by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick
Jerusalem : United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick has called on the Israeli authorities to immediately allow the entry of UN-purchased emergency fuel into the Gaza Strip.
“Restricting the entry of emergency fuel to Gaza is a dangerous practice, with grave consequences on the rights of people in Gaza,” said McGoldrick in a press statement issued Wednesday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territory.
“The well-being of two million people, half of whom are children, is at stake. It is unacceptable that Palestinians in Gaza are repeatedly deprived of the most basic elements of a dignified life,” he added.
The fuel, which is available and awaiting entry by the Israeli authorities, is needed to power backup generators required in the context of Gaza’s chronic energy crisis.
Since August 2, the Israeli authorities have prohibited the entry of fuel into the Gaza Strip, in the context of tightened import and export restrictions. This followed an early restriction on the entry of fuel that lasted from 16 – 24 July. According to the Israeli authorities, the intensified measures come in response to the launching of incendiary kites from Gaza into Israel, which has caused extensive property damage.
“Gaza desperately needs longer-term solutions so we can move past this cycle of repeated or worsening crises, including that Palestinian authorities prioritize the provision of fuel for essential services,” McGoldrick said, adding: “Until that happens, Israel must reverse the recent restrictions, including on the entry of emergency fuel, and donors must step in and fund emergency fuel, in order to avoid a disease outbreak or other major public health concern.”
The recent developments have exacerbated the existing humanitarian crisis caused by the Israeli 11-year blockade of the Gaza, raising concerns over collective punishment and human rights violations, alongside an unresolved internal Palestinian political divide.
—AB/UNA-OIC
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Tel Aviv : Israel has developed a cybersecurity center to protect its railway system, media reports said on Sunday.
The security center is created by Rafael, an Israeli government-owned defence technology company, Xinhua reported, quoting local media reports.
The company will provide Israel Railways corporation with a cybersecurity operations center (CSOC) located in the city of Lod in central Israel.
The CSOC, worth $8.25 million, will be operated by Israel Railways’ cyber unit.
According to data of the country’s rail authorities, about 10 million attempts to penetrate the train network are blocked each month, including some aimed at collecting vital information, and inserting viruses and malware.
The CSOC will help monitor, control and protect the railway systems, as well as detect electronic penetration and attack attempts targeting the company.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Jerusalem : Regular citizens and NGOs will have the right to sue polluting companies in civil courts, according to a new bill proposal approved by the Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation.
The Israeli government hopes the new bill, approved on Sunday, will put more pressure and deterrence toward big companies that do not care about the state supervision against pollution, Xinhua news agency reported.
Member of Knesset (parliament) Dov Khenin, also the chairman of the environmental lobby, said that treatment of polluting manufactories by the Ministry of Environmental Protection is essential, but not enough.
Israel suffered two significant pollution disasters in nature reserves during recent years, where Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Co and Israel Chemical Ltd were held accountable.
“For the past 20 years, Israel Chemicals Corporation has ignored the warnings of an impending catastrophe,” Khenin said.
He added that the economic interest was “stronger and prevailed” any other consideration. “The new bill will give us more power to fight back”.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Washington : The White House on Tuesday hailed its ties with Israel to prove the global popularity of the foreign policy rolled out by the Trump administration.
According to notes provided by the White House correspondents pool, Hogan Gidley, the White House deputy press secretary, told the media that U.S. ties with Israel proves that Washington’s foreign policy is beloved around the world, Xinhua reported.
“Israel. It’s Israel. That’s one,” he said during a flight from Washington to Greenbrier Valley Airport of West Virginia. “You’ve seen the relationship with Israel that is greatly enhanced because of this President.”
Israel “was virtually thought of to be an enemy of the American people in the last administration,” Gidley said. “I think he’s turned things around in a big way.”
He also boasted the controversial “partnerships on air strikes in Syria” on April 13, when US President Donald Trump ordered to attack Syria in coordination with Britain and France in response to the alleged chemical attacks in the nation.
The Syrian government has denied the accusations, saying the move illustrates again the Western nations’ disregard for international laws. Russia, Iran and Lebanon, as well as many West nations, have condemned the attack on Syria.
The foreign policy of the Trump administration, featuring dropouts from multiple international treaties and organisations and threats to slap tariffs on many countries and allies, has been lashed out at around the globe.
Specifically, Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and the opening of U.S. embassy there have caused global outrages and heightened tensions in the region.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Jerusalem : Israel’s Defence Minister on Sunday announced that construction had begun on a marine barrier with the Gaza Strip extending into the Mediterranean Sea.
Avigdor Liberman said in a statement that the barrier aimed to prevent any attempts by Palestinians in Gaza to enter Israeli territory through the sea, Efe news reported.
“This is an additional setback for Hamas, which has lost another strategic capability that it has invested massive amounts in developing. We will continue to protect the citizens of Israel with might and sophistication,” Liberman said.
The barrier is to consist of three layers, one of which is to be underwater, and is expected to be completed within a year, the statement added.
During Israel’s 2014 assault on Gaza, members of the military wing of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that governs the Gaza Strip, managed to swim to Israeli territory and launch an attack on a Israeli army installation before being killed.
Israeli authorities are also constructing an underground barrier beneath the Gaza-Israel boundary to stop Hamas from digging tunnels into Israeli territory.
Israel claims Hamas constructs these tunnels to attack Israeli civilians.
An independent inquiry into the 2014 war in Gaza by the UN Human Rights Council concluded that “the tunnels were only used to conduct attacks directed at IDF (Israeli army) positions in Israel in the vicinity of the Green Line, which are legitimate military targets.”
—IANS
