UN mandate for Gaza stabilisation force still under discussion, says Turkey
Istanbul: Countries are still working on securing a United Nations Security Council mandate for an international stabilisation force in Gaza, and any decisions on troop contributions will be made once a framework is finalised, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday, Reuters reported.
Fidan made the remarks after a ministerial meeting in Istanbul attended by foreign ministers and representatives from several Muslim-majority nations, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Turkey. The meeting focused on the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
According to Fidan, some of the participating countries could contribute to the proposed stabilisation force that would monitor the truce. The leaders of these seven nations had earlier met U.S. President Donald Trump in New York in September, shortly before the ceasefire plan between Israel and Hamas was agreed.
Fidan said there were challenges in fully implementing the agreement because Israel was regularly violating it.
“Israel must fulfil its duty to allow sufficient aid into Gaza,” Reuters quoted Fidan as saying at a press conference.
Israel, however, maintains that it is complying with the ceasefire and has accused Hamas of not returning the bodies of remaining hostages. A government spokeswoman told Reuters that Israel was allowing “hundreds of trucks of aid on a daily basis (while) Hamas shows their true colours by derailing humanitarian aid meant for their own people.”
Turkey, a NATO member, has been among Israel’s strongest critics, calling the two-year-long military campaign in Gaza a “genocide”. With U.S. support, Ankara has played a key role in mediating the ceasefire and expressed interest in participating in any monitoring mission, though Israel opposes Turkish involvement.
Asked about the proposed role of Turkey, Fidan said countries were working to define the mission’s “legitimacy and scope.”
“They will decide, based on the contents of this definition, whether to send soldiers or not,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
The Gaza truce, in place since October 10, has been repeatedly tested by outbreaks of violence. Key issues such as the disarmament of Hamas and a timetable for Israel’s withdrawal remain unresolved.
Fidan reiterated that Turkey wants Palestinians to ensure their own security and governance after the war, but noted that “several steps must be taken before that goal can be realised.”
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
LoP Ashoka targets CM govt over corruption, says being 'shameless' in public life not forgivable
Bengaluru (PTI): Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka on corruption, BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday said, being foolish was forgivable, but being "shameless" in public life was not.
The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly claimed that in just 30 months of its tenure, the Congress administration has broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies.
He was responding to Siddaramaiah's post on 'X' on Thursday hitting back at the BJP, stating that Upa Lokayukta Justice Veerappa's claims of "63 per cent corruption" were based on his report in November 2019, when BJP's B S Yediyurappa was the CM.
"But Ashoka, without understanding the Upa Lokayukta's statement properly, has ended up tying the BJP's own bells of sins onto our heads and has effectively shot himself in the foot," the CM had said, as he accused Ashoka of foolishness for trying to twist Veerappa's statement to target the current government.
Responding, Ashoka said, "it is one thing to be called foolish in politics, that can be forgiven."
"But in public life, especially in the Chief Minister's chair, one must never become shameless," Ashoka posted on 'X' on Friday addressing Siddaramaiah.
Noting that the CM himself had admitted on the floor of the Assembly that a Rs 87 crore scam took place in the Valmiki Development Corporation, he said that when a CM acknowledges such a massive irregularity inside the floor of the House, the natural expectation is immediate action and accountability.
"But instead of taking responsibility, you continue in office as if nothing has happened. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
Pointing out that the CM's Economic Advisor and senior Congress MLA Basavaraja Rayareddy had publicly stated that under Congress rule, Karnataka has become No.1 in corruption, Ashoka said, "Yet, you still cling to the Chief Minister's chair without a moment of introspection. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness."
Senior Congress MLA C R Patil had exposed the "money for House" racket in the Housing Department and even warned that the government would collapse if the details he has were made public, Ashoka said.
"Despite such serious allegations from within your own party (Congress), you neither initiated an inquiry nor acted against the concerned minister. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," Ashoka asked the CM.
Highlighting the "40 percent commission" allegation Congress made against the previous BJP government, the opposition leader said, the commission that the Siddaramaiah government appointed concluded that the accusation was baseless.
"After your own panel demolished your own claim, what moral right do you have to continue repeating that allegation. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
For the last two and a half years, Karnataka has been 'drowning' in corruption, scandals, irregularities and allegations across departments. Ashoka said, "If I begin listing every case that emerged under your government, even 24 hours would not be enough."
"And the most tragic aspect of your administration is this: the unbearable pressure, corruption demands and administrative harassment under your government pushed several officers and contractors into extreme distress - including the suicide of Chandrasekharan which exposed the Valmiki Development Corporation scam - a sign of how deeply broken the system has become under your watch," he said.
Instead of fixing this hopeless environment, the government has tried to bury every complaint and silence every voice, he charged.
"Being foolish is forgivable, but being shameless in public life is definitely not."
"When your own ministers admit scams, when your own advisors certify Karnataka as No.1 in corruption, and when your own MLAs expose rackets inside your departments - clinging to power without accountability is not leadership. It is shamelessness in its purest form." PTI KSU
Earlier on Thursday Ashoka had demanded that the corruption case and allegations in the state against the Congress government be handed over to a CBI investigation, citing a reported statement by Upalokaykta Justice Veerappa alleging "63 per cent corruption", following which Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP leader.
