Israeli government approves new bill to detain asylum seekers

The bill proposal, called "The Infiltration Prevention Act," is the third formulation of the bill, the two previous versions having been struck down by the country's Supreme Court, for the alleged infringement upon the migrants' basic human rights.

According to the bill, once asylum seekers enter Israel, they would be sent to a prison called Saharonim, and from there, they would be brought to the Holot detention centre in the southern Negev desert for a period of up to 20 months.

The Supreme Court, Sep 22 disqualified the government policy, which allowed the detention of illegal migrants for up to a year without trial. In 2013, the Supreme Court had struck down the first formulation of the bill, which had allowed the authorities to lock migrants up for a period of up to three years without trial.

Following the approval of the government, the bill would be transferred, for discussion, to the Knesset (parliament) committee for Interior Affairs and then put to several rounds of voting in the Knesset plenum.

According to Israeli authorities, there are currently about 48,000 African migrants who had entered the country without permits across the Egypt-Israel border. Most of them have from the war-torn African countries of South Sudan and Eritrea.

 About 2,000 illegal migrants are currently held at the Holot facility. Israeli authorities consider the migrants to be a risk to the Jewish character of the state. On the other hand, harsh measures taken against the migrants are criticised by left-wing protesters and activists.

Source: Chhattisgarh Hindi News and MP Hindi News

Biggest Jewish-Arab school set afire in Israel

The incident comes amid growing tensions in Jerusalem between the two communities that started before the 50-day bloody war in Gaza and has continued unabated despite heightened security arrangements.

The fire broke out at the playground in the school on Saturday evening and was extinguished by emergency crews. Police and fire services said that they suspected arson based on the visible evidence found at the scene.

The Max Rayne Hand in Hand Jerusalem School is the country's largest Jewish-Arab institution.
  
It has been co-run by a Jewish and an Arab principal since its foundation in 1998 by the Hand in Hand non-governmental organisation.
  
Over the past few months, the school has been repeatedly targeted by right-wingers, who have sprayed racist graffiti against Arabs on its walls, sources revealed.
  
"Even if they manage to dirty the school's walls, they will not manage to bring down our enterprise [of civil cooperation]," Hand in Hand Executive Director, Shuli Dichter, said in a statement.

"In addition to denouncing [these actions] expressing support, we invite the entire Israeli public to join us in the building of Jewish-Arab civil partnership in Israel.
  
We will continue to develop our educational and social project, where every day 1,200 students come to study, some 200 teachers come to teach and in which thousands of family members are involved," he said.

Jerusalem's Mayor, Nir Barkat, condemned the incident saying, "We will not allow pyromaniacs and criminals who take the law into their own hands to disrupt our daily lives".
  
"We will continue to denounce the extremists and do whatever it takes to restore the quiet to Jerusalem," he said.

The bloodiest war between the two sides broke out after the Hamas fired dozens of rockets at Israel after Israel rounded up its activists in the West Bank following the murder of three Israeli teens there. The war claimed lives of 2,200 Palestinians and 70 Israelis.

Source: Chhattisgarh Hindi News and MP Hindi News

India expresses concern over rising tensions in Jerusalem

"We are deeply concerned about rising tensions in East Jerusalem. The imperative need is for urgent de-escalati on, for restraint, for avoidance of provocation and for a return to the peace process. Diplomacy and statesmanship have to prevail over hatred and violence; there is no other road to a lasting peace," Permanent Representative of India to the UN Asoke Mukerji said in a UN General Assembly session on Monday.

Marking the International day of solidarity with the Palestinian People, Mukerji reiterated India's "unwavering support" for the cause of Palestine and solidarity with the Palestinian people for their struggle.Mukerji also extended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support and solidarity for the Palestinian cause. He said India firmly believes that dialogue is the "only viable option" for a durable, comprehensive and peaceful solution to the Palestinian issue.

"We hope that both sides will demonstrate the necessary political will to return to the negotiating table and resume dialogue," he said, adding that India supports a negotiated solution, resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, living within secure and recognized borders, side by side and at peace with Israel.

India called for the blockade on Gaza to be fully lifted and humanitarian supplies and desperately-needed materials for reconstruction be allowed in without restrictions. "The suffering of the people in Gaza persists in the aftermath of this summer's conflict which resulted in tragic loss of civilian lives, especially women and children and extensive destruction of houses and infrastructure," he said.

The fighting – which raged from July 8 to August 26 – saw entire neighbourhoods in the Strip flattened, and almost one-third of Gaza’s population uprooted. The violence killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, including more than 500 children, and more than 70 Israelis while also damaging or destroying over 100,000 homes.

Mukerji said apart from strong political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support the development and nation-building efforts of Palestine by consistently extending technical and financial assistance.

It has contributed a million dollars annually to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). India has recently pledged USD four million in response to the National Early Recovery & Reconstruction Plan for Gaza. India is implementing development projects in Palestine, jointly with Brazil and South Africa within the framework of IBSA, and has pledged USD a million dollars for a new project to reconstruct the Atta Habib medical centre in Gaza.
  
Invoking the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, Mukerji said the need of hour is to adhere to his ideology of non-violence and "eschew hatred and violence."

Source: MP News in Hindi and Chhattisgarh Hindi News

Israel eager to share technology with India

Netanyahu conveyed this to Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh during their hour-long meeting here Thursday.

"Netanyahu briefed the home minister on technologies that had been developed by Israel in areas such as aviation security, border protection and water harvesting.

"He said Israel was ready and willing to discuss transfer and development of such technologies with India," a home ministry statement said.

The statement also said a delegation from the Israeli industry would be happy to visit India to explore manufacturing opportunities in different sectors.

In this context, Rajnath Singh also mentioned the possibility of exploring third country markets in Africa and Latin America, where Indian industry has a strong presence.

Rajnath Singh left for Monaco Nov 3 to attend an Interpol ministerial meeting and general assembly.

As a part of the tour, the minister is also visiting Israel and France to discuss security related bilateral issues.

Source: MP News in Hindi and Chhattisgarh Hindi News

Rajnath Singh meets Netanyahu to bolster Indo-Israel

Welcoming Singh, Netanyahu said, "Indians and Israelis share the combination of ingenuity and continuity."

The Home Minister sought closer ties with the country saying, "Israel plays a major role in world politics". Singh, who is here for his first bilateral visit, earlier tweeted, "India and Israel share very warm & cordial bilateral relations. We look forward to strengthen it further."

Singh, who arrived here last night, was scheduled to arrive yesterday morning but had to reschedule his plans after his flight from Monaco was cancelled due to bad weather. The Minister was in Monaco to attend Interpol's General Assembly. Despite the unexpected change in Singh's plans, the Israeli government rolled out a red carpet in welcoming him with Netanyahu, Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon and Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich re-adjusting their tight schedules to meet him.

Singh started his Israel visit by visiting Holy sites in the old city of Jerusalem.     The Home Minister then left for a helicopter tour of the Jordan Valley and Israel's northern and southern region with National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen to get a sense of the security situation in the country.

Cohen had recently met Singh in New Delhi and discussed "common challenges" faced by the two countries and their solutions, emphasising his country's "willingness to expand cooperation in all fields and in any level."

"India is a very important ally for us and we view the Home Minister's visit as very significant. We are looking forward to fruitful discussions that will strengthen cooperation between the two countries," a senior Israeli official said.

It is the first visit of an Indian Home Minister to Israel since June 2000 when L K Advani visited Jerusalem, marking an upsurge in bilateral cooperation. Singh's visit comes close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Netanyahu on the sidelines of the
UN General Assembly in New York in September.

Source: MP News in Hindi and Chhattisgarh Hindi News