29-10-2020

THURSdAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020
7
Israel looks to far-right figure to
head Holocaust memorial
Turkish officials on Wednesday railed against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo over its
cover-page cartoon mocking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and accused it of sowing "the
seeds of hatred and animosity.
Photo : AP
Turkish leaders condemn Charlie
Hebdo cartoon of Erdogan
ANKARA : Turkish officials on
Wednesday railed against French
satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo over
its cover-page cartoon mocking
Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and accused it of sowing "the
seeds of hatred and animosity."
The cartoon could further heighten
tensions between Turkey and France,
which erupted over French President
Emmanuel Macron's firm stance
against Islamism following the
beheading of a teacher who showed his
class caricatures of the Prophet
Muhammad for a free speech class,
reports UNB.
The Prophet cartoons upset many in
the Muslim world. But it was Erdogan
who led the charge against France and
questioned Macron's mental state.
France then recalled its ambassador to
Turkey for consultations, a first in
French-Turkish diplomatic relations.
"We strongly condemn the
publication concerning our president of
the French magazine, which has no
respect to faith, the sacred and values,"
Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin,
wrote on Twitter.
Kalin said: "The aim of these
publications, that are devoid of
morality and decency, is to sow seeds of
hatred and animosity. To turn freedom
of expression into hostility towards
religion and belief can only be the
product of a sick mentality."
The cartoon depicted Erdogan in his
underwear holding a drink and lifting
the skirt of a woman wearing an Islamic
dress.
"I condemn this incorrigible French
rag's immoral publication concerning
our president," Turkish Vice President
Fuat Oktay wrote on Twitter. "I call on
the moral and conscientious
international community to speak out
against this disgrace."
Macron's stance sparked anti-
France protests in Turkey and in
other Muslim countries as well as
calls for the boycott of French good.
Tensions between France and
Turkey have mounted in recent
months over Turkish actions in Syria,
Libya and the Caucasus Mountains
region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
JERUSALEM : Israel plans to
nominate a far-right former general
and Cabinet minister who once called
for the expulsion of Palestinians from
the West Bank to head the Yad Vashem
Holocaust memorial, officials said
Tuesday, reports UNB.
Effie Eitam, a religious nationalist
with a history of harsh rhetoric toward
the Palestinians and Israel's Arab
minority, is also a staunch advocate of
Jewish settlements in the occupied
territories, which are widely seen as a
violation of international law and an
obstacle to peace.
Groups representing Holocaust
survivors have expressed concern his
appointment could tarnish one of the
world's leading institutions for
Holocaust remembrance and open it
up to criticism from the Palestinian-led
boycott movement as well as those who
question or deny the Nazi genocide.
Higher Education Minister Zeev
Elkin, a member of Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party,
selected Eitam for the post, Israel's
Haaretz daily reported. An Israeli
official, speaking on condition of
anonymity to discuss the appointment,
which has not been made public, said
Netanyahu supports his candidacy. A
spokesman for Elkin did not respond to
requests for comment.
In an interview, Eitam said
Netanyahu offered him the job two
months ago but said he has heard
nothing since then. He indicated he
would be interested in the post if the
appointment becomes official and said
he was unaware of any controversy
surrounding his candidacy. A
parliamentary committee would have
to give final approval.
Eitam, 68, served in the Israeli
military during the 1973 Middle East
War and the 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
During the first Palestinian intifada, or
uprising, in 1988, troops under his
command beat up two Palestinian
suspects, one of whom later died. The
soldiers, who were convicted of assault
by a military court, said they were
following orders.
He retired as a brigadier general in
2000 and later entered politics, serving
in the Knesset, or parliament, from
2003 until 2009. He also briefly served
as a Cabinet minister before resigning
in 2005 to protest Israel's withdrawal
from the Gaza Strip. Eitam lives in the
Golan Heights, which Israel seized
from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed
in a move not recognized
internationally.
During the second intifada in the
early 2000s he advocated harsh
measures, saying then-Palestinian
leader Yasser Arafat and his "gang of
murderers" should be put to death. In
2006 he was bloodied in clashes
between settlers and Israeli troops
during the evacuation of a West Bank
outpost. Later that year, in a speech at
a memorial service for a soldier killed in
Lebanon, he reportedly called for the
expulsion of most Palestinians from the
West Bank and for the removal of
Israel's Arab citizens from the political
system, referring to them as a "fifth
column" and a "group of traitors."
Arabs make up 20% of Israel's
population.
Eitam told The Associated Press he
did not recall making the remarks,
which were widely reported by Israeli
media.
Eitam described himself as a "unifier"
and consensus builder, and said his full
record would be fairly reviewed.
"Those people who will have to make
the decision, no doubt they will
consider all the aspects of the
nomination and they will come to a
decision," he said.
Eitam would replace Avner Shalev,
81, who announced his retirement
earlier this year after leading Yad
Vashem for 27 years. A spokesman for
Yad Vashem declined to comment.
Yad Vashem is a non-political and
almost sacred institution in Israel.
Before the coronavirus pandemic it
regularly hosted visits by students,
soldiers and other tour groups, as well
as the country's annual Holocaust
remembrance day ceremony. Visiting
world leaders nearly always pay their
respects at Yad Vashem for the 6
million Jews murdered by Nazi
Germany and its collaborators during
the Second World War.
Colette Avital, a former Israeli
diplomat and lawmaker who heads the
Center of Organizations of Holocaust
Survivors in Israel, expressed concern
over Eitam's nomination, saying Yad
Vashem should be led by someone with
a background in Holocaust research
and education.
Strong typhoon
leaves 1 dead, 12
missing as it
nears Vietnam
HANOI : Typhoon Molave
roared closer to Vietnam
with destructive force
Wednesday, leaving one
villager dead and causing
two boats with 12 fishermen
to sink as the country braced
for the most powerful storm
in 20 years, state media said,
reports UNB.
A man died after winds of
up to 150 kilometers (93
miles) per hour knocked
him off his roof while trying
to reinforce it in southcentral
Quang Ngai
province, where the typhoon
was forecast to make landfall
later Wednesday, the official
Vietnam News Agency
reported.
The navy deployed two
rescue boats to search for the
fishermen in rough waters
off Binh Dinh province,
according to state-run VTV
network.
At least 40,000 people
have been evacuated to
emergency shelters farther
inland from coastal villages.
Prime Minister Nguyen
Xuan Phuc has ordered
provincial authorities to
prepare to move up to 1.3
million people in regions
lying on the typhoon's path.
VTV showed displaced
villagers huddled in
classrooms that were
converted into an
evacuation center, where
they spent the night.
Provincial authorities shut
down offices, factories and
schools and asked people to
remain indoors to prevent
casualties. Vietnam is still
recovering from severe
flooding and landslides that
killed 136 people and left
dozens missing in three
provinces.
At least five airports were
closed as the typhoon
approached, with more than
200 flights canceled. Train
services were also
suspended Wednesday and
will resume when the
weather improves, the VTV
network reported.
Pompeo brings anti-China roadshow
to Indian Ocean islands
COLOMBO : U.S. Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo on Wednesday brought the Trump
administration's anti-China campaign to two
Indian Ocean island nations considered
particularly at risk for what American
officials allege is Chinese exploitation,
reports UNB.
Pompeo is visiting Sri Lanka and the
Maldives to press the two countries to be on
guard against potential predatory lending
and investment by China. He was making
the case less than a week before the
American election in which President
Donald Trump is seeking to paint his rival,
former Vice President Joe Biden, as weak on
China and beholden to it.
Even before Pompeo arrived in Sri Lanka,
China had fired back at the U.S. message,
accusing Washington of bullying smaller
nations. In Sri Lanka, the Maldives and then
in Indonesia on Thursday, Pompeo plans to
press each nation to push back against
increasing Chinese assertiveness in the Indo-
Pacific, which U.S. officials complain is
highlighted by development and
infrastructure projects that benefit China
more than the presumed recipients.
Earlier this month, Beijing announced it
would provide Sri Lanka with a $90-million
grant to help rural development, after
President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa sought help
from a visiting Chinese delegation in
disproving a perception that China-funded
megaprojects are "debt traps."
China considers Sri Lanka to be a critical
link in its massive "Belt and Road" global
infrastructure building initiative and has
provided billions of dollars in loans for Sri
Lankan projects over the past decade. The
projects include a seaport, airport, port-city,
highways and power stations.
Critics like the U.S. say that the Chinesefunded
projects are not financially viable and
that Sri Lanka will face difficulties in
repaying the loans.
In 2017, Sri Lanka leased out a Chinesebuilt
port located near busy shipping routes
to a Chinese company for 99 years to recover
from the heavy burden of repaying the
Chinese loan the country received to build it.
Ahead of Pompeo's arrival in Colombo, the
Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka denounced
his visit, accusing one of his top aides of
making unacceptable threats against the
country. In those comments, the top U.S.
diplomat for South Asia, Dean Thompson,
warned Sri Lanka of the dangers of allowing
China to get a foothold on the island.
Qatar apologizes, investigates
forced airport examinations
DUBAI : Qatar apologized Wednesday after
authorities forcibly examined female
passengers from a Qatar Airways flight to
Australia to try to identify who might have
given birth to a newborn baby found
abandoned at the airport earlier this month,
reports UNB.
Under pressure after Australia condemned
the searches, Qatar's government said it had
begun an investigation into the treatment of
the women who were taking Qatar Airways
Flight 908 to Sydney on Oct. 2.
Qatar offered no immediate explanation of
how officials decided to perform invasive
vaginal examinations on the women. Human
rights activists describe such examinations
conducted under duress as equivalent to
sexual assault. The small, energy-rich country
on the Arabian Peninsula is a major hub for
East-West travel and host nation for the 2022
FIFA World Cup. Hamad International
Airport is the main hub for state-owned longhaul
carrier Qatar Airways.
In Qatar, like much of the Middle East, sex
outside of marriage is a criminal act. Migrant
workers in the past have hidden pregnancies
and tried to travel abroad to give birth, and
others have abandoned their babies
anonymously to avoid prison.
Qatar's Government Communications
Office issued a statement early Wednesday
that authorities discovered the newborn
"concealed in a plastic bag and buried under
garbage" at the airport. It called the discovery
an "egregious and life-threatening violation of
the law." The statement said officials searched
for the baby's parents, "including on flights in
the vicinity of where the newborn was found."
"While the aim of the urgently decided
search was to prevent the perpetrators of the
horrible crime from escaping, the state of
Qatar regrets any distress or infringement on
the personal freedoms of any traveler caused
by this action," the government said.
Israel plans to nominate a far-right former general and Cabinet minister who once called for the
expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank to head the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, officials
said Tuesday.
Photo : AP
Trump to appeal to
Nevada voters from
neighboring Arizona
LAS VEGAS : President
Donald Trump will make a
crunch-time appeal to voters
in Nevada. But he'll do so
from Arizona.
The president is under
pressure Wednesday to
prevent a repeat of a
September rally in Nevada
that attracted thousands of
people. The airport that
hosted that event was fined
more than $5,500 for
violating crowd restrictions
aimed at preventing the
spread of the coronavirus.
Rather the curb the
crowds as virus cases spike
across the U.S., Trump is
simply shifting his event
across the banks of the
Colorado River to Bullhead
City, Arizona. The move is
the latest example of
Trump's efforts to downplay
the virus and condemn
Democratic leaders in states
such as Nevada who have
imposed limits on
gatherings to combat the
worst public health crisis in
more than a century.
That was a message
Trump emphasized on
Tuesday as he campaigned
in Michigan and Wisconsin,
critical battlegrounds with
Democratic governors who
have set restrictions to
address the pandemic.
"Speaking of lockdowns,
let's get your governor to
open it up," Trump said in
West Salem, Wisconsin.
Biden faces challenges in quickly
combating the pandemic
WILIMINGTON : If Joe Biden wins next
week's election, he says he'll immediately call
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top
infectious-disease expert. He'll work with
governors and local officials to institute a
nationwide mask-wearing mandate and ask
Congress to pass a sweeping spending bill by
the end of January to address the
coronavirus and its fallout, reports UNB.
That alone would mark a significant shift
from President Donald Trump, who has
feuded with scientists, struggled to broker a
new stimulus deal and reacted to the recent
surge in U.S. virus cases by insisting the
country is "rounding the turn."
But Biden would still face significant
political challenges in combating the worst
public health crisis in a century. He will
encounter the limits of federal powers when
it comes to mask requirements and is sure to
face resistance from Republicans who may
buck additional spending.
"There are no magic wands," said Dr.
Joshua Sharfstein, vice dean for public
health practice at Johns Hopkins University
and former Maryland state health
department chief who recently briefed Biden
on reopening schools during the pandemic.
"It's not like there's an election, and then the
virus beats a hasty retreat."
Biden's handling of the coronavirus is
taking on new urgency as cases spike around
the country. Average deaths per day
nationwide are up 10% over the past two
weeks, from 721 to nearly 794 as of Sunday,
according to data from Johns Hopkins
University. Confirmed infections per day are
rising in 47 states, and deaths are up in 34.
Meanwhile, a fresh outbreak of cases at the
White House among Vice President Mike
Pence's staff has revived concerns about the
impact of the virus on the government.
The early days of a Biden administration
would be consumed by a pandemic
response. "I'm here to tell you we can and
will get control of this virus," Biden said
Tuesday during a campaign stop in Georgia.
"As president, I will never wave the white flag
of surrender."
A $3 trillion spending package that cleared
the Democratic-controlled House has stalled in
the Senate, where Republicans currently hold
the majority. Biden has called the Senate GOP
"so damn stupid" for not passing that measure,
but has failed to propose a single
comprehensive package of his own.
Instead, he has said Congress should
approve $30 billion to help schools reopen
and has proposed a $700 billion economic
plan. But that plan isn't solely focused on the
coronavirus and includes provisions to boost
industries like manufacturing to create jobs
and help revive the economy when the
pandemic begins to subside.
Biden also wants to declare reopening
schools a "national emergency" and access
potentially billions more dollars in Federal
Emergency Management Agency disaster
response aid. He'd seek a national system for
tracing the exposure path for those
diagnosed with the virus - part of a larger
public health corps that Biden suggests
might function like the civilian-led
conservation corps that President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt created during the New
Deal. And he's vowed to increase testing
capacity in every state until the U.S. is
screening daily the 7.5 million people it
currently tests per week, according to the
Covid Tracking Project.