Top US lawmakers invite Israel’s Netanyahu to Congress amid Gaza war
Israeli prime minister set to deliver address to Congress despite growing anger over his government’s abuses in Gaza. The top legislators in the United States have issued a formal invitation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver a speech to Congress in the latest show of support for Israel amid its war on Gaza. The invite by Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives on Friday came as the International Criminal Court considers issuing an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes. “To build on our enduring relationship and to highlight America’s solidarity with Israel, we invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror, and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region,” the letter said. It did not specify a date for the speech. I am honored to invite Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress. pic.twitter.com/rYKx0Z1p93 — Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) May 31, 2024 The letter was signed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. If he accepts the invitation, Netanyahu would surpass the late former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as the foreign leader who has delivered the most speeches to a joint session of Congress. Churchill – who led his country through World War II and helped defeat Nazi Germany – and Netanyahu have each addressed Congress on three separate occasions. Netanyahu has been facing global outrage over Israel’s apparent abuses in Gaza, where the Israeli military has killed more than 36,000 people and destroyed large parts of the territory. Israel has also imposed a strict blockade in Gaza, bringing the territory to the verge of famine. Netanyahu’s government defied its Western allies, including the United States, this month by launching a major assault in Rafah in southern Gaza, where nearly 1.5 million Palestinians had been sheltering. The offensive has displaced one million Palestinians. An Israeli bombing of a camp for displaced people in Rafah earlier this month killed 45 Palestinians and sparked international outrage. But the US Congress remains staunchly pro-Israel although some Democrats have been increasingly critical of Netanyahu. In March, Schumer called for a new election in Israel and described Netanyahu as an obstacle to peace, citing the Israeli prime minister’s opposition to the two-state solution. The congressional invite on Friday brought anger from Palestinian rights advocates. Actor Cynthia Nixon called it “shameful” in a social media post addressing Schumer. “Perhaps Netanyahu can be arrested for his war crimes on the Senate floor,” she wrote. Earlier on Friday, US President Joe Biden outlined a proposal that he said would lead to an “enduring” ceasefire in Gaza. The three-phase plan would see the release of Israeli captives in the territory, as well as hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, Biden said. The initiative, which Biden said was put forward by Israel, marks a shift in the position of the US administration, which had only sought a temporary truce while backing Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas. “President Biden understands that having this war drag well past his election is not going to be something that actually works for him politically,” Palestinian-American analyst Omar Baddar told Al Jazeera. “It’s incredibly costly and damaging for him, and I think that this is why he’s putting his foot down at this point and placing enormous pressure upon Israel to accept the ceasefire deal.” Adblock test (Why?)
Asia’s top security summit is under way in Singapore
As US and China defence chiefs meet in Singapore, attention turns to rising tensions over the future of Taiwan. Defence chiefs from around the Asia Pacific are in Singapore to discuss security challenges facing the region. The three-day summit, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, attracts high-level ministers, military heads and global security analysts. The focus will be on foreign policy, with sensitive diplomatic talks taking place behind closed doors. But relations are already frosty between the world’s two superpowers – China and the United States. Beijing has warned Washington against interfering in its affairs after their defence ministers met to discuss Taiwan. While that relationship sees no sign of thawing, others are trying to find common ground. So, which alliances might be strengthened and could new ones be established? And how is all this affecting the balance of power around the globe? Presenter: Sohail Rahman Guests: Andy Mok – Senior research fellow at Center for China and Globalization. Samir Puri – A visiting lecturer in war studies at King’s College London David Des Roches – Professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Security Studies. Adblock test (Why?)
Darker days lay ahead for opposition, minorities after India’s election
For many commentators, an unequivocal victory for Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the foregone conclusion of the ongoing Indian general elections. They insist that the question is not if Modi will win but by how much in terms of seats and votes. Yet, despite this seeming certainty regarding the outcome of these elections, the ruling party and its leader have appeared jittery. And after the winner is declared, I worry, darker and more repressive days may follow. The Indian elections are indeed a big deal. A total of 543 seats in the lower house are up for grabs for 2600 registered political parties. With 969 million eligible voters, it is also the world’s largest election. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has 15 million people employed to monitor and facilitate the elections. Polling has also been spread across 44 days. In this period, incumbent Prime Minister Modi, in search for a third term, has reportedly attended over 200 public events and given 80 interviews. It would be easy to say that what we are witnessing is a celebration of democracy. But numbers can be deceptive. For a few years now India has witnessed a steady democratic downturn. Media and press freedoms have been suppressed and there is little to speak of in terms of journalistic independence in the mainstream. Often dubbed as Godi media – a play on Modi’s name and the word for “lapdogs” – it is not uncommon for mainstream journalism to operate as an arm of the BJP propaganda machinery. Critical journalists have also been targeted by the PM’s cadres as well as federal economic and investigative agencies. In 2024, Reporters without Borders declared the Indian media to be in an “unofficial state of emergency”. The rights of minority groups have also been systematically under attack. Punitive measures have included arbitrary detention and arrests, public floggings and the demolition of homes, businesses and places of worship. All of these measures helped the Modi-led Hindu nationalists become a hegemonic force in Indian politics long before the elections. Yet, in the lead-up to these elections, they have seemed unsure of their standing. But why? Commentators have noted that despite no one doubting that Modi will win the elections, the jingoism around him as a leader embarking on a third term has been noticeably lacklustre. As the elections proceeded this has been reflected in the slightly low voter turnout. The BJP’s self-image as a “corruption slayer” took a beating in late March when the Supreme Court-led disclosers of the Electoral Bonds scheme – a highly secretive “election funding” program introduced by the Modi government in the 2017 Finance Bill – revealed that the BJP was its largest beneficiary. The opposition has called the scheme “the world’s largest extortion racket” run by the prime minister himself. There also seems to be a lack of marquee election issues to galvanise voters. Greatly hyped electoral promises like the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on top of the ruins of Babri Masjid that was destroyed by a Hindu mob in 1992 and the revocation of the constitutional guaranteed special status for the state of Jammu and Kashmir have already been fulfilled. Attention has turned to “bread-and-butter issues” and the performance of the ruling party on “economic growth, job creation, and poverty alleviation” has been less than stellar. Nearly 800 million people remain dependent on government rations. Unemployment rate among 20–24-year-olds hovers around 50 percent. India today is also more unequal than it was under British colonial rule. Under Modi, the top one percent’s income and wealth shares reached 22.6 percent and 40.1 percent respectively. The income share of India’s top one percent is now among the “highest in the world”, above South Africa, Brazil and the United States. Nervous about how these issues would affect the ruling party’s election prospects, the government has been uncompromising. The ruling BJP party has more money than all the other political parties combined. Yet, when the Congress, India’s largest opposition party, attempted to attract small, individual donations, the government weaponised the Income Tax Department and froze the party’s bank account. Tax authorities have also confiscated $14m from the party. Former party chief Rahul Gandhi said the Congress was unable to campaign before the elections. “We can’t support our workers, and our candidates and leaders can’t travel by air or train,” he told reporters. “This is a criminal action on the Congress party done by the prime minister and the home minister,” he added. “The idea that India is a democracy is a lie. There is no democracy in India today,” Less than a month before the start of the elections, Delhi Chief Minister and leader of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the federal financial crimes agency on “graft allegations” in relation to Delhi’s liquor policy. Members of the party have said that this was a politically motivated move and done to prevent him from campaigning. The senior AAP leader and Delhi’s finance leader Atishi said, “This was a way to steal elections.” The BJP has also endeavoured to remind the electorate of its “origin story” – namely its Islamophobic ethos and aspirations. Modi usually lets others in the BJP cadre engage in overtly Islamophobic rhetoric, while he himself maintains the aura of a stoic spiritual leader. Yet, this time around he has felt the need to take on the Islamophobia mantle. On the campaign trail, he has regularly used communal language and called Muslims “infiltrators [with] large families”. Without any evidence, Modi has claimed that under Congress rule Muslims “have first right over resources”. He warned that the opposition party would gather all the wealth of Hindus and redistribute it among the “infiltrators”. Modi also warned Hindu women that the opposition party would take away their gold and “redistribute it to Muslims”. During a public rally in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, Modi also said that Congress was committing “vote Jihad” by uniting Muslims against him. On June 4, Modi will most likely be declared the winner. But a victory will not make the
Why are Gen Z and Millennials ditching their smartphones for dumb phones?
We’ll explore how some people are ditching their smartphones for old-school dumb phones and embracing low-tech living. Did you know the average user could spend up to 5.5 years of their life on social media? We’re living in a time dominated by smartphones and constant connectivity. But more and more people are saying they want to reclaim their time by going back to the basics. This switch is fuelled by the desire for stronger mental wellbeing. In this episode, we’ll explore how people are trying to break the addictive grip of social media and whether this is signalling a broader change in society’s relationship with technology. Presenter: Myriam Francois Guests:Shayonne DasGupta – WriterJose Briones – Content Creator & Digital MinimalistSophia Smith Galer – Journalist & Content CreatorPete Judo – Behavioural Scientist & Content CreatorMarco Prince – Tech Content Creator Adblock test (Why?)
Teams, format, India vs Pakistan: All to know about the T20 World Cup 2024
Cricket’s biggest tournament is making its way to North America. The United States and the West Indies are set to host 20 teams in the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2024 from June 1 to 29. Here’s what you need to know about the tournament: Which teams have qualified for the T20 World Cup? The tournament has been expanded to include 20 teams for the first time, up from 16 teams in the 2022 edition. The top eight teams from the previous edition and the two host nations, USA and West Indies, earned direct entry. Afghanistan and Bangladesh qualified on the basis of their ICC T20 rankings on the cut-off date in November 2022. The remaining six teams emerged from regional qualification tournaments that took place last year across the Americas, Africa, Asia, Asia Pacific and Europe. USA, Papua New Guinea and Uganda will make their debut at an ICC World Cup. Here is Al Jazeera’s list of all 20 squads. Will there be an opening ceremony? The ICC has not confirmed the official line-up of the opening ceremony ahead of the first match between USA and Canada on June 1 at 7:30pm local time (00:30 GMT) in Dallas. However, there has been widespread promotion for a pre-match event on June 2, when co-hosts West Indies play Papua New Guinea in Guyana at 10:30am local time (14:30 GMT). What are the formats and schedule of the T20 World Cup? The tournament will be divided into two group-based rounds and a knockout round that will commence with the semifinals. The 20 teams will be divided into four groups and following the round-robin matches, the top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eight. The four teams in each group will play against each other once in the Super Eight phase. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. Al Jazeera has listed all the matches, with their timings and venues here. Group stage: June 1 to 17 Super Eight: June 18 to 25 Semifinals: June 26 and 27 Final: June 29 T20 World Cup groups Group A: India, Pakistan, Ireland, USA, CanadaGroup B: Australia, England, Namibia, Scotland, OmanGroup C: Afghanistan, New Zealand, West Indies, Papua New Guinea, UgandaGroup D: Bangladesh, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Netherlands Super Eight groups Group 1: A1, C1, B2, D2,Group 2: B1, D1, A2, C2 Which teams are favourites to win the T20 World Cup? Al Jazeera’s five favourites for the title are: Where will the matches be played? The tournament will be played at nine venues – three in the US and six across the West Indies. New York, Texas and Florida will play host to the 16 matches being played in the US, with New York bagging half of those, including the marquee India vs Pakistan clash. The six Caribbean nations that will host 39 matches are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. Our stadium guide has everything you need to know about the venues. India vs Pakistan India vs Pakistan is the biggest match of any ICC World Cup and one that is now a permanent fixture regardless of groups and seedings, which means every time the two nations participate in an ICC men’s event, they face each other at least once. Whenever and wherever the South Asian rivals meet, tickets sell out in record time, hotels run at full occupancy and life in both countries comes to a standstill. This time, the fixture has been assigned to New York, the bustling hub of the South Asian diaspora on the East Coast. It is scheduled for June 9 at 10:30am (14:30 GMT) at the purpose-built modular stadium in Nassau County, Long Island. The state of New York has beefed up its security cover ahead of the big clash, with one police official saying it is the “largest security we’ve ever had to do”. Tickets for the match were sold out within a few hours of going on sale, while resale platforms are asking for anything between $1,000 to $5,000 per seat. What are the rules for ties, super overs and rain delays at the T20 World Cup? There are a few of them. Here’s what they look like: All tied matches will proceed to a super over. And if that too is tied, subsequent super overs will be played until the winners emerge. If a match is delayed by weather conditions or other interruptions, each team will have to complete five overs for a result to be declared in the group stage and Super Eight. Both the semifinals and the final will have additional time allotted to allow the completion in case of any delays. The final will have a reserve day on Sunday, June 30. Previous winners of the T20 World Cup 2007: India 2009: Pakistan 2010: England 2012: West Indies 2014: Sri Lanka 2016: West Indies 2021: Australia 2022: England Here’s Al Jazeera’s quick walk through the history of the tournament. How much is the prize money for the T20 World Cup? The ICC has not confirmed the prize money for the 2024 edition of the tournament, but previous winners England walked away with $1.6m in 2022. T20 World Cup tickets Tickets for the tournament went on sale in February via a public ballot, with prices beginning at $6 and going up to hundreds of dollars. Tickets for some group matches and Super Eight matches are still available on the tournament website. Where can I follow the T20 World Cup? The ICC has allotted rights to various broadcasting and online streaming outlets across the world. Al Jazeera will run extensive coverage of the tournament with pretournament news, previews, key information as well as live updates for the biggest matches, followed by post-match reaction, analysis and everything else you’d need to know about the T20 World Cup. What is cricket and how is it played? It’s a simple game of bat and ball,
With prolonged Gaza war, Israel’s Netanyahu may outlast Biden: Analysts
Washington, DC – The Israeli army will be fighting in Gaza for the next seven months at least, Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said earlier this week. The prediction drew concern over the fate of the Palestinian territory, which is already facing famine, mass displacement and daily Israeli violence that has killed more than 36,000 people since October 7. A prolonged war also would harm Joe Biden’s re-election campaign in November, experts say, as the United States president already faces plummeting public support for his unequivocal backing of Israel. Khalil Jahshan, executive director of the Arab Center Washington DC think tank, said an Israeli offensive in Gaza that stretches beyond the US election on November 5 could mean Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlasts Biden. “I would love to say that scenario is unrealistic, but I can’t. That scenario is real. And it could happen on November 5,” Jahshan told Al Jazeera. For months, advocates have warned that Netanyahu has a personal political interest in prolonging the war to boost his political standing at home. The reverse is true for Biden. Several public opinion polls in the US currently favour former Republican President Donald Trump to beat Biden in November — albeit by relatively a small margin. Recent surveys in Israel also show Netanyahu recovering popularity and edging out his main rival, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz. Gaza war hurting Biden Josh Ruebner, a lecturer at Georgetown University’s Justice and Peace programme, said there is no doubt that the war on Gaza will diminish Biden’s re-election chances. “The signs are clear. The writing is on the wall,” Ruebner told Al Jazeera. “And should Biden decide to continue this lockstep support for Israel for another seven months, it’s not only going to kill tens of thousands more Palestinians, but it’s also going to lose him the election.” On Wednesday, a poll by the Arab American Institute (AAI) showed that Arab American support for Biden in key swing states is at 18 percent, down from 60 percent in 2020, largely because of his Gaza policies. James Zogby, AAI’s president, said it would be politically “dangerous” for Biden and the Democratic Party if the war continued through the US election in November. “It means that, if there is not something very dramatic the president does, then this is not going to be an easy election for him,” he told reporters during a virtual news briefing. Zogby added that Biden does not only risk losing the support of Arab voters. “Young people, Black people, Asian people are following this on a daily basis, seeing a genocide unfolding. They’re not insensitive to what they’re seeing,” he said. “They’re horrified. And then the president says, ‘No red line was crossed. Let’s just continue doing what we’re doing.’ It is infuriating and hurtful.” BREAKING- AAI 2024 election poll of #ArabAmericans in key states: Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, + Virginia. KEY FINDINGS:– Support for Biden at 18%– 88% disapprove of Biden’s handling of Gaza– 80% view Gaza as important in determining their vote –>https://t.co/1IIdSHOMnF pic.twitter.com/Sqtsvs39fZ — Arab American Institute (@AAIUSA) May 30, 2024 Still, Biden is not showing any signs of changing course in his pro-Israel policies, even as Netanyahu openly defies the White House’s calls to avoid civilian casualties and not invade Rafah, a city in southern Gaza. The US president, for instance, signed off on an additional $14bn in aid to Israel last month. And this May, after threatening to withhold weapons shipments if Israel launched a major offensive in Rafah, media reports emerged that the Biden administration planned to nevertheless go through with a $1bn arms sale. Ruebner said the Biden campaign is in denial about the impact of the president’s foreign policy on the elections. “There’s a lot of fantasy and make-believe going on in Biden’s world that this is not impacting his chances to be re-elected,” he said. “But it clearly is. And if he allows Israel to continue this course of action through the end of the year, I think it’s going to play a huge role in him being defeated.” A survey by the think tank Data for Progress, in collaboration with news website Zeteo, showed earlier this month that 56 percent of Democratic respondents believed that Israel was committing “genocide” in Gaza. But several US media reports have suggested that Biden and many of his Democratic allies have doubts about the polls showing him trailing Trump. Would Israel prefer Trump? Biden has been an uncompromising supporter of Israel since before his time in the White House. But despite that stance, the Arab Center’s Jahshan said Netanyahu and his right-wing allies would rather deal with Trump. “They would love to see Trump come back. They feel that they will get their way with him,” he said. Jahshan added that, while Biden’s backing of Israel is ironclad, the US president’s calls for more aid and protecting civilians in Gaza are seen as a “nuisance” by Netanyahu’s camp. Although Biden often publicly expresses his “love” for Netanyahu, experts say the two leaders appear to have a tense relationship, particularly in recent months. The US president repeatedly warned Netanyahu against invading Rafah, but Israel ignored that red line and launched a deadly assault on the southern Gaza city last month. In televised remarks, Netanyahu also appeared to dismiss Biden’s threats to halt weapons shipments, saying: “If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails.” Israel also continues to impose a suffocating siege on Gaza, despite US demands that more humanitarian assistance be allowed into the territory. Washington also favours a two-state solution to the broader conflict, while Netanyahu vehemently opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state. Biden’s support for Israel has remained unshaken despite having his pleas about Gaza ignored. Still, with Trump, Israel is unlikely to even get these verbal warnings, Jahshan said. The former president, bogged down with legal issues, has not commented regularly on the war in Gaza. Trump recently promised
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 826
As the war enters its 826th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Friday, May 31, 2024. Fighting At least three people were killed and 16 injured after Russia struck three sites, including a five-storey apartment building, in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, at about midnight local time (21:00 GMT). Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least two children were among the injured. Earlier in the day, at least four people were injured in Russian shelling of the city. Ukraine’s top military commander Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskii said Russia was continuing to send additional regiments and brigades from other areas and training grounds to boost its forces along two main lines of attack in the north of the Kharkiv region, where Moscow launched an offensive earlier this month. United States officials, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issues, told multiple media outlets that President Joe Biden had decided to allow Kyiv to use US-supplied weapons at targets inside Russia but only on the border with the northeastern Kharkiv region. Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence service said its forces destroyed two Russian patrol boats using naval drones off Crimea, which Russia occupied and annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Moscow said earlier it had destroyed two naval drones “heading for Crimea”. Russia fired a total of 51 missiles and drones at “military facilities and critical infrastructure”, across Ukraine, the air force said. Air defences destroyed seven missiles and 32 drones, it added. Politics and diplomacy The 27 members of the European Union agreed to impose “prohibitive” tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus in a bid to cut off Moscow’s funding for its war on Ukraine. Grain in transit to other parts of the world through Europe will not be affected by the tariffs. Ukrainian lawmakers and journalists called for an investigation into political pressure on the country’s state news agency Ukrinform. Oleksiy Matsuka, the agency’s head, stepped down this week after being accused of leading an editorial policy exclusively backing the presidential administration. He was replaced by a former army spokesman, Serhiy Cherevaty, deepening concerns about official censorship. Tharaka Balasuriya, Sri Lanka’s junior foreign minister, said Colombo would start talks with Moscow to secure the release of hundreds of citizens, mostly former soldiers, who it believes were duped into joining Russian forces in Ukraine. It is also seeking the release of about a dozen men being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine. At least 16 men have been killed in the fighting. Russia’s FSB security service said it detained four people in Crimea who were allegedly involved in a series of sabotage attacks planned by Ukrainian special services to destroy railway lines in the occupied peninsula. A fifth man, reported to be the group’s leader by Russian news agencies, was killed when the FSB tried to capture him. Weapons German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius made an unannounced visit to Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa where he held talks with Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and promised Ukraine a new package of military aid worth 500 million euros ($540m), a spokesperson for the ministry told the AFP news agency. The package includes “artillery, air defence [and] drones”, he added. A Czech official said Ukraine would receive between 50,000 and 100,000 shells in June under a Czech-led ammunition supply initiative. Adblock test (Why?)
At least three killed in multiple Russian attacks on Kharkiv
An apartment building was among sites hit in Ukraine’s second-biggest city with at least 16 people reported injured. At least three people have been killed and 16 injured after Russian missiles hit at least three sites including a five-storey apartment building in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-biggest city. Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said the missiles, all thought to be S-300s, also hit a shop in a three-storey building and a garment factory in the city’s Novobazarskyi district. Syniehubov said the attacks were “double tap” style, with a second strike hitting a site soon after the first at a time when emergency teams are usually at work. The attack took place at about midnight local time (21:00 GMT). Syniehubov said at least two children were among those injured, as well as an emergency medic, and warned that residents could be trapped beneath the rubble of the building. “The third, fourth and fifth floors are destroyed, stairwells were destroyed, facades were destroyed,” Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov told public broadcaster Suspilne, describing the damage. Kharkiv Police Chief Volodymyr Tymoshko told Suspilne that he expected the death toll to rise given the scale of the destruction and the likelihood of shrapnel injuries. Kharkiv, which lies not far from the border with Russia’s Belgorod region, has come under renewed attack in recent weeks. Some 17 people were killed last weekend when Russia, which began an offensive in the region earlier this month, bombed a hardware superstore in the city. Kharkiv, which had a population of about 1.5 million people before the war, withstood Russian advances in the early weeks of its February 2022 invasion. Moscow claims it does not deliberately target civilians. Officials revealed on Thursday in the United States that President Joe Biden had lifted restrictions on Ukraine using US-supplied weapons against targets on Russian territory, saying they could be used on Russian troops and military sites in areas bordering the Kharkiv region. Adblock test (Why?)
Spain passes bill granting amnesty to Catalan secessionists
Act of pardon draws a line under political turmoil set off by secessionist drive, but could face further legal hurdles. Spain’s parliament has greenlighted a bill granting amnesty to hundreds of Catalan secessionists involved in a botched breakaway bid seven years ago. The controversial bill, passed 177-172 on Thursday, will see courts annul the legal records of hundreds of officials and activists involved in crimes related to Catalonia‘s secessionists push from 2011, paving the way for a return of the movement’s exiled leader, Carles Puigdemont. The act of pardon draws a line under Spain’s worst political crisis in decades, which saw Catalan pro-independence leaders, who had won the 2015 regional election in Catalonia, hold a full referendum in 2017 that was declared illegal by Spain’s constitutional court. The bill, opposed by the conservative Popular Party (PP) and far-right Vox, has had a rocky ride through parliament. Initially approved by the lower house in March, it was vetoed in the upper house, where right-wing parties hold a majority, earlier this month. But the lower house pushed it through regardless. Even though it has now been passed, it is likely to face legal challenges. Earlier this week, a PP spokesman said that the party would do everything to “overturn” the law, whether through appeals to the Constitutional Court or “social pressure” on the street. The law must also be applied by courts on a case-by-case basis, with individual judges deciding whether the amnesty applies. They have two months to raise issues with the Constitutional Court or the European justice system which could delay its implementation for some time. ‘Forgiveness’ “Forgiveness is stronger than resentment,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after the bill was passed. Sanchez had put forward the amnesty proposal in exchange for support in parliament from Catalan secessionist parties enabling him to stay on as prime minister after an inconclusive election last year. The new law paves the way for the return of independence figurehead Puigdemont, leader of Together for Catalonia (JxCat), one of the parties that had backed Sanchez’s coalition government. Puigdemont led the 2017 secession drive before fleeing the country and going into self-exile in Belgium, where he has resided ever since while evading extradition. Other pro-independence leaders are also exiled. Spaniards are divided over the amnesty, the bill having caused large protests over the past few months. In a survey by the El Mundo newspaper in March, 62 percent of respondents across Spain rejected the amnesty, but in the Catalonia region alone most voters – 48 percent – supported it. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Appalling cull’: Britain’s Labour bars another left-winger from election
Critics accuse party of conducting a purge of left-wingers, as Faiza Shaheen deselected over social media posts. Britain’s Labour Party has barred prominent left-winger Faiza Shaheen as a candidate in the upcoming election after she allegedly liked social media posts that raised questions about her suitability to run, most notably one allegedly downplaying anti-Semitism. Shaheen told the BBC programme Newsnight on Wednesday that the party’s National Executive Committee had emailed her that evening to remove her as a candidate for the Chingford and Woodford Green seat in northeast London, having previously questioned her about 14 social media posts. The programme highlighted one post in particular, which referenced a Jon Stewart sketch on freedom of expression in the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Shaheen had liked the post, prompting the Jewish Labour Movement to complain its members were “concerned” about the “tone” of the Labour candidate’s social media posts in a quote read out on air. The offending post, published on X, read: “Every time you say something even mildly critical of Israel, you’re immediately assailed by scores of hysterical people who explain to you why you’re completely wrong, how you’re biased against Israel.” “Moreover, you can’t easily ignore them because those are not just random people. They tend to be friends or people who move in the same circles as you. Those people are mobilised by professional organisations,” it added. This is the dumbest thing The UK has done since electing Boris Johnson…what the actual fuck… https://t.co/n6Ekibi5is — Jon Stewart (@jonstewart) May 30, 2024 Shaheen responded that she could not remember liking the post. “I know what’s wrong with it, the line that’s there about the … you know … they’re ‘in professional organisations’. It plays into a trope, and I absolutely don’t agree with that and I’m sorry about that,” Shaheen said. The party, she said, had informed her of her deselection after briefing the press. Among the 14 social media posts, the party had also taken issue with content relating to her experiences of Islamophobia in the party. “Like, how am I not allowed to talk about my experiences of Islamophobia and the double standards that I’ve seen?” she said. The Labour Muslim Network said on X that Shaheen’s deselection was “unacceptable”. The deselection of @faizashaheen is unacceptable. To use her tweets accounting personal experiences of Islamophobia as evidence for deselection is utterly outrageous. Telling a Muslim woman she is not allowed to talk about her own experiences of racism is clear Islamophobia. pic.twitter.com/rz8OLV6gbx — Labour Muslim Network (@LabourMuslims) May 29, 2024 Labour’s election campaign has been overshadowed by internal chaos over selections for the July 4 election, causing observers to question whether the party is conducting a purge of left-wingers. On Wednesday, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, representing Brighton Kemptown, was suspended over what he claimed was “a vexatious and politically motivated complaint”. And doubts have been raised over the candidacy of Apsana Begum, who is supposed to be standing again for the Poplar and Limehouse constituency. Referencing Shaheen’s deselection, Labour’s Diane Abbott – Britain’s first Black female lawmaker – accused Keir Starmer of an “appalling” cull of left-wingers in a post on X on Wednesday. Appalling. Whose clever idea has it been to have a cull of left wingers? https://t.co/bDNrmACfRN — Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) May 29, 2024 On Wednesday, Abbott had herself claimed Labour had not allowed her to defend her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat in the election despite lifting a suspension that was enacted last year due to her comments on racism. The lawmaker had been reinstated as a Labour MP on Tuesday after the completion of a party investigation into comments she had made in a letter to The Observer newspaper, stating that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people “undoubtedly experience prejudice”, but do not face racism “all their lives”. However, Labour leader Keir Starmer later denied the claim, saying “no decision” had been taken to bar the left-winger, a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn who led the party from 2015 to 2020. Under Corbyn’s leadership, the party was investigated by the equalities watchdog, which found serious failings in the way the party had tackled anti-Semitism. Corbyn was replaced as party leader by Keir Starmer, who has sought to crack down on the claimed anti-Semitism. Corbyn is also barred from running as a Labour candidate after he said anti-Semitism in the party had been “dramatically overstated” for political reasons. Last week, he announced that he would run as an independent candidate. Adblock test (Why?)