attempts to ignite Jerusalem and the entire region and lead to bloodshed," the statement added.

Originally, the march was scheduled to pass through the Damascus Gate near the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. Organizers said that the march was needed to make up for the one that was cancelled last month on Jerusalem Day due to the escalation in tensions on the Temple Mount and with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 

A few hours before the controversial Flag March was scheduled to take place, the Sovereignty Movement is expected to launch the 'Greater Jerusalem' project, calling for the expansion of Jerusalem to include Gush Etzion, Mevaseret, Ma'aleh Adumim and parts of the Binyamin Regional Council.

The announcement of the project is scheduled to take place during the third Youth Sovereignty Conference in the Oz veGaon Nature Reserve in Gush Etzion and will "focus on the centrality of Jerusalem in the life of the people of Israel and the State of Israel," the group wrote in a statement.

The leaders of the sovereignty movement, Yehudit Katzover and Nadia Matar, said that the choice to focus on the conference on the centrality of Jerusalem in the life of Israel and the State of Israel stems, among other things, from a reaction to violent riots which shook mixed-ethnicity cities nationwide last month and the threats against Israel which were seen coming from Iran, Turkey, Hamas and Hezbollah.

"The struggle for the path of Zionism and the righteousness of the path of Zionism begins in Jerusalem," they said.

"The enemies of Israel clearly recognize the centrality of Jerusalem and they wave it again and again as a pretext for attacking Israel," the statement said, adding that last month's riots "also began under the pretext of Arab defense of Jerusalem."

"In the face of all this, the clear and distinct voice of the Israeli youth is imbued with the belief in the righteousness of his way, aware of his mission in the Zionist chain, and especially well aware of the importance and centrality of Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the eternal people," the statement continued.

According to Katzover and Matar, the conference's purpose is not just a celebration of Jerusalem. They are also hoping it leads to renewed calls for a unilateral annexation of territories which are currently under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

"In this spirit," Katzover and Matar said in their statement, "the third conference of the sovereignty youth will be held, and from it will emerge a renewed call for the application of Israeli sovereignty over the entire country from the Galilee through Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley to the Negev."

Critics of unilateral annexation of the West Bank say that forcing a regime on Palestinians without supplying them with full and equal voting rights would result in a form of apartheid and that forcing one while supplying them with equal voting rights would mean an end to the Jewish majority in Israel. 

The organizers of the conference said that at the end of the gathering, which has so far enrolled hundreds of youths from all over the country, buses will allocated to take interested participants to the march.

The Sovereignty Movement released another statement after police announced the cancellation, saying "It is very unfortunate that we are folding under Hamas threats. The sovereignty of Jerusalem is violated and our dignity as a free people in our country and our capital is trampled."

"The enemies feel and understand the spiritual power of Jerusalem, they know very well that Jerusalem is the center of our being and therefore harm it," the statement said, again referring to Hamas.

The statement reiterated the 'Greater Jerusalem' project, saying "Jerusalem must grow, become stronger and become a metropolis with satellite cities in order for its national and international status to be strengthened, so that its demographics change with an absolute Jewish majority."

The Sovereignty Movement has not announced whether the buses to central Jerusalem will be called off due to the march's cancellation.

Maldives turning foe for India and Israel

Maldives, a small country with a population of around half a million people with Muslim majority, faces likely retaliation from India for supporting Palestinians. In this endeavor,  support of Israel can't be ruled out. While the probability of an assault is low, both the countries can follow the typical 'regime change' mantra of United States.

Maldives have suspended all relations with Israel – including imposing a ban on all Israeli products ‑ because of the atrocities committed against the people of Palestine. Lately, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said via Twitter that the people of Maldives stand in solidarity with Palestine.

If one can recall, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the most votes and was sworn in as the Maldives new president in November 2018. There was also a change in foreign relations. His predecessor Abdulla Yameen was politically very close to China with some ‘anti-India’ attitude, but President Solih reaffirmed the previous ‘India-First Policy’ and Maldives and India strengthened their close relationship.

The spokesperson to the President, Mohamed Mabrook Azeez, added that the stance of Maldives was clear. “We stand against injustice and in solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle to secure their inalienable right to statehood,” Mabrook said.

He further said all relations between Maldives and Israel were now suspended, including the import of Israeli products. Import of most Israeli products was banned by Maldives since 2014. Only special medical products could be imported, and that require a special permit.

During the recent conflict in Palestine the Maldivian public showed their support for the Palestinian cause by using the colours of the Palestinian flag all over the island nation.

The public outcry to ban Israeli tourists from Maldives has also increased. An emergency motion was submitted to the Parliament by opposition party Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) member, Ahmed Shiyam, calling to ban Israeli tourists.

It is worth mentioning that The Maldives established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1965, as it was the third state to recognize Maldives. But Maldives suspended the ties in 1974.

In 2009, under President Mohamed Nasheed, Maldives signed cooperation agreements with Israel on tourism, health, education, and culture. In 2010, the Israeli government sent a team of eye doctors to treat patients and train local medical personnel in Maldives.

In May 2011, the Maldives’s then-foreign minister, Ahmed Naseem, became the first top official from the Maldives to visit Israel. However, the renewed relationship did not develop into full diplomatic relations.

But in July 2018, under President Abdulla Yameen, Maldives terminated the cooperation agreements with Israel.

In 2020, after UAE and Bahrain recognized Israel and it was reported the government had discussed establishing ties with Israel, but the Maldivian foreign minister denied having initiated discussions regarding establishing ties with Israel.

What caused downfall of Benjamin Netanyahu?

With the passage of time it is becoming evident that Israel's legendary Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has lost his charisma. Now, his friend and foes are discussing likely reasons that have contributed to his outset.

My reply is very simple and easy to comprehend. He has met a fate that is rule one of the spy book, “eliminate an agent when he becomes redundant”.  I will go to the extent of saying that he is very lucky because he is still surviving and analysts are talking about his possible return to power.

The history books are full of the stories of the icons who were assassinated after their missions were accomplished. While the list is very long, I will name a few from the recent history: Jamal Khashoggi of Saudi Arabia, Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Anwar Sadat of Egypt. Also I can’t resist referring to blowing up of plane with President of Pakistan, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, US Ambassador to Pakistan and more than half a dozen of Pakistani Generals, who helped United States in winning war against USSR in Afghanistan.

Netanyahu’s biggest accomplishment was recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel by the United States and shifting of its Embassy there. He was also used to buyout loyalties of a few Arab countries. Finally he was trapped to initiate an assault on Gaza that included demolishing a building that housed international media houses. All these acts accelerated his departure. On top of all, a new and unnatural alliance has been created to nominate his successor.

Some embedded journalists are saying, “Netanyahu’s downfall is not the result of any external shock. Unlike Golda Meir, he had no Yom Kippur War. Unlike Herbert Hoover, he had no Great Crash. And unlike George W. Bush, he had no Hurricane Katrina. Netanyahu’s downfall is not about events or ideas. It’s about character.”

It is also being said that historians will likely mark 2021 as the year his star fell, even if someday his career rebound. After 12 straight years of political mastery, the wiz who habitually built coalitions, floored opponents and toyed with rival and allied parties – has run out of tricks.

Just to malign him, a number of questions are being raised, how could Netanyahu not understand that leaving Gideon Sa’ar out of his last government (of more than 30 members) would make the wounded man hate and fight him? How could he not understand that Bennett would not forgive his attempt to create negative news about Bennett’s wife? How would Gantz forgive Netanyahu’s failure to let him know he was negotiating peace agreements?

It is also being said, he believed that since he is that smart, everyone else is that stupid; Netanyahu assumed that since he is that big, justice is that small.

Indeed, contrasting and balancing Netanyahu’s greatness and smallness will be his biographers’ trickiest task. His downfall is not a mystery. It resulted from the smallness of a big leader who knew so much about history, economics and diplomacy, but so little about people, justice and trust.

India ditches Palestinians, as usual

Israel’s recent airstrikes in Gaza and its targeting of Palestinians elsewhere in the occupied territories has attracted strong reactions from across the world. While millions of conscientious people of all faiths and nationalities condemned this butchery, many of Tel Aviv’s supporters and friends termed Israel’s brutalities self-defence. 

One of the surprises was that some states that had formerly supported the Palestinian cause were conspicuous by their silence, apparently to please Israel.

India was among this group at the recent vote at the UN Human Rights Council calling for a probe into Israel’s recent atrocities, it chose to abstain. This led the Palestinian foreign minister to observe in a letter to New Delhi that the abstention stifles the important work of the Human Rights Council at advancing human rights for all people.

Indian stance towards the Palestinian cause didn’t surprise many. Under the Hindutva banner India is a firm ally of Israel, with Benjamin Netanyahu boasting of the deep friendship between New Delhi and Tel Aviv.

For years, India has diplomatic relations and has been trading with Israel. Thousands of Israeli tourists flock to India every year. Israel is the third largest weapons supplier to India after the United States and Russia.

This may be termed a natural pairing as both the states have applied similar brutal methods in occupied Palestine and held Kashmir. Today, India-Israel relations are clearly a marriage of convenience, with both states sharing notes on how to brutalize the Palestinians and Kashmiris.

While people of conscience across the world will continue to raise a voice for the Palestinians, the plight of the Kashmiris will also not be forgotten. State-sponsored brutality cannot snuff out the desire of the people of Palestine and Kashmir for freedom and dignity.

One can still recall that on his recent visit to India, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said in a TV interview that the relationship between the two countries was “a marriage made in heaven”.

According to ex-Senate Chairman, Raza Rabbani, “It is more of a union conceived in hell”. He warned the Muslim world that the emerging nexus between the United State, Israel and India was a major threat to Muslim Ummah”.

Pakistan establishes 3 markets in Baluchistan bordering Iran

Pakistan has established three border markets at Gabd, Mund and Chedgi in Baluchistan’s border with Iran for the rehabilitation of people living along the borders affected by the anti-smuggling drive.

An official statement of the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) said that these markets are being established in light of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries in April.

These markets will not only enhance bilateral trade, but they would also provide economic opportunities and sustenance to people residing in the border areas.

The Anti-Smuggling Steering Committee constituted for the rehabilitation of people living along the borders, affected by the anti-smuggling drive had recommended the establishment of Joint Border Markets in November 2019.

The commerce ministry, responsible for border trade under Rules of Business 1973, was assigned the task.

Subsequently, after field visits by the technical teams of two sides, they signed an MoU in April. Three pilot projects of Border Sustenance Market Places are being established at Chegdi-Kohak (Panjgur District), Mand-Pishin (Kech District) and Gabd-Rimdan (Gwadar District).

The list of commodities to be traded in the market places and the tariff concessions will be subsequently finalized by the two sides in accordance with the MoU. The three pilot projects will be funded by the federal government.

It may be recalled that Pakistan and Iran had held a virtual meeting in March 2021 for opening up these border markets. To read details click https://shkazmipk.blogspot.com/2021/03/iran-and-pakistan-to-develop-joint.html.