JaFaJ – Page 71

Turkish, Armenian officials talk over phone ‘more than 500 times’

August 13, 2022 / JaFaJ

Hurriyetdailynews.com – August 12, 2022

As part of the normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia, the officials of the two countries will meet in September to exchange views on technical issues, the daily Hürriyet reported.
As part of the normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia, the officials of the two countries will meet in September to exchange views on technical issues, the daily Hürriyet reported.

Officials from the ministries of transport, trade and foreign affairs of the two countries will discuss the technical aspects of the steps taken within the scope of the normalization process, according to sources.
After the last meeting of Special Representatives Ambassador Serdar Kılıç and Deputy Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Ruben Rubinyan in Vienna on July 1, an agreement was reached to launch direct air cargo transportation between the two countries and to open the land border to third country citizens. Within the framework of this agreement, it is planned to discuss the steps to be taken by the technical delegations and to draw up a road map.
Kılıç and Rubinyan, met once in Moscow and three times in Vienna, while the two have talked on the phone more than 500 times to date, according to the sources.
Türkiye and Armenia have not established diplomatic ties since the early 1990s after the latter gained independence. Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territories in Nagorno-Karabakh was the primary reason for Türkiye’s sealing of the borders with Armenia and not establishing normal ties with it.

The normalization process aims to allow the establishment of diplomatic ties, the opening of sealed borders, and starting of economic, trade and transportation projects between the two nations. As part of the confidence-building measures, Türkiye and Armenia resumed charter flights between Istanbul and Yerevan, while Armenia lifted an embargo on Turkish goods.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mizroyan came to Türkiye in March to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, where he held a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

Turkish, Armenian officials talk over phone ‘more than 500 times’ Read More »

A victorious Taliban is inspiring a new generation of Islamic extremists

August 13, 2022 / JaFaJ

The New York Post –
URL: https://nypost.com/2022/08/15/victorious-taliban-inspiring-a-new-gen-of-islamic-extremists/

By
Jonathan Schanzer

August 15, 2022 6:57pm

Taliban fighters hold their weapons as they celebrate one year since they seized the Afghan capital.AP/Ebrahim Noroozi

On May 15, 1989, the Soviet army withdrew from Afghanistan. The Soviets, who had been slugging it out for 10 years with Islamist fighters, finally threw in the towel. The withdrawal was immediately hailed as a significant victory by Afghanistan’s mujahideen.
The impact of the Soviet withdrawal was immediate. The Taliban soon emerged from the chaos of Afghanistan, forging an Islamist state. The nation became a safe haven for a number of extremist groups, include one forged by a mujahideen fighter named Osama bin Laden.
But the shockwaves were not limited to Afghanistan.

The Taliban marked the first-year anniversary of their takeover after the country’s western-backed government fled and the Afghan military crumbled. AP/Ebrahim Noroozi
A month later, a coup d’état brought to power a Muslim Brotherhood government in Sudan. Khartoum became a safe haven for terrorist groups around the world.
Nearby, Islamists organized themselves and secured electoral victories in Tunisia. Jordan experienced similar convulsions when the Islamic Action Front, a Muslim Brotherhood splinter faction, made significant electoral gains.
The Palestinian organization Hamas evolved alarmingly from a popular protest movement to a terrorist group dedicated to Israel’s destruction. A suicide bombing campaign soon followed. Meanwhile, violent protests and firebombing attacks inspired by an Iranian fatwa against author Salman Rushdie rocked Australia, Norway, India, France, Pakistan and the United States.

Iran-backed Islamic Jihad launched 1,000 rockets on Israel this month. AP/Adel Hana
Could President Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan last year create a similar domino effect? Could the propaganda victory the Taliban achieved in 2021 encourage Islamic extremism in other nations just like it did 32 years ago?

India for collective action to prevent LeT, JeM using Afghanistan for attacks – Hindustan Times

August 13, 2022 / JaFaJ

India for collective action to prevent LeT, JeM using Afghanistan for attacks Hindustan Times

India for collective action to prevent LeT, JeM using Afghanistan for attacks – Hindustan Times Read More »

Afghan women are refusing to remain silent one year after the Taliban takeover

August 13, 2022 / JaFaJ

Published: August 10, 2022 1.08pm EDT – The Conversation – theconversation.com

Authors

Homa Hoodfar
Professor of Anthropology, Emerita, Concordia University

Mona Tajali
Associate Professor of International Relations and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Agnes Scott College

On Aug. 15, it will be a year since the Taliban’s forceful takeover of Afghanistan for a second time.

In the past year, we have witnessed a rapid return to the religious conservative rule and violation of women’s rights that many Afghans experienced during 1996-2001. As feared, the Taliban have reversed various past accomplishments in terms of women’s and girls’ rights, including limiting women’s access to employment, education, political representation and even freedom of movement.
Violence against women and girls has also been on the rise, while the Taliban ignore all international standards on human rights that many worked hard to ratify and make part of national law over the last two decades.

What women demand
But Afghan women, whether inside the country or those who have been forced to flee since August 2021, have refused to remain silent in the face of these attacks on their rights.
As members of the Women Living Under Muslim Laws network, we’ve spoken to women activists, leaders and former politicians who are now in exile in countries that range from Canada to Germany and Greece. We have learned about the continued struggle for women’s rights in Afghanistan and their diverse strategies of resistance.
Despite their political differences, many of the women are committed to building a unified front against the Taliban and their conservative stance on women’s rights, democracy and human rights.
One Afghan woman activist and former politician told us:
“At this unfortunate stage of our history, we have two main objectives: to support the women’s opposition inside Afghanistan, and to develop a unified message for the international community not to show any inclination of accepting the Taliban.”
Despite dealing with the trauma of the return of the Taliban and their own sudden displacement, many of these women continue to view themselves as representatives of Afghan women.

Afghan women walk through a market as a Taliban fighter stands guard in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan, in May 2022. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

They have been networking with other women and women’s groups, and collectively lobbying the international community to take action on Afghan women’s rights.
These efforts are a continuation of women’s work from within Afghanistan, where thanks to a constitutionally mandated gender quota adopted in 2004, at least 27 per cent of the parliamentary seats were reserved for women. This created a critical mass of women in high-level office.
Another woman activist told us:
“The parliamentary quotas opened the door to politics for us and gave us the confidence to view ourselves as equal and right-bearing citizens, at least legally. This was an important shift from the Taliban era as they viewed women more as a menace than a person.”
The opening of public life to women as members of civil society, government and parliament changed Afghanistan, and women are determined not to let these accomplishments slip away.
Three areas of focus
Those in exile are focusing their activism around three major concerns:

Supporting women and pro-democracy forces inside the country.
Ensuring that the international community and major western powers do not recognize the anti-democratic and extremist Taliban as a legitimate government and ignore their atrocities against women, minorities and civil society organizers.
Continuing to hold the international community accountable to its promises of human rights, peace, and security, particularly at a time when there is less global attention on the Taliban in Afghanistan and their human rights violations.

Women in exile have come together and formed groups and created political platforms, and work hard to raise international awareness of the Taliban’s rule.
As part of these efforts, they issue public statements, participate in media interviews, write articles and organize seminars and webinars to articulate their demands and discuss relevant political developments in Afghanistan.
They tirelessly lobby the international community and western powers, urging them not to overlook women’s rights in Afghanistan for their own political expediency. They’ve also formed alliances with peace and human right activists in the various countries where they reside.

Afghan women chant during a protest in Kabul, Afghanistan in December 2021. (AP Photo/Mohammed Shoaib Amin)

Weaponizing Islam
A central worry the women have shared with us is the possibility that western governments might find it convenient to gloss over the Taliban’s harsh rule and grant them legitimacy.
The women point out that any tolerance of the Taliban’s so-called Islamic rule will have negative implications for other religious fundamentalist groups in the region and beyond.
To show how the Taliban have weaponized Islam for their own gain, many Afghan women leaders are working to remind the international community that few Muslim-majority countries, including highly conservative Saudi Arabia, have such draconian anti-women policies.
Highlighting the un-Islamic nature of the Taliban’s rule has been a key tactic of women’s activism in exile, often in collaboration with other women’s rights groups and movements that raise awareness of the dangers of religious fundamentalist rule on women’s rights. That includes our network, Women Living Under Muslim Laws.
These women activists from Afghanistan know the important impact that the United Nations, the European Union and other international organizations could have on Afghanistan’s current political turmoil. Consequently, they’ve been lobbying these bodies, reminding them to abide by their own human rights standards.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the launch of the U.S.-Afghan Consultative Mechanism with Rina Amiri, the U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, in July 2022 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Calling out injustices
Women are currently urging the UN against renewing a travel ban exemption for members of the Taliban that was originally issued to the group’s leadership to allow international talks in support of Afghan reconciliation and peace.
The women have been calling out the grave injustice that allows the Taliban to travel internationally in pursuit of their political goals, while women inside Afghanistan have been deprived of the right to go to school, visit health centres or to simply leave their homes.
With the war in Ukraine and the distraction of the public away from Afghanistan, governments are rolling back their promises to the Afghan people living under Taliban rule.
The Canadian government, despite its stated commitment to human rights and feminist policies and its public pledge to help Afghans who had worked with the Canadian government, is closing its special program for Afghanistan.
Many Afghans view this as a betrayal, while many Canadians regard it as being at odds with Canada’s humanitarian values.
On the anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, it’s time to redirect our attention to the country and listen to those who are well-positioned to advise us on strategies to bring peace, security, gender equality, human rights and democracy to Afghanistan: its women activists and leaders.

Afghan women are refusing to remain silent one year after the Taliban takeover Read More »

One year after Taliban takeover, Afghan women are still resisting curbs on their rights

August 13, 2022 / JaFaJ

The opening of public life to women as members of civil society, government and parliament changed the country. Women are determined not to let that slip away.

August 12, 2022

Afghan women’s rights defenders and civil activists protest to call on the Taliban for the preservation of their achievements and education, in front of the presidential palace in Kabul. | Stringer/Reuters

On August 15, it will be a year since the Taliban’s forceful takeover of Afghanistan for a second time.
In the past year, we have witnessed a rapid return to the religious conservative rule and violation of women’s rights that many Afghans experienced during 1996-2001. As feared, the Taliban have reversed various past accomplishments in terms of women’s and girls’ rights, including limiting women’s access to employment, education, political representation and even freedom of movement.

Violence against women and girls has also been on the rise, while the Taliban ignore all international standards on human rights that many worked hard to ratify and make part of national law over the last two decades.

What women demand
But Afghan women, whether inside the country or those who have been forced to flee since August 2021, have refused to remain silent in the face of these attacks on their rights.
As members of the Women Living Under Muslim Laws network, we’ve spoken to women activists, leaders and former politicians who are now in exile in countries that range from Canada to Germany and Greece. We have learned about the continued struggle for women’s rights in Afghanistan and their diverse strategies of resistance.
Despite their political differences, many of the women are committed to building a unified front against the Taliban and their conservative stance on women’s rights, democracy and human rights.

One Afghan woman activist and former politician told us:
“At this unfortunate stage of our history, we have two main objectives: to support the women’s opposition inside Afghanistan, and to develop a unified message for the international community not to show any inclination of accepting the Taliban.”
Despite dealing with the trauma of the return of the Taliban and their own sudden displacement, many of these women continue to view themselves as representatives of Afghan women.
They have been networking with other women and women’s groups, and collectively lobbying the international community to take action on Afghan women’s rights.
These efforts are a continuation of women’s work from within Afghanistan, where thanks to a constitutionally mandated gender quota adopted in 2004, at least 27 per cent of the parliamentary seats were reserved for women. This created a critical mass of women in high-level office.
Another woman activist told us:
“The parliamentary quotas opened the door to politics for us and gave us the confidence to view ourselves as equal and right-bearing citizens, at least legally. This was an important shift from the Taliban era as they viewed women more as a menace than a person.”
The opening of public life to women as members of civil society, government and parliament changed Afghanistan, and women are determined not to let these accomplishments slip away.

Three areas of focus
Those in exile are focusing their activism around three major concerns:

Women in exile have come together and formed groups and created political platforms, and work hard to raise international awareness of the Taliban’s rule.

As part of these efforts, they issue public statements, participate in media interviews, write articles and organize seminars and webinars to articulate their demands and discuss relevant political developments in Afghanistan.
They tirelessly lobby the international community and western powers, urging them not to overlook women’s rights in Afghanistan for their own political expediency. They’ve also formed alliances with peace and human right activists in the various countries where they reside.
Weaponising Islam
A central worry the women have shared with us is the possibility that western governments might find it convenient to gloss over the Taliban’s harsh rule and grant them legitimacy.
The women point out that any tolerance of the Taliban’s so-called Islamic rule will have negative implications for other religious fundamentalist groups in the region and beyond.

To show how the Taliban have weaponised Islam for their own gain, many Afghan women leaders are working to remind the international community that few Muslim-majority countries, including highly conservative Saudi Arabia, have such draconian anti-women policies.
Highlighting the un-Islamic nature of the Taliban’s rule has been a key tactic of women’s activism in exile, often in collaboration with other women’s rights groups and movements that raise awareness of the dangers of religious fundamentalist rule on women’s rights. That includes our network, Women Living Under Muslim Laws.
These women activists from Afghanistan know the important impact that the United Nations, the European Union and other international organizations could have on Afghanistan’s current political turmoil. Consequently, they’ve been lobbying these bodies, reminding them to abide by their own human rights standards.

The women have been calling out the grave injustice that allows the Taliban to travel internationally in pursuit of their political goals, while women inside Afghanistan have been deprived of the right to go to school, visit health centres or to simply leave their homes.
With the war in Ukraine and the distraction of the public away from Afghanistan, governments are rolling back their promises to the Afghan people living under Taliban rule.
The Canadian government, despite its stated commitment to human rights and feminist policies and its public pledge to help Afghans who had worked with the Canadian government, is closing its special program for Afghanistan.
Many Afghans view this as a betrayal, while many Canadians regard it as being at odds with Canada’s humanitarian values.
On the anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, it’s time to redirect our attention to the country and listen to those who are well-positioned to advise us on strategies to bring peace, security, gender equality, human rights and democracy to Afghanistan: its women activists and leaders.
This article first appeared on The Conversation.

One year after Taliban takeover, Afghan women are still resisting curbs on their rights Read More »

Former Khashoggi lawyer Asim Ghafoor leaves UAE after jail term overturned

August 13, 2022 / JaFaJ

Ghafoor ordered to pay $1.36m fine before leaving
United Arab Emirates after being convicted of money laundering

Asim Ghafoor, who helped set up a human rights group with Khashoggi, had been transiting through Dubai en route to Istanbul for a family wedding when he was detained (AFP)
By
MEE staff

Published date: 13 August 2022 – Middleeasteye.net

Asim Ghafoor, the former lawyer of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has left the United Arab Emirates after a prison sentence against him was overturned.
Ghafoor’s representative, Faisal Gill, told AFP on Saturday that the US lawyer would return to the United States after paying a five million dirham ($1.36m) fine.
“He’s on his way to the US,” Gill said, adding that he was not facing any charges in the US.

US congresswoman calls on UAE to release detained Khashoggi lawyer Asim Ghafoor

Ghafoor, who helped to set up a human rights group with Khashoggi, had been transiting through Dubai en route to Istanbul for a family wedding when he was detained.
The UAE’s official WAM news agency said the Abu Dhabi Money Laundering and Tax Evasion Court upheld Ghafoor’s conviction and accused him of “money laundering crimes linked to a US-based tax evasion operation”.
The court in the UAE lifted the three-year prison term and ordered Ghafoor to pay a $1.36m fine and for the $4.9m in his account to be confiscated, lawyer Habib al-Mulla told Reuters on Wednesday.
His lawyer rejected the charges of tax evasion and illegal money transfers, the Associated Press reported. His supporters insist he had no opportunity to defend himself against the charges and describe his trial and conviction as unjust.
Earlier this month, the UAE embassy in Washington said Emirati authorities had determined Ghafoor committed tax evasion and money laundering by moving at least $4.9m in international transfers through the country’s banking system.
Emirati authorities said they had investigated Ghafoor at the request of the US. The State Department, however, said Washington had not ordered Ghafoor’s detention. The Justice Department declined requests to comment.
Ghafoor, a US and civil rights lawyer, is a board member of the Democracy for the Arab World Now group, founded by Khashoggi, which is heavily critical of the authoritarian UAE.
The lawyer’s website states that Ghafoor had previously defended businesspeople, charity leaders and institutions accused of involvement in the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

Former Khashoggi lawyer Asim Ghafoor leaves UAE after jail term overturned Read More »

American Lawyer Is Released From Detention in U.A.E.

August 13, 2022 / JaFaJ

Asim Ghafoor, who was convicted of financial crimes, was freed from a
monthlong detention in Dubai after paying a $1.36 million fine.

Asim Ghafoor (Left) in 2008 in Washington, where he works. He had been detained in the United Arab Emirates since mid-July.Credit…Doug Mills/The New York Times

By John Yoon

Aug. 13, 2022, 3:25 a.m. ET
New York Times

Asim Ghafoor, an American lawyer detained in the United Arab Emirates since mid-July, was released early Saturday, concluding an effort by members of Congress and Muslim advocacy groups to free him. They had raised concerns that he was being politically targeted because of his ties to Jamal Khashoggi, the murdered Saudi journalist.
The Emirates had detained Mr. Ghafoor in July after convicting him in absentia of money laundering and tax evasion. He had been at the airport in Dubai awaiting a flight to Istanbul. His sentence was three years, to be followed by deportation, in addition to a fine of $1.36 million and confiscation of the money the court said he had transferred illegally through the country: about $4.9 million.
But an Emirati court revoked his jail term on Wednesday after Mr. Ghafoor appealed, though it upheld his conviction.

Mr. Ghafoor’s lawyer, Faisal Mahmood Gill, said on Saturday that he had been released after paying the fine and was on a flight back to the United States. Mr. Ghafoor is currently not the target of any investigation and will return to practicing law, Mr. Gill added.

“We were not happy to see he was detained in the first place,” Mr. Gill said in a phone interview, “but we’re happy that they freed him.”
Mr. Ghafoor had been held since July 14 at Dubai International Airport. The United Arab Emirates said it had convicted him based on the findings of an investigation into him it had opened at the United States’ request, though the State Department said the United States had not asked for his arrest.
Mr. Ghafoor, who lives in Virginia and works in Washington, had helped set up a human rights group with Mr. Khashoggi, the Saudi columnist for The Washington Post who was murdered in 2018 by Saudi agents in Turkey. He sits on the board of an advocacy group that Mr. Khashoggi founded and has been critical of the United Arab Emirates over its record of prosecuting and imprisoning dissidents.
Mr. Ghafoor’s supporters have said that in addition to the case possibly being politically motivated, he had been denied due process and was unaware of the charges before being detained.

The Emirates has insisted the case was purely about money laundering, and the State Department has said there was no indication that his arrest is connected to his work with Mr. Khashoggi.

American Lawyer Is Released From Detention in U.A.E. Read More »

Head of the Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi: To prevent abuse or persecution of the coalition in support of legitimacy led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE

August 13, 2022 / JaFaJ

by Ayaz Ahmet
August 14, 2022
in World

www.habertusba.com

The Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee approved the appointment of Brigadier General Fayez Mansour Saeed Qahtan as commander of the second military region in Hadramout and his promotion to the rank of major general.

This became known at a meeting of the chairman of the presidential leadership council with the speaker and members of the Presidium of the House of Representatives and heads of parliamentary committees.
According to the official news agency Saba, which today, Saturday, President Dr. Rashad Muhammad al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, met with a member of the Presidential Leadership Council, Aidarus Al-Zubaidi, Speaker of Parliament, Sheikh Sultan. Al-Barakani, members of the Presidium of the Council and heads of parliamentary committees.
The meeting discussed the latest developments in the national arena and ongoing preparations for holding parliament sessions in the temporary capital of Aden.
At the meeting, the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Speaker and members of the House of Representatives spoke about local developments and reforms carried out by the Council in the service and institutional sectors, including financial and oversight aspects.
The Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council confirmed that the Council, in close cooperation with the government, continues to implement the transition tasks included in the announcement of the transfer of power, despite great challenges at various levels.
In this context, the President mentioned the measures taken to strengthen the control role of state structures, eliminate disproportions, fight corruption, and work to normalize security and service conditions in the liberated provinces.
Among these measures, he mentioned the council’s directives to the government to reorganize the Supreme Tender Committee and the High Authority for Tender Control and strengthen its role in various provinces, as well as ongoing measures to restructure the High Authority for Combating Corruption. and work to rationalize resources and increase non-oil revenues.
He also referred to decisions related to the reform of the judiciary, especially the reform of the Supreme Judicial Council and the Supreme Court, and auxiliary judicial departments, including the appointment of the first woman in the judiciary, as a way of supporting broad public participation, strengthening the presence and prestige of the state and the rule of law.
The Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council praised the joint efforts of the government and local authorities to maintain the relative stability of the national currency, the prices of basic goods and services for electricity generation, especially in the temporary capital of Aden, and to provide alternative sources for grain imports, as part of the unremitting efforts to alleviate human suffering in the country.
He stressed that strengthening the security and stability of the provisional capital of Aden and the liberated provinces will remain a top priority, starting with the formation of a security and defense committee, unification and integration of the armed forces under the ministries of defense and interior, in addition to the formation of a committee to unify the intelligence services and who are engaged in the fight against terrorism, to address the growing problems in this regard.
The Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council reaffirmed the council’s cohesion and commitment to a consensus and unity approach to face the urgent challenges and rally around the goal of restoring the state and ending the Iranian regime-backed Houthi militia coup. .
In this context, the President reaffirmed the Council’s commitment not to engage in inter-conflict situations with units of the military and security forces and national forces that reject the coup d’état project, but to work to overcome differences and direct weapons against the common enemy.
He also stressed that the brothers in the coalition in support of legitimacy led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who deserve all praise, appreciation and pride for their sacrifices and brave brotherly stance at various stages, should not be allowed to be abused or persecuted. .

Head of the Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi: To prevent abuse or persecution of the coalition in support of legitimacy led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE Read More »

India and Tunisia: Dancing in Democracy!

August 13, 2022 / JaFaJ

Tunisian leaders have expressed appreciation for India’s democracy and its founders such as Mahatma Gandhi and have acknowledged the experience of India’s freedom struggle as an inspiration for their country

August 13, 2022 | Prof Dr D K Giri
www.brighterkashmire.com

Elections in India turn into festivity for citizens across the country, wherever campaigning by political parties takes place. Indian media characterizes activities around elections as the ‘dance of democracy’. This is perhaps in order as India is known globally for sustaining her democratic politics despite many challenges in other sectors – social, economic, developmental etc. Since the Arab Spring protests in December 2010 that heralded a wave of transitions to democracy across Middle-East, several dictatorial regimes were pulled down. Tunisia has been the epicentre of the Arab Spring, which is also called the Jasmine Revolution.
The origin of the Arab Spring could be traced to an incident in Tunisia when a fruit vendor was harassed by the city government officials. The poor fruit vendor, a 27-year-old Ṭāriq aṭ-Ṭayib Muḥammad al-Būʿazīzī had borrowed money to set up his stall and was completely unable to pay the extortion money (bribe) demanded by the officials. In exasperation, he set himself on fire on 17 December 2010 in Ben Arous, Tunisia, which became a catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring against dictatorial regimes across the region.
In Tunisia itself, the protests led to the fall of the 23-year regime of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Ben Ali ruling since 1987 had to flee the country in the mass uprising. Infact, Tunisia was the only country that experienced a successful transition from dictatorship to democracy. The protests had spread like forest fire to other Arab countries – Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria. The other notable casualty of the revolution was the fall of the 30-year-long dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt although the revolution did not sustain long in that country. Two years later, in 2013, the military seized power by toppling the elected government of President Mohammed Morsi, the leader of a party called Muslim Brotherhood.
In other Arab countries that were engulfed by the flames of the Arab Spring, the protest resulted in various unanticipated outcomes. Libya slipped into a civil war, saw the fall of Gaddhafi regime, and later chaos and confusion continue to haunt the country. In Bahrain, the protest was crushed by the troops sent by Saudi Arabia in support of the Sunni monarchy that ruled over the Shiah majority. In Yemen, following the resignation of the President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Shia Houthi rebels took over. But the country has been under attack by Saudis. In Syria, protests turned into a proxy civil war with President Bashar al-Assad and his opponents backed by their respective international supporters.
Back to Tunisia, the 2014 Constitution, emerging out of political churning, in the wake of Jasmine revolution, provided for sharing of power between the President and the Prime Minister who is to be backed by the majority in the Parliament. Both the President and Parliament were to be directly elected by the people. However, the election of the Islamist Ennahda Party upset the progressive and secular forces. The politics remained divided. The country had as many as nine governments between 2011 and 2021. The economy was in a bad shape, made worse by Covid-19 pandemic which caused one of the highest per capita global death rates in Tunisia. In the face of such economic and healthcare crises, people rose in revolt again in July last year.
In order to quell the unrest, President of Tunisia, Kais Saied sacked the Prime Minister Hichem Mechich and suspended Parliament, plunging Tunisia into a constitutional crisis. Remember, under the 2014 Constitution, such crises should be settled by a Constitutional court. Since the court was not constituted yet, the President took advantage and assumed all the powers; appointed a new Prime Minister, dissolved the suspended Parliament earlier this year, and planned to re-write the Constitution, allowing more powers to him. Despite his promise that the spirit of Jasmine revolution consisting of bread, liberty and dignity will be retained, the proposed new Constitution converts Tunisian politics into a Presidential form, reducing the powers of the Parliament.
According to the new provisions, the President will have ultimate power to form the government, to appoint ministers without Parliament’s approval, appoint judges and formulate legislations. Worse, the President cannot be removed by the law-makers. Over the year, the President alone is practically running the country without the essential checks on his powers. The international observers suggest that the unchecked Presidential powers would return Tunisia to an autocratic constitutional order. However, the indications coming from Tunisia point to the President on a slippery slop as he receives scanty support from the public.
The current challenge in Tunisia in consolidating its democratic gains after the revolution,gives the scope for a deeper diplomatic interaction with India which is, internationally, especially in the South of the world, known for its strong democratic credentials. In addition to usual trade and commerce, political collaboration in mutual interest among the countries is also in order. The internationally accepted premise is that political developments within a country fall under the concepts of ‘national sovereignty’ and ‘right to self-determination’. But these concepts have been debunked as many individual countries struggle for peace, justice, freedom and human rights all enshrined in the philosophy and practice of democracy. A country and its people may need those political inputs and support from another country in order to build and enhance progressive political institutions and practices.
India has maintained cordial and friendly relations with Tunisia since establishment of diplomatic contact in 1958. Tunisian leaders have expressed appreciation for India’s democracy and its founders such as Mahatma Gandhi and have acknowledged the experience of India’s freedom struggle as an inspiration for their country. Several high-level visits have taken place since then. Even in the post-revolution Tunisia, visits at high level from both countries have taken place. Mechanisms for bilateral consultations exist between the two countries. They are mainly; Foreign Office Consultations (FOCs), Joint Commissions and Joint Working Groups.
There are several other bilateral cooperations in multiple sectors. To cite some of them, India-Tunisia Cooperation in Science and Technology started in October 1995. Cooperation under India-Africa Forum has provided for support from the Indian Scientific Community on the specific problems of the African Continent. One such agency to receive support is in Tunisia called Institute Pasteur of Tunis (IPT) which has a close cooperation with the International Centre of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) of New Delhi. Furthermore, India offers scholarships and training slots for Tunisian scholars and officials.
India and Tunisia also have considerable bilateral trade, India accounting for around 50 per cent of Tunisia’s global phosphoric acid exports. Quite a few Indian companies are active there. Export potential to Tunisia is growing in sectors like pharmaceuticals, vehicles, renewable energy, software and services. There is a considerable exchange in the field of culture. Indian artists have performed in Tunisia and artisans from Tunisia have participated in trade fairs in India. International Day of Yoga has been celebrated in Tunis.
To conclude, India needs to deepen its political contacts with Tunisia, the only country which has tried to embrace the spirit of Arab Spring and has been building the democratic edifice.

India and Tunisia: Dancing in Democracy! Read More »

Palestinians demand elections as discontent with leadership grows

August 12, 2022 / JaFaJ

PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS: Abdel Kareem Salameh: “The people want change. These are the initial signs of a revolt against the Palestinian leadership.”

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Published: AUGUST 5, 2022 11:45 – The Jerusalem Post

PALESTINIAN LAWYERS protest against the Palestinian Authority’s rule by decree and demand a return to normal parliamentary lawmaking, in Ramallah last week.
(photo credit: MOHAMAD TOROKMAN/REUTERS)

Hundreds of Palestinian political activists and academics are preparing a petition to demand that the Palestinian Authority leadership hold general elections without delay.

The new petition, which will be announced in the coming weeks, reflects the widespread discontent with the Ramallah-based leadership. It also reflects the acute crisis that the PA leadership has been facing in recent weeks in light of protests by lawyers, engineers and teachers and the increased activities of gunmen in the northern West Bank.

The demand for holding new elections comes more than a year after PA President Mahmoud Abbas called off the parliamentary and presidential elections, which were supposed to have taken place in May and July 2021.

Although the 87-year-old Abbas cited Israel’s refusal to allow the elections to take place in Jerusalem, many Palestinians argue that the real reason he called off the elections was his fear of losing the vote to his rivals in Hamas. He does not want to see his fragmented Fatah faction suffer another humiliation, similar to the one in 2006, when Hamas won the parliamentary election.

“The Palestinian situation is complicated, and it is getting more complicated every day,” Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative and a former presidential candidate, told the Palestinian website Safa. “We are now working, together with a large group of personalities and parties, on an initiative to issue a document, signed by thousands of people, calling for holding general elections without delay.”
“We are now working, together with a large group of personalities and parties, on an initiative to issue a document, signed by thousands of people, calling for holding general elections without delay.”
Mustafa Barghouti

Palestinians take part in a rally demanding President Mahmoud Abbas to hold elections on planned time, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank April 29, 2021 (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMAD TOROKMAN)
According to Barghouti, the main purpose of the new initiative is to emphasize the principle of democratic partnership and a unified national leadership.

“Now is the time for people to regain their right to democracy and elections,” he said. “If the people do not see a democratic way to obtain their rights, they will resort to violence, and this is what we are witnessing recently.”

Barghouti’s new campaign came days after a similar move by Nasser al-Kidwa, a former PA foreign minister, who was expelled from the ruling Fatah faction last year after announcing his intention to run in the parliamentary elections on a separate list.

Kidwa, a nephew of former PLO leader Yasser Arafat, launched his campaign under the title “National Rescue Initiative” with the aim of pressuring the PA leadership to endorse major reforms and changes in the Palestinian political system and institutions. Dozens of Palestinian figures have signed on to Kidwa’s initiative.

“We present this initiative over one year after the cancellation of the presidential and legislative elections and the insistence in February this year on the convening of the PLO Central Council in a manner that was legally and politically flawed,” read a statement issued by Kidwa and his team.

“Amid the continued severe deterioration of all aspects of Palestinian life, which has been met with political complacency, this initiative is an effort at preventing imminent collapse. We seek to push toward a national mobilization that can effect deep, extensive change to the Palestinian political system and rebuild its institutions, with the aim of empowering our people to confront the massive and national existential threats that we face.”

The initiatives by Barghouti and Kidwa are seen by Palestinian political analysts as a direct challenge to Abbas and the PA leadership’s authoritarian rule.

Is Mahmoud Abbas worried?
So far, however, Abbas and his top aides don’t seem to be worried at all by the calls for reforms and elections. Nor do they seem to be concerned about the possibility of an uprising against them.

The Palestinian security forces remain loyal to the PA and in control of the situation, and there are no signs that this is about to change anytime in the near future.

“The people behind these initiatives are saying enough is enough,” said political analyst Abdel Kareem Salameh. “The people want change; they are saying that they don’t agree with the way President Abbas and those around him are managing the affairs of the Palestinians. These are the initial signs of a revolt against the Palestinian leadership.”

Encroachment on the judicial system
The PA leadership has in recent weeks been facing an unprecedented protest by hundreds of Palestinian lawyers against Abbas’s “encroachment” on the judicial system, Salameh pointed out.

The lawyers are opposed to Abbas’s moves to create laws or amendments through “presidential decrees” in the absence of the Palestinian parliament, the Palestinian Legislative Council, which has been paralyzed since 2007, when Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip.

Abbas’s decrees are seen by Palestinian legal experts and human rights activists as another sign of his disregard for the independence of the judicial system and the interests of the Palestinian people.

The lawyers are now threatening to step up their protests in the coming days, a move that would effectively paralyze the entire judiciary and pave the way for more scenes of anarchy and lawlessness in the West Bank.

In addition to the lawyers, unions representing Palestinian engineers and teachers have also launched their own protests, accusing the PA government of failure to implement agreements to improve their work conditions and raise their salaries.

The protests of the lawyers, engineers and teachers, however, are not the only challenge facing the Palestinian leadership.

The main problems: Abbas’s absolute control, anarchy and lawlessness
For many Palestinians, the main problem remains Abbas’s absolute control of the decision-making process and his refusal to share powers with others. In addition, many Palestinians are worried about the anarchy and lawlessness in their communities.

Abbas’s recent decision to appoint his top confidant, Hussein al-Sheikh, to the post of secretary-general of the PLO Executive Committee has infuriated not only his longtime political opponents, but several senior officials of Fatah. These veteran officials see the decision as an attempt on the part of Abbas to pave the way for the 61-year-old Sheikh to become the next PA president.

“In the past few years, the Palestinian Authority has been run by three people only,” said a veteran Fatah official who previously served as a cabinet minister. “In addition to Abbas and Hussein al-Sheikh, the head of the General Intelligence Service, Majed Faraj, has also emerged as a dominant and influential actor in the Palestinian political arena. Many people are challenging the trio’s right to represent them.”

Meanwhile, the security situation on the ground, especially in the northern West Bank, appears to have compounded the challenges facing Abbas and the PA leadership.

In the largest cities there, Nablus and Jenin, there is a feeling that the PA has lost control due to the increased activities and presence of gunmen belonging to Fatah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Abbas is reluctant to rein in the armed groups, because he knows that he would face a backlash from the Palestinian public. He is already facing sharp criticism for refusing to implement resolutions of Fatah and PLO institutions to halt the security coordination and suspend all signed agreements with Israel. He can’t afford to be seen as a subcontractor for the Israeli Defense Ministry’s war on terrorism.

Abbas knows he and his policies are disliked
ABBAS IS undoubtedly aware of the widespread resentment against him and his policies.

In the past few days, an online campaign calling on him to step down has resurfaced, with many Palestinians accusing him of “collaboration” with Israel, cracking down on political opponents, corruption and imposing economic sanctions on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

He is also undoubtedly aware of recent public opinion polls that show that an overwhelming majority of Palestinians want him to resign.

The recent shooting attack against former Hamas minister Nasser al-Shaer in the village of Kafr Kallil near Nablus has reinforced the feeling that the PA security forces are losing control of the situation. Hamas claims that the attack, which left Shaer moderately wounded in the legs, was carried out by Fatah members who are linked to the PA security services.

The attack is seen by many Palestinians in the context of the PA’s effort to silence its critics and deter others from speaking out against Abbas and the top brass of the Palestinian leadership.

Blame Israel for everything
The PA leadership, meanwhile, continues to hold Israel solely responsible for the security and political crises. In a meeting with US Congress members in Ramallah this week, PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh again accused Israel of systematically sabotaging the two-state solution through its actions on the ground.

“We will continue to work to break the fait accompli that Israel is trying to impose on our land and our people,” Shtayyeh said, totally ignoring the challenges facing the PA leadership from its political opponents and the armed gangs in the northern West Bank.

“The Palestinian leadership continues to bury its head in the sand,” remarked another political analyst. “Most people are no longer interested in the talk about a two-state solution, because they realize it won’t work. That’s why they are now focusing their attention and efforts on the need to fix all the problems at home. The people want elections, democracy and an end to the chaos and lawlessness. If the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah does not wake up, we may soon see a popular rebellion against Abbas.”

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