Talks of move to oust me is over after state election, Penang's Kon Yeow says

Talks of move to oust me is over after state election, Penang's Kon Yeow says



Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said today that the alleged move to oust him is now “over” with the conclusion of the state polls in August. — Bernama pic

Monday, 30 Oct 2023 1:32 PM MYT


SEBERANG PERAI, Oct 30 — Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said today that the alleged move to oust him is now “over” with the conclusion of the state polls in August.

The Penang lawmaker said the decision was already made and finalised in the state elections.


“At that time, it can’t be denied, there was consideration by the party decision-makers not to select me in the state elections,” he told reporters after launching an agrifood sector investment seminar at Bertam Resort here.

“I feel all this is over after the state elections,” he added.


There were talks in recent weeks of a move to oust Chow as the chief minister, with several Penang DAP leaders quitting the party prior to the state election while accusing an unnamed “tyrant” or “emperor” within the party.


Even the recent controversy on the sale of an industrial land in Byram was cited as one of the moves to diminish Chow’s authority.

Last week, former Penang executive councillor and DAP assemblyman Phee Boon reportedly said the party grassroots have called for the political tensions to stop so everyone can “cool down, take a step back and see the bigger picture”.

“I have answered, I’m always calm and cool,” Chow replied, when asked to comment on Phee’s remark.

Asked whether he would sit down and have a calm discussion with his party national chairman Lim Guan Eng to resolve the political tension in Penang, he said they meet every week for weekly meetings.

As for the party’s state elections next year, Chow said he will think about it when the time comes.

Western coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza – bias or unprofessionalism?

al Jazeera:

Western coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza – bias or unprofessionalism?

Media experts say some agencies are ‘legitimising Israeli war crimes’ in Gaza.

Protesters during a rally for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza in Times Square, New York City, the United States, on Thursday, October 19, 2023 [Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Published On 29 Oct 202329 Oct 2023


Publishing unsubstantiated claims, telling only one side of the story, and painting Palestinians as nothing more than objects in Hamas’s hands are all unprofessional mistakes Western media makes while covering the conflict between Israel and Hamas, media experts and Arab journalists say.

Experts and journalists who spoke to Al Jazeera said the systemic “bias in favour of Israel” is “irreparably damaging” the credibility of news agencies considered “mainstream” in the eyes of Arabs and others.


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As Western media organisations “dehumanise Palestinians” and “legitimise Israeli violations of international law” as Israel bombs Gaza, it is glaringly obvious that the vital historical context of the trauma Palestinians have been through for the past 75 years is being left out, experts say.
One-sided

On October 7, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on military outposts and communities in southern Israel, killing more than 1,400 Israelis and taking more than 200 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli officials.

The same day, Israel launched a relentless bombardment of Gaza that has killed more than 8,000 people, about 40 percent of whom are children.

It also devastated Gaza’s health sector and flattened much of its infrastructure while strengthening its choke-hold siege by cutting off fuel, water and food – acts that may amount to war crimes under international humanitarian law.

(Al Jazeera)


United Nations experts say Palestinians in Gaza are facing the risk of genocide.

Western correspondents have gone to Israel where they reported extensively on the grief of Israeli families, but Israel has not allowed foreign journalists to enter Gaza, which means they’re missing a vital aspect of the story.

“If you don’t live in Gaza, if you don’t listen to the prayers Palestinians make when they lose loved ones, if you don’t learn about the life story of loved ones [who have been killed] …then the coverage [of Gaza] won’t be the same [as the coverage of Israel],” Taghreed El-Khodary, an analyst from Gaza, told Al Jazeera from her home in the Netherlands.

This means, she continued, that they “are not just covering the Israeli narrative, but they are living the Israeli narrative”.

Most of the people within Gaza are the children or grandchildren of Palestinians who were expelled from their homeland during the creation of Israel in 1948 – an event commemorated annually as the “Nakba” or catastrophe.

Rights groups refer to Gaza, where 2.3 million people are squeezed into a piece of land only 41km (25 miles) long and 10km (6 miles) wide, as the largest “open-air prison” in the world.

(Al Jazeera)


“You don’t hear the word ‘victims’ [in reference to Palestinians] as you hear [when there is reporting] about the Israeli side,” El-Khodary explained.

Rather than cover the human toll in Gaza, many Western media networks either refer to the Palestinians killed as numbers or echo American and Israeli talking points including Israel’s “right to defend” itself and Hamas using civilians in Gaza as “human shields”.

According to international law, Israel is an occupying force in the West Bank and Gaza. For decades, it has built and expanded illegal settlements in the former. It has maintained a suffocating siege on the latter since 2007.

Amnesty International has pointed to what it terms “damning evidence of war crimes as Israeli attacks wipe out entire families in Gaza”. Satellite imagery shows whole neighbourhoods in Gaza that have been flattened.

These “double standards” reflect a broader tendency of Western media organisations to portray Muslims and Arabs as “less than human”, said Arwa Damon, a former CNN correspondent and now a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington, DC, think-tank.

“What we are seeing right now is a repeat – especially in terms of coverage – of what we saw on 9/11 where [Arabs and Muslims] were painted with this ‘terrorist’ brush and vilified,” she said.

Palestinians invited to speak to Western news channels are frequently asked if they “condemn Hamas”, while Israeli guests are seldom asked to condemn their government’s apartheid policies in the occupied West Bank or its siege and bombardment of Gaza, experts told Al Jazeera.

“In every [Western news] report, they keep mentioning that Hamas is [designated] a terrorist group,” said El-Khodary. “But what about mentioning what Israel is doing? It’s violating international law, it’s committing genocide. It has imposed an apartheid system [in the West Bank]. It has imposed a 16-year blockade on Gaza.”

“Where is the context? Only that Hamas is [a designated terrorist group] and that is the only context they are giving us here.”

Manufacturing support

Unsubstantiated claims made by Israeli parties have made their way to the front pages of Western news agencies, according to the experts Al Jazeera spoke to. A recent example was the oft-reported claim that Hamas “beheaded 40 babies”.

Despite the lack of evidence, the allegations were reported by The Independent, CNN, Fox News and the New York Post.

Even United States President Joe Biden implied he had seen pictures of dismembered babies on October 12. The White House later walked back his comments, saying Biden had seen no such images, and that he had seen news reports.

(Al Jazeera)


That claim – and other unsubstantiated allegations like Hamas fighters raping hundreds of Israeli women – was an attempt to manufacture public support for Israel’s military response in Gaza, said Lina Mounzer, a Lebanese writer and critic who has written for major Western news organisations.

While an Amnesty International report concluded that children were killed in Hamas’s attack, neither Israeli authorities, Western journalists nor rights groups found any evidence of “beheaded babies”.

“When [Western outlets] focus on these claims of 40 beheaded babies and women being gang-raped, then what they are effectively doing is justifying the brutality of Israel’s counterattack,” Mounzer told Al Jazeera.

“How else do you sell the idea of self-defence when [Israel] is bombing what is basically a concentration camp?”

Fired for empathy

While some journalists at Western outlets may want to do more thorough reporting, many actually fear losing their livelihoods and careers if they speak out against their network’s pro-Israel bias, said Layla Maghribi, a British freelance journalist of Palestinian-Syrian descent.

A non-Jewish Arab colleague of hers, she told Al Jazeera, has been instructed by their news outlet not to attend any demonstrations or post anything on social media that suggests he empathises with Palestinians.

Her Jewish colleague, she continued, hates that he cannot tell his readers about the real human cost of Israel’s bombing of Gaza.




“My Jewish colleague is just mortified with his editor’s coverage of the conflict. That is, if you can even call it a conflict. It’s a massacre,” Maghribi said.

Other journalists who are not reporting on the conflict have been fired for comments or actions that imply empathy with victims in Gaza.

Michael Eisen, a Jewish journalist who was employed by the open-source scientific journal eLife, said he lost his job for sharing a headline on X (formerly Twitter) from the US satirical news website The Onion.

“Dying Gazans criticised for not using last words to condemn Hamas,” read The Onion headline, which was published on October 13.

Journalists at the BBC are understood to have objected to the United Kingdom broadcaster’s framing of the war in Gaza.

While the BBC has used words such as “massacre”, “slaughter” and “atrocities” when describing Hamas’s attack on Israel, it has refrained from describing Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in a similarly negative way, according to an email that staff at the network sent to Director-General Tim Davie, the UK’s Times reported.

Maghribi says she believes the climate of intimidation against journalists and the failure of mainstream outlets to humanise Palestinians is causing the Arabic-speaking world and Arab diaspora in the West to lose even more faith in the credibility of Western media coverage.

“We’re not just witnessing a breakdown in humanity,” she said. “We are witnessing a breakdown in the profession.”

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

Anwar needs to execute, lacks decisiveness, says TMJ

FMT:

Anwar needs to execute, lacks decisiveness, says TMJ


Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim also says the prime minister does not have a good team.

Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim appeared on a podcast hosted by Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan. (Keluar Sekejap Facebook pic)


PETALING JAYA: Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership style lacks decisiveness.

“In my opinion, I think he has to execute more and make more decisions. In my view, I don’t think he has a good team.

“He has the desire to see the country do well, that’s for sure, but I think he should be braver in making decisions. You can’t appease all parties,” Tunku Ismail said on the most recent episode of Keluar Sekejap, hosted by former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin and former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan.

Later on in the programme, he agreed with Khairy’s views that with the government announcing numerous development blueprints, the focus would now turn to whether it could follow through.

“Maybe he is playing things too safe,” said Tunku Ismail.


Tunku Ismail’s goals as regent

Meanwhile, Tunku Ismail said he would focus on developing Johor’s education and infrastructure when he becomes the state’s regent.

His first priority will be to seek more autonomy for the state’s education department from the federal authority.

He also said he would consider closing down religious schools in Johor that have syllabuses that do not align with state religious department guidelines.

“I want to monitor all schools, the quality of the teachers, and the schools’ programmes. Even the religious schools.”

Tunku Ismail explained that he viewed education as key to “weeding out” religious extremism in his home state.

He also hoped to collaborate with the federal government to improve the state’s infrastructure, particularly its flood mitigation system.

On Oct 27, the Conference of Rulers agreed that the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, would be the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

He will replace Pahang ruler Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, whose term ends on Jan 30.

Following that, it’s expected that Tunku Ismail, who is the first in line to the Johor throne, will be appointed as the regent.

More children’s deaths in Gaza in 3 weeks than annual total since 2019: NGO

al Jazeera:

More children’s deaths in Gaza in 3 weeks than annual total since 2019: NGO

More children have died in Gaza since October 7 than from conflicts around the world in each of the last four years.

kt comments: YHWH is pleased with the children of Jacob & Judah for the bountiful child sacrifices

People bury the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes at a cemetery in the central Gaza Strip on October 27, 2023 [Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa/Reuters]

Published On 29 Oct 202329 Oct 2023


More children have now been killed in Gaza in the last three weeks than the total killed in conflicts around the world in every year since 2019, the nongovernmental organisation Save the Children has said.

Figures released by the NGO on Sunday, referencing Palestinian health authorities, show that at least 3,324 children have been killed in Gaza since October 7, while 36 have died in the West Bank.

According to reports from the UN Secretary-General on children and armed conflict, a total of 2,985 children were killed across 24 countries in 2022, 2,515 in 2021, and 2,674 in 2020 across 22 countries, Save the Children said.

“One child’s death is one too many, but these are grave violations of epic proportions,” said Jason Lee, Save the Children’s country director for the occupied Palestinian territory. “A ceasefire is the only way to ensure their safety. The international community must put people before politics – every day spent debating is leaving children killed and injured. Children must be protected at all times, especially when they are seeking safety in schools and hospitals.”

The statement comes as Israel pushes forward with expanded ground operations inside Gaza as heavy aerial bombardment continues. On Friday, the entire Gaza Strip experienced a near-total communication blackout in what emerging accounts have described as a night of sheer terror and some of the heaviest fighting since the war began.

A further 1,000 children have been reported missing in Gaza and may be under the rubble. Children make up more than 40 percent of the more than 8,000 people confirmed to have been killed in Gaza. More than 6,000 children have been injured in Gaza since the war began.

Overall, at least 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals have also been killed in Israel, mostly in the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7.

Israel has imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip, tightening the blockade enforced since 2007, cutting all supplies of food, electricity, fuel and water, and only allowing small amounts of aid in through the Rafah crossing with Egypt since October 21.

The lack of electricity as well as the scarcity of fuel to power generators has forced hospitals to cut down on their operations and the health ministry declared Gaza’s health system in a state of “complete collapse”, further endangering the lives of children, including babies in need of energy-intensive neonatal intensive care.

Palestinian Red Crescent: We will continue to operate hospital despite Israeli attacks nearby

Hospitals under threat

On Sunday, the Israeli military stepped up attacks close to al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City, after ordering its “immediate” evacuation.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on Sunday said it has received “serious threats” from Israeli forces to “immediately evacuate” the al-Quds Hospital in the Tal al-Hawa area of Gaza City. Attacks in the vicinity of the hospital continued throughout the day.

Al Jazeera has spoken to the director of the hospital, who says there is no reason for Israel to be targeting the facility or the areas nearby.

“There’s no police presence in the hospital, no military presence, nothing at all. Just thousands of Palestinians here, many of whom have lost their homes. Thousands of others are seeking shelter in UNRWA schools,” he said.

“Israel is targeting every single building around al-Quds Hospital. Why is that? Nobody knows.”

The PRCS has reported that the hospital is currently providing care to hundreds of injured patients. Around 12,000 displaced civilians, with a majority being children and women, have also sought refuge in the hospital building.

“We reiterate – it’s impossible to evacuate hospitals full of patients without endangering their lives,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director of the World Health Organization (WHO), said on X.

Palestinians have blamed Israel for an explosion at al-Ahli Arab Hospital that killed nearly 500 people on October 17. Israel has denied being responsible.

Gaza hospital director pleads for killing of children to stop

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

Madani gov’t should stop taking Indians for a ride by dishing out peanuts funding sum

Madani gov’t should stop taking Indians for a ride by dishing out peanuts funding sum

By Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy

INSOFAR as the Budget 2024 is concerned, the allocation of RM130 mil to the Indian community can be described as a “drop in the ocean”, “pittance” or “peanuts”.


The total budget amounts to RM395 bil. The “Neanderthal in the room” is the grossly inadequate budget allocation for the Indian community, not the mechanisms of the distribution of the funds.

If this is not addressed, what is the point of having a task force to ensure the funds reach the deserving target groups and individuals?


To the individuals who are advocating the establishment of a task force, the problem is not about the gross inadequate funds made available to the Indian community but more the question of channelling the funds in an efficient manner.

This is what I called the syndrome of misplacing priorities that serve the established powers.

The RM130 mil will be allocated to Indians through the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (MITRA) (RM100 mil) and for Indian entrepreneurial activities (RM30 mil) through the Tekun programme.

Pic credit: Thisaigal TV Malaysia

Having allocated basically peanuts or pittance to the Indian community, the unity government has claimed that it is a balanced budget.

Some Indian leaders in PH who are basically “apple polishers” have supported Budget 2024. They have found nothing wrong with the budget especially the meagre allocation to the Indian community.


Appalling attitude of Indian PH leaders

It is not about the “drop in the ocean” but how the funds will be dispensed to the community. The question is when there are hardly any funds to distribute, it serves no point in asking about the mechanisms of distribution.

One self-proclaimed leader went to the extent of chiding Indians for not understanding the budget. As though if a person memorises the entire budget, the full extent of funds allocated for the community can be discerned.

This is the kind of sycophants who miserably fail to speak on behalf of the community. In taking about the minuscule or shameful budget allocation for Indians, it makes no sense to engage in empty talks about the manner of the funds are distributed.

Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy

If the amount is so little, what is there to distribute by forming a task force. It will be like scraping the bottom for the Indian community. This pretentious Madani government should be honest to Indians.

The community cannot be taken for a long and miserable ride by pretentious leaders. What is the point of entertaining Tamil film stars and quoting the Thirukural (ancient Tamil script) if the interest and well-being is not the concern of the present government.

I am not asking the government of the day to have a solidarity week for the discriminated Indians in the country. If the government does not need the support of Indians, then this message needs to be imparted in a forthright manner.

This would be clear signal for the community to chart their future political course. Indians are slowly but surely deserting the unity government as witnessed in the last state and recent by-elections.

Indians can be discriminated, marginalised and exploited but there is no way their thinking can be changed. – Oct 29, 2023



Former DAP stalwart and ex-deputy chief minister II of Penang, Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy was also the former Perai state assemblyman.

Tian Chua: Palestine Solidarity Week discourse reflects communal divisions

Tian Chua: Palestine Solidarity Week discourse reflects communal divisions


Arguments that have erupted over the Education Ministry’s Palestine Solidarity Week programme reflect a sad reality in Malaysia, lamented Tian Chua.

The former Batu MP claimed that it was “communal division” that blurred society's vision of universal humanity and compassion.

While Chua (above) commended the controversial school programme that will run from today until Nov 3, he urged the Education Ministry to reorient the programme to more impactful activities that educate students on Palestinian history and culture.

“To instil compassion and empathy for other children, there should be visual or reading material on the inhumane conditions under occupation and in refugee camps.

“In the long run, we must also create a teaching syllabus on universal values and human rights. Our acts of solidarity are certainly not only limited to Palestinians.

“Our solidarity with Palestine has to start with presenting the truth to the broader public. The mission of the solidarity campaign is to unite us Malaysians in a true understanding of the plights of the Palestinians,” he said on Facebook.

Chua’s statement came after photos went viral on social media last week depicting schoolchildren carrying toy guns while donning headbands and the black and white “Palestinian scarf”, voicing support for Palestine.

While the incident occurred before the ministry’s designated period of the Palestine Solidarity Week, the programme drew criticism from several individuals and political parties.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the use of replica weapons was not part of the established guidelines for the programme, and that the incident was being investigated.


Proper guidance needed

Chua said students should be exposed to geopolitical issues and international affairs especially when they are related to human rights and humanistic values, however, teachers and parents must be well prepared to deal with sensitive topics.

“Even if one tries to avoid it, children have plenty of access to social media and they would encounter these complex issues by themselves.

“It would be better for education institutions to provide advice and guidance for the students to develop a proper perspective.

“The stated objective of the Palestine Solidarity Week is to promote unity, sympathy, respect and other humanistic values. The Education Ministry maintains that there are proper guidelines on how it should be conducted,” he added.

The former PKR vice president claimed that the ministry had overlooked some aspects of the programme.

“In truth, many Malaysians are still quite uninformed about the issues and they only look at Palestine from their own communal lens.

“An instruction with a list of dos and don'ts will not spontaneously translate the activities of Solidarity Week into sympathy and support for the oppressed Palestinians.

“It was launched without providing the schools with any prescribed material - videos, books, pamphlets, news analysis, investigative reports, resource persons.

“For that reason, the teachers or students have to use their own imagination to fill in the blanks. I believe they did the activities with good intentions. Let's not be overly harsh on them,” he said.

Cancellation call

The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) opined that a lack of systematic training for teaching staff on the programme may lead schools into becoming a “breeding ground” for spreading hostile and violent ideologies.

It believes the programme implementation by the ministry lacks thoroughness and sensitivity.

“It fails to consider the diverse reality of Malaysia, a society characterised by a mix of different races, religions, and cultures, each with differing viewpoints on domestic issues, let alone the complex historical and geopolitical issues of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“Determining right from wrong in such matters is far from straightforward,” it said.

KLSCAH called for the programme to be rescinded and instead wanted the government to focus on nurturing critical thinking and mature reasoning skills in students.

“Through public discussions and practical experience, students can develop civic awareness and a sense of human rights, leading to a more diverse worldview beyond the simplistic dichotomous viewpoint,” it added.

From schools to the streets: Pro-Palestinian rallies may just be springboard to topple unity gov’t

From schools to the streets: Pro-Palestinian rallies may just be springboard to topple unity gov’t

WHAT happened last Friday (Oct 27) should be an eye-opener not only to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Madani government but the Malaysian public at large.

These incidents in schools are probably only the tip of the iceberg. At best, they are indications of the undercurrent that there are individuals – including the educators – who have extreme tendencies even within the school system.

Parents are generally only concerned about their children because they do not want schools to become the breeding ground for potential terrorists and other extreme elements or that their children are used as pawns in future to turn this nation into another Taliban state.

Instead of building the country to be reckoned as an economic powerhouse in this region, if the problem is not nipped at the bud, things may snowball to an extent that the country’s future be in the hands of extremist groups.

The incidents in schools which were carried out ahead of the Palestine Solidarity Week which officially kicks off today (Oct 29) are nothing but expressions of defiance which authorities cannot close an eye, especially since Terengganu PAS Youth had in February this year displayed tendencies to adorn war garments and paraded with fake weapons of war.

In an undated video, Permatang Pauh MP Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan had also allegedly taught that the “Malay rulers are supposed to be subjugated to the powers of the ulama”. What does this tell us about our lawmaker?

Since the demise of its spiritual leader Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat in February 2015, PAS has begun to display the more extreme side of Islam with its current president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang alongside Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin dabbling with fire by riding on the pro-Palestine march on Sunday to demonstrate against the US.

Clamp down

In his latest video clip, fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK) claimed that the PAS 10,000 Palestine Solidarity Rally held yesterday (Oct 28) afternoon has attracted “more than 10,000, 50,000 or even 100,000 participants though hard to estimate correctly”, hence more successful than the Malaysia Stands with Palestine’ rally staged by the unity government on Oct 24.

The video clearly shows RPK is hell bent attempt to overthrow the Madani government especially Anwar, the solely pro-opposition rally pale in comparison to the BERSIH rally in 2007 which enticed a multi-racial crowd of 40,000 who only wanted to seek a fair and clean election as opposed to toppling the government of the day.

Given such unruly state of affair, the unity government has no choice but to view such development very seriously if the country is to remain as a progressive nation that believes in democracy.

This is why most middle ground Malaysians – both Muslims and non-Muslims alike – have expressed concern over the latest development by urging the government to stall the Palestine Solidarity Week in schools.

There is the tendency for the issue to be exploited by the negative elements which have long been lying low away the radar.


A pure sabotage?

Although the intention of the government is quite different for the Palestine Solidarity Week where schools are supposed to carry out activities to teach children humanitarian values, it is obvious that certain school principals and teachers have gone too far displaying their extreme tendencies.

For a long time, parents have expressed the concerns over the behaviours of some of educators in the country but Education Ministry officials have taken lightly the complaints from parents.

Now, they cannot downplay what is obviously wrong even in the eyes of the law. Section 36 of the Firearms Act 1960 states that “Possession of and importation of imitation (fake) arms, by any person who shall import or have in his possession or custody an imitation arm shall, on conviction, be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or to a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or both”.

This is no longer about the Palestinian struggle. It is about local politics where one party is trying to cause the collapse of the unity government set up by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA).

It seems that the Opposition is seeking to take over the Federal government through a vote of no-confidence rather than waiting for the next general election. The government must take this seriously by investigating the possible involvement of deep state and hidden hands that have gone “silent” for the past two months.

Bear in mind that every move or action that we see being played out in the open appear to be done with one concerted effort – which is to overthrow the Madani government.

There are obviously people who are afraid that Anwar may go on the overdrive with the fight against corruption, a “cancer” of society that Emir Research has estimated Malaysia’s total economic cost of corruption to be worth by RM2.3 tril over the last 26 years. – Oct 29, 2023

Anwar details reluctant agreement to make Dr Mahathir prime minister in new biography

Anwar details reluctant agreement to make Dr Mahathir prime minister in new biography



Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Author Mark Trowell (left) are seen during the book launch for ‘Anwar Triumphs’ at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre October 29, 2023. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

Sunday, 29 Oct 2023 8:57 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim revealed that he disagreed with many of his allies who wanted rival Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to be Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) first prime minister, detailing the opposition in the fourth instalment of Anwar’s biography authored by Australian criminal lawyer Mark Trowell.

Anwar said his endorsement of Dr Mahathir’s nomination came forced, after his PH allies sought hard to convince him that Dr Mahathir had that push factor that other PH leaders did not to give the coalition its first electoral win.


“I had to be realistic at the time. Although my letters are important because in them I said: ‘Look this guy cannot be trusted. Now that you have agreed, I concur. I mean I’ve no choice but to agree with you guys’,” he told Trowell.

This disagreement was relayed in a letter to the coalition’s top leaders sent from jail ahead of the 14th general election, and which Trowell published excerpts of in his book, titled Anwar Triumphs.


The matter was among the topics the author touched on when he interviewed Anwar at the prime minister’s office in Putrajaya in April 2023 for his latest book, which he featured in the first chapter. This is the first time the letter was made public.


In the letter, which Anwar said was penned in mostly English, the Opposition leader at the time cautioned of “Mahathir’s ploy” and warned his PH colleagues of the “danger of getting caught up in the games of the ruling elites”.

The prime minister suggested it was likely that Dr Mahathir and his allies pretended to support the reform agenda to “maintain outdated, obsolete systems” in a bid to preserve power Anwar described this as “cunning tricks”.

“Throughout our history of struggles there have been challenging episodes which demanded deep thinking and counselling. Our latest issue is in relation to the Citizens’ Declaration that has dragged our leaders and their teams to be in cahoots with Tun Mahathir and Daim Zainuddin,” the letter said.

“We must steer clear of the danger of getting caught up in the games of ruling elites and their cunning tricks to maintain outdated, obsolete systems. Even so, many of our friends believe the new strategy is powerful and (is) the best way to move forward.”

Anwar had also voiced his suspicion of the “Citizens’ Declaration” in the letter. The declaration was the manifesto at the centre of PH’s election messaging he felt served Dr Mahathir’s agenda instead of the reform his coalition had fought for.

Anwar wrote that he believed Dr Mahathir’s only goal was to remove Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and not improving governance of eradicating corruption.

“Essentially the Citizens’ Declaration remains as Tun Mahathir’s document; flawed and not in line with our agenda for reform,” he said.

“Its only focus is the removal of Datuk Seri Najib as prime minister due to the 1MDB scandal. This is obviously a departure from the basis of our struggle for freedom and justice, the rule of law, fighting and abuse of power and corruption, and justice for all,” Anwar added.

In the fourth book, and likely the last, Trowell published more revelations by Anwar about what had transpired behind the scenes as the first PH government scrambled to elect a prime minister, as coalition leaders themselves were caught off guard by their shock victory at the 14th general election.

It also features an exclusive interview with Anwar’s wife and Malaysia’s first woman deputy prime minister. At the launch of Anwar Triumphs here, Trowell said his latest book pays deserving homage to Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, whom he felt is not accorded due recognition for being instrumental in driving PH to its first ever electoral win, as a powerless Anwar observed the behind bars.

The book is now available at all major bookstores nationwide.

Analysts: Israel on verge of perilous push into Gaza

Analysts: Israel on verge of perilous push into Gaza



Israel has opened a new phase in its war on Hamas by expanding ground operations inside Gaza, but analysts warn the campaign is its riskiest in half a century with fallout threatening the whole Middle East. — Reuters pic

Sunday, 29 Oct 2023 4:00 PM MYT


JERUSALEM, Oct 29 — Israel has opened a new phase in its war on Hamas by expanding ground operations inside Gaza, but analysts warn the campaign is its riskiest in half a century with fallout threatening the whole Middle East.

Thousands of civilians have already died in Gaza and Israel since Hamas launched its shock October 7 attacks. And the United Nations has led warnings that thousands more will die as Israel sends troops and tanks farther into Gaza.


That adds to Western fears that Iran-backed Hezbollah could open a new front on the Lebanese border. Officials say Israel does not want to stay in Gaza and there are also concerns over who will administer the territory and pay for its reconstruction after the guns fall silent.

With Gaza’s hospitals and food supplies devastated, Israel’s Arab neighbours worry that the images of Palestinian suffering could trigger a pro-Hamas backlash in their own countries.


Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed an “iron fist” treatment of Hamas after its fighters attacked communities across southern Israel. They killed 1,400 men, women and children, and took back at least 230 hostages, according to Israel.


Hamas authorities say more than 8,000 people, half of whom are children, have died in thousands of Israeli air strikes since the start of the war.

Images of the devastation have fuelled anger in many countries. Now tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers are waiting on the border for the toughest stage of a war that Netanyhu warned would be long and difficult.

“We are going to see a lot of carnage, we are going to see a lot of horrible things,” said Edward Djerejian, a former US assistant secretary of state and ambassador to Israel, who bemoaned the lack of a political initiative to end the crisis.

This showdown is Israel’s most perilous since the 1973 Arab-Israel war, when it was also taken by surprise, according to Jonathan Rynhold, a specialist on the Israel-Palestinian conflict at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv.


Israel’s ‘critical moment’

He said Israel will have to be ready for major casualties which will be worse if Hezbollah turns its near-daily artillery exchanges with Israel into all-out conflict.

Israeli troops have been given special training for urban warfare in the Palestinian territory’s narrow rubble-strewn streets and huge network of Hamas underground tunnels that they call the “Gaza metro”.

“If Israel follows through on the stated aim of destroying Hamas military capabilities in the Gaza Strip and overthrowing its regime, then the scale and length of this war will be much bigger and much longer than the four previous Gaza wars since 2005, the longest of which lasted seven weeks,” said Rynhold.

The expansion of ground of operations “will be the critical moment as to whether a second front opens with Hezbollah and that is a higher risk” than in previous wars, he added.

Open conflict with Hezbollah could drag in the United States and would mean Israel having to accept “a scale of destruction that it has never experienced before,” Rynhold said.

The United States and the European powers have given Netanyahu strong support while urging him to limit the civilian casualties that fuel Arab anger and open up Gaza to more humanitarian aid.

US President Joe Biden has sent two aircraft carrier groups to the eastern Mediterranean and warned Hezbollah and others to stay out. But he has also urged Israel to curtail its “rage”.

H.A. Hellyer, a security specialist for the Royal United Services Institute in London, said that Israel is not doing enough to head off new war fronts.

“There is a risk of extension of the conflict,” he said. “Israel is prioritising revenge and retaliation over all else, as far as we can see from the statements of senior Israeli officials.”

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas but while it may take out the Islamist group’s leadership, analysts warn it is unlikely to take away its support base.

Khalil Shikaki, director of the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah, said Hamas is “probably a lot more popular today” in the Arab region than before the attacks.

Hamas will retain significant influence in Gaza after the war, he predicted.

Israel has not had the public sympathy it expected in Western countries. And with Iran and other rivals watching closely, it must now prove that it remains the Middle East’s undisputed military power.

Israel’s reputation “depends on its projection of strength, its swagger,” said Laura Blumenfeld, a former US State Department adviser on Israel-Palestinian negotiations and now a security specialist at Johns Hopkins University.

If the war tarnishes “its sheen of deterrence” it will look “weak” before its rivals and countries that might be considering normalising ties, she added.

Rynhold said: “It is not that Israel will lose but that the price of victory will be very high.” — AFP

Reconsider stance on Rome Statute, Putrajaya told

FMT:

Reconsider stance on Rome Statute, Putrajaya told


Lawyer Gurdial Singh Nijar and ex-MP Charles Santiago call for Malaysia to sign up as a member given its support for Palestine.

Gurdial Singh Nijar and Charles Santiago said signing the Rome Statute would allow the country to seek international justice for war crimes and related violations.


PETALING JAYA: A senior lawyer and a former MP have called on Putrajaya to sign the Rome Statute if it is serious about pursuing legal action in the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes committed against the Palestinian people.

Lawyer Gurdial Singh Nijar said the alternative route of addressing international crimes via the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was “not ideal” due to the “very political” nature of the UN body.

“Currently, every resolution presented in the UNSC regarding humanitarian ceasefires and similar matters is facing opposition and veto, primarily because of the veto power held by the five major powers,” he told FMT.

The five countries with veto powers are the US, China, France, Russia and the UK.

“Specifically, the US is exercising its veto authority to block these resolutions,” Gurdial added.

He said signing the Rome Statute would allow the country to seek international justice for war crimes and violations.

He was commenting on foreign minister Zambry Abdul Kadir’s recent explanation in Parliament that Malaysia cannot refer Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the ICC over Israel’s atrocities against Palestine as it is not a party to the statute.

The government withdrew from the global treaty four years ago, with then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad saying he was forced to do so due to the confusion which arose over the issue within the country.

Mahathir said the issue had been politicised to smear the Pakatan Harapan government’s reputation.

Former Klang MP Charles Santiago agreed that, in light of its efforts to support the Palestinian people, the way forward for Malaysia was to become an ICC member.

“If Zambry believes there’s a deficiency in our approach, it would be advisable to formally adopt the Rome Statute.

“Considering Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s efforts to engage with Middle Eastern nations in advocating for Palestinian rights, we should take this into account,” he said.

Santiago cited how Gambia, an ICC member, was able to drag Myanmar to the international court in 2019 over alleged violations of the Genocide Convention against the Rohingya people.

The Rome Statute, an international treaty adopted in 1998, currently boasts 123 signatory countries. It grants the ICC authority to prosecute crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression.

Report: Is ageing Malaysia facing retirement 'time bomb' with insufficient EPF savings?

Report: Is ageing Malaysia facing retirement 'time bomb' with insufficient EPF savings?



CNA reported that EPF itself had investment assets totalling more than RM1 trillion at the end of last year. — Reuters pic

Sunday, 29 Oct 2023 12:01 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — Malaysians’ inadequate retirement savings in the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) — which was further hit with pre-retirement withdrawals to cope with the financial impact of Covid-19 — could be a ticking “time bomb” for the ageing nation, a report suggested.

In a report by Singapore news outlet Channel News Asia (CNA) current affairs programme Insight, EPF chief strategy officer Nurhisham Hussein said it is a reality that there are EPF contributors who become poor even before they retire.


“Some of our members do fall into poverty at retirement or even before retirement because they don’t have the capacity to continue generating the kind of income they need,” he was quoted saying by CNA.

According to CNA, EPF’s calculations last year showed that only around 4 per cent of Malaysians can afford to retire.


With 8.1 million Malaysians having withdrawn a total of RM145 billion from their EPF savings through four Covid-19-linked voluntary withdrawals between 2020 to 2022, CNA noted Nurhisham as saying that this was not a financial problem for EPF itself and that the impact was more on EPF contributors’ savings level, especially those in the lower rungs.


CNA reported that EPF itself had investment assets totalling more than RM1 trillion at the end of last year.

According to CNA, around 30 per cent of EPF members were in February 2021 reported to have almost emptied their whole savings in Account 1 (which they normally could not withdraw from before they turn 55), and that over half of EPF members aged below 55 had less than RM10,000 in EPF savings.

With EPF returning dividends of an average 6 per cent annually since 2011, CNA said the Covid-19 withdrawals have resulted in an opportunity cost as contributors would lose out from the interest earned and that the early withdrawals from EPF make the poor poorer.

CNA cited Malaysia University of Science and Technology economist Geoffrey Williams as being among those who viewed the early EPF withdrawals as a “disastrous move” where EPF contributors had to use their own money to look after themselves during the lockdowns, while Institute of Malaysian and International Studies research fellow Muhammed Abdul Khalid said it was “irresponsible” and the “worst policy ever” implemented in the country.

The EPF had set a minimum Basic Savings target of having RM240,000 by the age of 55, which would translate to RM1,000 per month for basic needs for 20 years, which is in line with the Malaysian life expectancy.

But CNA said over half of EPF members aged 50 to 54 have less than RM50,000 saved up in EPF, which would amount to less than RM208 per month for them to spend over 20 years in retirement.

Nurhisham said Malaysia will be going from an ageing to aged to super-aged country within “a short span of 50 years”.

“People like to say ‘ticking time bomb’, right? We’re seeing some of that happening today,” he was quoted as saying.

In the Current Population Estimates 2023 released this July, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said those in the age group of 60 and above account for 3.8 million or 11.3 per cent of the total Malaysian population in 2023, and that Malaysia is projected to be an ageing nation in 2030 when the age group of 60 and above surpasses 15 per cent of the total population.

Using international definitions of aging society based on the age group 65 and above, the World Bank in 2020 said Malaysia is already an “aging society” as of 2020 as over seven per cent of the population would be aged 65 and above, and that the country would be an “aged society” by 2044 and “super-aged society” by 2056 when that age group hits 14 per cent and over 20 per cent of the population.

CNA reported Nurhisham as saying that increasing the current retirement age of 60 years old and increasing employment among senior citizens could be used to improve savings levels.

CNA said however that hiking the retirement age has its limits, citing Williams as saying that those aged 40 and above would have “little time left to work” to save a minimum RM600,000 — an amount stated by EPF — which would be required to retire decently in Kuala Lumpur.

CNA noted that the next generation will have to shoulder the burden if a high number of Malaysians retire without having enough savings, with Nurhisham saying that the family system has started to break down as people are having fewer children.

“So we’re starting to see that first wave of people who are having trouble in retirement really coming through,” he was quoted saying.

While CNA noted there seems to be no quick solution for the issue of retirement savings, it cited Nurhisham as seeing a chance for “reform” within the coming 10 to 20 years, as the public is receptive about the need to save up money for their retirement.

“People do realise the importance of it. It’s just whether they have the capacity for it,” he said.

Read here for the EPF-commissioned guide Belanjawanku 2022/2023 — prepared by Universiti Malaya’s (UM) Social Wellbeing Research Centre (SWRC) — on how much senior citizens could expect to spend at minimum to retire in 12 cities in Malaysia. This ranged from at least RM2,020 to RM2,520 for a senior citizen living alone.

ICRC chief calls for end to ‘catastrophic’ Gaza suffering

ICRC chief calls for end to ‘catastrophic’ Gaza suffering



The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross yesterday called on all sides to act to halt the intolerable human suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip. — AFP pic

Sunday, 29 Oct 2023 12:25 PM MYT


GENEVA, Oct 29 — The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross yesterday called on all sides to act to halt the “intolerable” human suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

“This is a catastrophic failing that the world must not tolerate,” said Mirjana Spoljaric, as Israel declared its war on Hamas had “entered a new phase” with its massive bombardment of Gaza.


“I am shocked by the intolerable level of human suffering and urge the parties to the conflict to de-escalate now,” she said.

“The tragic loss of so many civilian lives is deplorable.


“It is unacceptable that civilians have no safe place to go in Gaza amid the massive bombardments, and with a military siege in place there is also no adequate humanitarian response currently possible.”


Spoljaric was speaking hours after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sharply criticised the “unprecedented escalation” of bombardments on Gaza, and called for an “immediate” ceasefire.

The Israeli army on Saturday warned residents of Gaza City, in the north of Gaza, that the area was now a “battlefield”, ordering them to “evacuate immediately” to the south.

Israel unleashed a massive bombing campaign after Hamas gunmen stormed across the Gaza border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and seizing more than 220 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said Israeli strikes had since killed more than 8,000 people, mainly civilians, with half of them children.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned on Saturday there was the potential for thousands more civilians to die if Israel presses a major ground offensive in Gaza.

The conflict is the fifth and deadliest in Gaza since Israel unilaterally withdrew troops and settlers from the Palestinian territory in 2005. — AFP

A new life beckons for Muggnisuari, children

FMT:

A new life beckons for Muggnisuari, children


Generous readers raise a whopping RM430,000 for the struggling mother and her five children.

The mother and her five children will now be able to move into a proper home.


PETALING JAYA: A brighter future beckons for B Muggnisuari and her five children, thanks to the generosity of FMT readers.

Less than a week after the poverty-stricken family’s plight was highlighted, a whopping RM430,000 in donations has already been collected.

“It’s enough for the family to start a new life,” said Suriana Welfare Society chairman James Nayagam.

FMT is collaborating with the Suriana Welfare Society, a registered NGO, which will manage the provision of assistance for the family.

Nayagam said the donations would allow Muggnisuari and her children, aged from four to nine, to move into a proper home. The family currently lives without proper water and electricity supply.

“They (the family) will have a home to call their own. The children will be able to go to school and they will have enough food for a year,” said Nayagam.

“We are currently looking into getting her a three-bedroom apartment or a house, and the new place will be fully furnished.”


Managing donations

Nayagam said the response to Muggnisuari’s plight had been overwhelming.

“On top of the money, there are also some 200 people who have requested to meet the family to personally hand over donations and food.”

He said there was a need to schedule visits to avoid overwhelming the family.

“We’re also concerned about people who may want to take advantage of the family, which is why we hope those looking to help Muggnisuari will reach out to the Suriana Welfare Society.

“This is especially important with food items as the family may not have the means to store it all.

“Plus, we are hoping to find them a home as soon as possible, so it would be more prudent to sort that out before taking on more donations, especially with perishable items.”

Nayagam said there were also concerns about disbursing all the donations at once. This is why Suriana Welfare Society will routinely release funds for specific purposes, like living expenses.


Accountability

Nayagam said the Suriana Welfare Society would manage the donated funds in line with its usual process.

“The account will be audited by external auditors,” he said, adding that management of the funds would be monitored by the NGO’s appointed lawyers.

“A written record of donors and the amount of donations are kept, as are records of expenses.”

He said the Suriana Welfare Society has a strict approval procedure for any expenses which is overseen by a committee.

Turkey-Israel ties in tatters over Erdogan address

FMT:

Turkey-Israel ties in tatters over Erdogan address


Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a fierce attack on Israel’s military operation against Hamas fighters in Gaza.

kt comments: ... not "against Hamas fighters in Gaza" per se but INDISCRIMINATELY against all Gazans, children, women & civilians

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a pro-Palestinian rally. (AP pic)


ISTANBUL: Israel said Saturday it was recalling its diplomatic staff from Turkey after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a fierce attack on its military operation against Hamas fighters in Gaza.

kt comments: see my note above - Erdogen was furious because the Israeli bombardment has been totally indiscriminate, murdering all Gazans, children, women & civilians

The announcement dealt a body blow to the sides’ nascent efforts to restore political and economic relations after a decade of all but frozen ties.

Israel and Turkey – an overwhelmingly Muslim nation that forms the bulwark of Nato defences on the edge of the Middle East – had only just agreed to reappoint ambassadors last year.

They were also resuming discussions on a US-backed natural gas pipeline project that could have formed the basis for much closer and more lasting cooperation in the coming years.

But their relations unravelled as Erdogan began to pick up the pace and venom of his attacks on Israel’s retaliatory military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas fighters staged a surprise attack on Oct 7 during which they killed 1,400 people – mostly civilians – and seized more than 220 hostages.

The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza has said Israeli strikes have killed 7,703 people – also mainly civilians – with more than 3,500 of them children.

Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted party staged a massive rally in Istanbul on Saturday that the president said drew a crowd of 1.5 million people.

“Israel, you are an occupier,” he told the Turkish and Palestinian-flag waving sea of supporters.

He accused the Israel government of behaving like a “war criminal” and trying to “eradicate” Palestinians.

“Of course, every country has the right to defend itself. But where is the justice in this case? There is no justice – just a vicious massacre happening in Gaza.”

Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen recalled all diplomatic staff from Turkey moments after Erdogan finished his remarks.

“Given the grave statements coming from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives there in order to conduct a reevaluation of the relations between Israel and Turkey,” he said in a statement.


‘Crusade’

Israel had already ordered diplomatic staff out of Turkey and several other regional countries as a security precaution earlier this month.

A Turkish diplomatic source said all Israeli diplomats had left the country by Oct 19.

“It is difficult to understand whom Cohen had instructed to return,” the Turkish diplomatic source said.

But Cohen’s statement adds a new diplomatic dimension to the withdrawal.

It follows Erdogan’s own announcement earlier this week that he was cancelling plans to visit Israel because of its “inhumane” war.

The sides’ diplomatic relations are now in danger of falling to the lows they experienced when an Israeli raid on a Turkish ship carrying aid into Gaza killed 10 civilians in 2010.

Erdogan has been a leading international supporter of Palestinian rights during his two-decade rule.

He told Saturday’s rally that Israel was “a pawn in the region” that was being used by Western powers to stamp their authority on the Middle East.

“The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West,” Erdogan declared.

And he accused Israel’s allies of creating a “crusade war atmosphere” pitting Christians against Muslims.

“Listen to our call for dialogue,” Erdogan said. “No one loses from a just peace.”

Erdogan’s address came in response to days of pro-Palestinian protests in Istanbul and other major cities organised by Turkey’s more right-wing and Islamic conservative groups.

But one poll released this week showed the majority of respondents preferring to see Turkey remain either neutral or try to play a mediating role in the war.

The Metropoll survey showed 11.3% of the respondents saying they “back Hamas”.

But 34.5% said Turkey should stay “neutral” and 26.4% said it should mediate.

Just 3.0% said they “support Israel”.

Western Militaries’ Growing Role in Israel’s Gaza Campaign: U.S. Marine Generals and Special Ops. on the Ground as France Advocates Coalition Involvement

Military Watch:

Western Militaries’ Growing Role in Israel’s Gaza Campaign: U.S. Marine Generals and Special Ops. on the Ground as France Advocates Coalition Involvement



General James Glynn and Delta Force Special Forces


As the Israeli Defence Forces increasingly been reported to be facing difficulties achieving the objective of destroying the Palestinian militia Hamas, the United States has responded by providing growing levels of personnel and material support. 

While significantly escalating the American military presence in the region, the Pentagon has dispatched Marine Corps Lieutenant General James Glynn, who previously played a leading role in planning special operations against the Islamic State and served in Fallujah, Iraq, to advise Israeli forces. 

Formerly serving as the commanding general of Marine Special Operations Command, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stating that Glynn and other officers advising Israeli forces “have experience that is appropriate to the sorts of operations that Israel is conducting.” 

America’s role in the conflict, however, has increasingly gone beyond that of advising raising the possibility that its forces could come to shoulder a much greater burden in the war effort.



Israeli Merkava Tank Captured By Palestinian Forces Early in the Conflict


On October 15 Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered that 2,000 personnel gear up for a potential “medical and logistical support” mission in Israel. A little over a week later unconfirmed reports began to emerge that U.S. Army Delta Force special forces specialised in counterinsurgency had been deployed alongside Israeli forces for incursions into Gaza, where Hamas has had decades to prepare defences including a vast underground tunnel network. 

Although it has been confirmed that Delta Force is advising Israeli forces, their involvement in combat operations remains unconfirmed. The fact that many hostages taken by Hamas forces are American citizens, however, has made such involvement far from implausible. 

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Douglas MacGregor, speaking to talk show host Tucker Carlson, reported on October 25 regarding the involvement of American special forces in open hostiles: 

“In the last 24 hours or so, some of our Special Ops forces and Israeli Special Ops forces went into Gaza to reconnoiter, to plan for where they might want to go to free hostages and make an impact, and they were shot to pieces and took heavy losses, as I understand it.” 

The performance of Hamas units, both in their initial offensives against Israeli positions and now defensively, is expected to add urgency to ongoing American investigations into the kind of training they may have received from Iran or Hezbollah - the latter which has seen its special forces receive advanced North Korean training which was demonstrated against Israeli forces during a brief war in 2006.



Hamas Militiamen


While the U.S. increases its involvement in the theatre significantly, its NATO ally France has proposed that the predominantly Western coalition force that was formed to fight the Islamic State terror group in 2014 be given the new mission of fighting Hamas to support Israel. 

On October 24 meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu French President Emanuel Macron stated that the Palestinian political party and militia had to be tacked “without mercy,” with Netanyahu at the time stressing that “this battle is not merely our own … it’s everybody’s battle.” 

Other than Turkey and the United States, France maintains the largest military presence in the Middle East among NATO members, and could see its forces deployed to provide support or even directly participate in combat operations should the war escalate. Influence in the region has become particularly important for Paris since the undermining of its sphere of influence across West Africa with the popular overthrow of multiple French-aligned governments in the region.



French President Macron Meets Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu


Alongside the United States and France, Turkey has played an important role in diverting attentions of Hamas’ allies Syria and Hezbollah away from Israel, with jihadist militias supported by Ankara and benefitting from Turkish special forces within their ranks staging growing provocations against Syrian targets and having the potential to launch large offensives into Syria should the war escalate. 

While the extent of U.S. and other Western involvement in Israel’s Gaza campaign remains uncertain, America is expected to intervene should the conflict escalate to involve Hezbollah, Syria or Iran. Washington has accordingly massively escalated its military presence in the region including deployment of two nuclear powered supercarriers and their strike groups, as well as F-15E fighters, A-10 attack jets, and a large Marine contingent with its own aircraft carrier among a range of other assets. 

Strengthening of the air defences both in Israel and around other American facilities in the region has also been a priority with deployments of Patriot and THAAD systems, provision of new ammunition for Israeli air defence systems, and plans to transfer the U.S. Army’s sole two Iron Dome short ranged defence systems to Israel as aid.