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Hamas; Designation of Haniyeh as” terrorist” will not affect struggle
Hamas to continue defending its people and land
In less than two months after announcing Jerusalem as Israeli capital, US administration has entered into another adventure in supporting Israel in the Middle East. US State Department’s Wednesday move to place Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the most popular Palestinian leader on its global “terror list” faced strong reaction.
Hamas, the Palestinian resistance group immediately rejected US move calling it a “dangerous development” in “violation of international law, giving the Palestinian people a right to defend themselves against [Israeli] occupation, and to choose their leaders.”
The Hamas statement said, “This will not deter us from carrying out our duties towards our people and defending them, and liberating our lands and holy sites”.
It further said, “This decision demonstrates the full American bias in favour of the Israeli occupation, and provides an official cover for Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people.”
Hamas, the Palestinian political resistance movement which governs Gaza Strip, also called on the US administration to “reverse” this decision and to stop its “hostile policies.
Earlier in the day, US designated Ismail Haniya, as a “global terrorist”, saying he “has close links with Hamas’ military wing” and has been a proponent of armed struggle, including against civilians.”
The US administration accused Hamas of being involved in attacks that resulted in the killing of 17 Americans since the group’s founding in 1987.
Placing Haniyeh on the “terror list” means that there will be a travel ban on him, his property in US, if any, will be frozen. Any US citizen of company will not able to undertake any business activity with him.
Ismail Haniyeh became first elected Prime Minister in Palestinian National Authority in 2006 and remained in office till June 2, 2014. However, his government was not recognised by US, Israel and their allies.
President Mahmoud Abbas, the head of Fatah group who leads his government in West Bank and considered to be a close US ally until US President Donald Trump announced to accept Jerusalem as Israel capital, dismissed Haniyeh in June 2007.
But Hamas did not acknowledge Abbas’ decree and continued to exercise prime ministerial authority in Gaza strip till June 2014. Haniyeh was elected as Chairman of Hamas Political Bureau in May 2017.
Iran, leading the anti-US/Israel political moves in the region, supports Hamas in its fight against Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Tehran also supports Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, who fought 2006, 31 day war against Israel. The group succeeded in forcing Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon in year 2000.
During last few years Saudi Arabia tried to create distance between Hamas and Iranian government by moving its office to Doha, Qatari capital. However, recently Ismail Haniyeh has written a letter to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khemenei for thanking his support.
Observers believe the designation of Ismail Haniyeh as “terrorist” raises the possibility of the US placing Haniya on trial. A Washington based journalist working for Aljazeera said, “This possibly makes it easier for the US Justice Department to try to bring him to trial for his alleged role in the deaths of these 17 Americans”.
In the State Department press release, the US also designated three other armed groups as being “terrorist groups”: Harakat al-Sabireen – a Gaza-based armed group, as well as two Egypt-based groups – Liwaa al-Thawra, and Harakat Sawa’d Misr.
A senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad told that the US’ decision is part of a wider campaign against Palestinians since President Donald Trump came into office.
“It is obvious that this animosity from the US administration towards the Palestinians is unprecedented – with its unconditional support of Israel and its decision surrounding Jerusalem, and cutting its funding to the UN refugee agency [UNRWA],” said Hamad.
He further said, “I think Donald Trump is mentally ill. Since he became president … the US administration has been trying to impose its misguided policies on the Middle East.”
The Palestinian official said that Haniyeh a is an “icon of resistance” and that is “something he and we are all proud of”.
Trump has made a series of decisions in recent months that have increased tensions in the region.
On December 6, US President Donald Trump had formally recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and asked Department of state to start process of moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The move unleashed protests across the occupied Palestinian territories and in major cities around the world. Turkey had hosted OIC summit against Trump’s Jerusalem and several other conferences in different capitals had condemned Trump’s move.
On December 13, Palestinian resident Mehmoud Abbas had formally declared that Palestinians will no longer accept the US as mediator in the Middle East peace process.
Continuing its tough moves, on January 17, the US government decided to cut more than half of its planned funding to the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees supporting more than five million registered Palestinian refugees for over 70 years.
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Google celebrates its 25th birthday with a special doodle
Birthdays can also serve as an opportunity for reflection, even though we at Google are always looking to the future.
The world’s largest search engine, Google, is marking its 25th birthday today with a unique doodle. Although Google Inc. was founded on September 4, the firm has been commemorating its birthday on September 27 for more than ten years.
In order to commemorate this unique event, the organisation today took a walk down memory lane and displayed several doodles. The GIF accompanying today’s Google Doodle changes Google into G25gle. The IT company claimed that it was utilising today as a time to reflect while remaining focused on the future.
Google said in a blog post, the Doodle for today honours Google’s 25th anniversary. Birthdays can also serve as an opportunity for reflection, even though we at Google are always looking to the future. Take a trip down memory lane to discover how we were created 25 years ago.
Sergey Brin and Larry Page, two PhD students at Stanford University studying computer science in the late 1990s, developed Google. The two quickly discovered that they had similar goals for the World Wide Web, including making it more user-friendly. According to its blog, the duo put in a lot of effort from their dorm rooms to create a prototype for a better search engine.
They transferred the operation to Google’s first workplace, a rented garage, as they made significant headway on the project. The formal founding date of Google Inc. is September 27, 1998, it stated.
The company further said that although a lot has changed since 1998, its goal has not changed, to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Google said in a statement that it was grateful to users for evolving with us over the past 25 years and added, we can’t wait to see where the future takes us, together.
Google’s current CEO Sundar Pichai wrote a letter to commemorate the company’s birthday last month. He reflected on the company’s history, its contribution to the transformation of technology, and the way ahead. He expressed his appreciation for the customers, staff members, and collaborators who contributed to Google’s success. He also expressed gratitude for the commitment of both former and current Google employees as well as the ongoing challenge to innovate.
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Hardeep Nijjar killing row: Canada’s defence minister says ties with India important
The Defence Minister further mentioned that if the allegations are proven true, there is a very significant concern that Canada will have with respect to the violation of our sovereignty.
Canada’s defence minister Bill Blair said that his country’s ties with India are important. HIs statement amidst a diplomatic standoff between both the countries. However, he also added that his country wants a thorough investigation into the allegation.
The escalating tensions between both the countries began after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asserted that his country’s security agencies were investigating a link between the Indian government and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Defence Minister Bill Blair noted that they understand this can be, and has proven to be, a challenging issue with respect to their relationship with India. However, at the same time, they have the responsibility to make sure that they carry out a thorough investigation and get to the truth, he added.
The Defence Minister further mentioned that if the allegations are proven true, there is a very significant concern that Canada will have with respect to the violation of our sovereignty. On the other hand, India rejected the allegation as absurd and motivated.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs remarked that Canada has shared no specific information regarding its charges, flagging politically condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in that country. Furthermore, the foreign ministry has advised its nationals in Canada and those contemplating travelling there to exercise utmost caution.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also claimed that such credible allegations were shared with India weeks ago. He added that they want to work constructively with India and hope that New Delhi engages with them so that they can get to the bottom of this very serious matter.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said that Washington is deeply concerned about the allegations and that they want to see accountability in the case.
Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Canada’s British Columbia in June. He was chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force and reportedly one of India’s most wanted terrorists.
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National Daughters Day 2023: History, significance, theme and wishes
The purpose of National Daughter’s Day is to serve as a reminder that girls should be given equal chances, including access to education, practical life skills, and sports participation, among others.
In India, Daughter’s Day is observed on the final Sunday in September, which falls on September 24, 2023. India is the only big nation with a higher mortality rate for females than boys, according to UNICEF.
At birth, there are 900 females for every 1000 boys in the nation. In the world, boys are 7% more likely than girls to die before the age of five. In India, though, the figures are dismal, with 11% more girls dying before turning five.
Given these troubling numbers, it is crucial to invest in the wellbeing of girls in order to empower them. The purpose of National Daughter’s Day is to serve as a reminder that girls should be given equal chances, including access to education, practical life skills, and sports participation, among others.
The first National Daughters Day was observed in India in 2007, which is where the holiday’s origins can be found. Daughters have frequently been overlooked in a society where males have long been regarded with awe. The noble goal of this day is to inspire parents to show their admiration for their daughters.
In certain cultures, having daughters has been seen as more of a burden than a blessing. With the goal of reversing this perception, National Daughter’s Day exhorts parents to acknowledge the extraordinary gift that their daughters are.
The significance of National Daughters Day can be found in our ever-changing society. It’s a day set aside to gleefully acknowledge the daughters in our lives. Falling on a Sunday presents a chance for parents and daughters to spend quality time together, cherish one another, and have intimate life-related dialogues. It’s a day for giving, caring, and fostering the cherished relationship between mothers and daughters.
Wishes
- Daughters are special and highly valued, which demonstrates that they were sent from heaven above
- Daughters are special; once we have them, we can never live without them. Happy Daughters’ Day!
- Daughters are the pride of their parents’ hearts; from birth, they are beautiful
- My darling daughter, my baby you will always be, no matter where you are. You are a little part of me, whether near or far. Happy Daughters’ Day!
- Daughters will soon be married and grown, then they may start a family of their own
