Month: December 2023

The New York Times, CNN and Ha’aretz reported that from 2012 to 2018, more than $1.1bn reached Gaza from Qatar, with the Israeli government’s approval.

Last year Qatar gave Gaza $200 million for aid, fuel and government salaries — and could provide hundreds of millions more this year, the reports claimed.

The information on the money was collected by an international organisation and was presented to the Israeli security cabinet in January.

NYT report claims Israel hoped money would enable group to ‘establish order’ in Gaza, reduce pressure to create a Palestinian state

“Since the Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Gulf state of Qatar has come under fire by Israeli officials, American politicians and media outlets for sending hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Gaza, which is governed by the Palestinian militant group,”

“But all that happened with Israel’s blessing.”

In a series of interviews with key Israeli players conducted in collaboration with Israeli investigative journalism organisation Shomrim, CNN was told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued the cash flow to Hamas despite concerns raised from within his own government.

the Israeli government allowed the payments because it hoped the money would help Hamas maintain order in the Gaza Strip and reduce political pressure to create a Palestinian state.

The reports also claimed that the Israeli government and Hamas agreed to a brief ceasefire in Gaza to allow for the release of 50 Israeli prisoners. The ceasefire deal allowed aid into Gaza, but conditions there remain dire.

Qatar has denied that the money was misused, and the Israeli government has rejected the suggestion that it allowed aid to Hamas as “ridiculous”.

The report outlined a series of decisions made by the Israeli government, particularly under Mr Netanyahu, regarding financial aid from Qatar to the Gaza Strip.

The payments from Qatar were intended for humanitarian purposes, but were now being scrutinised for their possible role in supporting Hamas military operations, the report added.

Political motivations

The NYT also touched on the political motivations behind these decisions, with critics accusing Mr Netanyahu of a strategy to “buy quiet” and avoid addressing the underlying issues with Hamas and Palestinian discontent.

According to the report, the Qatari government funnelled millions of dollars monthly into the Gaza Strip over the years, bolstering the Hamas government. Mr Netanyahu not only tolerated but actively endorsed these payments. During secret talks in September, Mossad chief David Barnea affirmed Israel’s desire for the payments to continue.

Mr Netanyahu gambled on this financial support, aiming to maintain peace in Gaza and steer Hamas toward governance rather than conflict. The substantial Qatari funds, though officially clandestine, were widely known and debated in Israeli media, criticised by opponents as a strategy of “buying quiet”.

Activists had called for a strike in solidarity with the besieged territory covering businesses, public workers and education.

Many Palestinians took part and rallies were staged in the West Bank, according to Essam Abu Baker who coordinates Palestinian factions in Ramallah.

He described the protest as part of a global effort to put pressure on Israel to stop the aggression, reporting strikes taking place in parts of Jordan and Lebanon.

Protests also take place in Jordan and Lebanon

In Lebanon, public institutions, banks, schools and universities closed after the government decided on a nationwide strike in solidarity with Gaza and with border areas in the south, which have seen intensifying exchanges of fire, mainly between Israel and Hezbollah.

The stoppage was also observed in Istanbul’s western Esenyurt district, where many businesses are owned by residents from the Palestinian territories, Syria, Yemen and Iran.

“The strike today is not only in solidarity with Gaza, but also against the USA which used its veto in the Security Council against a truce,” Abu Baker said in Ramallah, referring to the US rejection of a ceasefire resolution on Friday.

At a rally in Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority, demonstrators unfurled a huge list of names of the victims in Gaza. Whole families came out to protest, with parents carrying children on their shoulders.

In east Jerusalem’s Old City, many shops were closed. The sound of keys echoed in the bazaar as Palestinian business owners locked their brightly painted doors.

“We want the war to stop,” said Nasser, a 65-year-old coffee shop owner who gave only his first name.

He said he had little to lose by closing his shop along the Via Dolorosa, a Christian pilgrimage route.

“We’ve had no business anyway since the war started,” he said, after the outbreak of violence prompted visitor numbers to plummet. The few shopkeepers who did open said they had strong reasons for doing so.

Florist Raja Salama, 62, came to work to prepare wreaths of white roses for an elderly relative’s funeral. “I’m only open because the funeral is today,” he said.

• Orders elections to Jammu and Kashmir Assembly by Sept 30; Justice Kaul proposes reconciliation commission

• Mirwaiz calls verdict ‘sad’ but ‘expected’; Mehbooba sees the idea of India defeated; Abdullah vows legal fight

NEW DELHI: Four years after PM Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government abrogated the special constitutional status of India-held Jammu and Kashmir, India’s Supreme Court on Monday endorsed the measure that had angered China and Pakistan and brought pain and misery to its predominantly Muslim population.

A Constitution bench of the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the power of the president to abrogate Article 370 in August 2019, leading to the re-organisation of the full-fledged State of Jammu and Kashmir to two Union Territories and stripped it of its special privileges.

The five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, confirmed that the president could “unilaterally issue a notification that Article 370 ceases to exist”. The court held that the president had power to abrogate Article 370 if “special circumstances warrant a special solution”.

“The court cannot sit in appeal over the decision of the president on whether the special circumstances which led to the arrangement under Article 370 have ceased to exist,” the chief justice asserted.

The court said the abrogation of Article 370 was the culmination of a “gradual and collaborative exercise” spread over the past 70 years between the Centre and the State to integrate Jammu and Kashmir with the Indian Union. The objective of the integration process was to make the entirety of the rights and obligations enshrined in the Indian Constitution applicable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, in an epilogue, referred to witnessing the inter-generational trauma caused by violence and mass migration during his travels to Jammu and Kashmir. He proposed the setting up of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to reach out to the people. The court accepted the assurance of the Modi government to restore statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir “at the earliest”.

It directed the Election Commission of India to hold the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections by September 30, 2024.

“The fact that the abrogation of Article 370 through an executive order by the president happened after the dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir State Legislative Assembly by the governor on November 21, 2018, and the subsequent proclamation of president’s rule under Article 356 on December 19, 2018, did not deter the court,” The Hindu noted.

“The State of Jammu and Kashmir does not have ‘internal sovereignty’ distinguishable from the powers and privileges enjoyed by other States in the country,” Chief Justice Chandrachud held.

The decision is not believed to make material difference to the disputes Pakistan and China have continued to raise over India’s claims on all or parts of the territory. The court’s verdict is expected to spur Mr Modi’s campaign for a third successive term in general elections due in May.

The Supreme Court had earlier handed his government a trophy by unwittingly endorsing the Hindu nationalist quest to build a Hindu temple at the site of the razed Babri Masjid whose destruction the court had opposed.

While the temple is due to be inaugurated with fanfare next month, the lot of the Kashmiri Muslims was in the balance until Monday. Even as they are upset, their leaders promised to continue what they see as a long haul to peacefully restore the special status.

Reaction from Kashmiri leaders

In Srinagar, rival opposition leaders Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah said they were put under house arrest, but J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha rejected the claim.

“Rather than our loss,” Mehbooba Mufti said in a video address to her party workers after the SC verdict, “It is the idea of India which has suffered a defeat today. The betrayal has come from them, not us”.

Alleging that she was put under house arrest on Monday, Ms Mufti likened the verdict to “a death punishment for the idea of India. But we will continue to fight peacefully for our rights”.

Former J&K chief minister Abdullah also claimed he was put under house arrest on Monday morning ahead of the Supreme Court’s verdict. In a live broadcast on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Abdullah said: “We knocked on the doors of SC with the hope of justice. I respect the court’s decision. We may have failed, the decision may be disappointing, but it is a temporary setback. Ours is a political fight and we will fight it within the ambit of law,” he said.

 

 

He added: “The BJP succeeded in achieving its political objective after 70 years. We too will continue to strive politically so that whatever was snatched from us on August 5, 2019, is given back.”

How would the verdict play out with the wider opposition parties? Most of them were already of the view that it was a “done deal” but hoped the court would restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and direct holding of elections.

The Hurriyat Conference reacted stoically to the verdict.

In a message, Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said: “It’s sad but the verdict was not unexpected particularly in the present circumstances. Those people who at the time of the partition of the subcontinent, facilitated the accession of J&K and reposed their faith in the promises and assurances given to them by the Indian leadership must feel deeply betrayed.”

“For the rest the state as it existed in August 1947 re­­mains divided on the ceasefire line, and hence continues to be a bleeding humanitarian and political issue, begging redressal

As a percentage of GDP, the deficit over the previous 12 months rose to 3.4 per cent in November — 62.3 billion shekels — from 2.6pc in October, it said.

A ministry source said the deficit for 2023 would finish at about 4pc of GDP, above a target of 0.9pc, or 16.9 billion shekels, in the budget approved by lawmakers in May.

The ministry noted that revenue fell by 15.6pc last month, partly because of tax deferments resulting from the unrest that began on Oct 7.

November revenue was 30.3 billion shekels, the lowest monthly level this year. For the first 11 months of the year, revenue reached 401.5 billion shekels, 6.2pc lower than the same period last year.

Overall, due to the offensive on Gaza is expected to weigh on growth in 2023 and 2024. The ministry and central bank project growth of 2pc this year and 1.6pc and 2pc respectively in 2024.

Expenses reached nearly 47 billion shekels, with about 6 billion attributable to the Israeli aggression, helping to push up January-November spending by 11.5pc to 445.3 billion shekels.

Israel’s deficit in October was 22.9 billion shekels and in November 2022 it was 1.7 billion shekels.

Last week parliament gave its initial nod to budget for aggression against Gazans that would add more than 30 billion shekels to spending on the unrest for the rest of 2023. The plan still requires final approval.

Over 80 countries, including the US, European Union and members of Pacific Island states threatened by rising seas have been some of the most vocal in calling for a phase-out of oil, gas and coal.

COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber urged negotiators on Sunday to work harder to find consensus, inviting ministers to give their views at a majlis-style consultation.

 

 

He said he was asking all countries to suggest wording for a consensus on fossil fuels, adding: “Now, the time has come for all parties to constructively engage… Failure is not an option”.

The main obstacle to an agreement has been the entrenched stance of OPEC members, led by Saudi Arabia, who argue that the focus of the COP28 should be on reducing emissions, not on targeting the fuel sources that cause them.

 

Riyadh said on Sunday that its “perspectives” and “concerns” must be taken into account at the COP28 climate talks, with its energy minister saying he would “absolutely not” agree to a phase-down.

China’s top climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua, said on Saturday that a COP28 deal can only be considered a success if it includes an agreement on fossil fuels, though he did not say whether Beijing would back a phase-out deal.

“The majority here wants fossil-fuel language, language that takes us away from fossil fuels, that indicates a desire for us to move according to the science, according to the 1.5 degree target,” Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s climate change minister, told AFP.

“We need the small minority of countries that is blocking progress to shift the position, and that’s what we’re working on for the next couple of days,” he said. Scientists say the world must end its use of fossil fuels if it is to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and avoid the most catastrophic climate scenarios.

 

After the meeting, EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said there was “a majority, some would say a supermajority, of countries here present who want to push forward for more ambition”.

 

At the majlis, China’s representative said climate action was a “marathon, not a sprint”. He said developed nations are ahead of the pack and should help developing countries by providing the funds needed for their energy transitions.

Britain and Australia were among the few countries to offer a glimmer of compromise, saying flexibility on the fossil fuel language was possible as long as there were enough safeguards.

Bolivia denounced the “hypocrisy” of countries that press the developing world on climate change while expanding their own production of fossil fuels.

Standing in the middle of the circle, Jaber closed the meeting by urging countries to make the event be known as a “change-makers majlis”. To deliver the “very balanced, ambitious outcome, we need you to act as the change-makers,” he said, adding: “I hope that you won’t let me down”.

A third draft of a deal, released on Friday, offers various ways to phase out fossil fuels but also includes the option to avoid the issue entirely. A new text is expected on Monday.

Javier Milei warned Argentines “there is no money” and recommitted to a programme of harsh austerity measures.

The populist outsider won a surprise election victory in November with radical pledges to overhaul the South American nation’s ailing economy.

Mr Milei’s inauguration was held in Buenos Aires on Sunday.

In a day of pomp and ceremony, the 53-year-old capped his extraordinary rise to power with a speech which left Argentines in no doubt he intends to embark on an economic path unlike any previous president.

He said he would undo “decades of decadence” with deep spending cuts, designed to slash huge public debts and drive down inflation, which is now higher than 140%.

Javier Milei in a car as part of a procession
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS
“The bottom line is that there is no alternative to austerity and there is no alternative to shock treatment,” Mr Milei said.

“We know that in the short term the situation will worsen. But then we will see the fruits of our efforts.”

Mr Milei waved to supporters during a procession to the presidential palace alongside his sister Karina, the confidant who is expected to play an influential role behind the scenes in his new administration.

He addressed the crowd and chanted campaign slogans from the balcony, and was presented with the blue and white presidential sash and baton – which he had personalised with engravings of his five dogs.

Mr Milei has risen rapidly from relative obscurity to Argentina’s highest office on a right-wing platform which includes restricting abortion rights, liberalising gun laws and climate change denial.

He was frequently pictured wielding a chainsaw on the campaign trail, and his unflinching statements have been likened to former US President Donald Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

During the campaign he said he would replace Argentina’s currency with the dollar and abolish the country’s central bank, along with a host of government departments.

But while the presidency comes with sweeping powers, Mr Milei will face political limitations as he attempts to fix a set of daunting problems.

PODCAST: Will Argentina’s new president deliver his radical promises?
The peso – Argentina’s embattled currency – is in long-term freefall, poverty levels have soared to 40% and, according to IMF data, the economy is in a deep recession.

Mr Milei will likely face opposition in Argentina’s Congress, where the coalition of small right-wing and libertarian parties he leads has only minority representation.

Mr Milei was seen embracing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the inauguration
It remains to be seen how the new president will approach the job in practice – and some observers have noted a more moderate tone since his victory was confirmed.

However, hours into the job, the new president signalled he intends to govern as he campaigned by signing a decree to reduce the number of departments from 18 to nine, making good on a key pledge.

Among the guests at the swearing-in ceremony was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has met several Latin American leaders as he seeks to shore up global support for his country’s war effort.

The pair were pictured embracing and Mr Zelensky later told reporters they had discussed ways Argentina could support Ukraine.

Hungary’s President Viktor Orban – who Mr Milei has been likened to ideologically – was also in attendance.