BeyondHeadlines

Tag: Arab League

  • Arab League, OIC Must Impose Economic Blockade on West to Save Gaza, Stop Selling Petrol

    Arab League, OIC Must Impose Economic Blockade on West to Save Gaza, Stop Selling Petrol

    Gaza is staring at an imminent genocide by Israel. The imperialist West has ganged up against the impoverished Palestinians. The United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK), led by the war-mongering Islamophobes Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak, are arming Israel to the teeth and sending their armored aircraft carriers and naval ships to deter any other nation from coming to the rescue of the beleaguered Palestinian people. The dance of death by the occupying tyrant Israel continues unabated since 1948. The UK and the US have been responsible, along with the European Union (EU), for the untold misery heaped on the Palestinians since the Nakba Genocide. Every few years, there is an attempt to wipe out the native Palestinians.

    Israel’s call to the Gazans to vacate Gaza is no joke. The United Nations (UN) has rightly condemned the irrational order from the schizophrenic Islamophobe Netanyahu to displace the Gazans from their homeland in the name of fighting the Hamas militants. Gaza has already been turned into a heap of garbage by the occupier Israel, which has even bombed hospitals, schools, and the protected UN shelters. The modern Pharaoh Netanyahu has stopped water and electricity to snuff out the lives of the Gazans. Ambulances ferrying children and women to hospitals are bombed mercilessly by Israel. The international community, by and large, has been a mute witness and sometimes complicit in crime by beefing up Israeli offense forces. What was done to Bosnia, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan is being planned and enacted in Gaza by the imperialists. Israel is not satisfied with taking away Palestine’s land in bits and pieces anymore. It wants to usurp the entire land by annihilating the innocent and unarmed Palestinian masses.

    Hamas is a militant group trying to purge the occupying fascist Israel from the holy land of Palestine, but Israel is supposed to be a state, and as such, it should behave like one. Just like the lives of innocent Jewish civilians are sacrosanct, the lives of the occupied and tyrannized civilians in Palestine are sacrosanct too. There is no justification for the annihilation of innocent Palestinians. Mahatma Gandhi supported Palestine when he said, Palestine belongs to the Arabs.

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s standing with Israel goes against the time-tested diplomatic policy of India standing with Palestine since 1948. The defence cooperation between Israel and India should not become the noose for the Palestinians. Modi’s hate, incitement, and contempt against Muslims are not restricted to India; they have gone international with support for Israel and Islamophobe Netanyahu. Modi’s views suggesting in an interview that Muslims are ‘‘puppies’’ and the incitement in an election rally in Jharkhand that Muslims (without naming them) can be ‘‘recognized by their clothes’’ (implying they are terrorists) are very notorious.

    On October 22, 2023, Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) revoked the suspension of the disgraced Hindu extremist Raja Singh, who had abused Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him) using derogatory language. The Muslim countries should ask Narendra Modi as to why the suspension of the abuser of the Prophet, extremist Raja Singh, was revoked. Modi also rewarded Raja Singh with a BJP ticket to fight the Telangana Legislative Assembly elections in the Telangana State to pit and polarize the majoritarian Hindu community against the minority Muslim community. This is also in preparation for the Indian Parliament elections scheduled for 2024. Narendra Modi’s intentions were clear when India abstained from the ceasefire resolution at the United Nations. Perhaps he wants a redux of the 2002 Gujarat Muslim Genocide, but this time in Palestine. The Modi government should stop buying petrol from the Arabs and recall the alleged extremist Hindu diaspora from the Arab countries before standing with Israel. It is suicidal to sail in two boats at the same time! Gandhi’s peaceful India should not be made to stand with war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu.

    South Africa surely understands that Israel’s actions, like the illegal occupation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and other Christian sites, are responsible for violence. The Gandhi of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, famously said: South Africa will never be free until Palestine is free. Mandela had also observed: We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasized his country’s historic support for the “just struggle” of Palestinians and offered to help mediate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    Gaza and Palestine can be saved from whatever remains if the Arab countries and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) impose economic sanctions on the West and those regimes that stand fully with Israel. An extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League held in Riyadh was a terrible failure after the Muslim rulers shamelessly bowed to the diktats of the United States (US) not to take any harsh decisions against Israel. Biden’s threats worked on the timid and spineless Muslim rulers. Some of the countries, like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and others, are not even willing to sever ties with Israel. They even blocked a proposal to snap all ties with Israel. They have fallen into an abyss. Perhaps they are waiting for the Arab Spring moment. They are going against public sentiment to perform ‘action’ to save Gaza. The least they can do is impose an economic blockade on the West and Israel. The petroleum and gas-producing countries of the Arab League and OIC must stop selling gasoline to the war mongers and bring them to their political knees. Not only can the Gaza genocide be stopped, but a permanent solution can also be found in the form of the establishment of the State of Palestine.

    There is a growing demand from Arab citizens that the anti-Muslim diasporas from Asia and the West working in the Gulf and Arab and Muslim countries be sent back to their countries forever. Those spreading hate against Islam, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Al-Aqsa, and Palestine on social media while working in Muslim countries must be put on trial and executed expeditiously.

    It is beyond the timid, intoxicated people in the Middle East to redeem Palestine. Therefore, Palestine must not give up the just search for a Salauddin Ayoubi 2.0 to march triumphantly into the Palestinian undivided capital, Jerusalem! Children, women, and the elderly in Palestine and Israel should not be cannon fodder in this war.

    The creation of the absolute and independent state of Palestine is long overdue. Let peace prevail! An immediate and functional ceasefire is the first step towards lasting peace.

  • Arab League to Ask UN for Imposing No-Fly Zone Over Gaza

    Cairo (Xinhua): The Arab League (AL) said on Sunday it would ask the United Nations to consider imposing a no-fly zone over the Gaza Stripe to protect the civilians against Israeli air strikes.

    In a statement issued after an emergency meeting of the pan- Arab organization at the permanent delegates’ level in its Cairo headquarter, the AL said it would ask the United Nation Security Council to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the Israeli aggression over Gaza to lift the siege and impose a no-fly zone against the Israeli military to protect civilians.

    The statement rejected the double standard policies towards the Palestinian case, urging the UN Security Council and the Quartet committee to bear all responsibilities for halting the subsequent massacres and provide an international protection for the unarmed citizens.

    The AL also called upon the international community to take all necessary measures and procedures to deter Israel from continuing committing war crimes against humanity.

    Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa affirmed after the meeting that the Arabs’ stand toward the Palestinian cause remains steadfast despite the recent incidents engulfing some Arab countries.

    The AL meeting was held upon a request from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the Israeli attacks in Gaza.

    Since Thursday, Israeli artillery and helicopters have been shelling different locations across the Gaza strip, killing about 19 Palestinians and injuring 62 others.

    Through the Security Council, the Palestinians want ” international sanctions on Israel to force it to stop escalation in Gaza and the campaign of terror in the West Bank,” said Saleh Ra’fat, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization on Sunday.

    Violence in Gaza started when Hamas, which holds sway there, fired a rocket at an Israeli school bus, critically wounding a 16- year-old student. Hamas later said it did not know the bus was carrying students.

    Ahmad Bahar, a Hamas official, said on Sunday that his movement hopes the AL would take practical decisions stopping the Israeli attacks and supporting the Palestinians. He also called for the lifting of Israeli closure that was imposed on Gaza when Hamas seized control there in 2007.

  • London Conference on Libya Not Solve Key Problems, Rifts

    London Conference on Libya Not Solve Key Problems, Rifts

    London (Xinhua): The London Conference on Libya held Tuesday has not settled any major problems concerning the Libyan crisis and the disputes between the countries conducting an ongoing military operation against Libya, observers say.

    The three-hour conference brought together representatives from nearly 40 countries and some major international blocs including the United Nations, NATO, the European Union (EU) and the Arab League.

    At a press briefing after the conference, British Foreign Secretary William Hague claimed the West-led coalition, which has conducted the military operation since March 19, has been “widened,” saying Sweden had agreed to join the operation by supplying eight fighter jets to patrol the no-fly zone.

    Photo released by UK Foreign Ministry shows delegates at the London Conference on Libya, in London, Britain, March 29, 2011. Over 40 foreign ministers and representatives from key regional organizations attended the conference in London Tuesday to discuss the situation in Libya. (Xinhua/UK FCO)

    Hague also said the conference agreed to set up a contact group to lead international efforts to map out Libya’s future.

    However, the participants did not reach any consensus on the key issues such as what the final aim of the military operation is, when the operation should be wrapped up and whether NATO would limit the air strikes after assuming command, analysts say.

    Meanwhile, there are a wide range of other disputes concerning the Libya crisis.

    First, some major players on the global stage like the African Union (AU), Russia and China did not back the West-dominated air strikes on Libya from the beginning.

    Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who has blasted the air raids, did not attend the conference at all and only sent his deputy here.

    AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping, who was expected to attend the London conference, did not appear either.

    Jean Ping has reiterated the AU opposes any foreign military intervention in Libya and expressed discontent toward the Western forces for not consulting with the AU sufficiently before launching the military operation.

    Russia has been urging the coalition forces to cease fire in Libya immediately.

    China has also opposed the military attacks by the Western forces on Libya.

    Second, apparent disputes even remain among attendees of the hastily-arranged London conference.

    Turkey, a NATO member, has insisted the UN Resolution 1973 on Libya adopted on March 17 has a clear framework, and any action that goes beyond the framework “is illegal.”

    Meanwhile, Germany, a traditional Western power and also a NATO member, has refused to join the military operation. It abstained from voting for the UN resolution on Libya.

    Third, the countries contributing to the military operation face increasing domestic pressure.

    According to a latest survey conducted by the British polling consultancy ComRes, 47 percent of the questioned Britons regard the government as wrong to commit British forces to actions in Libya, and 71 percent fear the military actions could drag Britain into a prolonged conflict like the Iraq War.

    Similarly, worries of “entangling the U.S. into another Iraq” still linger in the United States after President Barack Obama declared NATO would formally take over the full command of the military operation Wednesday.

  • Arab League Calls on Libya to Halt Violence

    Cairo (Xinhua) — The Arab League (AL) on Wednesday called for an end to violence in Libya and considered further steps which included the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya.

    The Arab League Council at the level of foreign ministers convened on Wednesday to discuss the latest regional situation, especially in Libya.

    A resolution issued after the meeting said the AL cannot stand aside while the Libyan people suffer bloodshed.

    Steps included the imposition of no-fly zone over Libya under the coordination of the AL and the African Union, it added.

    The meeting also decided to postpone the Arab summit slated for March 29 to no later than May 15. Iraq is set to host the upcoming summit.

    On Feb. 22, the AL suspended Libya’s participation in the future meeting of AL and its affiliated bodies after the bloody clashes swept the country since Feb. 16, until Libya authorities respond to people’s demands.

    The UN Security Council on February 26 unanimously adopted a resolution to impose sanctions on Libya, including an arms embargo against the Libyan authorities and travel ban and asset freeze directed at Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his key family members.

  • The Arab League, African Union Threaten To Impose “No Fly Zone” Over Libya

    BeyondHeadlines News Desk

    Malaysia: The Arab League and the African Union in a statement issued on February 2 threatened to impose a “No Fly Zone” over Libya to prevent it from using its airforce in killing protestors against the rule of Colonel Muhammad Gaddafi.

    “The Arab League will not stand with its hands tied while the blood of the brotherly Libyan people is spilt,” said Secretary General of the League Amr Moussa. Some are calling it an exercise in flexing of musele by the secretary before running for presidential elections in Egypt. The Arab League has suspended the membership of the Libyan Government over its killing of civilians.

    The UN Security Council over the weekend has also instructed the International Court of Justice at Hague to investigate into the attacks on Libyan civilians so as to acesses if they constitute War crimes. This is only the second time that such a request was made, the first case being Sudan.