Page 20 - Palestine

India supports UN resolution on Palestinian bid for full membership

The resolution on Friday won a resounding majority of 143 votes in favour, including by India. 25 countries abstained, while nine nations, including Israel and the United States, voted against it

UN to vote on granting Palestine new rights, reviving its membership bid

The UN General Assembly is expected to vote Friday on a resolution that would grant new rights and privileges to Palestine and call on the Security Council to favorably reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the United Nations. The United States vetoed a widely backed council resolution on April 18 that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent, and U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood made clear Thursday the Biden administration is opposed to the assembly resolution. Under the U.N. Charter, prospective members of the United Nations must be peace-loving, and the Security Council must recommend their admission to the General Assembly for final approval. Palestine became a U.N. non-member observer state in 2012. We've been very clear from the beginning there is a process for obtaining full membership in the United Nations, and this effort by some of the Arab countries

Heavy fighting in Gaza's Rafah keeps crucial aid crossings inaccessible

Heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah has left crucial nearby aid crossings inaccessible and caused over 100,000 people to flee north, a United Nations official said Friday. Israel's plans for a full-scale invasion of Rafah appear to be on hold for now, with the United States deeply opposed and stepping up pressure by threatening to withhold arms. But even the more limited incursion launched earlier this week threatens to worsen Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe. Heavy fighting was also underway in northern Gaza, where Hamas appeared to have once again regrouped in an area where Israel has already launched punishing assaults. Over a million Palestinians have fled to Rafah to escape fighting elsewhere, with many packed into UN-run shelters or squalid tent camps. The city on the border with Egypt is also a crucial hub for bringing in food, medicine, fuel and other goods. The UN's Office for the Coordination o

India votes for UNGA resolution backing Palestine's bid for UN membership

India on Friday voted in favour of a draft UN General Assembly resolution that said Palestine is qualified and should be admitted as full member of the United Nations and recommended that the Security Council reconsider" the matter favourably. The 193-member General Assembly met in the morning for an emergency special session where the Arab Group resolution Admission of new Members to the United Nations', in support of the State of Palestine's full membership in the UN, was presented by the United Arab Emirates, as Chair of the Arab Group in May. The resolution got 143 votes in favour, including by India, nine against and 25 abstentions. The UNGA hall broke into an applause after the vote was cast. The resolution determined that the State of Palestine is qualified for membership in the United Nations in accordance with Article 4 of the Charter of the United Nations and "should therefore be admitted to membership in the United Nations. It recommended that the Security Council ...

US pauses bomb shipment to Israel on concerns over Rafah invasion

The US paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that the country was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the US, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday. The shipment was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs and 1,700 500-pound (225-kilogram) bombs, according to the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The focus of US concern was the larger explosives and how they could be used in a dense urban setting like Rafa where more than 1 million civilians are sheltering after evacuating other parts of Gaza amid Israel's war on Hamas, which came after the militant group's deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Austin confirmed the weapons delay, telling the Senate Appropriations Defence subcommittee that the US paused one shipment of high payload munitions. We're going to continue to do what's necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself

India supports a homeland for Palestinians eventually, says EAM Jaishankar

Jaishankar mentioned the continuous efforts to engage with the neighbouring countries to ensure the students' safe evacuation of the student while highlighting the Vishwa Bandhu foreign policy's role

US stops bomb delivery to Israel, signaling worries over Rafah invasion

The US paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the US, a senior administration official said Tuesday. The shipment was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, with the focus of US concern being the larger explosives and how they could be used in a dense urban setting. More than 1 million civilians are sheltering in Rafah after evacuating other parts of Gaza amid Israel's war on Hamas, which came after the militant group's deadly attack on Israel on October 7. President Joe Biden's administration in April began reviewing future transfers of military assistance to Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government appeared to move closer toward an invasion of Rafah, despite months of opposition from

'Closing of Kerem Shalom, Rafah set back delivery of humanitarian aid': US

Amid mounting airstrikes, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office reaffirmed the continuation of military operations in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas

Israel seizes Gaza's Rafah crossing, US reassures it isn't full invasion

Israeli troops seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday in what the White House described as a limited operation, as fears mount of a full-scale invasion of the southern city and talks with Hamas over a cease-fire and hostage release remain on a knife's edge. The United Nations (UN) warned of a potential collapse of the flow of aid to Palestinians from the closure of the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the other main crossing into Gaza, Kerem Shalom, from Israel, at a time when UN officials say northern Gaza is experiencing full-blown famine. The Israeli foray overnight came after hours of whiplash in the now 7-month-old Israel-Hamas war, with the militant group saying Monday it accepted a cease-fire proposal that Israel insisted fell short of its own core demands. The high-stakes diplomatic moves and military brinkmanship left a glimmer of hope alive for a deal to bring at least a pause in the war, which has killed more than 34,700 Palestinians, according to ..

Israeli tanks have rolled into Rafah, Here's what it means for Palestinians

The Israeli tanks that entered the periphery of Rafah early Tuesday stoked global fears that an offensive on Gaza's southernmost city could endanger the more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there. The ground assault dimmed hopes of an immediate cease-fire deal that the US, Egypt and Qatar have spent months pushing for. In the hours before the attack began, Hamas agreed to a cease-fire proposal that the Israeli government swiftly rejected. About 1.3 million Palestinians more than half of Gaza's population are jammed into Rafah and face the prospect of having to evacuate with no good plan for where to find adequate shelter. Here's what we know so far about the operation and evacuation plan. WHERE WILL PALESTINIANS GO? Now that Israel has begun ordering Palestinians to evacuate parts of Rafah, it is sending them to a patch of land whose current inhabitants say is little more than a makeshift tent camp with squalid conditions. On Monday, Israel issued a warning to .

US colleges earlier permissive of protests begin taking tougher stance

Police cleared a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at the University of Chicago on Tuesday after administrators who had initially adopted a permissive approach said the protest had crossed a line and caused growing concerns about safety. University President Paul Alivisatos acknowledged the school's role as a protector of freedom of speech after officers in riot gear blocked access to the school's Quad but also took an enough-is-enough stance. The university remains a place where dissenting voices have many avenues to express themselves, but we cannot enable an environment where the expression of some dominates and disrupts the healthy functioning of the community for the rest, Alivisatos wrote in a message to the university community. Tensions have continued to ratchet up in standoffs with protesters on campuses across the U.S. and increasingly, in Europe nearly three weeks into a movement launched by a protest at Columbia University. Some colleges cracked down immediately on ...

Israeli forces take control of Gaza side of Rafah crossing with Egypt

The Israeli military said it had established operational control over the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip overnight Monday into Tuesday. Footage broadcast on Israeli media showed an Israeli flag flying on the Gaza side of the crossing, though the Israeli army refused to comment on the flag. On Monday night, the Israeli military said it was carrying out targeted strikes in eastern Rafah. It said 20 Hamas militants were killed in the operation and it discovered three tunnel shafts. An Israeli army official said the vast majority of people located in the evacuation zone have left. The crossing, just south of Gaza City, was taken over by Israeli tanks that are part of an armoured brigade, the Israeli Defence Forces and Palestinian officials said. Wael Abu Omar, a spokesman for the Palestinian Crossings Authority, said the crossing, the main entry of humanitarian aid to the war-torn strip, was out of service. The whole western area (of Rafah) has become a the

Palestinian, Egyptian officials say Israeli tanks enter Gaza town Rafah

A Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official say Israeli tanks entered the southern Gaza town of Rafah, reaching as close as 200 metres from its crossing with neighbouring Egypt. The Egyptian official said the operation appeared to be limited in scope. He and Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV said Israeli officials informed the Egyptians that the troops would withdraw after completing the operation. The Israeli military declined to comment. On Sunday, Hamas fighters near the Rafah crossing fired mortars into southern Israel, killing four Israeli soldiers. The Egyptian official, located on the Egyptian side of Rafah, and the Palestinian security official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. The Associated Press could not independently verify the scope of the operation. Earlier Monday, Israel's War Cabinet decided to push ahead with a military operation in Rafah, after Hamas announced its acceptance of an Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a .

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Israel carries out airstrikes on Gaza city of Rafah after evacuation order

Seven months into its war against Hamas, Israel has been threatening to launch incursions in Rafah, which it says harbours thousands of Hamas fighters and potentially dozens of hostages

Netanyahu uses Holocaust ceremony to brush off int'l pressure against Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected international pressure to halt the war in Gaza in a fiery speech marking the country's annual Holocaust memorial day, declaring: If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone. The message, delivered in a setting that typically avoids politics, was aimed at the growing chorus of world leaders who have criticised the heavy toll caused by Israel's military offensive against Hamas militants and have urged the sides to agree to a cease-fire. I say to the leaders of the world: No amount of pressure, no decision by any international forum will stop Israel from defending itself, he said. Never again is now. Yom Hashoah, the day Israel observes as a memorial for the 6 million Jews killed by Nazi Germany and its allies in the Holocaust, is one of the most solemn dates on the country's calendar, and speeches at the ceremony generally avoid politics. Netanyahu also compared the recent wave of protests on American campus

Arab nations pushing for roadmap leading to Palestinian state within 3 yrs

The proposed roadmap, endorsed by Arab foreign ministers and supported by European nations, outlines a phased approach towards Palestinian statehood

Progress in Gaza truce talks, Israel downplays chance of ending war

A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported noticeable progress in cease-fire talks with Israel, though an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war in Gaza. Pressure has mounted to reach a deal halting the nearly 7-month-long war. A top UN official says there is now a full-blown famine in northern Gaza, while Israel insists it will launch an offensive into Rafah, the territory's southernmost city on the border with Egypt, where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering. Egyptian and US mediators have reported signs of compromise in recent days, but chances for a cease-fire deal remain entangled with the key question of whether Israel will accept an end to the war without reaching its stated goal of destroying Hamas. Egypt's state-owned Al-Qahera News TV channel said Saturday that a consensus had been reached over many disputed points but did not elaborate. Hamas has called for a ...

US campus standoffs: Protestors and donors are on collision course

Brown University, the liberal Ivy League institution, agreed this week only to hold a board vote this fall on whether its $6.6 billion endowment should divest from any Israeli-connected holdings

US univs take steps to prevent protest disruptions of graduation ceremonies

With student protests over the Israel-Hamas war disrupting campuses nationwide, several major universities are intent on ensuring that commencement ceremonies joyous milestones for graduates, their families and friends go off without a hitch this weekend. It won't be easy. Colleges are hiring extra security, screening attendees at venues and emphasising that significant disruptions by pro-Palestinian protesters won't be tolerated. At the same time, they're pledging to honour free-speech rights by designating protest zones. Milestone is a perfect word, said Ken Burdick of Tampa, Florida, describing his daughter's graduation Saturday at the University of Michigan. He hopes the big day goes untarnished. People can exercise their First Amendment rights without disrupting or creating fear, Burdick said of protesters. Here's how some schools are planning to balance things: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN More than 8,000 graduates and 63,000 spectators are expected for Saturday's festivities