Latest news with #Arabs
Kuwait Times
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
We will not forget - Dr Khalid Al-Saleh
The 35th anniversary of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait will be upon us in a few days. This major and tragic event is no longer just a historic one; it has become a cornerstone of political and national awareness. It is a reminder of the importance of national unity and the need to rely on constitutional institutions. It also underscores the necessity of permanent vigilance in a troubled world. Threats do not always come from declared enemies. Kuwait was a major supporter of Iraq during its long war, yet Iraq repaid this support with one of the most heinous betrayals the Arab world had ever witnessed. What deepened the wound for Kuwaitis — whose goodwill extended to all corners, especially to fellow Arab countries — was the lack of genuine Arab solidarity at that time. This failure prompted Kuwait to reconsider its alliances. Yet, even amid disappointment, one truth remains clear to every just Kuwaiti: that true loyalty and love are marks of noble Arabs, and these values are still abundant in the heart of our Arab nation. This was clearly expressed by the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, led by Saudi Arabia, whose support was unwavering. The Kuwaiti people paid a heavy price for the trust that had been placed in the tyrant Saddam Hussein — a price that could have cost them their homeland, dignity, and security. Were it not for the vast mercy of Allah Almighty, and our unwavering faith in Him, as well as the unity of the Kuwaiti people who refused to fall into division, Kuwait would not have been restored — nor would its flag fly proudly again over its liberated land. The anniversary of the invasion returns each year to affirm that people do not forget. Kuwait, which rose from destruction and ashes, was able to rebuild itself stronger than before, thanks to international legitimacy, internal unity, and wise leadership. August 2nd remains etched in our national memory — forever accompanied by the words: We will not forget. [email protected]
Arab Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab Times
5 victories of global Zionism
OVER the past hundred years, Jewish Zionism has achieved five major victories, most of which have come at our expense: 1. Realizing the dream of establishing a state for Jews worldwide. 2. Securing emotional, financial, political, and military support initially from Britain, and later from America and the Western world. 3. Successfully neutralizing any threat, even minor, posed by Arab states to its existence. 4. Building a state with a strong economy, advanced industry, formidable military capabilities, and distinguished achievements in technology and science. 5. Most dangerously, creating an army of mercenaries among Arabs, the majority of whom are either financially motivated or unaware of Zionism's global agenda. Israel's progress in high technology rivals that of the United States and other Western countries. Known as the 'Nation of Tech Companies,' nearly 60 percent of its exports come from the tech sector, compared to virtually zero for Arab countries. Global giants like Intel, Google, Microsoft, and Apple maintain advanced research centers in Israel, whose economy is growing at rates above the global average. Militarily, Israel ranks 15th worldwide and can mobilize half a million fighters in record time. It also boasts unmatched espionage and intelligence capabilities. Israel relies heavily on integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its espionage and intelligence operations, enabling it to track high-level military targets and execute sensitive missions with precision, thanks to its global leadership in cybersecurity. Israel has long possessed advanced research, medical, and technical laboratories, collaborating closely with leading Western universities, particularly in AI, technology transfer, and the development of medical and pharmaceutical solutions. In contrast, most Arab countries lack much of Israel's technological infrastructure and expertise. Before its recent settlement expansions, Israel's land area was approximately 22,000 square kilometers, compared to 13 million square kilometers for Arab countries and 32 million square kilometers for Islamic countries. Israel's population stands at about 9 million, while the Arab population is around 460 million, and the Muslim population totals approximately 1.5 billion. Despite signing peace treaties with Egypt 44 years ago and Jordan 31 years ago, Israel has not transferred any of its expertise or technology to either country or any other Arab nation. Israel continues to spy on both Egypt and Jordan, despite its peace agreements with them. Moreover, it has never stopped spying on the United States, its most important supporter and dominant ally. Israel has relentlessly pursued settlement expansion at the expense of neighboring Arab countries and even more distant neighbors. It has consistently sought to sow discord and division among Arab states, exploiting their backwardness to its advantage. Doubt and hatred will continue to fill the hearts of Zionists. True justice and peace have no place in the Israeli narrative. Israel offers us nothing but humiliation and degradation, an agenda promoted by its agents among us, who have now been exposed. They openly claim that Israel has the right to decide our fate as it sees fit. For instance, the productivity of a palm tree in Israel is ten times higher than the average yield of palm trees in Egypt and Jordan. Yet, despite over forty years of peace treaties with Israel, neither Egypt nor Jordan has benefited from Israeli technology, not even in date production, let alone in far more advanced fields like artificial intelligence. Therefore, those who believe that normalization with Israel will bring prosperity, peace, love, and progress to the Arab world must abandon these illusions. From Israel, we will see nothing but ruthless exploitation of our resources, the occupation of our lands, and the reduction of our people to mere laborers in its factories and farms, and perhaps even guinea pigs in its laboratories.
Atlantic
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Atlantic
The Corrupt Bargain Behind Gaza's Catastrophe
When Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in 2022 after a brief period of political exile, he did so on the backs of the most extreme allies in Israeli history. Fourteen of his coalition's 64 seats were held by parties led by two explicitly anti-Arab lawmakers: Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Ben-Gvir had been charged and convicted of support for terrorism and racist incitement. He was a disciple of Meir Kahane, a rabbi who called for the expulsion of Israel's Arabs and whose political party was banned from Parliament for its radicalism. Smotrich had advocated segregating Jews and Arabs in Israeli maternity wards and told his Arab colleagues in the Knesset that they were 'enemies' who were 'here by mistake.' Both Ben-Gvir and Smotrich expressed sympathy for violent settler attacks in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Both sought to annex the West Bank and disenfranchise or expel the Palestinians living there. And both became ministers in Netanyahu's new government, because the Israeli leader desperately needed their support. The math was simple: The parties in Netanyahu's coalition received just 48.4 percent of the vote and attained a parliamentary majority only through a quirk of the Israeli electoral system. This meant that Netanyahu entered office in a profoundly precarious position—on trial for corruption and beholden to extremists who could bring him down if he bucked their demands. Recognizing how bad this arrangement looked from the outside, Netanyahu embarked on an international PR campaign to assure outsiders that he, not the extremists, was running the show. 'They are joining me,' he told NPR. 'I'm not joining them.' The trajectory of the war in Gaza has conclusively disproved this spin. At crucial junctures, the prime minister's choices have been corrupted by the need to cater to those with the ability to end his grip on power. As a result, he has undermined Israel's war effort and shredded the country's international standing abroad. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the events that precipitated the Gaza hunger crisis. Israel was faced with a dilemma after Hamas butchered some 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds more hostage. The United Nations Relief Works Agency was the only actor capable of delivering humanitarian aid to the civilians of Gaza during the ensuing war, but UNRWA was compromised by Hamas, which siphoned supplies for itself and sold them at a markup to fund its operations. Although the extent of this co-option is disputed, the fact of it cannot be denied. Employees of the organization were among the perpetrators of the October 7 atrocities, as even the UN itself has acknowledged; hostages have testified that they were held by UNRWA staff or in UNRWA facilities. 'All aid goes down'—that is, underground to Hamas—and 'does not reach the nation,' an elderly Palestinian woman told Al Jazeera in December 2023. 'Everything goes to their houses. They take it, they will even shoot me and do whatever they want to me, Hamas.' Hamas has obscured its subversion of aid by intimidating aid workers, civilians, and media outlets. In the early days of the war, the terrorist group reportedly looted fuel and medical supplies from UNRWA's headquarters in Gaza City. The aid organization initially disclosed this on social media but then deleted the post. It had good reason to worry. More than a decade ago, a senior UNRWA officer in Gaza attempted to investigate whether any of the organization's local employees were moonlighting with Hamas. He received a funeral bouquet in the mail, and later a live grenade, at which point he was evacuated from the territory. According to The New York Times, Matthias Schmale, the head of UNRWA in Gaza from 2017 to 2021, gave a TV interview that upset Hamas; he was pushed out of his position after the group 'informed UNRWA that it could no longer guarantee his security.' 'Would I be totally surprised if at the end of the day there is proof that 2,000 UNRWA staff are members of Hamas?' Schmale told the paper. 'No, I wouldn't be,' though 'it would be a bit shocking if it is such a high number.' Faced with this predicament, as well as pressure from the Biden administration to allow more aid, Israel had several credible options for providing humanitarian assistance. Starting on day one of its ground invasion, the army could have begun building a new aid mechanism for Gaza's civilians by setting up non-UNRWA distribution centers, in conjunction with local and international partners, in each area where it assumed control. Or Israel could simply have flooded the enclave with so much aid that Hamas would not be able to resell it for significant value. This latter option had the downside of inevitably funneling food and fuel to Hamas in its tunnels, perversely bolstering the group's fight against the country supplying it. But realistically speaking, there was no way to starve Hamas out of its well-stocked underground fortress without first starving the desperate Gazan civilian population, which, as ever, served as the group's human shield. Israel chose neither of these options. Instead, it allowed UNRWA to continue limited operations, while repeatedly tightening and relaxing restrictions in response to complaints about the diversion of aid. Israel then agreed to surge supplies into the territory during the 42-day cease-fire in January—only to completely blockade all aid for two months afterward. Finally, with Gaza on the brink, Israel and the United States launched the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in May, attempting at last to displace UNRWA. This effort to implement an entirely new system on the fly, under the worst possible conditions, unsurprisingly failed. Both Israeli troops and Hamas killed Palestinians trying to reach the distribution sites, and food prices in Gaza skyrocketed, culminating in the crisis we see today. Israel's choices here are contradictory and do not make moral or strategic sense. But they do make political sense from Netanyahu's perspective. Since the start of the war, the prime minister has contended with pressures from opposing directions: from international partners insisting that he sustain Gaza's civilians and from the right flank of his coalition, which seeks to ethnically cleanse those civilians and repopulate the area with Jewish settlements. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have explicitly called for the 'voluntary migration' of the area's Palestinian population and advocated ending humanitarian aid as a lever to achieve it. 'The only way to win the war and bring back the hostages is to completely stop the 'humanitarian' aid, conquer the entire Gaza Strip, and encourage voluntary migration,' Ben-Gvir declared on Saturday on social media. To keep this faction in check—and keep himself in power—Netanyahu needed to ensure that the choices he made could satisfy not just military imperatives or international diktats but also the hard right's demands. Every step he authorized had to be dual use: ostensibly for a strategic purpose but also capable of potentially advancing the far right's plan. In practice, pursuing these two goals at the same time is incompatible with a just and successfully prosecuted war: It is impossible to provide aid and also withhold it, to pursue a limited war against Hamas to free hostages and also a war of conquest. The longer the conflict has gone on, the more obvious the compromised nature of Netanyahu's decision making has become. Initially, the Israeli leader was restrained by pressure from the Biden administration (which pushed for more aid and compelled Netanyahu to reject Gazan displacement), Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (who insisted that Gaza be returned to Palestinian governance), and the centrist wartime-coalition partner Benny Gantz (who advocated for a cease-fire). But Gantz left the coalition in June 2024, Joe Biden was replaced by Donald Trump in November, Netanyahu fired Gallant the day Trump won, and then Trump himself proposed relocating the Gazan population in order to construct a 'Riviera in the Middle East.' The result: Today, the only pressure on Netanyahu is from the far right, which is effectively running his war policy against the desires of a large majority of Israelis who oppose settlements in Gaza and support a hostage deal to end the war. This bleak reality and its consequences explain the growing alienation of many of even Israel's strongest international allies. After October 7, Israel's partners may have thought they were interfacing with a typical—if deeply conservative—Israeli government. Now they actually seem to be dealing with a Smotrich/Ben-Gvir government in a Netanyahu-shaped trench coat. Belatedly, a group of European countries, as well as Britain, Australia, and Canada, are attempting—without American assistance—to reimpose the pressures that might compel Netanyahu to change course. Hamas has agency in all this. It chose to launch the October 7 attack knowing that it would provoke a devastating response; it chooses to hold hostages in underground dungeons under inhumane conditions; it chooses to hide within and beneath Gaza's civilians; it chooses to appropriate aid intended for those civilians to fuel its messianic war machine. Israel also faces prejudice and unfair expectations that would not be faced by many other countries in such circumstances. But Netanyahu has agency in how he chooses to respond to these realities. He has made his choice—and Palestinians and Israelis will continue to pay the price for it until he makes a different one.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Houthis to target all ships linked to Israel, says group in fresh warning
Yemen's Houthi group has announced that it will begin targeting any ship that does business with Israel, regardless of the company's nationality or destination, The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday. The group said it was expanding its military operations in support of Palestinians and warned shipping companies to stop cooperating with Israeli ports if they wanted to avoid being targeted. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Analytics CXO Digital Marketing Project Management Healthcare MBA Data Science Operations Management Leadership healthcare Management Technology Data Science PGDM MCA Artificial Intelligence Product Management Others Public Policy Cybersecurity others Finance Design Thinking Degree Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Visualization Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning Business Intelligence & Data-Driven Decision Making Analytics Strategy & Implementation Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Applied Business Analytics Starts on Jun 13, 2024 Get Details "All countries that want to avoid escalation must pressure the enemy to stop its attacks and lift the blockade on Gaza," the Houthis said in a statement, adding, "There is no free person on this earth who can accept what is happening." They claimed their actions are based on what they called a "religious, moral, and humanitarian responsibility" towards the people of Gaza. The statement also said the current conditions faced by Palestinians would be "unacceptable to any human being, let alone Arabs and Muslims." "The actions of the Yemeni Armed Forces express our moral and humanitarian commitment to the injustice against the brotherly Palestinian people," the statement added. "All our military operations will stop immediately once the aggression on Gaza ends and the blockade is lifted." Live Events The Houthis have been targeting ships in the Red Sea since October 2023, shortly after the Hamas-led attack on Israel. They claim their actions are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, as per The Jerusalem Post. In response, Israel has launched multiple strikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, including Hodeidah port. Earlier this month, the group attacked and sank a Greek-owned vessel named Eternity C in the Red Sea. Several crew members are believed to be in Houthi custody or still missing. "We remain deeply concerned for the welfare of the crew members in the custody of the Houthis, as well as for those currently unaccounted for," Ellie Shafik, head of intelligence at UK-based maritime risk firm Vanguard Tech said as per The Jerusalem Post. "Their safety and quick release must be a priority for all involved."
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Graham says there will be ‘a change in tactics' by Israeli military in Gaza
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Sunday that there will be a 'change in tactics' by the Israeli military in its war in Gaza. 'I think Israel's come to conclude that they can't achieve a goal of ending the war with Hamas that would be satisfactory to the safety of Israel and that they're going to do in Gaza what we did in Tokyo and Berlin, take the place by force then start over again, presenting a better future for the Palestinians, hopefully having the Arabs take over the West Bank and Gaza,' Graham told NBC News's Kristen Welker on 'Meet the Press.' 'But I think going forward, Kristen, you're going to see a change in tactics, a full military effort by Israel to take Gaza down, like we did in Tokyo and Berlin,' he added. Israel has started a 'tactical pause' in fighting in Gaza amid mass starvation concerns, according to the military. 'In accordance with directives from the political echelon, and as part of the IDF's ongoing effort, led by COGAT, to increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, a local tactical pause in military activity will take place for humanitarian purposes from 10:00 to 20:00, starting today (Sunday),' the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a post on the social platform X Sunday. According to The Associated Press, there have been warnings in recent months from food experts about Gaza facing famine, with aid being limited by the Israelis. 'People in #Gaza are dying from lack of humanitarian assistance – food, clean water, and other essential lifelines,' the World Food Programme said in a post on X last week. 'A ceasefire is long overdue and humanitarians should be able to reach all those in need, wherever they are.' The fighting has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants, and injured more than 130,000. The Israeli government said 895 soldiers have been killed over the course of the war, which began after a Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that left around 1,200 Israelis dead, with nearly 250 taken hostage.
