CAIR CONDEMNS ISRAELI SETTLER’S DESECRATION OF QURANS
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on June 23 condemned an Israeli settler’s desecration of a copy of the Qur’ān, during recent attacks on Palestinian civilians. That settler is shown on video leaving a mosque in the Palestinian village of Orif. In the video, the man is shown ripping pages out of the Qur’ān and throwing them on the ground while other masked attackers looked on. In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director NihadAwad said: “Murdering Palestinian civilians wasn’t enough for rampaging settlers enabled by the Israeli government. They raided mosques and desecrated the Holy Qur’ān. The Israeli government is completely out of control, and it’s long past time for the United States to stop enabling its escalating oppression.” Earlier this week, CAIR called on the U.S. Department of State to take concrete actions to protect Palestinian-American under attack by Israeli settlers.
MALAYSIA ASKS INT’L COMMUNITY TO STOP ISRAEL VIOLENCE
Malaysia, on June 23, expressed concern over fatal incidents causing numerous injuries and deaths in the occupied West Bank. “Malaysia calls on members of the international community to demand Israel halt all provocative acts, unilateral action and incessant brutality against innocent civilians in the interest of peace and stability,” said a Malaysian Foreign Ministry statement. The June 19 clashes in Jenin were a direct consequence of forces of Israel recent raids on Palestinians in the occupied area, according to the Ministry. The Ministry said they stand by the principle that Palestinians deserve the right to an independent and sovereign state, based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem serving as its capital. The Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Hussein Al-Sheikh, also called on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, to expedite examining the files referred to the court regarding Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people. Meanwhile, Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and ex-head of the UN’s refugee agency Mary Robinson have warned that there is “ever-growing evidence” that the situation in Israel and Palestine meets the legal definition of apartheid. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has also condemned the Israeli settlers’ attacks on Palestinian property, describing them as “acts of terrorism”.
RUSSIAN AIRSTRIKES KILL 9 CIVILIANS IN SYRIA’S IDLIB
A total of nine civilians were killed and 30 others injured in a Russian warplane attack on a market in Syria’s Idlib de-escalation zone, a report said on June 25. Confirming the casualties, the White Helmets civil defence group said the attack hit the vegetable market in the Jisr al-Shughur district centre. The death toll is feared to rise as the injured are referred to hospitals for treatment. Three Russian warplanes departed from the Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia at 10.03 a.m. local time, and carried out air strikes on the vegetable market in the Jisr al-Shug district, the city centre, and a village, according to the opposition aircraft observatory. In September 2018, Türkiye and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited. The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the zone. Syria has been embroiled in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
QATAR DELIVERS MOBILE HOMES FOR QUAKE VICTIMS IN TÜRKIYE
Qatar said it had shipped the last batch of mobile homes prepared for the victims of the February 6 earthquake disaster in Türkiye and Syria. In a statement, the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) said the mobile homes had arrived in Hatay in southern Türkiye on June 24. “Over the course of three months following the earthquake, QFFD delivered 10,000 fully furnished, insulated shelters to over 15 different cities and towns across southeast Türkiye,” QFFD said. QFFD “continues to improve the livelihood of vulnerable communities worldwide by providing the necessary aid to save lives, give hope, and promote peace and justice through sustainable and inclusive development,” it added. On June 13, the Qatar Red Crescent Society launched a donation campaign for establishing the Hayat Sehir city in Istanbul, to house orphans affected by the earthquakes. More than 50,000 people were killed in two powerful earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye on February 6.
SRI LANKA TO START TEA-FOR-OIL BARTER WITH IRAN
Sri Lanka is set to start bartering tea to Iran next month in lieu of $250 million owed for oil, a Sri Lankan official was cited as saying on June 23, as the crisis-hit country tries to lift sales to a key market and protect its forex reserves. The barter was agreed in 2021 for oil imported in 2012, but the exchange was delayed after Sri Lanka’s unprecedented dollar shortage last year plunged the economy into its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades. “This is very timely for us because we get access to an important market and both Iran and Sri Lanka can trade without relying on dollars,” Sri Lanka’s Tea Board Chairman, Niraj de Mel, told Reuters. “The agreement was to send $5 million worth of tea each month for 48 months, but we plan to start with about $2 million per month.” Iran has been one of Sri Lanka’s main tea buyers, but exports have fallen steadily from $128 million in 2018 to $70 million last year as US sanctions on Iran hit trade. A significant share of Sri Lanka’s tea is now shipped to Iran via the United Arab Emirates (UAE), official data shows.
UN RIGHTS CHIEF URGES TUNISIA TO STOP CURBING MEDIA FREEDOMS
United Nations Human Rights chief, Volker Turk, on June 23 called on Tunisia to stop restricting media freedoms and said it was criminalising independent journalism since President Kais Saied seized wide powers in 2021. Freedom of speech and media were key gains for Tunisians after the 2011 revolution that ousted autocratic President, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and triggered the Arab Spring protests. But activists and journalists say freedom of speech faces a serious threat under Saied’s rule. Dozens of journalists and activists protested last month against restrictions of freedoms and trials targeting journalists and bloggers. Turk said that, since July 2021, the UN Human Rights Office in Tunisia has documented 21 cases of alleged human rights violations against journalists. “I urge Tunisia to change course,” he said.
TÜRKIYE BECOMES KEY COUNTRY IN BALKANS: MONTENEGRIN PREMIER
Türkiye has become a “key country” in the Western Balkans and its mediating role between Serbia and Kosovo is very important, the Montenegrin prime minister said on June 25. “(Turkish) President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan is a leader who can convince the troubled parties in the Balkans to come to the table and find sustainable solutions to the problems in the region. I think Türkiye’s mediation role in the tension between Serbia and Kosovo is very important,” DritanAbazovic told Anadolu as part of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum in Istanbul. As a “superpower”, Türkiye, maintains friendly relations with the whole world, he said, adding that all the steps Türkiye will take in global diplomacy are valuable for both the countries in the region and the Balkans. “I hope President Erdogan will be more involved in problems in the Balkans. This is extremely important for ensuring peace and stability in the region,” he added.