View Articles

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s plan for Gaza’s future once the guns fall silent is likely to be a non-starter. Rather than provide a pathway to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the plan aims to squash Palestinian national aspirations and ensure continued Israeli control. It also assumes, against all odds, that Israel will succeed in destroying Hamas. Destroying Hamas is a goal of Israel’s war that a majority of Israelis believe is unachievable.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its third year on Saturday, February 24 Russian President Vladimir Putin looks totally relaxed as against his competitor US President Joe Biden who lost his temper in an election gathering on Wednesday by calling Putin ‘SOB’ which is generally not used in public by the government heads even by the American standards. President Putin cooly dealt with Biden’s remark by mentioning even then he would like Biden to be the next President of USA as against Donald Trump.

American President Joe Biden most probably forgot his insulting words for Russian President Vladimir Putin after a couple of minutes of saying them, but the “crazy SOB” also took the insult on the chin, brushing it aside as if it was no more deserving of attention than a passing breeze on a windy day.

More things change, the more they remain the same. Not much surprise surfaced when this old adage came true once more after the announcement of February 8 election results in Pakistan and formation of its government even as the political outfit which emerged victorious in maximum constituencies readies itself to sit in the Opposition benches.

After prolonged negotiations, political leaders in Pakistan have successfully reached a consensus on a power-sharing arrangement for a new government. The ruling coalition will consist of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which enjoys support from the influential military, along with the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and various smaller factions.

The United States is finally facing a big isolation from its supporting countries over its continuing backing to the war crimes of Israeli defence forces in the Gaza strip. The Biden government faced an international condemnation on Tuesday night after its representative vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

The United States has vetoed yet another resolution in the United Nations Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire on February 20, 2024. This is the third time that the United States has vetoed resolutions in the Security Council calling for a ceasefire – the first being in October and the second in December 2023.

With the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange talks stalled, Israel and its hardline US supporters have stepped up long-standing efforts to discredit Qatar, the main mediator between Hamas and the Israeli government.

Ministry formation is on the rocks in Pakistan after the February 8 elections produced a fractured mandate. Major political parties went scurrying to cobble together a majority coalition even though Imran Khan's PTI despite winning biggest share of seats and emerging as the largest party in the National Assembly was not accepted as the winner by PML-N and PPP, the two other major political parties.

"The Telegraph reports that the Policy Exchange warns of the emergence of seabed warfare, highlighting the potential for Iran-backed militias to intensify their actions in the Gaza conflict." A recent report has issued a warning that Houthi rebels might target the underwater internet cables of Britain.