Harris and Trump zero in on key swing state as US election race heats up
Democratic and Republican presidential candidates are campaigning in battleground state of Pennsylvania this weekend. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are holding campaign events in the key US swing state of Pennsylvania this weekend, as the race between the United States presidential candidates heats up before November’s election. Trump will hold a rally in the small town of Wilkes-Barre on Saturday while Harris is expected to make several stops on a bus tour around the city of Pittsburgh on Sunday. The focus on Pennsylvania — one of several battleground states expected to be critical in deciding the election — comes as recent polling shows a close fight between the Republican and Democratic candidates in key parts of the country. A New York Times/Siena College poll on Saturday showed that Harris, who launched her campaign after President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid last month, had gained ground in four states that Trump had looked set to win comfortably over Biden. The US vice president and Democratic nominee was leading Trump among likely voters in Arizona and North Carolina, the poll showed, and had narrowed the former Republican president’s lead in Georgia and Nevada. An earlier New York Times/Siena College poll released last week also showed Harris with 50 percent support among voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, compared with Trump’s 46 percent support in each state. Harris’s push for the White House has reinvigorated an election race that had largely failed to inspire many Americans frustrated by a choice between Trump and Biden. The pair had faced off in 2020, with Biden defeating his predecessor in a race Trump falsely claimed was marred by widespread fraud. Trump lost to Biden in Pennsylvania in that election by a narrow margin, but he has strong support in rural areas and small towns. With Harris now atop the Democratic Party’s 2024 ticket, Trump has struggled to find an effective way to counter her campaign. Recent statements from Trump’s team have focused on issues such as immigration and inflation, but he has spent large parts of recent speeches launching personal attacks against Harris‘s identity. “Hard-working Americans are suffering because of the Harris-Biden administration’s dangerously liberal policies,” the Trump campaign said in a statement in advance of Saturday’s rally in Wilkes-Barre. “Prices are excruciatingly high, cost of living has soared, crime has skyrocketed, and illegal immigrants are pouring into our country,” it said, although a recent crackdown on the US-Mexico border has stemmed much of the flow of migrants and asylum seekers. He also hammered Harris on Thursday over the economy, saying she has a “very strong communist lean” that would bring the “death of the American dream”. For her part, Harris — who will be travelling to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention next week — has promised to “bring down costs and increase economic security for all Americans”. In one of her first major policy speeches of the campaign, on Friday, she put forward a set of proposals that she said would help boost the economy and combat food “price gouging”. “I will be laser-focused on creating opportunities for the middle class,” Harris told a crowd of supporters in North Carolina. “Together, we will build what I call an opportunity economy.” Adblock test (Why?)
What are the prospects for talks to end Israel’s war on Gaza?
Discussions brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt to resume in Cairo. As Israel continues its relentless war on Gaza, Palestinians are pinning their hopes on talks that have paused in Doha but are set to resume in Cairo next week. Israel and Hamas are studying proposals from mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States. But what are the chances of a ceasefire this time? Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra Guests: Alon Pinkas – Former Israeli ambassador and previous government adviser Rami Khouri – Distinguished fellow at the American University of Beirut Niall Stanage – White House columnist for the publication, The Hill Adblock test (Why?)
Protesters rally in Venezuela’s capital as post-election crisis persists
Opposition protesters are taking to the streets of Venezuela’s capital once more to denounce the results of a recent election that saw President Nicolas Maduro secure another term in power. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado urged her supporters “to remain firm and united” in a social media post on Saturday, shortly after she called for people to demonstrate in hundreds of cities across the country and abroad. “We won’t leave the streets,” Machado told the crowd in Caracas, where hundreds of demonstrators waved the national flag and printed copies of election records that the opposition says is proof of its election victory. “With intelligence, prudence, resilience, boldness … peaceful protest is our right,” she said. The South American nation has seen weeks of unrest following the July 28 election, which opposition leaders said was marred by fraud. The National Electoral Council (CNE) formally declared Maduro the vote winner, saying in early August that he had secured 52 percent support compared with 43 percent for main opposition challenger Edmundo Gonzalez. However, the opposition has said its tally of the votes showed Gonzalez had defeated the incumbent, spurring international calls for Maduro’s government to release the full breakdown of votes. At least 25 people have been killed in post-election protests so far, with nearly 200 injured and more than 2,400 arrested — and the continued crisis has fuelled fears the Venezuelan authorities could launch a wider crackdown on opposition leaders and protesters. Reporting from Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday, Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo said relatives of many of those who have been detained in recent weeks in Venezuela say they don’t know where their loved-ones are. “Human rights organisations [have been] expressing their concern about what’s been happening,” Bo reported. “The opposition have asked people to gather with their families at protests, saying Venezuelans should remain united … They have also asked people to go with Venezuela flags and tally sheets — the centre of the dispute,” Bo said. “Until now, the Venezuelan government has been unable to provide proof of the election results,” she added. “The government is saying that the system was hacked and that’s why the results have not been provided.” Machado, who had her presidential candidacy blocked by institutions loyal to Maduro, is expected to take part in the march in the capital, Caracas, on Saturday. A heavy security presence was deployed in the city before the start of the rally. Access to the vast Petare neighbourhood, a few kilometres from the opposition’s announced gathering point, was controlled by two National Guard armoured vehicles and backed by about 40 motorcycle-mounted troops. Local media reported similar deployments in other key areas. “I came today to support Maria Corina and Edmundo to be able to have a future in this country and have a family,” Jesus Aguilar, a 21-year-old theology student, said at the rally in Caracas. “We know that with this government there are no possibilities for growth, I’ve even seen myself trying to leave the country.” Maduro, who came to power in 2013 following the death of his mentor and predecessor Hugo Chavez, has presided over an economic collapse that has pushed millions of people to leave Venezuela over the past years. In the aftermath of July’s election, he accused his political opponents of trying to carry out a “coup d’etat”, and he has called for the arrests of Machado and Gonzalez. “Maduro says there is a plan by the opposition to get him out of office,” Al Jazeera’s Bo reported, noting that the Venezuelan leader has accused the United States of being involved, as well. Maduro’s government also urged its supporters to take to the streets later on Saturday as the embattled president continues to strike a defiant tone. But Maduro continues to face both domestic and international pressure to provide a full accounting of the vote. Last week, Colombia and Brazil called for new elections in Venezuela, but Machado — the opposition leader — said this would show “a lack of respect” for the popular will already expressed on July 28. On Friday, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, traditionally a left-wing ally of Maduro, took a harsh tone, describing the regime in Caracas as “very unpleasant” as he insisted it release a detailed vote breakdown. In a radio interview, Lula declined to label the Maduro government a dictatorship, but said it had an “authoritarian bias”. The Organization of American States (OAS) approved a resolution in Washington on Friday urging Caracas to “expeditiously publish the presidential election records, including the voting results at the level of each polling station”. In a joint statement that same day, the European Union and 22 other countries also called for an “impartial verification” of the election outcome. Meanwhile, protests also broke out in other countries around the world to show support for the Venezuelan opposition. Australia held one of the first demonstrations on Saturday, where more than 100 Venezuelans rallied in Sydney, waving national flags. “This is a strong message to our people in Venezuela. We are with you, and we want the world to listen to what we are saying,” protest organiser Rina Rivas told the AFP news agency. Members of the Venezuelan community also rallied in Melbourne. Members of the Venezuelan community protest the recent election results in Venezuela during a rally in Melbourne, Australia [William West/AFP] Adblock test (Why?)
At least nine killed in Israeli attack on southern Lebanon
Israel’s military claims it hit a Hezbollah ‘weapons warehouse’ but Lebanese health ministry says residence attacked. An Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon has killed nine people, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health has said, as the Israeli military reported hitting weapons stores of the Hezbollah movement. The death toll from the strike in the Nabatieh area included “a woman and her two children” and left five other people wounded, two critically, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Israel’s military claimed on its Telegram channel that the air force had struck a weapons storage facility of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah overnight “in the area of Nabatieh”, located about 12km (seven miles) from the nearest point to the Israeli border. Earlier, the military posted on social media that its fighter jets attacked “military buildings” in the villages of Maroun al-Ras and Aita al-Shaab, more than 50km (31 miles) south of Nabatieh city. The attacks come as Hezbollah has traded near-daily fire with Israeli forces in support of its ally Hamas and in solidarity with the Palestinian people since the October 7 attack on southern Israel and Israel’s subsequent war on Gaza. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, Israel, Hezbollah and other armed groups in Lebanon exchanged at least 8,533 attacks across the border from October 7 to July 31. Israel conducted about 82 percent of these attacks, totalling 7,033 incidents, killing at least 601 people in Lebanon. Hezbollah and other armed groups were responsible for 1,500 attacks that killed at least 23 Israelis. Tensions have soared after a deadly rocket attack in July killed at least 12 people – many of them children, in a Druze village in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which Israel blamed on Hezbollah – as well as Israel’s killing of Fuad Shukr, a top Hezbollah commander, in a missile attack in the suburbs of Beirut. Hezbollah has promised to retaliate, as has Iran, for the killing in Tehran of Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh. The assassinations by Israel and threats of retaliation have sparked fears of a major regional escalation. Since Israel and Hezbollah last went to war in 2006, the Iran-aligned armed group has increased its military strength, according to analysts. On Friday, Hezbollah released a video appearing to show its fighters transporting large missiles through tunnels at an underground facility in what appeared to be Lebanon. Riad Kahwaji, the head of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, a security consultancy, said it was “the most explicit video Hezbollah has ever released showing the size of its tunnels” and weapons arsenal. Hezbollah likely released the video to “deter” Israel from launching a major operation against it in Lebanon, he said. Hezbollah has repeatedly said that only a Gaza ceasefire deal will stop its attacks on Israeli forces in northern Israel. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is “prepared both defensively and offensively” and “determined” to defend itself against both Hezbollah and Iran. But pressure has been mounting on Israel to agree to a ceasefire deal in Gaza, which would likely avert a wider war involving Lebanon and Iran. Adblock test (Why?)
Sisters divided: How partition ruptured a family in a vanishing community
She walked out of her bedroom a few minutes after I arrived, the pallu of her sari draped, as always, across her right shoulder, Gujarati in style. Shireen* smiled at me as she slowly made her way to the couch, her short grey hair resting on her neck. For the next few hours, we sat in the lounge, amid remnants that each told their own story. An over 60-year-old grandfather clock from England, her father’s rocking chair from old Lahore, a table carved by woodworkers in Bombay (now known as Mumbai) several decades ago. Shireen rested her hands, etched with fine lines, in her lap and I noticed her fingers. I could visualise a young version of her joyfully playing the piano, a career abruptly halted by the partition of British India in 1947. “We really belong to both places,” she began. “We belong to the undivided subcontinent. When I was required here, I was here. When I was required there, I was there and I would keep coming and going.” “Although it wasn’t ever easy to come and go,” Amy*, added from beside her. “No, it has never been,” Shireen agreed softly. It was November 2012 and I was sitting with Shireen and Amy, two sisters, in their home nestled in an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Lahore. I was researching for my first book, The Footprints of Partition. Ever since I had first heard about Shireen and Amy’s story, I had wanted to learn more about their experiences in 1947 and the subsequent decades. Shireen, then in her early 80s, and Amy, 12 years younger, were from the Zoroastrian community, commonly also referred to as the Parsi community (a title specific to South Asian Zoroastrians). I had first met them a year prior, as part of an oral history project for The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP), a non-profit dedicated to cultural and historical preservation. With a dwindling population in Lahore, Shireen and Amy were two people my colleagues and I interviewed to document the history and traditions of Zoroastrians. Since then, we had kept in touch. They were warm and hospitable, introducing my colleagues and me to other members of the community, inviting us to partake in community festivities and opening their home to us. It was during one of these interactions that I had learned that while Shireen was Indian, her sister, Amy, was Pakistani. Born decades after the partition, amid rising animosity between India and Pakistan, it was difficult for me to imagine two sisters divided by hostile notions of nationality. But such was the reality for families that had been separated in 1947 when the British carved the subcontinent into two, drawing lines haphazardly, slicing villages and towns in half. Partition had led to one of the largest migrations the world had ever witnessed, with approximately 12 million people crossing the newly established borders of India and Pakistan: Muslims moving west and Hindus and Sikhs east. In official history though, little attention was paid to what happened to the communities caught in between. What were the lived implications for people like Shireen and Amy? What did it mean for one to become Indian and the other Pakistani? What did it mean to have a sisterhood partitioned? Muslim refugees are evacuated from areas of unrest in New Delhi, taking shelter in the corners of the ancient walls of Purana Qila, the old fort, in New Delhi, India on September 17, 1947, during the partition of India and Pakistan [Max Desfor/AP] ‘Like sugar in the milk’ As is described in the book, A White Trail: A Journey into the Heart of Pakistan’s Religious Communities, by Haroon Khalid: “It is believed that upon the spread of Islam to Persia in the seventh century CE, a small band of Zoroastrians – a dominant religion in the region until then – set out from Persia and found their way to Sanjan, a city in present-day Gujrat, India. Upon arriving, the leader of the community sent a message to the ruler and asked him for permission to live there. When the request was declined, the leader asked for a bowl of milk and some sugar. He mixed a handful of sugar into the milk and sent it back, with a message that the Parsi community would be like sugar in the milk: invisible yet present. He promised that his community would blend in, adopting local customs and culture, while never preaching or converting others to their religion. “The king was impressed and the community was allowed to settle. They were eventually given the title of “Parsi” – the people who came from Persia. Upholding the promise made by their leader, the community took on the Gujarati language and culture, including traditional Gujarati clothes, food and songs.” Shireen’s sari, tied in Gujarati style, with the pallu on the right as opposed to the left, as it is worn in other parts of India, was reminiscent of this promise made far away from Lahore, a long time ago. Back in that room, she told me that at the time of partition, her family was already long settled in Lahore. “Our father would have never shifted anywhere as this was where he had lived, his forefathers had lived; this was his home. He also believed that the politics of the state had nothing to do with us; that whether a Muslim or Hindu government was in place, we Parsis would remain unaffected.” This belief was shared by others from the community too. As violence broke out between Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, Parsis remained neutral, and convinced that they would continue to live in Pakistan regardless of who came to power in the region, blending in again as they had once done before. But the events of 1947 and thereafter would soon leave an impact on the community. In the post-partition subcontinent, as religious and national identities blurred – with India being perceived over time as a Hindu nation and Pakistan as
How far has mpox spread and how can you protect yourself?
At least two countries outside of Africa have reported mpox cases after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the virus had become a “public health emergency” earlier this week. A relatively new strain of the virus known as clade 1 has been spreading in African countries since 2022. Earlier this year, it was reported that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was experiencing the biggest outbreak of the disease ever recorded, with tens of thousands of people infected as of June. The government of DRC had declared it an epidemic in December 2022. Last week, the Africa CDC reported that mpox has now been detected in at least 13 African countries. Compared with the same period last year, the agency said cases are up 160 percent and deaths have increased by 19 percent. Here is what we know so far about where the disease has spread, how it affects the human body and how to protect yourself from infection. To which other countries has the new strain of mpox virus spread? The Pakistan Ministry of National Health Services confirmed its first case of the virus on Friday, saying the person had come from Saudi Arabia. Health officials said sequencing is underway to determine the exact strain of the virus the person had been infected with. On Thursday, Swedish health officials reported the country’s first case of mpox, confirming that it was the clade 1 strain, and said the person had become infected in Africa and is now receiving treatment. Clade 1 tends to cause a higher number of severe infections and appears to be more easily spread through routine close contact, including sexual contact. On Friday, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) raised its risk alert level to “moderate” from “low” and asked countries to maintain high levels of awareness among travellers visiting from affected areas. How does the virus attack the human body? Mpox mainly affects humans and animals. It belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms, such as fever, chills, and body aches. It can cause severe illness, and even death in some cases, however. The virus enters the human body through broken skin or via the airways. It then spreads through the blood causing a person to experience flu-like symptoms and develop lesions on the skin. According to Michael Marks at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, scientists “don’t think that mpox has direct effects on the immune system”. “Beyond the fact that all infections obviously transiently cause responses in the immune system, we don’t believe there are long-term impacts on the immune system from mpox,” he said. Dr Ngashi Ngongo, chief of staff at Africa CDC, also told Al Jazeera that the virus only causes symptoms that last “two to four weeks”. “It’s a disease. Whether you get the severe form – then it leads to death – or you just recover [in] two to four weeks. Everything goes back to normal,” he said. How does the virus spread? The virus is spread by close contact with an infected person or animal. For human-to-human infection, the virus can be passed on through contact with skin lesions, skin-to-skin contact, and talking or breathing too close to an infected person. It can also be spread via contaminated objects such as surfaces, bedding, clothing and towels, as the virus enters the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or the eyes, nose, and mouth. Marks told Al Jazeera that the most important form of transmission is through skin-to-skin contact as the virus remains detectable on skin lesions for “three weeks or so”, rather than via the respiratory system since in “most people the virus is cleared from the throat by seven to 10 days”. For human-to-animal transmission, the virus typically enters the body through bites, scratches or contact with the wounds on an infected animal. What are the symptoms? The disease causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild but can be severe enough to kill. Marks explained that most people have a “relatively mild illness” where they could have a fever, muscle aches and a rash with “five to 25 lesions”. “Some people become much more unwell and they may develop a more severe illness with hundreds of lesions all over the body,” he said. What variables can cause more severe symptoms? While Marks explained that the illness presents mild symptoms in most people, some people are at higher risk of experiencing severe symptoms. “For example, people with untreated HIV [a sexually transmitted illness] or a weak immune system are at still higher risk of severe disease. Children also seem to be at higher risk of severe disease,” he said. Children, he explained, are likely affected by mpox more than adults for “several reasons”. “A lot of the transmission is in densely populated areas with many children, and children are probably more prone to running around and coming into direct skin-to-skin contact with others – so that then causes transmission. Whereas adults have less direct contact with others,” he said. Ngongo added that children are also at higher risk as their “defence mechanism” – the immune system – is still developing. What treatment is available for this strain of mpox? There is no current treatment for mpox but some antiviral drugs are being tested, Marks said. “There is, however, vaccination, which is effective at reducing risk. The priority needs to be getting an adequate supply of vaccine to those populations most at risk in DRC and surrounding countries,” he said. “If we can vaccinate individuals at risk they will be protected from infection and this will help control the epidemic – so both benefit the person vaccinated and the broader population,” he added. A vaccine for mpox, which was used in the 2022 outbreak by many Western countries, is not accessible by poorer African nations, Ngongo explained. “There is no vaccine in Africa. Whatever is left of that vaccine is stockpiled in the
What to know about the Democratic National Convention in Chicago
It has been a busy few weeks for Democrats in the United States. Less than a month ago, incumbent Joe Biden announced he was withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race amid concerns about his age and ability to defeat his Republican challenger and predecessor Donald Trump. Since then, Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris has emerged as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, riding a wave of support from wide segments of the party base and members of Congress. Harris’s selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her vice-presidential running mate also galvanised Democrats and spurred tens of millions of dollars in new donations, according to her campaign. Now, the party is set to gather in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, a tradition during presidential election years. Democrats hope the convention will serve as a strong show of unity, as party members coalesce behind the Harris-Walz ticket less than three months before Election Day. But what exactly does the convention have in store this year? Here’s what you need to know. What is the Democratic National Convention exactly? Held every four years, the Democratic National Convention is a gathering to formally select the party’s nominees for president and vice president. Democrats also vote on the party’s platform and other procedures, but the convention really serves as a way to drum up enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket. This year’s convention will begin on August 19 and run until August 22 in Chicago, Illinois. Haven’t Harris and Walz already been confirmed as the 2024 candidates? Yes — but things are different this year. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced on August 6 that Harris and Walz had been formally certified as the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, respectively. That’s because Democrats held a virtual roll-call vote earlier this month. During that roll call, Harris earned the support of a majority of Democratic delegates — people who typically cast votes for the presidential nominee at the convention based on primary and caucus results. Normally, the official roll-call vote happens at the convention. But this year, the party opted for a virtual roll call beforehand, because Democrats had raised concerns Harris could be left off ballots in Ohio due to a procedural issue. So is a roll-call vote going to happen at the convention? According to the Democratic National Committee, yes. But the committee says the vote will be “ceremonial” since Harris and Walz have already been confirmed. Convention Chair Minyon Moore said on August 6 that Democratic delegates “will celebrate this historic ticket with a ceremonial roll call and tell the story of Vice President Harris, Governor Walz, and the Democratic Party as we prepare to defeat Donald Trump once again”. Trump was officially confirmed as the Republican Party’s candidate at the Republican National Convention in July. His running mate, US Senator JD Vance, was also named and confirmed at the convention last month. It’s official! I just signed the paperwork to certify Vice President @KamalaHarris for the ballot as our Democratic Party nominee for president. Let’s make history this November! pic.twitter.com/Isymkud833 — Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) August 6, 2024 What else is on the schedule and who will be attending? Alongside the Democratic delegates and other party members, Democratic lawmakers are expected to take part in the four-day convention. While a full schedule of speakers has not yet been released, US media have reported that Biden, who endorsed Harris after he withdrew from the race late last month, will be the keynote speaker on the first night of the convention on August 19. Harris and Walz are also expected to deliver speeches. The vice presidential candidate will address the crowd on August 21, and the presidential candidate will close out the event on August 22. Organisers estimate that about 50,000 people will descend on Chicago for the event. Is there anything else to expect? While Democrats have largely coalesced around Harris since she launched her push for the White House last month, she continues to face calls to break with the Biden administration’s policies on Israel and the Gaza war. As a result, Harris is expected to face large demonstrations on the sidelines of the convention, as protesters demand an end to the war and unconditional US support for Israel. For months, protesters have demanded that Washington stop sending weapons to Israel as it bombards the coastal Palestinian enclave. The Israeli war has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians and set off a humanitarian catastrophe. The Coalition to March on the DNC, a coalition of activist groups, has planned marches on August 19 and August 22. “Democratic Party leadership switching out their presidential nominee does not wash the blood of over 50,000 Palestinians off their hands,” it says on its website. “Biden’s entire administration, together with high ranking members of the Democratic Party from all over the country, has spent the last ten months wholeheartedly supporting the genocide in Gaza with our tax dollars,” the coalition said. “It is a matter of historical urgency that all organizations who fight for the rights of working and oppressed people in the US join us in this demonstration to stand in solidarity with Palestine.” Chicago is home to one of the country’s largest Palestinian American communities, and many locals are expected to take part in the marches. Have there been protests at other conventions before? Absolutely. Outside of last month’s Republican National Convention, demonstrators took to the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to denounce Trump and his Republican Party for their stance on abortion, the Gaza war and other issues. But arguably the most well-known convention protest happened at the Democratic National Convention in 1968, also in Chicago. Demonstrators rallying for an end to the Vietnam War tried to march on the convention site but met a harsh crackdown by thousands of police, National Guard and other law enforcement officers. The violence sowed chaos within the Democratic Party before that year’s election, which was ultimately won by Republican Richard Nixon. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Pure terrorism’: World reacts to Israeli settler attack in West Bank
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are reeling after Israeli settlers ravaged a village overnight, killing a 23-year-old man and injuring several others in the latest incident of deadly violence against Palestinians in the area. The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Friday that Mahmoud Abdel Qader Sadda was fatally shot in the attack on Jit, in the northern West Bank about 10km (six miles) west of Nablus. Dozens of masked Israeli settlers descended on the village, opening fire on residents, setting cars ablaze and destroying homes and other property, according to witnesses and video footage from the assault. The attack came amid a surge in Israeli military and settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, which has unfolded in the shadow of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip. Nearly 600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank between the start of the Gaza war on October 7 and August 12, according to the latest figures from the United Nations humanitarian affairs office (OCHA). Rights groups also have criticised Israel for allowing its forces as well as settlers to operate with “endemic impunity” in their attacks against Palestinians. The assault on Jit drew widespread condemnation from Palestinians as well as foreign leaders, including those from countries that continue to provide military and diplomatic support for Israel amid the Gaza war. Here are some of the reactions: Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack as an act of “organised state terrorism”. “We demand the imposition of deterrent sanctions on the racist colonial system, the dismantling of the terrorist settler militias, and the prosecution of their members,” it said in a statement. Hamas The Palestinian faction, which governs Gaza, offered condolences to the man killed in Jit. In a statement, Hamas said the attack was part of Israel’s “fascist extermination plans”. “We call on our people in all governorates of the West Bank to rise up in anger to deter the settlers and repel their terrorist attacks,” the group said. Israel’s “policy of incursions, assassinations and unleashing settler gangs will only increase our people’s adherence to their land and holy sites”. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he viewed “with utmost severity the disturbances that took place” in Jit, “which included attacks on people and property by Israelis who entered the village”. “It is the [Israeli army] and the security forces that fight terrorism, and nobody else. Those responsible for any offense will be apprehended and tried,” the statement said. Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, also condemned the violence, which he attributed to “radical individuals”. At a time when our troops are fighting on the frontlines, defending the State of Israel, a group of radical individuals have launched a riot, and attacked innocent people. They do not represent the values of the communities living in Samaria. I strongly condemn any form of… — יואב גלנט – Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) August 15, 2024 United States A spokesperson for the US National Security Council said that “attacks by violent settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank are unacceptable and must stop”. “Israeli authorities must take measures to protect all communities from harm, this includes intervening to stop such violence and holding all perpetrators of such violence to account,” the spokesperson said, as reported by US media. The US ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, added in a social media post that Israeli settler attacks “must stop and the criminals be held to account”. I am appalled by yesterday’s violent attack by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. These attacks must stop and the criminals be held to account. — Ambassador Jack Lew (@USAmbIsrael) August 16, 2024 European Union Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, said the attack in Jit “aimed at terrorising Palestinian civilians”. “Day after day, in an almost total impunity, Israeli settlers fuel violence in the occupied West Bank, contributing to endanger any chance of peace,” he wrote on social media, urging Israel to “stop these unacceptable actions immediately”. We condemn settlers attacks in Jit, aimed at terrorising Palestinian civilians. Day after day, in an almost total impunity, Israeli settlers fuel violence in the occupied West Bank, contributing to endanger any chance of peace. 1/2 — Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 16, 2024 United Kingdom British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he condemns the attack “in the strongest of terms”. “The scenes overnight of the burning and the torching of buildings, of the Molotov cocktails thrown at cars, of the widespread rampage and chasing of people from their homes, is abhorrent,” he told reporters in Jerusalem alongside his French counterpart. “Prime Minister Netanyahu has said that there will be a swift investigation. I hope that that investigation can ensure that those who engaged in this settler violence over the course of the last 24 hours are brought to justice.” France French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said “any act that would destabilise” negotiation efforts – notably to reach a ceasefire in Gaza – is “unacceptable”. “We are very vigilant and attentive and we denounce this situation,” he said, noting that France imposed sanctions against “violent settlers” earlier this year. United Nations Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for the UN’s human rights office, said the violence in Jit was “not an isolated attack”. “It is the direct consequence of Israel’s policy of settlement in the West Bank. We have been reporting for the past years about settlers attacking Palestinian communities in their land in the West Bank with impunity,” Shamdasani told reporters. “And this really is the crux of the matter: the impunity that the perpetrators of such grave violations have been enjoying.” She added that there have been “reports of Israeli security forces standing by as attacks take place”, as well as reports of “weapons being distributed to the settlers”. “So there is clearly a state responsibility in this regard.” UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, said sanctions must be imposed on
Mpox cases confirmed in Europe, Asia amid global ‘public health emergency’
NewsFeed Experts say the ‘clade one’ mpox variant at the centre of a newly declared global health emergency is deadlier than a strain that spread two years ago, but adequate resources can greatly lessen its impact. Published On 16 Aug 202416 Aug 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
In troubled Taiwan China waters, a swimming race provides rare hope
Kinmen, Taiwan – On Taiwan’s sandy shores, Liu Xi Jiu puts on his goggles as he prepares to race across one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world. Originally from Beijing, he is competing in the only event of its kind, a seven-kilometre (4.3-mile) swimming race across a geopolitical hotspot, from Taiwan’s offshore Kinmen Islands to the city of Xiamen on China’s east coast. Around him, 200 athletes from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau laugh and joke as they warm up. In front of them, past the rows of anti-invasion spikes that line Kinmen’s golden beaches, Xiamen’s distinctive skyscrapers glint in the morning sun. But the warm weather and sense of friendly competition mask the increasingly tense relations across the strait that separates democratic Taiwan from China, which claims the island as its own. The swimmers, preparing to make the gruelling 90-minute crossing, hope their camaraderie can serve as an example for smoother exchanges across these choppy waters. Kinmen and its residents have always had a close relationship with China, Wu Zeng Yun, CEO of the Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Centre, told Al Jazeera. While Wu’s workplace now serves as the local branch of Taiwan’s central executive, the building still bears the name Fujian Provincial Government. Emblazoned in gold above the imposing entrance, the characters are a reminder of the time when Kinmen was part of China’s Fujian Province. “In the past, my uncles did business in Tong’an on the mainland,” Wu said, referring to the historic district visible across the waters from just outside his office. The city of Xiamen is clearly visible from the beaches of KInmen [Jan Camenzind Broomby/Al Jazeera] “It was a shared living area,” he added. “You simply went to the pier, boarded a ship to Tong’an, and paid the fare.” But after the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, everything changed. Facing defeat at the hands of the Communists, the nationalist Republic of China government fled Beijing and established itself in Taiwan. It also retained control of the Kinmen Islands, more than 300km (186 miles) from Taipei. The island’s residents were cut off from the province they had once been part of and soon found themselves on the front lines of a political battle between Taipei and Beijing that at times erupted into violence. With China regularly shelling the island until 1979, residents can remember hiding in the bunkers that dot the island, taking cover as bombs rained down on their villages. China reaffirmed its willingness to use force to take control of Taiwan, which considers the territory its own, in a white paper as recently as 2022. The government in Taipei says the people of Taiwan should be the ones to decide their future. Heightened tensions Standing in Kinmen’s Shuitou Pier Ferry Terminal, Legislator Chen Yu Jen said her father was on board one of the first boats that reconnected Kinmen with China in 2001. At the time, it was hoped such connections could help improve relations between Taipei and Beijing, but as Chen makes her way to the departure gate, preparing to follow in her father’s footsteps, that hope has yet to materialise. In mid-February, Kinmen was once again the focus of cross-strait tensions after a clash between the Taiwanese coastguard and a Chinese ship caught fishing in Kinmen’s waters. Two of the fishermen died. To make matters worse, it was discovered that the Chinese boat had capsized after it collided with the Taiwanese ship, a fact that Taipei had initially omitted from its account of the incident. In response, the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG), indirectly under the command of Beijing’s Central Military Commission, stepped up its presence in the region. Fisherman Lu Wen Shiung says Chinese Coast Guard ships have chased him in waters near Kinmen [Jan Caemnzind Broomby/Al Jazeera] Looking out across the troubled waters from his small boat, local fisherman and business owner Lu Wen Shiung says the fishing community has already felt the impact. “When cross-strait relations were less tense, we had good relations with the coastal fishermen from the mainland,” he recalled. “If the mainland fishermen had a good catch, they would share with us.” But with CCG ships beginning to regularly cross into Kinmen’s territorial waters, a line that was largely respected until February, Lu now faces pressure from Chinese ships even when his boat is motoring closer to Kinmen’s shores. “The activities of the Chinese Coast Guard have changed significantly. They now frequently patrol our waters,” explained Lu. In an unprecedented move, the CCG even boarded a Taiwanese tour boat in February. Three months later, it announced a series of military exercises around Kinmen for the first time. “Whenever we go out to sea, we often encounter them,” fisherman Lu said, referencing the CCG. “This year, I’ve already been chased three times.” In early July, a Taiwanese fishing boat with two Taiwanese and three Indonesian nationals on board was also seized by the Chinese Coast Guard and taken to the mainland, accused of violating a summer fishing ban. The boat’s captain remains under investigation, but the crew was released this week. “Some fishermen who work nearby are worried that any misstep could result in their boat being detained,” Kinmen county councillor, Tung Sen Pao, told Al Jazeera. While analysts say China’s incursions are part of Beijing’s “grey zone” tactics to exert pressure on Taipei, some in Kinmen worry about the potential risk of escalation and accidental conflict. An old tank is a reminder of past outbreaks of conflict on Kinmen [Jan Camenzind Broomby/Al Jazeera] Recognition and respect for Kinmen’s restricted waters is “crucial for maintaining peace”, said Wu of the Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Centre. “If the mainland unilaterally denies it, it increases the risk of conflict.” “If border units, coast guards and coast police clash during their duties … it might lead to unnecessary disputes and accidents, potentially sparking military conflicts, which would be detrimental to both sides,” Councillor Tung said. Silver linings Despite the upset caused by the