“The shockwaves from Israel’s ongoing and indiscriminate warfare on Gaza and Lebanon are reverberating across this entire region. Neither the horrific assault on Israeli civilians on 7 October 2023, nor the indiscriminate missiles launched by militant groups from Lebanon, can justify the degree of destruction on civilian lives and infrastructure in the region that I […]

[Egypt Online] Egypt's primary focus is achieving a ceasefire and halting Israeli aggression on Lebanon, Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdel Aatty said during his meeting with Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berry in Beirut on Wednesday 13/11/2024.

Abdelatty met with a number of key officials in the country and reiterated his support for Lebanon and a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

PARIS — Israeli officials are insisting on maintaining a capacity to strike Lebanon at any moment as part of conditions to secure a ceasefire with Iran-backed Hezbollah, France's foreign minister said on Wednesday (Nov 13). Speaking to a parliamentary hearing after holding talks in Israel last week in Jerusalem, Jean-Noel Barrot said it was a condition increasingly voiced among Israeli officials. "Today we hear in Israel voices calling for it to keep a capacity to strike at any moment or even enter Lebanon, as is the case with its neighbour Syria," said Barrot, who held talks with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and new Defence Minister Israel Katz last week. "That is not compatible with the sovereignty of a strong country," Barrot said, referring to broader efforts to help strengthen Lebanon's governance. Several diplomats said that it would be all but impossible to get Hezbollah or Lebanon to accept any proposal that included this demand.

The United States is now seeking an enforcement mechanism that would ensure that the only armed body in that area would be the Lebanese Army.

1. ‘India backs early ceasefire in Gaza’: S Jaishankar at meeting with Saudi Arabia  Hindustan Times
2. EAM Jaishankar: Situation in West Asia matter of deep concern  The Hindu
3. 'Saudi crucial for stability in Middle East': Jaishankar holds talks with counterpart  The Times of India
4. Video | S Jaishankar Holds Bilateral With Saudi Counterpart, Discuss Several Issues  NDTV
5. 'Matter of deep concern…': EAM S Jaishankar on Middle-East conflict at India-Saudi SPC meeting  The Economic Times

New trenches and berms are being constructed along the frontier in the occupied Golan Heights.

U.S. blocks UN Gaza ceasefire appeal | 8 Dec 2023 | The U.S. has cast the lone dissenting vote against a proposed UN Security Council resolution that would have demanded a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war amid rising civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip. Thirteen member states voted in favor of the resolution, which […]

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At least 22 killed in Lebanon and Gaza strikes as Israeli defence minister rejects ceasefire

We speak with Dutch Palestinian analyst Mouin Rabbani about the latest developments in the Middle East as Israel continues its deadly assaults on Gaza and Lebanon. Qatar recently announced it will no longer act as mediator for ceasefire talks, saying the two sides were not serious about reaching a deal to stop the fighting. “This entire process from the outset has been a complete charade,” Rabbani says of the U.S.-backed ceasefire negotiations, urging Egypt to follow suit and also stop acting as a mediator. Rabbani also discusses how a second Trump administration could deal with the region, saying Trump’s “erratic” behavior makes predictions difficult, but that signs point to a more aggressive posture toward Iran.

On his part, Deputy High Commissioner J.P. Singh conveys India’s strong reaction over "unprovoked firing" by Pakistani troops along the LoC.

"There is certain progress," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said after being asked about a possible ceasefire.

After six weeks of negotiating, the UN Security Council was close to agreeing on a resolution for a global ceasefire during the Covid-19 pandemic. Seems fair, right? Let's agree to stop killing each other for a while, so we can focus on the virus that's killing us instead?

China proposed that the text explicitly mention a commitment by member nations to support the efforts of the World Health Organization — who Donald Trump has blamed (without evidence) for withholding information on the coronavirus outbreak.

So the US looked at the resolution and said "LOL no," despite last minute efforts to reach a compromise. As The Guardian reports:

On Thursday night, French diplomats thought they had engineered a compromise in which the resolution would mention UN “specialized health agencies” (an indirect, if clear, reference to the WHO).

The Russian mission signaled that it wanted a clause calling for the lifting of sanctions that affected the delivery of medical supplies, a reference to US punitive measures imposed on Iran and Venezuela. However, most security council diplomats believed Moscow would withdraw the objection or abstain in a vote rather than risk isolation as the sole veto on the ceasefire resolution.

While everyone else seemed game to go along with these compromises, the US insisted it was one big Chinese trick. As one diplomat told CNN:  "This discussion has been taken hostage by issues that do not have to do with the real issues at stake. Instead it has been transformed into a fight between the US and China. Read the rest

A Chinese push to include support for the World Health Organization in a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a global ceasefire is  putting the entire text in limbo – after strong U.S. opposition to the Beijing effort. 

The cross-border shelling is going on but there is no report of any casualty on the Indian side so far, a spokesman said.

Baltimore City's annual ceasefire weekend goes virtual for the first time ever amid coronavirus concerns.

Baltimore City's annual ceasefire weekend goes virtual for the first time ever amid coronavirus concerns.

Baltimore City's annual ceasefire weekend goes virtual for the first time ever amid coronavirus concerns.

A Chinese push to include support for the World Health Organization in a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a global ceasefire is  putting the entire text in limbo – after strong U.S. opposition to the Beijing effort. 

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A dispute between the US and China scuttled a proposed UN resolution calling for a global ceasefire during the Covid-19 pandemic, after Beijing insisted on support for the World Health Organization and Washington vetoed it.
Read Full Article at RT.com

The United States has stunned other members of the UN Security Council by preventing a vote on a resolution for a ceasefire in various conflicts around the world to help troubled nations better fight the coronavirus pandemic, diplomats said.Washington’s reversal on Friday came a day after it agreed to the text, negotiators said under cover of anonymity.“The United States cannot support the current draft,” the country’s delegation declared, without further detail, to the 14 other Security…

Security council had spent weeks seeking resolution but Trump administration opposed mention of organizationThe US has blocked a vote on a UN security council resolution calling for a global ceasefire during the Covid-19 pandemic, because the Trump administration objected to an indirect reference to the World Health Organization.The security council has been wrangling for more than six weeks over the resolution, which was intended to demonstrate global support for the call for a ceasefire by the UN secretary general, António Guterres. The main source for the delay was the US refusal to endorse a resolution that urged support for the WHO’s operations during the coronavirus pandemic.Donald Trump has blamed the WHO for the pandemic, claiming (without any supporting evidence) that it withheld information in the early days of the outbreak.China insisted that the resolution should include mention and endorsement of the WHO.On Thursday night, French diplomats thought they had engineered a compromise in which the resolution would mention UN “specialized health agencies” (an indirect, if clear, reference to the WHO).The Russian mission signaled that it wanted a clause calling for the lifting of sanctions that affected the delivery of medical supplies, a reference to US punitive measures imposed on Iran and Venezuela. However, most security council diplomats believed Moscow would withdraw the objection or abstain in a vote rather than risk isolation as the sole veto on the ceasefire resolution.On Thursday night, it appeared that the compromise resolution had the support of the US mission, but on Friday morning, that position switched and the US “broke silence” on the resolution, raising objection to the phrase “specialist health agencies”, and blocking movement towards a vote.“We understood that there was an agreement on this thing but it seems that they changed their mind,” a western security council diplomat said.“Obviously they have changed their mind within the American system so that wording is still not good enough for them,” another diplomat close to the discussions said. “It might be that they just need a bit more time to settle it amongst themselves, or it might be that someone very high up has made a decision they don’t want it, and therefore it won’t happen. It is unclear at this moment, which one it is.”A spokesperson for the US mission at the UN suggested that if the resolution was to mention the work of the WHO, it would have to include critical language about how China and the WHO have handled the pandemic.“In our view, the council should either proceed with a resolution limited to support for a ceasefire, or a broadened resolution that fully addresses the need for renewed member state commitment to transparency and accountability in the context of Covid-19. Transparency and reliable data are essential to helping the world combat this ongoing pandemic, and the next one,” the spokesperson said.While the force of the resolution would be primarily symbolic, it would have been symbolism at a crucial moment. Since Guterres made his call for a global ceasefire, armed factions in more than a dozen countries had observed a temporary truce. The absence of a resolution from the world’s most powerful nations, however, undermines the secretary general’s clout in his efforts to maintain those fragile ceasefires.Talks will continue next week at the security council to explore whether some other way around the impasse can be found.

The United States on Friday stunned other members of the UN Security Council by preventing a vote on a resolution for a ceasefire in various conflicts around the world to help troubled nations better fight the coronavirus pandemic, diplomats said.

Security council had spent weeks seeking resolution but Trump administration opposed mention of organization

The US has blocked a vote on a UN security council resolution calling for a global ceasefire during the Covid-19 pandemic, because the Trump administration objected to an indirect reference to the World Health Organization.

The security council has been wrangling for more than six weeks over the resolution, which was intended to demonstrate global support for the call for a ceasefire by the UN secretary general, António Guterres. The main source for the delay was the US refusal to endorse a resolution that urged support for the WHO’s operations during the coronavirus pandemic.

Move in response to UN call to focus on preventing Covid-19 outbreak in war-torn country

Several long-running conflicts are edging towards a temporary halt to hostilities

A political activist from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) has alleged that Pakistan has been regularly violating ceasefire at the Line of Control these days to infiltrate terrorists into Kashmir valley amid COVID-19 spread.Amjad Ayub Mirza, a political activist and author based in Glasgow told ANI, "It is Pakistan, which is responsible for ceasefire violation. We, the people of PoK are aware of this fact that always Pakistan initiates a ceasefire violation to which India retaliates."The activist said that like always, time too, the ceasefire violation was started by Pakistan which created problems for locals, even in the areas of Jammu that do not even come in the jurisdiction of the ceasefire line.Divulging further on the heinous activities conducted by Pakistan, the activist said, "There can be three reasons for them to do so. Firstly due to the coronavirus outbreak, the establishment has been exposed over the mishandling of the pandemic. The country does not even have proper ...

This is the 19th ceasefire violation by Pakistan in September alone, 97 such incidents this year.

98 ceasefire violations have taken place in Jammu, while other have taken place in Kashmir.

There have been 127 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along LoC this year.

Indian troops guarding the borderline with Pakistan retaliated, triggering ongoing exchanges.

2 BSF jawans were injured on Friday as Pak troops opened fire at 10 border posts along the LoC.

BSF troops observed suspicious movement along IB near Kulian-Suchetpur outpost.

Pakistan has committed ceasefire violations 195 times along the LoC so far this year.