Palestinian man’s emotional response to new wheelchair
NewsFeed Video shows a Palestinian man requesting a wheelchair, and his emotional response to receiving it. Published On 19 Feb 202419 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Taliban’s conditions to attend UN meeting ‘unacceptable’, Guterres says
The Taliban has set unacceptable conditions for attending a United Nations-sponsored meeting about Afghanistan in the Qatari capital, Doha, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says. “I received a letter [from the Taliban] with a set of conditions to be present in this meeting that were not acceptable,” Guterres said at a news conference on Monday. “These conditions denied us the right to talk to other representatives of Afghan society and demanded a treatment that would, to a large extent, be similar to recognition,” the UN chief added. The two-day meeting which ended on Monday in Doha brought together member states and international envoys to Afghanistan to discuss an array of issues facing the country. But the Taliban didn’t attend because its demands were not met. The Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021 after United States and NATO forces withdrew following two decades of war. However, no country recognises it as Afghanistan’s government, and the UN has said that recognition is almost impossible while bans on female education and employment remain in place. The biggest point of contention between the international community and the Taliban are the bans imposed on women and girls. Since it retook power, it has ordered women to cover up when leaving home, stopped girls and women from attending high school and university, and banned them from parks, gyms and public baths. The Taliban insists the bans are a domestic matter and reject criticism as outside interference. Guterres said it was essential to revoke the restrictions. In January, Taliban chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the UN preoccupation with Afghan women was unwarranted and dismissed its concerns. “Afghan women wear hijab of their own accord,” he said on X. “They don’t need to be forced. The Vice and Virtue Ministry hasn’t forced anyone [to wear hijab] either.” Another point of contention is the appointment of a UN special envoy in the country, which the Taliban opposes. On Monday, Guterres said there needed to be “clear consultations” with the Taliban to have clarification of the envoy’s role and who it could be to “make it attractive” from the Taliban’s point of view. He said it was in the Taliban’s interests to be part of the consultations. Many governments, international organisations and aid agencies have cut off or severely scaled back their funding for Afghanistan in response to the Taliban policies, causing a serious blow to the country’s struggling economy. “One of our main objectives is to overcome this deadlock,” Guterres said, explaining that a roadmap needed to be created in which “the concerns of the international community” and the concerns of the “de facto authorities of Afghanistan” are taken into account. Lotfullah Najafizada, CEO of Amu TV, an international media outlet, told Al Jazeera the Taliban made a strategic mistake by not attending the talks. “I think it is very important also for the Taliban to understand where the world stands. At the moment the world has planned to go ahead without the Taliban, which is not something that they expected,” he said. “I think it is very important for the international community to build consensus and deal with the Taliban with one voice.” The meeting in Doha also aimed at a more coordinated response to tackle issues in Afghanistan. Guterres said there had been discussion of a “contact group”, with a “limited number of states able to have a more coordinated approach in the engagement with the de facto authorities”. He said this could include permanent members of the UN Security Council, neighbouring countries and relevant donors but it would be “up to member states to decide how to create it”. “I believe it would be a way to have coherence in the way the international community is engaging with the de facto authorities of Afghanistan,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel to restrict access to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan
PM’s office says Israel will impose some restrictions on access to Old City site during Islamic holy month. Israel will impose some restrictions on access to Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan according to “security needs”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says. The Al-Aqsa compound, the third holiest site in the world for Muslims, sits atop a hill in the Old City. The site is also revered by Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. Restrictions on access to the site have long caused friction, particularly around religious holidays such as Ramadan, which will begin about March 10 this year. Asked about the possibility of blocking access for some worshippers during the holy month, Netanyahu’s office said on Monday: “The prime minister made a balanced decision within the security needs determined by professionals.” His office gave no further details. Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs the Gaza Strip, denounced the planned restrictions and urged Palestinians to mobilise against them. It described the restrictions as “a continuation of Zionist criminality and religious warfare led by the extremist settlers group in the terrorist occupation government against our Palestinian people”. The group called on Palestinians in Israel, Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank to “reject this criminal decision, resist the occupation’s arrogance and insolence, and mobilise to stand firm and steadfast in Al-Aqsa Mosque”. Israel often sets rules to limit the number of worshippers at the site, citing security reasons. Israeli forces have previously undertaken violent raids at the site during Ramadan. Tents in Rafah house Palestinian families displaced by Israel’s air, land and sea attacks on the Gaza Strip on February 18, 2024 [Abed Zagout/Anadolu via Getty Images] The announcement comes as Israel warns that it will continue its assault on Gaza during Ramadan, including in the densely populated Rafah area in the south. “The world must know and Hamas leaders must know: If by Ramadan the hostages are not home, the fighting will continue everywhere to include the Rafah area,” war cabinet member Benny Gantz said on Sunday. “We will do so in a coordinated manner, facilitating the evacuation of civilians in dialogue with American and Egyptian partners and to minimise the civilian casualties as much as possible.” “Hamas has a choice. They can surrender, release the hostages and the civilians of Gaza can celebrate the feast of Ramadan,” he said. Israel launched its assault on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas led attacks on Israel, killing at least 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera count based on official figures. It also took about 250 other people captive. Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza has killed more than 29,000 people, according to Palestinian authorities. It has also reduced much of Gaza to rubble and displaced more than 80 percent of its population, according to aid groups. Negotiations over a potential truce and hostage-for-prisoner exchange have appeared to stall in recent weeks with Netanyahu publicly describing demands by Hamas as “delusional”. The United States, Israel’s top ally, has said it still hopes to broker a pause in hostilities but signalled it would veto a draft United Nations resolution calling for a ceasefire and argued against measures that could jeopardise “the opportunity for an enduring resolution of hostilities”. There is growing international pressure on Israel to halt the war in the enclave, especially as UN agencies warn of catastrophic damage and casualties if Israeli forces press on towards Rafah. Still, Netanyahu has insisted on his war goals of “destroying” Hamas. On Sunday, the Israeli leader promised “total victory” over Hamas despite rising anger from desperate relatives of the remaining captives and growing antigovernment protests. Israel says it believes about 130 captives remain in Gaza, including 30 presumed dead. Adblock test (Why?)
Qatar criticises Israel’s Netanyahu over Hamas comments
Qatar Foreign Ministry officials accuse prime minister of seeking to prolong Israel’s war on Gaza. Qatar has criticised comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he said the Gulf state should do more to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and claimed that the Palestinian group is financially dependent on Doha. In a speech before American Jewish leaders on Sunday, Netanyahu said pressure should be applied on Qatar, which played a key role in mediating November’s truce and hostage-prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. “Qatar can press Hamas as no one else can. They host Hamas leaders. Hamas is dependent on them financially,” Netanyahu said. “I urge you to press Qatar to press Hamas because we want our hostages released.” Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said Doha “categorically rejects the empty accusations”. “The Israeli Prime Minister’s recent statements in which he calls on Qatar to pressure Hamas into releasing the [Israeli] hostages are nothing but a new attempt by him to delay and prolong the war for reasons that have become clear to everyone,” he wrote on X on Monday. The Israeli prime minister’s recent statements calling on Qatar to pressure Hamas to release the hostages are nothing but a new attempt to stall and prolong the war for reasons that have become obvious to everyone. The Israeli Prime Minister knows very well that Qatar has been… — د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) February 19, 2024 “We categorically reject the empty accusations made by the Israeli Prime Minister regarding Qatari efforts in reconstruction and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza, portraying them as funding Hamas, which he personally knows were carried out in full coordination with Israel, the US, Egypt, the United Nations, and all concerned parties,” Al-Ansari said. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said over the weekend that negotiations over a potential ceasefire were “not very promising”. Sheikh Mohammed, who is also foreign minister, said on Saturday he could not give details on the talks but, as with past deals, there were two elements: humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for the release of Israeli captives. The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent weeks trying to broker a halt to fighting in Gaza and release of the captives, but there’s a wide gap between Israel’s and Hamas’s demands. Qatar said on Saturday that the talks “have not been progressing as expected”. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without Israel ending the war and withdrawing its forces from Gaza. It also demands the release of hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including top fighters. Netanyahu has publicly rejected the demands and any scenario in which Hamas would rebuild its military and governing capabilities. He said he sent a delegation to ceasefire talks in Cairo last week at US President Joe Biden’s request but doesn’t see the point in sending a team again. In an interview with Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said military pressure and sticking to a strict line in negotiations could lead Hamas to drop its “absurd demands”. Netanyahu also opposes Palestinian statehood, which the US calls a key element for normalisation of relations between Israel and regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia. Previously in December, Israel pulled its Mossad negotiators from Qatar after an impasse in negotiations. Israel had accused Hamas of not fulfilling its side of an agreement to extend the November truce in Gaza. Adblock test (Why?)
Corporate Japan deals an unwitting blow to US East Asia policy
Japanese trading giant Itochu’s surprise announcement on February 5 that it was terminating its agreement with the Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems has sent shockwaves throughout corporate Japan. Itochu stated specifically that they based their decision on the International Court of Justice ruling that Israel may be committing genocide in Gaza, and on the position of the Japanese government that the ICJ decision must be implemented “in good faith”. Itochu matters; it is a household name in Japan, being the third largest trading firm and one of the titans of the country’s economy with a 2023 revenue of over $104bn. Prominent trading companies like Itochu are also politically important, as they have historically been looked at as the captains of Japan’s trade-based economy. Itochu’s decision sends a very clear message about the acceptability of doing business with Israel. The decision puts Itochu in a different league from the many Western states and companies that have either ignored the ICJ ruling or disparaged the charges of genocide as “without merit”. The governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, just to name a few, have continued to shower Israel with weapons and political support to continue the wanton slaughter of innocent civilians, in blatant violation of the ICJ’s preliminary decision. Some Western governments have started to backtrack on their support, but words are cheap, and the flow of weapons continues. Indeed, those governments have taken their criminal complicity to a new level, by terminating funding to UNRWA, the main UN agency serving Palestinian refugees, on the basis of no doubt spurious Israeli accusations that a handful of the organisation’s 13,000 staff may have been involved in the October 7 attacks on Israel. One cannot help but question the timing of the “dodgy dossier” Israel submitted to its Western accomplices, literally hours after the ICJ issued its ruling that Israel was plausibly committing genocide. Always recipient to the Israeli narrative, the pliant Western media have duly highlighted UNRWA’s imagined involvement in terrorism, while practically ignoring the ICJ ruling. The defunding of UNRWA will almost inevitably result in famine amongst the over 85 percent of Palestinians in Gaza who are displaced – a textbook example of “deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction” of an ethnic group, which qualifies as an act of genocide under international law. Generally, Japan is not an outspoken champion of Palestinian rights – indeed, the country joined its Western allies in stopping funding for UNRWA – or of human rights in general. Itochu, for its part, is one of the first Japanese companies to start human rights-based due diligence of its business operations (a process which clearly failed when they signed an agreement with Elbit in the first place). Nevertheless, in recent years Japanese companies have proven increasingly sensitive to public opinion on human rights and environmental issues. The failed 2020 Tokyo Olympics left behind a legacy of wasted public funds and corruption, but it at least served as a catalyst for corporate Japan to take the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (which state that companies have a responsibility to respect international human rights norms) more seriously. That is not to say that Japanese companies are necessarily better than their Western counterparts – they are not – but in this instance, the demonstrations that had been taking place in front of Itochu’s Tokyo headquarters, and the popular boycott of the Itochu-owned convenience store chain Family Mart in Muslim countries like Malaysia, clearly pushed the company over the line. According to Itochu, the agreement with Elbit was to procure material for the Japanese military, not for the provision of Japanese technology or weapons to Israel (Itochu also stated they tied up with Elbit on the basis of a Japanese government request – a claim implausibly denied by the authorities). Assuming that is true, that makes the cutting of ties even more significant. Itochu has essentially accepted that doing business with Israeli military companies ipso facto results in complicity with Israeli genocide. It logically follows that relations with companies – Israeli or not – that are involved with other Israeli violations of international law should also be terminated. That is exactly what the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign rightfully calls for, to hold the apartheid state to account for its crimes. Itochu’s decision is surely the harbinger of increasing Israeli isolation. The Western world has long been the primary front line of the BDS movement and the Israeli attempts to suppress it. The developments in Japan show, if there ever was any doubt, that BDS has truly gone global. The decision by Itochu may also have reverberations far beyond Palestine, since Japanese remilitarisation has long been integral to the US’s grand strategy in East Asia. After World War II, Japan adopted a pacifist constitution that prohibits the use of force to resolve international disputes. However, US pressure on Japan to play a larger military role in Asia has increased in recent years, as Americans get more and more anxious about Chinese challenges to US hegemony. What until then was a cautious Japanese approach changed dramatically in 2012, with the advent of the ultranationalist Shinzo Abe as prime minister. With little to no regard for public opinion, Abe rammed through extremely controversial bills and policies aimed at remilitarisation, in particular giving the military much greater latitude in fighting in concert with allied (read: US) forces even outside of Japan. Weapons exports and international joint development, long a taboo, became a government priority overnight. Japan also proactively entered into alliances overtly aimed at keeping China in its place in the international pecking order, such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. Abe finally stepped down in 2020, but the general direction has remained the same, and in 2022 the government jumped on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to push forward a near-doubling of the military budget. From the get-go, stronger relations with Israel were integral to Japan’s greater incorporation into the US military alliance. Heavy reliance on oil from Arab
The foundation feeding thousands in Hebron impoverished by Israel’s war
Hebron, occupied West Bank – Sari al-Jabari has shown up early to work at Hebron’s Tikkiyya Ibrahimiyya, a refuge for the poor and the needy since its founding in 1279, one of the oldest in the region. A tikkiyya is a charitable foundation in the Islamic tradition, set up to offer shelter, food and help to those most in need. The 37-year-old oversees the Tikkiyya’s cold storage, a vital part of the supply chain, he explains, if thousands of meals are to be prepared a day. Al-Jabari believes fervently in the mission he volunteered in for three years before being hired a year and a half ago. He explains his role to Al Jazeera, how the following day’s needs are determined so that every family that came there had enough food, irrespective of its size, to get them through the day. “We work hard to provide enough food to everyone who comes here,” he adds, gesturing around at the team of nine other permanent staff and what looks like countless volunteers. Fresh bread was on the menu at the Tikkiyya [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera] The Tikkiyya has been running since the 13th century, although it is now beside the Ibrahimi Mosque, not in its original location. In 1963, the building it was in was demolished and the foundation had to move, only to move again in 1983 to its current location, metres from an Israeli checkpoint but still accessible to those who need it. Hebron, like many other cities in the occupied West Bank, is hamstrung by Israeli checkpoints that choke off movement for the people living there and make transport between cities nearly impossible. But the Tikkiyya team perseveres, day after day. Keeping people alive Before October 7, when Israel launched a relentless assault on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an attack by armed Palestinian factions out of Gaza on Israeli territory, the Tikkiyya provided about 1,000 meals a day. It relied on donations to allow it to make that much food, and the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs provides funding for salaries and administrative costs. That was, until the war on Gaza caused a chain reaction of economic distress, with tens of thousands of workers from Gaza trapped in the occupied West Bank and unable to go home or work while trade has ground almost entirely to a halt. Some people come to take meals to eat at home with their families [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera] The Palestinian Authority has had to shore up the Tikkiyya’s funding in light of the thousands of extra hungry mouths that need to be fed. Like 55-year-old Hatem Dawoud al-Rajabi and his family who have been relying upon the Tikkiyya since al-Rajabi’s work as a plumber dried up after the war broke out. “I found no alternative but to go to the Ibrahimiyya,” he said, adding that he has a wife and 11 children. Thankfully, he said, “the Tikkyya helps people”, with him and his family one among many. Hebron, he adds, is a “city where nobody ever goes to bed hungry”, an adage about the city. Bubbling away The Tikkiyya team is determined to not let people like al-Rajabi down, and they bustle around the different parts of the building, taking care of administrative tasks, setting up the dining areas for women and men, preparing the containers that some families will take their food away in. Those families start lining up as early as 10am, so the team starts work between 5:30 and 6am, right after dawn prayers. On the day Al Jazeera visited, the menu was chicken, soup and fresh bread. Different days bring different meals, depending on seasons, availability and what has been donated. Some days the team cooks beef, other days sheep, and some days simpler fare like beans or soup. Checking on the doneness of the day’s meal [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera] In the spacious kitchen with its enormous cooking cauldrons and utensils, the chefs bustle around preparing everything they would need for the day. The teams are distributed according to their tasks. Some are putting the pots in position while others are preparing the chicken and others are lighting the stoves. One of the Tikkiyya’s longer-serving employees, 56-year-old Ataya al-Jebrini is looking around happily, taking in the activity. He spent 23 years on the payroll, then decided to volunteer his time for free for the past nine years. Despite the decades, al-Jebrini explained, the nature of his work has not changed significantly, with the same daily rhythm taking over every morning at the crack of dawn and the frenetic activity taking the team through the day. Hazem Mujahid, the Tikkiyya director, estimates that the operating costs are about 35,000 shekels ($9,700), a figure that is expected to double as Ramadam approaches. Responsibility for raising that money falls to the head of the tikkiyya’s supervision and support committee, where Wissam al-Kurdi is responsible for maintaining the Tikkiyya’s 745-year-old mission. He has already begun looking for donors to get the Tikkiyya through the days to come. A member of the team prepares coffee for his hard-working colleagues [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera] Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli army fires on crowds of hungry Palestinians waiting for aid
NewsFeed Palestinians risked their lives trying to get aid in Gaza City as Israeli soldiers opened fire on the starving crowd, gathered in hopes of receiving an aid parcel to feed themselves and their families. Published On 19 Feb 202419 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
The United States must be held accountable for its ‘war on terror’ crimes
On January 16, the European Court of Human Rights issued an important ruling in the context of accountability for abuses perpetrated during the United States-led “war on terror”. In the case of Mustafa al-Hawsawi v Lithuania, the court found that the latter violated the European Convention on Human Rights due to its complicity in the CIA’s secret detention programme and its mistreatment of al-Hawsawi, a Saudi national. Lithuania was ordered to pay compensation to the victim worth $108,660 for the time he was at “Detention Site Violet”, a CIA black site it hosted. Al-Hawsawi is currently detained at the Guantánamo Bay detention centre, alongside 29 other Muslim men. This judgment is the latest in a series of court rulings holding European countries accountable for their involvement in post-9/11 abuses. The European Court previously ruled against Poland, Romania, Italy and Macedonia. Other European institutions, including the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, as well as individual European countries, have also taken measures for accountability, although they have not always been ideal. The UK paid over $28.8m to Iraqi victims for documented war crimes and abuses during its involvement in the US-led invasion of Iraq. Additionally, compensation was provided to British citizens detained in Guantánamo and to two Libyan families who were kidnapped and tortured with the help of British intelligence. However, the UK abandoned an independent inquiry into post-9/11 extraordinary rendition and torture by its forces and closed an investigation into alleged crimes in Iraq. Italy convicted in absentia 23 Americans, including CIA agents and an air force colonel, for kidnapping Hassan Nasr, an Egyptian imam based in Milan and handing him over to Egypt, where he was tortured. An Italian court also sentenced the former military intelligence chief and his former deputy to 10 and nine in jail respectively for their involvement in the case. Sweden compensated Mohammed Alzery and Ahmed Agiza, who were forcibly deported to Egypt at the request of the CIA and tortured. Prosecutors also opened investigations in France, Portugal and Spain over the CIA’s use of their airports for renditions, although they did not result in formal charges. There remains an ongoing criminal investigation into CIA activities in Poland. Canada, too, apologised and paid $8.1m to Omar Khadr, a Canadian national, over its role in his imprisonment in Guantánamo; it also compensated Maher Arar, another Canadian national, with the same amount over its role in the US government’s decision to deport him to Syria, where he was detained for a year and tortured. While these court cases and settlements highlight efforts to bring to justice European and other countries complicit in the abuses perpetrated during the “war on terror”, they underscore the persistent lack of accountability for the US, its chief architect and leader. As a state party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the US is obligated to provide redress to survivors of torture carried out by its government forces. But legal barriers have often prevented survivors from pursuing justice in US courts. By invoking the state secrets privilege, for example – most recently used in the United States v Zubaydah case – the government can withhold information it deems sensitive to national security. In the lawsuit filed by Abu Zubaydah, a Saudi-born Palestinian man currently held in Guantanamo, the defence sought evidence about his torture that the government argued would harm national security; the Supreme Court ruled in the government’s favour. Similarly, historically, court dismissals, have been the result of the US government citing immunity – which has protected its forces as well as private contractors. The US has also bypassed global and regional instruments of justice. It has warned of reprisals against the International Criminal Court if it launches an investigation into US crimes in Afghanistan. Additionally, it maintains that the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man is not binding, rendering decisions and recommendations from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) nonbinding. In 2020, the IACHR found the US responsible for the torture, abuse and indefinite detention of Djamel Ameziane, a former Guantanamo detainee, and recommended the US compensate him, which the US government has not done so far. There have been only minimal steps towards accountability within the US judicial system. An investigation into abuse at Abu Ghraib prison resulted in the court martial of 11 low-level soldiers. An Obama-era investigation into 101 CIA interrogations that used “enhanced interrogation techniques” found only two merited further inquiries. In 2012, the investigation was closed without further action. According to Human Rights Watch, out of 506 claims made as of 2007 under the Foreign Claims Act, which allows foreign nationals to seek compensation, there is a record of only one being paid – $1,000 for unlawful detention in Iraq. Settlements were reached in two lawsuits against private military contractors. In 2013, a defence contractor paid $5.28m to 71 former detainees held in Abu Ghraib and other black sites. In 2017, a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of three torture victims reached a confidential settlement with psychologists James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, who were paid over $80m by the US government to create the torture programme. And despite 18 dismissal attempts, a lawsuit launched by four Iraqi torture victims against government contractor CACI International for torture at Abu Ghraib is heading to trial. These lawsuits and investigations have fallen short of adequately addressing the scale and severity of the harm inflicted on victims during the “war on terror”. Lack of redress further compounds the suffering of those who have endured physical and psychological trauma. To date, no senior government or military official has been held responsible for post-9/11 policies and actions. The US remains unwilling to face accountability for acts of torture, as it continues to detain 30 men in Guantánamo in conditions that amount to ongoing cruel treatment. It is long past due for a reckoning. The US is not above international law and must not
X faces restrictions in Pakistan amid protests over alleged vote rigging
Islamabad, Pakistan: Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, continues to remain inaccessible to users in Pakistan after internet watchdog groups started to report outages on Saturday. NetBlocks, an organisation that monitors accessibility issues on the internet, On February 17 confirmed that a “national-scale disruption” has hit X in Pakistan in the aftermath of widespread protests in the country triggered by the alleged vote rigging in general elections. ⚠️ Confirmed: Live metrics show a new national-scale disruption to X/Twitter in #Pakistan amid escalating unrest and protests over allegations of election fraud, following a high-level resignation and public admission of vote manipulation by a senior election official pic.twitter.com/6YT73lG7SM — NetBlocks (@netblocks) February 17, 2024 Government officials, however, have refused to acknowledge any such restriction. Gohar Ejaz, caretaker minister for interior, told Al Jazeera that he was not aware of any such restrictions. “No knowledge. it doesn’t come under interior [ministry],” he told Al Jazeera via a WhatsApp message. Murtaza Solangi, caretaker minister for information, also failed to respond to the questions regarding the inaccessibility. Officials at the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the state regulatory body, did not respond to multiple questions on the closure but indicated that the PTA is only a regulatory body which enforces orders issued by the government. While a large segment of users unable to access their X accounts since Saturday, the caretaker minister for information technology, Umar Saif, was able to post a message on his account on Monday afternoon. He did not respond to questions from Al Jazeera regarding the closure of the social media platform. Repeated internet outages Pakistan has repeatedly seen internet accessibility issues in the last few weeks, often coinciding with virtual events organised by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. In at least three instances in January, different social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and X have faced restrictions. Pakistani authorities shut down mobile services on the day of the general elections on February 8, citing security concerns. NetBlocks also reported the inability of users to access X on February 10 while the country was awaiting election results which took an inordinate delay, leading to doubts over their authenticity, particularly from the PTI. ⚠️ Confirmed: Live metrics show a nation-scale disruption to X/Twitter across #Pakistan; the incident comes amid political turmoil after a controversial election held under an internet and mobile network blackout 📉 pic.twitter.com/1sZpkbWN6L — NetBlocks (@netblocks) February 10, 2024 As final results eventually came out by February 11, PTI-backed candidates secured 93 seats, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) at 75 and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) at 54 seats. However, PTI has alleged that it was robbed of a “clear mandate” and held protests across the country along with smaller parties. The latest restriction on X was reported on Saturday when a senior government official “confessed” his involvement in the alleged manipulation of Pakistan’s elections. Videos of the official, Liaquat Ali Chattha, circulated on social media platforms, including X, where he was seen speaking about his involvement in electoral fraud, while also implicating the country’s top judge, as well as the chief of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The chief justice of the Supreme Court, Qazi Faez Isa, denied the charges and demanded proof of allegations, whereas the ECP, while issuing a denial, said it would hold an inquiry. Farieha Aziz, co-founder of Bolo Bhi, a digital rights advocacy group, said the repeated restrictions on the internet and platforms like X result in depicting Pakistan as an “unstable political environment and uncertain digital market”. “The impunity with which access is cut off shows rule of law simply does not exist. Pakistan and its citizens will continue to be held hostage to whims and ad hoc decision-making that serve the narrow political aims of a few,” she told Al Jazeera. Aziz also questioned the blame game about the restriction, saying the responsibility lies with the PTA. “All legal responsibility rests squarely on the PTA,” she added. According to Bytes for All, an internet rights group in Pakistan, at least 15 internet shutdowns were recorded in the country in 2023. “Major shutdown includes a weeklong blackout amid violent protests [that] broke out after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested in May. It is said to be the longest shutdown in the history of Pakistan,” Shahzad Ahmad, country director for the group, told Al Jazeera. Many users, who were able to access X using a virtual private network (VPN), a mechanism to access the internet despite restrictions, complained about the government’s decision. “Tesla is landing in India soon, Over 4,500 IT firms [are] thriving in Bangladesh. Sri Lankan IT industry has approximately $1.2 billion contribution to economy. While in Pakistan we are still using VPN [because] Govt blocks social media. How long Pakistan will suffer like this?” a user posted on X. A similar sentiment was expressed by senior PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan, who called the blocking “wrong”. “Access to information and freedom of speech are constitutional rights. [The] government needs to explain its position on this and must stop blatant violations of constitutional rights of its citizens and political workers,” he posted on X on Sunday morning. Blocking of X (former Twitter) is Wrong ! Access to information and Freedom of speech are constitutional rights. Government needs to explain its position on this and must stop blatant violations of constitutional rights of its citizens and political workers. — Ali Muhammad Khan (@Ali_MuhammadPTI) February 18, 2024 Bolo Bhi’s Aziz said more than sheer numbers, it is the influence of X that makes it such a target. “Locally and globally, you have heads of state, governments, political parties, think tanks, international and national media, all on Twitter. That’s where its importance and relevance lie politically,” she said. “This is the battleground right now for candidates and parties to get their voice out globally on the irregularities, and it has clearly gotten attention too. And this is what’s being limited.” Adblock
EU launches Red Sea naval mission to protect shipping from Houthi attacks
The operation will send European warships and early warning systems to the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters. The European Union has launched a naval mission to protect cargo ships in the Red Sea from attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the decision to deploy Naval Force Operation Aspides on Monday on X, saying, “Europe will ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, working alongside our international partners.” “Beyond crisis response, it’s a step towards a stronger European presence at sea to protect our European interests.” I welcome today’s decision to launch the EU Naval Force Operation Aspides. Europe will ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, working alongside our international partners. Beyond crisis response, it’s a step towards a stronger European presence at sea to protect our… — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 19, 2024 The naval mission will send European warships and airborne early warning systems to the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters. Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed the launch during a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium, calling it “an important step towards common European defence”. So far, France, Germany, Italy and Belgium have said they plan to contribute ships. Aspides vessels, whose operational command centre will be in the Greek city of Larissa, will have orders to fire on the Houthis only if they attack first and will not be authorised to shoot pre-emptively, an EU official told the German Press Agency dpa. (Al Jazeera) Since November, the Houthis have been attacking commercial and military shipping in the busy Red Sea, across which 12 percent of global trade travels. The group initially said it was targeting Israel-linked ships in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been under a Israeli assault since October. The group later said it was expanding its targets to include vessels linked to the United States and the United Kingdom after Washington and London carried out air strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen in response to the attacks on shipping. On Friday, an EU official said the country most harmed by the Houthi attacks was not Israel but Egypt, where declining traffic has caused a 40 percent loss of revenue for the Suez Canal Authority. EU Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentilloni told reporters on Thursday: “As shipping through the Red Sea has been rerouted, delivery times for shipments between Asia and the EU have increased by 10 to 15 days, and the costs of these shipments have gone up by around 400 percent.” Earlier on Monday, the Houthis claimed an attack on the Rubymar cargo ship, a Belize-flagged, British-registered and Lebanese-operated cargo ship, in the Red Sea and said it was at risk of sinking. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the crew were safe despite the attack. “The ship was seriously hit which caused it to stop completely. As a result of the extensive damage the ship suffered, it is now at risk of sinking in the Gulf of Aden,” Sarea said. He said the group had also shot down a US drone in the port city of Hodeidah. Adblock test (Why?)