Israelis urge Netanyahu to accept US proposal for Gaza ceasefire
NewsFeed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under immense pressure from the families of captives and the White House to accept Biden’s proposal for a Gaza ceasefire, while his far-right allies are threatening to collapse the government coalition if he does. Published On 2 Jun 20242 Jun 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Iran’s ex-president Ahmadinejad, disqualified Larijani sign up for election
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and others see an opportunity, but it remains unclear who will be qualified to run by the Guardian Council. Tehran, Iran – Iran’s ex-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other divisive figures – such as moderate Ali Larijani and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili – have signed up to contest new elections after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month. Ahmadinejad, who was president from 2005 to 2013, registered along with dozens of others at the interior ministry on Sunday, a day before the sign-up period ends. The politician, who had been largely sidelined following his controversial terms in office, said he’s only heeding “a call from people from across the country” to run again, and he’s confident he can resolve Iran’s domestic and international issues. “Don’t ask political questions,” he said with a grin when asked by reporters about his reaction if he were to be disqualified from running by the Guardian Council – the constitutional body that vets all candidates. Despite Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging him to stay away in 2017, he signed up and was barred from running, but chose to not register for the 2021 election. Ahmadinejad says improving the economy and combating corruption are among his highest priorities [Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters] Ahmadinejad’s presidency was marked by economic malaise defined by massive inflation and currency devaluation, along with explosive tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme – which saw multilateral sanctions imposed on the country. His 2009 re-election sparked the Green Movement of protests across the country amid claims of vote tampering, which were refuted by authorities as they mounted a crackdown. Who else wants to be in the race? The dozens who signed up to run for president also include senior security official and former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, former three-time parliament speaker Ali Larijani, Tehran’s Mayor Alireza Zakani, and former central bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati. Jalili is now the Iranian supreme leader’s representative to the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and used to be security chief from 2007 to 2013 at the height of the tensions surrounding the nuclear file. He has run for president unsuccessfully three times before. Larijani, a conservative figure belonging to a powerful family, is perhaps the only relatively moderate candidate with any chance of garnering a considerable number of votes – that is if he is greenlit by the Guardian Council after being disqualified in 2021. Despite the disqualification last time, Larijani was the first major figure to announce his candidacy, signing up in Tehran on Friday with his campaign releasing a dramatic video containing cinematic shots of him in the process. After the latest presidential and parliamentary elections produced the lowest turnouts in the near 45-year history of the Republic of Iran, turnout is expected to prove a challenging issue during this vote as well. The research centre of the Iranian parliament announced on Sunday that 53.4 percent of people – responding to a survey it conducted – said they would vote in the June 28 presidential election, with 28.9 percent still on the fence. This is just above the 48 percent that saw Raisi become president, and much higher than the 42 percent turnout announced for the parliamentary election in March. The Guardian Council is scheduled to begin vetting the candidates from Tuesday for six days, after which the list of approved candidates will be announced on June 11. Adblock test (Why?)
Ukraine can now use Western arms to strike inside Russia
Kyiv, Ukraine – Denys, a serviceman in Kyiv on leave from Ukraine’s eastern front, is indignant about how long it takes for each round of Western arms supplies to reach the country. “There’s always a ‘no’ first: No tanks. No missiles. No fighter jets,” he told Al Jazeera, referring to multiple times that Western allies have either refused to provide certain types of weapons to Ukraine or have strictly regulated their use. Denys withheld his last name and the location of his military unit in accordance with wartime regulations. “And each ‘no’ costs lives. Not just ours. We’re big boys, we’ve seen life a bit, but those of children, the little children burned alive or blown to pieces …” the 27-year-old said, close to yelling, as he stood between a blossoming linden tree and an ice-cream kiosk in central Kyiv. “And then there’s a ‘maybe, maybe,’ and it goes on for months, and then there’s a ‘yes,’ but it’s always too late.” Eventually, Western nations did agree to supply tanks, missiles and fighter jets – but after agonisingly long deliberations that cost lives, he said. The latest “yes” from the United States and nearly a dozen Western nations that follows Russia’s recent advance and the relentless bombing of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, grants their permission to use the advanced weaponry they have supplied – or will supply soon – to strike inside Russia. Washington and its allies have been afraid of antagonising Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly suggested that the use of nuclear weapons is on the table in the event that Ukraine or the West cross yet another “red line” such as the shelling of Crimea and Putin’s pet project, a bridge that links it to mainland Russia. But Ukraine has already crossed many military and political Rubicons, including the expulsion of Russian troops from occupied areas and drone strikes on airfields, military bases, ports and oil depots deep in Russia. These acts have left Moscow fuming, but not enough to use nuclear weapons. The latest Western “yes”, which came on Thursday and followed months of pleas from Kyiv, is more of a “yes, but”. The White House said that Kyiv can start using US-supplied weapons for “limited strikes” within Russia – but only in areas adjacent to the northeastern Kharkiv region that sits along the Russian border. Russian forces seized the region and its eponymous administrative capital in early 2022, but were pushed out months later following a manoeuvre masterminded by Ukraine’s current top general, Oleksandr Syrskii. Moscow resumed its attempts to take over Kharkiv in early May, seizing several border villages next to the western Russian region of Belgorod. The existing artillery in the area allowed troops to advance on Ukrainian targets and then retreat back to Russian soil, where they knew they would be safe from Ukrainian defence forces. The White House’s latest “yes, but” applies to air defence systems, artillery and guided rockets. There is still a ban on long-range missile strikes. Other Western weapons that can now be used to hit Russia include 24 Dutch F-16 fighter jets armed with long-range missiles, and Soviet-era jets supplied by Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and Northern Macedonia – countries that also granted their permissions in recent days. Ukrainian pilots will soon complete their months-long training to fly F-16s and may fly their first sorties within weeks. Until now, their missions would have had to be limited to Ukrainian airspace. Not anymore. The jets – along with a handful of Ukraine’s own Soviet aircraft – will be free to launch French-made air-launched cruise missiles known as Systeme de Croisiere Autonome a Longue Portee (SCALP) EG missiles. The United Kingdom has not yet given permission to use the SCALP’s nearly identical twin missile, Storm Shadow – but has previously authorised the use of its attack drones on Russian soil. Turkey has also allowed Ukraine to use its Bayraktar drones there. A SCALP-EG/Storm Shadow, which is a low observable, long-range air-launched cruise missile, on display at the International Paris Air Show 2023 [Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images] The US, the UK, Germany and Norway have already supplied Ukraine with ground-based launchers for HIMARS and ATACMS missiles that initially proved effective in strikes on annexed Crimea and occupied Ukrainian regions. But Russia has in recent weeks begun using advanced electronic jamming systems to render these satellite-guided missiles – along with GPS-guided Excalibur artillery shells – ineffective. “They [Russians] advanced a lot,” said Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, the former deputy head of Ukraine’s General Staff of Armed Forces. “We’re taking it seriously. We have to create our own means of suppressing their electronic jamming and create our own jamming systems,” he told Al Jazeera. But the Western permission will hardly be a game-changer. “No tables will be turned. In the coming months, we’re talking about containing Russia,” Kyiv-based analyst Igar Tyshkevych told Al Jazeera. The permission follows Western attempts to “find compromises with Russia,” he said. “This is slowly changing because Russia shows its real face – an empire that tries to conduct policies according to 19th-century patterns.” The decision follows “constant, barbaric bombing” of Kharkiv and other border towns and Russia’s plans to start an offensive in northern Ukraine, at the forested conjunction of Kharkiv and Sumy regions, said Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher at Germany’s University of Bremen. The offensive against Kharkiv may begin within weeks after the deployment of tens of thousands of newly conscripted and trained Russian servicemen. “Ukrainian forces don’t have enough resources to cover the border, and will have to strike from the forests pretty far from the border,” Mitrokhin told Al Jazeera. Ukraine faces a dire shortage of new servicemen. For months, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government postponed mobilisation, fearing a public outcry, and didn’t let seasoned, battle-weary veterans demobilise. The troop shortage coincided with a depletion of weapons and ammunition after months-long delays of Western supplies. In recent weeks, teams of conscription and police officers have been detaining thousands of men in public places,
India election results 2024: How will votes be counted?
EXPLAINER Here’s how votes for India’s Lok Sabha polls will be counted using EVMs on June 4. India’s multiphase voting concluded on Saturday after seven rounds of elections over 44 days. The giant electoral exercise – the largest in democratic history – saw 15 million polling staff travelling the length and breadth of the vast country to conduct the vote at about 1 million polling stations, many of which were located in remote villages, hills, deserts and conflict zones. Voters have braved soaring temperatures to cast their ballots, with the seven phases – April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1 – recording turnouts of 66.1, 66.7, 61.0, 67.3, 60.5, 63.4 and 62 percent, respectively. An estimated 969 million people were registered to vote. Ballots were cast using electronic voting machines (EVMs). At stake are 543 seats in the Lok Sabha – the lower house of India’s Parliament. Votes will be counted on Tuesday, June 4. Here’s how vote counting for elections works: What time will votes be counted for India’s 2024 election? Counting for all constituencies will begin at 8am (02:30 GMT) on Tuesday, June 4. What are EVMs? EVMs have been used in India’s elections since 2004 instead of paper ballots. The Election Commission of India (ECI) developed these machines in collaboration with Bengaluru-based Bharat Electronics Ltd and Hyderabad-based Electronic Corporation of India Ltd, both government-owned companies. EVMs are battery-powered, so electricity is not needed for their functioning. They are not connected to the internet. An EVM comprises two parts, which are connected through a cable: Control unit: It is operated by the polling officer at the polling booth. It has a “ballot button” which lights up a green LED on the other unit of the EVM, indicating the machine is ready for voting. It shows a “Busy” light while a vote is being cast. A “Close” button allows no more votes to be cast and a “Clear” button removes all data. A section displays the total number of votes cast. Balloting unit: It is kept in the voting compartment at the polling booth. The candidates’ names and symbols are fed into this unit, with a blue button next to each name. The unit also facilitates braille script to enable visually impaired voters to cast their votes without external help. Voters register their votes by pressing the blue button next to their candidate of choice. After the vote is cast, a beep sound goes off on the control unit. (Al Jazeera) Who oversees vote counting? The ECI appoints a returning officer (RO) for each parliamentary constituency, making them responsible for vote counting. An RO is supported by assistant returning officers (AROs), who are responsible for counting in the assembly segments falling under the respective parliamentary constituency. Each parliamentary constituency is divided into assembly segments corresponding to the constituencies in the respective state assemblies. Most parliamentary constituencies typically consist of six or seven assembly constituencies. How are votes counted? As voting ends, the EVMs are sealed and stored in a strongroom in the parliamentary constituency. On the day of counting, the EVMs are taken out and unsealed in the presence of representatives from all participating political parties. Vote counting begins with the RO counting votes through postal ballots. The counting of EVM votes begins 30 minutes after the postal ballot count. Only the control units of the EVMs are required during the counting. Since there are several assembly constituencies within a parliamentary constituency, vote counting for each assembly segment takes place in a single hall where 14 tables are set up and control units of EVMs are distributed among the tables. The number of halls or tables can be increased if there is a large number of candidates. But it requires the electoral body’s prior permission. Counting can also take place in more than one location within the assembly constituency under the supervision of an ARO. Before counting, several checks are carried out to ensure that the control units are sealed, assigned correctly and functioning properly. In each round, votes registered in 14 EVMs are counted and the results are announced and written on a blackboard attached to each table before the next round of counting. The votes are counted by counting supervisors and counting assistants on each table, who are appointed by the RO through a randomisation process. The control unit of the EVM contains a “Results” button to display the number of votes each candidate received. It also shows the total number of candidates per constituency. When the Results button is pressed, the EVM displays votes secured by candidates one by one, indicated by beep sounds. The control unit shows “End” after the candidates’ vote numbers are displayed. What is the VVPAT system? This ECI introduced the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system in 2013 to build voters’ confidence in the EVMs. A VVPAT is connected to the control unit and the balloting unit of an EVM through cables. After a voter casts their vote, the VVPAT generates a corresponding paper slip, which is visible to the voter for about seven seconds to confirm that the vote was cast properly. These slips then fall into a drop box. The Congress and some other opposition parties have been demanding that VVPAT slips be counted to tally votes for all polling stations across the country as a measure against vote rigging. The ECI has rejected the demand. However, the Supreme Court of India has directed the poll body to match the VVPAT slips from five randomly selected assembly segments with results from respective EVMs. When will the election results be announced? Initial trends and subsequent results start coming in soon after the counting begins. The final results of India’s general election will likely be announced on the night of June 4 or the morning of June 5. Where to check India’s 2024 Lok Sabha election results? The ECI will publish the results on its website. Al Jazeera will also be bringing you live results, updated
Boeing delays Starliner space capsule launch for at least 24 hours
The space capsule will carry a two-person team to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch countdown for Boeing’s new Starliner space capsule on its inaugural crewed test flight has been halted, postponing the mission for at least 24 hours. The postponement was announced during a live NASA webcast on Saturday. Earlier, launch forecasts had called for a 90 percent chance of favourable weather conditions. However, less than four minutes prior to liftoff, a ground system computer triggered an automatic abort command that paused the countdown clock, according to mission officials. The reason for the halt remains unclear. .@NASA, @BoeingSpace , and @ulalaunch (United Launch Alliance) scrubbed today’s launch opportunity due to the computer ground launch sequencer not loading into the correct operational configuration after proceeding into terminal count. The ULA team is working to understand the… pic.twitter.com/pKkS6cdxYO — NASA Space Operations (@NASASpaceOps) June 1, 2024 The CST-200 Starliner’s first voyage carrying two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, to the International Space Station (ISS) has been highly anticipated and much-delayed as Boeing scrambles to gain a greater share of lucrative NASA business now dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Mission commander Wilmore had earlier given a short but rousing speech telling tens of thousands of people tuning into the live feed that “It’s a great day to be proud of your nation”. A May 6 countdown was also halted just two hours before launch time over a faulty pressure valve on the Atlas upper stage, followed by weeks of further delays caused by other engineering problems, since resolved, on the Starliner itself. A backup date is available for Sunday, but it is not yet known whether the spaceship will be ready to launch. The first attempt by Boeing to send an uncrewed Starliner to the space station in 2019 failed due to software and engineering glitches. But a second try in 2022 succeeded, paving the way for efforts at getting the first crewed test mission off the ground. NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, wearing Boeing spacesuits, wave as they prepare to depart the Neil A Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Kennedy Space Center in Florida [Miguel J Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP] Boeing’s struggles Boeing, whose commercial plane operations are in disarray after several sequential crises, badly needs a win in space for its Starliner venture, a programme several years behind schedule with more than $1.5bn in cost overruns. While Boeing has struggled, SpaceX has become a dependable taxi to orbit for NASA, which is backing a new generation of privately built spacecraft that can ferry astronauts to ISS, and in the future – under its ambitious Artemis program – to the moon and eventually Mars. Starliner would compete head-to-head with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, which since 2020 has been NASA’s only vehicle for sending ISS crew to orbit from US soil. The flight would mark the first crewed voyage to space using an Atlas rocket since the storied family of Atlas launch vehicles first sent astronauts, including John Glenn, on orbital flights for NASA’s Mercury programme in the 1960s. Once launched, the capsule is expected to arrive at the space station after a flight of about 26 hours and dock with the orbiting research outpost some 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. Plans call for the two astronauts to remain at the space station for about a week before riding the Starliner back to Earth for a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the US southwestern desert – a first for crewed NASA missions. Depending on the outcome of the first crewed test flight, Starliner is booked to fly at least six more crewed missions to the space station for NASA. Adblock test (Why?)
Marathon man Djokovic beats Musetti in latest-ever finish at French Open
Defending champion wins a four-and-half-hour epic to keep alive his hopes of winning a 25th Grand Slam title. Novak Djokovic’s bid for a 25th Grand Slam briefly hung by a thread on a cold and damp night at Roland Garros but the Serbian battled back for a 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 win over Lorenzo Musetti in the latest-ever French Open finish. The reigning champion showcased the iron will that has made him one of the game’s greatest players, to avoid defeat in a thrilling third-round contest, which got under way at 10:37pm local time (20:37 GMT) on Saturday. Some four-and-a-half hours later, at 3:06am (01:06 GMT) on Sunday morning, the fans who had huddled up under rugs as the 37-year-old orchestrated his superb fightback rose to their feet to lift the roof of the main show-court. “He played a fantastic match and came very close to victory,” Djokovic said on the court about Musetti. “I was in great difficulties but thanks to your support in the fourth set, I became a different player. It was perhaps the best match I have played here.” Djokovic recovered from an early loss of serve and went toe-to-toe with the Italian in the draining first set before edging in front with a crucial break in the 12th game, thanks to some incredible defending. The world number one lowered his head and gasped for air following that lengthy rally, but was soon in cruise control in the second set with a spectacular drop that gave him a 3-1 lead. Musetti, though, broke back and drew level at 4-4 before saving a set point in a high-quality tiebreak to level the match. The 30th seed took his game up a few notches to break and surge ahead in the third set, before sealing it comfortably as alarm bells began to ring for a fading Djokovic. Djokovic, who ranted about the state of the surface to the umpire, suddenly rediscovered his rhythm to wrap up the fourth before pulling away from his exhausted opponent in the decider. “Who’s going to sleep now?” Djokovic added. “It’s impossible to sleep, so much adrenaline. If you’re having a party, I’m coming.” The title defense is still alive 🙌#RolandGarros @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/iis8IUKCMI — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 2, 2024 Fourth seed Alexander Zverev also survived a scare in an evening marathon to move into the fourth round with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (10-3) victory over Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor. In the women’s draw, second seed Aryna Sabalenka beat best friend Paula Badosa 7-5, 6-1 in a testing clash, while Russian-born Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva won plenty of new admirers after she kept the flag flying for her adopted country. After Corentin Moutet had given French supporters a Friday night to savour with victory over Sebastian Ofner, the new crowd favourite Gracheva lit up another soggy day with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Irina-Camelia Begu. The last Frenchwoman left in the women’s draw was treated to a rousing rendition of the national anthem, La Marseillaise, and she joined the fans in celebration. “I’ll remember this moment until the end of my life,” said a beaming Gracheva, who received her French passport in 2023 after living in the country for more than five years. “It means that everyone accepts me, that I’m home here.” While Gracheva was the centre of attention in the afternoon, fellow Moscow-born player Elena Rybakina continued to fly under the radar as the fourth seed cruised past Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-2. Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime, the 21st seed, closed out a 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 victory over American Ben Shelton under the Suzanne Lenglen roof, as rain delayed action on the outer courts. When play resumed, Alex De Minaur completed a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win over Jan-Lennard Struff to be the first Australian man into the Paris fourth round since Lleyton Hewitt in 2007, and launched a search for a superfan who spurred him on. Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa are close friends on the tennis circuit [Susan Mullane/USA Today Sports via Reuters] Adblock test (Why?)
Can South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa survive the ANC’s election setback?
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has lost its majority in the country’s election this week for the first time since the end of apartheid, in a major setback for the party that led the country’s liberation from white minority rule. The ANC, which has led the country since 1994, has started closed-door negotiations with other parties to try and stitch together a governing coalition — something it had never had to do until now. Yet analysts say that the party’s losses and the pressures it will confront from potential alliance partners have also cast a cloud over the future of the man the ANC had hoped would lead it into another term in office: President Cyril Ramaphosa. With nearly all votes counted, the ANC has won about 40 percent of the mandate, followed by the principal opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, with 21 percent. In third place is the big success story of the election: Former President Jacob Zuma’s uMKhonto we Sizwe (MK) party, which has ravaged the ANC’s core voting base, looks poised to form the government in KwaZulu Natal province, and could prove critical in determining whether the ANC forms the next government under Ramaphosa. The MK party has won almost 15 percent of the national vote, and 45 percent of the vote in KwaZulu Natal, Zuma’s home province. Already, the MK, whose senior leadership — including Zuma himself — consists of many politicians with ANC roots, has ruled out a deal with the governing party unless it sacks Ramaphosa first. After leading the ANC to its worst-ever electoral performance, Ramaphosa will face intense pressure to stand aside, said analysts. “They’ve lost the majority and they’ve lost it badly,” said Richard Calland, Africa director at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. “That represents a very significant defeat.” The ANC is still South Africa’s largest political formation, and it is almost impossible for the next government to be formed without the party, so it will be in a position to drive coalition negotiations, said Callard. “The question is whether Ramaphosa will lead those negotiations or whether he will resign or be ousted in the very short term.” Those questions are magnified by the limited options that Ramaphosa and the ANC face, as they try to pull together a coalition that can rule. Zuma vs Ramaphosa: A bitter history If the ANC and the MK were to team up, they would have a clear majority in parliament. ANC support would also help the MK get across the halfway mark in KwaZulu Natal, giving Zuma’s party a chance to form a government on its very first try: The party was only formed late last year. Yet, that’s easier said than done, according to analysts. The ANC’s declining voter support comes against the backdrop of deteriorating public infrastructure, social inequalities and rising crime. South Africa has the world’s highest unemployment, at 33 percent, and youth unemployment is at 45 percent. Rolling electricity blackouts have hobbled the economy. Ramaphosa and other ANC officials have also faced personal corruption scandals, with the president at one point facing a no-confidence vote due to misconduct allegations. Yet behind the ANC’s 17 percent vote share drop since the 2019 election, when it won 57 percent votes, is also the surge of Zuma’s MK. Although Zuma had personally chosen Ramaphosa to be his then-deputy president, the two have since fallen out. Their gripes date back to 2018 when Zuma was forced by the ANC to resign as party leader and as president due to multiple corruption scandals he was mired in. Stepping in as party leader and president, Ramaphosa set up a commission of inquiry to investigate Zuma and alluded to his former boss’s presidency as years of corruption and waste. Zuma, in public statements, took countless swipes at the president and the ANC in return. Last December, Zuma backed the new opposition MK party while still claiming to be part of the ANC, leading to his suspension. Analysts predicted then that Zuma aimed to challenge Ramaphosa and split the ANC vote in this week’s elections, using his loyal support base in KwaZulu Natal. He has now delivered on that threat. “This is about ‘unfinished business’ between the two as President Ramaphosa has said before,” said Sanusha Naidu, an analyst with the Institute for Global Dialogue. “Zuma feels he needs to be vindicated for being blamed for corruption. He feels the institutions have been against him. The MK doesn’t see the ANC under Ramaphosa as being a credible, legitimate organisation.” A difficult coalition Despite overseeing a steep downslide in the ANC’s fortunes, Ramaphosa has — until recently, at least — been the party’s most popular face. In internal ANC polls in March, the politician was found to be the most popular of major party leaders and ranked higher than even the ANC itself. That makes it harder for the party to replace him, said analysts. A former union leader, one-time Nelson Mandela protege, and a wealthy businessman, Ramaphosa is credited by supporters for his steady pragmatism, and for polishing South Africa’s image globally as a fighter for underdogs in “Global South” countries. His presidency has especially been lauded for backing Palestinians and bringing a historic genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the war on Gaza. This month, the World Court ruled that Israel halt its military assault on Rafah in southern Gaza — a requirement under international law that Israel has ignored as it has continued its attacks on the Palestinian city. Instead of the MK, a grand coalition with the DA might offer both the ANC and South Africa a more stable governing alliance, said analysts. That won’t be easy. Critics of the DA have accused it of leaving towards the interests of the country’s white minority, and the party has been a staunch critic of the ANC and Ramaphosa. Ahead of the election, it promised to “rescue South Africa from the ANC” and pledged never to form a coalition government
Gaza: The War on Hospitals
Israel is attacking Gaza’s hospitals in violation of international law, but is it part of a pattern going back to 1948? Hospitals are supposed to be immune from attack in times of war but Israel has repeatedly bombed and shelled them since October 7, 2023. This film looks at Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s hospitals in the context of its historical expansion at the expense of the Palestinian population, going back to 1948. The Israeli army cut off water, power, fuel and medical supplies to Gaza and has attacked most of its hospitals. It claims that al-Shifa Hospital shielded a Hamas command centre and attacked it despite the hundreds of civilians sheltering there – but produced little evidence to support that claim. The alleged war crimes that the International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants for on both sides include Israel’s deliberate targeting of civilians, many of whom have taken shelter in Gaza’s hospitals. Adblock test (Why?)
South Africa’s ANC loses 30-year parliamentary majority after election
African National Congress vote share drops to 40 percent, forcing it to seek coalition partners to form government. The African National Congress (ANC) party has lost its parliamentary majority in a historic election result that puts South Africa on a new political path for the first time since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule 30 years ago. With more than 99 percent of votes counted on Saturday, the once-dominant ANC had received nearly 40 percent in Wednesday’s election, well short of the majority it had held since the famed all-race vote of 1994 that ended apartheid and brought it to power under Nelson Mandela. The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), had 21.63 percent and uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a new party led by former president and ANC leader Jacob Zuma, managed to grab 14.71 percent – pulling away votes from the ANC. Opposition parties have hailed the result as a momentous breakthrough for a country struggling with deep poverty and inequality, but the ANC remained the biggest party by some way. “The way to rescue South Africa is to break the ANC’s majority and we have done that,” said main opposition leader John Steenhuisen. The final results are still to be formally declared by the independent Electoral Commission that ran the election, but the ANC cannot pass 50 percent. Reporting from the Results Operation Centre in Midrand, South Africa, Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna said the ANC will try to find a way to form a new government. “It [ANC] has to find a partner in order to be able to govern. Otherwise it could try to form a minority government which could make it very difficult to pass any form of legislation or advance ANC policy,” he said. Gwede Mantashe, the ANC chair and current mines and energy minister, told reporters in comments broadcast by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC): “We can talk to everybody and anybody,” dodging a question about who the party was discussing a possible coalition deal with. Political parties’ shares of the vote determine their seats in the country’s National Assembly, which elects the nation’s president. President Cyril Ramaphosa can in theory still keep his job, as the former liberation movement was on course to get about twice as many votes as the next party. But he will be weakened and could face calls to quit both from opposition parties and critics in the deeply divided ANC. On Friday, however, a top ANC official backed him to stay on as party leader, and analysts say he has no obvious successor. A deal to keep the ANC in the presidency could involve opposition backing in exchange either for cabinet posts or for more control of parliament, perhaps even the speaker. The election commission has pencilled in a final results announcement for Sunday. Adblock test (Why?)
October 7 survivors are suing pro-Palestinian groups. But what is the aim?
Nine survivors of the October 7 attacks on southern Israel have filed a civil suit against pro-Palestinian groups in the United States, alleging their advocacy work on college campuses constitutes “material support” for “terrorism”. But the defendants have pushed back, warning that the case is part of a pattern of legal attacks meant to put pro-Palestinian groups on the defensive and curtail free speech at US universities. “It is absolutely a threat to free speech, and it’s a threat to free speech on any front, on any issue, not just on Palestine,” said Christina Jump, a lawyer for American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), one of the two defendants in the case. The lawsuit, filed on May 1 in a federal court in Virginia, describes how the nine plaintiffs dodged gunfire and lost loved ones during the October 7 attacks, led by the Palestinian group Hamas. It then alleges that AMP and another campus group, National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), acted as “Hamas’s propaganda division”, targeting US students. The lawsuit says that AMP and NSJP worked to “recruit uninformed, misguided and impressionable college students to serve as foot soldiers for Hamas on campus and beyond”. The result, it argues, was “mental anguish and pain and suffering” for the nine survivors. But pro-Palestinian groups and free-speech advocates fear lawsuits like this one seek to silence student protesters by equating nonviolent political activity with “terrorism”. “There are legal outfits, whether set up as nonprofit or quasi-governmental organisations or private firms, who engage in the use of legal claims to intimidate political opponents,” said Yousef Munayyer, head of the Israel-Palestine programme at the Arab Center Washington DC, a think tank. “We see this in a lot of different contexts but especially in Israel-Palestine, where it has become part of a strategy aimed at silencing dissent.” Debate over campus speech The October 7 attacks killed an estimated 1,139 people, with nearly 250 more taken captive. In response, Israel launched a war in Gaza, bombing the narrow Palestinian enclave and cutting off critical supplies like food and water. More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s assault, many of them women and children, with human rights experts warning of a “risk of genocide”. The United Nations has also declared a “full-blown famine” in parts of Gaza, sparked by Israel’s siege and efforts to block humanitarian aid. College campuses have been central to the antiwar movement. Schools like Columbia University in New York have seen students erect encampments and occupy buildings to raise awareness for the plight of Palestinians. A study by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a group that collects data on protests and political violence around the world, found that 97 percent of the college protests have been peaceful. But the backlash has been intense. Some pro-Israel groups and elected officials have called on universities to use a hard hand against pro-Palestine protestors in the name of combatting anti-Semitism. Universities like Columbia have responded by calling in police, resulting in the arrests of thousands of protesters across the country. Other students have been suspended or denied diplomas for their participation in the protests. In at least one case at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), demonstrators were physically attacked with metal pipes and mace by pro-Israel counterprotesters as police largely stood by. Aaron Terr, the director of public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), said the backlash has, in some cases, amounted to censorship. “Free speech on campus has really taken a pounding over the last few months,” Terr told Al Jazeera. “The majority of the cases of censorship we’ve seen have involved pro-Palestine individuals, although there are some cases on the pro-Israel side as well.” String of lawsuits Advocates also see this month’s lawsuit as part of a broader trend of using the legal system to stifle media and advocacy perceived as critical of Israel. The case is the latest in a series of lawsuits brought by pro-Israel groups in recent months. In March, survivors of October 7 sued an American nonprofit that supports the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), alleging complicity in the deadly attack. Israel, however, has failed to provide evidence that UNRWA was involved, and an independent investigation cast further doubt on those allegations. Then, in April, relatives of October 7 victims petitioned the court system in Canada to block the country’s government from restoring funding to UNRWA, which provides critical aid to Gaza. Another federal lawsuit, filed earlier this year, took aim at a journalism organisation: The Associated Press (AP). It claimed The Associated Press hired members of Hamas as freelancers in its news-gathering activities. The same organisation that sued The Associated Press is also involved in May’s case against AMP and NSJP: the Jewish National Advocacy Center (JNAC). The Associated Press has called the complaint against it “baseless”. The Jewish National Advocacy Center has claimed that the organisations named as defendants in its lawsuits have ties to Hamas. “This case is very simple: When someone tells you they are aiding and abetting terrorists — believe them,” Mark Goldfeder, the centre’s director, said in a press release announcing the lawsuit against AMP and the NSJP. Goldfeder did not respond to questions from Al Jazeera regarding the May lawsuit or the case against The Associated Press. But Jump, the lawyer for AMP, said the case against her organisation contained misrepresentations and falsehoods. She said AMP operates entirely within the US — not, as the lawsuit indicates, in conjunction with foreign entities like Hamas. She also added that the NSJP is not a subsidiary of AMP, as the lawsuit claims. “It’s a lot of talking points, a lot of buzzwords, a lot of generalisations and leaps,” Jump said of the lawsuit. ‘Stress and intimidation’ Some critics believe certain pro-Palestinian groups should be scrutinised for the content of their messaging — although they too dismiss the recent lawsuit as overly broad. Many pro-Palestinian organisations have