Why 141 India opposition MPs suspended from parliament?
Forty-nine Indian opposition lawmakers, who have been demanding a debate on a December 13 parliament security breach, were suspended from the legislature on Tuesday for allegedly disrupting House proceedings. Tuesday’s government action came a day after 78 opposition members of parliament were suspended from the remainder of the crucial Winter Session of the parliament. In total 141 lawmakers – 95 from the lower house (Lok Sabha) and 46 from the upper chamber (Rajya Sabha) – have been suspended since December 14. The opposition has dubbed the government move a “mockery of democracy”, as important legislation will be passed without any debate undermining parliamentary democracy. The opposition has been demanding a debate on the security breach on December 13, when two men had jumped into the chamber of the lower house from the visitors’ gallery and opened gas canisters. Their visitor’s pass was provided by a legislator from the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “A complete purge is being executed so that draconian Bills are passed without any meaningful debate, and so that the BJP MP who facilitated the entry of the two intruders into the Lok Sabha on December 13th goes scot-free,” Congress Member of Parliament Jairam Ramesh posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to investigate the matter but rebuked the opposition for demanding the debate. Here is what to know: Why did India suspend 141 lawmakers? Presiding officers of the upper and lower house suspended the opposition lawmakers for disrupting proceedings after the legislators demanded a discussion and a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah regarding last week’s security breach during which two men opened gas canisters inside the lower house chamber while a man and woman opened smoke canisters outside the parliament in the capital New Delhi. Police filed charges against five individuals in connection with the breach that has triggered a political row, with the opposition accusing the government of failing to provide security on the 22nd anniversary of a deadly attack on the parliament. The speaker of the lower house, Om Birla, has said that security is his responsibility and is conducting a review. He has blamed the MPs for breaking the rules of the House. The federal home ministry is also investigating the breach. Political analysts have questioned the suspensions. “MPs have all the right to seek answers and hold the government accountable to the parliament,” academic and author, Apoorvanand, told Al Jazeera. He said that the government justified the move saying that the opposition was suspended for creating a ruckus and being unruly, hindering the functioning of the parliament. The government plans to introduce contentious bills to replace the existing criminal laws in parliament without two-thirds of the opposition members present in the House. Apoorvanand, the academic, said that the prime minister’s refusal to interact with the opposition undermines democracy which is “the dialogue between majority and minority”. Was the move politically motivated? The suspension essentially emptied the parliament of the opposition, with analysts saying the mass suspensions are unprecedented and in line with Modi’s authoritarian style of functioning. Critics have said the current government has misused investigating agencies and other institutions to target opposition leaders. “Is it only the opposition that is involved in corrupt practices?” Apoorvanand asked. “There have been numerous cases where [investigation agencies] ED [Enforcement Directorate] or CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] start an investigation against certain politicians who then join the BJP and the investigation stops.” A firebrand opposition legislator Mahua Moitra, who is known for her sharp questions in parliament, was expelled over an allegation of misconduct. She has deemed her expulsion politically motivated. She has approached the country’s top court against her removal. Main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary membership was cancelled after he was convicted in a defamation case by a local court in Gujarat state – Modi’s home state. Gandhi returned to the parliament after his conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court in August. The governing party has justified the government’s actions saying the opposition is corrupt and power hungry. The lawmakers are gone, how will the parliament function? Parliamentary processes can carry on, following the suspension of the opposition lawmakers, as the quorum of 10 percent will be met by the governing party and its allies with an overwhelming majority. While bills are typically passed following a discussion in parliament, they have been passed without any discussion numerous times in the past. “Using the power of numbers to throttle all other voices is contrary to democratic principles,” academic Apoorvand said. What did the Indian government say? Modi, in an interview with a Hindi-language newspaper, said what had happened was very serious and there should be a detailed investigation into it, but “there was no need to debate this”. What has the opposition said? Opposition lawmakers reacted by saying the government was being dictatorial. They continue to protest “against the murder of democracy and violation of the dignity of Parliament” through silent demonstrations, Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the main opposition Congress party, on Tuesday posted on X. Took part in a protest along with INDIA MPs at New Parliament gate against historic suspension of almost all the Opposition MPs from both houses–Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. pic.twitter.com/Fo4W9FaVzM — Samirul Islam (@Samirul65556476) December 19, 2023 “First, intruders attacked Parliament. Then Modi govt is attacking parliament & democracy,” Kharge, on Monday, said on X. “With an opposition-less parliament, the Modi govt can now bulldoze important pending legislations, crush any dissent, without any debate.” First, intruders attacked Parliament.Then Modi Govt attacking Parliament & Democracy All Democratic norms are being thrown into the dustbin by an autocratic Modi Govt by suspending 47 MPs. We have two simple and genuine demands – 1. The Union Home Minister should make a… — Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) December 18, 2023 Rajya Sabha member Manoj Jha also condemned the government, deeming the suspension a badge of honour. “Congratulations to Modi ji on an opposition-mukt [opposition-less] Parliament,” Jha said. Adblock test (Why?)
Yemen’s Houthis ‘will not stop’ Red Sea attacks until Israel ends Gaza war
US launches maritime coalition to counter attacks the rebel group says are a response to Israeli ‘crimes’ in Gaza Strip. Yemen’s Houthis will not halt attacks on ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea, despite the United States announcing a new maritime protection force to counter them, a spokesperson for the rebel group said. “Even if America succeeds in mobilising the entire world, our military operations will not stop … no matter the sacrifices it costs us,” Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior Houthi official, said in a post on X on Tuesday. The Houthis would only halt their attacks if Israel’s “crimes in Gaza stop and food, medicines and fuel are allowed to reach its besieged population”, al-Bukhaiti said. He spoke after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a coalition on Monday to protect trade in the Red Sea after the attacks forced shipping lines to suspend operations. The Iran-linked Houthis have waged attacks on more than a dozen commercial ships in an attempt to pressure Israel to end its bombardment of the Gaza Strip. “These reckless Houthi attacks are a serious international problem and they demand a firm international response,” Austin said about the new 10-nation coalition. He said the force would operate “with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity”. After the US announcement, Houthi Major General Yusuf al-Madani said in a statement: “Any escalation in Gaza is an escalation in the Red Sea … Any country or party that comes between us and Palestine, we will confront it.” Spokesperson al-Bukhaiti told Al Jazeera on Monday that the group would confront any US-led coalition in the Red Sea. Not an act of ‘defiance’ “You have the military establishment in Yemen, in the areas controlled by the Houthis, warning that they will continue to target ships cruising through the Bab el-Mandeb strait and the Red Sea and they insist they are doing this to protect people in Gaza, in particular,” Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra said, reporting from Doha on Tuesday. “A top Houthi official, Mohammed Abdulsalam, who is also a senior negotiator, said the attacks by the Houthis are not an act of defiance but if this new coalition is adamant on launching attacks, then they will have to bear the consequences of what he described as a broader conflict in the region. “But he said at the same time that the Houthis are still adamant on the need for the Israelis to stop the war if they want the Houthis to stop the attacks,” our correspondent added. On Tuesday, Abdulsalam told Reuters news agency that the US-led naval patrol mission is “essentially unnecessary” – as all waters near Yemen are still safe, except for Israel-linked ships or vessels travelling to Israel. The US and British navies said over the weekend that their destroyers had shot down a total of 15 drones in the waterway. In the latest incident on Tuesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, said four small boats, each carrying four to five people, approached a vessel off the coast of Djibouti in a “suspicious” manoeuvre – but that no weapons were seen during the incident. At least 12 shipping companies, including the Italian-Swiss giant Mediterranean Shipping Company, France’s CMA CGM and Denmark’s AP Moller-Maersk, have suspended transit through the Red Sea due to safety concerns. UK oil giant BP on Monday became the latest firm to announce it would avoid the waters. Houthi attacks have effectively rerouted a significant portion of global trade by forcing freight companies to sail around Africa, imposing higher costs and delays for energy, food and consumer goods deliveries. About 12 percent of global trade passes through the Red Sea, which connects to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal, including 30 percent of container traffic. [embedded content] Adblock test (Why?)
China’s Gansu earthquake kills 118 people: What to know
A powerful magnitude 6.2 earthquake hit remote China’s Gansu province, killing 118 people. A powerful magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck China’s remote Gansu province at midnight on Monday, killing at least 118 and injuring more than 500 people. Relief and rescue teams have been facing challenges as roads and public infrastructures have been damaged, with such subzero temperatures further adding to the problem. Here’s what to know about the event and current situation on the ground: When did the quake strike and where? At 23:59pm (15:59 GMT) on Monday, the earthquake hit Jishishan in the northwestern Gansu province, causing people to rush out of their homes out in the cold weather. Initial tremors lasted around 20 seconds. Its tremors were felt as far away as 570km (354 miles) in Xi’an, northern Shaanxi province, while casualties also occurred in Haidong city of neighbouring Qinghai province, some 115km (71 miles) away. The epicentre of the quake Jishishan County and neighbouring areas are still reeling from the aftereffects of the quake. Emergency teams worked through the night to rescue people from the rubble but their efforts were hampered by several aftershocks, Al Jazeera correspondent Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, said. Nearly 5,000 houses have been damaged to “varying degrees” while power and water supplies were also disrupted in some villages, according to state media. The magnitude of the quake was 5.9 according to the United States Geological Survey, while the the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said it was 6.1. But Chinese authorities put it at 6.2. It occurred at a depth of 35km (22 miles). What do we know about the region hit by the earthquake? The earthquake hit the mountainous border region between Gansu and Qinghai provinces, which lies on the east of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, a tectonically active area, making earthquakes common in the region. Gansu has a population of about 26 million and in 2022, it ranked 27th out of 31 Chinese provinces and municipalities in terms of GDP size. The rural Jishishan is almost 90km (56 miles) southwest of Gansu’s capital, Lanzhou. What do we know about casualties so far? A total of 105 people were confirmed dead and 397 injured in Jishishan in Gansu province, according to local authorities. An additional 13 people died in Haidong City, about 100km (68 miles) northwest of Jishishan in the neighbouring Qinghai province. More than 180 people were injured and 20 missing remain, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Is Gansu safe now? What is the latest on rescue operations? Rescue efforts are still under way and people have been advised against going to affected areas to prevent traffic jams. Subzero temperatures and roads that are either damaged by the quake or inundated with snow have made it difficult to carry out rescue operations. Overnight temperature on Tuesday dropped to as low as -13 degrees Celsius (8.7 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the China Meteorological Administration. The quake has also wrecked infrastructure and triggered landslides in the mountainous region. People in affected areas have been given essential supplies such as drinking water, blankets, tents, stoves and instant noodles. What are the challenges facing rescue efforts? Emergency vehicles with rescue workers have been driving along snow-lined highways to carry out relief efforts while satellites are monitoring affected areas. Approximately 1,500 firefighters were deployed while another 1,500 are on standby, according to state media. Additionally, 300 officers and soldiers were mobilised for disaster relief. China’s ministries of finance and emergency management have allocated 200 million RMB in emergency relief funds, according to state media. The ministries of finance and emergency management have allocated 200 million yuan ($28m) in emergency relief funds, according to state media. Almost 14,700 students and teachers from all 15 boarding schools in Jishishan County have been evacuated, Chinese state media reported on Tuesday. Reactions Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts” in search and rescue. The country’s arch-foe, Taiwan, expressed condolences and also offered help. “We pray that all those affected receive the aid they need, and we hope for a swift recovery. Taiwan stands ready to offer assistance in the disaster response effort,” said Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. The interim prime minister of Pakistan, a Chinese ally, also said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of the quake in a post to X on Tuesday. Deeply saddened to learn about the loss of precious lives due to the earthquake in Gansu province in China. Our sympathies are with our Chinese brothers and sisters in this hour of grief. — Anwaar ul Haq Kakar (@anwaar_kakar) December 19, 2023 Adblock test (Why?)
Israel’s ‘Plan B’ for the Gaza Strip
It has been more than two months now since the Israeli authorities launched a war on Gaza in response to Hamas’s attack on its southern territories, which resulted in the killing of about 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians. Relentless Israeli bombardment and ground attacks have flattened entire neighbourhoods and killed close to 20,000 Palestinians, more than a third of them children. The declared goal of the Israeli onslaught has been the “eradication” of Hamas from the enclave, but the viability of that being achieved has been increasingly questioned by foreign officials and analysts. Instead, the large-scale destruction wrought on Gaza as well as internal communications point to another aim the Israeli authorities may be pursuing. A document produced by Israel’s Ministry of Intelligence leaked to the Israeli press in late October outlined the forcible and permanent transfer of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinian residents to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The document was reportedly created for an organisation called The Unit for Settlement – Gaza Strip, which seeks to recolonise the Gaza Strip 18 years after Israeli troops and settlers withdrew from it. Yet, we are not living in 1948. Today, it is much more difficult to wipe out cities and villages as was done 75 years ago during the expulsion of a large percentage of the Palestinian population from its homeland by Israeli militias, when, among other things, the reach of the media was far less extensive than it is now. The Israeli authorities have therefore turned to what we might term “the plan B”: that is, to make the Gaza Strip unliveable, by dropping tens of thousands of tonnes of bombs. The new strategy is implemented by targeting civilian infrastructure that supports life in the strip, including schools, universities, hospitals, bakeries, shops, farmland and greenhouses, water stations, sewage systems, power stations, solar panels, and generators. This is carried out in parallel with a full siege on Gaza, whereby food, water, electricity and medicine have been cut off. The Israeli army lets in a few trucks a day, if at all, which humanitarian organisations have said does not meet at all the needs of the Palestinian population, 1.8 million of whom have been internally displaced. This has resulted in what has interchangeably been called humanitarian “disaster”, “catastrophe”, “graveyard” and “hell”. The Palestinians of Gaza have been pushed to the brink of survival, while widespread epidemics are perceived by some as a desired goal. As former head of the Israeli National Security Council Giora Eiland has claimed: “Severe epidemics in the south of the Gaza Strip will bring victory closer.” Once the Gaza Strip is rendered unliveable and the population has no choice but to leave voluntarily, the next step is to ensure that neighbouring countries, Egypt first and foremost, are ready to “absorb them”. This has been made clear by several prominent figures in Israel, including former deputy director of its national intelligence agency Mossad, Ram Ben Barak. In a tweet in Hebrew, Ben Barak expressed the need “to build a coalition of countries and international funding that will allow Gazans who want to leave to be absorbed [in those countries] through the acquisition of a citizenship”. Back on November 12, 1914, US President Woodrow Wilson wrote to racial equality advocate William Monroe Trotter that “Segregation is not humiliating but a benefit, and ought to be so regarded by you gentleman”. More than 100 years later, Israel’s plan – which has less to do with segregation and more with ethnic cleansing – is presented in similar terms. The expulsion, in Ben Barak’s words, is an “opportunity [for Gaza residents] to escape the reign of fear of Hamas, which uses them as human shields”. The irony, of course, is that Palestinian civilians are often used as “human shields” by the Israeli army itself. But beyond that, along with the emphasis on “voluntary” departure in this “benevolent approach”, the forced resettlement is also made more palatable for the international community with claims that the Palestinians are really just Arabs, and therefore can easily relocate to other Arab countries. Israel has long called the 156,000 Palestinians (and their descendants) who managed to remain within its borders after 1948 “Arabs”, denying them their Palestinian identity. As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once claimed, “The Arab citizens [of Israel] have 22 nation states. They don’t need another one.” It is important here to stress that referring to the local populations, from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Strait of Hormuz, as “the Arabs” would be like calling people from South Africa, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Britain, regardless of their origin, “the English”. They share the language but show very clear peculiar histories, traditions and identities. More than 1,000 years ago, Jerusalemite geographer al-Muqaddasi (946–1000) explained in clear terms that he perceived himself as a Palestinian: “I mentioned to them [workers in Shiraz] about the construction in Palestine and I discussed with them these matters. The master stonecutter asked me: Are you Egyptian? I replied: No, I am Palestinian.” Centuries later, on September 3, 1921, an editorial published in the Arabic-language newspaper Falastin pointed out: “We are Palestinians first, and Arabs second.” These are just two examples, among many others, of written sources where “Palestinian” is clearly used as an identity marker. That Palestinians are not simply “Arabs” appears further evident if we look at the years in which the West Bank was occupied (1948-1967) by Jordan: an occupation which was opposed by the local population at the time, most of all by Fatah fighters, to the point that King Hussein felt obliged to impose martial law. In Gaza, which was under Egyptian control during the same period, Palestinians faced harsh repression, were denied citizenship, and had very little control over local administration. Most of them lived in very poor conditions, largely in refugee camps, having been expelled by Israeli militias from villages around the Gaza Strip, including Huj, Najd, Abu Sitta, Majdal, al-Jura, Yibna, and Bayt Daras. These last three villages, in particular, are the ones from where the
Israeli real estate firm pushes settlement building in Gaza
NewsFeed An Israeli real estate firm is pushing to build settlements for Israelis in Gaza, in areas where the army’s bombardment has left Palestinian homes in ruins. Published On 19 Dec 202319 Dec 2023 Adblock test (Why?)
China shaken by the nation’s deadliest quake in a decade
A powerful earthquake killed at least 118 people in a cold and mountainous region in northwestern China, provincial officials said on Tuesday, in the nation’s deadliest quake in 10 years. The magnitude 6.2 quake struck in Gansu’s Jishishan county, about 5km (3 miles) from the provincial boundary with Qinghai. The epicentre was about 1,300km (800 miles) southwest of Beijing, the Chinese capital. There were nine aftershocks by 10am local time, about 10 hours after the initial quake, the strongest one registering a magnitude of 4.1, a Gansu official said. Nearly 4,000 firefighters, soldiers and police officers were deployed or on standby as part of the rescue effort. Emergency authorities in Gansu province also issued an appeal for 300 additional workers to comb through collapsed buildings and for other search and rescue operations. In Qinghai, officials reported 20 people missing in a landslide, according to Chinese state-owned media. The earthquake left more than 500 people injured, severely damaged houses and roads, and knocked out power and communication lines, reports said. It struck just before midnight on Monday near the boundary between the two provinces at a relatively shallow depth of 10km (6 miles), the China Earthquake Networks Center said. China said the quake had a magnitude of 6.2, while the United States Geological Survey reported the magnitude was 5.9, and the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said it was a magnitude 6.1 earthquake. The death toll is the highest since an April 2013 earthquake killed 196 people in southwest China’s Sichuan province. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake in 2008 was the country’s deadliest in recent years, which killed nearly 90,000 people in Sichuan. Adblock test (Why?)
Five people feared dead in suspected ADF attack in Uganda
The ADF has carried out multiple attacks in Uganda and neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last decade. At least five people were killed, including a local leader, after suspected rebels from an armed group allied to ISIL (ISIS) attacked an area in western Uganda late on Monday, the area legislator told Reuters on Tuesday. On Monday, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked Kyabandara parish in Kamwenge district in Western Uganda at about 10pm (19:00 GMT), the lawmaker, Cuthbert Abigaba, said. The attackers then killed a local councillor whom they found in a small roadside restaurant she operated alongside four of her clients who had just sat down for a meal, Abigaba said. “After the killing, they burnt the restaurant and also proceeded and looted items from nearby shops before fleeing,” he said. The deputy spokesperson for Uganda’s military, Deo Akiiki, confirmed the attack and said they would give details later. The ADF was formed as an anti-Kampala rebel group in the mid-1990s and initially battled the government of President Yoweri Museveni from bases in the Rwenzori mountains. After its formation, the group was eventually routed by the Ugandan army, with remnants fleeing into eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo where they have since orchestrated deadly attacks with thousands of casualties in the last decade across both countries. The ADF in 2019 pledged allegiance to ISIL, which has previously claimed responsibility for some of the ADF’s attacks. Uganda launched a ground and air campaign against the ADF in the DR Congo in 2021. Museveni has said the operation has succeeded in killing a large number of rebels, including some commanders. The group has continued to carry out attacks including on a school in Western Uganda in June in which dozens died and another that killed two foreign tourists and their Ugandan tour guide. Adblock test (Why?)
Japanese prosecutors raid ruling party offices amid slush fund scandal
Prosecutors allege Liberal Democratic Party factions failed to report fundraising proceeds. Prosecutors have raided the offices of Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party amid a political funding scandal that has sent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s approval ratings to some of the lowest levels in the country’s post-war history. Investigators from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors’ Office searched the offices of two LPD factions associated with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former secretary-general Toshihiro Nikai, local media reported on Tuesday. Prosecutors are investigating allegations that party officials failed to declare a combined 600 million yen ($4.18m) in fundraising proceeds, directing money to faction-run slush funds. LDP secretary-general Toshimitsu Motegi said the raids were “extremely regrettable” and the party would take “necessary measures while observing the fate of the investigation”. The scandal has fuelled public discontent with the LPD and Kishida, who last week sacked four cabinet members implicated in the allegations, including Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, in an effort to stem the fallout. “The party must work to restore the trust of the people with a strong sense of urgency,” Kishida told reporters on Tuesday. “I’ll double down my efforts as the leader of the LDP to restore trust,” Kishida told a news conference last week. Kishida’s cabinet reshuffle, however, has done little to boost his flagging approval. In an opinion poll published by the Mainichi newspaper on Sunday, 79 of respondents said they disapproved of the government – the highest figure since the poll began in 1947. Other polls by the Asahi, Yomiuri and Nikkei newspapers over the weekend put Kishida’s approval rating at about 20 percent, the lowest of any premier since the LDP returned to power in 2012 following a brief interruption in its decades-long ruling streak. Kishida, who has already reshuffled his cabinet twice, does not need to hold an election until October 2025, and Japan’s weak opposition parties have historically struggled to compete with the LDP. Adblock test (Why?)
Iceland volcano erupts, spewing lava, smoke after weeks of earthquakes
A volcano in southwest Iceland has erupted, spewing lava and smoke across a wide area weeks after nearly 4,000 residents of a nearby town were evacuated amid intense seismic activity. The eruption started at about 10:17pm (22:17 GMT) on Monday on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, turning the sky orange and prompting the country’s civil defence to be on high alert. It appeared to have taken place about 4km (2.4 miles) from the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. Livestreamed footage of the eruption showed glowing orange jets of lava spewing from a gash in the ground, surrounded by billowing clouds of red smoke. Iceland has been on high alert for a potential eruption after thousands of small earthquakes rattled the region about 40km (25 miles) south of the capital, Reykjavik, prompting the evacuation in November of the fishing town of Grindavik and the closure of the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. Iceland sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic and averages an eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and grounded flights across Europe for days because of fears that the ash could damage aeroplane engines. Scientists say a new eruption would likely produce lava but not an ash cloud. A coast guard helicopter will attempt to confirm the exact location – and size – of the eruption, and will also measure gas emissions. Grindavik sits on the Reykjanes peninsula and is close to Keflavik airport, Iceland’s main facility for international flights. Adblock test (Why?)
US announces 10-nation force to counter Houthi attacks in Red Sea
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says coalition will include Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, UK and other countries. The United States has announced the launch of a multinational force to protect trade in the Red Sea after a series of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels forced several shipping companies to suspend operations. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday that Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Seychelles and the United Kingdom would be among the countries joining the 10-nation “multinational security initiative”. “Countries that seek to uphold the foundational principle of freedom of navigation must come together to tackle the challenge posed by this non-state actor,” Austin said in a statement, describing the attacks as an issue that “demands collective action”. The announcement comes after the US and UK navies said over the weekend that their destroyers had shot down a total of 15 drones in the waterway. The Iran-backed Houthis have ramped up drone and missile attacks on vessels in key shipping lanes since the start of the war in Gaza, targeting ships alleged to have links to Israel or Israelis. The rebel group said on Monday it had attacked the Norwegian-owned Swan Atlantic and the MSC Clara using naval drones to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Swan Atlantic’s owner, Norway’s Inventor Chemical Tankers, said in a statement the vessel had no link to Israel and was managed by a Singaporean firm. There were no injuries reported by either vessel. Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior Houthi official and spokesman, told Al Jazeera on Monday that the group would confront any US-led coalition in the Red Sea. More countries to be announced Al Jazeera’s Sara Khairat, reporting from the occupied East Jerusalem, said that the coalition might also include Egypt and Jordan as additional Arab nations to Bahrain, as they have a vested interest in ensuring the safe passage of ships. She said: “It is still not clear whether they will join the fold later. Egypt and Jordan, as well as some of the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries, including Saudi Arabia, are part of the Combined Maritime Forces, which the coalition will be under the umbrella of.” “Reading between the lines, it’s a very difficult situation for some of these Middle Eastern countries. You have Saudi Arabia, which is very close, it seems, to signing a deal with the Houthi rebels in Yemen,” she also said. “You have Egypt, which doesn’t want to be seen as going against the Houthis’ message on Gaza – which is for Israel to stop the war on the enclave.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a call with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Monday on the issue, discussing the ways to avoid further conflict. “The Secretary also condemned continued attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea and urged cooperation among all partners to uphold maritime security,” the State Department said in a statement after the call. US’ Austin, who is visiting Israel, is subsequently scheduled to head to Bahrain and Qatar to hold talks. Companies avoid Red Sea At least 12 shipping companies, including the Italian-Swiss giant Mediterranean Shipping Company, France’s CMA CGM and Denmark’s AP Moller-Maersk, have suspended transit through the Red Sea due to safety concerns. UK oil giant BP on Monday became the latest firm to announce it would avoid the waters. “In light of the deteriorating security situation for shipping in the Red Sea, BP has decided to temporarily pause all transits through the Red Sea,” BP said in a statement. “We will keep this precautionary pause under ongoing review, subject to circumstances as they evolve in the region.” Houthi attacks have effectively rerouted a significant portion of global trade by forcing freight companies to sail around Africa, imposing higher costs and delays for deliveries of energy, food and consumer goods. About 12 percent of global trade passes through the Red Sea, which connects to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal, including 30 percent of container traffic. Adblock test (Why?)