[🇧🇩] Israel and Hamas war in Gaza-----Can Bangladesh be a peace broker?

[Saif]

ফিলিস্তিনের প্রতি সংহতি, যুক্তরাজ্যের ‘ডক্টরেট’ ডিগ্রি ফিরিয়ে দিলেন শহিদুল আলম

২০২২ সালের ৮ জুলাই লন্ডনের রয়্যাল ফেস্টিভাল হলে তিনি এই ডিগ্রি গ্রহণ করেন।

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ফিলিস্তিনের প্রতি সংহতি, যুক্তরাজ্যের 'ডক্টরেট' ডিগ্রি ফিরিয়ে দিলেন শহিদুল আলম
২০২২ সালের ৮ জুলাই লন্ডনের রয়্যাল ফেস্টিভাল হলে তিনি এই ডিগ্রি গ্রহণ করেন।

আলোকচিত্রী শহিদুল আলম। ছবি: সংগৃহীত

ফিলিস্তিনের প্রতি সংহতি জানিয়ে যুক্তরাজ্যের ইউনিভার্সিটি অব আর্টস লন্ডনের (ইউএএল) সম্মানসূচক 'ডক্টরেট' ডিগ্রি ফিরিয়ে দিয়েছেন আলোকচিত্রী ও মানবাধিকারকর্মী শহিদুল আলম।

রোববার দৃক পিকচার লাইব্রেরি লিমিটেডের এক সংবাদ বিজ্ঞপ্তিতে এ তথ্য জানানো হয়েছে।

এতে বলা হয়, ফটোগ্রাফি ও অ্যাক্টিভিজমে অসামান্য অবদানের স্বীকৃতিস্বরূপ ইউনিভার্সিটি অব আর্টস লন্ডন শহিদুল আলমকে একটি সম্মানসূচক ডক্টরেট প্রদান করে। ২০২২ সালের ৮ জুলাই লন্ডনের রয়্যাল ফেস্টিভাল হলে তিনি ডিগ্রিটি গ্রহণ করেন।

বিজ্ঞপ্তিতে শহিদুল আলম বলেন, 'সেসময় আর্ট এবং ডিজাইনের ক্ষেত্রে ইউএএল ছিল বিশ্বের শীর্ষ দুই বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের একটি। আমি আনন্দের সঙ্গে ইউএএলের চ্যান্সেলর গ্রেসন পেরির কাছ থেকে ডিগ্রিটি গ্রহণ করেছিলাম, কারণ ইউএএল একাডেমিক স্বাধীনতা এবং মতপ্রকাশের স্বাধীনতার প্রতি প্রতিশ্রুতিবদ্ধ ছিল। গ্রেসন পেরির ভাষায়, বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়টি ছিল বিশ্বে ক্ষমতাশালীদের অশান্তি তৈরি করার বড়সড় কারখানা।'

তিনি বলেন, 'পরবর্তীতে যদিও বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের ভাইস চ্যান্সেলরের দায়িত্ব গ্রহণ করেন জেমস পুরনেল নামে একজন স্বীকৃত জায়নবাদী, কিন্তু ইউএএলের শিক্ষার্থীরা ফিলিস্তিনের সঙ্গে সংহতি প্রদর্শন ও বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় প্রশাসনকে গাজায় যুদ্ধবিরতির আহ্বান জানানোর দাবিতে ব্রিটেনের শিক্ষার্থীদের মধ্যে এগিয়ে আছে দেখে আমি আশ্বস্ত হয়েছিলাম।'

শহিদুল আলম জানান, এই স্বস্তি কেটে যায় যখন তিনি দেখেন যে, ইউএএল প্রশাসন এবং বিশেষ করে বর্তমান ভাইস চ্যান্সেলর শিক্ষার্থীদের অবস্থান থেকে যোজন যোজন দূরে।

তিনি বলেন, 'শিক্ষার্থীরা বারবার বলছেন তাদের কণ্ঠরোধ করা হচ্ছে, তাদের ছকে ফেলা হচ্ছে, তারা উপেক্ষিত। শিক্ষার্থীরা বলছেন পুমা, করনিট, এলভিএমএইচ, লো'রেলসহ ইসরায়েল ওশানোগ্রাফিক অ্যান্ড লিমনোলজিক্যাল রিসার্চ, শেনকার ইঞ্জিনিয়ারিং এবং বেজালেল একাডেমি অব আর্টস অ্যান্ড ডিজাইনসহ অন্যান্য ইসরায়েলি বা ইসরায়েল-অনুষঙ্গী সংস্থা এবং প্রতিষ্ঠানের সঙ্গে পার্টনারশিপের মাধ্যমে ইউএএল ইসরায়েলের দখলদারিত্ব, বর্ণবাদ এবং চলমান গণহত্যার অংশীদার। তারা এই অংশীদারত্বের অবসান দাবি করছে।'

শহিদুল আলম বলেন, 'এই পরিপ্রেক্ষিতে আমি ইউনিভার্সিটি অব আর্টস লন্ডনের সঙ্গে যুক্ত থাকতে চাই না।'

সম্মানসূচক 'ডক্টরেট' ডিগ্রি ফিরিয়ে দেওয়ার বিষয়টি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়কে আনুষ্ঠানিকভাবে জানিয়েছেন বলেও উল্লেখ করেন তিনি।​

 

[Saif]

Palestinian mothers search for milk

Amira al-Taweel scoured pharmacies in northern Gaza for milk to feed her child, but could not find a single bottle to satisfy his hunger.

www.thedailystar.net

malnutrition hits Gaza
Palestinian mothers search for milk

People take part in a pro-Palestinian rally in Banda Aceh, Indonesia yesterday, as Israel continues to pound Gaza Strip. Photo: REUTERS

Amira al-Taweel scoured pharmacies in northern Gaza for milk to feed her child, but could not find a single bottle to satisfy his hunger.

"Youssef needs treatment and milk, but there' none available in Gaza," the 33-year-old mother told AFP at Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in central Gaza where her son was admitted suffering from malnutrition.

"I feed him, but no milk as it's not available. I feed him wheat (flour) which makes him bloated," she said, as Youssef lay on a narrow bed, his frail body receiving desperately needed medication through intravenous tubes in his feet.

At least 32 people, many of them children, have died of malnutrition in Gaza since the Israeli offensive began on October 7.

But aid agencies warn that the situation is even worse when it comes to children. On Saturday, the World Health Organization said that more than four in five children had gone a whole day without eating at least once in 72 hours.

The rise in malnutrition among Gaza's children is largely a result of humanitarian aid that enters the Palestinian territory not reaching its intended destination, aid agencies said.

At Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, mothers were concerned about their malnourished children.

After Youssef and another baby boy, Saif, were admitted, their mothers sat next to them, worrying about how long they could survive on the food the hospital provides.​

 

[Saif]

More than half of Gaza structures damaged

Some 55 percent of all structures in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed, damaged or possibly damaged since the Israeli offensive began in the Palestinian territory eight months ago, according to preliminary satellite analysis by the UN.

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More than half of Gaza structures damaged
Says UN after preliminary satellite data analysis

Palestinian sisters Samar and Sahar cry as they search for their missing mother Amira Al-Breim at the rubble of a house hit in an Israeli strike, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday. Photo: REUTERS

Some 55 percent of all structures in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed, damaged or possibly damaged since the Israeli offensive began in the Palestinian territory eight months ago, according to preliminary satellite analysis by the UN.

The analysis showed more than 137,000 buildings affected, UNOSAT, the United Nations satellite analysis agency, said on X, formerly Twitter.

The estimate is based on a satellite image taken on May 3, and compared with images taken in May a year earlier, last September, and on October 15.

The fresh satellite image was also compared to images taken during several dates in November, then again during the first months of this year, UNOSAT said.

The analysis showed more than 137,000 buildings affected: UNOSAT

"According to satellite imagery analysis, UNOSAT identified 36,591 destroyed structures," the agency said in a statement.

In addition, it said it had seen "16,513 severely damaged structures, 47,368 moderately damaged structures, and 36,825 possibly damaged structures for a total of 137,297 structures".

"These correspond to around 55 percent of the total structures in the Gaza Strip and a total of 135,142 estimated damaged housing units," it said.

UNOSAT said the image comparisons showed the governorates of Deir Al-Balah, in the centre, and Gaza, in the north, had suffered the worst damage between April 1 and May 3.

Comparing satellite images on those dates indicated that an additional 2,613 structures had been damaged in Deir Al-Balah, while another 2,368 had been damaged in Gaza governorate in just over a month.

People inspect a damaged building amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces in Houla village near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon yesterday. Hezbollah said yesterday it had launched a squadron of drones towards the headquarters of the Israeli military's Galilee formation. Photo: REUTERS

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

https://www.thedailystar.net/news/world/israels-attack-on-palestine/news/us-lawmakers-advance-bill-sanction-icc-over-israel-probe-3627166

US lawmakers advance bill to sanction ICC over Israel probe

The International Criminal Court building is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, January 16, 2019. File Photo: Reuters/Piroschka van de Wouw

The US House of Representatives voted Tuesday to advance a largely symbolic bill calling for sanctions on the International Criminal Court after its prosecutor applied for an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Hague-based court's prosecutor has said Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant should be arrested on charges relating to the war in Gaza, along with three leaders of militant group Hamas.

The US House's Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act -- backed by almost every Republican and around a fifth of the Democrats -- would bar US entry for ICC officials involved with the case, revoking their visas and restricting any US-based property transactions.

"Today's vote draws a line in the sand for lawless action by ICC officials," Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement.

"The US firmly stands with Israel and refuses to allow international bureaucrats to baselessly issue arrest warrants to Israeli leadership for false crimes."

The legislation is considered a "messaging bill," however, as it is unlikely to be taken up by the Democratic-run Senate and could be vetoed in any case by President Joe Biden, who has said he "strongly opposes" it.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said last month he was seeking warrants for the two Israelis -- as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif -- on suspicions of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The ICC's 124 member states will ultimately decide whether to enforce any warrants issued by its judges. Neither Israel nor the United states are members.

While the White House has criticized the ICC, and Biden called the application for arrest warrants "outrageous," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said last week that sanctions were not "the right approach."

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller reaffirmed the policy on Tuesday, telling reporters ahead of the vote: "Our position as the administration is we don't support sanctions. We don't believe it is appropriate at this time."

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/west-has-double-standards-regarding-palestine-pm-3627126

West has double standards regarding Palestine: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday censured Western countries for their double standards towards innocent Palestinian people.

"Western countries are showing double standard regarding the Palestinians," she said. The prime minister said this while handing over a cheque of Tk 5 crore in aid of the Palestinian people.

Palestine Ambassador Yousef SY Ramadan received the cheque on behalf of his country at PM's official residence Ganabhaban. PM's speech writer M Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the call on.

Hasina said that Western countries always talk about human rights and education for all. "But they do not bother about the human rights violation of Palestinians, killing innocent people in there, they kept mum here," she said.

The prime minister appreciated the four NATO member countries who recently recognised Palestine as a state. She mentioned that people of Bangladesh have soft corner for the Palestinian people.

She said that people of Bangladesh could realise the pain and sufferings of the Palestinian people from their heart because in 1971 they had gone through same kind of situation.

"We had witnessed same kind of atrocities and killing of innocent people," she said. She recalled her own experience when she was in captivity in 1971 for nine months.

She also talked about her life in exile after the assassination of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. "So we could realise the pain and miseries of the Palestinian people," she said.

She mentioned that in every international forum across the globe she always expressed her concern for the Palestinian people. "In doing so I did not bother about anyone's red eyes," she said.

Ambassador Yousef Ramadan briefly described the miserable situation of his country due to the ongoing Israeli attacks. Ambassador-at-Large Mohammad Ziauddin and PM's Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah were among others present at the meeting.​

 

[Deleted due to Error (Muji Iqbal)]

Can Bangladesh push for two state solution based on 1947 borders.

United Nations Security Council should push for Two State Solution based on 1947 borders.

 

[Saif]

Netanyahu prolonging Gaza war: Biden

US president Joe Biden swiped at Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday, saying there was ‘every reason’ to conclude the Israeli prime minister...

www.newagebd.net

Netanyahu prolonging Gaza war: Biden
Agence France-Presse . Washington 04 June, 2024, 22:15

Joe Biden

US president Joe Biden swiped at Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday, saying there was 'every reason' to conclude the Israeli prime minister was dragging out the Gaza war to save himself politically.

Biden added that he had a 'major disagreement' with Netanyahu over the post-conflict future of Gaza, and said Israel had engaged in 'inappropriate' conduct during the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack.

More broadly, the 81-year-old pitched his case in the interview as better placed than election rival Donald Trump to secure the United States as 'the world power' on issues ranging from Ukraine to Taiwan and Gaza.

Speaking to Time days before his announcement of an Israeli proposal for a Gaza ceasefire deal that Netanyahu greeted coolly, Biden was asked if he believed the Israeli was dragging out the war for political self-preservation.

'There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion,' Biden replied. Biden admitted that he and Netanyahu, who have had tense relations as the death toll in Gaza has soared, were particularly at odds over the need to create a Palestinian state. 'My major disagreement with Netanyahu is, what happens after Gaza's over? What, what does it go back to? Do Israeli forces go back in?' said the Democrat.

'The answer is, if that's the case, it can't work.' The defence of Ukraine against Russia's invasion has been a cornerstone of Biden's foreign policy, and he argued he was better placed than Trump to continue that in a second term.

Biden said the Russian military had been 'freaking decimated' and added: 'Peace looks like making sure Russia never, never, never, never occupies Ukraine.'

He also lashed out at his Republican predecessor, who threatened to tear up longstanding US alliances and reached out to a number of authoritarian leaders while in power. 'All the bad guys are rooting for Trump, man,' Biden said.

'Name me a world leader other than Orban and Putin who think that Trump should be the world leader in the United States of America.'

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Can Bangladesh push for two state solution based on 1947 borders.

United Nations Security Council should push for Two State Solution based on 1947 borders.

Bangladesh has been pushing for two state solution based on 1967 border by discussing it with United Nation's big players already. Bangladesh has been giving diplomatic support to Palestinian authority to the fullest extent. But Saudi Arabia's dubious role in Palestinian issue is a cause of concern for Palestinians.