Tuesday, September 10, 2024

OPINION
Cartography of genocide: Why Netanyahu erased Palestine from the map

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu points at Egypt on a map during a press conference at the Government Press Office (GPO) in Jerusalem on September 4, 2024 [ABIR SULTAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]

by Dr Ramzy Baroud
RamzyBaroud

September 10, 2024 


When asked why his latest map had erased the whole of the West Bank, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retorted with the most detestable answer. “I didn’t include the Dead Sea. It’s not shown on the map. I didn’t show the Jordan River. It’s not on this map. I didn’t show the Sea of Galilee,” he said. The Israeli leader must know that neither the indigenous population of Palestine, nor the occupied territories of West Bank and East Jerusalem — which are recognised as such under international law — are topographical or geographical phenomena that can be overlooked or ignored on a whim.

It should be obvious to anyone, therefore, that Netanyahu deliberately erased the West Bank from the map that he used on 2 September in another one of his pompous tirades on why Israel must maintain “security control” over Gaza. There is ample evidence to show that this assertion is true.

For a start, Netanyahu also erased Palestine and the Palestinians from his previous maps. The prime example was his “New Middle East” map, which he held proudly during a UN General Assembly speech in September 2022. Moreover, Netanyahu does not even recognise such a term as “the West Bank” in the first place. Even in his justification for why his latest map of Israel swallowed the West Bank, he responded by saying that he “was talking about Gaza”, not “Judea and Samaria”.

The Biblical reference to the Palestinian homeland fits perfectly into the prevailing Israeli political discourse, which is now championed by the most ardent far-right, ultranationalist extremists in Israeli society. Israel’s current regime simply does not believe that Palestinians have any historical claim or political rights and aspirations in their own land. Among a long stream of such comments, a few stand out.

Smotrich: ‘My life’s mission is to thwart a Palestinian state’

In March 2023, for example, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich denied the existence of Palestinians during a private memorial service in Paris. There is “no such thing as Palestinians because there’s no such thing as the Palestinian people,” he claimed.

As for Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the erasure of Palestinians requires action, violent action.

On 23 June, he told a press conference: “The Land of Israel must be settled, and a military operation must be launched. [We must] demolish buildings, eliminate terrorists, not one or two, but tens and hundreds, and if necessary even thousands. The Land of Israel is for the people of Israel.”

And, of course, there’s Netanyahu himself, who in March 2019 stated that Israel is, “The national state, not of all its citizens, but only of the Jewish people.” He ignored the fact that 20 per cent of Israeli citizens are non-Jews; they are Palestinian Arabs.

Such a discourse is backed by action, namely the constant expansion of illegal Jewish settlements, the slow ethnic cleansing of Palestinian communities from various regions in the West Bank and a government programme that, in April 2020, agreed to annex large parts of the occupied region.

We also know that Netanyahu rejects the very idea of a Palestinian state.

He even pushed through a law at the Israeli Knesset that opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state because it would pose “an existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilise the region.”

That law represents the pinnacle of Netanyahu’s political career, which has largely been dedicated to thwarting any attempt to achieve a negotiated solution based on international law. Palestinian hopes of establishing a sovereign state “must be eliminated”, said Netanyahu in July 2023.

It is no surprise, therefore, that the Israeli leader does not see the need to demarcate any other entity in his delusional maps aside from Israel which, alone among UN member states, has never actually declared where its borders lie.

READ: Jewish settlers abduct, assault elderly Palestinian in occupied West Bank

Ironically, as part of his response to criticism, Netanyahu did mention the word “Palestinians”, though. “There is a whole issue of how to achieve peace between us and the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria,” he said. Even then, his statement denied the Palestinian people any entitlement to peoplehood, let alone statehood.

For him, Palestinians are nomadic beings who, by mere historical incident, ventured into his Biblical land, in which they have no claim or rights.” Nevertheless, Netanyahu continued to lie, as he has done the exact opposite of “achieving peace” with Palestinians. He is engaged in their extermination.

On 20 May, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, asked for arrest warrants to be issued for several Israelis and Palestinians. Lead among them is Netanyahu himself, who is accused of “extermination”, “wilful killing” and other “inhumane acts as crimes against humanity”.

It was clear that Netanyahu’s controversial map highlighted the borders of the Gaza Strip only so that the Israeli leader could present his case for his murderous campaign in the Strip to continue. In his previous maps, even Gaza was erased.

It has long been argued that Israel is a settler-colonial entity that can only exist through constant expansion at the expense of the territorial and political rights of the indigenous population. Today, most of the world can see this truth manifesting itself daily, everywhere in historic Palestine.

The international community must abandon its silence and hold Israel accountable to international law through active pressure and direct sanctions. Those who use genocide as a convenient political tool have no place among law-abiding citizens and nations.

UN warns of Israel officials’ interference in probe of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees

September 9, 2024 at 7:39 pm

Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary, at the United Nations, October 30, 2019 [EuropaNewswire/Gado/Getty Images]

UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, on Monday expressed concern over attempts by Israeli political actors to interfere with investigations into reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees, Anadolu Agency reports.

“I am particularly concerned about recent attempts by some Israeli political actors, to interfere with ongoing justice processes and/ or to justify the use of these methods. Sexual violence and sexualised torture in detention settings must never be normalised,” Patten said in a statement following increasing reports of sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners.

She warned that “impunity emboldens perpetrators, silences victims and undermines prospects for peace,” and urged for accountability and justice for the crimes.

Citing the UN’s recently published report, Patten said: “Sexual violence and sexualised torture in any form and in any context, and particularly in detention settings, is unacceptable.”

“Such abhorrent acts not only constitute a grave violation of human rights and human dignity but they also undermine efforts towards peace and stability in the region,” she added.

Emphasizing the need for immediate support for victims, including medical and psychological care, the UN official expressed concern about the low number of probes compared to the volume of complaints received.

Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 41,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 94,800 others, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.
War hits Israel budget, widening deficit


September 9, 2024 


This picture taken on August 23, 2022 shows a view of the exterior of the headquarters of the Bank of Israel, the country’s central bank, in Kiryat Ben-Gurion in Jerusalem [AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images]

Israel’s budget deficit continues to feel the impact of the country’s ongoing deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, with the budget deficit growing gradually this year, Anadolu Agency reports.

The budget deficit to the country’s GDP ratio was at minus 8.3 per cent in August, increasing from minus 7.6 per cent in June and minus 6.2 per cent in March and minus 4.1 per cent last December.

The budget deficit was at 84 billion shekels ($22.38 billion) this January to August, versus a surplus of 0.3 billion shekels ($79.9 million) in the same period last year.

While the country’s expenditures jumped 31.8 per cent year-on-year in the first eight months, revenues rose just 4 per cent, Israeli Finance Ministry data showed on Sunday.

In August alone, the budget deficit was at 12.1 billion shekels ($3.22 billion).

Israel’s offensive on Gaza, which has continued since an attack by Hamas last October, has resulted in nearly 41,000 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities.

The attacks lasting nearly a year, which government opponents charge are meant to ensure the political survival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also require huge spending from the Israeli budget and hit the country’s economy.


‘Accomplice to genocide': Conscientious objector jailed for refusing to join Israel army

September 9, 2024 
Middle East Monitor – Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa

Israeli citizen, Yuval Moav during a Protest refusing to join the Israeli occupation army on 5 August, 2024 [@danido999/X]

A conscientious objector who refused to join the army in response to Israel’s relentless offensive on Gaza since last 7 October said he believes that Israel is committing genocide against civilians in Gaza, Anadolu Agency reports.

Israeli citizen, Yuval Moav, 18, who was jailed for refusing to join the Israeli army, told Anadolu about his experiences after turning down military service to protest the army’s actions, which include turning Gaza into a virtual wasteland and leaving Palestinians there on the brink of starvation.

Moav said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and that he had no choice but to refuse to join the army in order to stand against the Occupation.

Saying Israel imprisoned him a month ago, he said: “I’m 18 years old and I refuse to be a partner in the genocide. I just returned from my first 30-day sentence in an Israeli military prison and I’ll go back in. You can be imprisoned for up to 30 days for refusing to enlist, but when you’re released, you’re re-enlisted. I will refuse to be drafted again and I think this cycle will continue for maybe six months.”



He said he would resist the draft as long as he could.

READ: Israeli conscientious objector Tal Mitnick granted army exemption

Saying there is a group in Israel that opposes the massacres, he added: “There are people who oppose these massacres in Israel for various reasons, but it’s very unfortunate because we’re few in number.”

Calling on the Jewish community to refuse compulsory military service to help stop the ongoing genocide in Palestine, Moav said: “I’m far from being a victim in this situation. I’ll finish my prison sentence and go back to my privileged life. I think you should definitely not do it. If you join the Israeli army now, it would be a stain on your life forever. It will haunt you forever. I think I’ve made my point and I will do it in solidarity with the Palestinian people. I will do it because I won’t be an accomplice to genocide.”
‘My conscience was clear’

Moav said he wants to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians and added, “That’s why I believe I can’t in good conscience be clear about what’s happening … First of all, I’d like to say that I stand in solidarity with my Palestinian brothers and sisters.”

​​​​​​​Stating that the Israeli army intends to destroy the Palestinian people and their way of life, Moab stressed that he believes the Israeli government and part of Israeli society are partners in this “genocide”.

Calling the killing of tens of thousands of innocents in Gaza – some 41,000 at last count – unacceptable, Moav added: “I can say this to my Palestinian brothers and sisters. This is what I can do; this is what I can do. At the same time, I’d like to say that there are people who have seen the pain and suffering that Israel is causing now and since its inception. We stand against it and we’re not going anywhere and when the day comes, we will build a better society together, we can.”
Conscription in Israel

In Israel, Haredim (Ultra-Orthodox Jews) as well as some secular groups refuse to join the army.

Hot topics such as the Haredi draft exemption and judicial reform have been postponed due to the current situation in the country since last October. These issues, put on the back burner for the sake of social unity in wartime, are seen as fragile fault lines in Israeli society.

In February, the army announced a plan to extend the length of service of conscripts and reservists. While conscripts’ length of service was increased, the exemption of Haredi men from military service came up again.

The exemption of Haredi men from military service was a top political priority of the Haredi parties. However, the alignment of Israeli society with the army since last October caused some lawmakers to shift their tone.

As of 1 April, the Supreme Court issued a ruling freezing government funding for yeshivas (religious schools) that do not enlist their students. This decision, condemned by Haredi leaders, raised concerns about Haredi parties leaving the government coalition.

As a result, yeshivas will no longer receive funding for students who qualify for military service. This will leave nearly 1,300 yeshivas without state funding and hundreds more facing partial cuts.

​​​​​​​Haredi leaders have, so far, continued to support Netanyahu because they trusted his commitment to protect the welfare of their communities by isolating them. To this day, they continue to study the Torah and are exempt from military service.

WATCH: An Israeli conscientious objector highlights genocidal language used by Israeli government

Future of Gaza concerns entire Middle East: EU Foreign Policy chief

September 9, 2024 


EU High Representative Josep Borrell gives his speech during the conference titled ‘The Future of Syria and the Region’ in Brussels, Belgium on May 27, 2024 [Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency]

The future of the embattled Gaza Strip concerns the entire Middle East, said the EU Foreign Policy chief on Monday, Anadolu Agency reports.

On the destruction and catastrophic situation brought by ongoing Israel attacks on the besieged enclave, Josep Borrell told reporters on the Egyptian side of the Rafah Crossing into Gaza: “Certainly we have to avoid … Gaza becoming a new Mogadishu, a Mogadishu in the Mediterranean, or a new Haiti, aligned without law and order, abandoned to the gangs, to the violence of people.”

It is the security and stability of the whole region, including Israel, which is at stake, he added.

As such, Borrell stressed, the Palestinian administration should be supported to restore law and order in Gaza.

On the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, he underlined that only a tiny percentage of Gazans in need are getting aid as crossings remain closed due to Israel.

READ: UN rights chief urges states to challenge Israel over occupation

“Today, 1,400 trucks (are) waiting to enter. And, in a good day, maybe 50 will come in. In (the Muslim holy month of) Ramadan time, they were 600 per day. This is a drop in the ocean of needs on the other side (of the Crossing),” Borrell said.

Against this background, he repeated his call for reopening the Crossing for the conditions in Gaza to improve.
‘I don’t know why no ceasefire has been reached’

Borrell also stressed that a ceasefire is urgently needed for further steps to be able to be taken on Gaza, including deploying staff by the EU and other concerned parties.

On efforts to reach a ceasefire deal, he said: “We can put our political and diplomatic pressure on Israel authorities, but our capacity is limited. We do what we can. The US also is doing what we can, but something goes wrong here. I don’t understand why the ceasefire has still not been reached. Someone is procrastinating.”

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been widely accused – including by many in Israel – of deliberately holding back a deal as he sees the ongoing war as necessary for his political survival.

Earlier Monday, Borrell was received by Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, in Cairo.

Announcing that he and Al-Sisi discussed the ongoing war in Gaza and the need to prevent further escalation, Borrell said on X: “The EU and Egypt are strategic partners at all levels – from economic development to achieving peace across the region.”

Despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, Israel has continued its relentless offensive on the Gaza Strip, which so far killed nearly 41,000 Palestinians, following an attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, on last 7 October.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.
ZIONIST SNIPER ASSASSINATION

UK, US governments need to hold Israel to account for murder of Turkish-American activist: Protesters

September 7, 2024
Middle East Monitor – Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa

A photo shared by Saif Sharabati a Palestinian Activist based in Seattle, close friend of Turkish-American rights activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi who was killed by Israeli soldiers in Nablus, as she was standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Seattle, Washington, United States on September 06, 2024.
 [Photo Album of Saif Sharabati – Anadolu Agency]

The killing of a Turkish-American activist in the West Bank by Israel during a peaceful protest continues to spark anger with British protesters decrying the killing and calling on the US, UK governments to hold Israel to account over the murder, Anadolu Agency reports.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist, was shot dead by Israeli forces on Friday while participating in a demonstration against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita.

An autopsy report of Eygi has confirmed she was killed by an Israeli sniper’s bullet to the head, Nablus governor Ghassan Daghlas said on Saturday.

Eygi, 26, a dual citizen of Turkiye and the US, had been actively involved in solidarity movements supporting Palestinian rights. Her death has sparked outrage and calls for accountability from both local and international communities.

Speaking to Anadolu, Charlie Burt, a protester, said that journalists, activists and everyone who’s showing solidarity towards Palestine “are on targets.”

“It was a peaceful protest she was attending, and it’s unacceptable that anyone would be shot for that or murdered,” he said referring to the killing of Eygi.

Burt also demanded that Israel should be held to account over the murder.

“I think, the UK and US governments need to hold Israel to account for her murder. It’s disgusting, quite frankly,” he added.

READ: Family demands independent investigation after Turkish American activist killed by Israel

Asked whether the government should do more to prevent more killings, Burt said he believes the UK government is “too soft” on Israel at the moment.

Reminding that the government has suspended 30 arms licenses recently, Burt, however, stressed that all of them need to be halted, including F-35 parts.

“We should sanction, divest and boycott Israel completely until the genocide ends and Palestine is free,” added Burt.

On Monday, the government announced that it was suspending 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel after a review, warning there is a clear risk that certain UK arms exports to Israel might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

The 30 licenses cover components for military aircraft, helicopters, drones and items that facilitate ground targeting, excluding UK components for the F-35 fighter jet program.

For her part, Vicki Narcin, another protester, said that killing an activist for protesting against the genocide is “just typical” of the Israeli army to do so.

“This should all be stopped now. Stop arming Israel,” she noted, mentioning that the UK shouldn’t have export licenses anymore.

Narcin added: “It is a genocide, it’s against international law and in my view, they are war criminals.”

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

Besides killing more than 40,000 Palestinians since then, the military campaign has turned much of the enclave of 2.3 million people into ruins, leaving most civilians homeless and at risk of famine.


US Muslim group asks Justice Department to investigate Israel killing of Turkish-American activist


September 6, 2024 


The US Flag flies above a sign marking the US Department of Justice (DOJ) headquarters building in Washington, DC on January 20, 2024 [J. David Ake/Getty Images]


A Muslim-American advocacy group, on Friday, asked the US Department of Justice to investigate the Israeli killing of a Turkish-American activist in the northern Occupied West Bank, Anadolu Agency reports.

I write to request that the Justice Department investigate and prosecute the Israeli officials, soldiers, and settlers responsible for committing violent crimes against Palestinian-Americans, including slain journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, and peace activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers today in the Occupied West Bank

Robert S. McCaw, Director of the Government Affairs Department of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a letter.

His letter came after Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was shot dead by Israeli forces on Friday during a protest against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita in the Nablus district of the occupied West Bank.

“CAIR calls on the DOJ, working in coordination with FBI and Department of State, to immediately investigate and prosecute the horrific murder of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was allegedly shot in the head by Israeli soldiers while volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) to protect Palestinian farmers,” McCaw said.

READ: ‘Do something to save lives!’ Congresswoman asks Blinken after Israel killing of Turkish-American activist

Stressing that Eygi’s life was “violently” taken just hours before the appeal, and eyewitness accounts are still emerging as her body remains at Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, he added:

In light of this heinous act of violence, we demand the US government act on its own accord and not passively defer to Israeli investigations, which time and again have resulted in predictable exoneration

CAIR expects the Justice Department to act “immediately and decisively”, he said.

Fouad Nafaa, the Director of the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, told Anadolu that Eygi arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. She succumbed to her injuries, despite medical teams’ efforts to revive her, according to Nafaa.

Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli soldiers opened live fire on a group of Palestinians protesting illegal settlements on Mount Sbeih in Beita, which lies south of the city of Nablus.

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, confirmed that the victim was a volunteer with the Fazaa campaign, an initiative aimed at supporting and protecting Palestinian farmers from ongoing violations by illegal Israeli settlers and the military.

Residents of Beita hold weekly protests after Friday prayers to oppose the illegal Israeli settlement of Avitar, which sits on the peak of Mount Sbeih. The community demands the removal of the settlement, which they view as a violation of their land rights.

Eygi was born in the Turkish city of Antalya in 1998.

Bail conditions dropped against UK peace activist

September 9, 2024 
Middle East Monitor – Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa


Thousands attend a pro-Palestinian protest, with Palestinian flags and anti-war placards, demanding the end to the Israeli attacks on Gaza in London, United Kingdom on June 08, 2024 [RaÅŸid Necati Aslım – Anadolu Agency]




British peace activist Sarah Wilkinson has had six of the seven bail conditions issued against her dropped.

In an interview posted on her account on X, Wilkinson said: “The bail conditions have been removed… Six of the seven bail conditions are completely inhumane and disabled me from being able to sort of live in this area. All the bail conditions have been removed, apart from I cannot talk about the Palestinian resistance but I can use social media.”

At the end of August Wilkinson’s house was raided by Counter Terrorism Police and she was arrested. According to reports she was asked to give up details of her contacts in Gaza.

“They had absolutely no intention of this going to court,” she said of the police’s actions. The police raid by officers wearing balaclavas “terrorised this end of town. Was it really worth it?”

“My whole purpose is to try and save Gaza… People have to know what is happening in Palestine. This is a genocide and the government is completely complicit in this genocide,” she said when asked if her arrest would lead to her stopping her work to call for an end to the bombing of Gaza.

“We are on the right side of history. Our government is on the wrong side of history. Our police are on the wrong side of history,” she added.

“We carry on, we keep fighting. We are not going to be terrorised by the British police.. we are not going to be intimidated.”
Canada party defends candidate’s use of Palestinian flag on election pamphlet

September 9, 2024 
Middle East Monitor – Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march during a protest in downtown Toronto,Canada on August 3, 2024 [Mert Alper Dervış – Anadolu Agency]


A Canadian political party is defending its candidate’s decision to display the Palestinian flag on an election pamphlet, Canadian media reported Monday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Craig Sauve, who is running in a local election in Quebec, is pictured standing in front of the Palestinian flag that in no way demeans the Canadian flag, the New Democrat Party (NDP) said.

“It’s ludicrous to suggest that when a politician is seen with another flag it’s un-Canadian, whether that’s the Ukrainian flag, Israeli flag, Palestinian flag or other nations,” the NDP said in a statement, the Montreal Gazette reported.


But Jewish and pro-Israeli groups insist the pamphlet is stoking anti-Semitic fires.

“(It’s) a disgraceful attempt by NDP candidate Craig Sauvé to import a foreign conflict into Quebec and Canada,” the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs tweeted on X. “In a bid for votes, (NDP leader) Jagmeet Singh and the NDP are turning their backs on our values, fuelling anti-Semitism in the process.”

The lead-up to the by-election in the riding (electoral district) is set for 16 September, and it has seen other controversy caused by the Gaza war.

At the end of August, 52 Arab and Muslim staff working for the Liberal Party sent a letter to Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, that they would not support the Liberal candidate in the riding by door-to-door or telephone campaigning.

The workers were upset, charging that the Liberal Party has not “explicitly condemned” Israel for war crimes, has failed to recognise the State of Palestine and has not acknowledged anti-Palestinian racism in Canada.

 

Paralympics ceremony in Syria faces backlash and censorship amid accusations of paganism

“Lighting the Olympic Flame in Idlib: Between Cultural Symbolism and Accusations of Pagan Rituals.” The photo via Abd Alfatah Sh Omar on his Facebook PageCC BY 4.0.

In Idlib, northern Syria, the Violet Organization, a humanitarian team, organized a sports event featuring the lighting of the Olympic flame as part of the local Paralympic Games’ opening ceremony. This event sparked widespread controversy.

Some viewed the ceremony as promoting pagan customs that conflict with Islamic values, highlighting a misunderstanding of cultural symbols and their compatibility with the Islamic faith.

Censored event

The local initiative targeted former international professional players, amateurs who sustained injuries from the wars in the country, and individuals with physical and mental disabilities. Civilians, who attended the opening ceremony in the hundreds, greatly encouraged the event. However, Tahrir al-Sham — a Sunni Islamist political armed organization involved in the Syrian Civil War, and the region's ruling authority — quickly moved to cancel the event, issuing a warning to the organizers. They cited “violations” during the ceremony, specifically referencing the carrying of the Olympic torch.

“These heroes did not choose to surrender, but rather chose to revive hope in all our hearts.” The photo via Violet Facebook account. [AN: license?]

The controversy escalated when the Syrian Salvation Government affiliated with Tahrir al-Sham announced the suspension of both the event and Violet Organization's humanitarian work in Idlib.

On its Facebook page, which has 568,000 followers, Violet Organization clarified its goals in a post emphasizing the event's focus on bringing attention to Syrian athletes with varying degrees of disability. These athletes, including those with muscle weakness, impaired movement, short stature, muscle tension, poor eyesight, and developmental disabilities, are underrepresented in the Paralympic events in Paris:

Our people and brothers [everywhere], we value and appreciate your comments. We want to clarify that our goal in organizing this event was to foster sportsmanship and solidarity with a group dear to our hearts. Our aim was to convey their suffering to the world, particularly the disabled community. It was never our intention, God forbid, to imitate traditions or symbols unfamiliar to our society or our authentic Syrian culture which we take pride in having grown up with.

War of accusations

The event quickly provoked outrage from extremist Islamists. Within hours, accounts on social media began attacking the ceremony. The situation escalated into a public dispute between various “jihadist leaders” in northern Syria, resulting in a war of accusations among leaders of what some experts have called the “post-jihadi technocratic state-let in Idlib.

Two main factions emerged: one, led by Saudi jihadist Musleh al-Aliani, condemned the event in a video as promoting “pagan traditions,” while the other defended Tahrir al-Sham. The first group accused Tahrir al-Sham and its leader, Abu Mohammad Al-Julani, of “allowing the spread of blasphemy.” The second group defended the organization but blamed the Violet Organization for the incident. Supporters of Tahrir al-Sham also claimed that the first group harbored extremist views reminiscent of ISIS.

Ultimately, Tahrir al-Sham and its government canceled the event, established an Office of Events at the General Directorate of Political Affairs, and ordered the Violet Organization to delete all event-related photos from its platforms. The group was also asked to issue a statement absolving itself of responsibility.

Meanwhile, a Facebook user condemned the event, citing various grievances and called for the application of “hisbah — an Islamic concept of accountability that enjoins good and forbids wrongdoing on all Muslims:

What is happening in the liberated areas?! Leaders, remember: the land of the liberated areas was watered with the blood of martyrs.
The festival in the municipal stadium was filled with evils — The pagan Olympic flame, bowing to idols, mixing of men and women, loud music, a corrupt media figure taking selfies with girls who even had their faces uncovered.
Oh God, I disavow what these people have done and all the evils happening in the liberated areas from Idlib to northern Aleppo. I demand the leadership to apply hisbah immediately.

Another Facebook user added:

Whoever promotes this act invites God's wrath. The (Olympic) torch they carry is not a symbol of justice [as they said] but a pagan belief tied to Greek mythology, symbolizing the immortality of the gods they worship, without God Almighty, and that burning fire means: the tyrant Prometheus stole the fire from the tyrant Zeus, and gave it to the common people of the Greek nation. This pagan ritual dates back to the so-called pagan Olympic Games and began in the modern era.

Regional conflicts and uncertainty

The Olympic torch controversy is just one of many issues dividing northern Syrians. The region's geopolitics, including the Turkish presence and its ties to the Syrian National Army (SNA), which was formed in 2015, also play a significant role. Collaboration between Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Turkey has aimed to separate those affiliated with al-Qaeda from those trying to distance themselves from such ideologies. HTS has agreed to form a joint operations room, Al-Fatah al-Mubin, to further these efforts.

Today, the Olympic torch is not the only issue that divides the northern Syrians loyalties. Many changes to the geopolitics in the region may affect the Turkish presence in Northern Syria and its links to Syrian National Army (SNA), which was established since 2015, and the collaboration fostered between Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Turkey, aiming to distinguish those affiliated with al-Qaeda and those who aimed to break away from terroristic ideology where HTS agreed to establish a joint operation room in 2019, named Al-Fatah al-Mubin.

While questions remain about HTS's ability to completely eliminate ISIS from its territory, the announcement of the killing of ISIS’s leader Usamah Al-Muhajir in July 2023, show ongoing efforts in this regard.

Additionally, Syria and Turkey may normalize relations as Turkey’s president expresses willingness to restore diplomatic ties as part of a broader reconciliation effort or a defeat of the opposition, while Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hints at the possibility of a high-level four-way meeting aimed at addressing the normalization of relations between Turkey and Syria. However, several factors, such as the presence of troops and the YPG issue, remain obstacles to any diplomatic breakthrough.

Singapore passes landmark Bill recognising ride-hail, delivery gig workers as distinct labour class

Platform workers will get greater levels of contributions to the CPF savings scheme, aligned with what employees and employers pay today. PHOTO: ST FILE

Kok Yufeng
Transport Correspondent
Sep 10, 2024


SINGAPORE - Cabbies, private-hire drivers and freelance delivery workers who rely on online matching platforms for income will get greater labour protections from Jan 1, 2025, after Parliament passed a landmark Bill on Sept 10 designating them as a distinct legal category in between employees and the self-employed.

Known collectively as platform workers, this 70,500-strong group will get greater levels of contributions to the Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings scheme, aligned with what employees and employers pay today.

Platform operators will also have to provide them with standardised work injury compensation insurance polices with the same level of coverage as employees.

In addition, platform workers, who cannot unionise under current laws, will be able to form representative bodies with similar legal powers to trade unions called Platform Work Associations.

This will allow them to negotiate and sign legally binding collective agreements with operators, and gain access to various avenues of redress - including the right to strike if the decision is considered and justified.

The culmination of a three-year process that began in 2021, the Platform Workers Bill received support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.


Over two days, 26 MPs spoke in support of the law but raised a range of issues, with implementation details and the higher costs that will result from the stronger protections among the key concerns.

Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon said Singapore is among the first in the world to provide statutory protections for platform workers as a distinct group.

Many other countries are grappling with this, given the heterogenous and rapidly evolving nature of the sector, he noted.

Pointing to the complexity of implementing the new platform workers law here, Dr Koh said the policy solutions may not be perfect.


“We will have to make trade-offs and accept that not all issues and gaps in the platform space can be fully addressed through this legislation alone,” he added.

Illustrating these trade-offs, Dr Koh noted how MPs had expressed concerns about the higher costs from the new law, but at the same time called for more protections that would drive up costs further.

“I raise this observation to make the point that where we have landed at this Bill today is a careful balance of the interests of the various stakeholders involved,” he said.

Dr Koh said there are measures in the law that prevent operators from passing on costs to workers. Market competition is also an important self-regulating force, as workers and consumers have the choice to switch platforms, he added.

He noted that added costs incurred by platform operators on work injury compensation and CPF can also be audited to counter any claims of profiteering.

“Platform operators will need to consider how best to manage the costs. Consumers, too, will have a role to play,” he said, noting that the higher costs arising from the protection of platform workers are no different from the business costs that employers already incur.

“It is a levelling up of what platform operators ought to have been paying... It will also ensure a level playing field for companies operating in Singapore to compete fairly in terms of business costs,” Dr Koh said.

He warned platform operators against reflecting and charging these added business costs through a separate fee component, calling it “disingenuous”. “Such a move would be tantamount to passing the costs directly to customers,” he added.

Dr Koh noted how MPs like Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio GRC) had asked if the Government would consider reducing the phase-in period for higher CPF contributions.

While he said he shared the sentiment that CPF contributions are very important, he noted that the five-year transition period was a careful decision made after considering the impact on take-home pay for workers, the cost impact on platforms, and how these costs may be passed on to consumers.

The five-year period will moderate the impact to various stakeholders and give the market time to adjust, he added.

Similarly, he said allowing older platform workers to opt in for the new CPF scheme reduces the administrative burden on platform operators and workers, compared with an opt-out system.

“It’s not just one operator that has to make system changes, or (bear) administrative costs. All the apps that this person has signed up with, even if it’s an app that he uses very infrequently, would have to, then, also reflect that same CPF opt-in or-opt out status,” Dr Koh later said.

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On suggestions by MPs to police or audit platform algorithms to weed out any discriminatory practices, Dr Koh said the dynamic nature of these algorithms means any audit will be reactive and have limited utility.

He said forcing platforms to reveal proprietary information like how their algorithms work may drive them away from Singapore and lead to a loss of platform worker jobs. Regulating the use of such algorithms will also impose significant compliance costs and deter potential entrants.

Instead, the new union-like platform worker associations will be empowered to take up issues like discrimination with the relevant operators, he said.

He added that it is also in the interest of platform operators to treat workers fairly, since all younger platform workers will be required to make higher CPF contributions over time, and those who feel they are being treated unfairly can switch platforms.

On work injury compensation, Dr Koh turned down a suggestion to set up a centralised insurance system to minimise disputes, saying an open and competitive insurance market would facilitate sustainable insurance premiums.

He said these premiums will account for the risks in the respective sectors, and be based on indicators such as payroll size and number of workers.

The current estimate by insurers is that the premiums for platform work injury insurance will not be much higher compared with employees in the same sector, he added.

“Today, there’s no actuarial data, so everyone is pricing a little bit more conservatively... I think we should probably give the market some time to come to equilibrium,” he said.

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On suggestions to regulate working hours and incentive structures, or impose minimum earnings, Dr Koh said being too heavy-handed with regulation could stifle the innovation and sustainability of the platform economy.

“Instead of the blunt tool of regulation, it is better to focus on the outcomes, and empower stakeholders to negotiate for their interests,” he added.

Dr Koh said that when the platform workers law comes into force on Jan 1, 2025, it will supersede any existing platform work agreements.

He also assured the House that the scope of the new law will be reviewed in future to potentially cover other platform services, beyond ride-hailing and delivery.

MPs like Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) had pointed to the growing number of freelancers who use online matching platforms to provide services such as domestic cleaning and caregiving.

Nominated MP Ong Hua Han cited locum nurses as an example of freelancers who are also subject to the management control of caregiving platforms.

Dr Koh said the Government will consider taking a similar phased approach and providing transitional support if new sectors are added to the law.

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In response to Arts Nominated MP Usha Chandradas, who flagged the vulnerability of freelancers in the arts community, Dr Koh said the Government will consider how this group may be better supported too.

MPs also raised broader concerns about the long-term viability of platform work.

Mr Xie Yao Quan (Jurong GRC) said platform work provides little prospect for career advancement and pay progression. He suggested using the collective bargaining structure provided for in the new law to push for skill, job and pay ladders for platform workers.

He added: “It will be challenging, and there is no precedent around the world. But if there is anywhere in the world that can take a shot at this and do this, it is in Singapore.”