US' move to send Taiwan weapons worth $345-million  likely to provoke China; here's why

29 Jul 2023

Sounak Mukhopadhyay

MINT PRESS, INDIA

Taiwan will receive $345-million weapons aid package from US. The move is likely to provoke China and escalate tensions in the region.

The official declaration of the US aid package to Taiwan did not provide details on the weapon systems.

Taiwan is going to receive a weapons aid package, valued at a substantial $345 million ( ₹2,838 crore), from the United States. Despite keeping the specifics of the arms package confidential, this move is likely to provoke China, as Taiwan strongly opposes China's claims of sovereignty.

The 2023 budget has granted Congress the power to offer up to $1 billion ( ₹8,226 crore) worth of weapons aid to Taiwan, much to the dismay of Beijing, which has been the primary supplier of arms to the island and persistently demands that the U.S. refrain from selling weapons to Taiwan.

The formal announcement of the aid package did not disclose the weapon systems included in it. However, there were previous reports suggesting that the package could contain four unarmed MQ-9A reconnaissance drones.

Also Read: Explained: China issuing ‘stapled visas’ to Arunachal Pradesh players may concern national security; here's how

Nonetheless, the final selection of equipment might be subject to alteration, as officials are considering removing certain advanced equipment that is exclusively available to the U.S. Air Force, Reuters reported.

In the midst of the escalating tensions between the United States, Taiwan, and China, the unveiling of this weapons aid package underscores the intricate complexities in the region. The implications of this move have far-reaching consequences for the geopolitical dynamics in East Asia.

Taiwan's defence ministry thanked the U.S. for its "firm security commitment," adding in a statement it will not comment on the package details due to the "tacit agreement" between the two sides.

Also Read: 'India open to Chinese investments': Centre as Ajit Doval affirms strained strategic trust

Among the issues that could confound the inclusion of the drones was who would pay for their alterations, one of the people briefed on the matter said previously. Reuters could not determine if the drones were still part of the package.


Taiwan had previously agreed to purchase four, more advanced, MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, made by General Atomics, which are slated for delivery in 2025.

Why US' move may provoke China

China considers Taiwan, which is governed democratically, as part of its own territory and has escalated military intimidation towards the island in the last three years. China has maintained its stance on using force if necessary to assert control over Taiwan.

However, Taiwan vehemently opposes China's claims of sovereignty and firmly asserts that the future of the island should be determined solely by the Taiwanese people.

(With Reuters inputs)

Arming Taiwan is an Insane Provocation

by John V. Walsh Posted onJuly 12, 2023

The Island of Taiwan has been turned into a “powder keg” by the infusion of U.S. weaponry, pushing the Taiwanese people into the “abyss of disaster.”  These are the words of the Chinese Defense Ministry in reaction to the recent $440 million sale of U.S. arms to the island. And now the U.S. is also giving, not selling, arms to Taiwan, courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer.

The “First Island Chain” Strategy of the U.S.

Taiwan is but one in a series of islands along the Chinese coast, often called “The First Island Chain,” which now bristles with advanced U.S. weapons. These are accompanied by tens of thousands of supporting U.S. military personnel and combat troops.  The “First Island Chain” extends from Japan in the north southward through Japan’s Ryukyu islands which include Okinawa, to Taiwan and on to the northern Philippines. (U.S. ally, South Korea, with a military of 500,000 active duty personnel and 3 million reserves is a powerful adjunct to this chain.) In U.S. military doctrine the First Island Chain is a base to “project power” and restrict sea access to China.

Taiwan is at the center this string of islands and is considered the focal point of The First Island Chain strategy. When the fiercely hawkish Cold Warrior, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, conceived the strategy in 1951, he dubbed Taiwan America’s “unsinkable aircraft carrier.”

Taiwan is now one source of contention between the U.S. and China. As is often said but rarely done, the pursuit of peace demands that we understand the point of view of those who are marked as our adversaries. And, in China’s eyes, Taiwan and the rest of these armed isles look like both chain and noose.

How would the U.S. react in a similar circumstance? Cuba is about the same distance from the U.S. as the width of the Taiwan Strait that separates Taiwan from the Mainland. Consider the recent U.S. reaction to rumors that China was setting up a listening post in Cuba. There was a bipartisan reaction of alarm in Congress and a bipartisan statement that such an installation is “unacceptable.” What would be the reaction if China armed Cuba to the teeth or sent hundreds of soldiers there as the U.S. has done to Taiwan? It is not hard to imagine. One immediately thinks of the U.S. sponsored invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs and later the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Clearly, the arming of Taiwan is a provocative act that pushes the U.S. closer to war with China, a nuclear power.

The Secessionist Movement in Taiwan

According to the One China Policy, the official policy of the U.S., Taiwan is part of China. The UN took the same position in 1971 with passage of Resolution 2758 (also known as the Resolution on Admitting Peking) which recognized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the legitimate government of all of China and its sole representative in the UN.

In recent decades a secessionist movement has developed on the island of Taiwan, a sentiment represented by the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party). Currently Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP is President. But in the local elections of 2022, the DPP lost very badly to the KMT (Kuomintang) which is friendly to the Mainland and wishes to preserve the status quo or “strategic ambiguity,” as it is called. Tsai built the DPP’s 2022 campaign on hostility to Beijing, not on local issues. And at the same time, her government passed legislation to increase the compulsory service for young Taiwanese males from 6 months to a year. Needless to say, this hawkish move was not popular with the under 30 set.

Polling in 2022 showed that an overwhelming majority of Taiwanese now want to preserve the status quo. Only 1.3% want immediate unification and only 5.3% want immediate independence. Compared to previous years, a record 28.6 percent of those polled said they preferred to “maintain the status quo indefinitely,” while 28.3 percent chose the status quo to “decide at a later date,” and 25.2 percent opted for the status quo with a view to “move toward independence.” Thus, a total of 82.1% now favor the status quo! Not surprisingly, every prominent presidential candidate professes to be in favor of the status quo. However, DPP candidates also contend there is no need to declare independence since in their eyes Taiwan is already independent.

The stated policy of the People’s Republic of China is to seek peaceful reunification with Taiwan. Only if the secessionist movement formally declares independence does Beijing threaten to use force. Clearly the Taiwanese do not wish to find themselves in the position of Ukrainians, cannon fodder in a U.S. proxy war.

Here we might once more consider how the alleged enemy of the U.S., China, sees things and might react to a formal act of secession and declaration of independence by Taiwan. And again, we might be guided by our own history. When the Confederate States seceded from the Union, the U.S. descended into the bloodiest war in its history with 620,000 soldiers dead. Moreover, a secessionist Taiwan, as an armed ally of the U.S., represents to China a return to the “Century of Humiliation” at the hands of the colonial West. Given these circumstances, arming Taiwan clearly creates a “powder keg.” A single spark could ignite it.

It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the U.S. is trying to gin up a proxy war that would engulf East Asia, damaging not only China but other U.S. economic competitors like Japan and South Korea. The U.S. would come out on top. It is the neocon Wolfowitz Doctrine put into play. But in the nuclear age such stratagems amount to total insanity.

If some Taiwanese hope that the U.S. will come to its aid, they should ponder carefully the tragedy of Ukraine. Somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives so far and millions more turned into refugees. A similar U.S. proxy war in Taiwan could easily turn into a full-scale conflict between the world’s two largest economies, certainly triggering a global depression and perhaps a nuclear exchange. And U.S. President Joe Biden has committed to send troops to fight the People’s Liberation Army should hostilities break out. So, the situation is even more perilous than the one in Ukraine!

No Arms to Taiwan.

When all this is considered, arming Taiwan is asking for trouble on a global scale. Taipei and Beijing can settle their disagreements by themselves. Frankly put, disagreements between the two are none of America’s business.

So, we Americans must stop our government from arming Taiwan. And we need to get our military out of East Asia. It is an ocean away, and no power there is threatening the U.S. We do not have Chinese warships off our Pacific Coast, nor do we have Chinese troops or Chinese military bases anywhere in our entire hemisphere.

China calls for peaceful coexistence and a win-win set of relationships between us. Let’s take them up on that.

And let’s bring all those troops, submarines, bombers, rockets, and warships out of East Asia before they stumble into a conflict or become the instrument of a false flag operation. We should keep in mind the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, a fake report of a Vietnamese attack on a U.S. ship that led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, a de facto declaration of war against Vietnam. In the end millions lost their lives in Southeast Asia in that brutal, horrific war. Even that will look like a schoolyard squabble compared to the conflagration unleashed by a U.S.-China war.

Author: John V. Walsh

John V. Walsh writes about issues of war, peace, empire, and health care for Antiwar.com, Consortium News, DissidentVoice.org, The Unz Review, and other outlets. Now living in the East Bay, he was until recently Professor of Physiology and Cellular Neuroscience at a Massachusetts Medical School. John V. Walsh can be reached at john.endwar@gmail.com View all posts by John V. Walsh

PA President Mahmoud Abbas: A Puppet in the Hands of Israel and the US?

by Ramzy Baroud Posted onJuly 28, 2023

This is the perfect opportunity for Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, to exit the stage. But he will not.

Abbas’ brief visit to the devastated Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank on July 12 demonstrated the absurdity and danger of the PA and its 87-year-old leader.

As he walked, Abbas struggled to keep his balance, in what was promoted as a "solidarity" visit to the camp.

Thousands of frustrated Jenin residents took to the streets, hardly chanting Abbas’ name. Some looked on with disappointment; others asked where the President’s forces were when Israel invaded the camp, killing 12, wounding and arresting hundreds more.

The BBC reported on a “huge armed deployment” to secure Abbas’ visit, where “PA security forces joined a thousand-strong unit of Mr. Abbas’ elite presidential guard." Their only job was to “clear a path” for Abbas into the camp.

On the initial and most deadly first day of the Israeli invasion of Jenin, Israeli media, citing military sources, said that 1,000 Israeli soldiers were taking part in the military operation.

Yet, it took more Palestinian soldiers to secure Abbas’ brief visit to Jenin.

Indeed, where were those well-dressed and equipped PA soldiers when Jenin was fighting and dying alone? And why does Abbas need to be protected from his own people?

To address these questions, it is important to examine recent contexts, three significant dates in particular:

On July 5, Israel ended its military operation in Jenin.

On July 9, despite protests by some of his security cabinet members, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel would do its utmost to prevent the collapse of the PA. He stated outright that the PA "works for us."

And, finally, on July 12, Abbas visited Jenin with a stern message to Palestinian Resistance groups.

These three dates are directly related: Israel’s failed raid on Jenin has heightened the significance of the PA in Israel’s eyes. Abbas visited Jenin to reassure Israel that his Authority is up for the task.

To live up to Israel’s expectations and to ensure its survival, the PA is willing to clash directly with Palestinians who refuse to toe the line.

“There will be one Authority and one security force,” Abbas declared angrily, only days following the burial of Jenin’s victims. “Anyone who seeks to undermine its unity and security will face the consequences,” he added, further promising that “Any hand that reaches out to harm the people and their stability shall be cut off.”

The hand in reference is not that of Israel, but any Palestinian who resists Israel.

Abbas knows that Palestinians outright despise him and his Authority. Just days earlier, Fatah party deputy Chairman, Mahmoud Aloul, was removed from Jenin by angry crowds.

The crowds chanted in unison, “get out," to Aloul and two other PA officials.

They did, but Abbas returned to the same scene. He was flown in a Jordanian military helicopter. Waiting for him, below, was a small PA army that had taken over the streets and the high buildings – or whatever remained of them – in the destroyed camp.

All of this happened through logistical arrangements with the Israeli military.

But why is Netanyahu keen on the PA’s survival?

Netanyahu wants the PA to survive simply because he does not want the Israeli occupation administration and military to be fully responsible for the welfare of Palestinians in the West Bank and the security of the illegal settlers.

Despite its near complete failure, the Oslo Accords succeeded in one thing: it provided Israel with a Palestinian force whose main mission is to assist the Israeli occupation in its quest to maintain total control over the West Bank.

Abbas’ trip to Jenin was intended to reassure Tel Aviv that the PA is still committed to its obligations to Israel.

Another message was sent to US President Joe Biden, who has, in a recent interview, cast doubts on the PA’s ‘credibility’. “The PA is losing its credibility,” Biden told CNN, and that has “created a vacuum for extremism.”

The message to Washington was that the hands of the so-called ‘extremists’ will be “cut off," and that there will be “consequences” for those who defy the PA’s will.

Abbas seemed to speak, not only on behalf of his Authority but that of Tel Aviv and Washington as well.

Even ordinary Palestinians understand this to be the case; in fact, they always have. The only difference now is that they feel strong and emboldened by a new generation of Resistance which has succeeded in reclaiming a degree of Palestinian unity, amid factional politics and PA corruption.

The PA is now seen by most Palestinians as the obstacle in the face of full unity. That position is fully fathomable. While Israel was ramping up its deadly operations in Jenin and Nablus, the PA police was arresting Palestinian activists, angering Resistance groups in the West Bank and Gaza.

If this continues, a civil war in the West Bank is a real possibility, especially as Abbas’ potential successors are equally distrusted, even by Fatah’s own rank and file. These men were also in Jenin, standing shoulder to shoulder behind Abbas as he was frantically trying to lay out the new rules.

This time around, Palestinians are unlikely to listen. For the Resistance, the stakes are too high to back down now. For the PA, losing the West Bank means losing billions of dollars of Western financial handouts.

A clash between the Resistance and their popular support, on the one hand, and the West-Israel-backed PA forces, on the other, will prove very costly for Palestinians.

Yet, for Tel Aviv, it is a win-win. This is why Netanyahu is anxious to help Abbas keep his job, at least long enough to ensure that the post-Abbas transition goes through efficiently.

Palestinians must find a way to block such designs, preserve Palestinian blood, and restructure their leadership, so that it represents them, not the interests of the Israeli occupation.

 

The War to Save Mahmoud Abbas: Is Netanyahu Pushing for Palestinian Civil Conflict?

by Ramzy Baroud Posted onJuly 21, 2023

This is the perfect opportunity for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to exit the stage. But he will not.

Abbas’ brief visit to the devastated Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank on July 12 demonstrated the absurdity and danger of the PA and its 87-year-old leader.

As he walked, Abbas struggled to keep his balance, in what was promoted as a “solidarity” visit to the camp.

Thousands of frustrated Jenin residents took to the streets, hardly chanting Abbas’ name. Some looked on with disappointment; others asked where the president’s forces were when Israel invaded the camp, killing 12, wounding and arresting hundreds more.

The BBC reported on a “huge armed deployment” to secure Abbas’ visit, where “PA security forces joined a thousand-strong unit of Mr. Abbas’ elite presidential guard.” Their only job was to “clear a path” for Abbas into the camp.

On the first and most deadly day of the Israeli invasion of Jenin, Israeli media, citing military sources, said that 1,000 Israeli soldiers were taking part in the military operation.

Yet, it took more Palestinian soldiers to secure Abbas’ brief visit to Jenin.

Indeed, where were those well-dressed and equipped PA soldiers when Jenin was fighting and dying alone? And why does Abbas need to be protected from his own people?

To address these questions, it is important to examine recent contexts, three significant dates in particular.

On July 5, Israel ended its military operation in Jenin.

On July 9, despite protests by some of his security cabinet members, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel would do its utmost to prevent the collapse of the PA. He stated outright that the PA “works for us.”

And, finally, on July 12, Abbas visited Jenin with a stern message to Palestinian Resistance groups.

These three dates are directly related; Israel’s failed raid on Jenin has heightened the significance of the PA in Israel’s eyes. Abbas visited Jenin to reassure Israel that his Authority is up for the task.

To live up to Israel’s expectations and to ensure its survival, the PA is willing to clash directly with Palestinians who refuse to toe the line.

“There will be one Authority and one security force,” Abbas declared angrily, only days following the burial of Jenin’s victims. “Anyone who seeks to undermine its unity and security will face the consequences,” he added, further promising that “Any hand that reaches out to harm the people and their stability shall be cut off.”

The hand in reference is not that of Israel, but any Palestinian who resists Israel.

Abbas knows that Palestinians outright despise him and his Authority. Just days earlier, Fatah Party Deputy Chairman, Mahmoud Aloul, was removed from Jenin by angry crowds.

The crowds chanted in unison “Get out” to Aloul and two other PA officials.

They did, but Abbas returned to the same scene. He was flown in a Jordanian military helicopter. Waiting for him below was a small PA army that had taken over the streets and the high buildings — or whatever remained of them — in the destroyed camp.

All of this happened through logistical arrangements with the Israeli military.

But why is Netanyahu keen on the PA’s survival?

Netanyahu wants the PA to survive simply because he does not want the Israeli occupation administration and military to be fully responsible for the welfare of Palestinians in the West Bank and the security of the illegal settlers.

Despite its near complete failure, the Oslo Accords succeeded in one thing: it provided Israel with a Palestinian force whose main mission is to assist the Israeli occupation in its quest to maintain total control over the West Bank.

Abbas’ trip to Jenin was intended to reassure Tel Aviv that the PA is still committed to its obligations to Israel.

Another message was sent to U.S. President Joe Biden, who has, in a recent interview, cast doubts on the PA’s ‘credibility.’ “The PA is losing its credibility,” Biden told CNN, and that has “created a vacuum for extremism.”

The message to Washington was that the hands of the so-called “extremists” will be “cut off,” and that there will be “consequences” for those who defy the PA’s will.

Abbas seemed to speak, not only on behalf of his Authority, but that of Tel Aviv and Washington as well.

Even ordinary Palestinians understand this to be the case; in fact, they always have. The only difference now is that they feel strong and emboldened by a new generation of resistance which has succeeded in reclaiming a degree of Palestinian unity, amid factional politics and PA corruption.

The PA is now seen by most Palestinians as the obstacle in the face of full unity. That position is fully fathomable. While Israel was ramping up its deadly operations in Jenin and Nablus, the PA police were arresting Palestinian activists, angering resistance groups in the West Bank and Gaza.

If this continues, a civil war in the West Bank is a real possibility, especially as Abbas’ potential successors are equally distrusted, even by Fatah’s own rank and file. These men were also in Jenin, standing shoulder to shoulder behind Abbas as he was frantically trying to lay out the new rules.

This time around, Palestinians are unlikely to listen. For the resistance, the stakes are too high to back down now. For the PA, losing the West Bank means losing billions of dollars of Western financial handouts.

A clash between the resistance and their popular support, on the one hand, and the West-Israel-backed PA forces, on the other, will prove very costly for Palestinians.

Yet, for Tel Aviv, it is a win-win. This is why Netanyahu is anxious to help Abbas keep his job, at least long enough to ensure that the post-Abbas transition goes through efficiently.

Palestinians must find a way to block such designs, preserve Palestinian blood, and restructure their leadership so that it represents them, not the interests of the Israeli occupation.

Netanyahu: No Palestinian State and the PA ‘Works for Us’

by Ramzy Baroud Posted onJuly 13, 2023

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not just against the establishment of a Palestinian state, he wants to eliminate the very aspirations for such a state.

This was the gist of Netanyahu’s remarks, made at a meeting of the Israeli Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. They were reported in Israeli media on June 26.

Some, including officials in the Palestinian Authority (PA), seemed oddly surprised following the release of the reports, as if Israel’s intentions regarding Palestinian freedom and statehood are not known even to a political novice.

The official spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency retorted by emphasizing that only an independent Palestinian state can achieve "security" and "stability."

These two terms are often used by Palestinian officials to induce US sympathy, as such language is borrowed from US political discourse in Palestine and the Middle East. Practically, the term "security" is almost always linked to Israel, and "stability" is related to the US agenda in the region.

For Israel, however, such language is of little urgency, because "security," from Tel Aviv’s perspective, is obtained through two different channels: one, unconditional US support and two, "security coordination" between the Israeli military occupation and the PA.

Both aspects are already satisfied. Tel Aviv is so content with this arrangement to the extent that Netanyahu, in his recently reported comments, stressed the following: “In the areas which (The Palestinian Authority) manages to act, it does the work for us. And we have no interest in it collapsing.”

Namely, Netanyahu sees the PA as another line of defense against the very Palestinians that the PA is supposed to represent.

As for "stability," this is of little concern to Israel, for it practically defines stability as complete Israeli dominance over the Palestinians – actually, the whole region.

None of the above assertions are predicated on complex analyses or guesswork but are exacted from official Israeli statements and actions on the ground.

When far-right Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared in March that there was “no such thing as Palestinians because there’s no such thing as the Palestinian people," he was not giving a history lecture, or merely engaging in hate speech. He was circuitously stating that Israel is neither morally, legally nor politically accountable for its actions against those who do not exist.

His remarks were consistent with the ongoing pogroms carried out by his supporters, the armed and dangerous illegal Jewish settlers of the West Bank against Palestinians in Huwwara in February and, more recently, against Turmus’ayya and other Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank.

Neither the Americans nor the Europeans carried out any punitive actions against Smotrich or against the gangs of settlers who torched Palestinian homes and cars, killing and wounding many in the process.

Yet, that is only a microcosm of a large ailment, where Israel says and does what it wants, while the Americans continue to read from an old political script as if nothing has changed on the ground.

Without doubt, US foreign policymakers know too well that Israel has zero interest in a just and peaceful settlement to its military occupation of Palestine.

However, if this is the case, why does the US government insist on following the same tired blueprint of urging both sides to re-engage in the so-called "peace process" and return to negotiations?

This mantra continues to define the US foreign policy agenda since the early 1990s, when Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed the Oslo Accords.

Oslo worsened a bad situation – tripled the illegal settlements and settlers, and made the Palestinian people even more vulnerable, not only to Israeli violence but to the PA’s repression and corruption as well.

Though Oslo was unfair to Palestinians since it operated largely outside acceptable international paradigms and had no enforcement clauses or deadlines, Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders objected to it anyway, because – although symbolically – it expected Israel to behave in a certain manner.

To be told not to build or expand settlements, for example, has always infuriated Netanyahu, who lashed out even at his American benefactors many times in the past – most notably under the administration of President Barack Obama.

Israeli leaders feel that they are above any law or expectations emanating from outside, even if these expectations are quite minimal and made by close allies, such as Washington.

Alas, with time, Netanyahu prevailed, not only over any supposed "pressures" from the US and the international community, but also over the more "liberal" political forces in his own society.

Now, armed with a stable coalition, immune from any meaningful criticism, let alone tangible consequences to his action, the Israeli leader feels ready to carry out his right-wing agenda without further hesitation.

Netanyahu’s recent remarks are a more emboldened version of the derisive remarks made in October 2004 by top Israeli government advisor, Dov Weissglass who explained the true intentions behind the Israeli military deployment in Gaza in 2005. It was an Israeli tactic aimed at “freezing the peace process," he said.

"And when you freeze that process,” Weissglass told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, “you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda.”

Though this "whole package" has, indeed, been long removed from the Israeli agenda, the country’s leaders kept referencing a Palestinian state anyway, only to satisfy the minimal expectations of US policy. Even Netanyahu played this game on more than one occasion, including his February interview with CNN, where he argued that a Palestinian state is possible, but only if it has no sovereignty.

Now, Netanyahu is ready to move past that seemingly old language, to new political territories, where the very aspiration of an independent Palestine is not permissible.

While Netanyahu’s bad but honest language is likely to invite yet more Israeli violence and Palestinian resistance, it should also bring about greater clarity, shelving, once and for all, the fraudulent discourse of "security," "stability" and all the rest.

Author: Ramzy Baroud

Ramzy Baroud is editor of the Palestine Chronicle. His latest book is My Father was A Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story (Pluto Press). View all posts by Ramzy Baroud

Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out. His other books include My Father was a Freedom Fighter and The Last Earth. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net.

Jenin is Just the Start: Did Palestinians Finally Bury the Ghosts of the Past?

by Ramzy Baroud 

Posted onJuly 17, 2023

The deadly Israeli invasion of Jenin on July 3 was not a surprise.

Unsurprising also is the fact that the killing of 12 Palestinians, wounding of 120 more, and the destruction of nearly 80 percent of the Jenin Refugee Camp’s homes and infrastructure will not make an iota of a difference.

Even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite his lofty promises of destroying the “safe haven … of the terrorist enclave in Jenin,” must have known that his bloody exercise was ultimately futile.

Indeed, as the Israeli military machine was toppling homes, smashing cars, and harvesting lives, several Palestinian retaliatory attacks were reported, including in Tel Aviv on July 4, and in the Kedumim illegal settlement on July 6.

In fact, unlike the Israeli response to the Second Palestinian Uprising (Intifada) of 2000, extreme violence will not weaken instead but heighten Palestinian Resistance and counter attacks.

Back then, the Palestinian Authority had a degree of control over Palestinian groups and managed, although with great difficulties, to contain the Palestinian street.

Now, the PA has no such leverage.

Indeed, when a delegation of PA officials visited Jenin on July 5 to show ‘solidarity’ and to promise help in the recovery efforts, Jenin residents kicked the officials out of their camp.

Thus, neither did Israel manage to regain any kind of control over Jenin, nor did the PA succeed in reinventing itself as the savior of the people.

So, what was the point of all of this?

Writing in Haaretz, Zvi Bar’el linked the whole Jenin operation, dubbed ‘House and Garden,’ to Netanyahu’s “loss of political control” over his government; in fact, the whole country.

It was “a showy operation,” Bar’el wrote, and “no sensible person in the army or the Shin Bet security service, or even in the silent circles of the right, actually believed that the operation would eradicate” the armed resistance, not only in Jenin, but anywhere throughout the West Bank.

A “showy operation,” indeed, and the best proof of that is the language emanating from official Israeli sources, lead among them Netanyahu himself.

The politically, but also legally embattled rightwing Israeli leader bragged about his army’s “comprehensive action,” carried out in “very systemic way … from the ground, from the air (and) with superb intelligence.”

He vowed to “return to Jenin” if “Jenin returns to terror,” and this “will happen much faster and with much greater power than what people might imagine.”

Tel Aviv’s Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, also spoke about the military’s “success,” in “deal(ing) a heavy blow to the terror organizations in Jenin,” and recording “impressive operational achievements.”

But none of this hyped language is true. What Israel refers to as ‘terror organizations’ in Jenin is part of a much larger phenomenon of armed resistance, itself an outcome of an even larger movement of popular resistance that is felt in every corner of Occupied Palestine.

Quelling the rebellion is not a question of firepower. To the contrary, Israel’s “impressive operational achievement” has simply poured fuel on a raging fire.

To distract from his mounting problems, and to keep his hardline coalition of far-right politicians and their popular base of illegal Jewish settlers happy, Netanyahu has done the most foolish thing. He has simply turned a potential armed rebellion in Palestine into an imminent West Bank-wide revolution.

Unlike the Second Intifada, neither Israel nor the PA has any leverage over the new generation of Palestinian resisters. They are neither moved by false promises of a state, of jobs, of international funds, nor seem to fear threats of detention, torture, or even death.

To the contrary, the greater the violence Israel metes out against Palestinians, the more emboldened they become.

Any examination of the political discourse of this new Palestinian generation, including that of social media, demonstrates a degree of fearlessness that is truly unprecedented.

This courage can be attributed in part to Gaza, whose ongoing resistance, despite the siege and horrific wars in the last two decades have greatly impacted the youth of the West Bank.

And, while PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian enemies engaged in a protracted charade of ‘national unity talks’ and ‘power sharing,’ the new generation operated entirely independent from these superficial and insincere slogans.

Though they were mostly born or matured after the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993, they perceive the political language and culture of that era as alien to them.

It is as if two different Palestines exist — one of Abbas, Fatah, factions, Oslo, donors’ money, ‘peace process’ and dirty politics, and another of united resistance on the ground, sumoud (steadfastness), Gaza, Jenin, Nablus, Lions’ Den and more.

Neither Netanyahu and Gallant, nor Abbas and his PA allies, seem to understand nor are willing to understand this historical shift in political discourses, cultures, and language.

They are disinterested in the cultural shift simply because it does not serve the status quo, which has served them well. Netanyahu wants to stay in power as long as possible; Gallant wants to demonstrate his military prowess — for the sake of running for a higher office in the future — and Abbas wants to keep whatever share of power and money allocated to him.

Perhaps, at a deeper level, they all understand that what worked in the past — more violence in the case of Israel and more financial bribes and corruption in the case of the PA — will not work in the present.

Yet, they are likely to stay the course simply because they are weak, desperate, and have no long-term visions, let alone a real understanding of what is transpiring in Palestine now.

In some ways, it is a generational problem and conflict.

As soon as Israel invaded Jenin, all the traditional actors returned to the old script of previous Israeli wars and invasions. They scurried into position, using the ever-predictable language, approving, condemning, applauding, and cautioning.

For the older generation, time has stood still. But it has not. The new Palestinian generation has buried the ghosts of the past and moved on. And now, they are ready to speak for themselves and to fight for themselves. Jenin is just the start.

Author: Ramzy Baroud

Ramzy Baroud is editor of the Palestine Chronicle. His latest book is My Father was A Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story (Pluto Press). View all posts by Ramzy Baroud

BLUFF AND BLUSTER FROM ISRAEL'S FRONT MAN

Palestinian president calls for unity against 'barbaric Israeli aggression’

'We must ensure our national unity to fight against the occupation, which targets our rights and sanctities as well as our existence,' says Mahmoud Abbas

Anadolu staff |31.07.2023 

RAMALLAH/GAZA CITY, Palestine

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Sunday on the leaders of Palestinian factions attending a meeting in Egypt to unite against “Israeli aggression.”

The general secretaries-level meeting taking place upon a call by Abbas kicked off in the Egyptian coastal city of El Alamein and is closed to the press, said Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Diab Allouh.

Noting that it is inevitable for all Palestinians to assume national responsibility against the ongoing “barbaric aggression of Israel,” Abbas said "we must ensure our national unity to fight against the occupation, which targets our rights and sanctities as well as our existence."

“The coup d'état (staged by Hamas in the Gaza Strip) in 2007 and the division that befell us after must end," he said.

He stressed that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the “sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.”

Abbas advised all parties not to be hesitative towards the PLO and its national political agenda, praising the group for paving the way for the country to be able to become a full-time party to 130 international agreements and institutions.

Abbas underlined that the struggle to become a full-time member of the UN will continue.

He stressed that one of the basic principles that will ensure the unity of Palestine is to "adhere to international legitimacy and peaceful popular resistance," noting they have resorted to various stages of resistance so far, and in today's conditions, it would be best for the Palestinians to continue their struggle “peacefully.”

He accused Israel of preventing elections from taking place and called on the international community, including the US and the European Union, to put pressure on Israel over the matter.

Meeting

The parties will discuss "developments in Palestine, the restoration of national unity, and ways to end divisions in the shadow of the great difficulties facing the Palestinian issue," Egypt’s official news agency MENA reported.

During initial talks held on Saturday, the leaders of the Palestinian groups stressed that decisions should be made to strengthen national unity and support the resistance of the people in the face of Israeli attacks.

The Palestinian groups also emphasized that their ranks should be strengthened as part of the PLO.

Hamas spokesman Hazim Qassim told Anadolu they were holding talks with most of the Palestinian groups to prepare the ground for the meeting to end successfully and with a resulting statement suitable for all parties.

He said the talks are an attempt to expand the common areas between the Palestinian groups and reach a consensus that will result in practical steps.

Fehmi Sahin, political chief of the Palestinian People's Party, told Anadolu on Saturday that the meeting would focus on “strengthening and expanding the role of the PLO, the functional role of the Palestinian Authority, and the strategy of resistance to be developed against Israel and its crimes.”

He expressed hope for all parties to find common ground.

Attendees should put aside disagreements and focus on the struggle against occupation and supporting the people’s resistance, he said.

Some Palestinian groups including the Islamic Jihad Movement (PIJ), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) and the Vanguard for the Popular Liberation War — Lightning Forces (As-Sa'iqa) have announced that they will not take part in the meeting because they think it will “fail.”

On July 10, Abbas announced the extraordinary meeting of Palestinian groups’ general secretaries in Egypt.

The meeting is expected to address the dangers and challenges facing the Palestinian cause following a 48-hour attack by Israel earlier this month on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

*Writing by Merve Berker

Thousands Take to Streets in Gaza in Rare Public Display of Discontent With Hamas

July 30, 2023
Associated Press

Palestinian demonstrators chant slogans during a protest against the territory's chronic power outages and difficult living conditions along the streets of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 30, 2023.

GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP —

Several thousand people briefly took to the streets across the Gaza Strip on Sunday to protest chronic power outages and difficult living conditions, providing a rare public show of discontent with the territory's Hamas government. Hamas security forces quickly dispersed the gatherings.

Marches took place in Gaza City, the southern town of Khan Younis and other locations, with chants "what a shame" and in one place burning Hamas flags, before police moved in and broke up the protests.

Police destroyed mobile phones of people who were filming in Khan Younis, and witnesses said there were several arrests. Dozens of young supporters and opponents of Hamas briefly faced off, throwing stones at one another.

The demonstrations were organized by a grassroots online movement called "alvirus alsakher," or "the mocking virus." It was not immediately known who is behind the movement.

Hamas rules Gaza with an iron fist, barring most demonstrations and quickly stamping out public displays of dissent.

The Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza in 2007 from the forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, prompting Israel and Egypt to impose a crippling blockade on the territory. Israel says the closure is needed to prevent Hamas, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist, from building up its military capabilities.

The closure has devastated Gaza's economy, sent unemployment skyrocketing and led to frequent power outages. During the current heat wave, people have been receiving four to six hours of power a day due to heavy demand.

"Where is the electricity and where is the gas?" the crowds shouted in Khan Younis. "What a shame. What a shame."

Protesters also criticized Hamas for deducting a roughly $15 fee from monthly $100 stipends given to Gaza's poorest families by the wealthy Gulf state of Qatar.

There was no immediate comment from the Hamas authorities.

INDIA VS CHINA

BHP expects Indian steelmaking boom to drive its coal business- FT

Credit: REUTERS/DADO RUVIC

July 31 (Reuters) - BHP Group expects the rampant expansion of India's steel industry to boost its coal business significantly, the company's Indian chief commercial officer Vandita Pant told the Financial Times on Monday.

Around 40% of BHP's metallurgical coal, used by steel mills and known as coking coal, is now heading to India, he said. 

WHY BHP WANTS TO BUY CANADIAN MINER TECK COAL 

A call for medical détente in the  Pacific Islands

Pooling the expertise and resources of development partners is a win not only for regional healthcare but soft diplomacy.

A makeshift Covid-19 hospital in Suva, Fiji, on 31 July 2021

 (Leon Lord/AFP via Getty Images)

EILEEN NATUZZI
Published 31 Jul 2023 

Pacific Islands
Solomon Islands

As US and China competition increases in the region, perhaps it is time for Pacific Island countries to call for “medical détente” to invoke a kind of cold war Geneva Convention medical neutrality. The health needs across the Pacific are significant – a competitive scramble by major powers to out-do one another will not fix the problems.
The goal of medical détente should be to bring representatives from China, Australia, the United States and Japan to the table devoid of political influence and focus.

Medical détente would call for all development partners operating in Pacific Island countries to coordinate medical capacity-building programs in order to focus on improving care. Historically, there have been cases where physicians and health specialists from multiple countries have worked together despite political differences. Examples of this include the 1980 International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War movement, the West Africa Ebola outbreak and the Medical Action Group of the Philippines.

The goal of medical détente should be to bring representatives from China, Australia, the United States and Japan to the table devoid of political influence and focus on an area of the healthcare system that the host nation identifies as in need of strengthening. This multinational team would have cross- table discussions in order to make sure areas being addressed are in alignment with needs and are not redundant. At the centre of this type of approach must be the desires and needs of the people and the government of the host nation.

Many Pacific Island countries have significant health system challenges such as workforce shortages, limited specialised training options, vulnerable infrastructure and poor digital connectivity.

Solomon Islands Deputy Prime Minister Manasseh Maelanga receives his first jab during the launch ceremony for Chinese-provided Covid-19 vaccines at the Central Field Hospital in Honiara on 21 May 2021 (Xinhua via Getty Images)

Solomon Islands, a country I know well and often cast at the centre of this rising tension between the United States and China, is no exception. The country’s healthcare system is underfunded and centralised in Honiara, the capital city. The nation of just over 700,000 people is spread out over 28,000 square kilometres, with 80 per cent of people living in the outer islands.

Since switching allegiance from Taiwan to China in 2019 and signing a 2022 security agreement with China, Solomon Islands has been caught up in a tug-of-war match between regional players. This competition has been playing out in the media and is fracturing the population of the “hapi isles” in a way that could push them towards unrest. The consequences of this could be devastating. Solomon Islands needs medical détente.
As each partner’s neutral health specialists work together, misunderstandings can be addressed face-to-face right along with issues of interoperability.

The recently built Intensive Care Unit at Solomon Islands’ National Referral Hospital is one example of how a multinational healthcare development partnership could be beneficial. The doctors and nurses, as well as the people of Solomon Islands, will benefit greatly from a comprehensive critical care program. Aspects of establishing the program could be parsed out: teaching by China, medical supply support by Australia, medication support by the United States, and diagnostic equipment support by Japan. This type of approach would be similar to how the United States and China assisted Liberia and Sierra Leone in combating the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

Any collaboration like this requires regular dialogue and working together as input from each partner must be coordinated into a concise, seamless capacity-building portfolio. Solomon Islands doctors and nurses as well as the Ministry of Health must be at the centre of the partnership. Silos of care must be avoided as they will promote “medical warfare” through non-beneficial competition. The co-mingling of funds is not necessary for this type of approach as each country addresses a specific portion of the health system.

A coordinated medical détente program will have co-benefits. It will require Chinese, Australian, American and Japanese health teams to communicate and find common ground while implementing a program that benefits the very countries they are sparring over. As each partner’s neutral health specialists work together, misunderstandings can be addressed face-to-face right along with issues of interoperability. This way, respect is built as the program delivers.

This type of dialogue has already begun in Solomon Islands. Recently, the CEO of the National Referral Hospital hosted a tea where doctors and nurses from Solomon Islands, Australia and China came together to talk. It was well received on all sides. Our group will do the same when we are in Honiara in August.

It is entirely possible that common ground can emerge between China, the United States, Australia and Japan from collectively addressing healthcare in Pacific Island countries. Working together towards better health in the Pacific Islands might just be an opening to see America and China getting along.

 

People ordered to evacuate as wildfire burns Canada-US border

TEHRAN, Jul. 31 (MNA) – Hundreds have been ordered to evacuate in western Canada due to an out-of-control wildfire burning across the Canada-US border, local media reported Sunday.

According to the British Columbia Wildfire Service, the wildfire, called Eagle Bluff, is approximately 4 kilometers (2.49 miles) from Osoyoos and is currently estimated to be 885 hectares (2,200 acres) in size on the Canadian side of the border, Reuters reported.

It was estimated to be around 2,000 hectares in size on the US side by the BC Wildfire Service.

"A total of 732 properties have been under evacuation orders and 2,094 are under evacuation alerts. One hundred thirty-two people have sought emergency support," regional district of Okanagan-Similkameen information officer Erick Thompson said.

AMK/PR

Evacuation order issued for western Canadian town as wildfire crosses over from US

A helicopter drops water on a hotspot of the the Eagle Bluff wildfire after it crossed the Canada-US border from the state of Washington and prompted evacuation orders in Osoyoos, British Columbia, Canada, July 30, 2023. — Reuters pic

Monday, 31 Jul 2023 7:35 AM MYT

OSOYOOS (British Columbia), July 31 — An evacuation order for the Canadian town of Osoyoos and its surrounding district in the province of British Columbia had been issued late Saturday night due to an out-of-control wildfire that has crossed the border from the US state of Washington.

The wildfire, called Eagle Bluff, is approximately 4 kilometres (2.49 miles) from Osoyoos and is currently estimated to be 885 hectares (2,200 acres) in size on the Canadian side of the border, according to the British Columbia Wildfire Service.

-ADVERTISEMENT-

It was estimated to be around 2,000 hectares in size on the US side by the BC Wildfire Service.

Osoyoos has an area population of about 6,700, according to an Osoyoos economic development website

“There are Initial Attack crew personnel, several single resources, two helicopters, structure protection personnel and heavy equipment responding to the incident,” BC Wildfire Service said yesterday.

The evacuation order covers the area north of the Canada-United States border to the intersection of Highway 97 and Highway 3, as well as west and north along Highway 3.

Regional district of Okanagan-Similkameen information officer Erick Thompson said at a press briefing yesterday afternoon that nothing much had changed in terms of the situation, adding they are focusing on resources on the eastern flank of the fire.

“A total of 732 properties have been under evacuation order and 2,094 are under evacuation alerts. One hundred thirty-two people have sought emergency support,” he said. — Reuters

Denmark Seeks to Legally Prevent Burnings of Quran, Other Religious Scriptures
July 30, 2023 
Associated Press

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, March 20, 2023.




HELSINKI —

Denmark's foreign minister said Sunday the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Quran or other religious holy books in front of foreign embassies in the Nordic country.

Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in an interview with the Danish public broadcaster DR that the burning of holy scriptures "only serves the purpose of creating division in a world that actually needs unity."

"That is why we have decided in the government that we will look at how, in very special situations, we can put an end to mockery of other countries, which is in direct conflict with Danish interests and the safety of the Danes," he said.

A recent string of public Quran desecrations by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Denmark and neighboring Sweden have sparked angry demonstrations in Muslim countries.

Lokke Rasmussen said the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is determined to find "a legal tool" to prohibit such acts without compromising freedom of expression, but he acknowledged that would not be easy.

"There must be room for religious criticism, and we have no thoughts of reintroducing a blasphemy clause," he told DR. "But when you stand up in front of a foreign embassy and burn a Quran or burn the Torah scroll in front of the Israeli embassy, it serves no other purpose than to mock."

His comments followed a statement issued late Sunday by the Danish government saying freedom of expression is one of the most important values in Danish society.

But, it added, the desecration of the Muslim holy book in Denmark has resulted in the nation being viewed in many places around the world "as a country that facilitates insult and denigration of the cultures, religions, and traditions of other countries."

The government repeated its condemnation of such desecrations, say they are "deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by few individuals" and "do not represent the values the Danish society is built on."

In Sweden, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Sunday on Instagram that his government is analyzing the legal situation regarding desecration of the Quran and other holy books, given the animosity such acts are stirring up against Sweden.

"We are in the most serious security policy situation since the Second World War," Kristersson said.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called an emergency remote meeting Monday to discuss the Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark.

FORDISM IS GLOBALIZATION
Thailand lowers auto production target in 2023

The Federation of Thai Industry (FTI) has reduced its car production target for 2023 to 1.9 million units from 1.95 million units set at the beginning of the year, due to a drop in domestic vehicle sales and an increase in electric vehicle (EV) imports from China.

VNA Saturday, July 29, 2023 

Illustrative photo (Photo: aseanbriefing.com)

Bangkok (VNA) - The Federation of Thai Industry (FTI) has reduced its car production target for 2023 to 1.9 million units from 1.95 million units set at the beginning of the year, due to a drop in domestic vehicle sales and an increase in electric vehicle (EV) imports from China.

Surapong Paisitpatanapong, vice-chairman of the FTI and spokesman for the FTI's Automotive Industry Club said they expect car manufacturing for the domestic market to decrease by 50,000 units, or 5.5%, to 850,000 units, compared with the previous projection of 900,000 units. However, the club maintains its production target for export at 1.05 million units.

Auto sales in Thailand have recently declined as financial institutions impose stricter criteria for granting auto loans. Rising interest rates and very high household debt, currently at 90% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), are causing concerns among financial institutions regarding non-performing loans, Surapong said.

The Bank of Thailand has increased its policy rate six times since August 2022, from 0.5% to 2%. According to local media, the central bank's Monetary Policy Committee is expected to raise its policy rate from 0.25% to 2.25% to curb inflation.

Meanwhile, Surapong said that Chinese electric vehicles have gained more market share thanks to the preferential policies of the Thai government to promote the electric vehicle industry.

Thailand's total car production in June increased by 1.78% year-on-year to 145,557 units. The number increased by 5.91% year-on-year to 921,512 units in the first six months of 2023, according to the club.

Car sales in the domestic market decreased by 5.1% year-on-year to 64,440 units in June mainly because of a drop in pickup and truck sales, following the stricter loan granting criteria./.