Tag: Israel

New Zealand Defends UN Resolution Critical Of Israeli Settlements

WELLINGTON (AFP) – New Zealand said on Saturday (Dec 24) the United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements should have come as no surprise to the Jewish State, after Israel retaliated by recalling its ambassador to Wellington.

New Zealand co-sponsored the resolution which described the settlements in the occupied territories as a major stumbling block to Middle East peace efforts, as they are built on land the Palestinians consider part of their future state.

There was applause in the UN chamber when the first resolution by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in more than 38 years to condemn Israel over its settlement policy was passed 14-0, with the country’s key ally the United States abstaining.

Israel refused to recognise the resolution with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman Ofir Gendelman tweeting that their ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal, who co-sponsored the resolution, were to return to Israel immediately.

“These steps are taken against countries that have tabled the draft resolution to the UNSC and have diplomatic relations with Israel,” he said.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said the decision should have been no surprise to Israel which knew Wellington’s position long before the UN vote.

“Israel has informed us of their decision to recall their ambassador to New Zealand for consultations,” McCully told AFP in a statement.

“We have been very open about our view that the (Security Council) should be doing more to support the Middle East peace process and the position we adopted today is totally in line with our long established policy on the Palestinian question.

“The vote today should not come as a surprise to anyone and we look forward to continuing to engage constructively with all parties on this issue.”

The resolution demands that “Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.” It states that Israeli settlements have “no legal validity” and are “dangerously imperilling the viability of the two-state solution”.

Netanyahu’s office described the UN move as a “shameful anti-Israel resolution”.

Malaysia and Venezuela also sponsored the UN resolution but do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

New Zealand is one of 10 non-permanent members of the UNSC, whose two-year term ends this month.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

December 26, 2016
Palestine Sends Four Firefighting Teams To Help Israel Fight Wildfires

Israel has accepted an offer of help from the Palestinian authorities to tackle the wildfires that have engulfed large areas of central and northern parts of the country.

The crisis has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes as flames have swept into the country’s third largest city of Haifa.

Four Palestinian firefighting teams will join the effort to combat the fires.

A senior Israeli official told daily newspaper Haaretz that Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories will oversee the cooperation between the Palestinian and the Israeli fire crews.

Russia, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Croatia and Cyprus are all also helping fight the blaze, while America has agreed to send a Boeing 747 “Supertanker” firefighting plane.

Israel’s chief of police has blamed the fires on arson attacks, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said such an attack would be treated as terrorism.

Israeli police said on Friday they had arrested 12 people on suspicion of arson.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said a dozen people had been detained either while attempting to set fires or fleeing the area, but he provided no further details.

Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan said they were “minorities”, an allusion to either Arab Israeli citizens or Palestinians.

“The highest likelihood is that the motive is nationalistic,” Mr Erdan told Army Radio.

The flames, which have raged since Tuesday, have been fanned by strong winds during an exceptionally dry period.

Source: www.independent.co.uk

November 27, 2016
Ustaz Abd Al-Halim: Siapa Rakan Kita Menunjukkan Budi Pekerti Kita

AsSalaam’alaikum!

Kenapa ramai diantara Muslimin jijik dengan sesiapa yang bergambar dengan Netanyahu?

Kerana kita sering diajar oleh ulama kita serta ibu-bapa kita berhati-hati dengan siapa kita berkawan. Kita selalu di nasihatkan berhati-hati siapakah yang kita dampingi dan siapa kita jadikan kawan akrab. Benarlah kata-kata S. Ali r.a. – Jika kamu mahu tahu budi-pekerti seseorang itu, lihat lah kepada siapa dia berkawan.

Ulama dahulu sungguh berjaga-jaga elakkan diri daripada bersekongkol dengan orang-orang yang tidak elok budi-pekertinya malah mereka berhati-hati tidak mahu sedikit pun dikaitkan dengan sesiapa yang tidak baik lagi-lagi dengan mereka-mereka yang akhlaknya buruk atau tidak beradab. Wallahu’alam!

Source: Ustaz Abd Al-Halim

November 17, 2016
Singapore Committed To Support The Capacity-Building Efforts Of The Palestinian People

Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs, Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, who is currently on a working visit to the Palestinian Territories, met Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas and other PNA leaders on Monday (Nov 7).

During the meetings, Dr Maliki reiterated Singapore’s commitment to support the capacity-building efforts of the Palestinian people, said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) statement.

MFA added that as a follow-up to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit to Ramallah in April 2016, Singapore would appoint Mr Hawazi Daipi as the Republic’s non-resident Representative to the PNA to coordinate Singapore’s Enhanced Technical Assistance Package (ETAP) for the Palestinians.

“The PNA leaders welcomed the appointment,” the statement said.

During his visit to Ramallah, Mr Lee had announced a doubling of Singapore’s technical assistance package to the PNA from S$5 million to S$10 million.

The package covers study visits to Singapore, priority places in training courses on education, anti-corruption and economic development, and postgraduate scholarships.

Since 2013, Singapore has hosted six study visits under ETAP, including the most recent one last month by a delegation led by the PNA Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Sabri Saidam. TODAY understands that there has been an increase in study visit requests to Singapore as well as in technical training applications by Palestinian officials since Mr Lee’s visit in April.

Mr Hawazi Daipi, who was Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower and Education before leaving politics last year, will be resident in Singapore and make occasional visits to the Palestinian Territories.

The appointment is not a diplomatic one as Singapore does not recognise the state of Palestine. Other countries such as New Zealand and Japan have appointed similar representatives to PNA.

Dr Maliki is currently on a five-day visit to the Middle East. On Monday, he also met PNA Prime Minister Dr Rami Hamdallah, Foreign Affairs Ministers Dr Riyad Al-Maliki, Dr Saidam, and Minister of National Economy Abeer Odeh.

In the meetings, Dr Maliki also reiterated Singapore’s consistent position and longstanding support for the two-state solution with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security, said MFA.

“He expressed the hope that both sides would resume negotiations and make progress towards a just and durable solution.”

Dr Maliki will visit the Palestine Red Crescent Society Headquarters and meet the Mayor of Al Bireh Municipality Fawazi Abed Salim to convey a donation of books provided by the National Library Board to the Al Bireh Public Library on Tuesday, after which he will depart the Palestinian Territories for Jordan.

Source: TODAY Online

November 8, 2016
Palestinian Government Official Dined At Mamanda

Welcoming the Palestinian Government Official at Mamanda.

Thank you and we are honour to have you in Mamanda .

Source: Mamanda

November 3, 2016