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Tag: settlements

  • Israel PM Describes ‘Battle For Future Of Humanity’ During Singapore Visit

    Israel PM Describes ‘Battle For Future Of Humanity’ During Singapore Visit

    In the first visit to Singapore by an Israeli head of state in 30 years, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday issued a call for greater diversity and tolerance.

    Netanyahu gave a roughly 10-minute speech to Jewish community members gathered at the tightly guarded Maghain Aboth Synagogue, built in Singapore in the late 1800s.

    Netanyahu spoke of his recent visits to Muslim-majority countries Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, noting that he visited a synagogue in the latter.

    “Jewish children in Kazakhstan were singing Hebrew songs as they sang here, in a Muslim state and that reflects the kind of world we like to see: a world of tolerance, a world of diversity as opposed to the world that is being challenged today by the forces of barbarism and intolerance,” he said. “This is a battle for the future of humanity.”

    Netanyahu added that the relationship between Singapore and Israel had expanded beyond the defence ties which were set in the mid-1960s, when Singapore became independent of Malaysia.

    “It’s not only that we’re both innovation nations. It’s not only that we’re small people that have defied the limitations of our size. It is that we’re committed to a better world. A world of diversity, a world that follows the values that we as a people have held for so many years,” he said.

    Netanyahu said he had held talks with Singapore’s government earlier in the day and that the talks would continue later. His speech at the synagogue coincided with the reading of Singapore’s budget in Parliament.

    Netanyahu’s visit to Singapore comes hard on the heels of the Israeli prime minister’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the U.S. last week, but that visit went unmentioned.

    Netanyahu’s visit to Singapore on Monday was quieter than the last visit of an Israeli head of state to the island-nation.

    In 1986, Israel’s then-President Chaim Herzog became the first Israeli head of state to visit Singapore. But when the Israeli embassy in Singapore announced the visit about a month ahead of time, protests erupted across Muslim-majority countries Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, and Singapore faced diplomatic ire and pressure to cancel the visit.

     

    Source: www.cnbc.com

     

  • Muslims Must Capitalise On Economic Leverage To Condemn Israeli Oppression Against Palestine

    Muslims Must Capitalise On Economic Leverage To Condemn Israeli Oppression Against Palestine

    From time to time, as a community, we tend to react when we feel There’s injustice done to certain groups of people we feel are oppressed.

    These may include the Rohingyans, Palestinians, Syrians etc.

    We do this by for E.g. Making Facebook postings on the issue. We share articles and memes portraying the injustices. We also start online petitions.

    These help in creating awareness of the issue. And it is a positive thing that we at least show empathy for our fellow brethren in faith that’s going through severe hardship.

    Beyond awareness there is little, methinks, by way of impact.

    I think collectively we do have some leverage. Economic leverage. What we can do for e.g. Is to join the BDS movement worldwide. In a nutshell, the global movement encourages boycotting of Israeli goods by way of peaceful protest against the oppression of the Palestinian people.

    Next time we shop, take a little time looking at the product barcode. Do not purchase items worth the barcodes beginning with 729 and 871.

    No need for petitions or writing letters to embassies. These are generally ignored.

    Let our wallets do the protesting. God willing it could lead to significant changes. BDS has scored some significant victories along the way.

    Let’s join the movement.

    At least on Yaumul Qiyamah we can stand in front of Allah azzawajal and say ‘Oh Allah. I am very weak. I’m swimming in sin. I at least try to help
    My Palestinian brothers in this small way. Please forgive me.’

    Remember that Allah azzawajal is al Ghafoor and ar Raheem. May He look upon us with Mercy and may He accept our deeds n forgive us our shortcomings n transgressions.

    Wallahualam.

    ***

    Please read previous posting. Additionally there’s some companies here you may wish to consider not purchasing from.

     

    Source: Syed Danial

  • Benjamin Netanyahu ‘Told New Zealand Backing UN Vote Would Be Declaration Of War’

    Benjamin Netanyahu ‘Told New Zealand Backing UN Vote Would Be Declaration Of War’

    Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told New Zealand’s foreign minister that support for a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlement-building in the occupied territories would be viewed as a “declaration of war”.

    According to reports in Israeli media, the Israeli PM called Murray McCully, the foreign minister of New Zealand, before Friday’s resolution, which was co-sponsored by Wellington. Netanyahu told him: “This is a scandalous decision. I’m asking that you not support it and not promote it.

    “If you continue to promote this resolution, from our point of view it will be a declaration of war. It will rupture the relations and there will be consequences. We’ll recall our ambassador [from New Zealand] to Jerusalem.”

    McCully, however, refused to back down, telling Netanyahu: “This resolution conforms to our policy and we will move it forward.”

    A western diplomat confirmed that the call took place and described the conversation as “harsh”.

    The details of the call – disclosed in Haaretz – suggest a mounting sense of panic on the part of Netanyahu in the run-up to the UN security council resolution that passed on Friday demanding an end to settlement building.

    As well as the Netanyahu call, a senior official in Israel’s foreign ministry called New Zealand’s ambassador to Israel, Jonathan Curr, and warned that if the resolution came to a vote, Israel might close its embassy in Wellington in protest.

    Israel responded furiously to the vote, threatening diplomatic reprisals against the countries that voted in favour. Diplomatic ties with New Zealand were temporarily severed and ambassador Itzhak Gerberg was recalled.

    But in a sign that the international pressure may be being felt by the Netanyahu administration, scheduled plans to consider for approval 600 new settlement houses in occupied east Jerusalem were abruptly removed from the agenda of the city’s municipality on Wednesday.

    Netanyahu’s language and behaviour – which has resulted in ambassadors being reprimanded and consultations with foreign leaders, including the UK’s Theresa May, cancelled – has raised eyebrows among foreign diplomats, who point out that the UN resolution does no more than confirm the longstanding view of the international community on Jewish settlements.

    Later on Wednesday the US secretary of state, John Kerry, will make a speech outlining the parameters for how the Obama administration sees a settlement of the Middle East peace process.

    Kerry’s speech, less than a month before Barack Obama leaves office, is expected to be the current administration’s last word on a decades-old dispute that Kerry had hoped to resolve during his four years as America’s top diplomat.

    It could also be seen in Israel as another parting shot at Netanyahu, who has had an acrimonious relationship with Obama since they both took office in 2009. Israel’s public security minister, Gilad Erdan, told Israel Army Radio that the planned speech was a “pathetic move” and “anti-democratic”.

    The US on Friday broke with a longstanding approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and abstained on a United Nations security council resolution that passed with 14 countries in favour and none against.

    An Egyptian paper supportive of the country’s president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, reported what it said was a leaked memo allegedly confirming Israel’s allegations that the Obama administration and Palestinian officials had coordinated positions over the wording of the resolution to allow the US to abstain in the vote. The state department denied the report.

     

    Source: www.theguardian.com