Israel-Palestine interactions provide opportunity for resumption of negotiations: India

News Network
September 30, 2021

The recent “high-level" interactions between Israel and Palestine provide a "window of opportunity” for the resumption of direct negotiations between the two sides, India has said, stressing that the UN Security Council and the international community must use this opportunity to make renewed efforts to kick-start the peace talks.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz had met on August 30, the first meeting between both sides in years.

“The recent high-level interactions between Israel, Palestine and key regional states provide a window of opportunity for the resumption of direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine,” Joint Secretary (UN Political) in the Ministry of External Affairs Prakash Gupta said.

Speaking at the Security Council briefing on the Middle East on Wednesday, Gupta stressed that the Council, the international community and the Middle East Quartet, in particular, should use this opportunity to make renewed efforts to kick-start these negotiations “as they provide the best platform” to resolve all final status issues and achieve a two-state solution.

Gupta said India stands ready to support such efforts.

Gupta said India has also “noted” the outreach efforts made between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, as well as the announcements made by Israel to alleviate the socio-economic conditions in the West Bank.

The planned 500 million shekels ($155 million) loan to the Palestinian Authority, additional building permits for construction of Palestinian homes in Area C of the West Bank, increased work permits for Palestinians to travel to Israel for employment “are all steps in the right direction,” Gupta said.

India expressed hope that these measures would provide an impetus for further strengthening of economic and administrative relationships between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Tor Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, in his briefing to the Security Council also welcomed the recent high-level contacts between Israeli and Palestinian officials and steps by the Israeli Government to ease the economic pressure on the Palestinian Authority and encourage their further expansion.

“I encourage both Parties to take urgent steps that are necessary to stabiliSe the Palestinian economy and strengthen Palestinian institutions.” He urged Israelis, Palestinians, regional States and the broader international community to take practical steps that will enable the “parties to re-engage on the path to peace.”

Wennesland told Council members that Gaza requires political solutions that will see a focus on working towards advancing intra-Palestinian unity, lifting the debilitating closures in Gaza, and, ultimately, returning to a peace process that will end the occupation and create a viable two-State solution.

Gupta told the Council that India has always placed great emphasis on the socio-economic development of the Palestinian people and the strengthening of their national institutions.

“Our development partnership with Palestine is geared towards these objectives. Access to stabilized and enhanced revenues by the Palestinian Authority is a necessary precondition for Palestinian socio-economic development and institution building,” he said.

On this, New Delhi supports dialogue between Israel and Palestinian Authority to resolve outstanding issues related to the transfer of tax revenues, Gupta said.

He pointed out that the “regular and predictable” entry of construction material will facilitate the early reconstruction of Gaza.

“It is also important that the international donor community supports the reconstruction of Gaza through the Palestinian Authority. The commencement of cash assistance transfer to vulnerable Palestinian families in Gaza through the UN is an important development, as it would provide much-needed relief to these families.”

India calls for the timely transfer of aid and other essential items to Gaza to ease the humanitarian situation and facilitate early reconstruction, as well as for appropriate use of such aid.

Gupta reaffirmed India's unwavering commitment to the peaceful resolution of the Palestinian issue.

“India strongly supports a negotiated two-state solution, leading to the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine, living within secure and recognised borders, side by side at peace with Israel, taking into account legitimate security concerns of all concerned parties.”

He underlined that India has consistently called for direct peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine, based on the internationally agreed framework to achieve the ultimate goal of a two-state solution.

Wennesland was presenting his briefing on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2334 (2016), covering the period from June 12 to September 27.

Gupta noted that Resolution 2334 adopted by the Security Council calls for advancing the two-state solution through negotiations, as well as for reversing the negative trends on the ground.

It also calls for preventing all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror and for both parties to refrain from provocative acts and unilateral measures.

With the resolution further emphasising the need for creating conditions for peace negotiations for advancing the two-state solution, Gupta said India appreciates the regional and international efforts, including under the auspices of the Middle East Quartet towards de-escalation and for resuming these direct negotiations.

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News Network
November 13,2024

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Beirut: The Israeli army on Tuesday continued to launch attacks against civilians in Lebanon, targeting them in several areas without prior evacuation warnings.

However, 13 airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs in the space of only three hours were preceded by evacuation warnings.

The attacks caused no injuries but resulted in widespread destruction of residential buildings and commercial, medical and educational centers.

The airstrikes in southern Lebanon and Bekaa region, reaching Akkar in Lebanon’s far north, erased any hope of a near-term ceasefire settlement.

The strikes were accompanied by an announcement on Israel’s Channel 14 that “the Israeli army has expanded its operations in southern Lebanon to areas it had not reached since the beginning of the ground operation.”

About 50 days have passed since Israel intensified its hostile operations in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah. The death toll from these confrontations and attacks has passed 3,200, with more than 14,000 wounded.

For the first time, an airstrike targeted a mountainous area between Baalchmay and Aabadiyeh on the road leading to Aley, destroying a building housing displaced people.

The mayor of Baalchmay, Adham Al-Danaf, confirmed that “the airstrike targeted a residential building in the Dhour Aabadiyeh area.”

The initial toll from the Ministry of Health showed “five people killed and two injured.”

The raids that targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time in the morning, unlike nightly raids before, caused huge destruction. Those who evacuated their homes after Israeli warnings, used their phones to record the collapse of empty buildings in Sfeir, Haret Hreik, Bir Al-Abed, Mrayjeh, Laylaki and Hadath.

Israeli warplanes also targeted Tyre, where a strike on a building killed three people and injured many others, while a raid on Tefahta killed a man identified as Kifah Khalil and his family.

Attacks were widespread, with Yater and Zebqine subject to artillery shelling, a civilian being killed in Hermel, and further attacks on Bouday and an area between the towns of Srifa and Arsoun.

A raid on the town of Siddiqin killed two people and injured several others, while an attack on the Mechref farm led to one fatality and multiple injuries.

The search for those missing after an Israeli raid on the town of Ain Yaacoub in Akkar, in the northernmost part of Lebanon, continued until dawn.

During the operation, 14 bodies were retrieved, identified as those of residents displaced from the town of Arabsalim in the Iqlim Al-Tuffah area of the south, along with members of a Syrian family, a mother and three of her children. Additionally, there were 10 people in critical condition.

The targeted residence belongs to a Lebanese citizen, Hussein Hashim, who is reported to be a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.

An airstrike on the town of Saksakiyeh in the Sidon region on Monday night resulted in yet another tragedy.

It appeared that the intended target was the Shoumer family, who just days before lost Hussein Amin Shoumer and his two sisters in a drone strike near Al-Awali River.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued additional evacuation warnings for towns in the southern region along the Litani River, which, according to estimates from the mayors, are currently 90 percent uninhabited.

In the meantime, Hezbollah announced its continued efforts to “combat the intrusions of Israeli forces and to strike military installations and towns in the north.”

Hezbollah said in a statement that it confronted “an Israeli Hermes 450 drone in the airspace of Nabatieh and forced it to leave Lebanese airspace.”

The party also announced that it targeted “Kfar Blum settlement with a rocket salvo.”

On the Israeli side, air raid sirens sounded in areas of Upper and Western Galilee and in the town of Kiryat Shmona and its surroundings.

The Israeli army confirmed that “a drone exploded in Nesher, east of Haifa, without activating the air raid sirens,” and that “a drone launched from Lebanon crashed into a school in Gesher HaZiv, north of Nahariya.”

Israel’s Channel 13 reported the Israeli military’s assessment regarding Hezbollah’s military strength, claiming that the group currently possesses approximately 100 precision missiles, thousands of artillery shells, and hundreds of rockets. Additionally, it was highlighted that “there are around 200 Lebanese towns that remain unvisited.”

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News Network
November 11,2024

Udupi, Nov 11: A traveller reportedly lost ₹4.1 lakh after attempting to book a cab online in Udupi. 

At around 1:30 PM on November 7, the man from West Bengal searched for car rentals on Google and selected a website named "Shakti Car Rentals." Shortly after, he was contacted by someone claiming to be "Rohit Sharma," who directed him to pay a registration fee of ₹150 on the site.

After unsuccessful payment attempts via both his Canara Bank debit card and SBI credit card (without receiving an OTP), "Rohit Sharma" instructed him to pay the driver directly. But at 1:47 PM, he received messages showing deductions of ₹3.3 lakh from his SBI credit card and ₹80,056 from his Canara Bank debit card, totaling ₹4.1 lakh.

The complainant alleges fraud through a deceptive link disguised as a booking token fee. A case has been registered at Udupi Town Police Station.

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News Network
November 13,2024

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court took a firm stance on ‘bulldozer justice’ today, affirming that the Executive cannot bypass the Judiciary and that the legal process must not prejudge the guilt of an accused. In a significant judgment, the bench led by Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan set new guidelines for demolition practices, responding to petitions challenging the controversial bulldozer actions taken against individuals accused of crimes.

The rise of this practice, termed 'bulldozer justice,' has seen authorities in various states demolish what they claim to be illegal structures belonging to accused individuals. However, multiple petitions questioned the legality and fairness of this approach, bringing the matter before the court.

Justice Gavai highlighted that owning a home is a cherished goal for many families, and an essential question was whether the Executive should have the authority to strip individuals of their shelter. “In a democracy, the rule of law protects citizens from arbitrary actions by the state. The criminal justice system must not assume guilt,” stated the bench, underscoring that due process is a fundamental right under the Constitution.

On the principle of separation of powers, the bench reinforced that the Judiciary alone holds adjudicatory powers and that the Executive cannot overstep these boundaries. Justice Gavai remarked, “When the state demolishes a home purely because its resident is accused of a crime, it violates the doctrine of separation of powers.”

The court issued a strong warning about accountability, stating that public officials who misuse their power or act arbitrarily must face consequences. Justice Gavai observed that selectively demolishing one property while ignoring similar cases suggests that the aim might be to penalize rather than enforce legality. “For most citizens, a house is the product of years of labor and dreams. Taking it away must be an action of last resort, thoroughly justified,” he said.

In its directives under Article 142 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court established new demolition guidelines. These include:

Mandatory Show-Cause Notice: No demolition should occur without first issuing a show-cause notice. The person served has a minimum of 15 days or the duration stated in local laws to respond.

Transparency of Notice Content: The notice must include specifics about the alleged unauthorized construction, the nature of the violation, and the rationale for demolition.

Hearing and Final Order: Authorities are required to hear the response of the affected individual before issuing a final order. The homeowner will have 15 days to address the issue, with demolition proceeding only if no stay order is obtained from an appellate authority.

Contempt Proceedings: Any breach of these guidelines would lead to contempt proceedings. Officials who disregard these norms will be personally accountable for restitution, with costs deducted from their salaries.

Additionally, the court mandated that all municipal bodies establish digital portals within three months, displaying show-cause notices and final orders on unauthorized structures to ensure public transparency and accountability.

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