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Palestinians to US: Don’t shut our mission, will cease all links with Washington

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Palestinians to US: Don’t shut our mission, will cease all links with Washington

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Saudis working to implement Israel-US plan in Palestine

Palestinian officials have threatened to cease all communications with Trump administration if it closes down their diplomatic mission in Washington. The mission known as General Delegation of People’s Liberation of Palestine to the US is situated some 5 km from the White House.

Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Saturday, “We will put on hold all our communications with this American administration.” He added that the decision was “very unfortunate and unacceptable,” and accused Washington of giving in to Israeli pressure.

He further noted that “we are trying to cooperate to achieve the ultimate deal.”

The Palestinian reaction came after US State Department threatened to close the Palestinians’ diplomatic office in Washington unless they enter into direct, meaningful negotiations with Israel.

According to AFP, the Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Al Malki said that US State Department had sent a letter to Palestinian Authority two days ago saying that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had not found enough reasons to keep the office open.

He was quoted saying, “This has not happened in the past, and we have demanded clarifications from the State Department and the White House. They told us that there would be a meeting of senior legal experts on Monday. Then they would give a clear answer.” He also also said that they “will not accept any extortion or pressure.”

The Palestinian threat came on the day when Lebanese PM Saad Hariri has arrived in Paris from Saudi Arabia.

The issue of Israel’s expanding illegal settlements on Palestinian land is considered to be the most vexed issues of the region. Israel does not heed to UN resolutions asking to halt further expansion of  its illegal settlements.

US President Donald Trump has recently said that he wants to work towards “the toughest deal of all” for resolving the Israel-Palestine issue in the Middle East.

While addressing UN General Assembly in September, Donald Trump said, “I think we have a pretty good shot – maybe the best shot ever – and that’s what we’re looking to do. I certainly will devote everything within my heart and within my soul to get that deal made.”

There are reports of renewed Saudi Arabian pressure on Palestinian President Mehmoud Abbas to accept the American formula. Abbas was suddenly summoned to Ryadh in the first week of November, around the same time when Lebanese PM Saad Hariri was asked to reach Riyadh.

Mehmoud Abbas obeyed the instruction and travelled to Saudi Arabia having a stopover in Cairo to meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi. Palestinian President met with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh.

According to November 6 report published by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, “The visit was not planned but after being in touch yesterday, it was decided that Abbas would make a quick visit to Saudi Arabia.”

The daily had articulated that “Saudis are also likely to raise the issue of Iran’s involvement with Palestinians, particularly in light of senior Hamas officials’ recent trip to Iran and after Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah cited a united front between Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.”

The Palestinians are under pressure to start direct and meaningful talks with Israel. Washington says that Trump administration has 90 days to determine if Palestinians are in “direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel.” If so, the mission will be reopened.

Hanan Ashrawi, the member of PLO executive committee has said that the US was “disqualifying itself as a peace broker in the region” with its refusal to extend the law.

“Conditioning the renewal of the waiver on the Palestinians’ sticking to ‘direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel’ is actually superfluous since negotiations are nonexistent, and the current US administration has yet to present any kind of peace initiative,” she said.

According to a State Department official, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has crossed the line in September when he called for an International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate and prosecute Israeli crimes.

mehmoud-abbas

While speaking at UNGA in September, Palestinian President Mehmoud Abbas had called for the ICC to “open an investigation and to prosecute Israeli officials for their involvement in settlement activities and aggressions against our people.”

Less than a month ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration in January this year, the UN Security Council had adopted a resolution calling on Tel Aviv to “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem”.

More than six lakh Israelis live in 230 illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. These settlements have been built after 1967.

Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

In 2014, the last round of Israeli-Palestinian talks was collapsed because of the major sticking points about the Israel’s continued settlement expansion.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump: Voting begins in United States

Over 82 million Americans have opted for early voting to cast their ballots for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.

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Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump: Voting begins in United States

The Voting for the 2024 US presidential election has begun in the eastern time zone in America. Following months of intense campaigning by Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her Republican challenger Donald Trump, Americans will vote to choose their next president.

Reportedly, the first ballots were cast in the minutes after midnight (US time) in a tiny New Hampshire township along the US-Canada border. Over 82 million Americans have opted for early voting to cast their ballots for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Several pollsters have predicted a neck-and-neck contest, which brings the focus on the swing states to decide the fate of the presidential election.

Notably, in the United States, most states have a very clear preference for either the Republican or Democratic candidate. With this, only seven key swing states namely Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina will decide the result. Winning the majority of these aforesaid swing states is often essential for candidates aiming to secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

In this election, Pennsylvania has emerged as the biggest prize between the two candidates. With the most electoral votes (19) than any other battleground state, Pennsylvania could possibly determine whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris clinches the White House.

On the last day of campaigning, Republican nominee Trump and Democratic nominee Harris criss-crossed key battleground states and delivered closing remarks. Former President Donald Trump, who is seeking a return to power, held rallies in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan while Vice President Kamala Harris addressed supporters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.

Earlier in 2016, Donald Trump managed to make inroads in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the three Great Lakes states that make up the blue wall or a Democratic stronghold. Nonetheless, in the 2020 US Election, US President Joe Biden wrested the states back to the Democratic camp.

Notably, to win the presidency, a candidate needs a majority of electoral votes of 270 out of 538.

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Latest world news

Amid India-Canada diplomatic tensions, Justin Trudeau shares video of his Diwali celebrations

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

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Amid the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday shared a video of his Diwali celebration on social media platform X.

Sharing a 44-second video of his Diwali celebrations on social media, the Canadian Prime Minister wrote, “Happy Diwali! So many special moments shared celebrating with the community this week.”

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday, while addressing the media over Canada’s serious allegation against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar, said it was unfortunate that the prevailing atmosphere in Canada has reached high levels of intolerance and extremism.

In the video, Prime Minister Trudeau showed off some colorful religious threads on his wrists, explaining that he received them during visits to three Hindu temples in Canada recently. He called them symbols of “good luck” and “protection,” adding with a smile, “I’m not taking them off until they fall off”.

Trudeau was also seen interacting warmly with the community, celebrating the festival, and enjoying delicious Indian sweets like jalebis, which he jokingly said he would “save for the team.”

On November 1, Trudeau posted on X, “Happy Diwali! Today, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain families will celebrate the triumph of light over darkness with festivities, candles, diyas, and fireworks. Wishing you all joy and prosperity during this special time.”

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Jaiswal said India condemns the recent allegations made by the Canadian government against Shah that he was purportedly involved in the killing of Nijjar and called it “absurd and baseless”.

Jaiswal also said that India had summoned the Canadian High Commissioner on Friday to protest in the strongest terms for the references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison.

On Tuesday, Morrison claimed that Shah orchestrated a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering aimed at Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. He informed members of Canada’s national security committee in Parliament that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which was the first to report the allegations. However, Morrison did not provide details on how Canada became aware of Shah’s alleged involvement.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

The Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

In a significant development, India and China have completed the disengagement exercise in the Depsang and Demchok friction points at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The troops of both the countries are now verifying the vacation of positions and removal of infrastructure.

Reportedly, the Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks. The two sides will exchange sweets for Diwali tomorrow.

Earlier, Foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced that New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement to disengage in the remaining friction points at LAC in eastern Ladakh. After the agreement, the two countries began troops disengagement at the two friction points at Demchok and Depsang plains on October 23.

India-China relations worsened because of the Chinese troops’ aggression along the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, in April 2020. It further deteriorated on June 15, 2020, after 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty thwarting the Chinese offensive in the Galwan Valley. New Delhi had said India’s bilateral relations with China will normalise only after the situation at the LAC returns to what it was before May 2020.

Reports said that the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have pulled back their forward-deployed troops and equipment from the two flashpoints, and have also dismantled temporary structures that had been built during the four-year-long standoff.

The Indian soldiers will resume their patrolling in areas that had been cut off because of the PLA’s presence. Nonetheless, the disengagement in Depsang and Demchok will not lead to the creation of buffer zones.

Both the countries had disengaged from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15) areas and created buffer zones. Speaking to a newspaper publication, Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations said that the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok will facilitate patrolling by both sides in a coordinated manner, and in the agreed upon frequency and strength of the patrolling parties.

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