Latest news with #Arab-Israeli
Shafaq News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Israeli lawmakers push symbolic motion to annex West Bank
Shafaq News – Middle East Israel's parliament voted on Wednesday on a symbolic motion calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank, a move that has sparked sharp condemnation from the Palestinian Authority. The non-binding proposal, backed by 71 lawmakers and submitted by a cross-party group of lawmakers including Likud MK Dan Illouz and Settlements Minister Orit Strook of the Religious Zionism bloc, declares that Israel 'will not accept solutions that involve dangerous territorial concessions' and must commit to 'its future as a secure Jewish state.' Though the motion carries no legal weight, it is widely seen as part of a broader effort to normalize calls for extending Israeli sovereignty over the territory it has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It follows a pattern of similar legislative and rhetorical pushes, including a Knesset resolution last year that overwhelmingly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates denounced the move, warning it would entrench a system of apartheid and further erode the prospects for peace. In a statement released Wednesday, the ministry said the Knesset's actions reflect 'blatant disregard' for United Nations resolutions and the July 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which affirmed the illegality of Israel's presence in the West Bank. 'These colonial measures deliberately undermine the implementation of the two-state solution,' the statement said, accusing the Israeli government of escalating toward a permanent occupation that fuels further conflict. The ministry urged the international community to 'take these developments seriously' and act decisively to stop them, especially with a UN conference on the two-state solution approaching. The Knesset vote comes against the backdrop of increasing tensions in the West Bank, where settlement expansion, military operations, and settler violence have drawn mounting international criticism. According to the UN, over 700,000 Israelis now live in settlements considered illegal under international law. Wednesday's motion follows a January 2024 resolution passed by the Knesset rejecting Palestinian statehood by a margin of 68 to 9, reflecting broad parliamentary consensus on maintaining Israeli control over the occupied territory.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Three Arab-Israelis killed within hours of each other in crime-related incidents
This raises the death toll for Arab-Israelis to 146 since the start of the calendar year; 11 of the deaths were women. Crime-related violence is breaking new records in the Arab sector, as three people were killed in three separate incidents throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, raising the sector death toll to 146 since the start of the calendar year, 11 of them women. Assad Kaaba, 51, from Jaffa, was killed near a cafe in the city. Magen David Adom paramedics who arrived at the scene pronounced him dead immediately. Per Ynet, eyewitnesses said he was killed while smoking a hookah. His assailants fired four shots at him from point-blank range. In the area of 'Ar'ara in the Negev, the bullet-ridden body of 48-year-old Aisha Kaaba was found in a valley near Highway 89. Paramedics pronounced her dead on site, with four bullet wounds to the head. She was married and had children, and worked in order to support her family. Israel Police later said it arrested four suspects in connection with her death: Her son, her brother, and two other family members. Police suspect that the death was the result of a "familial conflict." Violence in Arab-Israeli sector And, in Lod, Sliman Abu Ganam was shot dead in his car. The man, around 30 years old, was found by paramedics in a critical state and later died from his wounds. Three have been arrested so far in connection with his death. MDA paramedic Mendy Amitai said the team arrived quickly at the site and found it chaotic. The team arrived quickly at the site and found it chaotic. Additionally, two other shootings took place on Wednesday morning. A man in his 40s was moderately to seriously injured in Baka al-Gharbiya after walking out of a mosque, and in Jisr e-Zarka, shots were fired at the home of a widow. No injuries were recorded. As a result, Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy called for an emergency meeting with the entire senior command staff of the police on Wednesday, following the rise in crime in the Arab sector in recent days.
The Print
3 days ago
- Business
- The Print
What India can learn from Israel about atmanirbharta in defence
Israel's journey toward defence self-reliance was driven by a combination of existential urgency and a national culture of innovation. When Israel was born, it immediately faced a multi-front military conflict. These wars forged a mindset of necessity-driven invention, unlike India, whose military objectives were shaped by the non-alignment philosophy and a focus on civilian industry. Yet, despite these restrictions and existential threats, Israel rapidly transformed itself into a defence innovation powerhouse, exporting nearly $15 billion in advanced weaponry in 2024, while India continues to rely heavily on arms imports to meet its needs. Understanding this divergence reveals key lessons on strategy, institutional design, and national resolve, which India must learn to become a global powerhouse. India and Israel became independent countries less than a year apart — in August 1947 and May 1948, respectively. Almost immediately, both countries had to wage a war to safeguard their sovereignty and territorial integrity due to their inimical neighbours. As independent states, both countries inherited nascent economies, fragile infrastructure, limited heavy industries, and immediate security threats. In fact, Israel was probably in a more critical situation as it faced a UN arms embargo on all parties involved in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, which limited its access to military equipment. This was particularly so during the Nehruvian years, when the Armed Forces were seen as a necessary evil and priority was given to the development of the civilian industrial sector at the cost of a firm military foundation. Israel, on the other hand, saw military capability as essential to survival. Every war from 1948 through 1967, 1973, and right up to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, has been a catalyst for innovation, with battlefield necessity spurring not only rapid development of weapons systems, but also new tactics, techniques, and procedures. The urgency to upgrade our defence preparedness has returned to the fore, more so after Operation Sindoor. Limited foreign imports are being considered to plug critical gaps, including the possibility of inducting a foreign-made fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Inaugurating a workshop and exhibition held at the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi on 16 July, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said, 'In today's warfare, you can't win with yesterday's weapon system.' It is logical then that tomorrow's wars cannot be fought with weapon systems based on today's technology. We need a transformative change in our systems. Two contrasting defence sectors Israel carried out institutional integration of its military, academic, and private industrial capabilities, resulting in a tightly coordinated ecosystem. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) worked in close tandem with universities, startups, and defence firms such as Elbit Systems, Rafael, and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). This tri-sector collaboration allowed rapid prototyping, battlefield testing, and iterative refinement. Mandatory conscription ensured military-civilian integration while early support from the Jewish diaspora in terms of funds and know-how also helped. This aspect of a strong civil-military-industry interface has been repeatedly stressed upon by Edward N Luttwak and Eitan Shamir in their book The Art of Military Innovation. The result was world-class systems such as the Iron Dome, Trophy active protection system, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and satellite systems. By contrast, India's defence sector remained largely insulated. Dominated by public-sector entities like DRDO, HAL, and OFB, it followed bureaucratic, slow-moving processes with limited commercial incentives or accountability. Weak feedback loops between users (the military) and designers (DRDO), along with little to no synergy between academia, industry, and the military, further hindered progress. Most importantly, procurement must transition from least-cost (L1) models to highest-performance (T1) evaluations. Emphasising metrics such as lifecycle cost, operational performance, and indigenisation will incentivise innovation and discourage a process-over-product mindset. The L1 system has been the bane of our procurement, encouraging companies to give the bare minimum to win contracts. Except for the Armed Forces, no stakeholder truly has skin in the game. Israel's export success in defence is also a reflection of its strategic necessity. With a small domestic market incapable of sustaining mature industries, Israel pursued exports aggressively. In 2024, Israeli defence exports hit a record $14.8 billion, with 48 per cent comprising rockets, missiles, and air defence systems. These sales — to Europe and other friendly countries — not only validated Israeli technology but also funded future R&D. India, despite its large Armed Forces, has lacked a similar export essentiality, and its fledgling defence industry has struggled to translate capacity into mass production or compete globally, resulting in continued reliance on imports. Also read: A letter to Defence Minister, with lessons from American fighter pilot John Boyd: Jaithirth Rao The real challenge India has initiated policy reforms aimed at shifting this paradigm. Programmes like Make in India, the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020, and the Strategic Partnership Model have opened doors for private sector participation in defence, raised FDI limits, and corporatised legacy PSUs. Notably, Reliance Defence's recent partnerships with Germany's Rheinmetall and Diehl Defense to produce advanced ammunition and guided shells domestically mark significant milestones. Similarly, the indigenous helicopter gunship and sniper rifle developments reflect gradual progress. India's defence exports, estimated at Rs 21,083 crore in FY 2023-24, to over 100 countries, underscore a nascent export orientation, though much of it remains aspirational. Israel's success is an off-shoot of existential necessity, an integrated ecosystem, a culture of innovation, and export-driven development. India must build upon the momentum by deepening private sector involvement, institutional reform, procurement refocus, and nurturing human capital, to genuinely realise Atmanirbharta in defence. This requires bold structural transformation, sustained political support, and clear strategic direction, with an emphasis on defence preparedness. In this context, it would be worthwhile to recollect what French President Emmanuel Macron said in his speech on the eve of Bastille Day 2025: 'To be free in this world, you must be feared. To be feared, you must be powerful.' India's challenge is not of capability, but of unity and resolve. A focused, innovation-driven, user-integrated defence ecosystem is achievable if the government empowers rather than restrains; the military leads rather than watches; and the industry builds rather than waits to be spoon-fed. India has the necessary talent, demand, and environment to build one of the world's best indigenous defence ecosystems. We just have to put it all together. General Manoj Mukund Naravane PVSM AVSM SM VSM is a retired Indian Army General who served as the 28th Chief of the Army Staff. Views are personal. (Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Protecting The Druze, Expanding Influence Or...What Is Driving Israel's Intervention In Syria?
For weeks, Israel and Syria have engaged in secret back-channel talks, searching for a diplomatic resolution to decades of tensions, mainly over territory captured by Israel from Syria during the Arab-Israeli war of 1967. But buoyed by its recent successes against Hezbollah and Iran, Israel carried out strikes on Syrian government forces and infrastructure this week. Israel is now more likely to use force to pre-emptively address perceived threats, even if it derails diplomatic efforts to achieve the same goal. n18oc_world n18oc_crux
News18
7 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Israel Syria War Explained: Why Another War Is Brewing In Middle East Syria News N18G
For weeks, Israel and Syria have engaged in secret back-channel talks, searching for a diplomatic resolution to decades of tensions, mainly over territory captured by Israel from Syria during the Arab-Israeli war of Israeli news media has been awash with optimistic predictions of a limited nonaggression pact, or even a landmark peace deal between the Jewish state and the former jihadists who seized control of Damascus last December. News18 Mobile App -
