Sunday, 24 December 2023

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.

 

Saturday, 23 December 2023

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.

Friday, 22 December 2023

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.