Latest news with #Anastas
GMA Network
24-06-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Building bridges with Filipinos is Palestine's goal, says ambassador
Palestinian Ambassador to the Philippines Mounir Y.K. Anastas meets with GMA Network President and CEO Gilberto Duavit Jr. at the GMA Network Center on June 24, 2025. GMA Integrated News The Palestinian Embassy in the Philippines said that they are looking into promoting awareness and building bridges with Filipinos in a courtesy call with GMA Network on Tuesday. Palestinian Ambassador to the Philippines Mounir Y.K. Anastas said that the Philippines and Palestine have a shared history in being colonized countries, but that Palestine is still dealing with occupation. 'We have, unfortunately, walls, and we are trying to build bridges between nations, and culture is the most powerful tool for building such bridges, of course. So I'm really honored to be with you, and I think that this will be very important in order to raise awareness among the Filipino population,' he said. Anastas also pointed out that the Philippines has long recognized Palestinian statehood. 'The government is completely aware about the Palestinian case, and as you mentioned, the Philippines, since the beginning since the proclamation of the State of Palestine, the Philippines was one of the first countries to recognize the statehood of Palestine,' he said. Israel is currently conducting a military assault on the Gaza Strip, one of the occupied Palestinian territories, with the stated intention of obliterating Hamas after its October 7, 2023 attacks on areas in southern Israel. At least 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, as well as by its blockade of aid, both of which have been condemned by the United Nations. South Africa has taken Israel to court at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of the genocide of the Palestinian people. The International Criminal Court has also issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant for the Gaza atrocities, and Hamas commander Ibrahim Al-Masri for the October 7 attacks, in which Hamas kidnapped about 250 Israelis and other nationalities, many of whom are still held hostage. Masri was killed in Gaza in 2024. In another Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory, the West Bank, Israelis are seizing land and building settlements, which the ICJ has ruled illegal. Anastas highlighted the humanitarian issues from the conflict, saying that Palestine was a separate state from Israel. He also said the conflict between Israel and Palestine was not religious in nature, but that it was being framed as such. He expressed his disappointment over several of their historic cities, such as the city of Bethlehem in the West Bank, being on occupied land. 'My city, Bethlehem, is not part of Israel. It is occupied by Israel, but it is a Palestinian city… Unfortunately, still it is under occupation, and it was annexed by the State of Israel,' he said. 'People can't understand that the State of Palestine legally existed…It has been recognized by 148 countries so far. The only impediment is the occupation…The most important thing to bridge this is that Filipino people are very religious. The origin of Christianity is in my city. The old city of Jerusalem is of high significance and importance for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but it has nothing to do with the conflict. Our conflict is not religious. Our conflict with Israel is a political conflict,' he continued. Anastas also thanked GMA Network for the opportunity to discuss the matter. 'This is what I would like to transmit through GMA to the Filipino people… For us, peace is important for different reasons. Because we believe in this, and we believe that we can reach it without violence. We have a weapon that Israel doesn't have, and they can't buy it anywhere. This weapon is the truth and the right,' he said. Meanwhile, GMA Network President and CEO Gilberto Duavit Jr. said that a meeting with the ambassador was the 'beginning' of opportunities to work together towards nation-building and further partnerships. 'I see the size of your mission to further strengthen and broaden our ties, whether these be cultural and all-related ties. We are encouraged, Your Excellency, by what appears to be a common thread between us when we look at your orientations and what you all do, your views on the value of culture in nation-building, the value of culture in creating partnerships. That's largely what we do and what we do as a pleasure for us to finally meet you,' Duavit said. 'We share the commitment, of course, of our President to peace and prosperity, something that, Your Excellency, you honor us with,' he added. Duavit was joined at the call by GMA Vice President and head for Corporate Affairs and Communications Angela Javier Cruz and Senior Vice President and Head of GMA Integrated News, GMA Regional TV, and Synergy Oliver Victor Amoroso. — BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
24-06-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Palestine envoy urges PH to ask Israel to resolve Gaza crisis
Palestine's Ambassador to the Philippines Mounir Anastas on Tuesday urged the Philippines to convince Israel to resolve the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Gaza. Speaking to GMA Integrated News' Pia Arcangel, Anastas said the Philippines should ''apply some pressure'' so that Israel ''respects the humanitarian question in Gaza especially, and in the West Bank as well.'' ''In any case, we are really thankful for the President and the government, since they made several statements asking for a ceasefire and for humanitarian aid to arrive in Gaza. So, the Philippines is doing its best,'' he said in a report on ''24 Oras.'' At the 2nd ASEAN–Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Malaysia on May 27, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed concern over Israel's military operations across the Gaza Strip, "which have resulted in the continued rise of the death of civilians, including women and children, and further exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation on the ground." Marcos said the Philippines urged all parties to adhere to their obligations under international law, ''with particular emphasis on the protection of civilians, especially women and children, and the facilitation of humanitarian assistance to all those who are in need.'' ''Everybody was asking Israel for the ceasefire first and to allow the humanitarian aid to arrive to the population while Israel was using food and water as weapon,'' Anastas said. ''It is not only against international humanitarian law but it is also completely immoral, it is inhuman, it is unacceptable.'' Anastas also commented on the fighting between Israel and Iran. "There's the question, why now? Why [did] Israel attack Iran right now, knowing that [for] decades [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu was always saying Iran was too close to having or possessing nuclear weapons?'' he said. ''The attack came only two days before the meeting scheduled between the US and Iran for the [nuclear] negotiations.'' Iran has always said its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in an October 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies. Many of those killed or captured were civilians. Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Earlier this month, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza and aid access. The UN has long endorsed a vision of two states living side by side within secure and recognized borders. Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, all territory captured by Israel in a 1967 war with neighboring Arab states. ''Is it viable still? Yes, it is, even if it is weakened,'' Anastas said. ''There is a need to have a change within Israel with such a government. Of course, it wouldn't work since they declared very clearly they are opposed to such a solution.'' ''Second thing, it's not only freezing the settlements, but also having the solution to take all settlers back to Israel,'' he said. — with Reuters/VBL, GMA Integrated News
Forbes
07-04-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Inside Q New York, Aston Martin's Ultra-Luxe Atelier
It was late, but when a woman tapped on the glass door to ask to be let in to the shop, Lisa Anastas, Quartermaster at Q New York by Aston Martin, obliged. The scion of a large East Coast retail chain, the woman apologized for appearing at closing time; she knew well the experience of staying late to care for a customer. That evening she commissioned a $300,000 Aston Martin. The woman had a trip to Q New York on her mind for some time. The space, a showroom and atelier, allows customers not just to design their own bespoke car, but to do so with the entire livery of Aston Martin designers, engineers and production experts at hand. The process starts with Anastas and her team who are seasoned guides to a customer's design journey. But when a question or a customization idea arises, Anastas simply brings in an expert from across the pond: a quick connection with the company's headquarters in Gaydon, England allows Anastas to tap experts from design, materials, engineering, production and more to join the client's build process. Walking past Q New York, a cheeky name given to the space in honor of James Bond's gadget guru, you can't help but pause and look at the exotic luxury cars in the windows that span the corner of Park Avenue and 57th Street. The space was designed with as much purpose and detail as the cars themselves, holding access to the Aston Martin world behind its movable walls and intimate spaces that feel more like a couture boutique than an automotive design studio. Comfortable lounge areas and a fireplace invite guests to sit and contemplate or simply relax while gazing at the Aston Martin DBX, Vantage or the limited-production Valiant. A lighting sculpture spans the showroom's ceiling to unite the space with a glowy, starlit feel. Deeper in the showroom, translucent inner walls slide closed to turn the design atelier into an intimate inner sanctum. There, clients can explore the design wall, a closet-like space with drawers and shelves that hold brake calipers, paint samples, leather hides, textured metals, colored aluminum and spools of thread. The rear wall of the space is an LED screen that spans 35' wide and 10' tall and boasts such precise definition that clients can zoom in on the texture of a leather hide or see how a paint's tone changes with the shift of the sun or clouds. One of only 20 such screens in the world, Aston Martin owns two; the other is in the company's headquarters in Gaydon and allows Aston Martin experts to see exactly what a client is seeing as they design their dream car. The showroom at Q New York by Aston Martin Aston Martin Creating a bespoke car is Anastas's mission, and saying yes to her clients dreams is her goal. 'As long as it won't affect the standard of quality or our corporate identity, we say yes,' she said. The Q New York studio extends possibilities that are nearly endless; paint and leather colors can be commissioned and combinations can be uniquely crafted. By displaying the build on the LED screen, clients can see their commission from all angles, inside and out, from a distance or magnified and decide if it will look as intended before the car is built. The Q New York studio concept has been so popular that 60% of Aston Martin Valhalla buyers commissioned their car there. While Q New York is certainly the ultimate experience, it's just part of the design journey. Many of the design materials available at Q are also available at an Aston Martin dealership, and a dealer can answer most of a client's design questions. Clients who want a more personal design process have two options: meet with the design team in Gaydon, or now, at Q New York, a much shorter journey for many. A meeting at Q New York offers clients something else: exclusive access to new models. Clients may get an invitation for a personal viewing; the prototype is kept under a silk Union Jack ahead of the global reveal. Once an non-disclosure agreement is signed, phones are locked away and the studio's doors are closed, the reveal is underway, making a design session feel even more privileged. Clients may also receive an invitation to events at Q New York; Aston Martin hosts events for Formula One as well as its brand partners, and during regular business hours everyone is welcome. 'Our doors are open Monday through Friday,' said Anastas, 'and everyone is able to come in and experience the brand,' from 5-year-old race fans to buyers dreaming of their first Aston Martin. The open-door concept is powerful; more than a few times a couple has come to Q New York to commission his car, with his partner demurring that she's only there to be supportive. And then she starts to understand the possibilities, and before long, she's designing her dream car, too. It's a hard thing to resist inside the inner sanctum of a bespoke atelier.
