Author: Steven Sahiounie

Ahead of a possible UN Security Council vote, China on Monday called for an end to opposition to Palestine’s accession to the world body. Extending support to the UN General Assembly’s latest resolution over Palestine, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Beijing urges “relevant countries not to continue to stand in opposition to the international community’s moral and human conscience.” China urged countries “not to further obstruct resolutions on Palestine’s accession to the UN,” said Wang. Beijing’s renewed support for Palestinian statehood comes after the UN General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly endorsed a resolution calling for the reevaluation of…

While presented to the world as a humanitarian effort, the US-led ‘Maritime Corridor’ in Gaza is a strategic maneuver aimed at consolidating US and Israeli control over land and sea. By: Suat Delgen Israel’s brutal military assault on Gaza, which has killed over 35,000 civilians, predominantly women and children, has been executed alongside the denial of humanitarian aid since the war’s onset last October. With cases of famine already in evidence, Tel Aviv’s utter disregard of the recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling demanding immediate access to aid, and Washington’s veto of UN Security Council resolutions advocating for a…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Dozens of Palestinians were killed across Gaza as Israeli warplanes and artillery attacked overnight, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s order to seize the Rafah border crossing in Gaza.Israeli warplanes dropped leaflets in eastern Rafah telling people to flee and move to what Israel called a humanitarian zone to the north, as the Israeli military bombarded the area.Israel has told Gazans to move to a coastal section of Gaza for months. But the UN has said it is neither safe nor equipped to receive them. Rafah, a city of around 170,000 before the war,…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken explained on ABC News’ This Week that the US has temporarily halted a shipment of 3,500 bombs, made up of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs, to “Israel”, allegedly for concerns that they would potentially be used in Rafah, where approximately 1.4 million Palestinians were forcefully displaced to under the pretext of a “safe zone”. Blinken claimed that this suspension is specific to this shipment and is based on the absence of a credible Israeli plan to protect Palestinians in Rafah. He also reiterated US President Joe Biden’s commitment to supporting “Israel’s” right to “defend itself”, noting that further restrictions…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday lauded Hamas’ step towards a lasting peace agreement, criticizing the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for attacks on civilians in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. “Hamas has taken a truly critical step towards a permanent cease-fire. The response of the Netanyahu administration, however, was to attack the innocents in Rafah,” said Erdogan during his speech at the World Muslim Scholars Consultation Summit in Istanbul. “We have seen that those who call themselves as a ‘land of freedom’ suddenly have diverted to fascism when Israel’s interests are at stake,” he added.…

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met a delegation of US Congress members on Sunday during their visit to Doha. The visitors were Democrats Salud Carbajal, Ami Bera and Juan Vargas (California) and Derek Kilmer (Washington) and Republicans Dave Joyce (Ohio) and Lance Gooden (Texas), the Qatar News Agency reported. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen relations between Qatar and the US, strategic cooperation in various sectors, and regional and global developments. The talks came a day after Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani spoke to UN Secretary-General Antonio…

Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa, met with a delegation from the World Bank, headed by Managing Director of Operations Anna Bjerde, during which they stressed the importance of coordinating relief efforts in Gaza and the West Bank with all partners to make maximum use of all available resources. During a meeting at the premier’s office in Ramallah, Mustafa highlighted the need for the World Bank and international partners to work side by side with the government in light of the difficult circumstances inflicted by the continued illegal Israeli occupation’s deductions from the Palestinian clearance funds and the deteriorating economic conditions resulting…

As Palestinians remembered the iconic, late Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, on the second anniversary of her killing by Israeli forces, her family announced that a new foundation to honor her legacy is officially launched, as confirmed by Lina Abu Akleh, niece of the slain reporter. “Our family has established the Shireen Abu Akleh Foundation to honor her legacy,” the 27-year-old activist said in a post on X. “Your support would go towards helping build the next generation of journalists across the globe.” “As we mark two years since the killing of #ShireenAbuAkleh, her family established a foundation to preserve her legacy. It…

Egypt has announced its intention to officially intervene in support of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday. The ministry stated that Egypt’s decision to intervene in the lawsuit comes in light of the escalating severity and scope of Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. “These attacks include deliberate targeting of civilians, infrastructure destruction, forced displacement, and creating unbearable living conditions, leading to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza. These actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, humanitarian law, and…

Australia voted on Friday with the overwhelming majority of the U.N. General Assembly in backing the resolution that would effectively recognise a Palestinian state. It recommended the Security Council “reconsider the matter favorably” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Saturday the country’s support for a Palestinian bid to become a full United Nations member was part of building momentum to secure peace in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Australia voted on Friday with the overwhelming majority of the U.N. General Assembly in backing the resolution that would effectively recognise a Palestinian state. It recommended the Security Council “reconsider the…