All in Gaza should step back from brink: UN envoy
United Nations, July 25 : UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov has reiterated his "call to all in Gaza to step back from the brink", saying "those who seek to provoke Israelis and Palestinians to war must not succeed".
In his briefing to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Mladenov said it has taken an intense effort at preventive diplomacy by the UN and Egypt to make sure that both Israel and Hamas step back from the brink and from potentially a fourth military confrontation in Gaza over past decade, Xinhua reported.
On Friday, four Palestinians were killed and some 210 Palestinians wounded during fierce fighting between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic movement that rules Gaza. The fighting, triggered by the killing of an Israeli soldier, was the most serious one in the Gaza Strip since the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict that killed thousands.
Also, since late March when the Palestinians staged the Great March of Return protests, the death toll of protesters has exceeded 140. The movement, which peaks every Friday, demands the return of Palestinian refugees and the lift of the blockade Israel has imposed on Gaza.
In Tuesday's briefing, Mladenov identified the root causes of "this man-made catastrophe" as intractable conflict, over 50 years of occupation, and over a decade of Hamas control of Gaza, Palestinian division and a crippling Israeli closure regime.
He said that for four years, the UN has urged concerted action to address these causes but little has been achieved. "The underlying dynamics have not improved. The humanitarian crisis has deepened, political stalemate between Hamas and Fatah has worsened, and the prospect of another deadly round of violence is growing by the day."
The UN envoy said he has been in engagement with Israel and the Palestinians as well as regional and international partners to reduce tensions, to address humanitarian challenges and to support the Egyptian-led intra-Palestinian reconciliation process.
After Friday's fierce fighting, Hamas announced it had reached a ceasefire agreement with Israel as a result of efforts led by Egypt and the UN.
In the meantime, Mladenov addressed the crippled infrastructure and dire living conditions in Gaza. He urged advancing infrastructure projects to improve water, electricity and health systems, creating employment, and improving Gaza people's cross-border movement as means to de-escalate the situation.
"To this end, the UN is enhancing its presence on the ground to work with donors and international partners to facilitate the smooth implementation of these projects," he said.
Particularly, the UN envoy mentioned a week before, UNDP announced the implementation of some economic initiatives that will create more than 2,500 immediate and short-term job opportunities in Gaza.
However, Mladenov reiterated there is no point in asking donors to continue funding initiatives without a political horizon for the future, warning against a "futile exercise in conflict management and recurring humanitarian support".
In closing, Mladenov reaffirmed the goal of reaching a broader Israeli-Palestinian peace on the basis of two-state solution, in which Gaza is an integral part of future Palestinian state.
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Karnataka High Court upholds governor's sanction to prosecute CM Siddaramaiah in MUDA case
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's plea challenging the Governor's sanction to prosecute him in connection with the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna stated that the complaint required investigation and upheld the Governor’s authority to grant approval for prosecution.
The court also noted that it is the complainants' duty to seek approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Governor has the discretion to take an independent decision.
The Judge said, “The facts narrated in the petition need investigation,” and dismissed the plea.
The interim order from August 19, which had deferred proceedings against the CM in the trial court, was also dissolved. The court refused to stay the operation of this order, with a detailed copy of the judgment expected by 2:30 p.m.
Siddaramaiah’s plea sought to quash Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot’s decision to sanction his prosecution in connection with a multi-crore scam involving MUDA. The CM’s legal team, led by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, argued that the Governor’s sanction was issued without due reasoning and violated statutory mandates, including Article 163 of the Indian Constitution, which requires the Governor to act on the advice of the Council of Ministers.
On the other hand, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Governor's office, defended the sanction, asserting that it was granted after a thorough review and that natural justice principles were not applicable at this stage of the investigation.
The petition pertained to the Governor's August 17 sanction for investigation and prosecution under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
