Latest news with #Arab-Israel
First Post
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
US President Trump Gets ‘Hair Flipping' Royal Welcome in Abu Dhabi Vantage with Palki Sharma
US President Trump Gets 'Hair Flipping' Royal Welcome in Abu Dhabi | Vantage with Palki Sharma |N18G US President Trump Gets 'Hair Flipping' Royal Welcome in Abu Dhabi | Vantage with Palki Sharma |N18G U.S. President Donald Trump arrived at Abu Dhabi's international airport on Thursday (May 15) on the final leg of his four-day tour of the region, where he was met by United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan before heading to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Trump received a grand welcome in the UAE with UAE's traditional Emirati 'Al-Ayyala' dance. A viral video shows women in traditional dress flipping their hair while men chant and perform with symbolic bamboo sticks. Also on Vantage Shots: - Hair-swinging dancers greet US president Donald Trump in Abu Dhabi. - A wildlife centre staffers don bear suits to take care of a tiny orphaned cub. - This Day in History: In 1948, the first Arab-Israel war broke out. See More
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Operation Sindoor: Limited operation with potent messaging
1 2 Operation Sindoor has been described by noted strategic expert Brahma Chellaney as shorter than the shortest — six-day Arab-Israel war of 1967. Unless resumed, this paused conflict has defied the recent global trend of unending and festering wars: notably, the Ukraine-Russia and Gaza conflicts. Yet, it cannot be dismissed as mere skirmish because of the potency and significance of messages delivered. These, of course, require consolidation. While signalling the new normal, it has also left few unanswered queries, which need to be examined. The most important one many asked by using an analogy from cricket: why declare when on the threshold of a century? Characterisation of operation It is difficult to propose an exact description for a mere 88-hour exchange, triggered 14 days after a dastardly terrorist mayhem at Pahalgam, accounting for 26 innocent lives. Notwithstanding brevity, conflict threatened to transit into the nuclear domain, bringing nuclear facilities in Kirana Hills, in our daily debates. The operation was limited to a non-contact domain with aerial delivery of lethal destruction, more like a futuristic, sci-fi exchange. Large formations were not even mobilized, so intention to mount conventional offensive had not been firmed up. Missiles (beyond visual range) and drones were battling air-defence grids — Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), Akash-Teer, and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 35 & Earning? Protect Your Family with ₹1 Cr Life Cover ICICI Pru Life Insurance Plan Get Quote Undo All three make an indigenous version of the Israels' famed Iron Dome, but ours combines equipment of diverse origin — Russia, France, Israel, USA, and indigenous developments. Defying the limitation of medium, spatially, geographic spread, it stretched from North Skardu to South Bholari (Karachi). Most importantly, the operation touched the very heartland of Pakistan Punjab — Rawalpindi, Muridke near Lahore, Sialkot and Bhawalpur. Military targets degraded included key air-defence installations, command and control and logistics nodes, Sargodha, Chaklala and Nur Khan (Rawalpindi) bases. Suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) has given India a long-term, choke-hold leverage over the agricultural economy of Pakistan's Punjab. Pakistan is already pleading for reconsideration, but we need to remain focused on a pragmatic review. Politically, while India projected control and purpose; Pakistani hierarchy displayed disparate voices and desperation. Pindi would certainly be in turmoil with attacks on terror hubs of JuD (LeT), JeM and HuM, described by PM Modi as the "universities of global terrorism". All bases/determinants, postulated in Pakistani nuclear expert Lt Gen Khalid Kidwai's famous matrix of red lines for nuclear threshold, were attacked — spatial, military, economic and political. Pakistan's nuclear sabre-rattling got completely debunked, once again. India has cemented space for conventional escalation, created after Kargil and Balakot and enlarged it manyfold. India has also operationalised and refined its integrated response matrix, synergising a large number of imported and indigenous platforms and systems. In mid-2016, when I retired, the considered view was that Pakistan had an edge over India in Air-Defence Control and Reporting (AD-C&R) with dedicated AD Theatre Command. It is great credit to our air defence warriors that we not only fended off attacks, but degraded their defences, laying bare critical vulnerabilities. By some estimates, the Pakistan Air Force has lost 15%-20% capability. New doctrine and ceasefire The new Modi doctrine has outlined three postulates. First, certainty of response, decisive retaliation on India's terms. Second, no tolerance for nuclear blackmail. Third, no distinction between terrorists and their sponsors/controllers. In his signature style, the PM ruled out terror and talks, and terror and trade. He amplified this by saying that blood and water will not be allowed to flow together. There is a lot of chatter on the escalation ladder and suspension of exchange, which is sought to be now converted into a ceasefire to conform to agreements of 2003 and 2021. While we may not want to be seen to be pushed into a ceasefire, it is difficult to deny that conflict between the two nations, armed with nukes, will inevitably draw in global and regional powers. Ladder is a complex matrix, and it would be influenced by the USA, China, Russia and even Arabs. With external dependencies, stamina for extending conflict in the high-tech domain by both sides is limited. The ladder has got complicated with addition of new domains of cyber and drones. Calibration of matrix and pace of escalation needs to be further refined. It appeared to have outstripped the planned escalation in the current round. The masterstroke was defining punishment delivered just before cessation. Strategically, we have achieved our objectives and avoided a debilitating conflict, which could have impeded our journey towards Viksit Bharat. Way Forward The country is galvanized with patriotic fervour and it is time to build on national consensus. The govt should go the extra mile to connect with sane elements in opposition on issues of national security. It is also time we address our internal fault-lines, which are sought to be exploited by Pakistan. To begin with, we need to redouble efforts towards socio-political initiatives in J&K, Northeast and fix accountability for lapses. While we have managed to put it across to our prickly and persistent adversary Pakistan, the primary one, Dragon (China), lurks in shadows. It would have mapped our capabilities and gathered electronic intelligence. It has also tested its weapons. We need to prepare to dissuade China and Pakistan in collusive mode. There is enough evidence that we cannot bank too much on external support. We need to revamp our diplomatic outreach to bolster support. 'Ekla Chalo Re' and 'Atam Nirbharata' are inspiring, and even heady, but we can do co-operative joint ventures, which could be rebranded as 'Smart Atam Nirbharata'. There is a definite and urgent imperative to refine our strategic communication. More importantly, rein-in our electronic channels, who made a mockery of a refined operation In conclusion, one can only reiterate two guiding parameters. First, we need to adopt 'Josh with Hosh' as bigger challenges await us. Finally, for 'Viksit Bharat', we have to develop the culture of 'Viksit Samvad'. (Author is former GOC-in-C of Western Command, Indian Army)
The National
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Arab League sharply critical of Israel at UN court
Israel's attacks against the UN signal that it is not a credible partner for peace in the Middle East, the Arab League's representative told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday. Hearings concluded over Israel's obligations to facilitate humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank after a week-long session in The Hague saw 45 states and entities deliver oral statements. The majority argued that Israel is legally obligated to ensure the delivery of aid and condemned its total blockade on Gaza, in place since March 2, as well as its ban on UNRWA, the UN organisation for Palestinian refugees. Israel did not send a representative but its key ally, the US, echoed Israeli criticism of what it described as UNRWA's lack of neutrality and argued that Israel was entitled to restrict aid access on security grounds. The Arab League took a sharply critical tone. Representing the bloc, international law professor Mohamed Helal said that the lack of empathy shown by the international community to Palestinians was troubling. "The decades of dispossession and countless crimes committed against the Palestinians have led us to wonder whether the people of Palestine are less deserving of compassion, less worthy of empathy, less entitled to justice, or simply less human," he said. He cited the Arab League's 2002 Peace Initiative as a long-standing framework for a two-state solution under international law. "But Israel has consistently failed to seize this opportunity for peace," Mr Helal said. "Israel's political leadership has shown that it is not a credible partner for peace. Indeed, Israel has now launched an offensive against the UN, civil society and other states that have been moved to aid the Palestinians out of a realization that never again is now, and that history will neither forgive nor forget those who stood aside as Israel's onslaught continues to unfold in Gaza and throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories." UNRWA is much more than a relief agency - it is the instrument by which the UN protects the right of return for Palestinian refugees, Mr Helal argued, echoing statements put forward on the first day of hearings by Egypt on Monday. UNRWA delivers basic services, including health and education, to some 5.9 million Palestinians living in the MENA region, who are in large part the descendants of the 750,000 Palestinians who fled the 1948 Arab-Israel war. "For decades, it [UNRWA] has preserved the integrity of the Palestinians as a people," Mr Helal said. "It prevented their dispersal and forced displacement, and it ensured that they remain on the territory in relation to which they are entitled to exercise self determination." Israel has violated international law since its foundation in 1949 via its conquest by force of Palestinian territory, and again in 1967, laying fertile ground for "repeated infringements of shared norms," said the representative of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, French public law professor, Monique Chemillier-Gendreau. She added that Israel's ban on UNRWA has no legal basis and remains in place because Israel remains bound by the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. Some 15 first responders — including eight Palestine Red Crescent Society paramedics, six civil-defence members and one UN officer — were recently found buried in a mass grave in Gaza after they were shot and killed by Israeli troops on March 23. In total, some 52,418 Gazans have died in 18 months of war. "The presence of UNRWA and the activities of the agency in the service of Palestinian refugees, that are the overwhelming majority of the population of Gaza, had made it possible up until now to avoid this population being decimated," Ms Chemilier-Gendreau said. "What we are now seeing is, with the prohibition imposed on UNRWA to carry on with its missions, the consequences of the transgressions that the illegal occupant is inflicting on the rights of Palestinians." Earlier in the day, senior Chinese official Ma Xinmin said his country was "deeply concerned" about the killing of humanitarian personnel. Palestinians face no more urgent threat than the deprivation of humanitarian assistance, according to Mr Ma, who is director general of the department of treaty and law at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The desperate eyes of Gaza children peers over conscience with two burning questions: will international law surrender to the brute force? Will the pillars of civilization yield before the law of jungle?" The ICJ will likely take several months to issue its advisory opinions. They are not legally binding, but are viewed as carrying moral weight.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Watch: Trump gives remarks at Saudi-led investors conference in Miami
President Trump on Wednesday is attending the Future Investment Initiative Forum, an organization run by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund that focuses on social and economic initiatives. Trump has had close-knit ties with Saudis, particularly during his time in politics. His first foreign trip during his first term was to the country and it was instrumental in the Abraham Accords in attempting to normalize Arab-Israel relations. In his second term, Trump has suggested that the kingdom could be the location of a meeting between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin to hash out an end to the war in Ukraine. U.S.-Russia talks already took place in Riyadh this week when Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to discuss the futures of both Ukraine and Gaza. The event is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. EST. Watch the live video above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
19-02-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Watch live: Trump gives remarks at Saudi-led investors conference in Miami
President Trump on Wednesday is attending the Future Investment Initiative Forum, an organization run by Saudi Arabia 's sovereign wealth fund that focuses on social and economic initiatives. Trump has had close-knit ties with Saudis, particularly during his time in politics. His first foreign trip during his first term was to the country and it was instrumental in the Abraham Accords in attempting to normalize Arab-Israel relations. In his second term, Trump has suggested that the kingdom could be the location of a meeting between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin to hash out an end to the war in Ukraine. U.S.-Russia talks already took place in Riyadh this week when Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to discuss the futures of both Ukraine and Gaza. The event is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. EST. Watch the live video above.
