GC: STUDENT REFUSES TO SHAKE US SEC OF STATE’S HAND
Palestinian student Nooran Alhamdan refused to shake hands with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, during her graduation ceremony from Georgetown University in Washington, a report said on May 23. Alhamdan, who studied at the Centre for Contemporary Arab Studies in Georgetown, raised the Palestinian flag, and refused to shake hands with Blinken while on stage, in protest over Washington’s position on Israel and the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh by the Apartheid State. “Myself and my classmates in Arab Studies honoured the legacy of Shireen Abu Akleh during Anthony Blinken’s commencement address,” said Alhamdan in a tweet. “We demand an independent investigation and an end to American aid to Israel now. I relayed these demands to Blinken personally and refused to shake his hand.” Alhamdan revealed that at the end of commencement Blinken came up to her personally and said “I hear you,” to which she “reiterated that an independent investigation and accountability for Israel were necessary. He [Blinken] walked away when I told him to cut all American aid to the Israeli military.”
ICC URGED TO END ISRAEL’S ‘DEVASTATING IMPUNITY’
Palestinian journalists are being systematically targeted by Israel because of the “gift of impunity” granted to the Apartheid State, a press conference in London was told on May 27 in the wake of the killing of Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh. Convened by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), lawyers working on an existing case filed at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the targeting of Palestinian journalists by Israel announced that they will add the killing Abu Akleh to the complaint issued in April. Meanwhile, former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Judge Luis Moreno Ocampo has called on Britain to apologise for the Balfour Declaration and compensate the Palestinian people for the suffering they have endured as a result. British barrister, specialising in public international law, Ben Emmerson said he is examining the possibility of suing Britain over the Balfour Declaration and holding the successive British governments responsible for the tragedy and human catastrophe of the Palestinian people, who are still living the effects of the UK’s decision today.
DISCOURSE OF DIVISION IS DESTROYING THE COUNTRY: GHANNOUCHI
The head of the Ennahda movement, Rached Ghannouchi, called on President Kais Saied to rid himself of the “mentality of dividing and accusing of treason”, and work to unite Tunisians. Ghannouchi said: “Unfortunately, the mentality of dividing and accusing of treason prevails today… why do we not seek to gather Tunisians? Instead, we divide them and accuse them of treason … When this is applied in reality, we see it as blood and civil wars. The country needs consensus, dialogue, a mentality that gathers and not separates, and to avoid the biggest danger that threatens it, which is famine and dictatorship. The reason behind all of this is the mentality of exclusion.” Saied has held nearly total power since 25 July when he sacked the prime minister, suspended parliament and assumed executive authority citing a national emergency.
FRENCH RESTAURANT IN SAUDI ARABIA BANS HIJAB
A French restaurant in Saudi Arabia’s coastal city of Jeddah banned the entry of women wearing the hijab or Islamic veil, inciting outrage among customers and citizens in the Kingdom. Bagatelle Jeddah, a branch of the famous French restaurant chain, was reported last week and early this week to have prevented the entry of women who wear the hijab and the abaya, the loose-fitting robe worn by women in the Kingdom. Men who wear the traditional thobe – or long robe – were also reportedly banned from the restaurant. Following the news from news outlets and customers’ personal experiences, the restaurant received thousands of negative and one-star reviews on Google and Facebook from Saudis.
2 PROTESTERS KILLED IN SUDAN AT RALLY AGAINST MILITARY COUP
Two Sudanese protesters were killed on May 28 in the nation’s capital, Khartoum. The doctors accused security organs of using live riots against protesters in different parts of the capital, including in the Alkalalak neighbourhood. The Central Committee of the Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) said authorities used disproportional violence against protesters, including live munitions. Resistance committees also confirmed that security forces used violence against protesters in the Alkalakla neighbourhood. Thousands of protesters were demonstrating against the October 2021 military coup. Sudan has witnessed continuous protests against the military since last year, calling for an end to the military regime and the establishment of full civilian rule.
ANTI-PKK PROTEST IN TURKEY ENTERS 1,000TH DAY
A sit-in protest staged by the families of young people abducted or forcibly recruited by the PKK terror group, and its Syrian offshoot the YPG, entered its 1,000th day on May 29, with thousands chanting against terrorism to show their support for the protesters. The protest began on August 22, 2019 when a Kurdish mother, Hacire Akar, started a sit-in in the city of Diyarbakir outside the office of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) – a party accused of links to terrorism – accusing the party of brainwashing her son into joining the terror group. The tearful mother’s reunion with her son in the subsequent days gave a glimmer of hope to scores of families in the same shoes, and the sit-in launched by three other mothers on September 3 transformed into a massive demonstration over the years, with hundreds of parents and relatives joining the sit-in to bring back their beloved ones. Showing his support in a phone call, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that the strong stance of the protesters gave a clear message of hope for hundreds of others whose children were abducted by the PKK/YPG. He added that Turkey would eliminate terror nests abroad in line with its counter-terrorism goals, and make sure that Turkish territories and people would not be struck by terrorist attacks.
MOROCCO, ISRAEL SIGN FIRST SCIENCE COLLABORATION DEALS
Israel and Morocco on May 26 signed an agreement to cooperate in science and technology projects, reported the Jerusalem Post. The Israeli Innovation, Science and Technology Minister Orit Farkash-Hacohen issued a statement celebrating the first agreement of its kind between the two countries, which will see the collaboration in several fields including artificial intelligence, agricultural technologies, water management, and water desalination. “Adapting to the rapidly changing and unpredictable globalised world requires rooted skills invarious fields,” said Moroccan Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation Minister Abdellatif Miraoui. The move was slammed by Palestinians who said it goes against previously agreed Arab positions on the occupation.