Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ‘not a friend of peace,’ says Israeli analyst

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Updated 27 August 2024
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Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ‘not a friend of peace,’ says Israeli analyst

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ‘not a friend of peace,’ says Israeli analyst
  • 2-state solution is still possible but if conflict with Palestinians is to end, there must be change of leadership in Israel, Yossi Mekelberg tells ‘Ray Hanania Radio Show’
  • He says a 2-state solution remains the best option for peace but other scenarios that fully recognize the rights of both peoples should also be considered

CHICAGO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netaynahu is “not a friend of peace” and is using his right-wing government coalition and the conflict with the Palestinians to further delay his own corruption trial and avoid justice, a leading Israeli analyst said this week.

Yossi Mekelberg, an associate fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House in London, told the “Ray Hanania Radio Show” that Netanyahu has been deliberately prolonging the war in Gaza to serve his own interests, rather than the interests of the people on both sides.
An important change that is required from the international community if hopes for a two-state solution are to be salvaged is an expansion of the peace process to increase the role of other nations besides the US and help change the discourse surrounding the conflict, he said, while Washington must consider what is the best path forward for achieving its own goals.

“What about the American interest; where does the American interest lie?” asked Mekelberg, who is also a columnist for Arab News. “(US Secretary of State Antony) Blinken, now on his ninth visit to the region, is almost begging for a ceasefire.
“It’s (bad) enough that Netanyahu is delaying and delaying and adding new conditions (to the peace negotiations), while (the conflict) is linked also to the possibility or the threat and the danger of a regional war. This is where it intersects with the American interest: the implications of a regional war for American interests. So the discussion should also be what is good for America.

“I think the United States is crucial (to the process). What I don’t like, sometimes, when it comes to this discussion with Europeans, whenever I have a discussion (about the conflict) with officials from the European Union they say it’s only the Americans (who have the power to end the conflict). I think the EU can play a part. I think the (Arab) region can play a very important part.

“So just to look and say there is only one peace broker … that’s not right. Especially when one side doesn’t really trust this peace broker. So, I think we need a coalition of peace brokers.”

Mekelberg said a key factor that continues to fuel the conflict is Netanyahu’s partnership with far-right parties within his coalition government.

Netanyahu was indicted on Nov. 21, 2019, on charges of breach of trust, accepting bribes and fraud. A trial began in Israel on May 24, 2020, but has yet to conclude, Mekelberg said, because of the efforts by Netanyahu’s right-wing government to undermine judicial and legal processes in Israel.

“They say that every country gets the leader it deserves; I think in the case of the Israeli government, the punishment is way bigger than the sin,” he added.

“So I think Israel deserves better leadership. You know, the only conclusion I can reach is that Netanyahu is not interested in a peace-based, two-state solution — which for all the faults and all the misgivings that one might have about a two-state solution, it’s still the best alternative, the best option.”

Mekelberg believes part of Netanyahu’s approach to Hamas prior to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel last year, including the funneling of funding to the group, was to maintain “the divisions among Palestinians, between Fatah and Hamas, the West Bank and Gaza” with the aim of “derailing any hope of a two-state solution.” He added: “So if this is the solution that can bring peace, I don’t think Netanyahu is in any shape or form a supporter of it.
“At the end of the day, neither this government nor Netanyahu are friends of peace … it’s more a government that (seeks) the annexation of the West Bank, and some even talk about the occupation or reoccupation of Gaza and building settlements there.” Mekelberg said the opposition from Netanyahu and his government to a two-state solution plays into their own political interests, is fueling the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and preventing peace.

He repeated that a two-state solution remains the best option but other scenarios for peace that recognize the rights of both peoples should also be considered, including a confederation of some form.

“I think (we have seen) so many final nails in the coffin of the two-state solution … it’s full of final nails,” he said.

“Now, the facts on the ground — (including) the expansion of settlements, the settler population (of) more than 700,000 and the encircling of Jerusalem with settlements — have made (peace) more difficult.”

However, Mekelberg added, peace can come in many forms.

“One of the options is to look into confederation,” he added. “You have two states but because of the size of the territory, it doesn’t need hard borders; you need to think of an almost EU-style (model) where people can move from one side to the other freely. Look at Jerusalem as the capital of both but with no need for more walls. Actually, walls should come down.”
You can hear the full interview with Yossi Mekelberg on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 5 p.m Eastern Standard Time and on Monday, Sept. 2 on WNZK 690 AM radio in Michigan, or at ArabNews.com/RayRadioShow.


Russian attacks leave one million Ukrainians without power

Russian attacks leave one million Ukrainians without power
Updated 7 sec ago
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Russian attacks leave one million Ukrainians without power

Russian attacks leave one million Ukrainians without power
  • Ukraine is bracing for what could be its toughest winter of the almost three-year war

KYIV: More than a million Ukrainians were left without power in freezing cold temperatures on Thursday after a massive nationwide Russian missile and drone attack.

Ukraine is bracing for what could be its toughest winter of the almost three-year war as Moscow steps up its aerial bombardment of the war-torn country and its troops advance on the frontlines in the east.

“There are emergency blackouts all over the country due to the enemy’s attack on our energy sector. There is no end in sight,” said the CEO of the Yasno energy supplier Sergey Kovalenko.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff said Russia was “continuing their tactics of terror,” seeking to plunge Ukrainian civilians into darkness and cut of heating in the coldest months of the year.

“They stockpiled missiles for attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, for warfare against civilians during... winter,” Andriy Yermak said in a post on Telegram.

The combined missile and drone attack, launched in waves throughout the early hours of Thursday, knocked out electricity for more than a million subscribers in Ukraine’s west, hundreds of kilometers from the front lines.

“As of now, 523,000 subscribers in Lviv region are without electricity,” regional head Maksym Kozytskyi said on social media.

The western region, which borders EU and NATO member Poland, has been spared the worst of the fighting of Russia’s 33-month invasion but has been targeted in Russian drone and missile attacks sporadically.

Regional officials said at least another 280,000 were cut off in the western Rivne region and another 215,000 in the northwestern Volyn region, which also borders Poland.

The full extent of the damage was still being assessed on Thursday morning, with Russian drones also having targeted the capital Kviv, the northeastern city of Kharkiv and port city of Odesa on the Black Sea and other regions reporting power outages.

“Power engineers are working to ensure backup power supply schemes where possible. They have already started restoration work where the security situation allows,” the energy ministry said.

It said it was the 11th massive Russian attack on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure this year.

In an early morning warning posted on social media as the strikes were unfolding, Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko said facilities were “under massive enemy attack.”

The strikes, which came as temperatures hit 0 degrees Celsius in many Ukrainian cities, are the latest in two weeks of dramatic escalation in the near three-year war.

A senior UN official, Rosemary DiCarlo, this month warned Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure may make this winter the “harshest since the start of the war.”

Both sides have fired new weapons in an attempt to gain an upper hand ahead of Donald Trump being inaugurated as US president in January.

Russia earlier this week said it was preparing its own retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on its territory using US-supplied ATACMS missiles.

Kyiv has launched at least three attacks on Russian border regions with the missiles since the White House gave it permission to fire them on Russian territory.

Moscow responded to the first strike by firing a never-before-seen hypersonic ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro and Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the nuclear-capable missile could be used against Western countries next.

Trump on Wednesday named staunch loyalist and retired general Keith Kellogg as his Ukraine envoy, charged with ending the Russian invasion.

The incoming president has criticized US aid to Ukraine and boasted he could secure a ceasefire in hours — comments that have triggered concern in Kyiv that the US could push it to cede land.

Kellog, an 80-year-old national security veteran, co-authored a paper this year calling for Washington to leverage military aid as a means of pushing for peace talks.

Concerned at a string of Russian advances on the frontline, the outgoing Joe Biden administration has also urged Ukraine drop the minimum age of conscription from 25 to 18 to plug severe manpower shortages.

Russia’s defense ministry also said Thursday it had downed 25 Ukrainian drones fired overnight, including 14 over the southern Krasnodar territory — just to the east of the annexed Crimean peninsula.


China says top military official Miao Hua suspended, under investigation

China says top military official Miao Hua suspended, under investigation
Updated 28 November 2024
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China says top military official Miao Hua suspended, under investigation

China says top military official Miao Hua suspended, under investigation
  • Latest senior apparatchik to fall in a sweeping crackdown on graft in the country’s armed force
  • Unconfirmed reports say defense minister Dong Jun was also placed under investigation for corruption

BEIJING: China said Thursday that top military official Miao Hua had been removed from office and was suspected of “serious violations of discipline,” the latest senior apparatchik to fall in a sweeping crackdown on graft in the country’s armed forces.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party “has decided to suspend Miao Hua from duty pending investigation,” Wu Qian, spokesman of China’s Ministry of Defense, told a press briefing.
Wu did not provide further details about the charges against Admiral Miao, a member of Beijing’s powerful Central Military Commission.
But “serious violations of discipline” are commonly used by officials in China as a euphemism for corruption.
The announcement follows reports, unconfirmed by Beijing, that Defense Minister Dong Jun has been placed under investigation for corruption.
If confirmed, Dong would be the third Chinese defense minister in a row to be probed for graft.


India’s parliament suspended temporarily after row over allegations against Adani group

India’s parliament suspended temporarily after row over allegations against Adani group
Updated 28 November 2024
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India’s parliament suspended temporarily after row over allegations against Adani group

India’s parliament suspended temporarily after row over allegations against Adani group
  • The problem is that India’s states are unprepared for the rapid rise in renewable generating capacity, lack adequate transmission infrastructure and storage

NEW DELHI: Both houses of Indian parliament were suspended temporarily on Thursday within minutes of opening as opposition lawmakers disrupted proceedings for the third day this week seeking a discussion on allegations against the Adani Group.

US authorities have accused Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and managing director of Adani Green, Vneet S. Jaain, of being part of a scheme to pay bribes of $265 million to secure Indian solar power supply contracts, and misleading US investors during fund raises there.

“We want a discussion on this in parliament. It is going to be the third day that we are demanding a reply from the prime minister” on the Adani issue, Manickam Tagore, a lawmaker from the main opposition Congress party, which has been leading the protests against the business group, told news agency ANI.

Many of India’s opposition parties accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of favoring Adani and blocking investigations against him in India, accusations both have denied.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has been a vocal critic of Adani, said Gautam Adani, 62, should be arrested.

While the government has not made any comment on the indictment, Modi’s BJP has said it had no reason to defend Adani, adding that the party was not against industrialists and considered them partners in nation-building efforts.

“Let him defend himself,” BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal said on Tuesday, adding that the law would take its course.


Landslides in Indonesia’s Sumatra kill at least 27, rescuers search for missing

Landslides in Indonesia’s Sumatra kill at least 27, rescuers search for missing
Updated 28 November 2024
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Landslides in Indonesia’s Sumatra kill at least 27, rescuers search for missing

Landslides in Indonesia’s Sumatra kill at least 27, rescuers search for missing
  • Torrential rain in the province since last week had caused flash floods and landslides in four different districts
  • Extreme weather is expected in Indonesia toward the end of 2024, as the La Nina phenomenon increases rainfalls across the tropical archipelago

JAKARTA: Indonesian rescuers are searching for passengers trapped in a minibus buried in mud after flash floods and landslides hit several locations in North Sumatra province, killing at least 27, an official said on Thursday.
Torrential rain in the province since last week had caused flash floods and landslides in four different districts, Indonesia’s disaster agency has said.
A landslide in a village in Deli Serdang on Wednesday killed seven and injured 20, Hadi Wahyudi, North Sumatra police spokesperson told Reuters.
Rescuers were looking for missing people, including those trapped in a minibus and other vehicles on a hilly interprovince road hit by a mudslide, he said, adding he could not give an estimate for the number of affected people.
In other places, rescuers have found 20 dead during a search that started over the weekend. They are still searching for two missing.
“Today, we’re focusing our search to find missing people and clearing the roads affected by the landslides,” said Hadi, adding excavators were deployed.
The landslides and flash floods damaged houses, mosques, and rice fields.
Heavy rains also triggered floods in the provincial capital of Medan, forcing a delay in votes for a regional election in some polling stations.
Extreme weather is expected in Indonesia toward the end of 2024, as the La Nina phenomenon increases rainfalls across the tropical archipelago, the country’s weather agency has warned.


The Australian Senate debates the world’s first social media ban for children under 16

The Australian Senate debates the world’s first social media ban for children under 16
Updated 28 November 2024
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The Australian Senate debates the world’s first social media ban for children under 16

The Australian Senate debates the world’s first social media ban for children under 16
  • The bill that would make social media platforms liable for fines of up to $33 million for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts

MELBOURNE: The Australian Senate was debating a ban on children younger than 16 years old from social media Thursday after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported the age restriction.
The bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts.
It is likely to be passed by the Senate on Thursday, the Parliament’s final session for the year and potentially the last before elections, which are due within months.
The major parties’ support for the ban all but guarantees the legislation will become law. But many child welfare and mental health advocates are concerned about unintended consequences.
Unaligned Sen. Jacqui Lambie complained about the limited amount of time the government gave the Senate to debate the age restriction, which she described as “undercooked.”
“I thought this was a good idea. A lot of people out there thought it was a good idea until we looked at the detail and, let’s be honest, there’s no detail,” Lambie told the Senate.
Opposition Sen. Maria Kovacic said the bill was not radical but necessary.
“The core focus of this legislation is simple: It demands that social media companies take reasonable steps to identify and remove underage users from their platforms,” Kovacic told the Senate.
“This is a responsibility these companies should have been fulfilling long ago, but for too long they have shirked these responsibilities in favor of profit,” she added.
Sen. David Shoebridge, from the minor Greens party, said mental health experts agreed that the ban could dangerously isolate many children who used social media to find support.
“This policy will hurt vulnerable young people the most, especially in regional communities and especially the LGBTQI community, by cutting them off,” Shoebridge told the Senate.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly carried the bill 102 votes to 13.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland urged senators to pass the bill which she said reflected the Australian community’s view.
“The ... government is on the side of supporting parents and protecting young people,” Rowland told the House.
Once the legislation becomes law, the platforms would have one year to work out how they could implement the ban before penalties are enforced.
The platforms complained that the law would be unworkable, and urged the Senate to delay the vote until at least June next year when a government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies made its report on how young children could be excluded.
Critics argue the government is attempting to convince parents it is protecting their children ahead of general elections due by May. The government hopes that voters will reward it for responding to parents’ concerns about their children’s addiction to social media. Some argue the legislation could cause more harm than it prevents.
Criticisms include that the legislation was rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, is ineffective, poses privacy risks for all users, and undermines parental authority to make decisions for their children.
Opponents of the bill also argue the ban would isolate children, deprive them of the positive aspects of social media, drive them to the dark web, discourage children too young for social media to report harm and reduce incentives for platforms to improve online safety.