logo
Could Taiwan's donation pledge for Israeli settlement project backfire?

Could Taiwan's donation pledge for Israeli settlement project backfire?

Taiwan's recent pledge to donate to an Israeli settlement health project in the West Bank has broken international norms of engagement with Israel's occupation and could backfire, experts say.
Abby Ya-Ping Lee, Taiwan's representative to
Israel , made the donation pledge this month during a visit to the Binyamin Regional Council, which governs 48 settler communities in the occupied West Bank.
She was accompanied by Israel Ganz, chairman of the Binyamin Regional Council and the Yesha Council, the umbrella organisation of municipal councils of settlement communities.
The donation will fund the Nanasi Medical Centre at Sha'ar Binyamin, north of Jerusalem.
The donation is the island's latest attempt to foster
closer ties with Israel , which is under growing international pressure for its
war in Gaza , a conflict that UN experts have called a genocide.
02:02
Israeli air strikes shatter ceasefire, leave hundreds dead in Gaza
Israeli air strikes shatter ceasefire, leave hundreds dead in Gaza
But experts argue this development is different.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

More than 100 aid groups warn ‘mass starvation' spreading across Gaza
More than 100 aid groups warn ‘mass starvation' spreading across Gaza

South China Morning Post

time9 hours ago

  • South China Morning Post

More than 100 aid groups warn ‘mass starvation' spreading across Gaza

More than 100 aid organisations warned on Wednesday that 'mass starvation' was spreading in Gaza ahead of the US top envoy's visit to Europe for talks on a possible ceasefire and an aid corridor. Advertisement Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where more than two million people face severe shortages of food and other essentials after 21 months of conflict, triggered by Hamas' attack on Israel. The UN said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid since the US - and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operations in late May - effectively sidelining the existing UN-led system. A statement with 111 signatories, including Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam, warned that 'our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away'. Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy. Photo: AP The groups called for an immediate negotiated ceasefire, the opening of all land crossings and the free flow of aid through UN-led mechanisms.

Over 100 groups warn of faltering aid efforts in Gaza
Over 100 groups warn of faltering aid efforts in Gaza

RTHK

time14 hours ago

  • RTHK

Over 100 groups warn of faltering aid efforts in Gaza

Over 100 groups warn of faltering aid efforts in Gaza People march along the streets of New York City in a 'Stop Starving Gaza Now' protest. Photo: Reuters More than 100 aid organisations warned on Wednesday that "mass starvation" was spreading in Gaza ahead of the US top envoy's visit to Europe for talks on a possible ceasefire and an aid corridor. Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the enclave, where more than two million people face severe shortages of food and other essentials after 21 months of conflict, triggered by Hamas' attack on Israel. The UN said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid since the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operations in late May – effectively sidelining the existing UN-led system. A statement with 111 signatories, including Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children and Oxfam, warned that "our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away". The groups called for an immediate negotiated ceasefire, the opening of all land crossings and the free flow of aid through UN-led mechanisms. It came a day after the United States said its envoy Steve Witkoff will head to Europe this week for talks on Gaza and may then visit the Middle East. Even after Israel began easing a more than two-month aid blockade in late May, Gaza's population is still suffering extreme scarcities. In their statement, the humanitarian organisations said that warehouses with tonnes of supplies were sitting untouched just outside the territory, and even inside, as they were blocked from accessing or delivering the goods. "Palestinians are trapped in a cycle of hope and heartbreak, waiting for assistance and ceasefires, only to wake up to worsening conditions," the signatories said. "It is not just physical torment, but psychological. Survival is dangled like a mirage," they added. "The humanitarian system cannot run on false promises. Humanitarians cannot operate on shifting timelines or wait for political commitments that fail to deliver access." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that the "horror" facing Palestinians in Gaza under Israeli military attack was unprecedented in recent years. The head of Gaza's largest hospital said Tuesday 21 children had died due to malnutrition and starvation in the past three days. (AFP)

US announces withdrawal from UN cultural body Unesco
US announces withdrawal from UN cultural body Unesco

RTHK

time17 hours ago

  • RTHK

US announces withdrawal from UN cultural body Unesco

US announces withdrawal from UN cultural body Unesco Donald Trump is not the first American president to pull the United States out of the Paris-based UN agency. Photo: Reuters The United States on Tuesday announced it has left Unesco, saying the UN cultural and education agency, known for establishing world heritage sites, is biased against Israel and promotes "divisive" causes. "Continued involvement in Unesco is not in the national interest of the United States," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said. The US exit was expected under President Donald Trump, who also ordered withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in 2017 during his first term. His successor Joe Biden then re-established US membership. Bruce described Unesco as working "to advance divisive social and cultural causes" and being overly focused on UN sustainability goals, which she described as a "globalist, ideological agenda". She also highlighted what she said was the body's anti-Israeli position in admitting Palestine as a state. "Unesco's decision to admit the 'State of Palestine' as a member state is highly problematic, contrary to US policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organisation," Bruce said. The UN organisation describes its mission as promoting education, scientific cooperation and cultural understanding. It oversees a list of heritage sites aimed at preserving unique environmental and architectural gems, ranging from the Great Barrier Reef off Australia and the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Athens Acropolis and Pyramids of Egypt. Trump was not the first to pull the US out of Unesco. President Ronald Reagan also ended US membership in the 1980s, saying the agency was corrupt and pro-Soviet. The US re-entered under the presidency of George W Bush. (AFP)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store