Venezuela expresses firm commitment to joint reforestation of the Amazon region


ByJuan Martinez
July 11, 2023
THE RIO TIMES

The Venezuelan government, led by President Nicolás Maduro, has expressed its commitment to working with the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) to preserve the Amazon rainforest.

President Maduro emphasized the need for institutions from the eight ACTO member countries to unite and cooperate in protecting the region’s vegetation.

President Maduro called for comprehensive reforestation efforts across the entire Amazon rainforest, which faces significant challenges due to human activities.

He voiced concerns about certain Western powers trying to impose their guidelines on the Amazon, referring to it as “new Amazon colonialism.”

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Photo Internet reproduction.

During a televised conversation with his Environment Minister, Josué Lorca, President Maduro discussed a recent pre-summit in Colombia attended by the presidents of Colombia and Brazil.

The meeting focused on addressing Amazon-related issues and collaborative rescue efforts among the seven countries that form the Amazon biome.

Venezuela advocated for revitalizing ACTO and reaffirmed its commitment to cooperation in science, technology, public policies, and joint actions, guided by regional experts and universities.

Minister Lorca highlighted that ACTO, in its 45-year history, has only convened its member countries’ presidents three times.

However, plans are underway for a summit of presidents in August, which would be the fourth gathering.

He emphasized that all participating nations within ACTO are fully prepared to cooperate and share expertise to protect the Amazon, often referred to as the world’s “vegetable lung.”

They prioritize respecting national sovereignty and ensuring the preservation of this vital ecosystem.

ACTO consists of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Together, these nations aim to collaborate in promoting sustainable practices and safeguarding the Amazon’s rich biodiversity.

Venezuela begins to collect evidence with a view to an international trial against the U.S.


By Lachlan Williams
July 11, 2023

The Venezuelan National Assembly has established a commission to review statements by former U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration officials.

The commission aims to document instances of perceived U.S. aggression towards Venezuela, potentially leading to international legal action against the U.S.

The commission was initially formed in response to Trump’s publicized intent to seize Venezuelan oil and has since expanded its scope to investigate alleged U.S. plans to commit crimes against humanity targeting Venezuelans.

The commission will consider previous statements by high-ranking U.S. officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Security Advisor John Bolton, and Senator Marco Rubio, who publicly acknowledged considering military intervention in Venezuela

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The Venezuelan National Assembly. (Photo Internet reproduction)

The commission will function for a period of 30 days, extendable if necessary. At the end of its mandate, the commission will present a detailed report to the assembly members.

The ultimate goal is to compile a comprehensive account of perceived U.S. international law and conventions violations, potentially leading to a case before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The actions under scrutiny include potential territorial threats and the impact of unilateral sanctions imposed by the U.S., which have resulted in significant economic losses for Venezuela.

According to some estimates, these measures led to a loss of US$240 billion for the Venezuelan oil sector between 2013 and 2020 and overall economic losses nearing US$620 billion.

The commission believes these sanctions have had severe consequences for both supporters and opponents of the current Venezuelan government.

Some Venezuelans, initially sympathetic to the opposition, have reportedly shifted their stance, acknowledging the negative effects of the sanctions on all citizens.

ESG Debate Finds a Few US Politicians Open to Frank Discussions

Saijel Kishan
Tue, July 11, 2023 




(Bloomberg) -- In the span of just a year, the acronym ESG has been catapulted from the fringes of Wall Street to the center of US political discord.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox was among the first Republican politicians to attack the investing strategy. He’s backed efforts by GOP officials, including his Florida counterpart Ron DeSantis, who has lambasted ESG as he vies for the White House. Cox also picked a state treasurer who recently referred to ESG as part of “Satan’s plan.”

But in an interview Saturday after an event in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that focused on ways to depolarize US politics, Cox struck a more conciliatory tone. While he remains opposed to environmental, social and governance financing principles, Cox said he’s spoken with groups in Utah interested in ESG topics such as solar energy and encouraged them to take their issues to the legislature where they can be debated and worked on outside of the finance industry.

“We can either get a change of heart from politicians who are exploiting ESG or citizens can insist on finding better politicians who are willing to listen to each other and strive to work together,” Cox said after his speech at the Gettysburg event organized by a group called Braver Angels and attended by supporters of Donald Trump and backers of the Black Lives Matters movement.

ESG investing has been swept into the nation’s culture wars by GOP officials, and congressional Republicans are planning a series of hearings this month that focus on the investing strategy. Cox’s comments come as a few others, mainly on the left, try to defuse the rhetoric over ESG.

Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak, a Democrat who said he’s worked under a GOP governor and that his father is a Republican, encouraged attendees at a conference in Boston last month to break partisan divides through their relationships and conversations. “It’s important to break through the political walls,” he said at the event.

Pieciak said in an interview that he’s succeeded in convincing his father that ESG isn’t as nefarious as the way TV anchors at Fox News describe it.

“He’s more neutral about ESG now,” Pieciak said of his dad. “At the end of the day, we need to keep a more open mind and understand other people’s circumstances and motives and appreciate their viewpoints.”

At an ESG event in New York last month, Paul O’Brien, a trustee and member of the Republican-controlled state of Wyoming’s retirement system, concurred. He made clear, however, that his comments represent his personal views rather than those of the pension fund.

“Those of us out here in red states tend to stay in our bubbles, and I suspect some of you out there in blue-state America stay in your bubbles as well,” O’Brien said. “I would encourage you to come out here and talk to people and get a complete view.”

After the event, he said the anti-ESG backlash has in fact been a good thing because it will lead to more constructive debates. He said ESG proponents need to be more cognizant of how the switch to cleaner energy will impact local economies that have traditionally relied on fossil fuels.

“When you make a simple net zero statement, it doesn’t sound very good to the people that are producing fossil fuels because it looks like they’re being zeroed out,” he said.

Since the ESG criticisms started brewing last year, former Harvard University professor Bob Eccles, a Democrat, has been meeting with Republicans to better explain what the investing strategy is. At the Boston conference, he urged the overwhelmingly Democrat audience to reach across the political aisle.

“Start making friends with Republicans,” said Eccles, who’s now a visiting professor at Oxford University’s Said Business School.

After the event, Eccles said many Republicans, including politicians, executives and non-governmental organizations, recognize the severity of climate change and have different strategies and policies to address it.

“Liberals need to recognize this and accept the fact that they don’t necessarily have all the right answers,” Eccles said. “They need to start talking to conservatives with an open mind.”

Republicans have attacked ESG, saying it’s a way to channel money for liberal goals such as addressing climate change and workforce diversity. They’ve started probes of Wall Street’s ESG practices and introduced anti-ESG bills in their states.

Cox said many conversations about ESG are happening in Utah and they’ve resulted in anti-ESG laws being passed that were dramatically different to what was originally proposed. He said the changes helped make room for productive discussions.

“These individual ESG issues deserve to have their day in each legislative body to be debated and then to come to a conclusion,” Cox said.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

AFGHANISTAN

Experts: Taliban treatment of women may be   IS “gender apartheid”

11 July 2023


Related


Gender equality and women rights


Afghanistan | OHCHR


The Taliban in Afghanistan have systematically restricted the human rights of women and girls and suffocated all aspects of their lives, UN experts said, adding such treatment could amount to "gender apartheid."

In a joint report to UN Human Rights Council, Richard Bennett, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, and Dorothy Estrada-Tanck, Chair of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, said the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan was the worst globally.

“Women and girls in Afghanistan are experiencing severe discrimination that may amount to gender persecution – a crime against humanity – and be characterised as gender apartheid, as the de facto authorities appear to be governing by systemic discrimination with the intention to subject women and girls to total domination,” Bennett said.

“While the backlash against women’s and girls’ rights has unfolded in different countries and regions in recent years, nowhere else in the world has there been an attack as widespread, systematic and all-encompassing on the rights of women and girls as in Afghanistan,” Estrada-Tanck said.

Edicts issued by the Taliban since they took control of the country in August 2021 have imposed widespread restrictions on the rights of women and girls, including their freedom of movement, attire and behaviour, access to education, work, health and justice, the experts said. Restrictions have also dramatically affected the participation of women and girls in political, public, economic and sociocultural life, and led to a significant increase in spousal and intrafamily violence against women and girls.
“We are alive, but not living”

The report, which highlights the resilience and strength of Afghan women in the face of extremely repressive conditions, includes brief descriptions of daily life by women, who told the experts how “day by day, the walls close in.” Following a ban on education for girls, female university students described their situation as: “I am a prisoner of my gender,” and “We have no future.”

Experts also heard testimonies from women seeking a divorce, but who were admonished by a judge with remarks such as: “Your hand is not broken, your leg is not broken, why do you want a divorce?”. Women who reported domestic violence to the police were told they “should not complain”, or that they probably “deserved being beaten,” according to the report.

The experts travelled to Afghanistan from 27 April to 4 May and visited Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif. They met with Afghan women and men in a variety of sectors, including civil society, entrepreneurs, religious leaders, teachers, journalists, UN agencies, the diplomatic community, international NGOs and de facto officials.
Gender persecution

In the report, the experts say they were deeply concerned that gender persecution is occurring in Afghanistan under the rule of the de facto authorities. Gender persecution constitutes a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute, the report notes.

The report also highlights that a ban on female education makes Afghanistan “the only country in the world” where girls and young women are forbidden from attending secondary school and higher education institutions.

“The blatant violations to the fundamental right to have access to quality education will have lifelong consequences regarding not only employment opportunities but also access to basic services such as health care,” it states.

The report also points out how women in Afghanistan today are prohibited from working outside the home in most sectors, from leaving their home without a male relative, or maharam, from accessing public baths, parks, and gyms, and moving freely around the country.

This suffocating environment is having an impact on the mental health of women and girls, with widespread reports of depression and suicide especially among adolescent girls prevented from pursuing education, the report notes.
No legal protection

Restrictions on women and girls were also limiting their access to routine and emergency health care, with dire consequences for their health and sexual and reproductive rights, while adding more pressure on a health system already strained by poverty and years of war.

“As girls and women can be provided care only by female doctors, unless the restrictions are reversed rapidly, there is a real risk of multiple preventable deaths, which could amount to femicide,” the report states.

The UN experts said they were deeply concerned by an absence of legal protections for women and girls, the systematic enforcement of discrimination and the normalisation of gender-based violence, including gender-related killings, forced and child marriage, sale of children and body organs, child labour, trafficking and unsafe migration.

The lack of a clear and predictable legal system in Afghanistan contributes to the perpetuation of violence against women and an absence of accountability for perpetrators, the report notes. Women have no access to women legal professionals. Some women lawyers continue to provide legal services from their homes but are prohibited from entering courtrooms in most locations.

“Far from ‘protecting’ women and girls as they claim, they perpetuate the most extreme forms of gender-based discrimination and generalized censorship through restrictive edicts targeting women and girls, the abolition of legal protections and accountability mechanisms for gender-based violence, and the ongoing denial of rights,” the report says.

The report calls on the de facto authorities to respect and restore women’s and girls’ human rights, and urged the international community to remain engaged on the situation in Afghanistan and take concrete steps to support accountability for serious human rights violations.

AOC blocks funding for U.S. military intervention in Peru

July 11, 2023 

BY W. T. WHITNEY JR.
PEOPLES WORLS

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is proposing a halt to Defense Department funding over intervention in Peru. | AP

According to a report appearing July 8 on a Peruvian website—and apparently not yet in any English-language internet news source—e Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act requiring that, until conditions are met, a hold be put on Defense Department funding for its activities in Peru during fiscal year 2024.

Ocasio-Cortez introduced her amendment on June 29; the House Rules Committee will take it up on July 11.

As long as any suspension of funding remains, the U.S. military would not be permitted to “provide, authorize, or assist in any way in the transfer of defense articles, defense services, crowd-control supplies, or any other supplies, to [Peru’s] Government, or to coordinate joint exercises with the military or police forces of [Peru’s] Government.”

Ocasio-Cortez introduced her amendment six weeks after additional U.S. troops with weapons began to arrive in Peru. That was two months after Peru’s military and police reached a crescendo of violence marking repressive actions for weeks against mostly Indigenous peoples. They were demanding elections, a new constitution, and the removal of President Dina Boluarte.

The protests were in response to the parliamentary coup that deposed President Pedro Castillo on Dec. 7, replacing him with Boluarte, vice president at the time. Castillo remains in prison.

Elected in July 2021 on the strength of rural and Indigenous votes, the inexperienced and often isolated Castillo tried to bring about progressive change. Opposing him was a well-entrenched oligarchy accustomed to holding political power and benefiting from foreign investments in Peru’s plentiful natural resources.

Ocasio-Cortez’s amendment calls for no funding until “the Secretary of Defense submits to the appropriate congressional committees the certification…that each of the following criteria has been met.” These include free elections in Peru, no repression of “peaceful protesters and indigenous communities,” investigation of “the killings of protesters in Peru on Dec. 14, 2022,” prosecution of those responsible, the return of free speech, respect for civil liberties, and more.

The ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ are the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees of the House and the same two committees in the Senate.

Peru’s Congress on May 19 authorized the entry of U.S. troops who will undertake “training activities” throughout the country and stay until Dec. 31, 2023. On May 26, Peru’s Congress approved additional authorization for 1,172 U.S. troops, who will be collaborating with Peruvian counterparts in an exercise called “Resolute Sentinel 2023” that will end on Aug. 29.

Legislation is on the books: the particular Leahy Law that applies to the Defense Department “requires that [funds appropriated to the Defense Department] may not be used for any training, equipment, or other assistance for a foreign security force unit if the Secretary of Defense has credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights.”

With 19 other congresspersons, Ocasio-Cortez signed a letter to President Joe Biden on Jan. 30 expressing “alarm regarding the human rights violations committed by Peruvian state security forces.” The letter called upon the Biden administration to halt “security assistance funding from the United States” to Peru until this “pattern of repression has ended.”

That Ocasio-Cortez signed this letter and introduced her amendment suggests an attitude on her part that is unusual among her progressive congressional colleagues and even among her progressively-inclined fellow citizens. She is apparently one of the relatively few in both categories who take upon themselves the obligation to stand up against U.S. interventions abroad serving the high and mighty.

The time required for mobilizing support for Ocasio-Cortez’s amendment before it was presented to the Rules Committee was entirely lacking. The appearance on that account has been one of low expectations and of hopes for the future, maybe.

The consciousness-raising effect of the effort is important. But the evident lack of supporters mobilized on behalf of the amendment has meaning, too. Clearly, there’s much work ahead for the anti-imperialist cause in the United States, and recruits are badly needed.

As resistance in Iran continues, the regime strikes back

 

As resistance in Iran continues, the regime strikes back 

The shift in Iran's relationship with the West fuels repression

Written byHamid Yazdan Panah

Posted 11 July 2023 

Photo by Sima Ghaffarzadeh via Pexels free images. Fair use

It has been over nine months since Iran was rocked by protests, now known as the Women, Life, Freedom Revolution. Although the protest movement diminished over the last six months, Iranians in the country and across the diaspora remain locked in a political struggle for the future of Iran.

Despite appearing on the brink of collapse, the regime has in recent weeks lashed out at activists and dissidents inside and outside the country, in a desperate attempt to ensure its survival.

Iran intensifies crackdown on dissent

The regime in Tehran has launched a fresh wave of repression against Kurds in Iran, reportedly targeting members of the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) in the Kurdistan province of Western Iran. These attacks, as reported by the Kurdistan Human Rights network, occurred following military exercises conducted by the Iranian regime in the region. Many perceive these exercises as a show of power and intimidation.

The Kurdish region in Iran served as the epicenter of protests that sparked a nationwide movement last fall. It continues to play a pivotal role in opposition activity, with many Kurdish groups actively organizing resistance against the regime since the establishment of the Islamic Republic. 

The escalation of armed repression has been coupled with a surge of repression inside the country's prison system, as the regime resorts to executing prisoners in its relentless campaign to stamp out resistance. Reports In April revealed a 75 percent increase in executions within Iran. Amnesty International has estimated that Iran has already executed three times the number of individuals in 2023 compared to the previous year. 

Over the past decade, the regime in Iran has led the world in per capita executions. Many observed that the regime employs executions, occasionally carried out in public, as a deliberate tactic to spread terror and assert its power.

Unsurprisingly, ethnic minorities such as Kurds, Baloch, and Arabs continue to be primary target of these executions by the regime. Historically subjected to systematic oppression, these minority groups have consistently faced violence and repression, rendering them vulnerable to such actions.

In March of this year, Amnesty International highlighted a deeply concerning trend, stating that: 

“…authorities have executed at least one Ahwazi Arab, 14 Kurds and 13 Baluchis following grossly unfair trials, and sentenced at least a dozen others to death since the start of the year, marking a chilling escalation in the use of the death penalty as a tool of repression against ethnic minorities.”

Roya Boroumand, Executive Director of Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, a prominent Iranian human rights organization, condemned the regime’s action:

A shift in the dynamics between Iran and the West

The repressive tactics employed by the regime are not confined only to Iran. In recent weeks, Iran’s influence has extended to Europe as well. Authorities in France recently canceled a planned protest organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an Iranian opposition organization. The authorities cited concerns that the protests could become a target for terrorism and violence orchestrated by the Iranian regime.

This cancellation comes two years after a similar event was targeted in a bomb plot by Iranian agents in France. It also comes days after French president Emanuel Macron held a 90-minute call with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on June 10, and just before a raid conducted by local police on a camp in Albania hosting Iranian dissidents.

The raid in Albania resulted in clashes between members of the camp and the local authorities, with one person losing their life, and leaving dozens injured. Following the raid, it was reported that the seized computer equipment from the camp was sent to Iranian authorities, potentially exposing sensitive information about dissident networks inside the country. 

The NCRI successfully mounted a legal challenge against the French authorites’ cancellation of the protest, leading to a Paris court overturning the ban merely days before the scheduled protest. Nonetheless, the decision by the French authorities speaks to a larger area of concern for exiled Iranian dissidents. 

These events take place within the context of ongoing talks between the Iranian regime and the West, against the backdrop of a changing landscape where Western countries are reassessing their stance towards exiled groups opposing the Iranian regime, influenced by political agreements and pressures from the Iranian government. 

In May, Iran carried out a prisoner exchange, releasing a Belgian aid worker in exchange for an individual involved in the bombing plot against the NCRI. Additionally, reports indicate that the regime has been engaged in “secret talks” with the Biden administration concerning its nuclear program. This strategic approach of repression at home while seeking concessions through terrorism and negotiations abroad has prolonged the survival of the regime for decades. 

Abdul Reza Farajirad, Iran's former ambassador to Norway and Hungary, was quoted saying that the cancellation was part of a larger decision by European powers to make concessions towards Iran, including cracking down on dissident organizations residing abroad:

Europe does not want to fall behind if the US and Iran finalize a pact. So, they want to prepare the scene for collaborations for when Iran and the US reach an agreement.

Just nine months ago, direct talks between world leaders and the Iranian regime seemed nearly impossible, as the regime lacked legitimacy and appeared destined for failure.

However, some now view these talks as not only providing the regime with a sense of legitimacy but also as a means to squelch the voices of Iranian dissidents. Unfortunately, the usual course of business between the West and Tehran has often meant that human rights and the fight for democratic change in Iran are relegated to a footnote, if not completely squeezed out of the narrative at hand. 

Critics have previously highlighted the pattern of economic relief disproportionately benefiting Iran’s supreme leader, which can be seen as evidence that any sanctions relief resulting from the nuclear deal may inadvertently prolong the life of the regime. 

Despite these unfolding events, Iranians both inside the country and abroad persist in organizing, fueled by the belief that it is only a matter of time before the next catalyst unleashes the next wave of protests. 

Israel occupation makes Palestinian territories ‘open-air prison’, says UN expert

Tuesday, 11 Jul 2023 10:11 PM MYT

GENEVA, July 11 — A United Nations expert today said Israel had transformed the occupied Palestinian territories into an “open-air prison” through widespread detentions of Palestinians.

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied territories, told reporters in Geneva that Israel had carried out widespread, systematic and arbitrary detention of Palestinians since the 1967 Middle East war.

Israel’s permanent mission to the UN in Geneva did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

“There is no other way to define the regime that Israel has imposed on the Palestinians—which is apartheid by default—other than an open-air prison,” Albanese said at a briefing for journalists.

“By deeming all Palestinians as a potential security threat, Israel is blurring the line between its own security and the security of its annexation plan ... Palestinians are presumed guilty without evidence, arrested without warrants, detained without charge or trial very often, and brutalised in Israeli custody.”

In a report presented to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, Albanese found that since 1967, more than 800,000 Palestinians, including children as young as 12, had been arrested and detained by Israeli authorities.

The report said it was based on a six-month investigation and “consultations, testimonies, stakeholders’ contributions, and a comprehensive review of primary and public sources.”

Albanese, who said she did not visit the occupied Palestinian territories before submitting the report due to “Israel’s continued refusal to facilitate her entry”, also outlined what she called unlawful detention practices, saying they could amount to international crimes.

There was no reaction from Israel to the report.

Israel’s founding in 1948, defeating Arab armies from around the Middle East, scattered hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees through the wider region.

In the 1967 Middle East war, Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan and Gaza from Egypt. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised internationally, and launched settlements in the West Bank and Gaza.

Albanese’s comments come a week after Israeli forces hit the city of Jenin with drone strikes as part of one of the biggest incursions in the occupied West Bank in 20 years.

Israel said the objective of its operation was to uproot Iranian-backed Palestinian factions behind a surge in gun and bomb attacks, as well as preliminary efforts to make rockets. — Reuters

Israel had numerous military failures in Jenin

Palestinians walk on the streets after Israeli Forces conducted airstrikes and raid on the city of Jenin, West Bank on July 02, 2023

 [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]


Dr Adnan Abu Amer
AdnanAbuAmer2
July 11, 2023 


Apart from the reasons that prompted the Israeli army to carry out its military operation in Jenin, dubbed 'Operation Home and Garden', the fact that Israeli forces withdrew from the camp without achieving the goals they had set out raises many questions about who made real achievements in this round of confrontation.

The army has announced that it intends to eliminate resistance groups, cleanse the camp, restore its control over it and impose the presence of the Palestinian Authority in it. However, none of these goals were achieved, according to Israel. Israelis evaluations noted that achieving such goals would mean invading the camp at its depth, which would come at a heavy cost of human casualties for the Israelis, something the army has sought to avoid by targeting resistance fighters from a distance, using drones and not engaging with them face to face.

Resistance fighters fought hard against the army, with its various infantry, surveillance and elite units. This confrontation showed that the resistance possessed strong field combat capabilities. In spite of not venturing too deep into the camp, the occupation army suffered the loss of one of its soldiers only a few hundred metres into it.

It was clear from the start that the army was not going to risk throwing its soldier into the hornets' nest, instead it followed the scorched earth policy and displaced thousands of the camp's residents.

The army aborted its latest aggression against Jenin, albeit temporarily, without achieving its declared targets, for many reasons. The army was afraid of facing surprises prepared by the resistance, and worried that its soldiers would enter an unknown world of the resistance groups' capabilities, realities and tactics, about which they know nothing. Israel's worst nightmares are scenes of destroyed tanks, burning vehicles, mutilated corpses and dead or captured soldiers.

OPINION: The madness of the Israeli right-wing

Dead men tell no tales, could be Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir's MO toward Palestinians – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]

Another reason is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who initiated the aggression, seemed hesitant, because he knows nothing would damage his image more than the bodies of soldiers being carried out of Jenin in coffins. Another reason was that the army is no longer familiar with the nature of Jenin from the inside, with expectations that the resistance there is proficient in guerrilla warfare and the techniques of concealment and camouflage.

Since the beginning of the aggression against Jenin, it was clear that the resistance formed many combat units whose tasks were mainly to guard the areas subject to invasion. They were stationed for monitoring and surveillance, and most of their work was carried out at night and at the lines of contact with the occupation, and at camp entrances.

Members of these units await their turn to carry out combat missions when the opportunity presents itself. The units seemed to be armed in similar ways where each unit is equipped with side and ground grenades, some of which are fixed in position, while others are moved as needed. Members of each group carry different weapons.

Fighters were working round the clock and had shift rotations for each group, which was organised and difficult work. The main task entrusted to them was the early warning and response to any decision to invade, and in the event news about Israeli troops mobilising arrived, the news was communicated and circulated to all groups. Other groups are also alerted even if it's not their shift.

The Israeli army did not hide that its forces faced fierce resistance from fighters in Jenin. Resistance fighters holed up in predetermined locations at the outskirts of the camp, to surprise the Israeli occupation army, inflicted losses among its troops, in a war of attrition that is difficult for Israelis to bear. This prompted the political and military officials to end the operation before it was too late.

OPINION: Jenin is just the start: Did Palestinians finally bury the ghosts of the past?

After 48 hours of aggression on Jenin, Israeli officers and soldiers all believed that the resistance built strong, organised groups made up of military formations that cannot be underestimated. They noted a sudden and unpredicted development of the performance of its fighters, as they fought precise battles with the army and not suicidal engagements. They demonstrated a high capacity for steadfastness, challenge and daring, as if they had received advanced training.

With the end of the aggression on Jenin, albeit temporarily, the Israeli press began accusing the army leadership and the government of concealing what happened in the camp. Some leaked information said that the soldiers could not bear the resistance they faced. Meanwhile, the resistance kept issuing and publishing some of the accounts of its fighters who were in direct contact with the soldiers, and their testimonies of what they witnessed throughout the fighting on the front lines in the face of a heavily armed occupier.

The occupation army managed its aggression against Jenin in a manner that reduced casualties in its ranks, as the fears of its soldiers were many. Soldiers' main obsession was that they would be subjected to sniper operations, explosives and booby-trapped homes, with their biggest fear being getting captured.

On the other hand, the resistance adopted new tactics based on carefully studied steps and not hasty reactions. This gave it a bigger margin of action and a better opportunity to protect its men, enabling it to activate its tools effectively and efficiently. By tracking field developments, it succeeded in maintaining its capabilities and paced its participating effectively, without giving Israeli planes, deployed heavily in the skies of Jenin, a chance to harm its fighters.

OPINION: The extraordinary Palestinians of Jenin will not surrender

Therefore, the Israeli ground advance towards the camp appeared to be very slow. Military vehicles advanced a few metres every hour, fearing the explosive devices planted by the resistance fighters. The army believed that fighters in Jenin were inspired by the ideas of the people of Gaza who used to confront the occupation soldiers face to face and followed a professional tactic in confronting the incursions. Their tactic focused on devising a counter-incursion for the purpose of setting up ambushes for the occupation. They did so through openings in houses, moving through them and preparing ambushes for the army to surprise it.

Privilege and power for the PA, to the detriment of Palestinians

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh 

[Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images]


Ramona Wadi
walzerscent
July 11, 2023 

More proof of the Palestinian Authority's precarious position was made public earlier this week, when it was announced that Israeli ministers, with the exception of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, voted in favour of measures that would bolster the PA.

"In the absence of a change in the national assessment, Israel will act to prevent the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, while demanding that it cease its anti-Israel activity in the international legal-diplomatic arena, the incitement in its media and education system, the payments to the families of terrorists and murderers, and the illegal construction in Area C," the Israeli Diplomatic Security Cabinet's statement partly read.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan is to provide privileges for the PA, one of which is a plan to restore the PA's senior officials' VIP travelling permits. According to Israeli media quoting unnamed official sources, the measures are meant to indicate to the US and the international community that the Israeli government is willing to take steps to ensure the PA's survival.

The dissociation between Palestinians and the PA continues unabated. In diplomatic circles, the PA's significance, as compromised as it is, has become the primary concern. Israel's raid on Jenin's refugee camp is one such example which ties into the diplomatic narrative. With the new Palestinian Resistance findings its roots in Jenin and moving away from the traditional political factions, the PA was marginalised to the point of insignificance. However, the Israeli aggression, as well as the drive to support the PA, all point towards the intent to restore Ramallah's influence in the Occupied West Bank, which may well be a lost battle, given that the PA has established itself as the enemy of the Palestinian people.

READ: PA security agencies carried out 411 violations in West Bank

The PA's leader, Mahmoud Abbas, is set to visit Jenin's refugee camp tomorrow "to check citizens' conditions, and the progress of work in the reconstruction of the camp and the city, following the last Israeli aggression," according to Wafa news agency. What Palestinians will remember is that the PA is more interested in publicity than it is in providing for the people who have a history of dispossession since the 1948 Nakba.

For the international community, Jenin is already relegated to the humanitarian paradigm of reconstruction. Israel and the US veer towards containing the Palestinian Resistance that has altered the decades-long status quo of prominent factions deciding the resistance narrative. Meanwhile, the PA steals the spotlight in diplomatic circles because it is a necessity for Israel and international diplomacy, none of which have anything to do with Palestinian political aspirations other than to crush them. Hence, the plan for PA privileges.

While the PA's Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, stated that Israel will not coerce Ramallah into abandoning its diplomatic efforts in the international arena in return for concessions, it is likely that a compromise will be found. After all, the PA's efforts at the UN, for example, will yield no retribution for Israel. So, whether or not the PA moves forward with its stale plans that laud international law for nothing, Israel still stands to gain if the PA remains in power.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

Sweden Gives Up

Published: July 11, 2023

Updated: 4:40 pm
AuthorEditorial Staff


Sweden Surrenders

Michael Rubin | American Enterprise Institute

NATO officials and many diplomats celebrated a deal by which Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted his de facto veto over Sweden’s NATO accession in exchange for a series of concessions. I had previously written about the dangers of lifting defense sanctions on Turkey that is much more likely to use F-16s against its neighbors, including NATO member Greece, than in pursuit of NATO aims.

Yesterday, I raised concerns about how the agreement’s apparent provisions to fast track Turkey’s European Union membership could, if successful, hobble the European Union and throw smaller pro-Western democracies like Cyprus under the bus.

Robert Ellis, an expert Turkey analyst and prolific columnist in Turkish papers, raises an additional issue. He points out this paragraph in the NATO press statement that followed the meeting between Erdogan, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg:

Sweden and Turkey agree today to continue their cooperation under both the Trilateral Permanent Joint Mechanism established at the Madrid NATO Summit 2022, and under a new bilateral Security Compact that will meet annually at ministerial level and create working groups as appropriate. At the first meeting of this Security Compact, Sweden will present a roadmap as the basis of its continued fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations towards the full implementation of all elements of the Trilateral Memorandum, including article 4. Sweden reiterates that it will not provide support to YPG/PYD, and the organisation described as FETÖ in Turkey.

There are two problems with this:

First, it is not clear that Erdogan and other NATO members assess the Kurds similarly. The United States did not designate the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to be a terrorist entity until 1997, long after its insurgency had peaked, and only then added it to the terrorism list as a Turkish condition for Clinton to close a multibillion-dollar arms deal with Turkey. Turkey today argues Syrian Kurds (YPG/PYD) are PKK affiliates. The NATO document ignores that the United States and many in Europe supported the Syrian Kurds (YPG/PYD) because they fought against the Islamic State at a time when Turkey was at least passively supporting the Islamic State. More broadly, Erdogan has a habit of labeling any Kurds not under his thumb as PKK: Bomb a Yazidi village and kill women and children? No problem, they were PKK operatives. Attack a Kurdish farm in Sinjar? The farmers were PKK. It is a Turkish fiction in which neither Sweden nor any other NATO member should indulge, especially as Turkey continues to indulge, harbor, and arm real terrorists.

Second, FETÖ [Fethullahist Terrorist Organiation] is a chimera, a catch-all term used by Erdogan to paint opposition as illegitimate and terroristic. When Erdogan demanded the United States extradite Fethullah Gülen, Erdogan’s one-time ally, the Justice Department found the evidence Turkey handed over to be essentially little more than clippings from pro-Erdogan tabloids. In Sweden’s case, Erdogan argues that liberal Turkish journalists who fled Erdogan’s press crackdown are really FETÖ agents.

Kristersson, with Stoltenberg’s urging, is now willing to throw Swedish democracy under the bus. He transforms Sweden from a refuge for dissidents into a hunting ground for them. Allowing Erdogan to define who is a terrorist and who is not seeds crises and Erdogan’s grievance posturing for years to come.

Sweden’s NATO accession does little to enhance NATO capabilities, but it does much to diminish Sweden and Europe. During World War II, Norwegian leader Vidkun Quisling betrayed his country and collaborated with Germany. His reward was not only an eventual firing squad, but also the adoption of his last name into the English language as a word to describe someone who collaborates with an occupier. Kristersson, of course, is no Quisling nor is Turkey equivalent to Nazi Germany. Kristersson’s cowardice and willingness to betray core principles, however, raise the possibility that, at least in some quarters, his last name may soon enter the vocabulary to describe a person who betrays liberalism and human rights to appease a foreign dictator.

Michael Rubin is a former Pentagon official whose major research areas are the Middle East, Turkey, Iran and diplomacy. He is author of “Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes” (Encounter, 2014). He is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute AEI. His major research area is the Middle East, with special focus on Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Kurdish society. Read more by Michael Rubin.

The article first published at aei.org

Copyright © 2023, respective author or news agency, aei.org

Inside the surprise change at the top of Hungary’s nuclear plant

Szabó András 2023.07.11.



An unpleasant situation awaited Csaba Lantos on January 12, who had only been in charge of the newly formed Ministry of Energy for a few weeks. He was about to fire the head of a state-owned company with an impeccable work track record. Géza Pekárik had previously been awarded by the Orbán government and had been in charge of the Paks nuclear power plant, a key player in Hungary’s energy supply for more than four years.

According to several sources familiar with the events, the minister replaced the head of the nuclear power plant because Pekárik’s position was needed for someone else. According to one source, Lantos spoke to Pekárik in a cordial tone at the meeting in the ministry’s building in Budapest, but the gist of his message was that the CEO should leave his post.

The next day, the government announced that Péter János Horváth would be appointed to head the nuclear power plant and that Pekárik would continue to be employed as a consultant. Mr. Horváth was until then president of the Hungarian Energy and Utility Regulatory Office (MEKH) which oversees the domestic energy market, but in addition to his professional background, he was also known to have good connections with the government. He has met Fidesz politicians at sports events and for a while he led the Szolnok unit of Fidesz, which is an important grassroots base for Fidesz.

Horváth left the Energy and Utility Regulatory Office under turbulent circumstances. Last fall, a decision by the office he headed led to a drastic increase in municipal energy bills which, according to Direkt36 research, also infuriated Fidesz municipality leaders.

The government did not want to leave Horváth, who subsequently resigned as head of MEKH without an important post. They chose the Paks nuclear power plant for him, which is nevertheless currently facing a rather complicated task. The plant will soon start its refurbishment, to avoid the closure of Paks I in the 2030s. Mr. Horváth, a petroleum engineer, has no experience in the nuclear field, so he is unlikely to have a say on certain issues

We have sent several questions to Horváth through the Paks nuclear power plant and to Lantos through the Ministry of Energy but have not received any reply. When contacted, Mr. Pekárik said he did not want to comment on the matter.
The complicated Paks renovation

Last summer, the Orbán government announced that it would like to extend the operating time of the Paks nuclear power plant. This was partly due to energy insecurity caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine. The operating licenses for the four units of the nuclear power plant expire between 2032 and 2037, and the extension aims to prolong the various deadlines for each unit by at least 10, maximum 20 years. According to the Parliament’s decision, the extension of the operating period will also reduce dependence on Russian gas.

Until his resignation last November, Minister for Technology and Industry László Palkovics oversaw the issue. To speed up the preparation of the project, Palkovics held a series of private meetings with influential nuclear experts last summer (Direkt36 previously reported that István Kocsis, who is currently serving his sentence for economic crimes and was in charge of the nuclear power plant in the early 2000s, attended several of these meetings).

The extension of the operating time will be a major technical challenge. According to a source with close knowledge of the nuclear power plant, it will be more difficult to carry out than the previous renovation in the early 2000s. The work carried out at that time pushed out the operational lifetime by 20 years to the current deadline of 2032-2037. “The nuclear plant aged 20 years, things have become worn and corroded inside it,” the source said. According to the source, this time the old equipment will also need to be replaced, meaning that problems that did not need to be addressed at the time of the previous lifetime extension will have to be addressed now.

However, this more challenging work will no longer be carried out by Géza Pekárik, who worked at the plant since 1987 and led it since 2018, but by János Péter Horváth, who has good government connections but no experience in the nuclear industry.
Always in position

Horváth has been around Fidesz for decades. In the 1990s, he even headed the Szolnok unit of Fidesz, when Attila Várhegyi was the mayor of the city. “Horváth is a longtime Fidesz member. He was a confidant of Várhegyi, they did almost everything together,” an acquaintance of Horváth told Direkt36.

Várhegyi is considered one of Fidesz’s leading figures and although his political career was cut short when he was convicted of embezzlement in 2002, he retained his influence in Fidesz. Szolnok was an important Fidesz stronghold not only because of Várhegyi himself but also because it’s the hometown of Anikó Lévai, Viktor Orbán’s wife. Zsolt Nyerges, a lawyer and friend of the Orbán family, is also from Szolnok, and was an important player in the Fidesz-close economic empire for a while.

According to an acquaintance, Horváth’s appointment as the head of the Hungarian Energy Office after Fidesz came to power in 2010 was partly due to his relationship with Nyerges. At that time, Nyerges was the right hand of Lajos Simicska, who controlled Fidesz’s economic holdings, and the Simicska-circle was trying to acquire several important positions in the energy sector. (Nyerges declined to comment upon our inquiry).

Horváth’s appointment in 2010, previously working as a mid-level manager at the Hungarian oil company Mol, came as a surprise to many. Horváth was less known at that time, even Mol’s CEO Zsolt Hernádi “did not know him,” according to a former government official. According to the source, Hernádi asked him about what should be known about Horváth when he was appointed the new head of the Energy Office. (We contacted Hernádi through Mol’s press department but received no reply to our inquiry.)

In this position, Horváth played a major role in the utility price reduction, which became a symbolic element of the Orbán government’s policy from the beginning of 2013. The Energy Office is in charge of setting the tariffs, so it was the organization led by Horváth that started to force suppliers to make various energy price cuts. Renamed to Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Office (MEKH) and given more powers, the agency was headed by Horváth until the summer of 2013. Followingly, he was also appointed as the CEO of the state’s electricity company for gas issues. From 2015, he also headed the state-owned utility holding company for a shorter period, a position he left after the Orbán-Simicska conflict led to the loss of positions of figures close to Simicska.

Horváth returned in 2019 as the CEO of the Mátra Power Plant owned by Lőrinc Mészáros. In July 2020, Orbán reappointed him as head of the Energy Office. One of his acquaintances explained his return by saying that although he was close to the Simicska-Nyerges circles, his loyalty to the prime minister was never questioned. A Fidesz politician highlighted Horváth’s very good political and professional embeddedness. He has built his network of contacts among others at sports matches. According to the government source, Horváth often appears at the matches of the Szolnok basketball team where he also regularly meets Fidesz politicians.
Did not dare to take the risk

Although Horváth enjoyed the confidence of the Prime Minister, the office he headed made a decision last year that angered many in the Fidesz circles, according to Direkt36’s information.

This was linked to the publication of a ministerial decree on September 30 last year regarding the price of district heating. Residential rates remained unchanged, but the rates for nurseries, kindergartens, theatres, and social institutions, which are typically owned by municipalities, were increased. Mayor Gergely Karácsony said after the publication of the decree that it would lead to a thirteen-fold increase in district heating costs for the capital’s institutions.

The reason why municipalities became angry at the MEKH headed by Horváth was that before the heating season, the MEKH tells district heating companies at what price valid on a certain date to buy the gas they needed to produce district heating. Last summer, MEKH set the date between August 22 and 26 when the market price of gas was extremely high as the Russians were restricting gas supplies to Europe.

“They picked the wrong day. They should have taken the risk that gas prices would become cheaper later,” a former energy official told Direkt36 about the agency’s decision. According to the source, MEKH did not want to take the risk for supply security reasons, as they did not expect the gas price to fall as quickly as it did in September.

MEKH’s decision did not only affect the opposition-led Budapest but also the Fidesz-led cities. A municipality led by the governing party told Direkt36 that while their gas costs in the previous winter were 13 million euros, this expenditure had risen to 103 million euros by the winter of 2022. The Fidesz mayor said that they feared what would happen if some institutions and businesses could not pay their heating bills. “There was a lack of understanding as to why the energy office set the price linked to that period,” the politician said and added the problem also generated tension in other Fidesz-run municipalities using district heating. According to the source, the situation was however more nuanced after the government paid compensation to district heating companies for the cost increase.
Without nuclear energy experience

Subsequently, last fall it was suggested in state energy circles that Horváth would leave MEKH, among others because of the decision on district heating, and that he would take over the management of Paks. A source familiar with the nuclear power plant’s operations said he heard such rumors as early as last November. “It seemed absurd,” he said, referring to the fact that Mr. Horváth had no nuclear energy experience, even though the law requires three years of such experience for various-level managers of a nuclear power plant.

One expert in the field said that this alone did not rule out Horváth’s appointment. According to the source, the legislation states that decisions on nuclear safety issues will not be taken by the new CEO but by the lower management of the nuclear power plant with sufficient experience. However, several experts in the field told Direkt36 that the government appointed Horváth to head Paks at a sensitive time of the extension of the plant’s lifetime. Moreover, the government’s announcement of the appointment of the new CEO also stated that Horváth “will be responsible for the successful implementation of the extension of the operating time which is in preparation.”

This is “a very complex task. And then you send someone with no experience of Paks, and you take a big risk,” said one of them. He was referring to the fact that it was not a good idea to change managers during the extension period as this could have a demoralizing effect. According to the source, the risks also increase when a manager without sufficient experience in nuclear power plants is forced to rely on others to make decisions on more complex issues.

Illustration: Szarvas / Telex

India: Manipur women rise against ethnic violence
Murali Krishnan in New Delhi
07/10/2023July 10, 2023

Women are challenging the government and security forces in India's Manipur as deadly unrest sweeps across the state. The army accuses them of aiding the rioters.

As ethnic conflict rages on in Manipur, women groups are organizing protests amid the violence between the majority Meitei and tribal Kuki communities that has claimed more than 130 lives since it first broke out in May.

Clashes in the northeast Indian state grew deadly after the Meitei community, which accounts for more than 50% of the state's 3.5 million residents, demanded that it be recognized as a "scheduled tribe." Under India's constitution, this status unlocks new economic benefits, political powers, and quotas in government jobs and education.

The move enraged members of the predominately Christian Kuki and Naga tribes who argue that the Meitei are already the dominant community in Manipur. Both Kuki and Naga currently enjoy the "scheduled tribe" status.

Hundreds of family homes, shops, churches, and other buildings have been burned by angry mobs in the ensuing violence, leaving thousands homeless. The government has deployed thousands of additional armed forces but they have so far not been able to impose calm in the northeastern state.

Amid the turmoil, women groups have staged demonstrations, foiled search operations by the army and also blocked key roads with trucks carrying essential supplies to the state.

Image: Prabhakar Mani Tewari/DW

India: Ethnic violence in Manipur shows no sign of ending 02:00  

Army says women activists disrupt their efforts

Locals say women groups have been active in various parts of Manipur, staging flash mobs and forming human chains to condemn the violence.

"For instance, last month, women from the Meitei community held torch marches and formed a human chain on the streets of (state capital) Imphal and the hill districts," student Elam Indra told DW. She praised the protesters' "immense courage."

But others claim such protests are helping the rioters. State and federal security forces have reportedly complained that resistance by women groups has hampered their movements and searches across Manipur.

Last week, the army released a video compiling images from a number of their operations and alleging that women activists were helping rioters flee. They also accused them of interfering in operations and logistics and digging up the roads to their camps to cause delays.

Going into 'the midst of battle'

Lourembam Nganbi is an experienced activist and member of the women's group All-Manipur Kanba Ima Lup. Talking to DW, she dismissed the army's claims that Meitei women groups have been harassing paramilitary forces and helping the safe passage of Meitei armed rebels.

"Anyone can say anything about us. They can try calling us names or portray us in whatever way they want to. The only truth is we are women and mothers who will not think twice about going in the midst of battle," Nganbi said.

She added that she was disappointed by the actions of government-sanctioned paramilitaries who have been tasked with restoring security.

"We thought the paramilitary forces would step in for civilians when violence broke out. Rather, there have been cases where houses have been set on fire after they made their entry into Meitei areas," Nganbi said.

This is not the first time Nganbi is taking a stand against security forces. In 2004, she was one of the 12 women who disrobed in a historic protest at the gate of the historic Kangla fort in Imphal in protest against the alleged gangrape and murder of a local woman, Thangjam Manorama, by paramilitary troops.

The activist told DW that she now decries a "collective loss of trust" and said the army had a "long history of staged encounters." She added that "women will obviously safeguard those who might fall into harm.”

Over a century of women's resistance

The current push for peace is only the latest in the long history of Manipur women fighting for political goals.

In the past, groups knowns as Meira Paibis (Women Torchbearers) or Imas (Mothers of Manipur) staged non-violent protests against illicit liquor, use of drugs, and most notably against legislation that granted special powers to troops and paramilitaries in "disturbed areas.”

Women of Manipur have also participated in two major mass movements —called "Nupi Lan" or women's war, against British rulers in the early 1900s.

This tradition has turned into a driving force for political mobilization in modern-day Manipur.

India's "Iron Lady" ends hunger strike after 16 years  01:05

"Northeast India has a rich history of women's resistance movements that have played a significant role in fighting for the rights of their communities," Chitra Ahanthem, an independent journalist from Manipur, told DW.

"These movements have been born out of a necessity to address the issues of violence, conflict, and human rights abuses that have plagued the region for decades," she added.

Peace has yet to return to Manipur, and nearly two months of increasingly violent ethnic clashes have put the state on edge. Women activists say they will continue to step in to curb the violence.

"We will continue to safeguard and protect our people not by using guns or slandering other people but by intervening as mothers," activist Lourembam Nganbi told DW.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic