As Israeli forces mobilised on the Gaza border for a potential ground assault on Thursday, Palestinian and Israeli diplomats were waging a rhetorical battle at UN headquarters in New York ahead of the first public Security Council meeting on the crisis.
Israel’s UN ambassador Gilad Erdan and his Palestinian counterpart Riyad Mansour have written widely shared letters condemning the actions of the other side. Several council members have called for the body to hold a third emergency meeting on the crisis, which could happen as soon as Friday and would be the first held in public.
In a letter to council members and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Israel’s Mr Erdan condemned the Gaza militant group Hamas for launching hundreds of “murderous” and “indiscriminate” rockets into Israeli towns and cities.
“It is clear that Hamas premeditated this escalation in violence and terrorism and is happy to pay the price of casualties on both sides in order to strengthen itself politically," the Israeli envoy wrote on Thursday.
In his letter, Palestinian envoy Mr Mansour on Wednesday accused Israel of “unleashing all means of lethal military aggression against the defenceless Palestinian civilian population” and urged the council to take action.
The arguments echo comments made by senior officials in Ramallah and Jerusalem and reflect long-standing views about Israel’s right to defend itself from militants and the plight of Palestinians under a superior occupying force.
The council has met privately on the crisis twice this week. The US, Israel’s ally on the council, has blocked the release of a statement drafted by other members aimed at reducing tensions, saying it would be “counterproductive” at this stage.
In a sign of frustration at the council’s inertia, four of its European members — France, Norway, Estonia and Ireland — issued their own joint statement on Wednesday, criticising rocket launching by Hamas and other militants but also pointing a finger at Israel.
“The large numbers of civilian casualties, including children, from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, and of Israeli fatalities from rockets launched from Gaza, are both worrying and unacceptable,” the statement said.
The US, a permanent veto-wielding council member, has traditionally shielded Israel from criticism at the UN, meaning any serious criticism of Israeli forces and Palestinian suffering is not likely from the 15-nation body.
For his part, Mr Guterres has been careful to voice support for Israel's right to defend itself while calling for the protection of all civilians, including Palestinians.
Renewed rocket fire and rioting in mixed Jewish-Arab towns have fuelled growing fears that deadly violence between Israelis and Palestinians could descend into full-scale war.
The most intense hostilities in seven years have killed at least 83 Palestinians in Gaza, including 17 children, and seven in Israel, including a soldier, two children and one Indian national, since Monday.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets