Destroyed buildings are seen through the window of an airplane from the US Air Force overflying the Gaza Strip, Thursday, March 14, 2024.
(AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Asharq Al Awsat
15 March 2024
The Australian government also pledged Friday to increase aid for the besieged enclave, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressing horror at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Australia's move follows Sweden, the European Commission and Canada in reinstating funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which had seen its international funding frozen while the allegations were investigated.
“The best available current advice from agencies and the Australian government lawyers is that UNRWA is not a terrorist organization,” Wong told reporters Friday in Adelaide while she announced the aid package, The Associated Press reported.
"(We have) been working with a group of donor countries and with UNRWA on the shared objective of ensuring the integrity of UNRWA’s operations, rebuilding confidence, and so importantly, ensuring aid flows to Gazans in desperate need.”
Australia, alongside 15 international partners, froze funding to UNRWA in January, leaving the agency — which employs roughly 13,000 people in Gaza and is the main supplier of food, water and shelter there — on the brink of financial collapse.
A small number of the agency’s staff were fired following the accusations.
Israel has claimed that 450 UNRWA employees were members of militant groups in Gaza, though it has provided no evidence.
Wong also pledged an additional 4 million Australian dollars ($2.6 million) to UNICEF to provide urgent services in Gaza, and a C17 Globemaster plane will also deliver defense force parachutes to help with the US led airdropping of humanitarian supplies into the enclave, which is on the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.
The US is also scrambling to open a new humanitarian aid corridor by building a floating dock off the coast of Gaza so aid can flow by sea.
Yemen, UN to Work Together to Avert Ecological Disaster after Rubymar Sinking
A handout picture released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on March 2, 2024 shows the capsized Belize-flagged UK-owned bulk carrier Rubymar in the Red Sea, after taking damage due to a February 18 missile strike claimed by Yemen's Houthi militias. (AFP/US CENTCOM)
Taiz: Mohammed Nasser
March 2024 AD ـ 05 Ramadan 1445 AH
An agreement is expected to be announced between the Yemeni government and United Nations on a joint plan to deal with the Rubymar British vessel sunk by the Iran-backed Houthi militias off the coast of Mocha in February, revealed Yemeni government sources.
They told Asharq Al-Asat that the government crisis cell, chaired by Minister of Water and Environment Tawfiq al-Sharjabi, will meet with UN experts on Thursday.
The meeting will discuss the government plan to address the sinking and avoid an environmental disaster.
The Rubymar sank following a Houthi attack on February 18.
The crisis cell met this week to address means to avert a disaster should the ship’s cargo of fuel and hazardous fertilizer seep into the sea.
The meeting was attended by Yemen’s Minister of Legal Affairs and Human Rights Ahmed Arman.
Al-Sharjabi underscored the danger posed by the vessel to marine life. He held the owner of the ship responsible for the damage that could happen to marine life in Yemen or international shipping lanes.
He slammed the owner company for failing to take the necessary measures to save the ship and keep it afloat in spite of the facilitations provided by the Yemeni government.
Arman reminded the gatherers of the 1979 International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) that holds the owner of a vessel responsible for handling any situation it encounters.
Meanwhile, two government sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that after reviewing the government proposals on the crisis, the UN team will head to the location of the sunken ship to assess the situation.
One of the options on the table calls for working with a company specialized in rescue operations to handle the ship and retrieve it to prevent its cargo from spilling into the sea.
The government has been insistent that the international community offer immediate assistance to tackle the situation and avert imminent disaster.
France has expressed readiness to dispatch a team of experts to assist the government in containing the repercussions of the crisis, revealed the sources.
French Ambassador to Yemen Catherine Corm-Kammoun relayed this position to Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi.
Last week, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) said it was “extremely concerned” about the looming ecological disaster posed to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by the sinking of Rubymar.
“The Rubymar is loaded with more than 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate fertilizer and fuel on board. That’s equivalent to 200 tons of oil. Leaking fuel could devastate marine life and destroy coral reefs, sea life and jeopardize hundreds of thousands of jobs in the fishing industry as well as cut littoral states off from supplies of food and fuel,” it warned.
The IGAD region and the entire Red Sea arena would need a very long time to address the fallout of marine pollution, while the Red Sea ecology “would need more than 30 years to recover from the resulting dire consequences of the fuel leak,” it said.
“A discharge could also disrupt one of the busiest shipping lanes and affect seamless movement of goods and services through the Red Sea waterway.”
“IGAD calls upon all the stakeholders to invest in peaceful options to address the looming environmental disaster in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The attacks on ships must cease,” it demanded.
Palestinian Leader Appoints Longtime Adviser as Prime Minister in the Face of Calls for Reform
File photo: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas listens as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (not pictured) speaks during a meeting in Ankara, on March 5, 2024.
Asharq Al Awsat
015 March 2024
Asharq Al Awsat
15 March 2024
AD ـ 05 Ramadan 1445 AH
Australia will restore funding to the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians, weeks after the agency lost hundreds of millions of dollars in support following Israeli allegations that some of its Gaza-based staff participated in the Oct. 7 attack.
Australia will restore funding to the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians, weeks after the agency lost hundreds of millions of dollars in support following Israeli allegations that some of its Gaza-based staff participated in the Oct. 7 attack.
The Australian government also pledged Friday to increase aid for the besieged enclave, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressing horror at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Australia's move follows Sweden, the European Commission and Canada in reinstating funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which had seen its international funding frozen while the allegations were investigated.
“The best available current advice from agencies and the Australian government lawyers is that UNRWA is not a terrorist organization,” Wong told reporters Friday in Adelaide while she announced the aid package, The Associated Press reported.
"(We have) been working with a group of donor countries and with UNRWA on the shared objective of ensuring the integrity of UNRWA’s operations, rebuilding confidence, and so importantly, ensuring aid flows to Gazans in desperate need.”
Australia, alongside 15 international partners, froze funding to UNRWA in January, leaving the agency — which employs roughly 13,000 people in Gaza and is the main supplier of food, water and shelter there — on the brink of financial collapse.
A small number of the agency’s staff were fired following the accusations.
Israel has claimed that 450 UNRWA employees were members of militant groups in Gaza, though it has provided no evidence.
Wong also pledged an additional 4 million Australian dollars ($2.6 million) to UNICEF to provide urgent services in Gaza, and a C17 Globemaster plane will also deliver defense force parachutes to help with the US led airdropping of humanitarian supplies into the enclave, which is on the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.
The US is also scrambling to open a new humanitarian aid corridor by building a floating dock off the coast of Gaza so aid can flow by sea.
Yemen, UN to Work Together to Avert Ecological Disaster after Rubymar Sinking
A handout picture released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on March 2, 2024 shows the capsized Belize-flagged UK-owned bulk carrier Rubymar in the Red Sea, after taking damage due to a February 18 missile strike claimed by Yemen's Houthi militias. (AFP/US CENTCOM)
Taiz: Mohammed Nasser
March 2024 AD ـ 05 Ramadan 1445 AH
An agreement is expected to be announced between the Yemeni government and United Nations on a joint plan to deal with the Rubymar British vessel sunk by the Iran-backed Houthi militias off the coast of Mocha in February, revealed Yemeni government sources.
They told Asharq Al-Asat that the government crisis cell, chaired by Minister of Water and Environment Tawfiq al-Sharjabi, will meet with UN experts on Thursday.
The meeting will discuss the government plan to address the sinking and avoid an environmental disaster.
The Rubymar sank following a Houthi attack on February 18.
The crisis cell met this week to address means to avert a disaster should the ship’s cargo of fuel and hazardous fertilizer seep into the sea.
The meeting was attended by Yemen’s Minister of Legal Affairs and Human Rights Ahmed Arman.
Al-Sharjabi underscored the danger posed by the vessel to marine life. He held the owner of the ship responsible for the damage that could happen to marine life in Yemen or international shipping lanes.
He slammed the owner company for failing to take the necessary measures to save the ship and keep it afloat in spite of the facilitations provided by the Yemeni government.
Arman reminded the gatherers of the 1979 International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) that holds the owner of a vessel responsible for handling any situation it encounters.
Meanwhile, two government sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that after reviewing the government proposals on the crisis, the UN team will head to the location of the sunken ship to assess the situation.
One of the options on the table calls for working with a company specialized in rescue operations to handle the ship and retrieve it to prevent its cargo from spilling into the sea.
The government has been insistent that the international community offer immediate assistance to tackle the situation and avert imminent disaster.
France has expressed readiness to dispatch a team of experts to assist the government in containing the repercussions of the crisis, revealed the sources.
French Ambassador to Yemen Catherine Corm-Kammoun relayed this position to Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi.
Last week, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) said it was “extremely concerned” about the looming ecological disaster posed to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by the sinking of Rubymar.
“The Rubymar is loaded with more than 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate fertilizer and fuel on board. That’s equivalent to 200 tons of oil. Leaking fuel could devastate marine life and destroy coral reefs, sea life and jeopardize hundreds of thousands of jobs in the fishing industry as well as cut littoral states off from supplies of food and fuel,” it warned.
The IGAD region and the entire Red Sea arena would need a very long time to address the fallout of marine pollution, while the Red Sea ecology “would need more than 30 years to recover from the resulting dire consequences of the fuel leak,” it said.
“A discharge could also disrupt one of the busiest shipping lanes and affect seamless movement of goods and services through the Red Sea waterway.”
“IGAD calls upon all the stakeholders to invest in peaceful options to address the looming environmental disaster in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The attacks on ships must cease,” it demanded.
Palestinian Leader Appoints Longtime Adviser as Prime Minister in the Face of Calls for Reform
File photo: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas listens as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (not pictured) speaks during a meeting in Ankara, on March 5, 2024.
(Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP)
Asharq Al Awsat
015 March 2024
AD ـ 05 Ramadan 1445 AH
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed his longtime economic adviser to be the next prime minister in the face of US pressure to reform the Palestinian Authority as part of Washington's postwar vision for Gaza.
Mohammad Mustafa, a US-educated economist and political independent, will head a technocratic government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that could potentially administer Gaza ahead of eventual statehood. But those plans face major obstacles, including strong opposition from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Israel-Hamas war that is still grinding on with no end in sight.
It’s unclear whether the appointment of a new Cabinet led by a close Abbas ally would be sufficient to meet US demands for reform, as the 88-year-old president would remain in overall control, The Associated Press said.
“The change that the United States of America and the countries of the region want is not necessarily the change that the Palestinian citizen wants,” said Hani al-Masri, a Palestinian political analyst. “People want a real change in politics, not a change in names ... They want elections.”
He said Mustafa is “a respected and educated man” but will struggle to meet public demands to improve conditions in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli restrictions imposed since the start of the war have caused an economic crisis.
In a statement announcing the appointment, Abbas asked Mustafa to put together plans to re-unify the administration in the West Bank and Gaza, lead reforms in the government, security services and economy and fight corruption.
Washington welcomed his appointment but urged that Mostafa quickly form a Cabinet to implement changes.
"The United States will be looking for this new government to deliver on policies and implementation of credible and far-reaching reforms. A reformed Palestinian Authority is essential to delivering results for the Palestinian people and establishing the conditions for stability in both the West Bank and Gaza," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.
Mustafa was born in the West Bank town of Tulkarem in 1954 and earned a doctorate in business administration and economics from George Washington University. He has held senior positions at the World Bank and previously served as deputy prime minister and economy minister. He is currently the chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund.
The previous prime minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, resigned along with his government last month, saying different arrangements were needed because of the “new reality in the Gaza Strip.”
The Palestinian Authority was established in the 1990s through interim peace agreements and was envisioned as a stepping-stone to eventual statehood.
But the peace talks repeatedly collapsed, most recently with Netanyahu’s return to power in 2009. Hamas seized power in Gaza from forces loyal to Abbas in 2007, confining his limited authority to major population centers that account for around 40% of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Abbas is deeply unpopular among Palestinians, many of whom view the PA as little more than a subcontractor of the occupation because it cooperates with Israel on security matters. His mandate ended in 2009 but he has refused to hold elections, blaming Israeli restrictions. Hamas won a landslide victory in the last parliamentary elections, in 2006. Although it is considered a terrorist group by Israel and Western countries, Hamas would likely perform well in any free and fair vote.
Abbas, unlike his Hamas rivals, recognizes Israel, has renounced armed struggle and is committed to a negotiated solution that would create an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. That goal is shared by the international community.
Israel has long criticized the PA over payments it makes to the families of Palestinians who have been killed or imprisoned by Israel. The PA defends such payments as a form of social welfare for families harmed by the decades-old conflict.
The dispute has led Israel to suspend some of the taxes and customs duties it collects on behalf of the PA, contributing to years of budget shortfalls. The PA pays the salaries of tens of thousands of teachers, health workers and other civil servants.
The United States has called for a reformed PA to expand its writ to postwar Gaza ahead of the eventual creation of a Palestinian state in both territories. Netanyahu has ruled out any role for the PA in Gaza, and his government is opposed to Palestinian statehood.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories to form their future state.
Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and considers the entire city — including major holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims — to be its undivided capital. Israel has built scores of settlements across the West Bank, where over 500,000 Jewish settlers live in close proximity to some 3 million Palestinians.
Israel withdrew soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005, but along with Egypt imposed a blockade on the territory when Hamas seized power two years later.
Netanyahu has vowed to dismantle Hamas and maintain open-ended security control over Gaza in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in which the group stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
The Palestinian Authority has said it will not return to Gaza on the back of an Israeli tank, and that it would only assume control of the territory as part of a comprehensive solution to the conflict that includes statehood.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed his longtime economic adviser to be the next prime minister in the face of US pressure to reform the Palestinian Authority as part of Washington's postwar vision for Gaza.
Mohammad Mustafa, a US-educated economist and political independent, will head a technocratic government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that could potentially administer Gaza ahead of eventual statehood. But those plans face major obstacles, including strong opposition from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Israel-Hamas war that is still grinding on with no end in sight.
It’s unclear whether the appointment of a new Cabinet led by a close Abbas ally would be sufficient to meet US demands for reform, as the 88-year-old president would remain in overall control, The Associated Press said.
“The change that the United States of America and the countries of the region want is not necessarily the change that the Palestinian citizen wants,” said Hani al-Masri, a Palestinian political analyst. “People want a real change in politics, not a change in names ... They want elections.”
He said Mustafa is “a respected and educated man” but will struggle to meet public demands to improve conditions in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli restrictions imposed since the start of the war have caused an economic crisis.
In a statement announcing the appointment, Abbas asked Mustafa to put together plans to re-unify the administration in the West Bank and Gaza, lead reforms in the government, security services and economy and fight corruption.
Washington welcomed his appointment but urged that Mostafa quickly form a Cabinet to implement changes.
"The United States will be looking for this new government to deliver on policies and implementation of credible and far-reaching reforms. A reformed Palestinian Authority is essential to delivering results for the Palestinian people and establishing the conditions for stability in both the West Bank and Gaza," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.
Mustafa was born in the West Bank town of Tulkarem in 1954 and earned a doctorate in business administration and economics from George Washington University. He has held senior positions at the World Bank and previously served as deputy prime minister and economy minister. He is currently the chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund.
The previous prime minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, resigned along with his government last month, saying different arrangements were needed because of the “new reality in the Gaza Strip.”
The Palestinian Authority was established in the 1990s through interim peace agreements and was envisioned as a stepping-stone to eventual statehood.
But the peace talks repeatedly collapsed, most recently with Netanyahu’s return to power in 2009. Hamas seized power in Gaza from forces loyal to Abbas in 2007, confining his limited authority to major population centers that account for around 40% of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Abbas is deeply unpopular among Palestinians, many of whom view the PA as little more than a subcontractor of the occupation because it cooperates with Israel on security matters. His mandate ended in 2009 but he has refused to hold elections, blaming Israeli restrictions. Hamas won a landslide victory in the last parliamentary elections, in 2006. Although it is considered a terrorist group by Israel and Western countries, Hamas would likely perform well in any free and fair vote.
Abbas, unlike his Hamas rivals, recognizes Israel, has renounced armed struggle and is committed to a negotiated solution that would create an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. That goal is shared by the international community.
Israel has long criticized the PA over payments it makes to the families of Palestinians who have been killed or imprisoned by Israel. The PA defends such payments as a form of social welfare for families harmed by the decades-old conflict.
The dispute has led Israel to suspend some of the taxes and customs duties it collects on behalf of the PA, contributing to years of budget shortfalls. The PA pays the salaries of tens of thousands of teachers, health workers and other civil servants.
The United States has called for a reformed PA to expand its writ to postwar Gaza ahead of the eventual creation of a Palestinian state in both territories. Netanyahu has ruled out any role for the PA in Gaza, and his government is opposed to Palestinian statehood.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories to form their future state.
Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and considers the entire city — including major holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims — to be its undivided capital. Israel has built scores of settlements across the West Bank, where over 500,000 Jewish settlers live in close proximity to some 3 million Palestinians.
Israel withdrew soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005, but along with Egypt imposed a blockade on the territory when Hamas seized power two years later.
Netanyahu has vowed to dismantle Hamas and maintain open-ended security control over Gaza in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in which the group stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
The Palestinian Authority has said it will not return to Gaza on the back of an Israeli tank, and that it would only assume control of the territory as part of a comprehensive solution to the conflict that includes statehood.
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