ARYAN NATION
India's forgotten African tribe seeks sporting glory

BY ABHAYA SRIVASTAVA (AFP) 

Rohit Majgul has weathered racism and rejection in India as part of a marginalised community tracing its roots back to Africa -- but he still dreams of bringing sporting glory to his country.

The 16-year-old is part of a group of teens practising martial arts in an overgrown and sun-baked field near the remote hamlet where his family ekes out a precarious living on manual labour.


Growing up around open drains and swarms of flies in Jambur village, he and other members of the local Siddi community were abused for their distinctive dark features and curly hair.

Majgul, a school dropout, sees his judo training as the only way to escape a life riddled with gruelling poverty and discrimination.

"No-one believes me when I say I am Indian," he told AFP. "They think I am African, they call me by different abusive names, they tease me."

"I have also been thrown off the bus because of my colour, but I quietly endure everything because I want to do well in sports and carve my own identity."

Two years ago, Majgul won silver in judo at the Asia-Pacific Youth Games.

His determination to represent India on the international stage was boosted by a government push to identify athletes in the Siddi community, which is believed to have descended from the Bantu peoples of sub-Saharan Africa.

Some are believed to have been brought over during the Islamic conquest of the subcontinent as early as the eighth century.

Many others were likely brought by the Portuguese to India between three and five centuries ago, researchers say.

- 'No-one cares about us' -

When British colonial authorities abolished slavery in the 19th century, Siddis fled to the jungles in fear of their safety.

Gradually they settled on the western coast, working as farmhands and labourers while adopting local culture and languages.

India is now home to around 250,000 Siddis, according to researchers, with most living in Gujarat and Karnataka -- two coastal states both facing the eastern tip of Africa from across the Arabian Sea.

But they are still viewed as outsiders.

Those living in Gujarat are Muslim, making them targets for further discrimination in Hindu-majority India.

"No-one cares about us. There are no facilities in our village -- no piped water, no proper toilets, nothing," said Majgul.

India's Siddi community traces its roots to a centuries-old African migration but they are still viewed as outsiders
SAM PANTHAKY, AFP

Near his home, children with tangled, unwashed hair ran barefoot across narrow alleys lined with shanties.

Hope came in the form of a scheme launched in 1987 by a government eager to boost the country's dismal Summer Olympics tally, with Indian athletes taking just nine gold medals in the last century.

"We were exploring whether the Siddis had a genetic advantage," athletics coach R. Sundar Raju, who was part of the project, told AFP.

"Normally an Indian athlete takes some years before making it to the national level, but the Siddis were doing so in barely three years."

But authorities ditched the project seven years later, after realising the impoverished Siddi were more interested in a linked programme that encouraged Indians to pursue sporting careers by giving them highly sought-after government jobs.

"They came from such poor families that the moment they secured jobs under a sports quota they grabbed the opportunity and left the training midway," Raju said.

- 'I used to curse my fate' -

In the years since, some Siddis in Gujarat instead eked out a living by staging dance performances for tourists or trained as forest guides for Gir National Park, a sanctuary for endangered lions.

The state government revived the programme in 2015, focusing mainly on judo and athletics.

Shahnaz Lobi (R) jumped at the chance to pursue a sporting career after watching her labourer father struggle to feed his family
SAM PANTHAKY, AFP

Promising Siddi youngsters now train at a sports academy in the state.

A non-profit group in Karnataka is also mentoring 50 aspiring athletes from the community.

"We felt that this particular group has high potential but has been highly neglected," said Nitish Chiniwar, founder of the Bridges of Sports Foundation.

Shahnaz Lobi, an aspiring shot-putter from Jambur, jumped at the chance to pursue a sporting career after watching her labourer father struggle to feed his family.

"I used to curse my fate. But one day I got to know about the sports trials and I took part in them," she said.

Lobi told AFP that she dreamt of competing in the 2024 Olympics.

"I was selected and sent to the state sports academy. I have no friends there but it doesn't bother me. I just want to win an Olympic medal and let the world know I am Indian."



Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/india-s-forgotten-african-tribe-seeks-sporting-glory/article/587728#ixzz6qg2T3hNf

Wounded Myanmar refugees tell of air strike horror

By Thanaporn Promyamyai and Dene-Hern Chen (AFP) 

Civilians wounded in Myanmar air strikes on rebel positions spoke of their terrifying ordeal after trekking through jungle to seek medical treatment across the border in Thailand.

Military jets hit targets in eastern Kayin state over the weekend, as Myanmar reeled from the deadliest day so far in the junta's crackdown on anti-coup protests.

The strikes targeted territory held by the Karen National Union (KNU), one of the nation's largest ethnic armed groups, which had earlier seized a military base.

They marked the Myanmar military's first use of air strikes against the KNU in 20 years and sent around 7,000 Karen villagers fleeing for safety, according to the armed group.

Naw Eh Tah, one of a handful who managed to cross the Salween River -- which marks the border with Thailand -- on Tuesday to seek medical treatment, described the moment the bombs hit.

"We didn't hear the plane -- if we did, we would have run," the 18-year-old told AFP at the small Sop Moei district hospital in Thailand's northern Mae Hong Son province.

"By the time I realised what was happening, the explosion hit the roof of my house.

"When I got hit, I couldn't walk -- I had to climb to hide."

- 'Bombs dropped so quickly' -

Her legs lacerated by shrapnel, Naw Eh Tah trekked for a day through dense tropical jungle to the river.

Karen groups say as many as 3,000 people fled across the river into Thailand after the air strikes before being sent back to Myanmar
Lillian SUWANRUMPHA, AFP

"We crossed because I can't stay -- the Myanmar army is all trying to get us," she said.

"I have never seen it (air strikes) before. I am so afraid."

The youngest to cross on Tuesday, a 15-year-old, was also the most seriously hurt, with a broken rib and collapsed lung.

Saw Lab Bray, 48, suffered shrapnel wounds all over his body when he was hit in KNU stronghold Day Puh Noh.

"I tried to run away but the bombs dropped so quickly," he told AFP from a hospital wheelchair, describing how he saw six people wounded and a man die.

"I fell on my side and was coughing blood. I'm afraid because I cannot run, I cannot move."



Doctor Chakri Komsakorm said the refugees looked like "they have been through war" with many shrapnel wounds becoming infected due to a lack of medicine.

He added that "many appear to have been starving for many days".

Chakri also said he had heard there were people with more serious wounds still trapped on the Myanmar side of the river, unable to cross because of the severity of their injuries.

Karen groups say as many as 3,000 people fled across the river into Thailand after the air strikes before being sent back to Myanmar, though Thai officials insist they were not forced back.

The Thai foreign ministry said late Tuesday about 2,300 have returned to Myanmar and about 550 remain in Thailand.

- 'Guns and sticks' -

Mae Hong Son Governor Sithichai Jindaluang told a news conference that refugees who had not been badly affected by the bombings agreed to go back when asked.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha said they had not been "scared off with guns or sticks" and insisted the kingdom would not turn people away if the situation worsened.

The air strikes came as the junta struggles to quell nationwide protests demanding a restoration of the elected government and the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, ousted in the February 1 coup.

The generals' ruthless crackdown has left more than 500 people dead, according to a local monitoring group, triggering international outrage.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/wounded-myanmar-refugees-tell-of-air-strike-horror/article/587734#ixzz6qg0H61sW

Japan suspends new aid to Myanmar over coup BY AFP      Japan has halted new aid to Myanmar in response to the coup, according to the country's foreign minister, but is stopping short of sanctions imposed by some nations on military and police commanders. Japan is a top aid donor to Myanmar, and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the suspension of assistance would send a "clear" message. "For Myanmar, Japan is the largest provider of economic assistance," he told parliament on Tuesday. "What stance is Japan taking in terms of economic assistance? There is no new aid. We are taking this clear position." The United States, Britain and the European Union have announced a range of sanctions targeting top police and military commanders linked to the coup, as well as military-owned companies. But Japan, which has strong economic ties with Myanmar and long-standing relations with its military, has opted not to take more directly punitive measures. "Which policy is truly effective for Myanmar? I think the answer is clear," Motegi said. "It's not that sanctions are courageous and non-sanctions are not," he told a legislative committee. The suspension reportedly affects only new aid, not existing projects, local media said. More than 500 civilians have been killed in the Myanmar military's crackdown on protesters, and world powers have ramped up their condemnation of the campaign against the anti-coup movement. Japan has criticised the coup in Myanmar and called for the restoration of democracy, but it has faced calls to stake out a stronger position on the crisis. Tokyo has traditionally maintained cordial ties with Myanmar while also supporting the cause of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who briefly lived in Kyoto as a young researcher. Thousands of Japanese nationals and several hundred Japanese companies are believed to be in Myanmar, and Japan is reportedly the fifth-largest foreign investor in the country

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/japan-suspends-new-aid-to-myanmar-over-coup/article/587744#ixzz6qfrQ1OOS

Hong Kong domestic worker fired after cancer diagnosis dies
BY AFP

A Filipina who was sacked as a domestic worker in Hong Kong after being diagnosed with cancer -- a case that exposed the vulnerability of low-paid foreign workers -- has passed away, a friend confirmed Wednesday.

Baby Jane Allas, 40, was told she had stage three cervical cancer two years ago and was promptly fired by her employer, who cited the illness as the reason for termination.

The single mother of five instantly lost the right to healthcare and had to regularly apply for visa extensions as she navigated Hong Kong's legal and immigration systems while battling cancer.

Supporters crowd-funded treatment for Baby Jane Allas, who was sacked as a domestic worker in Hong Kong following her cancer diagnosis
ANTHONY WALLACE, AFP

Supporters crowd-funded her treatment and Allas had successfully overcome her cancer.

But she died on Saturday from complications related to a kidney infection.

"Baby Jane passed away suddenly last weekend at her home in the Philippines," Jessica Cutrera, an American national in Hong Kong who led the crowdfunding campaign and took Allas in, told AFP.

"We are all devastated by this, especially given her successful battle with cancer. She lived with us for nearly a year during her fight and treatment and we are heartbroken by the news," she added.

Allas was awarded HK$30,000 (US$ 3,860) damages from her former employer -- who hailed from a wealthy Hong Kong family of Pakistani origin -- for sickness allowance, medical fees and wages in lieu of notice.

She returned to the Philippines last year but had hoped to return to Hong Kong for work.

Hong Kong's Equal Opportunities Commission also took up her plight earlier this year, launching a separate discrimination case against her former employer.

Baby Jane Allas (L), a Filipina domestic worker, instantly lost the right to healthcare in Hong Kong when she was sacked two years ago following her cancer diagnosis
ANTHONY WALLACE, AFP

Cutrera, who also employs Allas' sister, said the family hoped to continue pursuing the discrimination case "on behalf of her estate".

"Her sister flew back today to be with the family and we are now focusing on figuring out what is needed for the surviving children," she said.

"We had funds left over that we were saving for future care needs, and have been able to use those to pay for her funeral and cover the family for the next few months."

Nearly 370,000 domestic helpers work in Hong Kong.

Most are poor women from the Philippines and Indonesia working for low wages, often living in grim conditions and sending much of their wages back home to support their families.

City authorities say the system is fair and that abuses are rare.

But rights campaigners say domestic helpers are routinely exploited, with laws providing them little protection.

Baby Jane Allas had to regularly apply for visa extensions in Hong Kong after losing her job as a domestic helper while battling cancer
Anthony WALLACE, AFP

Experts say steep agency fees, a requirement for maids to live with their employers, a minimum monthly wage of just HK$4,630 (US$595) and rules that require fired domestic workers to quickly depart the city leave maids acutely vulnerable to abusive or unscrupulous employers.

The US State Department placed Hong Kong on par with Cambodia, Pakistan and Nigeria in its annual human trafficking rankings, partly because of the lack of protections offered to domestic helpers.




Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/hong-kong-domestic-worker-fired-after-cancer-diagnosis-dies/article/587740#ixzz6qfzM6UqB

China under pressure after WHO chief revives lab leak theory

BY AFP 

China faced mounting pressure Wednesday over the investigation into the origins of Covid-19, after the WHO chief revived a theory it may have leaked from a Chinese lab and the United States led concerns over data access.

A report by WHO and Chinese experts released on Tuesday had judged the lab-leak hypothesis highly unlikely, saying the virus behind Covid-19 had probably jumped from bats to humans via an intermediary animal.

China warmly welcomed the report, seeing it as confirmation of its handling of the investigation following allegations it had tried to delay and then restrict it.

Origins of Covid-19: unanswered questions
John SAEKI, AFP

The report also initially appeared to back China's firm rejection of theories that the pandemic may have been triggered by a leak from a virology lab in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the virus first emerged.

But WHO chief Teodros Ghebreyesus on Tuesday reopened the lab leak theory, as he raised concerns about the level of access China provided to the experts during their visit to Wuhan in January.

"In my discussions with the team, they expressed the difficulties they encountered in accessing raw data," Tedros said.

He called for "timely and comprehensive data sharing" in future investigations.

Tedros also said that although the experts concluded the laboratory leak was the "least likely" hypotheses, this theory needed to be probed further.

"I do not believe that this assessment was extensive enough," Teodros said of the possibility of a leak.

"This requires further investigation, potentially with additional mis

China was heavily criticised by the Donald Trump administration and other Western nations for delaying access to the WHO experts.

Joe Biden's administration has continued to raise concerns about China's handling of the probe.

The United States on Tuesday released a statement with 13 of its allies -- Britain, Japan and Australia among them -- saying the inquiry lacked the data and samples it needed.

"We join in expressing shared concerns regarding the recent WHO-convened study in China," the statement said.

- Diverging information -

Beijing insists it was transparent with the scientists.

It said it provided open access to wet markets, labs, patients and data from the first torrid weeks of the virus, admonishing critics for "politicising" a global health crisis.

Health officials in Beijing are due to give a press conference on the WHO report on Wednesday afternoon.

The reason for the diverging information from the WHO expert team was not immediately clear.

On the laboratory accident hypothesis, the head of the investigation team, Danish scientist Ben Embarek told reporters on Tuesday that Chinese lab staff had acknowledged they initially feared a leak.

"Even the staff in these labs told us that was their first reaction," Embarek said.

"They all went back to their records... but nobody could find any trace of something similar to this virus in their records or their samples.

"Nobody has been able to pick up any firm arguments or proof or evidence that any of these labs would have been involved in a lab leak accident."

That said, Embarek added: "We haven't done a full investigation or audit of any of the labs."

Other WHO team members took to Twitter to defend the probe.

Peter Daszak, who was effusive in praise of his Chinese hosts during the January probe, hit out at the "pure politics" being played with the findings led by elements of the media.


Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/china-under-pressure-after-who-chief-revives-lab-leak-theory/article/587743#ixzz6qfw6i23O

 

Buttigieg pitches infrastructure needs to a divided Congress BY KAREN GRAHAM     MAR 25, 2021 IN POLITICS Washington - Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is warning that the country’s infrastructure needs exceed $1 trillion and that other countries, namely China, are pulling ahead of the U.S. with their public works investments. On Thursday morning, "Mayor Pete" Buttigieg, appeared at a House Transportation Committee hearing to discuss the administration’s priorities for roads, bridges, and other public works. “Across the country, we face a trillion-dollar backlog of needed repairs and improvements, with hundreds of billions of dollars in good projects already in the pipeline," Buttigieg said, per US News. “We see other countries pulling ahead of us, with consequences for strategic and economic competition. By some measures, China spends more on infrastructure every year than the U.S. and Europe combined." Buttigieg's meeting with the committee was part of the Biden administration's opening gambit in trying to sell his $3.0 trillion infrastructure plan to lawmakers. And while Congress just passed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, any attempt to sell an even broader economic recovery package is going to take some doing. He calls the coming months “the best chance in any of our lifetimes to make a generational investment in infrastructure,” according to prepared remarks obtained by the Associated Press, reports Transport Topics. “Across the country, we face a trillion-dollar backlog of needed repairs and improvements, with hundreds of billions of dollars in good projects already in the pipeline,” he said, “Climate change is real,” he said. “Every dollar we spend rebuilding from a climate-driven disaster is a dollar we could have spent building a more competitive, modern, and resilient transportation system that produces significantly lower emissions.” At a news conference on Thursday, President Joe Biden talked about his transportation infrastructure plans, claiming the plan will create a significant number of “really good-paying jobs,” which “used to be a great Republican goal and initiative.” He added that the "majority of Americans are tired of decaying infrastructure, such as roads and bridges badly in need of repair, due in part to the impact of climate change." The I-40 bridge disaster was a bridge collapse that occurred southeast of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, United States at 7:45 a.m. on May 26, 2002. Republicans are wary of the inclusion of climate change into an infrastructure bill. Representative Sam Graves of Missouri, the committee’s top Republican, touched on how his party differs from Democrats, saying any infrastructure package “needs to be about roads and bridges” rather than a “Green New Deal.” “You and I have discussed on a couple of occasions the path to a bipartisan bill,” Graves told Buttigieg. “I don’t think the bill can grow into a multi-trillion dollar catchall. It needs to be manageable and responsible.” This news comes as a report released earlier this month by the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the country’s infrastructure a grade of C-, lifting it from the D range for the first time in 20 years, according to Digital Journal. The report also warns that “the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts on infrastructure revenue streams threaten to derail the modest progress we’ve made over the past four years." And this statement is an interesting one, given that the definition of infrastructure will need to be expanded to include climate change and its effects, as well as the post-pandemic era we are approaching. Regardless of how much backlash Republican lawmakers might throw at any attempts to get an infrastructure bill passed, Democrats plan on getting it through the legislative process, even if they have to go with a one-vote majority in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said “in areas where we can work with our Republican colleagues, we will.” “Hopefully we can get them to work with us,” he told reporters. “But as I said, if we can’t, we’re going to have to move forward. ”

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/politics/buttigieg-pitches-infrastructure-needs-to-a-divided-congress/article/587491#ixzz6qfuVyihN

Through pandemic and protests, Bulgaria's Borisov hangs on

BY DIANA SIMEONOVA (AFP) 
3/31/2021

When Bulgarians took to the streets last summer demanding the resignation of conservative Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, analysts thought that after almost a decade in the job his time was up.

In sweeping and at times violent protests that lasted months, thousands came out to accuse the embattled 61-year-old former firefighter of protecting oligarchs and meddling in the judiciary.

Borisov's conservative party is on track to emerge as Bulgaria's biggest  AFP / NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV

Added to that was a slew of other troubles: there was a rift in Borisov's GERB party after his right-hand man left over a corruption scandal and an exiled gambling mogul claimed that Borisov's government had solicited bribes from him.

To cap it all, embarrassing pictures emerged of the prime minister asleep with a handgun on his nightstand, and others -- which Borisov said were doctored -- purported to show bundles of 500-euro notes crammed into his bedside table.

But after initially suggesting he wouldn't run in upcoming general elections on April 4, Borisov has remained at the helm of his conservative GERB party and simply sat tight through the crises.

The strategy seems to have paid off, with GERB on track to emerge as the single biggest party.

And after almost 10 years in the job, Borisov is now just weeks away from becoming Bulgaria's longest serving prime minister.

"If we had gone to early elections, there would have been a common front against GERB and Borisov would have been swept away," Gallup international analyst Parvan Simeonov commented recently.

"But now the protests are largely forgotten," he says.

Analyst Evgeny Daynov explains that with the failure of the protest movement to cohere, several small factions are now vying for demonstrators' votes.

The coronavirus pandemic also came to Borisov's rescue, keeping many Bulgarians away from the protests for fear of infection.

Last summer thousands protested, accusing Borisov of protecting oligarchs and meddling in the judiciary

NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV, AFP/File

The virus may also help Borisov's government more directly.

"If (infection rates) are higher, turnout will be low, hitting mainly the opposition; if rates are lower, then those in power will say: 'See, we defeated the coronavirus'," Simeonov told AFP.

- 'First populist' -

Borisov reacted to protests and the ensuing drop in his traditionally high approval ratings by ceasing to come to parliament or give press conferences, retreating instead to his social media comfort zone.

There he could still be seen on his daily trips driving an SUV around the countryside, shaking hands with road builders, factory owners and villagers, who applauded him and shouted his name.

"He is not only the first populist, in power long before Orban and Trump," says Daynov, referring to Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and former US president Donald Trump.

"But he is also the most authentic populist, as he came closest to being perceived by ordinary people as their representative," he added.

Borisov has always stressed his humble background and Daynov says his SUV broadcasts are an attempt to both emulate Russian strongman President Vladimir Putin and also "play Todor Zhivkov" -- Bulgaria's last communist dictator.

Borisov was a bodyguard to Zhivkov, who also cultivated a "man of the people" image, shaking hands with rural labourers in newsreels.

"These tricks do not increase support for Borisov anymore but they do help contain the losses", according to Daynov.

- Balancing act -

In a bid to win more votes, the premier has turned on the spending taps over the past year, offering bonuses to doctors and pensioners and funding construction projects across the country.

Borisov recently boasted to his social media followers that Bulgaria had negotiated a sum of 29 million euros ($34 million) in the next EU budget, the highest sum it has received from the bloc since joining in 2007.

But Daynov says this largesse will only go so far, particularly when it comes to businessmen who have developed a cosy relationship with the government and who may be eyeing access to EU funds.

"They are not certain about their prospects because they have seen in recent years how many favourites have turned into black devils," he says, referring to several prominent businessmen who fell out with Borisov and are now being prosecuted for various crimes.

Foreign policy has also been a delicate balancing act.

For years, Borisov has managed to plot a course maintaining Bulgaria's traditional close ties with Russia, while remaining a loyal member of NATO and the EU.

His administration's failure to curb corruption and reform the judiciary seem to have gone unnoticed in Brussels.

Several critical statements by top US diplomats have, however, signalled that pressure on Borisov was rising ahead of the election.

Sofia particularly angered the US when it decided to build an extension of the Russian TurkStream pipeline, flying in the face of US efforts to limit Europe's dependence on Russian natural gas.

Last week's dramatic uncovering of an alleged Russia-linked military spy ring was seen by some as an attempt to placate Washington.

Bulgaria expelled two Russian diplomats over the affair but Borisov nevertheless pledged to have an "open and mutually beneficial dialogue with Russia" as he welcomed the new Russian ambassador the very next day.



Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/through-pandemic-and-protests-bulgaria-s-borisov-hangs-on/article/587745#ixzz6qfsWREzI

Child unknowingly tweets from US nuclear command's account
BY AFP 

Some jokingly said the cryptic tweet, ";l;;gmlxzssaw," was a US nuclear launch code. Others, that the Pentagon had been hacked.

And some even thought it was a signal to political conspiracists.

Now the US Strategic Command, which runs the country's powerful nuclear weapons force, says the enigmatic posting on its Twitter account in fact came from the hands of a precocious kid.

Headquartered in Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, Stratcom manages the US military's strategic deterrence -- that is, the massive nuclear weapons force and missile defenses that are designed to discourage any attack against the country by other powers.

So its media comments are closely watched for signs of any change in its current defense stance.




But Stratcom told reporter Mikael Thalen of the Daily Dot that the tweet was no secret message, and was instead was the result of a Stratcom social media editor working from home.

"The Command's Twitter manager, while in a telework status, momentarily left the Command's Twitter account open and unattended. His very young child took advantage of the situation and started playing with the keys and, unfortunately, and unknowingly, posted the tweet," Stratcom official Kendall Cooper said in a letter Thalen posted on line.

"Absolutely nothing nefarious occurred, i.e. no hacking of our Twitter account."

Thirty minutes later Stratcom tweeted to disregard the previous tweet, and then both of those messages were deleted.

It is not the first time Stratcom has run into trouble on social media.

In December 2018, referring to the Times Square New Year's Eve ball-drop in New York, it joked on Twitter about it being prepared to drop something "much bigger," with a video of a B-2 stealth bomber dropping two bombs to the beat of pulsing music.

Hours later it deleted that tweet and apologized that it was "in poor taste."



Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/child-unknowingly-tweets-from-us-nuclear-command-s-account/article/587702#ixzz6qfn7uC7h

NATIONS AND IDENTITIES

What has anyone done for the Palestinians? A reply to David Stone

Monday March 29, 2021

Pot-washing at Rafah refugee camp, Dec 2020 (Shutterstock)


“Israel has tried over decades to give Palestinians their own state.”

“Israel has gone to unparalleled lengths to improve the lives of Palestinians living outside Israel.”


“Israel has taken major risks in voluntarily ceding land to the Palestinians to bolster peace efforts.”

These are but three of the inflammatory and false statements made by David Stone in his article series. Much of the inaccuracy stems from Stone’s erroneous belief that there is a Jewish National Home with sovereignty over what we now know as Israel, the West Bank, Gaza and Jordan. It is from this belief that he can conclude that Jews have consistently sacrificed large swathes of their land to appease Palestinians and Arabs. To understand why this is a fallacy we must retrace history.

A brief history

Prior to the British Mandate in 1917 the area now known as Palestine and Israel was under Ottoman rule. As the Ottomans retreated, Britain asserted control of the region under the Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916 which, as Stone rightly comments, divided the spoils of the war. Prior to 1917 Jews made up three per cent of the total population. By 1947 the Jewish population had increased to 33 per cent. Why?

Theodor Herzl, the founding father of Zionism, saw the very real need for a Jewish homeland that would give the Jewish people the security and the belonging they needed. Throughout the late 1800s and the early 1900s discussions took place as to where this should be — Madagascar, East Uganda, Fugu, were a few of the ideas discussed and voted on. Eventually a decision was made for it to be the region we now consider to be Israel-Palestine. In 1897 a report to the rabbis of Vienna on the prospects for a Jewish state in Palestine concluded that “the bride is beautiful, but she is married to another man.”

Britain had promised the region to the Arabs under the Hussein-McMahon agreement, essentially: “If you help us with the war effort we will help you.” The Balfour Declaration similarly promised the region to the Zionists as a place to develop a Jewish National Home. Despite this, the British government was capable of anti-Semitic legislation. In 1905, Parliament passed the Aliens Act that restricted immigration of “unfavourable” immigrants. The Act included reference to the “troublesome” nature of Jews taking a different day of worship to the Christian Sunday and therefore disrupting the day of rest.

And so the result: a small section of land promised to two peoples, one of which was already living there, with another yet to arrive. As immigration soared, with the Jewish population rising to 33 per cent by 1947, so tensions between the communities rose also. In a bid to quell tensions, Britain decreed no more immigration into the area. This lead to a rise in violence against the British, in particular from the self-declared Jewish terrorist organisation, the Irgun. In 1948 Britain handed the huge mess over to the United Nations and left the region. The next day Israel declared itself a State.

The War of Independence – The Naqba

Now we understand the competing claims to territory and understand that neither a Jewish National Home nor Palestine actually existed, in recent history, in what we now know as Israel, Palestine and Jordan, we can begin to unpick Stone’s assertions.

Stone writes about Israel’s War of Independence. This is the war that saw the British leave and the Israeli State declared. For most countries, where colonialist powers leave and independence is achieved, there would be cause for celebration, but, in the case of Israel, Britain merely facilitated the transfer of a new colonial order.

1948 saw for one side Independence Day, for the other the Naqba (disaster).

On May 14, 1948, the Jewish state was declared and the regular armies of Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Transjordan entered the region. In the ensuing war, Zionist military forces expelled at least 750,000 Palestinians, destroyed over 530 villages and took control over 78 per cent of the region. The remaining 22 per cent is what we now know as the West Bank and Gaza.

One particular example of the brutal acts committed against the Arabs during this period, is the Deir Yassin massacre. On April 9 1948, Jewish forces entered Deir Yassin, with Jewish authorities reporting one Arab as killed. The following day, the chief Red Cross representative in the area discovered some 250 corpses, including women and children. This is not to say atrocities were not and do not continue to be committed in reverse.

Stone refers to a promise made by Israel to take 100,000 Palestinian refugees back, a number which insults those refugees now displaced. The desire of Palestinians’ to return to their homes, in what is now Israel, is their legal right. In 1948, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 194(III) affirming the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and to obtain restitution and compensation. In the same vein, Resolution 2535 recognised “that the problem of Palestine Arab refugees has arisen from the denial of their inalienable rights under the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.

However, in 1993 there were nearly three million Palestinians registered with UNRWA as refugees, a number that increased to 3.8 million in 2000, and which stands at 5.3 million today. With such a large number of refugees, return now would reverse the creation of the Jewish State and render Jews homeless and vulnerable. Thus, despite the legal right of return, and despite the desperate living conditions of millions of Palestinians in refugee camps that have been so long in existence that they are like impoverished towns, return for these Palestinian refugees is not possible.

Jerusalem

Jerusalem is considered the religious centre of the world — where Mohammed is thought to have ascended to heaven, where Jesus was crucified, laid to rest and rose again and the site of the Jewish city of David and first and second Temples.

The UN partition plan Stone talks of did not, in any way, deprive anyone of Jerusalem. And as we have come to understand, it cannot be seen to be depriving Jewish people of more of their homeland as they were not, at the time, living there and it was not under their rule, but that of the Ottomans and later the British. Jerusalem has always remained separate in negotiations. The 1947 UN partition plan granted the city special international status, ensuring it did not belong to either side. Negotiation after negotiation has either left Jerusalem out of the discussion or came to a deadlock over its status, as both parties see it as their capital.

In reality, there has been a progressive land grab over Jerusalem by Israel, with most recently President Trump declaring Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel and moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv. The Palestinian vision is for East Jerusalem to be the recognised capital of their future Palestinian state.

Since 1967, Israeli policy has aimed at separating Jerusalem from the West Bank and obstructed the growth and development of the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem. These policies range from land confiscation, construction of settlements, utilisation of zoning, planning laws to limit Palestinian expansion. A 712 km long separation wall confines non-Israeli Palestinians to the West Bank and makes Jerusalem impassable unless you have an Israeli-issued permit, which are given only in extremely limited circumstances.

In his victory speech on June 2, 1996, Benjamin Netanyahu, the present Prime Minister of Israel, declared:

“We will keep Jerusalem united under Israeli sovereignty. I declare this here tonight in Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people which will never be divided. The government will thwart any attempt to undermine the unity of Jerusalem and will prevent any action which is counter to Israel’s exclusive sovereignty over the city. The government will allocate special resources to speed up building, improve municipal services and reinforce the social and economic status of the Jerusalem metropolitan area.”

Netanyahu has never retracted these words. Green areas were given for public purposes and Palestinian development was not allowed. For example in 1968, 500 acres from Shu’fat village were zoned as a “green area”. In 1994, this was changed and a settlement (2,500 units) was built for religious Jews. Jabal Abu Gheinum (Har Homa), between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, was declared a “green area” since 1968, but has seen construction of 6,500 housing units. In Jerusalem, 86,500 Palestinian residents (out of 270,000) are potentially at risk of their homes being demolished. There are an estimated 200,000 Jewish settlers currently in East Jerusalem.

The Oslo Accords

“Following the 1993-95 Oslo Accords with the PLO, Israel withdrew from large swathes of the West Bank,” Stone asserts.

The Oslo Accords, initially celebrated as both the PLO and Israeli politicians sat across a table and negotiated for the first time, were a disaster for the Palestinians. There was success in the PLO recognising Israel as a state and denouncing terrorism. However no such Palestinian state was recognised in return, but instead a plan towards creating one was agreed. Despite seemingly positive moves, the 5-year interim period given towards a state being created was never realised and the reality was that the West Bank was divided into areas A, B and C.

In Area A, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has, though still not full, civilian and security control; in Area B, the PA has civilian control, but security is maintained by the Government of Israel. In Area C, which constitutes over 60 per cent of the territory of the West Bank and the only contiguous area, Israel maintains full civilian and security control. The division of the land has been described as the Swiss Cheese effect and essentially pushes Palestinians into small, city areas, making travel between the areas difficult, disrupting families, farming, trade and education. The recent “deal of the century” saw Trump propose (with no discussion with the PA) a Palestinian State in these city blobs, joined up by tunnels and a few key connecting roads.

The number of Jewish settlers increased from 110,000 on the eve of the Accords in 1993 to 185,000 in 2000, during the negotiations over a final status. By 2018, the number of settlers stood at 430,000. Settlement expansion into the West Bank and the associated restrictions and demolition of homes and infrastructure continue to destroy the livelihoods of Palestinians. Such expansion and restrictions are a major cause of Palestinian poverty. The denial of rights and freedom, such as unequal access to land and resources give unfair advantages to the settler population. In the first five months of 2020, OCHA (the UN office for humanitarian affairs) documented 143 attacks attributed to Israeli settlers, resulting in Palestinian injuries (38 incidents) or in damage to Palestinian property (105 incidents). These incidents led to the injury of 63 Palestinians, including 13 children. Adalah, a human rights organisation, has further information on settler crimes and human rights abuses against Palestinians.

The increase in settlements has seriously undermined the notion that Israel was sincere about making way for a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.

And although not discussed in Stone’s piece, it would be biased and unbalanced not to assess the casualties inflicted by Hamas, the terrorist organisation governing Gaza. Up to November 2019, Palestinian armed groups in Gaza fired 1,378 rockets towards Israel, according to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. Attacks by armed groups in Gaza killed four Israeli civilians and injured more than 123 Israelis.

In the same time period lethal force by Israeli forces resulted in the killing of 71 and injuring 11,453 Palestinians in Gaza, OCHA reported.

Summary

Stone concluded:

“Israel has tried over decades to give the Palestinian people their own state. Palestinians living in Israel enjoy full civil rights, unlike those living in neighbouring Arab states. Further, Israel has gone to unparalleled lengths to improve the lives of Palestinians living outside Israel even while being attacked by them. Lastly, Israel has taken major risks in voluntarily ceding land to the Palestinians to bolster peace efforts, unfortunately to no avail.”

A factually supported conclusion would acknowledge that Palestinians, in their millions, have been driven from their homes into a smaller and smaller area of land. The land they now live in is blighted by military control, inhumane checkpoints and a barbaric separation wall. In some areas they are at constant threat from their homes being demolished, settler attacks or military presence.

Now for some suggestions towards a solution.

Hamas, the terrorist organisation in control of Gaza, continues to attack Israel’s civilians via rockets and Israel responds with air strikes in return. Hamas continues to make unrealistic demands of return of land, with some factions of the organisation demanding the whole land to be under an Islamic State. This view is not held by the leaders of the West Bank and continues to cause political division among Palestinians. With this political split and while Hamas exists in the form it does, there is no opportunity for Palestine to become a State that includes both the West Bank and Gaza.

Einat Wilf, a former Labour member of the Israeli Knesset, writes in The Atlantic: “Whatever each side thinks about the invented nature of the other, both sides can agree that they each are equally deserving of living in a state where they can be masters of their own fate.” She argues that what needs to happen now is a brutal division of the land — akin to a divorce settlement —with no continued hope of return for Palestinians and no continued claim to the whole land mass by the Israelis.

The territorial encroachment into the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Israel needs to cease. Gaza and the West Bank need to become politically unified once more and, if this has to involve Hamas, then Hamas needs to accept Israel as a state and renounce terrorism, just as the PLO once did, leading to the creation of the PA.

This year we will see elections held in the West Bank and Gaza for the first time since 2006. Maybe we will see a step in the right direction. We have already seen Netanyahu fail to gain a majority yet again, so perhaps it is the end of a long run of right-leaning parties running Israel and, with that, some sort of conclusion to the conflict can be found. As long as factions of both sides lay claim to the whole area there will be no resolution.

by CHARLOTTE LITTLEWOOD|

 @CHARLOTTELITTLEWOOD

| @CHARLOTTEFLIT

 

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